“Tim,” a disembodied voice whispered, “Sweetheart, wake up…”

     Tim opened his eyes, nearly jumping at the sight of his gigantic mother leaning over his bed, staring sympathetically down at him on his pillow.

     “Hey, sweetheart,” Natalie repeated softly. “Did you sleep OK?”

     “Kinda,” Tim replied, rubbing his eyes and slowly sitting up.

     “Still no change, I see,” Natalie commented somberly on her son’s as yet unchanged height.

     “No,” Tim replied dejectedly, hoping the events of the prior day had all been a dream, “and I’m still pretty tired.”

     “Aw, I’m sorry, hon,” his mother replied concernedly. “I know you could probably use your rest, but your Aunt Julia’s gonna be here pretty soon, and I need you to get up and around while I—”

     “…finish getting ready,” Natalie sighed awkwardly, realizing her inconsiderate assumption. “I’m sorry, Tim. I meant, I need to finish getting ready for work. Do you….need to use the bathroom or anything?”

     “I’m fine, mom,” Tim said flatly, with a heavy-hearted sigh. “Go ahead and get ready. I…just need to wake up a bit.”

     “OK, hon,” she replied sympathetically. “I just need to finish putting my makeup on, but I’ll be right back in to get you, okay?”

     “OK, mom,” Tim nodded.

     In reality, Tim was ANYTHING but fine: he honestly hadn’t slept much at all the night before. Despite somehow managing to convince his mother to let him sleep in his own bed, and making himself at least somewhat comfortable—sleeping on his pillow, using a Kleenex his mother had given him to use as a blanket—Tim spent the whole night tossing and turning, constantly worrying about how much torture he would have to endure at the hands—and feet—of his Aunt Julia when she arrived that morning.

     As he watched his mother step out of his bedroom, Tim sat anxiously on his pillow with his hands clasped in his lap, surveying the landscape, and reminiscing about what it felt being normal-sized. All the while, he couldn’t help reflecting on the events that had transpired the previous day:

     After knocking him off the coffee table, then purposely stepping on and trapping him under her foot, Julia spent the entire afternoon tormenting Tim with her nasty, sweaty feet, treating him as if he were some kind of toy: rolling him around under her soles, squeezing him in between her toes, and constantly scooping him up into her toe crevices, then dropping him back onto the floor over and over again.

     And the day only got worse from there when Tim tried to tell his mother about his mistreatment at dinner that evening:

     “Tim, I just don’t believe my sister would do that to you.” Natalie scoffed, taking a sip from her glass of wine. “Are you sure you aren’t just imagining things?”

     “I didn’t ‘imagine’ any of it, mom!” Tim squeaked assuredly, stamping his tiny foot on the kitchen table. “I SWEAR! That’s what happened! Please, you’ve gotta BELIEVE me!”

     “‘Believe’ WHAT?!” Natalie exclaimed dismissively, collecting her dirty dishes and standing up from table, “That my sister kept you under her FEET all afternoon?! Come on, Tim. Stop exaggerating!”

     “I’m not EXAGGERATING, mom!” Tim squeaked resentfully, taken aback by his mother’s dismissal. “I’m telling you the TRUTH! Aunt Julia put her FEET on me!”

     “Tim, why would your Aunt Julia do that?!” Natalie shrugged with confusion, taking her dishes over to the sink. “She loves you. She wouldn’t do anything to hurt you.”

     “But she DID, mom!” Tim whined desperately. “She practically STEPPED on me!”

     “Tim,” Natalie sighed in frustration, leaving her dishes on the counter as she walked back over to the table, “HOW could aunt Julia have even stepped on you, unless you were…Tim, were you running around on the floor again like I told you NOT to do?!”

     “NO!” Tim exclaimed defensively, trying to reiterate. “I mean…yes, I was on the floor, but I—”

     “TIM,” Natalie exclaimed heatedly, “I SPECIFICALLY told you NOT to go running around on the floor, didn’t I?!”

     “Mom, you don’t understand…” Tim tried to explain.

     “Damn it, Tim!” Natalie spat irately, pointing her finger at her son. “Are you TYRING to get yourself squished?!”

     “NO, MOM!” Tim objected, “I SWEAR. It wasn’t my FAULT! It was Aunt JULIA’S!”

     “I don’t care WHOSE fault it was, young man!” Natalie scolded him bitterly. “I SPECIFICALLY told you NOT to go running around on the floor, and you COMPLETELY disobeyed me!”

     “But, Mom,” Tim pleaded, “I told you, it was all Aunt Julia’s fault! She knocked me off the table and then STEPPED on me! Please, just LISTEN—!”

     “Tim, that’s enough!” Natalie rebuked as she stepped up to the table, standing over him as her tone suddenly becoming more agitated and fast paced. “First of all, if my sister HAD stepped on you, she would’ve squashed you, and you’re NOT squashed, are you?!”

     “MO-OM—!”

     “Secondly,” Natalie continued, cutting Tim off, “even if Julia DID….somehow put her…feet on you, it was probably an accident…and it wouldn’t have happened if you hadn’t been on the floor, now, would it?!”

     Natalie angrily collected some more dishes and took them over to the counter.

     “I busted my butt ALL DAY today trying to get this formula analyzed and get my tiny son back to normal size, and what’s he doing?! Running around the floor at home just asking to get himself squished! Now, I’m gonna have a talk with Aunt Julia tomorrow morning when she gets here and make sure she keeps a closer eye on you…

     “…But as for YOU, young man,” Natalie stated firmly, turning back towards the table and pointing her finger at Tim again, “stay OFF the floor! You GOT THAT?!”

     “But, MO-OM—!”

     “I MEAN it, mister! Or I might just consider putting you under MY feet! Maybe then, you’ll learn how to LISTEN!”

     Tim was clearly frustrated his own mother didn’t believe him about all the torture his aunt had put him through that day, and that frustration only festered into worry and anxiety as he went to bed that night. Tim had never given Aunt Julia’s feet—nor ANYONE’S feet, for that matter—a second thought, and never in his whole life did he honestly even fathom that one day, he’d have to worry about being stepped on and squashed beneath them. Yet, in the course of a single afternoon, Tim had not only faced the fears and harsh realities of being tiny, he’d experienced more of his Aunt Julia’s feet than he ever wanted to in his entire lifetime.

     “Alright, kiddo,” Natalie said warmly as she stepped back into the bedroom. “How about some breakfast before your Aunt Julia gets here, hm?”

     “Mom, please, I’m begging you,” Tim beseeched her, “Don’t leave me alone with Aunt Julia again today!”

     “Aw, Tim,” Natalie sighed with chagrin, “honey, we discussed this: I simply can’t leave you home alone in your condition! SOMEONE has be here to keep an eye on you!”

     “Well, couldn’t you just stay home today?” Tim whined. “Please?”

     “Honey, I have to keep working on that formula and find you an antidote!” Natalie replied staunchly. “You don’t wanna go through life stuck at an inch tall, do you?!”

     Tim sighed dejectedly, albeit begrudgingly agreeing with his mother. While he truly wanted her to stay home and give him some reprieve from Aunt Julia’s constant torment, he also knew that the sooner his mother made him an antidote, the sooner he’d grow back to normal; then, this whole shrinking nightmare would be over.

     “Of COURSE not!” Tim replied, answering his mother’s earlier question.

     “Well…then you’re gonna have to suck it up and let me go to work so I can fix this!” Natalie stated adamantly, lowering her hand to Tim’s pillow. “Maybe YOU’RE okay with being stuck this size a little bit longer, but I’M, sure as hell, not! I need to get you back to normal before anyone finds out about this!”

     “But,” Tim sighed frustratedly, “couldn’t I just stay in bed this morning?”

     “No,” Natalie dismissed him indignantly, “I’m NOT leaving you unsupervised, not like THIS, anyway! Even if there IS someone home watching you!”

     “But mom,” Tim whined, “I was fine sleeping alone in my room the whole night…”

     “Yeah, and I’m STILL not sure that was a good idea!” Natalie rebutted. “I was up half the night WORRYING that something might happen to you. I would’ve changed my mind and come back in here to get you, but I didn’t wanna risk coming in here and poking around blind the middle of the night and find out that you’d fallen out of bed or something.”

     “Mom, I’m NOT gonna fall outta bed!” Tim squeaked defensively.

     “Tim….ENOUGH!” Natalie chided, pointing her finger down at him. “I’ve made up my mind! It’s just too risky to leave you in here by yourself during the day! Remember what happened YESTERDAY when your Aunt Julia got here?! I thought we’d LOST you! What if you fell out of bed while the two of us were in the other room, huh?! You’d have NO way to get back in bed, and be stuck wandering around, lost in the carpet; and that’s all I need, for you to go running around the house, trying to get someone’s attention, only to have one of us STEP on you!”

     “But mom, if you leave me here with Aunt Julia again, I AM gonna get stepped on!” Tim chimed in smartly.

     “Honey, I told you,” Natalie sighed in frustration, lowering her cupped hands down to Tim’s pillow, “Julia loves you and she’d never do anything to intentionally hurt you.”

     Tim sighed despondently and sluggishly climbed into his mother’s palms.

     “Look,” Natalie said as she carefully lifted her hands back to her chest and headed out of the bedroom, “I’m sorry I was so cross with you last night, and I promise I will talk to your Aunt Julia this morning and make sure she takes better care of you today, alright, but in the meantime, I need you to be more careful and not put yourself in anymore dangerous situations, OK?”

     “OK,” Tim nodded with dejected sigh.

     With Tim safely cradled in her cupped palms, Natalie walked down the hall and through the living room into the kitchen, gently setting Tim on the kitchen table before going about making something for breakfast. Ordinarily, Tim would enjoy a bowl of cereal or a toaster pastry in the morning, but he hadn’t had much of an appetite since he shrank. Natalie, on the other hand, augmented her usual morning cup of coffee with a doughnut; she figured she was going to need the extra energy that day, what with the massive amount of testing she’d have to do not only on Tim’s problem, but with all the OTHER samples she’d had sent back from her trip.

     Tim sat in doleful silence, casually taking small bites from the crumb of doughnut his mother hand given him, insisting he needed to keep his strength up, and also give him the energy he’d need to generate enough body heat. She was also still clinging to the off-chance that eating and drinking enough might still eventually flush the formula out of his system.

     A few minutes later, the table suddenly vibrated underneath the tiny boy; Tim nearly jumped up into a standing position. Thankfully, it was only his mother’s phone indicating a text message:

     “Be there in a few”—Julia

     “OK,” Natalie spoke up as she finished reading her message and stood up from the table. “Your Aunt Julia’s almost here. Are you finished?”

     “Yeah,” Tim nodded unemotionally, tossing aside his crumb of doughnut as he brushed off his clothes.

     Natalie gathered her phone and coffee mug and headed over to the sink to clean up. Meanwhile, Tim sat on the table with his hands clasped in his lap again, twiddling his thumbs anxiously. He still kept picturing all the possible torment Aunt Julia might put him through that day, worried he’d have to spend another whole day under her feet.

     “Just pulled up”—Julia

     “Your aunt’s here,” Natalie said, setting her phone on the counter and stepping back over to the table. “Come on.”

     “Mom,” Tim sighed, unable to look his mother in the eye, “can’t I just stay here for a minute, please?”

     “Tim—“ Natalie began, but this time, Tim interrupted her:

     “I JUST need a minute to myself before I see Aunt Julia,” the tiny boy explained. “Look, I won’t go anywhere, I promise. I will literally sit RIGHT HERE and not move. Please, I just need a minute alone.”

     Natalie sighed, pausing for a moment to consider Tim’s request.

     “Alright, fine,” she finally relented, “I need a minute to talk to Julia in private anyway, but don’t you DARE move from that spot, young man! You GOT IT?!”

     Tim nodded a bit more lively this time as his mother headed out of the kitchen, continuously looking back as long as she could until she had to step out of sight; although, she did say a quick prayer asking that her tiny son still be on the table when she returned.

     “Morning, Jules,” Natalie greeted her sister as she opened the front door.

     “Mornin’, sis,” Julia replied.

     Natalie quickly took note of Julia’s outfit: she was wearing what appeared to be workout clothes—a white, midriff top with maroon leggings—and was carrying mid-sized tote bag over her right shoulder.

     “Did ya just come from the gym?” Natalie inquired, noting her sister’s outfit.

     “Oh, no,” Julia replied. “I just thought I might bring a few things over with me today. You know, help pass the time and make myself a little more comfortable. I hope that’s OK.”

     “Oh, it’s fine,” Natalie shrugged. “Come on in.”

     “Thanks,” Julie said as she scooted by her sister, kicking off the flip-flops she was wearing at the edge of the den. “So, how’s Tim this morning? Any change?”

    “No,” Natalie shrugged and sighed, shaking her head as she closed the front door and followed her sister into the living room, “he’s still small, but at least there haven’t been anymore unexpected SURPRISES this morning.”

     “Well, I guess that’s good news,” Julia agreed with a sly grin, dropping her bag on the nearest couch cushion, half-expecting to spot her tiny nephew sitting on the coffee table. “So, where IS Tim, hm?”

     “Uh, he’s in the kitchen…on the table,” Natalie replied, motioning to the kitchen as she anxiously rubbed her hands together.

     “Nat,” Julia recoiled, “are you sure it’s safe for him to be in there by himself?! Remember what happened yesterday?!”

     “Trust me, I remember,” Natalie replied, rolling her eyes, “but don’t worry, I told him not to move this time. Besides, I-I wanted you and I to have a little talk in private.”

     “Sure,” Julia shrugged. “What about?”

     “Well…I wanted to talk to you about what happened yesterday.”

     “OK…” Julia shook her head with confusion, unclear what her sister was referring to, “uh…just to be clear, what happened yesterday? I mean, BESIDES the fact I found out my nephew’s only an inch tall?”

     “I just wanted to know if anything…happened yesterday while I was at work,” Natalie prodded.

     “Like what?” Julia replied, shrugging.

     “I don’t know, Jules, you tell me,” Natalie said disdainfully, crossing her arms. “Did anything happen to Tim yesterday that I should know about?”

     “Sis, I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Julia shrugged with confusion. “Whatever it is, just…come out and say it.”

     “Alright, fine!” Natalie sighed scornfully. “Tim said that you stepped on him yesterday!”

     “WHAT?!” Julia exclaimed, flabbergasted at the accusation. “WHEN?!”

     “Yesterday afternoon,” Natalie asserted. “He claims you put your feet on him.”

     “Oh…” Julia uttered guiltily, her tone much more timid, “…yeah…that.”

     “Yeah….’that’,” Natalie mocked.

     “Whaaaaat exactly did he say?” Julia inquired anxiously.

     “Well, according to him, you knocked him off the coffee table and then put your foot on top of him.”

     “Oh,” Julia replied, thinking quickly, “well, you see, Tim was on the coffee table, and I was on the couch with my feet up. I….guess I must’ve shifted my foot or something, because the next thing I knew, Tim was gone. I mean, I didn’t see him on the table anywhere. I-I panicked; I leaned forward to check, but I…didn’t realize that he was actually on the floor right under me, you know, just in front of the couch, and….when I put my feet on the floor, I…accidentally put my foot on top of him.”

    “JULES?!” Natalie exclaimed with reproach.

    “Nat, it was only for a FRACTION of a second, I swear!” Julia lied, “I didn’t even put any weight on it! As SOON as I felt him, I immediately lifted my foot and rescued him. He…seemed fine, so I…”

     “Well, he WASN’T ‘fine’, Jules,” Natalie snapped, “the poor kid was scared to DEATH! He thought you’d STEPPED on him; he probably thought he was gonna be SQUASHED! How could you not TELL ME about this?!”

     “Nat, I’m so sorry,” Julia apologized half-heartedly. “I-I didn’t say anything ‘cause I didn’t want you to worry.”

     “Well I AM worried, Jules!” Natalie exclaimed. “I mean, how could I NOT be?! My son’s the size of a BUG, and I just found out my sister almost SQUASHED him!”

     “OK, Nat,” Julia apologized again. “You’re right! I’m sorry, I should’ve told you.”

     “Yes, you SHOULD have!” Natalie replied flatly. “Now, look, I’ve ALREADY talked to Tim about this and specifically told him he is stay OFF the floor from now on, but I really need you promise me you’ll take better care of him and be more attentive, okay?”

     “OK, Nat,” Julia nodded, “I promise, I will.”

     “And please, TRY to be more careful today, alright?”

     “Alright, Nat,” Julia relented again, getting a bit annoyed at having to repeat herself. “I will, I promise.”

     “Good,” Natalie said, beckoning her sister as she headed towards the kitchen, “now, come on.”

     As the two woman walked through the kitchen, Natalie heaved a small sigh of relief seeing that Tim was still sitting on the table where she’d left him. Tim, however, became immediately apprehensive up seeing Aunt Julia approaching the table. He could pretty hear most of the scolding his mother had given to his aunt in the other room, and was fearful Aunt Julia was going to take out any and all of her frustrations on him after his mom left for work.

     The tiny boy quickly rose to his feet and took a few steps backwards, an action that made Julia smirk as she approached the table, a clear sign of submission on Tim’s part.

     “Alright, you two,” Natalie addressed them as she deposited her phone in her handbag, “I really need you BOTH to promise me you’re gonna be more careful today. Tim, not one foot on the floor, I mean it!”

     Tim nodded, albeit meekly, knowing full-well that such a promise still wasn’t going to save him from Aunt Julia’s feet that day.

     “And Jules,” Natalie continued, pointing at her sister, “keep him safe.”

     “Don’t worry, sis, I got it,” Julia replied assuredly.

     “…And mind your feet, would ya?” Natalie added, motioning towards the floor as she lowered her hands to the table and gently scooped Tim into her hands.

     Julia didn’t reply, only giving a perturbed sneer behind her sister’s back.

     “Alright, I’ll try not to be too late today,” Natalie said, planting a tiny kiss upon Tim’s head. “Be good, sweetie.”

     “MO-OM!” Tim squeaked, reeling as he wiped his mother’s lip gloss off his face, “Come on.”

     “Alright, I’m off,” Natalie said, placing her tiny son into Julia’s palms.

     Tim craned his neck and looked upwards: his aunt’s upside-down face was sporting an uncomfortably huge grin, making him shudder with anxiety.

     “Bye, guys,” Natalie waved as she headed out of the kitchen, “Have a good day.”

      Like a child awaiting their punishment, Tim sat uneasily in his aunt’s hands as he watched his mother disappear into the living room; meanwhile, Julia waited until she heard the door slam shut before saying anything:

     “Hmph, so,” she said with a playful smile, gripping her tiny nephew’s clothes between her right thumb and index finger, lifting him up rather jarringly to her face, “looks like my little nephew has a BIG mouth, huh?!”

     “Ack!” Tim yelped, straining to speak from being handled so roughly. “HEY! TAKE IT EASY, Aunt Julia!”

     “Well, you’re lucky your mom didn’t ruin my good mood this morning,” she chortled as she started walking towards the living room, playfully jiggling the tiny boy in her grip. “Otherwise, I might have to punish you.”

     “EEK!” Tim squealed frantically. “AUNT JULIA, STOP! NOT SO ROUGH!”

     “Oh, relax, Timmy,” Julia scoffed as she walked around to the front of the couch. “I promised your mom I’d be careful with you today, and that’s exactly what I intend to do.”

     Julia deposited her tiny nephew in the center of the coffee table and knelt down on the floor.

     “Now, hold on tight,” she instructed. “I gotta move the coffee table out of the way.”

     “Wait, WHAT?!” Tim exclaimed, although immediately dropping to the table’s wooden surface as soon as he saw Julia put both hands on its edge.

     “Ready?” she asked, eyeing him intently.

     Tim nodded his head and grit his teeth, preparing for the worst…

     Surprisingly, the journey wasn’t that bad: Julia was actually being quite careful as she scooted the table back until it was flush with the couch; although, there was a hefty jolt when it first started moving.

     “Ah, there we go,” Julia said, commending herself. “That should be enough room.”

     “Enough room for WHAT?!” Tim squeaked inquisitively, struggling to get to his feet.

     “For my workout, silly,” Julie replied, flashing Tim a playful grin before crawling over to grab her bag at the edge of the couch. “I can’t start the day without doing my yoga, and I couldn’t do it before I came over, so I figured I’d just do it here.”

     “Well, what am I supposed to do?” Tim inquired.

     “YOU are going to stay there and keep out of trouble while I’m stretching,” Julia replied, pausing a moment to point at her tiny nephew before continuing to rifle through her bag.

     “Come on, Aunt Julia!” Tim complained, “Can’t I watch TV or something?”

     “Sorry, Timmy, but I need the TV to play my instruction video,” Julia said dismissively, pulling a pair of fuzzy, pink slippers from her bag and setting them under the coffee table.

     “Well, if I can’t watch TV,” Tim offered, “can you, at least, take me back to my room and let me sleep for a little while longer?”

     “Sorry, no can do, kiddo,” Julia shot him down again, as she grabbed the remote and turned on the TV. “Your heard your mom: she told me to keep an eye on you, and I’m NOT letting you out of my sight, so I suggest you just sit there and make yourself comfortable.”

     “But I don’t wanna just SIT here and watch you work out,” Tim whined. “I wanna DO something!”

     “Well, your welcome to join me, if you’d like,” she replied, chortling as she started up YouTube on the TV, “although, I’d probably stay on the table if I were you. You wouldn’t want me to accidentally step on you during one of my stretches, would you?”

     Julia playfully waved her foot in Tim’s direction; the tiny teenager scrunched his nose in disgust.

     “In any case, your mom told you to stay off the floor, remember?” Julia continued.

     “COME on, Aunt Julia—!” Tim protested again, stomping his tiny foot on the table.

     “Tim, I’m done discussing this with you,” Julia replied, queuing up her yoga video. “Now, you can either follow along with me, or just sit there quietly ‘til I’m done. It’s up to you.”

     “Well, couldn’t you at least put me somewhere more comfortable?” Tim huffed in frustration. 

     “Where?!” Julia chortled skeptically. “I certainly couldn’t put you on the couch…

     “I might not see you and SIT on you!” Julia smiled, giggling playfully and wrinkling her nose at him.

     Tim merely shot the woman a look of discontent.

     “How about on one of the pillows?” Tim offered unenthusiastically, still displaying a look of annoyance as he pointed to a throw pillow on the far side of the couch.

     “Nah,” Julia shook her head, putting her fingers to her chin, “even if I put it on the coffee table, there’s still a chance you could fall off if you’re not careful…

     “OH, I know!” Julia exclaimed, getting an idea.

     She quickly snatched a tissue from a box on the far side of the coffee table and began folding it up into a rectangular shape. 

     “Here,” she offered happily, laying it down just in front of Tim. “Now, you have something you can lay down on, and, if want to follow along with my workout, you can.”

     Tim grumbled to himself, but reluctantly stepped onto the folded tissue; meanwhile, Julia started her yoga video and got into the first position for her workout.

     Tim made himself a small head rest to use as a pillow before laying down and making himself comfortable. Of course, he certainly would’ve liked to have taken the reprieve and gotten another half hour or so of sleep, but between the sounds of Julia moving around on the floor, and the blaring voice of the female yoga instructor on the TV, it was virtually impossible. Had he been in a better mood, or even at least been fully rested, the tiny boy certainly might’ve, at least, CONSIDERED joining his giant aunt for her workout, but for the moment, Tim relegated himself to tossing and turning, trying to ignore all the distractions as he attempted to fall asleep.

     The real problem for Tim trying to sleep at the moment was that he kept getting distracted, not just by his aunt, but by the YouTube video playing on the TV. The yoga instructor was a young and rather fit 20-something, with shoulder-length brown hair that just barely covered the straps of her purple sports bra, and Tim found something quite alluring watching her pose and stretch in her tight, patterned leggings.    

     At that point, Tim realized he probably had little to no chance of sleeping with all the distractions; he quickly scooted his makeshift bedroll towards the edge of the table, then sat down and relegated himself to watching the gorgeous, young creature on TV as she gracefully bent back and forth in each sultry pose.

     In actuality, the instructor reminded him a little bit of the girl who lived next door to him: McKenzie. She was an older girl who had gone away for her first year at college, so Tim hadn’t seen much of her since the previous summer, and the occasional weekend visits when she came home during the year. Still, Tim remembered how much she used to lay out sunbathing in lounge chair of the deck next door when the weather was nice, wearing nothing but her bikini as she worked on her slight suntan.

     Of course, Tim tried not to be a creep, nor did he ever say anything to McKenzie, as she was 4 years older than him, but a guy can always dream…

     Tim was suddenly caught off-guard when the yoga instructor unexpectedly got down into her downward-facing dog pose, sticking her tight, well-toned ass into the air…his mouth began watering; he could literally feel his teenage hormones welling up inside as he squirmed anxiously in his seat. He probably would’ve pleasured himself right then and there if his giant aunt hadn’t literally right next to him.

     “Why couldn’t I have someone like HER looking after me instead of Aunt Julia?” Tim said to himself, fantasizing about the gorgeous, young creature on TV. “I certainly wouldn’t mind watching THAT gorgeous body doing yoga in my living room.”

     “Mm,” Julia moaned loudly, startling the tiny boy and snapping him back to reality. 

“Ah, that felt good!”

      Tim had been so preoccupied with his fantasies that he hadn’t noticed the yoga video had ended.

     Julia slowly rose to her feet, standing up directly in front of the coffee table; Tim slowly scooted his tissue mat backwards, intimidated by her massive size being so close, her towering figure dwarfing the tiny teenager as she stretched her arms skyward. When she bent forward to touch her toes, however, Tim immediately averted his gaze to avoid staring at his aunt’s giant ass jiggling back and forth in her tight, maroon leggings, as if she was purposely taunting him, waving it in his direction.

     Tim’s eyes quickly became fixated upon the carpet directly beneath the Aunt Julia’s bare feet, the floor groaning and squeaking beneath them as their giant owner shifted her weight back and forth. Each subtle step and shifting of his giant aunt’s foot became the difference between a single carpet fiber being narrowly missed, or flattened beneath one of her soles, only knowing sweet relief when the weight upon it shifted again and the foot moved away.

     Unfortunately, thanks to Julia’s taunting, Tim couldn’t avoid picturing his tiny form on the floor directly beneath her towering figure: being lost amongst the carpet fibers; dodging her giant, bare feet as she exercised; and screaming helplessly as he desperately avoided being squashed.

     Yet, despite all the annoyances of that morning, Tim had to admit that things seemed to be going a lot better than they had a day prior. Other than how roughly she’d handled him earlier, Aunt Julia was actually being a lot nicer to him; of course, the day had barely begun, and Tim knocked on the surface of the table in front of him, praying he hadn’t just jinxed himself.

     “Mmmmm,” Julia moaned again, turning and looking down upon her tiny nephew still seated on the coffee table, a huge smile on her face. “Maybe tomorrow, you’ll consider joining me, tiny boy.”

     Tim sighed heavily and rolled his eyes, while Julia chuckled proudly and knelt down beside the coffee table.

     “Alright, Timmy, hold on tight,” she advised, gripping the table’s edge.

     “Wha—ACK!” Tim yelped with surprise, barely having a split second to react before the coffee table suddenly jerked forward, the force throwing him onto his back.

     “Ah, there we go,” Julia said proudly once the table was in place.

     “HEY, TAKE IT EASY, AUNT JULIA!” Tim shouted irately once the table came to a stop.

     “Well, I told you to hang on, silly boy,” Julia chortled as she stood back up and headed around to the couch, grabbing the TV remote on her way.

     “Well, you didn’t give me a chance!” Tim snapped defensively, clambering to his feet and brushing himself off.

     “Anyway,” Julia sighed as she sat down on the middle cushion of the couch, “I think I’ve earned a little rest.”

     Tim rolled his eyes and shook his head, then began heading across the table in his aunt’s direction.

     “Ahhhhh,” Julia sighed again, leaning back onto the rear cushion and plopping her feet up on the coffee table.

     “AAAACK!” Tim howled as his aunt’s massive heels slammed down onto the table’s surface. “AUNT JULIA, would you WATCH IT?!”

     “Mmm,” Julia moaned, ignoring her nephew’s squeaks, “that’s better. It feels good to finally sit down. I feel like I’ve been on my feet all morning.”

     Julia moved her right foot into her lap, lazily stroking and massaging her sole.

     “MAN, my dogs are barkin’!” she complained, gently setting her foot back on the table, “Tim be a dear and rub your auntie’s feet, would ya?”

     “Wha—NO!” Tim recoiled in disgust, “I’m not rubbing your FEET, Aunt Julia! GROSS!”

     “Now, now, Tiny Tim; remember what I told you about misbehaving,” Julia crooned, wagging her finger and scrunching her toes menacingly at him, “you wouldn’t want your auntie to accidentally STEP on you, would you?”

     “Aunt Julia, STOP threatening to STEP on me!” Tim balked petulantly, “You heard what mom said: you’re SUPPOSED to be nicer to me, today!”

     “As I recall, Tiny Tim,” Julia rebutted, “she told me to be more CAREFUL with you from now on, AND make sure you stay off the floor, but that doesn’t mean I can’t still PUNISH you if you misbehave. So, be a good little boy and rub your auntie’s feet like I asked, or you can do it while you’re squirming under my sole. Your choice!”

      Tim gulped nervously as he slowly approached his aunt’s right foot; the smell was quite pungent. Tim gagged, nauseated at the sight of sweat glistening off her wrinkled flesh.

     “Aunt Julia,” Tim begged meekly, “please don’t make me do this.”

     “Oh, stop being so overdramatic!” she scoffed, seeing the tiny boy wave his hand in front of his nose. “They don’t smell THAT bad! Now, come on.”

     Tim reluctantly approached his giant aunt’s heel and, with a look of disgust on his face, apprehensively pressed his hands into the woman’s flesh.

     “Mm,” Julia moaned, just barely able to feel her nephew’s tiny hands on her heel.

     “Rub harder,” she commanded. “I can barely feel you down there.”

     Tim muttered curses under his breath and started pushing his hands deeper into his aunt’s flesh, even giving her a few punches to see if she’d notice. 

     “Hm,” Julie huffed in frustration, “I can still just barely feel you.

     “Here,” she offered, carefully tilting her foot onto the the table, resting it on the side, “try the MIDDLE of my foot.”

     Tim grumbled again, quickly repositioning himself to start massaging the softer, more tender part of the giant foot. 

     “Ah, now, that’s better,” Julia commented, trying to get more relaxed. “Hey, that kind of tickles.”

     “Well, try not to move around too much,” Tim forewarned her. “I don’t want to get kicked in the face!”

     Of course, Tim knew full-well that if his aunt’s foot suddenly jerked forward, he’d be MORE than just kicked in the face. He’d probably be thrown clear off the table!

     After a few minutes of trying to relax and enjoy her pampering, Julia spoke up again:

     “Mm, that does feel good,” she commended Tim’s effort, “but it’s still not quite good enough.”

     “Gimme a break, Aunt Julia!” Tim shouted in frustration as he stepped into her view, taking a moment to wipe the sweat from his hands down the front of his makeshift toga. “I’m doin’ the best I can! This isn’t exactly EASY, you know!”

     “Well, maybe if you weren’t so small, it’d be easier for ya,” Julia chuckled.

     “If I weren’t this SMALL, I wouldn’t be DOING THIS for you!” Tim asserted, crossing his arms. “In fact, you wouldn’t even BE here lookin’ after me!”

     “Well, I AM, and you ARE,” Julia rebuked, “so, you’re just gonna have to find a way to do a better job.”

     “Well, maybe, if your FEET weren’t so darn big, I’d be able to!” Tim reciprocated.

     “Well then, here,” Julia replied with a grin, sitting up on the couch, “let me help you.”

     Tim jerked as Julia’s right foot suddenly repositioned itself so that its sole was perpendicular to the edge of the table; unfortunately, he was so startled and distracted by the appendage he’d just been massaging that he didn’t see Julia’s other foot sliding in behind him. With a surprised yelp, the tiny boy suddenly found himself sandwiched between both of his aunt’s giant soles.

     “Hlmpf!” Tim shouted incoherently, struggling frantically to escape his fleshy prison. “Lmnt Mrm Omt!

      Tim could barely move, and try as he might he was nowhere near strong enough to push his aunt’s feet apart. The hot, stifling environment suffocated him, and each gasp of air the tiny boy managed to gulp down when he wasn’t face deep in Julia’s flesh was stale and ripe with foot odor.

     “Amnt Jmlmrm! Plrms, it STMNKS mn hrm!”

     Julia could barely hear, let alone understand Tim’s muffled cries—not that she cared either way. With her tiny nephew squirming for freedom between her soles, the giant woman repositioned her legs and scooted forward on the couch to make herself more comfortable, ensuring her feet were kept firmly, yet gently pressed together as she rested them on the coffee table.

     Then, Tim’s REAL torture began:

     Julia began slowly rubbing her feet together, rolling the tiny boy back-and-forth in between her soles like her own personal foot massager. She could actually feel her tiny nephew’s squirms and screams intensifying, no doubt begging her to stop, but unfortunately, Tim’s wiggles and screams only enhanced Julia’s self-massage, not to mention her feelings of dominance and power, which only encouraged her to continue.

     Soon, Julia was rolling Tim along the balls of her feet, gripping his tiny figure within the grooves at the base of her toes, and each time Tim would scream for mercy, the giant woman simply grinned and maneuvered him back between her feet, or scrunched her toes even tighter, giggling with delight as her nephew’s cries kept getting stifled.

     Tim’s suffering went on for a good five minutes before his strength and will to resist waned; he purposely went limp, relegating himself to his aunt’s whims. Thankfully, his inactivity was enough to curb his aunt’s enthusiasm. 

     “Aw, what’s the matter, Tiny Tim?” The giant woman cooed as she opened her feet, cradling the tiny boy between her soles. “Are you getting tired? You we’re doing so well. I was actually enjoying myself.”

     “ARE YOU CRAZY, AUNT JULIA?!” Tim squeaked furiously, completely disheveled. “You nearly SUFFOCATED me!”

     “Oh, stop exaggerating!” Julia scoffed. “You were fine!”

     “I’m NOT EXAGGERATING, AUNT JULIA!” Tim shouted, struggling to stand up, though finding it difficult with the flesh around him caked with sweat and grime. “And your FEET are DISGUSTING! YUCK!”

     “First of all,” Julia replied, pointing and taking offense, “my feet are not ‘disgusting’, so watch your mouth, Tiny Tim—!”

     “STOP CALLING ME ‘TINY TIM’!” the shrunken boy interrupted.

     “Secondly,” Julia continued, growing more annoyed, “if I were as small as you, I MIGHT wanna reconsider how you talk to someone who’s much….MUCH bigger than you are! Don’t forget: I’m NOT above punishing you!”

     “You’ve done nothing BUT punish me since you got here, Aunt Julia,” Tim whined, “and that’s all you did yesterday, too! I’m tired of you treating me like some kind of foot toy just because I’m small!”

     “Well, I can’t help it if you’re fun to play with, Tim,” Julia chortled jokingly, “and besides, YOU’RE the one who got yourself into this mess in the first place.”

     “I don’t care! I’m NOT letting you torture me with your feet anymore, Aunt Julia. Just wait until mom hears about this!”

     Julia scowled, and with one quick move, she shifted her soles apart and grasped her tiny nephew between the big and second toes of her right foot.

     “HEY!” Tim shouted as he was yanked upward. “AUNT JULIA, STOP!”

     “You’re not telling ANYONE about this, Tiny Tim!” she spat irately, holding her foot near her face.

     “HEY,” Tim strained as his aunt’s toes gripped him tighter, “LET ME GO!”

     “I WARNED you about that little mouth of yours, young man, but if you’re gonna be difficult and misbehave, I think you’re gonna need a TIME OUT!”

     Julia quickly reached down with her right hand and retrieved one of the pink slippers she’d placed by the couch earlier. 

     “HEY!” Tim exclaimed as he saw his aunt pass her slipper to her other hand, gripping her ankle with her free hand. “AUNT JULIA, WHAT’RE YOU DOING?!

     “WHERE’RE YOU TAKING ME?!” Tim demanded, seeing the dark mouth of the huge pink slipper coming towards him. “NO! STOP! I DON’T WANNA…go in there!”

     Tim‘s cries were suddenly muffled as Julia slid her foot into her slipper.

     “Now, keep quiet!” Julia commanded sternly as she slipped on her other slipper and placed her left foot back onto the coffee table, resting her right leg over her left shin. Then, she scooted back and relaxed on the couch cushion behind her, all the while playfully swinging her foot back and forth, delighting in feeling her tiny nephew’s squirms as she squeezed him in between her toes.

     “Squirm all you want, Timmy, but I’m NOT taking you out of there!” Julia politely dismissed him, reaching for her phone on the table. “Not until you’ve learned your lesson!”

     Julia ignored Tim’s barely-audible screams, playing on her phone until his struggles finally died down; although, she secretly wanted them to continue.

     “I’m sorry it had to come to this, Tim,” Julia shrugged nonchalantly, “but I warned you what would happen if you didn’t watch your mouth. NOW look at you: stuck between my toes and shoved inside my slipper!”

     Julia gave the tiny boy a few playful squeezes, giggling as she felt his squirms intensify each time.

     “You know, normally, I wouldn’t take any pleasure in punishing you,” Julia chuckled, “but given the circumstances…

     “Actually,” she pondered, “now that I think about it, I think this little situation of yours is the PERFECT opportunity for us to work on that little attitude of yours, AND teach you some manners while we’re at it.

     “Yes, sir,” she chortled, smiling, “I think we’re gonna have QUITE the productive week fixing your behavior. Now, we can do this the easy way, or the hard way, Timmy, but mark my words, you’re GOING to learn to behave yourself….even if I have to keep you in there ALL WEEK!”

     Julia grabbed the TV remote and, after a quick bit of channel surfing, eventually laid back and relaxed with a movie, leaving Tim and her sweaty foot snuggly tucked away to suffer in the hot, steamy environment of her slipper.