“What’s your name, then?” the giant woman asked, leaning her wrist against the steering wheel as she drove. Carmel was grasped in her hand as casually as if she were a bottle of water. It was very hot in the truck, warmed by roaring fans, making sense of the woman’s scant clothing despite the weather outside.

Carmel choked on an answer, wanting to demand she put her down, let her go, restore her to her normal size. All that came out in the end was an honest, “Carmel.”

“That’s pretty. Like caramel. You sweet like caramel?”

“I’m a person. You can’t just pick up – you can’t just take me!”

The woman raised a curious eyebrow. “Don’t make much sense, saying I can’t do things I already done, does it? Look here” – she shook her hand slightly, making Carmel’s legs swing and eliciting a sharp cry – “think I can do what I want with you.” She laughed. “And person or not, you’re about the size of something I could gulp all the way down my throat, if you know what I’m saying. Or you might fit some other places.”

Carmel felt the colour flood from her face and the giant woman laughed, a sound so frighteningly loud she grabbed onto the top finger again for support.

“Oh man,” the woman went on. “Makes it even more fun that you’re an uptight little number. But I bet you are sweet. Bet you taste just like caramel. We’re gonna have some fun.”

“What did you do to me?” Carmel asked, straining to keep her voice calm, in control.

The woman gave her another amused look, then shook her head, focusing back on driving. From Carmel’s perspective, the road ahead was barely visible, the snow so thick it had reduced the view to a soft white noise. It swallowed the headlight beams barely a few metres ahead, no sign of trees or the cliff edges Carmel had been so carefully avoiding. They were driving fast, though, bumping along, the woman seemingly unbothered by the lack of visibility.

“I asked you a question,” Carmel said.

“Name’s Liberty, by the way,” the woman said, rather than answer. “Pleased to make your acquaintance. I’m a long-haul delivery driver, just out making a buck on Christmas Eve. I didn’t do shit to you. Yet.”

Carmel was quiet, unsure what was worse: that this giantess might not have deliberately trapped her this way, or that she was the sort of woman whose instincts, faced with the impossible sight of a shrunken person, were to snatch her and run. But if it was the latter – Carmel thought out loud, “You can’t turn me back?”

“Nope,” Liberty said. “I’m guessing this wasn’t deliberate then? You’re not some size-shifting superhero got stuck in one shape? What’d you run into a witch or something?”

“I just stopped for some coffee. I don’t know what happened.”

Liberty nodded, all this seeming perfectly reasonable to her. She pointed her free hand to the sky they couldn’t see. As she did, it flashed blue. Somewhere behind all the snow, thunder sounded. “This is a rare kinda storm, you know? Snow and lightning together. Reckon that might’ve done it?”

“Shrunk me?”

“Yeah.”

Carmel stared out at the hideous weather and wondered herself. “I thought it might’ve been the coffee. A drug.”

“Uh-huh. Guess I can see that. But that brat back there didn’t look particularly clued up on anything. Figure he would’ve been paying attention if he was in on it. Maybe someone messed with it in passing, just because they could.” Liberty interrupted her musings with a grunt. “Look, I hate to admit to this, but I’m gonna have to stop. This is some weather you do not fuck with, and it’s only getting worse. There should be a hotel a mile or two on.”

Carmel shifted in the giant woman’s grip, as if she might spot the building through the blanket snow. Stopping was a good thing; the further she travelled with Liberty, away from her car and where this change had happened, the worse her chances.

“But we are gonna have some fun, Carmel,” Liberty announced, lifting her higher in celebration, with a little hoot. Carmel held on, stiff. “I tell you, I’m on this road, in this sweaty cab, all day every day, with only my radio and a sore ass for company. Now I got someone to talk to, to keep me entertained. Shoot, even if we gotta stop, got someone to share a bed with and all.” She laughed again and Carmel couldn’t tell if it was because it was a joke or just because she was happy.

“Liberty,” Carmel ventured cautiously, “I’m about six inches tall.”

“Some men think that’s big,” Liberty quipped.

“I mean. This is impossible. It’s unreal. You can’t just – I mean – don’t you want to know what happened? Can’t you help me?”

Liberty shrugged, expressively, and Carmel couldn’t help noticing how it made her massive breasts bounce. She squirmed again, at once disgusted and intrigued by the sight of the canyon of a cleavage beneath her feet. The giantess said, “Maybe we’ll get to that later, maybe we won’t. I’ve seen a lot of weird stuff out on the road, Carmel, I try to just roll with it.”

“Alright. But this is a story to tell, isn’t it? If you rescue me.”

“No interest in people talking about me. Nope, none at all, thank you. All the more reason to keep moving along.”

“Well. People will notice I’m missing. They’ll check the camera footage and see you took me. This is kidnapping.”

“Oh come off it, you ain’t no kid. And I doubt they even had a camera in there. At the counter maybe, but those places they hardly got any systems worth a damn. Besides which, no one’s gonna find me. Why you think I drive, Carmel? No fixed address, no identification, always pay cash – only thing I got that they can track is my license plate, and I got three spares in the back.” She thumped the seat behind her to indicate the rear of the truck. “No, sir, we are in the clear. You and me, Carmel, we are free as birds.”

“No, I have a life to go back to, people depending –”

The truck jerked as Liberty braked, cutting Carmel off. The giantess whistled and laughed again, turning the wheel and continuing slowly. Out the window, there was no sign of what had changed, only great white swathes of snow.

“Almost missed it,” Liberty said, slowing down. “We’ll be there in a second so guess it’s time for some ground rules. You keep quiet and I’ll treat you nice. Cause a fuss and I’m treat you bad.”

“What? Liberty –”

“Say yes, you understand.”

“But –”

“Say yes, Carmel, or maybe I’ll just have my fun with you right here in the truck and leave it at that.”

Despite the heat in the cab, Carmel felt herself go cold all over again, both at the imminent threat and the suggestion of what that “fun” was. She could hear the serious edge to Liberty’s tone though, and didn’t dare provoke her, so mumbled, “Yes.”

“At-a-girl.” Liberty smiled, then nodded ahead. “Here we are. You can ride in the day bag, just don’t move or say anything, okay? I’m serious, I’ll squash you like a snake if you make me.”

Carmel believed her – believed that she probably had squashed snakes in the past – and kept quiet as they stopped. The snow was just thin enough, and the building bright enough, for her to make out an imposing, timber-framed facade with lattice windows and a peaked roof, reminiscent of a ski lodge. A car sat out front, with snow piled on top, and alongside it a big pickup truck. Carmel frowned as she recognised it: the vehicle had been at the gas stop. That creepy man.

Liberty parked abruptly, jolting Carmel and making something in the back thump. The giantess winced at the sound and muttered, “Hope that’s okay.” Then she killed the engine and placed her hand with Carmel down on the passenger seat to take her weight as she shifted to grab her shopping bag from the foot-well. She shoved a few other bits from around the cab into it, then straightened up to lift Carmel over the opening. She paused briefly to say, “Be good in there. And don’t touch my booze. That’s for later.”

Carmel was about to reply, to insist she would be good, to get her well onside, but Liberty wasn’t interested, tossing her down into the bag. She fell with a yelp but landed on a bundled pile of fabric, which she sank into as the plastic walls of the bag scrunched closed above her. Liberty opened the door and got out, the bag swaying like a swing, and Carmel shoved her hands down in the fabric to steady herself. Again she heard the wind howl, the storm as fierce as ever, as Liberty ran to the building entrance. Carmel bounced in the bag, taking in the contents: she was in what appeared to be a scrunched-up pile of clothes, and cringed at the elastic waistband of some off-white cotton panties. There was a toothbrush bobbing next to her, about as long as her body, but the centerpiece of the bag was a great square bottle of vodka. It tilted side to side and Carmel watched it warily, in case it should fall on her.

It got quieter as the door closed out the sound of the wind. Liberty stomped through the hotel’s entrance hall. Jingling Christmas music came out of speakers, and somewhere nearby a fire gently crackled.

“Room for one?” Liberty called out. “Hell of a storm picking up.”

“I’m glad you stopped in,” a receptionist replied, sounding young and cheerful. “It’s awful out there, no one should be driving.” A woman. Carmel’s heart jumped at the sound of her voice: definitely someone that would help. Most likely a person better able to take instructions than a rebellious trucker. Carmel shifted to see through a gap in the bag. She couldn’t see the woman, but took in a high-ceilinged space with its grand wooden beams, faux-fur-lined sofa suites and hunting trophies decorated by small scatterings of festive tinsel and fairy lights.

“Just as well you’re here,” Liberty replied. “And such a darling place, manned by a darling face. What they doing hiding you away in the mountains?” She read a name tag and added, “Simone?”

The receptionist giggled, but replied professionally, to offer a room down the hall. Carmel wasn’t listening, focusing on how flirtatious Liberty sounded. Was this trucker actually gay? It gave her teasing comments a more troubling edge.

The bag bounced again with Liberty’s movements, and it seemed they had their room key and the receptionist was leading the way. Simone explained, a few paces ahead, “I’m afraid our chef couldn’t get in this evening so the kitchen’s closed, but there may be some snacks in the minibar. We’re not fully stocked, though. Mind the step, you’re just through here. If you need anything, hit 0 on the room phone.”

“I definitely will,” Liberty promised. “Reckon we could both use some company on this hellish night.” Carmel’s stomach clenched a little tighter.

“Thank you, but I’ve got plenty to keep me busy,” Simone replied politely, though not entirely without interest. “Have a nice night, ma’am.”

“I intend to.” Liberty went into the room and leant her back against the door, exhaling loudly. She stayed there, listening as Simone walked away.

The receptionist knocked on another door and called out, “Mr Gerard, I have your spare pillow.”

“She’s a doll,” Liberty whispered, pulling the carrier bag open to treat Carmel to a view of her huge chest from below. A massive hand reached in and Carmel tried vainly to crawl out of the way. She was caught by the waist and lifted up. Liberty smiled. “Wouldn’t mind a little piece of that one, but you’re no sourpuss yourself.”

Settled in their room now, with nothing else in the way, the giantess looked even more eager than before. Ready to do something terrible.

“Liberty,” Carmel said, trying to sound firm even as she was held helplessly in the woman’s massive hand. She handled people all the time for work; it was what she did. Use a personal name, speak plainly, clearly, and let them know you’re in charge. “I know you’re bigger than me, but you need to check yourself. I run a very successful business. I’ve got powerful friends. Influence. This can go well for you, or very badly.”

Liberty laughed so sharply she surprised herself, lifting her other hand to cover her mouth. She shook her head, saying, “That’s cute, Carmel, but I could give a shit about your business or your friends. I’ll have you for dessert with a scoop of ice-cream if I want. Better to just accept it now.”