Julia tried to be as thorough as possible as she vacuumed the hallway, getting as close to the corners and baseboards as she could as she quickly moved towards the living room, all the while keeping her eyes peeled for her nephew’s tiny form. She was doubtful Tim would still be in the hallway at that point, but Julia wasn’t about to take any chances or leave any gaps in her search.

     As she pushed the vacuum back and forth across the hallway carpet, Julia gleefully sang and danced along to the music blasting through her earbuds:

     “One way, or another…I’m gonna find ya, (Tiny Tim)! I’m gonna get ya, get ya, get ya, get ya…!”

     Julia sang along assuredly under the roar of the vacuum cleaner; she was actually enjoying herself, almost completely forgetting that she was technically on a time crunch and needed to find Tim before her sister got home.

     As Julia approached the end of the hallway, her eyes fixated on the living room floor in front of her. She grinned playfully, anxious to dig in and start vacuuming the carpet, wondering just what kind of juicy morsels—and tiny teenagers—she might suck up. 

    The moment her vacuum reached the edge of the step down at the end of the hallway, she pulled the contraption back towards her and pressed the OFF pedal, eagerly scurrying back towards the master bedroom to grab the plug and find a closer outlet in the living room.

     The anxiety was pure torment. Tim could only watch helplessly as Mrs. Pedersen stood outside on the deck and knocked on the back door, trying in vain for the last several minutes to get Aunt Julia’s attention. It seemed like fate was against him: every time his giant aunt switched off the vacuum cleaner—the perfect opportunity for the neighbor woman to make her presence known—Mrs. Peterson chose those exact moments to step away from the back door, most likely conversing with McKenzie who was currently out of Tim’s view.

     The temptation to simply emerge from his hiding place and wave frantically to Mrs. Peterson again was overwhelming, but at that point, Aunt Julia was already nearing the living room with the vacuum cleaner, and would spot him in a hot second if he came out of hiding now.

     As if things weren’t bad enough, as Aunt Julia vacuumed, she was happily singing and dancing along to music blasting through her earbuds, and seemed to be taunting him with her words. Every stinking song seemed to have lyrics that applied to his situation, and the ones that didn’t, Aunt Julia would change to make them relevant, purposely mocking his shrunken plight. The absolute worst was her changing the words from Carrie Underwood’s “Before He Cheats” to “Beneath My Feet”, and her complete bastardization of the chorus:

     “Well, my neph-ew’s shrunk down to the size

      Of an itty bitty bug, to his surprise.

      He thinks it’s scary, but I think it’s pretty neat.

      He’d bet-ter hope he learns to hold his nose

      ‘Cause I’m gonna stick him right between my toes

      Maybe he’ll like the view beneath my fe-e-et.”

     Yeah, Tim might’ve thought it clever if it hadn’t been so cruel.

     How could Aunt Julia be so happy and giddy about trying to suck him up with the vacuum cleaner? Tim wondered morosely. How could she act so cruel and heartless? Did she honestly have no sympathy whatsoever towards his situation? Did she honestly want him—her own nephew—to die, or get squished? True, Aunt Julia and he hadn’t always seen to eye to eye on things, and she’d always been somewhat critical of him, but her behavior the past week was just cold-blooded…merciless…sadistic…

     It was like his shrinking had had some kind of effect on her…like, it made her wicked and spiteful…almost resentful of him. Julia saw him as nothing more than a toy…or a bug…something she could use for her own pleasure, compel to do her bidding…or squash beneath her foot without even a shred of hesitation. Indeed, at his size, Tim was nothing more than a bug to her, and if she found him now, he feared he wouldn’t survive the inevitable punishment.

     And what about his mother? Given Aunt Julia’s behavior, Tim started to suspect his shrinking was having an adverse effect on his mother as well. Natalie had begun the week being so overprotective of him (rightfully so), but over the last couple of days, she seemed to have become somewhat dismissive and inattentive. Somehow, his mother had been somewhat oblivious to Aunt Julia’s subterfuge and deceitfulness concerning Tim’s wellbeing, and wouldn’t even begin to entertain the notion that Aunt Julia was torturing him. Sure, Natalie was no doubt under a lot of pressure getting that shrinking formula analyzed and developing a cure for him, but was it merely the stress and workload that was affecting her, or something else about his being tiny that was making her so ignorant?

     Whatever the reason behind the lack of empathy from either his mother or his aunt, Tim couldn’t say, but regardless, as he watched Aunt Julia stomping back towards the living room to begin vacuuming again, the tiny teenager knew he needed help….he needed sympathy, and it seemed his only source was literally standing in front of him at the back door.

     “Julia?!” Mrs. Peterson called out, frantically waving and knocking on the back door when she spotted the neighbor woman’s figure at the edge of the hallway inside the house. “Julia?!”

     Julia, however, apparently never noticed someone was at the back door, and quickly disappeared back down the hallway.

     “Nuts!” Mrs. Peterson said, “I don’t think she heard me.”

     “Mom,” McKenzie whined from the bottom step, “can we please just go around to the front and ring the doorbell now? My arms are getting tired carrying this stupid thing.”

     “Honey, I literally just saw her,” Mrs. Peterson retorted, looking away from the window for a brief moment. “I’m sure she’ll be right back. Just…be patient, OK?!”

     “I’ve BEEN patient, mom….for the last 15 minutes!”

     “Oh, it’s not been 15 minutes!” Mrs. Peterson rebutted, stepping away from the back door and closer to the top of the stairs. “It’s only been about…5 or so.”

     “Well, it sure feels like longer,” McKenzie complained. “In fact, it feels like I’ve been standing here for over an hour!”

     “Oh, Kenzie,” Mrs. Peterson scoffed. “Stop being so overdramatic!”

     As Sandra turned back towards the door, she saw Julia bent over in the living room, plugging in her vacuum.

     “Ope, there she is now,” Mrs. Peterson commented, hurriedly stepping back over to the door. “Julia?”

     Unfortunately, Julia had already pressed the switch on the vacuum cleaner and begun vacuuming the living room carpet, facing away from the back door without even noticing her neighbor.

     “Julia,” Mrs. Peterson called. “Julia!

     “Nuts!” she exclaimed again. “She still can’t hear me.”

     McKenzie sighed loudly from the base of the deck, wondering if she could sit on the steps for a moment.

     Out of desperation, Mrs. Peterson reached for the handle of the sliding glass door and pulled…

     …To her surprise, it slid open.

     “Oh…wait, the door’s open,” she called to back to her daughter. 

     “Mom, stop!” McKenzie protested, hurrying up the deck stairs, “You can’t just go into their house uninvited!”

     “Honey, it’ll be fine,” Mrs. Peterson scoffed. “I’m just gonna get her attention…”

     “Shit!” Tim exclaimed in frustration, cringing and covering his ears when Aunt Julia turned the vacuum cleaner back on. He couldn’t believe how oblivious his stupid aunt could be. Did she honestly not see Mrs. Peterson standing just a few feet away on the back deck, or hear her knocking on the back door. What, was she blind?! Was her music so loud it was actually making her deaf?!

     Tim also noticed that Mrs. Pederson was apparently getting just as frustrated as he was, and hoped she didn’t leave as a result.

     Then, Tim caught a break: when Mrs. Peterson pulled on the door handle—a clear last-ditch effort on her part—it miraculously slid open. His little eyes went wide with hope; this was his chance!

     “MRS. PETERSON!” he shouted desperately, bursting fourth from his hiding place, and running towards the step. “MRS. PETERSON, DOWN HERE!”

     It wasn’t until Tim started shouting that he realized the futility of his effort. There was no way the giant woman was going to hear his tiny voice over the roar of the vacuum cleaner. He needed to get her attention some other way, and the only other clear option was getting her to physically see him.

     Tim braced himself, preparing to endure the noise his ears were about to experience; then, he removed his hands from his head and began waving his arms and jumping up and down, frantically shouting the giant woman’s name again out of habit:

     “MRS. PETERSON!…MRS. PETERSON!…”

     “Julia?” Mrs. Pederson called to her singing and dancing neighbor, trying to shout over the vacuum cleaner. “Julia!”

     Julia, however, showed no signs of acknowledgment.

     “Julia!” Mrs. Peterson repeated, inching her way along the step and waving her arms, trying to get Julia to turn around. “Julia!”

     Alas, Julia still couldn’t hear the neighbor over her music blasting in her ears. Mrs. Peterson sighed; she hated to do it, but it seemed the only way to get Julia’s attention was literally walking over and tapping her on the shoulder. She just hoped it wouldn’t startle Julia too much.

     Not wanting to get any dirt on the freshly vacuumed living room carpet, Mrs. Peterson lifted her feet and began removing her flip-flops…

     “MRS. PETERSON!” Tim kept shouting up to the towering woman above, waving and jumping about frantically. “MRS. PETERSON, HELP!”

     Unfortunately, Mrs. Peterson showed no signs that she’d noticed him, and even took a couple steps away along the step.

     “NO, Mrs. Peterson, WAIT!” Tim shouted desperately. “COME BACK!”

     The tiny teenager was growing more disheartened; his frantic shouts and gestures weren’t having any affect, and the giant, neighbor woman wasn’t looking down, nor even looking in his direction. He needed to get into her line-of-sight…without accidentally getting stomped in the process, but that wasn’t Tim’s only concern: in his current position, the side of the couch was blocking Aunt Julia’s view of him, and getting into Mrs. Peterson’s line-of-sight meant potentially losing his cover. Tim, however, was willing to take the risk; he immediately sprinted after the giant woman towards, continuing to wave his arms as he ran…

     To Tim’s surprise, Mrs. Peterson actually looked down. The tiny teenager grew extremely anxious, hoping his opportunity had finally arrived; unfortunately, it was only a fleeting glance: the giant woman was merely checking the carpet directly in front of her before removing her flip-flops.

     “Please, look down again,” Tim pleaded, still trying to run towards the giantess. “Oh, God, please, let her look down again!”

      Then, Mrs. Peterson stepped down, her bare foot landing on the living room floor with a booming thud. Luckily for Tim, it was nowhere near close enough to accidentally step on him, but the shock waves from the impact shook the whole floor, knocking the tiny teenager off his feet. With a surprised yelp, Tim stumbled forward, landing face-first on the carpet. By the time he’d pushed himself up, the giant Mrs. Peterson was already stomping over towards his aunt…

     Julia had her eyes peeled to the floor as she swept the vacuum back and forth across the living room carpet, watching for any signs of movement, when someone suddenly tapped her left shoulder.

     “EEP!” she yelped, nearly jumping out of her skin as she instinctively whipped around to see who was behind her…

     “Sandra?!” Julia exclaimed with surprise and confusion, heaving a sigh of relief as she turned off the vacuum with her foot and tapped the pause button on her earbuds. “Jesus! You scared the hell out of me!”

     “I’m so sorry, Julia,” Mrs. Peterson apologized. “I didn’t mean to startle you…”

     “‘Startle’ me?!” Julia replied, placing her hand over her chest. “You scared me half to death!”

     “Again, I’m so sorry,” Mrs. Peterson repeated, motioning to the back door with her thumb, “it’s just that I’ve been knocking on your back door for the past 10 minutes...”

     “Wait,” Julia interrupted, “tha…that was YOU I heard out on the back deck?!”

     “Yeah,” Mrs. Peterson acknowledged. “I-I was trying to get your attention, but I guess you didn’t hear us. Sorry to just barge in like this.”

     “But…I just checked the door a few minutes ago,” Julia explained. “I didn’t see you.”

     “Oh…well, you must’ve just missed us,” Mrs. Peterson uttered, motioning to her daughter who was now standing just outside the open, deck door. “When you didn’t answer the door, we weren’t sure you were home, we started heading back to our house. We got about halfway when I heard the vacuum cleaner start up...”

     “Oh…well, I’m obviously here,” Julia replied, still slightly confused, “sorry I didn’t hear you, but why didn’t you just come around to the front and ring the doorbell?”

     “See? I told you!” McKenzie abruptly chimed in.

     “Kenzie!” Mrs. Peterson snapped at her daughter before turning back to Julia, “Anyway, yes; in retrospect, we probably should’ve just come around the front door, but that just seemed so impersonal after our chat yesterday.”

     “OK…,” Julia replied hesitantly, “…well…is there something I can do for you? I mean, why’d you two come over?”

     “Oh, I just wanted to bring over this tuna casserole I made for you all,” Mrs. Peterson explained, turning and moving towards her daughter...

     Tim recovered from his tumble as quickly as he could, thankful that Mrs. Peterson’s presence had gotten Aunt Julia to finally turn off the vacuum cleaner. Realizing that his current position on the carpet left him in the line-of-sight of his giant aunt, the tiny teenager quickly scrambled for cover behind the left-front leg of the couch, peering out at the two giant women as they chatted uncomfortably.

     If fact, Tim was so hyper-focused on Aunt Julia’s and Mrs. Peterson’s conversation, that he’d completely forgotten about McKenzie until her mother acknowledged that the giant, teenaged girl was literally standing a few feet behind him at the back door.

     “McKenzie!” Tim uttered excitedly, his little eyes going wide. With Mrs. Peterson keeping Aunt Julia preoccupied, McKenzie might actually be able to spot him.

     “McKENZIE!” he shouted up, taking off in her direction and waving his arms frantically. “McKENZIE, DOWN HERE! IT’S ME, TIM!”

     McKenzie took a couple of strolling steps inside the door, the edge of her flip-flop stopping near the edge of the living room step; Tim immediately redoubled his efforts, trying to get into her sight-line. Unfortunately, the tiny teenager was so enamored with the giant girl above him that he didn’t realize he’d just put himself in the middle of the floor again….directly in the path of Mrs. Peterson, who was heading in his direction to retrieve the casserole dish from her daughter. By the time Tim realized his error, the giant woman’s was already on top of him.

     “Here, Kenzie, I’ll grab it…” Mrs. Peterson said as she stepped around the couch…

     “EEK!” Tim squealed as the giant woman’s right foot impacted only a few inches to his right, almost knocking him down. He ducked instinctively as her left foot soared overhead, landing just shy of the step where McKenzie was standing.

     “MRS. PETERSON, LOOK OUT!” Tim squeaked as he scrambled to his feet. “DON’T SQUISH ME!”   

     Tim scrambled to get out of the way as quickly as he could, trying to get back to the safety of the couch’s cover. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Mrs. Peterson’s right heel raising off the floor, and assumed her right foot was about to take another step. Tim tried correcting his path to keep clear, but the giant woman was merely leaning forward and balancing for a brief moment to collect the casserole dish from her daughter. As Mrs. Peterson lowered her heel back to the floor, she shifted her weight back onto her right foot, taking a slight step with her left as she adjusted the bundle in her hands to ensure it was secure.

     “Thanks, hon,” Mrs. Peterson sighed, accepting the towel-covered dish from McKenzie…

     “Whoops…!” Mrs. Peterson uttered as the casserole dish suddenly slipped in her grasp.

     “Whoa, you got it, mom?” McKenzie asked.

     “Yeah, I’ve got it,” Mrs. Peterson replied, adjusting her stance as she tried to get a better grip on the bundle in her arms.

     “ACK!” Tim squeaked again, skidding to a sudden stop as Mrs. Peterson’s left foot landed directly in his path. He tried to recover and scurry out of the way again, but tripped over his own feet and lost his balance, stumbling to the floor.

     The next thing he saw was the giant woman’s right foot shifting his direction…

     “Mrs. PETERSOOOON!” Tim cried out in vain, covering his head with his arms.

     Tim closed his eyes and clenched his teeth, awaiting the inevitable…

     “There, that’s better,” Mrs. Peterson sighed, finally finding a secure grip on the dish. “The towel just made it a bit awkward.

     “Anyway,” she continued, pivoting on her toes as she headed back around the couch towards Julia. “I figured….you and Natalie might appreciate a little neighborly help, what with Tim being sick and all.”

     “Oh…wow,” Julia replied, still somewhat dumbfounded, “that’s…so thoughtful of you, b-but you really didn’t have to…”

     “Oh, it was no trouble, really,” Mrs. Peterson scoffed lightly, “I was already planning to make one for my family tonight, and I had a bit extra, so I figured: why not make you guys one, too?”

     “Yeah, my mom’s kinda thoughtful like that,” McKenzie chimed in as she reached into her back pocket and pulled out her phone.

     Mrs. Peterson didn’t acknowledge her daughter’s statement, and merely sighed heavily and rolled her eyes.

     “Gee…thanks,” Julia said, “I certainly appreciate the gesture…I’m sure Natalie will, too, it’s just….now’s not really a good time…”

     “Oh, I completely understand,” Mrs. Peterson smiled, “I guess we kind of caught you in the middle of cleaning, huh?”

     “Yeah…,” Julia replied with a cordial nod, “…exactly, and I just….really need to get back to it.”

     “That’s alright. Is there someone we can put it until you’re done?”

     “Well…I’ll just put it in the kitchen for now,” Julia offered, thinking quickly. “Maybe I’ll just keep it in the oven on low…”

     “Oh that’ll be great,” Mrs. Peterson said positively, “That should keep it nice and warm until you’re ready to eat. Here, I’ll lemme carry it to the kitchen for ya…”

     Tim slowly opened his eyes and uncovered his head. Up above him, McKenzie was still staring at her phone, while Mrs. Peterson was across the room, conversing with Aunt Julia again. He’d miraculously avoided being squashed beneath Mrs. Peterson’s heel, but as the giant woman walked away, her left foot had kicked up small gust of wind as it soared overhead, rolling him a few inches across the floor.

     Realizing he was still prone in the middle of the carpet, Tim quickly scrambled to his feet, hoping to resume his efforts in getting McKenzie’s attention, but before he could even so much as wave, he heard two sets of booming footsteps coming his direction…

     “Oh, you really don’t have to…” Julia spoke up anxiously, chasing after Sandra as she walked away.

     “It’s no trouble, really,” Mrs. Peterson replied, pausing for a moment after rounding the corner of the couch, “I just wanna get this situated in your oven so we can get out of your hair and you can get back to vacuuming, okay?”

     “Well…OK,” Julia replied hesitantly, “but let’s just be quick about, alright?”

     “Don’t worry, it won’t take more than a couple seconds…” Mrs Peterson replied as she raised her foot to take another step. “Trust me, we’ll be out of your hair in no time...”

     Tim’s face contorted in terror and his tiny eyes bugged out as his vision was suddenly filled with underside of Mrs. Peterson’s bare, wrinkled sole hovering ominously over his head. He clambered to get out of the way and back to the couch, but his tiny legs just weren’t fast enough.

     “NOOOOOO—!” Tim shouted as he tumbled to the floor again.

     A split second later, Mrs. Peterson’s foot stepped down onto the carpet…

     “McKenzie,” Mrs. Peterson said, taking a single step and stopping dead in her tracks, “shut the door, sweetheart. Julia’s been cleaning all morning; you don’t wanna make her job harder and let any bugs in, do ya?”

     “…Or out,” Julia mumbled to herself under her breath.

     McKenzie sighed, then reached behind her and slid the back door closed.

     “Thank you,” Mrs. Peterson said, continuing on towards the kitchen. “Just wait here, hon. We won’t be long.”

     “Yeah,” Julia added, pointing at the ground under McKenzie’s feet, “In fact….don’t move from that spot.”

     “OK…fine,” McKenzie shrugged defensively. “I’ll wait here.”

     “Good…” Julia acknowledged, following after Mrs. Peterson towards the kitchen.

     “Oh…and if you DO happen to see any bugs,” Julia added, stopping and turning back just after passing the end of the couch, “let me know right away.”

     “What’s this weird thing with you and bugs?!” McKenzie inquired bitterly.

     “Kenzie, don’t be rude!” her mother snapped disdainfully.

     “Nothing,” Julia replied, thinking up a response on the fly. “I just….think I might’ve saw one in here earlier, that’s all. In fact, that’s why I’ve been vacuuming all morning. Plus, who knows what kind of nasty diseases they can carry? I don’t want Tim getting any sicker than he already is.”

     “Aw,” Mrs. Peterson cooed. “Is the poor guy feeling any better?”

     “Oh, he’s definitely a bit more sprightly today,” Julia replied coyly.

     “Well, that’s good,” Mrs. Peterson replied. “At least he’s doing better. Anyway, come on. Let’s get this in the oven for ya.”

     Tim screamed muffled cries for help, squirming desperately to move, but the weight pushing down on his back made that impossible. The tiny teenager was sure that the moment Mrs. Peterson’s huge foot landed on the carpet, it would be the end of him, but amazingly, despite her tremendous size compared to his, she hadn’t outright squashed him. He was alive, but definitely NOT okay: when the giant woman’s foot had landed on top of him, Tim ended up facedown on the floor beneath the fleshy area of Mrs. Peterson’s sole just behind the ball of her foot. His position spared him from being squashed outright, but it also left him trapped. The giant woman’s foot had completely engulfed his tiny body, pressing his tiny, naked body into the soft, sticky flesh of Mrs. Peterson’s sole. His arms and legs were completely pinned, splayed out in all directions, and although Tim had been spared from having his face completely buried in her sole, the atmosphere still reeked with the stench of feet, and he was quickly running out of air...

         Then, the pressure receded. Tim was suddenly jerked upwards into the air and thrust forward, his eyes watching the carpet as it fell away; then, he looked on in horror as the floor started coming towards him again. He screamed in terror, but his cries were immediately silenced once he’d crashed down. 

     Tim was now firmly plastered to the underside of Mrs. Peterson’s foot, dragged along helplessly as the giant woman walked across the living room. He kept struggling to free himself, but his attempts were continuously thwarted and set back each time the giant foot landed on the floor, firmly re-adhering him to Mrs. Peterson’s sole and pressing him even more deeply into her flesh.

     A few nightmarish steps later, the carpet beneath the tiny teenager had turned to the familiar kitchen linoleum, and Tim quickly became nauseated not from the hellish ride, but from the sickening sounds of Mrs. Peterson’s bare soles sticking to the floor, then peeling off as she lifted her foot again. His screams went unanswered, his struggles unnoticed, and Tim was personally in disbelief that the giant woman couldn’t feel him squirming on her foot. All he could do was brace himself and pray her next step wouldn’t be his last…

     “Alrighty,” Mrs. Peterson said as she walked through the kitchen towards the stove, “if you’ll set the oven, Julia, I’ll go ahead and pop this in for ya.”

     “Sure, no problem.” Julia replied, still slightly irked at Sandra’s intrusiveness.

     Julia turned the knob to set the temperature on the oven to its lowest setting, while Sandra set the casserole on the stove for a moment and opened the oven door.

     “Ah, there we go,” Sandra commented as she placed the casserole on the topmost oven rack and removed the towel, closing the oven door a second later. “You’re all set.”

     “Great,” Julia replied anxiously, “it was really nice of you to make that for us, and I’m so sorry I couldn’t be more hospitable, but unfortunately, it’s been kind of a frustrating morning—having to clean and sanitize the house—and with Tim…well, with Tim not exactly himself, I really need to get this cleaning done.”

     “Of course,” Sandra replied, hustling out of the kitchen. “I completely understand. We need to get back home anyway...”

     The two women exited the kitchen, finding McKenzie half-sitting on the armrest of the couch.

     “…we’ve gotta lot of cleaning to do ourselves,” Mrs. Peterson continued, “don’t we, sweetheart?”

     “Yeah,” McKenzie replied, grinning sarcastically as she stood up, “really looking forward to it, mom.”

     “Good, let’s get going,” Mrs. Peterson said as she approached the step up to the back door, reaching down to grab her flip-flops. “Here, hon, hold this for a second.”

     Mrs. Peterson tossed the towel she was holding to her daughter and proceeded to slip on her shoes.

     “Oh,” Mrs. Peterson said to Julia as she slipped on her left flip-flop, “just have Natalie return the casserole dish whenever, Julia.”

     “Sure, will do,” Julia replied. “We can just run it through the dishwasher, right?”

     “Uh, yeah, of course,” Mrs. Peterson said, lifting her right foot to slip on her other shoe. “It’s all glass, so it’s dishwasher safe.”

     Tim was barely conscious by the time Mrs. Peterson had returned to the living room, but was immediately jostled awake when her foot lifted higher into the air than normal. The scenery flew by his eyes for a moment, then settled on the sight of a giant flip-flop.

     “Oh, no!” Tim reeled in horror at the sight before him, desperately tugging at his stuck limbs. “Mrs. Peterson, NO-HO-HOOO!”

     Just as Sandra was about to slip on her flip-flop, she suddenly felt a slight tickle on the bottom of her foot, and took a second reach down to scratch.

     Tim watched helplessly as the giant flip-flop closed in, screaming and struggling frantically to free himself before the giant woman could slip her foot in, but it was quickly looking like a losing battle…

     The forward motion suddenly stopped; the giant foot dropped, and Tim found himself staring down at the carpet again. He feared Mrs. Peterson was about to lower her foot to the floor again, but was startled by the sound of a loud scraping sound off to his right.

     Tim craned his neck to the right to see what was going on, and was immediately shocked by the sight of several giant fingers scratching the right side of Mrs. Peterson’s sole….and quickly inching their way towards him.

     The tiny teenager began panicking, struggling frantically and redoubling his efforts to free himself before he was sliced in half.

     “MRS. PETERSON, STOP! WAIT! DON’T SCRATCH! I’M RIGHT HERE! PLEEEEEEASE!”

     The giant fingers inched closer…and closer…

     “MRS. PETERSOOOOON!” Tim screamed hysterically as the giant fingers passed over him. “NOOOOOOO—!”

     As the giant woman’s hand impacted, Tim was immediately dislodged from her sole. He screamed as he was thrown backwards, flying past her heel, and tumbling end over end down towards the floor...

     “Ah, that’s better,” Mrs. Peterson continued, brushing off the sole. “Anyway, I greased the dish really good before I started, so you shouldn’t have too much trouble getting it clean.”

     “Well, Natalie’ll certainly be happy to hear that,” Julia commented.

     Mrs. Peterson took a second to inspect her sole, trying to find the source of her itch. Seeing nothing, she shrugged, made sure her foot looked clean, then finished slipping on her flip flop.

     “Anyway,” she said, craning her neck to address her daughter, “ready to go, hun?”

     “Yup,” McKenzie replied impatiently, having been more than ready to go since she arrived.

     “OOF!” Tim cried out as he landed in the carpet below and rolled to a stop. He quickly shook off the impact and pushed himself up.

     “…Ready to go, hon…” he heard Mrs. Peterson say.

     Tim looked skyward as the giant woman’s flip-flop-clad foot descended towards the floor, landing with a muffled boom several feet in front of him.

     “…Yup…” he heard the giant McKenzie reply just behind him.

     “Oh no!” Tim exclaimed to himself, shouting up as he scrambled to his feet. “MRS. PETERSON, McKENZIE, WAIT! NO! DON’T LEAVE!”

     The tiny teenager watched helplessly as Mrs. Peterson moved towards the back door and stepped up out of reach. He quickly spun around and sprinted towards McKenzie’s flip-flop. She was now his last hope, and prayed he could reach her before it was too late.

     “MCKENZIEEEEE! PLEASE! HEAR MEEEEE…!”

     “Bye, Julia,” Mrs. Peterson said, stopping on the back door landing and unintentionally blocking McKenzie’s path in the process. “Let me know if you or Natalie need anything else.”

     “Thanks, but I’m sure we can manage,” Julia dismissed her politely.

     McKenzie rolled her eyes and sighed frustratedly at her mother’s continued delays, wanting to get back home as soon as possible.

     “Well, if you change your mind,” Mrs. Peterson added as she slid open the back door, “you know where to find me.”

     McKenzie was literally just a split second away from moving her feet when she suddenly felt something land on her flip-flop and touch the small toes of her left foot.

     “AAH!” the teenaged girl exclaimed, immediately jerking her foot away and lifting it off the floor.

     “Honey, what’s wrong?!” Mrs. Peterson asked, reacting to her daughter’s sudden yelp.

     “Something just—“

     McKenzie lifted and brushed off her foot, her gaze falling to floor to investigate what had just touched her…

     As replied to her mother’s inquiry, the teenaged girl suddenly stopped talking mid-sentence, her eyes alighting on something laying on the carpet near the couch.

     “What the—?” McKenzie uttered, leaning down to get a closer look at what she first assumed was some kind of bug…

     The teenager’s eyes went wide, and her jaw dropped open. She couldn’t what she was seeing…

     “Oh my, God!” McKenzie gasped, slapping her hands over her mouth.

     “Honey, what is it?!” Mrs. Peterson inquired anxiously, looking down at the floor.

     “Mom, look!” McKenzie exclaimed, pointing at the floor. “It’s—”

     “Why you little…!” Julia exclaimed as she hurriedly stomped over, lifting and reaching out her right foot.

     “NO!” McKenzie exclaimed, shoving Julia slightly to prevent her from squashing the tiny figure.

     The momentary act of defense was enough to save its life: the figure emitted a tiny squeak and managed to leap out of the way a split second before Julia’s foot stomped down onto the floor, quickly disappearing under the couch.

     “Kenzie, what’s the matter with you?!” Mrs. Peterson exclaimed, seizing her daughter by the arm.

     “Mom,” McKenzie tried explaining, “th-that was—“

     “—A bug!” Julia interrupted, immediately dropping to the floor to look under the couch. “I’ve been looking for that little pest all morning.”

     “Wha…No!” McKenzie protested. “That wasn’t a bug!”

     “McKenzie, what’re you talking about?!” her mother inquired. “What do you mean, ‘that wasn’t a bug’?”

     “Yeah, of course it’s a bug,” Julia declared, doubling down on her lie, “and I’ve been looking for it all morning.”

     “That wasn’t a bug, and you know it!” McKenzie exclaimed disparagingly.

     “McKenzie, what’s gotten into you?!” Mrs. Peterson asked sternly, shaking her daughter by the arm.

      “Mom, I’m swear,” McKenzie asserted, “that wasn’t a bug! It…it was a…a person, a tiny person!”

     “WHAT?!” Mrs. Peterson recoiled. “Honey, you’re talking nonsense!”

     “No, I’m not, mom!” McKenzie insisted defensively. “You saw it, didn’t you?! It was a tiny, little person!”

     “No, it’s a bug!” Julia reiterated, grinning maliciously at her tiny nephew cowering under the couch, “I knew it must’ve come in here earlier, and now I know exactly where it’s been hiding! Come ‘ere you!”

     Julia thrust her hand underneath the couch to grab her tiny nephew, but Tim nimbly dodged out of the way and retreated further under the couch and we’ll out of his giant aunt’s reach.

     “Careful, Julia!” Mrs. Peterson exclaimed as she saw her neighbor struggling to reach.

     “Damn it!” Julia cursed, pulling her arm back out. “I can’t get ‘im!”

     “Lemme see!” McKenzie demanded, starting to get down on her knees.

     “No!” Julia protested sternly, putting up her hand.

     Julia was right to be concerned; although she knew she had Tim cornered under the couch, at that point, there was honestly no reason for him to stay hidden. McKenzie was already onto her, and all Tim had to do was make his presence known again to either of the two, neighboring women and she’d be found out. She had to think of a way to keep him out of sight and prevent him from making contact.

     “…I don’t want you to scare it away,” Julia asserted, standing back up. “I’ve got it cornered for the moment, and I just need to find a way to get it out of…”

     Julia’s eyes immediately fell on the vacuum cleaner; she knew exactly what to do.

     “Alright, here’s the plan,” Julia continued, quickly scurrying over to the device, “I’m gonna hook up the extension attachments on the vacuum, here. Sandra, you and McKenzie stand behind the couch. When I give the word, you two tilt the couch back while I’ll shove the hose underneath. I’ll suck up that bug before he gets away.”

     “What?!” McKenzie exclaimed in shock. “No!”

     “Julia,” Mrs. Peterson suggested calmly, “we’ll gladly try to help flush whatever it is from under the couch, but couldn’t we just try to catch it and put it outside?”

    “That’s exactly what I’m going to do,” Julia insisted deceitfully, “and this’ll be the easiest way to catch it.”

     “Maybe,” Mrs. Peterson acquiesced, “but you don’t wanna kill it in the process.”

     “Don’t worry, I’m not gonna kill it,” Julia explained, “This is a cyclonic vacuum. All that’ll happen when I suck it up is it’ll end up in the dust bin. I can just dump it outside with the rest of the dirt and grime when I’m done cleaning. Now, get ready…

     “…Oh,” Julia continued with a devious smirk, “and if that bug so much as pops his little head out the back of the couch, don’t hesitate to stomp it!”

     “NO!” McKenzie shrieked. “I’m not gonna crush it! It’s a person for God’s sake!”

     “McKenzie, stop talking nonsense and get over there!” Mrs. Peterson scolded her, pointing towards the other rear corner of the couch.

     “But mom—“

     “NOW, young lady!” Mrs Peterson commanded sternly.

     McKenzie reluctantly positioned herself to the right of her mother, placing both hands on the rear of the couch, while Julia pushed the coffee table out of the way and knelt down on the floor in front, taking a quick peek underneath the couch to get her tiny nephew’s position.

     “Alright,” Julia reiterated, “once I switch on the vacuum, go ahead and tilt the couch back, okay?”

     “Got it,” Mrs. Peterson acknowledged, readying herself.

     “Mom, please…” McKenzie pleaded. “…you’ve gotta listen—“

     “Kenzie,” Mrs. Peterson barked, “I’ve heard enough. Now, do as you’re told.”

     McKenzie sighed anxiously and mirrored her mother’s stance.

     “Ready?” Julia confirmed, reaching for the vacuum switch.

     Mrs. Peterson nodded her head, and, after taking a deep breath, Julia hit the pedal.

     The vacuum whirred to life again; McKenzie and Sandra immediately tilted back the couch, while Julia gripped the hose and thrust it into the now, exposed space. Tim’s tiny figure squealed in terror as the suction nozzle approached, scampering towards the rear of the couch. As the hose closed in, the tiny teenager could feel the suction pulling him backwards. He quickly grabbed the carpet fibers to save himself, but with no cover nor protection to keep the nozzle at bay, it was a futile effort. Tim screamed in terror, desperate to hold on, but as the nozzle came closer, the suction became greater and greater…

     Tim suddenly lost his grip, and the suction overtook him…

    *SLURP*

     “Got ‘im!” Julia declared proudly, retracting the nozzle and pushing herself up on her knees.

     “Did you get it?” Mrs. Peterson inquired, lowering the couch once Julia was out of the way.

     “Yup,” Julia confirmed, getting to her feet, “went right up the hose, as expected.”

     Sandra and McKenzie watched as Julia lifted the hose in the air and gave it a quick jostle to shake everything inside down to its base.

     “Is it stuck in the hose?” Mrs. Peterson inquired.

     “Yeah, I think so,” Julia confirmed, shaking the hose a few more times, “but don’t worry: I’ll eventually get the little guy out.”

     “Do you need any more help?” Mrs. Peterson inquired.

     “No, that’s okay,” Julia said. “I’ve got it from here. Thanks, though. You two go on home, Sandra.”

     “Wait,” McKenzie spoke up. “I wanna see it.”

     “McKenzie, hush!” Her mother scolded her sharply.

     “No,” McKenzie insisted. “I wanna take another look at it.”

     “You don’t see any bug, McKenzie,” her mother replied, motioning towards the door. “Now, come on. Let’s get back home.”

     “Mom, you don’t understand,” McKenzie contended. “I’m telling you, it wasn’t a bug. Something weird is going on.”

     “The only thing that’s ‘going on’ is you wasting time,” Mrs. Peterson asserted, pulling her daughter by the arm towards the door. “Now, let’s get going. You’ve got chores to do back home.”

     “But mom,” McKenzie whined. “I just wanna see what it looks like.”

     “If you wanna look at bugs,” Mrs. Peterson inquired mockingly, “you can look at the ones you find when you’re vacuuming your OWN room this afternoon. I’m sure there’s plenty hiding in that pig sty. Now, move it!

     “Bye, Julia,” Mrs Peterson waved, pushing her daughter out the back door. “Sorry for the bother.”

     “No problem, Sandra,” Julia scoffed politely, rolling the vacuum behind her as she stepped up to close the back door. “It all worked out fine.”

      “But, mom, please,” McKenzie kept insisting as her mother funneled her down the deck stairs, “I’m telling you. It was a tiny man…In fact…I-I think it might’ve even been that Tim kid!” 

     “Kenzie, not another word,” Mrs. Peterson commanded as she pushed her daughter across the back yard, “or you’re gonna find yourself grounded for the rest of the month…!”

     Julia grinned as she slid the back door closed, muffling the voices of the two woman as they proceeded back across the lawn to their own house. Then, she locked the door and rolled the vacuum back into the living room, disconnecting the extension hose at its base and lifting it into the air. She held the base of the hose over her right hand and gave it a few, gentle shakes…

     A second later, her tiny nephew popped out of the hose collapsed into a heap in the middle of her open palm.

     “Well, well, well,” Julia gloated, grinning deviously over him. “Look what we have here: a little, dust-covered teenager.”

     “I’ve got you now you tiny, little bug!” Julia sneered as shoved the tiny teenager with her thumb, rolling him down her hand until he was secured between her thumb and forefinger.

     “You had me on quite the search this morning, you tiny, little brat!” the giant woman snarled, holding her tiny, squirming nephew in front of her face. “So, found a way to escape your cage, huh? Well, I’ll be making sure that doesn’t happen again. I warned you what would happen once I found you, and now you’re really gonna pay!”

     Tim screamed in protest as Julia brought the tiny teenager behind her back, opening the waistband of her leggings with her free hand; then, she unceremoniously dropped her tiny, shrieking nephew down the back of her paints, depositing him into the crack of her ass. Tim shouted and struggled to free himself, but Julia quickly placed her thumb on his head and shoved him deeper into her crack, effectively silencing his cries.

     “There, that’ll hold ya,” she proclaimed contemptuously, removing her hand and snapping the waistband of her leggings shut.

     “Hmph, hope it’s not too sweaty in there for ya,” she giggled maniacally, giving her ass a playful jiggle, “but that’s what you get for making me search the house for all  morning.”

     Tim screamed and shouted profusely as the giant asscheeks smashed and squeezed him in between, but the giant woman showed sympathy, patting her right buttock with her hand, causing her tiny prisoner to shriek in pain with each impact.

     Julia nodded her head with satisfaction, pleased with herself for a job well done.

     She paused for a moment, nonchalantly scanning the living room.

     “Whelp,” she shrugged, gripping the vacuum cleaner once again, “might as well finish what I started.”