Jerry, Carla, and Vera had been walking for a little over an hour towards the west with very little conversation. The sun was getting lower in the horison and it was very hard to look in that direction, though they reflected that in another hour it would likely be behind the hills and no longer a problem. Of course, after that would come the problem of nighttime itself, with all it’s darkness and dangers.

The situation between the three of them was definitely tense, and they often looked over at each other to see if they were still keeping up. They had not really passed anything of much interest, unless one counted shrubs the size of trees and at one point a couple of mouse bones the size of dog bones as interesting.

Jerry didn’t want to admit it, but his feet were starting to hurt a bit. He was never that much of an athelete and he was certianly nowhere near in the shape that the two women were in. But there were no signs that either of the other two were starting to show pain. Vera and Carla were plowing forward at a pace that Jerry found very difficult to keep up with—he hoped that they didn’t hear his panting or see the sweat that was forming at his hairline.

Finally, to Jerry’s great relife, Vera said, “How about we take a short break?”

While Jerry felt a wave of gratitude towards Vera, Carla of course had a biting remark, “No rest for the weary, we leave the weary behind.”

“Come on, Carla, just for a minute.” Jerry said.

“Is that pack getting too heavy for you?” Carla asked. “Want me to carry it for a while?”

“Nice try,” Said Vera, sitting down on a small rock nearby and pulling out her pack to look inside. Jerry sat down next to Vera on the ground to her left. Carla walked about a foot ahead of them, seriously considering just going on, thinking that there could be a chance she could get to the house all in one shot and beat both of them. However, she did have to admit, if only to herself, that her feet could use a break and she didn’t want to be without the supplies in Vera’s pack. Without saying anything, Carla walked back to her two competitors and sat down next to them.

Vera saw indeed that there were many things inside the bag. There were three folded-up tents, several bottles of water, some energy bars, as well as flashlights and matches the size of carving knives. Vera handed out a bottle of water and an energy bar each, and the three of them consuming them each without telling the other how much they actually needed the supplies.

Vera considered handing Jerry and Carla each a flashlight so no matter what would happen they could all see in the dark. But if Carla had a flashlight that would likely empower her to break apart from them and get ahead, and Vera needed all the advantage she could get. She decided to keep the flashlights to herself for the moment.

They ate and drank quickly, not saying anything to each other. They could hear night sounds starting up around them even though it was still a bit of a ways to dusk.

Finally, Carla said something, “I think we’re going the wrong way.”

Vera looked over at Carla. “The wrong way?” Vera asked.

“Yeah,” Carla said. “The house is more to the south of here and we’ve been going straight west.”

Jerry sighed as the two women stared at each other. “No,” Vera said. “We’re going the right way, you can kind of see the outline already.”

“No, that’s not right.” Carla said. “It’s over there,” Carla pointed towards the southwest where there was an equally hazy ridge of hills.

“Carla, don’t you remember that there’s a road that runs east/west to the north of the compound?” Vera asked. “If you’re right, we would be on the other side of the road.”

“And why wouldn’t we be?” Carla challanged. “From everything we’ve seen from Betty so far, is it really hard to believe that she would make us cross the road?”

“No, but I’m pretty sure there’s no road over there.” Vera said, indicating the direction in which Carla had been pointing.

“There’s no way to really tell,” Jerry tried interjecting himself between the two women, “Barely a car a day uses that road, we’re not likely to see or hear one.”

“I distinctly remember feeling a left turn and going off the road.” Carla said. “You can’t say that, Vera, you were to busy being scared out of your mind!”

“Carla, please!” Jerry said. “I remember several turns, it was hard to tell the road from dirt, you don’t know.”

“Well, you guys can keep walking in the wrong direction,” Carla said, standing up and brushing herself off. “I’m going back to the house.”

“Go ahead then,” Vera barked angrilly. “Go get lost in the desert. Maybe you’ll meet a nice hungry snake on the way.”

Carla laughed hallowly. “You’d better hope a snake finds you before I win this game.” Carla said, grinning wickedly. “I can’t wait to have you two in the palm of my hand, expecially you, Vera. We’re going to have some fun!”

With that Carla left the two of them, storming off towards the southwest. Jerry thought about calling after her but he decided it was better this way. If Vera was right, this would mean he had one less person to contend with for victory. Besides, Vera carried the supplies and Jerry didn’t want to be without them. However, if Carla was right, Jerry likely faced the prospect of a giantess Carla with a particular vengance against him. He really didn’t have a strong feeling either way on which direction was right. He couldn’t make out a damn thing in the horison—the compound could be in the complete other direction for all he knew. But he was hedging his bets with Vera and that was what he was going to stick with.

“Well, should we be off?” Vera said, repacking the bag and zipping it tight.

“Good idea.” Jerry said. The two of them stood up and started travelling once again towards the west.

Though the tension was down with just the two of them, they still talked little. There was no reason for either to hold a grudge against the other at the moment, still, there was little conversation. They were still competitors, and Jerry knew that Vera knew there was no way he could keep up with her in the long run. Vera moved at such a great pace that Jerry felt that he would likely be sore the next morning and unable to keep up with her even if he tried.

As the sun finally started to sink below the hills, each of the three remaining contestants had the feeling that there was still a long way to go.

Inside a second-floor bedroom in the compound, Hailey sat naked on a bed. Five tiny people, also naked, sat in and around her lap. She could not believe that Betty had simply left her alone with five tiny charges, one of whom was not even a contestant.

Hailey and Betty had laid together after one of the most bizzare yet arousing sex acts in which Hailey had ever been a participant for a few minutes until Betty decided that it was time that she and Sherri checked on the progress of the three others. Betty told Hailey to go to room 209, which was the unused bedroom she was currently in, and grabbed up Sherri and left.

Hailey looked down at Tom, Andy, Paul, Dale, and Marie, tiny little action figures in her lap, knowing that she could do whatever she wanted with them. Thoughts battled each other in her mind and cancelled each other out, resulting in Hailey mainly just sitting there looking down at them. The five contestants for the most part were trying not to look at Hailey or each other.

“Five little toys,” Hailey said, causing all five faces to point up at her. “Betty left me with five little toys. What to do with them? Oh my goodness!”

Hailey brought up her finger and teased the little people by holding it near them, watching them as their eyes followed her finger. She traced Dale’s body for a moment before casually flicking him off her leg, causing him to land in a heap on the bed. It was so amusing that with almost no effort from a single finger she could send a grown man flying through the air.

“You should’ve chosen your words more carefully,” Hailey said, as Dale pulled himself up to a sitting position, not wanting to stand. At an earlier time in the game he might have made a snappy reply, but now he sat there knowing that it was futile and downright stupid to talk back to a giantess.

“You deposed me as Queen,” Hailey said, now running her finger up and down Marie’s side. “I hope you enjoyed the spoils,” Hailey said. Marie stood rigidly with a fearful expression on her face—she was all-too aware that she was the only shrunken woman on the premesis and therefore the most vaunerable. Plus, Hailey had always made her nervous, and Marie would rather be in the hands of almost anyone else—even Betty!

At that moment a big smile crossed Tom’s face. Out of the blue he darted forward lunging into Hailey’s stomach and making a climb for her breasts as if that was the one place in the world he wanted to be.

“Woah, you’re a feisty one,” Hailey said as she plucked him off her chest, “What’s gotten into you all the sudden?”

“I thought I’d take advantage of the distraction and grab myself some more titty time,” Tom said, grinning.

“Why you little—I oughta…” Hailey said, giggling. “You really can’t get enough of the giant ladies, can you?”

“Well, I’m the resident expert!” Tom said. “There are very few girls who have passed through these walls and not held me in their giant hands!”

“You are a piece of work,” Said Hailey. “What is it exactly that you do here?”

“I’m a professional toy and next generation dildo,” Tom said.

“Ha,” Hailey laughed, “But you don’t have other roles, official duties?”

“I tag along with Sherri and do what she tells me,” Tom said. “That is unless Betty overrides her and takes me for a while.”

“All spoils go to the hostess,” Hailey said, “God, how I envy her.”

“Well, you’ve got the meglomania part of it down,” Tom said. “Now we’ll just hope you’re better at hosting than staying out of traps.”

“Why you little shit!” Hailey exclaimed, laughing dispite her annoyance. “You know, you are really asking for a little butt whopping, I bet my fingers could really do a number on your precious rump!”

“I just can’t help myself sometimes,” Tom said, grinning.

“I’m surprised how you can stand up to giantesses so bluntly!” Hailey said.

“Well, I just have to remember not to let size fool me—we all stay the same size up here,” Tom said, tapping his head.

“You’re so right,” Hailey said. “Some people just fall to pieces,” She eyed Dale, who was staring off into space.

“Of course, it still helps to keep your size—I’m afraid I’m not too good at that,” Tom joked, indicating Hailey’s giant fingers that were holding him.

“Yeah, you were the very first one out last time,” Hailey said. “And it was Sherri who got you into that, and she ended up winning!”

“Sherri’s best bits of cleverness often come when she’s not thinking at all,” Tom said.

“You’re not sore at all?” Hailey said. “Sherri got you eliminated, won a million dollars, and still you’re her little toy!”

“Nah, Sherri’s a sweet girl, and we all did what we had to do in the game. Well, those of us that didn’t wuss out,” Tom remarked. “Besides, I came back willingly. The shrinking machines aren’t portable, you know, it’s not like she could come and kidnap me,”

“So you’re with her right now,” Hailey said.

“No, not really!” Tom said. “She might have current control over me but she knows I’m still a free agent.”

“So you’re still open to dating someone?” Hailey asked. Tom could easily tell through Hailey’s huge fingers that she was feeling attracted towards him, and had completely forgotten about the four contestants.

“I don’t see why not,” Tom said. “Just know if a horny giantess lays her hands on me I have no choice but to go with it, and if I have to go with it, I might as well enjoy it!”

“I’m a horny giantess,” Hailey proclaimed, and as if to embellish the point she licked her lips slowly.

“I can see you are,” Tom said.

“So there’s no way you could say no if this horny giantess asks you out to dinner?” Hailey asked.

“Well, if I said no I’d probably still get a spanking, so its win-win for me.” Tom said. Making a small happy moan, Hailey pressed Tom against her cheek in a hug.

Hailey could not help but feel a strong sense of attraction towards Tom. There was the sexual stuff, of course, which was accented by the sheer strangeness of him being a shrunken man. However, Tom was intellegent, witty, and completely unafraid in situations that would cripple lesser men with fright. Even though she was holding his tiny body in her hand she did not think of him as a little man—like Tom said, you can’t let size fool you. Could she dare to hope that Tom was the kind of man she had been looking to find for ages?

“You’re a really sweet guy, Tom,” Hailey said, swinging her leg around to lie on the bed. The four contestants gasped and dropped down as low as they could as the giant truck-sized leg swung not an inch over the bed. Marie almost got pinned under the leg and only barely got out in time, jumping out towards Andy and falling in his arms.

“Do you think Betty will let us go out?” Hailey asked. “Is there even anything around here? I know we’re in the middle of the desert.”

“Well, there’s a little town about twenty-five miles from here,” Tom said. “The one you all took the chartered bus from,”

“So can we go?” Hailey asked. Part of her could not believe she was passing up a chance to spend more time with shrunken people to go on a date with this man, but she felt something between them.

“It’s up to Betty, ask her,” Tom said. “She might allow it. She let Sherri out of the compound with a contestant yesterday for a date, I don’t dowbt she’d allow it again.”

“Really?” Hailey asked. “Who?”

“If you can’t figure that one out, seeing as three of the four guys are here…” Tom smirked.

“Oh, Jerry, duh,” Hailey said. “Pfft. Let her have him. That just leaves more of you for me!”

Meanwhile, the four contestants sitting on the bed watched this echange. Dale was sitting near the edge of the bed where Hailey had left him and he was still staring into space. Andy now had his arm around Marie and could feel that the girl was still tense and anxious that at any moment something could happen.

“You know what he’s doing, right?” Paul said, walking up to Andy and Marie. The two of them looked blankly up at him.

“He’s, uh, hitting on her, I guess,” Andy said. Marie was too nervous to analyse the situation.

“He’s distracting her, taking her focus off us,” Paul said. Both Andy and Marie mouthed “Oh,” and nodded in sudden understanding.

“I would have never thought…Tom…” Marie said, feeling a rush of gratitude towards the former contestant, whom Hailey was now playing with in her fingers.

“Remind me to thank him later,” Paul said.

“Do you think he really likes her?” Andy asked.

“I don’t know. Probably,” Paul added on consideration. “She’s pretty weak-willed, he knows he can get far with her with just an innitial investment.”

At that moment the door to the bedroom opened and everyone’s eyes turned on the spot where Betty was entering the room. Now clothed in short-shorts and a tank top, the hostess dominated the attention of all in the room.

“Ah, good to see you’ve also discovered how good a servent Tom is,” Betty said, as the naked Hailey moved into a sitting position, causing the bed to shake and the tiny people to almost loose their balance.

“Um, Betty, I wanted to ask you something.” Hailey asked.

“Yes, dear, go ahead,” Betty said gently.

“I was wondering if Tom and I could go out on a date.” Hailey said. “You know, out-out.”

A smile slowly crossed Betty’s face, though neither Hailey nor anyone else could read exactly what it ment.

“You’re cute,” Betty said. “I’ll allow it.”

“Thank you!” Hailey said, feeling a rush of gratitude.

“I’ll lend you one of my motorcycles, I know Tom can ride.” Betty said.

“You’re so kind.” Hailey said, getting up from the bed, which shifted upwards in the absence of her weight causing Andy to fall over.

“As for the rest of you, I’m afraid you’re coming with me.” Betty said. Smiling that trademark smile that ment she was fully enjoing her giantess status, she reached down and picked up Dale, looked at him for a moment and slipped him under her low-cut shirt between her breast and her bra.

Andy’s heart beat as he saw Betty’s hand coming for him. However, Marie was picked up instead, the little girl gasping in panic as Betty lifted her up to her face.

“Don’t be afraid, little one, I won’t hurt you.” Betty said, giving Marie a gentle kiss. Betty then lowered Marie down into the other cup of her bra where Marie was pressed gently against the giant orb.

Betty then picked up Paul and snickered as she held him only about waste hight. “Your position is the most enviable of them all,” Betty said. With her other hand she opened the seem of her shorts and slipped Paul right down in, once again insuring that his recently-dry skin would once again be soaked in Betty’s female fluids.

Betty watched as Andy stared up at her, undowbtedly wondering what she was going to do with him. She savored the moment before speeking to him.

“Now, you will get to do something very special in a few minutes. You’ll just have to wait” Betty said, and picked him up and simply held him in her hand.

Now that all the four shrunken contestants were somewhere on Betty’s body, it was just Hailey and Tom left. Betty looked at them and smiled. “I’m going to let you go, but the thing is: how will I know you’re not just going to desert the show once you leave these gates?”

“Desert the show? I wouldn’t do that!” Hailey said honestly.

“Well, I’ve come up with a pretty sure way to ensure that it doesn’t happen.” Betty said, grinning. “Come on over, let’s get you suited up and ready to go, because I feel there is going to be some pretty important business for me to take care of in just a few minutes…”

Out on the desert the sun had gone down over the hills and the sky was rapidly beginning to loose its glow. The temperature was also dropping quickly and small gusts of air easily buffetted Carla’s body as she tried to move forward.

She had been trudging forward on her own for some time now. Early on she had lost sight of the other two and was clearly by herself. Still confident she had made the right decision, Carla trudged on defiantly against the wind and the sand that blew around her, something that would have stopped a less-determined person.

On the trail Carla saw several things that made her pause. First there had been a lizard the size of a large dog looking at her. The way it sat perfectly still and gazed at her made Carla stop in her tracks for a full minute, feeling a little swell of fear rising in her dispite her self-reassurances that the little reptile had no intention of making her into a snack. She could see its reptilian eyes, toes, and scales with more detail than she could have ever imagined. The thought crossed her mind that at normal size this lizard would have easily been drawfed by her shoe, let alone her whole body. God, how she missed being big. But soon, soon.

The lizard ended up scampering away, and she met a few other animals on her trip. A few spiders scuttled across the ground paying her no attention, and she saw many smaller insects that she still easily dwarfed. Fortuanitely, she saw no animals larger than herself. Just stagebushes the size of houses, and the occasional joshua tree the size of a high-rise.

As Carla continued travelling she had plenty of time to think. Her mind crossed all sorts of thoughts, from the absurdity of the situation to begin with, to wonder what the eliminated contestants were doing at the moment, and eventually to non-competition topics from her regular life. Was her ham-fisted boss going to get replaced as all the rumors contended he might?

Carla ran over every person she could think of in her mind, making a note that each and every one of them was a giant to her now. It was not a comforting thought but had a sort of morose curiosity about it. It included all of her friends, her co-workers, and as she had already noted, all her ex-boyfriends. It also included her parents, though her father had always been larger-than-life to her anyway. Her 20-year-old younger brother was a giant, and would that be a comfort to him if he knew? Also, the few pets she owned as a child would have also dwarfed her in this state.

Another gust of wind blew sending shivers through Carla. She regretted wearing just shorts and a thin T-shirt—surely she must have known that something like this was coming. She kicked herself mentally for the lack of planning. Still, for the moment she was determined she was going the right way was going to be the winner.

As time went on and the temperature got colder and colder, Carla began to feel less and less sure of her course of action. She had definitely hated walking with Vera but Vera had had the pack. If she had hung around Vera a little longer she might have been able to trick Vera and steal the pack, or at least certain supplies in it. But then again Vera was physically stronger than Carla and probably had more stamina, even though Carla herself was in excellent shape. Vera might have drove Carla into exaustion trying to get the pack rather than the other way around.

Coming out of a cloud of thought, Carla realised that with the sun behind the hills the haze over the desert had died down. She could see the outlines of the distant hills clearly and started to think that if she could get a higher vantage point she could see exactly where the compound was and how much further she had to travel.

After walking a few minutes she found what she wanted—a small rise in the earth that would help her see over some of the smaller bushes. There was something else that could help her: a bush was also growing on this mound. It was a thorny bush, and these thorns would have been a nusance to any full-sized person. However, to Carla, they were like steps of a ladder she could use to get even higher.

Carla climbed the bush out to a thick leaf that lay horizontally and was strong enough to support her weight. She could see over nearly everything but the sparse joshua trees, and it was fairly easy to look around them. She scanned the horison, first looking south and west for the compound. Not seeing it, she looked to the north, and then to the east, and then back south again.

Finally, she spotted it and her heart fell.

The compound was not to the south as she had predicted; it was to the northwest. She had been travelling tangent to the house for hours and had been heading in the wrong direction for a while now. It was so far away it was easy to miss, the building’s duabe colors melding well with the surroundings. Carla was sure she was farther from it now than she was when she had gotten out of the box.

Doing something she had often done as a child but had not done in several years, Carla curled up into a ball right there on the leaf, thinking about her prediciment. If Vera and Jerry had continued on the course they had been going they would certianly reach the house before her, making her third even if she finally made it there. For a wild moment she thought she would continue walking all through the night, ignoring every sign of exaustion and soreness, in the desperate hope that Vera and Jerry might sleep long enough that she would be closer, if not already there, when they woke up.

Carla felt like kicking herself for not having sticking with them. Not only would she be in the running, but she would have also had food, water, and whatever other supplies had been in that bag. She should have known that it was a bad idea because even if Carla had gotten ahead she would have no supplies to help protect or sustain her. She knew that it was one of her biggest flaws—acting impulsively and thinking about the consequences later.

Carla didn’t want to quit—a million dollars was a lot of money, and she could scarcely imagine what she would do with all of it. Besides, quitting was not in her nature. It was something that had been worked into her by her father, a moderately successful businessman who just turned fifty. He had told her that the only way she would get what she wanted was by persistance, and not letting up on her drive. He also taught her the value of high self-worth, in that she deserved to get what she wanted to get, and by achieving that goal she would be fulfilling the high expectations she set for herself.

Her dad would not want her to quit this race, Carla knew that. However, even he would concede that the chances were next to none giving the situation. Plus, Carla knew what awaited her at the compound if she quit early: A warm bath, and the chance to be full-sized until the end of the game! Both thoughts were appealing ones, and she had no reason to dowbt Betty’s sencerity since she had not lied to them yet.

Carla drew a big sigh as she prepared to finalize her decision. Her finger hovered over the radio on her hip. This would trigger Betty to come pick her up and would ensure her final resignation from the shrinking show. Oh well, at least she would receive ten thousand dollars, which was no small change either, and she wouldn’t have to worry about being four inches tall anymore.

Carla pressed the button. After a few seconds it flashed red indicating that the signal was being transmitted. Now it was only a matter of waiting—she hoped Betty would be kind and get to her sooner rather than later. It was still not long after sundown and it was already chilly—she was afraid how cold it would get, and how easily the cold penetrated her body which was less than an inch thick.

The red light continued to flash as Carla waited and waited. A few minutes into her waiting she swore she could hear a buzzing. It sounded like a motorcycle engine and her hopes lifted. It got louder and she realised it was indeed a motorcycle engine. Carla could see Betty coming from the distance. Even though Betty was very far away—meaning several hours walk—from Carla, she and her bike dominated the horizon and Carla once again got an appreciation for how small she was compared to the hostess.

Betty rapidly closed the gap between herself and Carla, the roaring becoming defening to Carla as the metal monster approached. Betty parked the bike a few feet from Carla’s position and stepped off. Betty spotted tiny Carla sitting on the leaf of the stagebrush and smiled down at her.

“I was wondering when you would call for help,” Betty said, kneeling down so that her face was level with Carla. “I’ve been watching you troop on in the wrong direction for hours now!”

Betty scooped up Carla, and Carla never thought she was more greatful to be in the palm of another person. “We’ll bring you back to the compound and get you cleaned up,” Betty said. “I hope you enjoy being full-sized!”

Betty put Carla in her shirt pocket before getting back on the bike and roaring off. Carla was amazed that the distance would have taken her the greater part of a day to cross as a tiny person, but Betty’s bike was able to cross in a matter of minutes. It was indeed just a few minutes later that the sounds of the bike started to reverberate outside the pocket, indicating that they had entered some sort of garage. Betty didn’t let Carla out to have a look, however, as she left the garage and walked through the compound with Carla in her pocket.

Carla felt Betty walk up some stairs, indicating that they were now on the second floor. Betty made her way down the highway and Carla could feel her shirt shift as Betty opened another door. At last, Betty reached into her pocket and pulled Carla out. Carla looked around her and saw they were in a decent-sized bathroom.

“I thought I’d take you directly here so you can wash off all the dirt and sweat from outside,” Betty said.

“Thank you,” Carla said, her first words to Betty after being picked up and indeed her first words since that angry exchange with Vera when they split directions.

“It’s time to get you enlarged,” Betty said, and she placed Carla on the floor about two feet from herself, looking directly at Betty’s feet. A swell of anticipation washed over Carla a second before there was a bright light, and suddenly Carla was standing right next to Betty looking the hostess in the eye.

“You like?” Betty asked, smiling as though she and Carla were close personal friends.

“You’re too kind,” Carla said cordially, feeling a rush of relife knowing her size was now in synch with the rest of the world.

“Hey, I’m a woman of my word,” Betty said. “I told you that you would get full-size and a bath, and that’s what you get. It’s the least I can do after you getting this far. This bathroom and the bedroom beyond the door are yours for the night.”

“I appreciate it,” Carla said.

“Well, I’ll leave you alone to get cleaned up.” Betty said, “I have other eliminated contestants without the benefit of full-size to attend to.” Betty winked as she left the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

Carla took off her dirty clothes and put them on the floor. She stretched out her naked body, reveling in the fact that everything that had worried her out there was tiny to her now. The bush she had climbed was not even waste-high to her now, and that lizard she had encountered was small enough to be easily crushed under her shoe without her taking any notice, not that she would purposefully crush an animal. What expecially made her happy was the fact that Vera and Jerry were still tiny and could both fit in the palm of one of her hands. Carla looked down at her naked body and imagined Vera on it, humiliating her rival and forcing her to please Carla. Alas, it wasn’t going to happen, because Vera was still in the game and Carla was not, and Carla dowbted she would ever lay eyes on a four-inch Vera again.

Carla turned on the shower and stepped into its steamy jets. The water felt so good on her skin, the warm water caressing the chilled skin and chipping away the dirt. This was the first time she had had a propper shower in days—the closest thing she had recently was that scrubbing by giantess Marie when she had still been Queen, and they had both been in the game. Carla snickered thinking that Marie was also tiny to her at this moment, and wondering what the small girl was doing.

Eventually even those thoughts died down and Carla just basked in the water, reflecting on the experience as a whole. Well, it was a game well-played. She would have done a few things differently, of course, even before the whole outside game. But she was satisfied with her attempt, and the memory of having not one but two men being entirely inside her vagina would be something she would not ever forget, plus the fact she had been inside another woman’s as well. Yes, this game was unforgettable to her, and her only regret was that she couldn’t take a piece of it home with her.