Claire pulls the door shut behind her as she enters her kitchen carrying the shoebox containing the shrunken machine and six tiny vehicles she had acquired during her journey into Michael and Amy’s yard. She makes her way to the attic entrance, unlatching the stairs and pulling them down before climbing her way up. Standing in the middle of the room, now fairly dark thanks to the setting sun outside the windows, she sets the shoebox down to her left and removes the lid from the one containing her shrunken neighbors and their friends. Claire smiles down on the little people huddled together in the light given off by Jim’s truck.

    “Attention: To the owner of a teeny-weeny blue truck, you’ve left your headlights on. Wouldn’t want you to get a dead battery.” She watches as one of the people below separates himself from the group and makes his way across the bottom of the shoebox to the truck. The light inside disappears and Claire sees the little man exit the vehicle. She bends down, reaching into the box, the little man darts quickly away from her hand as she picks up the truck. She sets it to her right on the wood floor before returning her hand to the box, gently flipping it onto its side with the opening facing her body. She walks to one wall and flicks the light switch, illuminating the entire attic.

    Michael rises to his feet as his world lights up, he sees his friends picking themselves up all around him on the cardboard floor. He watches as Claire returns in front of the box, she sits herself down on the floor, pulling her legs towards her body and crossing them.

    Claire sits for a moment and stares into the box, watching as the ten little people stand perfectly still and look back at her with their backs firmly pressed against the cardboard wall behind them. “Come on out of there, guys. And you know I’ll just make you if you don’t come willingly.” She smiles as the group slowly walks forward.

    “What’s in the box? Does it have something to do with the “important work” you went to take care of?” Michael asks upon noticing the shoebox next to Claire.

    “Evidence. Wanna see?” She removes the lid from the shoebox next to her and looks back at the people on the floor in front of her. “So, which one of you is the ‘KEWLGUY?’”

    “What are you talking about?” asks Michael.

    Claire reaches into the shoebox and pulls out the little yellow sports car. She sets it on the floor. “Vroom vroom” she says before she begins gently pushing the vehicle across the floor towards the group, like a child playing with toy cars. Keith watches as his automobile is driven forward at the mercy of the massive young woman’s fingers. She stops the car just inches away from the tiny people and lifts her hand away,  pulling it towards her and resting it on her knee.

    “That’s my car!” yells Keith. “What did you do to it?! It better not be damaged in ANY way! Do you have ANY idea how expensive it was?!”

    “So YOU’RE the cool guy, hmmm?” She watches as Keith stares up at her angrily. “I was wondering which of you actually drove around with plates like that. How embarrassing.”

Claire reaches into the shoebox and begins removing the rest of the shrunken vehicles one at a time, placing them down on the floor in front of the group. She already has the silver and purple cars on the ground next to Keith’s when she begins bringing the bright red one in her hand down to join them. Michael watches his vehicle’s slow descent. “What are you doing, Claire?! Why did you shrink our vehicles?”

    “I told you, I had to care of the evidence. You little people sure left a lot of it when you went and shrunk yourselves. So I went into your yard and shrunk all your cars and then the machine on the porch. I WAS just going to crush everything and throw it all away, but it was all SOOOO cute like this, I just couldn’t bring myself to do that. Just look at these little things, they’re adorable! Well, except for this one.”

    Claire sets the beat-up white car down onto the floor with the others. “What a hunk of junk” she says, tapping on the hood with her fingertip. Scott glances at his vehicle. “She’s right” he thinks to himself.
   
    “How do you figure this solves anything?” asks Michael.

    “What do you mean?”
   
    “Sure, you took care of the evidence, but we’re still missing. You don’t think the authorities will eventually ask you and your mother a few questions as part of their search for us?”

    “Hmmm, you might have a point there. I guess I’ll have to think of something to tell them in case they do wind up on my doorstep some morning.”

    “If you return us to normal you won’t have to worry about any of that.”

    “Just one more!” Claire says, ignoring Michael and reaching her hand back into the shoebox. She pulls out the fancy cyan-colored car and sets it in her palm, admiring the tiny vehicle. I LOVE this one, it’s SOOO pretty!”

    Jennifer’s anger rises as she stares up at her car high above in the girl’s hand. “Put my car down right now, you giant bitch! Who do you think you are, toying with other people’s property?!”

    Claire pretends to gasp at the outburst of the tiny woman below before laughing. “Oh, this is YOUR car?”

    “Yes, and you’re going to set it down gently on the floor! And then you’re going to take Michael’s device out and grow us all back to normal! And then…”

    “Hmmm” Claire interrupts, “And who’s going to make me do any of this? You?”

    Jennifer realizes she has no power over the colossal younger girl. She’s used to getting her way by using her temper and intimidating others, but she’s starting to realize that’s not going to work when she’s the size of a bug.

    “I’m not growing anyone, but you know… you CAN make me give you your car.”

    Curiously, Jennifer looks up at Claire’s beautiful face high above her. “How?”

    Staying seated, Claire pulls off her right flip flop and places her bare foot on the floor in front of the little people and their cars. The little people eye her foot and its nearness nervously, remembering just moments ago when she had so casually mentioned crushing their vehicles and disposing of them. “What’s your name, little one?”

    “J…Jenn…Jennifer.”

    “Well, Jennifer, do you want to make me give you your car? Do you want me to put it down on the floor with the rest of them?”

    “Y…Yes”

    “Well then. There’s one thing you could do to make me give it to you.”

    “What?”

    “Come give my toe a kiss, and I promise I’ll put your car down right after you do.”

    Jennifer feels as though the blood within her veins has begun to boil as she watches Claire wiggle her big toe. The idea of touching, let alone KISSING, any part of this girl’s foot disgusts her. She’d already had more than enough of Claire’s feet when she went for a ride on her flip flop after the girl first discovered her and the rest of her group.

    “If you think I’m going to do that, you’re INSANE! Now put my car down!”

    “Awww. You don’t like my feet, little Jennifer? Guess you won’t be getting your car after all. That’s too bad. But oh well, I’m sure one of these other little people will give you a ride around this great big attic in one of theirs if you need it. And hey, now I’ll be able to grow your pretty little car back to normal and drive around in style anytime I want!” Claire places the little cyan car back into the shoebox and sets the lid on top before taking it in her arms. She stands and begins heading towards the stairs with her right foot still bare.

    Jennifer growls angrily and clenches her fists down at her sides. She can’t stand the thought of this girl taking her beloved car and driving around in it on some joyride while she’s trapped in her attic like some sort of tiny prisoner. She yells as Claire starts to walk away. “Wait! No! Come back!”

    Claire smiles and walks back in front of the tiny people and their cars on the wood floor. “Did someone change their little mind?” She twitches the toes on her bare foot.

    “You promise you’ll put my car down with the others if I do this?”

    “Of course! As soon as I feel your tiny lips down there I’ll give you your car.”

    Jennifer shudders. Very slowly and with much trepidation she begins approaching Claire’s massive bare foot planted on the floor in front of her. Everyone else watches on nervously, especially Scott, as she continues to move away from them. The enormous toes wiggle slowly, producing a light scratching sound each time one rubs against another as Jennifer makes her way to the largest of them.

    Claire stares down excitedly at the tiny woman at her foot. She can’t wait to feel the touch of her little lips against her skin. Her heart races in her chest as she thinks of how fragile the small girl is, how little effort it would take to barely move her foot forward and grind the pathetic being out of existence beneath her.

    Jennifer reaches the big toe. She stands mere inches away (her scale, not Claire‘s) from its tip. Standing perfectly still, she hesitates to get any closer.

    “Go on, little one. You want your car, don’t you?” Claire holds the box in one hand and grabs the cyan car out from within with her other. She holds the vehicle between her fingers, shaking her hand slowly as if teasing a dog into performing a trick with the promise of receiving a treat afterwards.

    Jennifer leans in reluctantly and lightly touches her lips to the massive toe before quickly pulling away and repeatedly expelling her tongue from her mouth, spitting on the ground in disgust.

    Claire giggles at the sight below. “You’re gonna have to do better than that, I didn’t even feel anything.”

    In a fit of rage combined with her intense desire of wanting to just end the humiliation and free her precious car from the girl‘s clutches, Jennifer leans back in and plunges her face as deep into the thick yet soft skin of Claire’s toe as she possibly can.

    Claire’s eyes widen and she takes a deep breath as she experiences an incredible, albeit tiny, sensation on her toe. “ She did it! The little woman actually kissed it! And I actually felt it!” she thinks to herself enthusiastically. With an enormous smile, she savors the feeling at her feet until it ceases when the tiny woman’s head retreats from the toe.

    Incredibly pleased with both the compliance of the little woman and the satisfaction granted by her action, Claire leans down and gently places the cyan car onto the floor next to Jennifer before returning to her full height. She watches as Jennifer hurriedly gets into her vehicle and speeds off away from her feet towards a corner of the room.

    “Awwww, come on little Jennifer, don’t be like that. You know it wasn’t so bad.”

    Scott climbs into his own vehicle and begins chasing after his girlfriend. He barely distances himself from the group and their parked cars before the front of Claire’s massive bare foot touches down in his path. He instinctively slams the brakes and his tires squeal to a stop just in front of the tremendous toes.

    Claire feels slightly disappointed as she looks down on the tiny beat-up white car at her foot. She wanted to know how it would feel when the tiny vehicle made impact with her toes, but the little man applied his brakes just in time to prevent impact.

    “Bad idea, little man. I think Jennifer wants to be alone right now. Besides, don’t you want to stay here with your friends… and my pretty feet?” She wiggles her toes, lifting them and dropping them back down onto the floor.

    Scott looks ahead nervously, the view outside his windshield is completely filled by the young woman’s massive foot resting before him. He still wants desperately to catch up with his girlfriend and comfort her, but he knows if he attempts to escape Claire she’ll easily stop him again, and would possibly be angry with him.

    Claire separates her sole from the wood floor, it peels away from the ground with a light sound, although it’s probably much louder to the little man in his car. She slowly brings her foot towards the junky white car with her big toe pointed forwards. The thought of the tiny body inside the vehicle at her mercy watching as her foot draws near excites her greatly.

    Scott sits frozen in fear as the flesh of Claire’s big toe makes contact with his windshield, the same toe his girlfriend was reluctantly persuaded into gratifying just moments ago.

    “Your car is in such bad shape, little man. It looks like it has TONS of problems. Don’t you think it’s time you just got rid of it before something else goes wrong with it?”

    Scott is rocked back and forth in his vehicle, it creaks and groans beneath the weight of the toe as Claire moves it onto the hood. The car shakes with him inside as the young woman continues to poke and prod at it.

    “Don’t you want me to help you get rid of this old thing? It’s like a rickety old deathtrap, I‘d be doing you a favor” she says, continuing to rock the car with her toe. “Come on out of there, little guy, and I’ll take care of it for you.”

    Scott can’t believe his ears. This woman wants to destroy his car! And she wants him to feel as though she would somehow be doing him a favor! Sure, his car is in terrible shape and he should have relinquished possession of it long ago, but it has great sentimental value to him and thus he cannot bring himself to part with it.

    Claire wait’s a few moments for the passenger to exit his vehicle before she realizes he’s not going to. She lifts her toe from the car and plants her foot down on the floor in front of it. “Obviously this scrap heap is somehow important to you, little man, so whatever. I’ll be honest, I’m a little disappointed.” She pouts her lips as she looks down on the car. “I really wanted to feel it crumple under my foot. But lucky for you, I’m in a really good mood. That woman… I’m guessing she’s your little girlfriend or something for you to have been chasing after her like that… she made me feel REALLY great when she decided to give me that little kiss. So since I’m feeling so great, I’ll be generous with you. You can keep your little car too, even though it’s going to be such an eyesore up here in my attic.”

    Claire lifts her foot and brings it to the tiny car, touching her toe to the front bumper, riddled with rust, dents, and scratches. She slowly pushes the car backwards with Scott inside, bringing the vehicle to a stop next to the other little automobiles on the floor before pulling her foot back towards her body.

Amy has been watching the entire event with bright red cheeks and burning fascination. Luckily no one notices, everyone’s eyes have been and are still focused on the giant young woman towering over them. She can’t help but think of how only hours ago she had toyed with Jim’s truck beneath her feet in a similar fashion.

Scott chooses to stay inside his car and calm down from the torment he’d just experienced at Claire’s foot rather than exiting his car and joining his friends.

    Michael and the rest of the group watches as Claire lowers herself to the floor, seating herself as she had earlier, she pulls her legs in and crosses them before resting the cardboard box she had been holding in her lap. They listen to the sound of her sole sliding against the foam of her black flip flop as she slips it back onto her bare foot. The morale of the group is low after watching one of their friends made to kiss their beautiful captor’s toe and another played with beneath it in his vehicle.

    “So, Michael…” begins Claire, staring down at the little people, “I’ve been thinking…”

    “About what.”

    “About what you said earlier. About how I took care of the evidence but that doesn’t change the fact that you’re still missing.”

    Michael stares up and into Claire’s face with nervousness and curiosity on his own. “And?”

    “And… well, do you still have that motorboat on that trailer thingy to tow it with sitting behind your house?”

    Michael hesitates to answer, unsure of why Claire would be asking about this. “W… what? Why?”

    “Oh, just tell me. You know I’m gonna check if it’s out there even if you say no, so you’d better not lie to me.”

    “Y… yes, fine, yes, it’s out there, but why are you asking me about it?”

    Claire smiles. “Well, if I take care of THAT, if anyone shows up here looking for you, I can tell them that the last time I saw you and Amy, you were taking some friends out onto the water. I’ll say one of your friends hooked the trailer up to his big blue truck and towed it off and you guys all got in your cars to follow him.”

    The group’s morale lowers even further. It had restored a little hope to their hearts earlier when Michael mentioned the authorities might be able to piece together their disappearance and lead themselves to Claire and her mother. After hearing the plan Claire had come up with, the newfound hope quickly vanished. Claire’s story was believable, and if told to the authorities, her story combined with the fact that the boat was indeed missing from Michael’s property would cause them to take their search for the missing people to the wrong place.

    “Well, I guess I’d better go take care of that boat, then” says Claire as she stands to her full height. “And as for this little thing…” she begins as she pulls the black shrinking machine from the porch out of the shoebox and holds it up for the little people below to see, “I’m taking this with me. I can’t keep it up here in the attic. Even if I put it up high on a stack of boxes or something I’m sure you little people would take every chance you could to reach it and use it against me. That wouldn’t be very nice, I don’t want to be teeny-tiny like you guys!” Claire laughs as she places the lid back onto the shoebox after setting the machine back inside. “I’ll be back soon. Why don’t you move your little cars while I’m gone so they’re not in my way when I get back? You wouldn’t want me to accidentally step on them, would you?” She smiles down at the group and wiggles her toes in her flip flops. “See you soon, everyone!”

    The group watches as the massive woman walks away from them and heads towards the stairs. Her flip flops slap wildly at her feet the whole way down. They listen as the stairs are pushed back up and into the attic and the latch is moved into place, sealing them in.

    “Well, at least she left the light on for us” says Jim.

    “Yep… like the fucking Motel 6” says Keith.