Chapter 1


Valerie stood uncertainly behind a trash can at the mouth of an alley. She'd been hiding there for an hour or so, waiting for the evening to descend on the city and for the giant's rush hour to thin out. Several times she'd attempted to run to a new spot, but on each foray she'd been driven back by a pair of pounding, giant feet. 

"Damn," she muttered to herself now and looked around the darkening alley, rubbing her arms against the steadily cooling air, "where is everybody?"

Over an hour before, she and her friends had been making their way across the city, trying to make it back to their camp in the woods. They'd been rounding the corner of a building, when a group of school children came thundering down the sidewalk, heedlessly stomping through the group of Little People.

As she'd run wildly away, scrambling for cover, Valerie had heard a sickening, wet crunching sound that could only have been one of her companions being crushed beneath one of the giant children's feet. She'd wanted to turn back to see if she could help, but the walk was thick with giants, their car-sized feet thudding all around the scattering Little People.

Senseless with fear, she'd run back around the corner of the building, her heart pounding in her chest as her feet slapped at the endless plain of pavement. Hating herself but knowing there was nothing she could do, she'd sprinted for what must have been a full giant block, vaguely aware that she was running right past strolling giants as she went. She'd stayed close to the building edge, and by some miracle she'd seemed not to be noticed.

When she'd found the cover of the trash can in the alley, she had decided it was as good a place as any to hide. She'd sat then against the rough brick of the building, put her head in her lap, and wept.

Now, deciding she couldn't stand to wait any longer, Valerie stepped out from behind the can, and peered out into the street. The coast seemed to be clear.

She'd taken two, maybe three steps when she sensed a looming presence behind her. She caught a huge movement out of the corner of her eye. She turned her head to the side, then froze.

Beside her on the pavement was a red and white running shoe. It was approximately ten feet long.

Valerie turned slowly, her heart threatening to thump out of her chest. She found herself standing squarely between a matching pair of the giant running shoes. Her gaze drifted up tree-sized, jeans clad legs, past a sweatshirted torso, and up to a downturned, smiling giant face.

"Well, hello there," the blond teen said, sneering, "I wondered where my little pets had got to."

Before Valerie knew what was happening, the giant girl was bending down and reaching for her, the mammoth body looking like a building falling toward her. A monstrous hand snaked down to take her firmly in it's grasp, clamping her from her feet to her chest in a vise-like grip. As she was raised up, she pounded her tiny fists on the giant, imprisoning fingers.

"Let me go!" Valerie screamed. "Let me go! You're hurting me!"

The beautiful giantess ignored Valerie's cries, raising the Little Person up to her face. A giant finger came in close to fluff at her tiny prisoner's long, auburn hair. 

"Hmmm," the giantess said, frowning. "You're not one of mine, are you? You must be one of those sneaky little shits that helped my pets get away."

"No! Please! Just let me go!"

The giant girl squeezed her fingers together a little tighter. "Shut up."

"Owww!" Valerie howled, "Owww! That really hurts!"

"I said shut up! I'm taking you home with me, and I don't want anyone to hear you."

Valerie continued to scream, and struggle, pounding frantically at the giant fingers that imprisoned her.

"Okay, you screamy little bitch," the giantess said, reaching out her other hand and cocking her index finger against the pad of her thumb, "you asked for it."

Valerie watched in terror as the other giant hand came in close to the side of her head, the huge forefinger and thumb forming a tight circle.

"No! Please don't-"

"Nighty-night," the giantess whispered, as she flicked her finger against the side of Valerie's head.

As her head was knocked violently to the side, a starburst of pain exploded behind Valerie's eyes. Then she knew only darkness.

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"Hi, little ones."

Betty and Mark looked up past shapely, bare legs that seemed to rise up forever, past the short-short jean shorts and a well-filled, white halter top. Betty knew who it was even before she saw the face of the giantess. She was still frightened at the proximity of a giant, but she could at least allow herself to breath again.

"Hello, Zava." Betty tried to keep her voice calm and steady, but she knew it wavered some, probably sounding tiny and pathetic here on the night-darkened, giant street. Betty stood next to Mark near one of the giant teen's shoes, craning her neck to look into the face of the giantess. She tried to force the weakness from her knees. "How...how are you?"

The giant brunette chuckled, dropping slowly to one knee so that the Little People were now flanked on one side by one of her huge black pumps, and on the other by her giant knee and thigh. The nearness of the giant teen was a daunting, physically imposing thing, causing Betty to take a stumbling step backward.

"I'm fine, sweetie," Zava said, with delight. "How about you? What in the world are you two doing out here all by yourselves? Where are all your little friends?"

While Mark just stood there holding his rifle and staring up at the giantess, Betty quickly explained the ordeal with the stampeding children, including the sad fact of Brian's demise.

"Oh!" the giant girl exclaimed, holding her hands to her cheeks, "That's awful! Are you okay? Where are the others?"

Betty took a deep breath. "Yes, we're alright, Zava. And we don't know where the others are." She bit her lip. "I think some of them may have been captured by the children."

"That's too bad. I'm so sorry. My poor little dolls." 

Betty thought she heard real regret in the voice of the giantess.

"That's okay," Betty said, turning to see Mark staring impatiently at her. "Well, we'd better get going now, Zava."

"Get going where?"

Betty hesitated a moment, looking up into the earnest, pretty face. This young giantess had saved Betty and all her friends from the clutches of her evil friend, Millan. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Mark give her a slight head shake. Betty understood his meaning, but she decided that Zava had earned some trust. "Back to our camp in the woods. Whenever we get separated, we're supposed to meet back at the ship."

Betty sensed Mark's angry stare, but kept her gaze on the giantess.

"Oh." Zava nodded, then took a glance at the dark, deserted streets. Now her nod changed to a head shake. "I can't let you go anywhere this late at night, my little dolls. It's way to dangerous at your size. I'm taking you home with me tonight."

Mark had finally had it. "Enough of this nonsense!" he blurted, aiming his rifle vaguely in the direction of Zava's ankle. "We're not going anywhere with you, young lady. Now run along. We've got grown-up stuff to do."

"Mark," Betty began, putting a hand on her friend's shoulder, "I don't think-"

There was a sudden blur of movement in the air above the Little People, then Zava's hand swooped down like a giant, flesh-colored bird, the huge fingers easily grabbing Mark's gun and snatching it away. The giantess lifted the rifle to her face, smiling at what looked like a child's toy in her giant fingers. 

"Hey!" Mark shouted. "Give that back!"

Zava shook her head. "No way, little guy. You tried to shoot me with this before, remember? I think I'll just keep if for a little while." The dark-haired giantess turned the rifle this way and that, studying it. She chuckled softly, running a finger down the little barrel. "It's so cute. Looks like a little Super Soaker or something." 

Mark starting to turn a little red in the face. "Young lady," he said evenly, seeming to try to control his temper, "this has gone quite far enough. Now give me that gun, and run along home."

Zava laughed again. "You're a funny little man, aren't you? 'Run along home', huh?" The last line she said in high-pitched squeak, apparently trying to mimic Mark's tiny voice. 

Now Zava reached down to tug at a silver chain around her neck, pulling a small pendant from under her top. A baseball-sized, red gem that looked like a ruby was attached to the end of the chain. If it was real, Betty thought, it would be worth a fortune back on Earth. 

Zava took the rifle and clipped it's trigger guard onto the gem's clasp, tugging it gently a couple times to make sure it was secure. She looked back down at Mark. "I'll give it back tomorrow, little guy." She grinned. "If you're a good boy, that is."

"Now wait just a minute-"

Betty, her hand still on Mark's shoulder, clenched her fingers in a warning squeeze. When he turned to stare at her, Betty shook her head. "Go along for now, Mark," she whispered, "we really don't have much of a choice here."

"Like Hell, we don't!" he hissed, shaking off her hand. "We're going to...hey!"

Now both of Zava's huge hands had swooped down, each quickly taking a Little Person in it's grasp. Betty had seen it coming, not attempting any resistance, only raising her arms to keep them from getting pinned inside the giant fist. She looked up as she was raised into the air, once again feeling the familiar sensation of being engulfed in the huge, powerful fingers of a giant. She wouldn't say she had exactly gotten used to it, but she'd been grabbed up like a child's toy so many times, she had learned how to ride it out and not freak out too much. 

Mark, the other hand...

"Let go of me, dammit!" he yelled, pounding at Zava's giant fingers and kicking his feet wildly. "Put us down this instant, young lady! I mean, right now!"

Zava, still kneeling on the deserted walk, raised them both to her face. She looked at Betty, who lay quietly in her fist. "He's pretty mad, isn't he, Betty Doll?"

Betty shrugged. "Yeah, I guess he is." She looked over at her wildly struggling friend in Zava's other fist. "Hey, Mark. Calm down. Zava's not going to hurt us." She turned to look into the giant, pretty face, smiling tentatively. "Right?"

Zava smiled. "Of course not." She rose for her kneeling position, and began walking back the way she had come. "How could I hurt such cute, helpless little things? I'm just going to take care of you tonight."

"Have you ever considered that we don't need you to take care of us?"

Mark had finally stopped his futile struggles, and was glaring at the giantess. "Did that ever occur to you?" he added petulantly.

The giantess reached out and patted mark's head with a fingertip. 

"Nope," she said, laughing.

Mark said nothing, crossing his arms on his chest and glaring at the giantess, as she carried them both down the dark, lonely street.

Betty couldn't help smiling. "Take it easy on him, Zava. He's a guy, and you know how they can be."

Zava grinned, giving Betty a little squeeze. "Yeah, I know, Betty Doll. Believe me. All that macho stuff all the time."

Betty nodded. "We'll go with you, Zava. One thing, though," she said, giving the giant forefinger a pinch, "do you think you could stop calling me Betty Doll?"

Zava laughed. "I'll try."