6 Trial

“Quiet!” Linda shouted over the growing din of angry babble again, waving her overly long cutlass high over her head, the metal glistening in the candle light and the dim pale of false dawn just slanting through the window blinds. Her gaze swept across her gathered clan, most still looking furious and staring daggers at the giantess lying behind their leader, watching her intently. Only a few faces seemed reasonable to Linda, or at least impassive. Claire for one, and Anne whose face only changed to contort with pain. Tiny Stacy looked to be in a state of shock, the two-inch tall woman and Ed having been lovers for months since joining the clan. Beverly, a middle-aged, plump and slightly taller woman sat with her, trying to comfort the younger woman in her grief.

Linda sighed regretting what she had to do, but she knew that it had to be done. There were rules to follow in the world of the Tinies, laws to obey just like in the real world. But in the clan justice usually fell at the feet of the leader, though Linda tried to involve everyone when a problem arose. Usually some petty squabble over found property or food, maybe a domestic dispute. In her first month as leader of the clan she had been forced to banish a man from their group because he had been beating his wife, a weak-willed woman barely half of his own three-inches. Jack had been thrown out with a taste of his own medicine. She had hated that, hated the responsibility of deciding someone’s fate, deserved as it was. As now…

She glanced back at the giantess, the woman’s eyes still glistening with tears as she mewled into her gag. It had taken ten of them to force the fat ball back between her lips and buckle the leather straps tightly behind her head; four tugging on the belts and buckle while the rest pulled on the huge woman’s hair as she thrashed and fought. Finally, all together they had held her head steady long enough to get the ball gag back in place, all the while the giantess crying, screaming and begging for them to stop. They were all breathing hard after that, members of the clan nursing bruises taken during the struggle as some of them had been thrown about by the giantess’ thrashing. They had waited there in the dim shadows then, hoping that no neighbor had heard her screams for help, hoping that no one would come to investigate the commotion. But in New York City, Linda knew all too well that most people kept to themselves and minded their own business; not wanting to help or get involved.

Fifteen minutes later Linda had deemed it safe and had gathered all of her clan together onto the pillows to call her court to order. She let them settle, some still fuming with anger, others sobbing with the grief of losing a friend. She had waited while Johnny and Frank had bundled and wrapped Ed’s remains in a black, plastic shopping bag and stored it in the refrigerator to fend off decomposition as best they could, at least for awhile. After the trial and punishment, maybe when they finally left the apartment for good they would find a place to bury him in the courtyard behind the building. Finally after Johnny and Frank rejoined the group she had raised her sword high and called for quiet.

“I’ve spoken with her,” Linda said her voice not loud but full of authority and commanding. “She said it was an accident.”

“Bull shit!” someone shouted and Linda cast a stern look at one of the smaller Tinies mounted high up on the pillows. He glared back, a pudgy squat head sat on a one-inch lump of a body. Linda did not break her gaze and finally he looked down and away.

“You’ll have your chance to speak, Robert,” she said coldly as she swept her gaze over the rest of the assemblage. “You’ll all have your chance to speak your mind. And I’ll listen. Just remember though, this is NOT a democracy. You all voted me clan leader to make decisions like this and my word will be the final say. I’m willing to listen though, because Ed was a good man, and our friend.” There was a general consensus of nods of agreement, though still some did not look happy. Linda continued.

“She said that she woke up and felt something poking and touching her feet, and she jerked her legs in reflex. She said it was like waking up with a bug on her skin.” Linda heard the grumbling and let the wave of anger ripple through the group a bit before quieting them down again. She had purposely used Jennifer’s words to remind them all of what they were, or at least how they were thought of. Whether the giants were good-hearted or bad, in the end they all thought of the Tinies as bugs or creatures in the end; another race all together rather than people that were once like themselves. People living and breathing, dreaming of a better life and struggling to survive.

“We’ve all probably experienced that. This city’s overrun with roaches and mice, flies and mosquitoes. Hell I used to wake up with leg cramps in the middle of the night and had to unconsciously stretch. It’s natural and you don’t think about it, especially when you just come awake.” Linda watched her clan and saw several grudgingly nodding in agreement. A few of the faces softened just a little.

“Then it’s manslaughter,” a voice called out and Linda saw a thirty-something girl barely an inch tall stand. She was pretty despite her raggedy, filthy toga, blond and well endowed. “But even lessening the charge, she still killed Ed and that needs to be addressed.” Linda recalled that the woman, Melanie, had been a lawyer in her past life, her normal life.

“Eye for an eye!” Robert shouted thrusting a fist skyward and shaking it. Several yelled their approval, agreeing with cheers. Linda heard Jennifer groan softly behind her.

“No!” Linda shouted back, raising her voice to be heard. “We are NOT going to kill her.”

“Then why are we even bothering with this?” the blond Melanie asked.

“Because it’s the right thing to do, Melanie. The just thing to do. No matter what the giants think of us, we’re not savages. Might does not make right. We’re people, not a mob and we will not lower ourselves to their level. She’ll be punished, certainly. But we decide what in this trial, and how much.”

“It’s not like we can put her in jail,” Melanie supplied, obviously returning to the role of her former career, taking the cause and voice of the prosecution. “That’s normally what would happen to someone found guilty of manslaughter; Time incarcerated depending on verdict of degree.”

“You’re right,” Linda agreed, nodding. “That’s not an option. But what can we do?” she asked addressing her clan, her gaze sweeping over the assemblage again.

“Leave her to rot, then,” Robert loudly provided. Linda wondered just what had happened in his past to make him so vehement over this. “Just fuckin’ chain her ass up, take her keys when we leave and let whatever happens happen. If she gets found, fine. If she starves to death, even better.” There was a babble of approval and even applause following Robert’s idea. But Linda saw other faces twist in disgust and disapproval.

“A vote then, on Robert’s proposal. All in favor…” Linda saw six hands shoot into the air. She tried not to smile. “Opposed?” Twelve hands went up at that, and she was glad. “And the rest abstain. Sorry Robert. You’re outvoted.” Linda was hard-pressed to hide her smirk as Robert cursed under his breath and sat back down with a huff.

“Any other suggestions?” Linda asked after letting the group mull over their thoughts for a few moments. Letting the jury hold council.

“Well, we could not feed her or give her water while we’re here at least,” Frank suggested.

“That’s lame,” a forty-ish woman named Connie countered, the one-inch tall woman standing and shouting to be heard.

“And goes without saying,” Linda added, agreeing. “She’s lost her luxuries for the duration.” Linda heard the giantess whimper at that bit of news.

“That’s not enough.”

Linda turned to stare at Claire, surprised to hear the eldest member of the clan chime in. “What did you have in mind then, Claire?” she asked planting the tip of her blade to the floor.

Claire squinted as she stared at the gigantic woman in the background and Linda recalled just how blind the woman almost was without her glasses. Claire could barely see a couple inches ahead of her, and Linda was sure that the colossal Jennifer was just a huge pink blur to the older woman.

“Maybe we should let Stacy decide. She was Ed’s girlfriend after all.” All eyes turned to the tiny woman in question, but Stacy still stared vacantly, her red cheeks streaked from rivulets of tears, crimson eyes glassy and her expression blank. Beverly turned to the girl and whispered something into her ear and the girl blinked and shuddered, seemingly slipping back into reality from wherever she had been a moment before.

“W- Wha- What?” the girl asked looking at all the faces focused on her. Beverly spoke softly to her again, hugging her as she did so. Anne groaned and rubbed her belly, shifting slightly.

“I… I don’t understand,” Stacy said, her voice choked with emotion and confusion as she looked about the group. Finally her gaze settled on Linda. “What… What do you want me to do?”

“Stacy…” Linda began softly trying to sound both comforting and authoritative. “The giantess needs to be punished for killing Ed. She didn’t mean to, but she did, regardless. Since you and Ed were involved, a couple, we’d like to hear what you might want. Okay?”

Stacy stared blankly at the clan leader for a long moment, then shifted her gaze to the gigantic woman behind her. A hush fell over the assemblage, an incredible tension sweeping the room in anticipation…

“Kill her!” the tiny woman shrieked her voice ripping with torment.

Linda shook her head. “We’re not going to do that, Stacy.”

The Tiny’s face twisted with grief, then rage, then sorrow at the loss of the man she had come to love. Her little body heaved with a racking sob as Beverly held her tight, stroking her hair. Finally Stacy looked up again, snuffling as she swallowed, her deep brown eyes sparkling as she stared at the bound giant woman.

“Then hurt her,” the tiny woman snarled and spat. She brushed Beverly’s hands aside and shakily stood, stepping off of the pillow and striding forward until she stood before the towering face of the giant Jennifer. "I want her to suffer," Stacy said, hawking and spitting on the bound giantess. Jennifer jerked in her bonds.

“I want her to feel the pain that Ed felt when she crushed him.” Stacy’s hands curled into fists as rage seemed to consume her. “And I want to be the one to make her feel that pain.”

Linda sighed as the clan erupted in cheers and applause – most of them anyway. She had been expecting as much, but she hoped that Stacy would go easy in understanding. The course was set though and all that was left was for Linda to approve. And she knew she had to.

“Done,” she said tapping the tip of her sword three times to the floor, signifying that the trial was over. They had all just agreed to torture a fellow human being. Linda was not happy about that, but there was really nothing to do about it. All that remained was to decide how. She was quite certain that there would be plenty of suggestions.

Linda turned to Jennifer, the giantess’ eyes wide and full of tears. She shook her head, whimpering, but Linda remained cold and aloof. She stepped forward and pressed the point of her blade to the gigantic woman’s throat, mostly for show.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, then turned and walked away…