Despite his captivity, Mark was being treat rather well. He was locked in a cellar, but was otherwise unbound and free to move about. His captors made clear their intentions to kill him if necessary, but they had no interest in hurting him if Heather complied with their plans. Nevertheless, explosive charges lined the walls, ready to detonate at the slightest disturbance, whether it came from Mark or outside interference.

He’d been there, wherever it was, for two weeks. The hostage takers filmed a video with their demands, giving Heather another week to comply and surrender. They mailed it to every major news network, but the video never aired. The news cycle was dominated by the top story of the day; indeed the top story of the millennia: the overnight disappearance of an entire nation. The earthquakes and craters and newly-formed volcanic calderas told the whole story, but the most damning evidence were the miles-long footprints.

The Free Men watched the news and prayed that the footprints belonged to their god, Jason. But there were no updates from the team dispatched to liberate him. Even worse, their appeared to be two sets of footprints that crossed the devastated country, indicating a partnership between two giants.

They sat in silence, on a lonely compound in a remote corner of Nevada, awaiting Heather’s judgment. Suddenly, they began to shrink, a sign that judgment was coming. A naked figure appeared before them, ascending to the rafters, as they dwindled below an inch each. They expected Heather, but instead they got Jason. They rejoiced! Salvation has arrived! Each of the men ran toward Jason, chanting his name and cheering him on.

He raised one mighty foot, and lowered it on the men, pinning them under his perfect sole.

“Kiss it. Worship it. Show me how loyal you are,” he commanded. Each of the men did exactly as they were told, thrilled to be in the presence of such divinity. They madly kissed his sole, unaware that it was slowly squeezing them into the floor. Jason smiled as their bones cracked and bodies popped, leaving red smears on his foot.

In the basement, Mark too was reduced to an inch. He appeared in an instant in the palm of his sister. She studied him with yellow, slightly illuminated eyes.

“I’ve been so worried about you,” she whispered in comforting tones, but her very presence overwhelmed all the senses. She was at once beautiful, glorious, and frightening, radiant with raw power. “Everything I’ve done was to keep you safe. But now I see there’s only one way to be sure you’ll be perfectly safe, forever.”

Mark shook his head, not knowing where she was headed, but too frightened to ask.

“I figured it out this morning,” she continued. “The safest place in the world... It’s with me, Mark. Within me.”

“What?!” he shouted. Heather was clearly out of her mind, but she wore a peaceful, calm expression on her face. 

“I’ll keep you safe and happy and warm. It’s okay. You’ll understand soon enough,” she said, smiling.

“Maybe I should eat him,” Jason said, appearing behind Heather. He rested his chin on her shoulder and hugged her waist. “He’d be safe in me.”

“Would you like that, Mark?” Heather asked. “Would you feel better if Jason ate you instead of me?”

“I don’t want to be eaten AT ALL!” Mark screamed.

Heather shook her head and sighed. He still wasn’t getting it. She was giving him paradise, and he wouldn’t accept her charity. 

Before he could issue a rebuttal, Mark was inside Heather’s mouth, and she gulped him down, making him a part of her.

~~~

AJ was in New York, showcasing her new line of boots on Times Square. At 200 feet tall, she chuckled to herself, watching little men and women dare to walk under the arches of her boots, raised by her high heels. Boots for Peace, she called them. The profits from every pair sold went straight into charity. 

AJ was doing a lot of things like this, using her image to make the world a better place. But progress was slow, and there were setbacks. Such is the way of the world, AJ figured. Even a goddess has her limits. 

She smiled for the legion of cameramen on the streets and rooftops of buildings, but she was really smiling for Greg Dawes, the permanent resident of her left boot. He snuggled between her big toe and the ball of her foot, living every second of his life in ecstasy. It was his lifelong fantasy to be a flea on a beautiful woman’s body, and it had finally been fulfilled. 

Even at her normal size AJ was a statuesque woman, but at her new size she was a living symbol for female empowerment. And of course, she relished every second of it. But, whether Heather resurfaced or not, AJ knew there would be other giants. She planned to make them, enlarging select women who shared AJ’s values and sensibilities, to further spread her plans for peace. 

AJ waved at the crowds of little people below, but suddenly stopped. The people were no longer cheering. Jaws dropped. People grew silent. Their true goddess had returned.

Two dark shadows blanketed every major city on Earth. Heather and Jason, appearing simultaneously at a thousand points all over the globe, heralding the end of an age and the beginning of a new one. AJ’s reign as proxy queen of the world was over. Her finest pursuits for peace were taking too long, and Heather was ready to speed things up.

AJ looked to the sky, and saw the two giants, their faces alone were miles across. They crouched, completely naked, eclipsing the entire city. AJ shivered, seeing Jason’s full return to glory. She couldn’t make sense of it. Why would Heather collude with him? How did both of them get so large? And why did the smiles on their faces haunt her so deeply?

“I have returned to bring salvation to those who desire it,” Heather said, in a voice that channeled directly from her mind into the minds of every living being.

Something about the word “salvation” sent goosebumps down AJ’s spine. This must be it. We’re living in the end times, AJ thought.

“I’m giving you all a chance to live in peace and harmony, forever, in me,” Heather continued.

“Or with me,” Jason spoke straight into all the world’s little minds.

“Each of you can choose your own savior,” Heather continued. “And you’ll be one with us, knowing only pleasure and joy and safety. You have one day to decide.”

AJ didn’t need any time to decide. She wasn’t going anywhere. She was going to stay right here.

People all over the world were ready to make their decisions. The world was weary from a war that cost too many lives and touched too many homes. Heather’s salvation had already been promised by AJ, who was in the midst of forming a new religion of Heather. Inadvertently, AJ paved the way for billions to surrender themselves to whatever “salvation” Heather had in mind.

“You have one day to decide.” The words surged through Ben’s mind like a freight train. He looked up at Heather, who had been holding him in both hands, the two together alone in their apartment.

“What have you done?” he whispered with urgency. “What are you doing?”

“What I should have done this whole time, Ben,” she said, perfectly calm. 

“What we should have done,” another voice added from across the room. It was Jason’s. 

In Heather’s grip, Ben could feel the shaking of Jason’s footsteps as he approached. Jason climbed onto the bed and over Heather, and caressed her face. 

“I love you,” he said, and the two engaged in a passionate kiss that made Ben feel infinitely small.

“I love you too,” Heather responded. She dropped Ben onto the bed and grabbed Jason by his waist, pulling him inward and holding him tightly. They kissed again, forgetting that Ben was even in the room. Ben could do nothing but watch. But he wouldn’t cry. He wouldn’t give Jason the pleasure of seeing Ben sob.

“People are already choosing,” Jason whispered in Heather’s ear.

“Let’s not keep them waiting,” she said with a wide grin.

Jason opened his mouth and extended his tongue. Thousands of microscopic human specks appeared in the center of his tongue, but they didn’t vote for him. These were Heather’s willing sacrifices. Heather grabbed Jason’s head, opened wide, and took his tongue into her mouth, sucking on it, and taking the sacrifices into herself. Thousands more appeared on his lower lip, which Heather gently bit, closing her own lips around it and sucking back more victims.

She pushed Jason on his back, his arms flopping outward and nearly crushing Ben. Millions more people appeared on his chest and abs, soon to be snacks for the goddess. She lapped them up in short order, methodically working her tongue along every ridge of every muscle, ensuring none would escape. Not that anyone wanted to.

A shot glass appeared in Heather’s hand. Jason arched an eyebrow, knowing her intention. He sat straight up and began to stroke himself. Ben shuddered as he watched the bottom of the glass fill with more specks.

“They’re people!” he shouted. “You’re killing them! Can’t you see that?!”

“I’m saving them,” Heather said, “And I’m not saving anyone who doesn’t want it. I’m giving them all a choice. Everyone except you.”

Ben stopped shouting for a moment, frightened to think what she might have meant by that.

Jason was getting closer to climax. He raised himself on his knees, tipping the end of his cock into the glass. The specks at the bottom could barely make out what was about to happen to them, before it was too late. They were inundated with a sticky white sea of Jason’s sperm. He pumped to completion, and handed the shot glass back to his lover.

“Cheers,” she said, kicking back the glass and downing its contents. She licked the inside clean, but a few unfortunate souls were left behind in the glass, stuck for the remainder of their lives in Jason’s residue.

“People are choosing me too,” Jason said, quite pleased with himself. 

“By all means,” Heather said.

“I would like to... Do that thing you dreamed up.”

Heather smiled coyly. A jar of honey appeared in her hand. She handed it to Jason, and reduced herself to an inch high. A bowl of people appeared in Jason’s other hand, and he sprinkled them into the honey, discarding the bowl over his shoulder.

“Please stop,” Ben begged, “please, don’t do this.” Nobody listened.

Jason picked up Heather by her legs, and gently dipped her into the honey. He withdrew her from the jar, with millions of people - mostly women - stuck to her naked body. Jason extended his tongue, and rested Heather on its surface, keeping her legs suspended with two fingers. He slowly licked her stomach and face, enjoying the sweet flavor. He dipped her again, but this time taking her into his mouth, closing his lips around her torso. He sucked and licked, and slowly pulled her body out. He dangled her upside down in front of his face, the two of them in complete ecstasy. 

“More,” Heather pleaded.

Jason dipped her once again, and plopped her entire body onto his tongue, closing his mouth and sealing her in. He suckled her body, gently pressing her against the roof of his mouth with his tongue. Ben was horrified that Jason might swallow her, making him the lone god of the world. 

In fact, that’s exactly what Jason would do. Curiously however, he didn’t. There were other odd details about Jason that Ben was starting to notice. Something was off. Everything was off.

Heather returned to her normal size, giddy with excitement. Jason extended his pointer finger, its surface covered with more morsels. Heather took it into her mouth, biting it gingerly, baring her teeth and smiling. Then she closed her lips and sucked the end of his finger clean. Another thousand gone. Ben nearly wept at the madness of it all. The cruelty. The wickedness. Even if Heather truly believed she was preserving these lost souls for all time, the way in which she went about it was so self indulgent, so violent; there wasn’t an ounce of mercy in her. 

“Listen to me,” Ben began, but he was cut short.

“No, actually, I’m done listening to you,” Heather said. “I’m done with you completely. You bore me.”

“I was good to you,” he chided.

Heather paused in consideration. “True,” she admitted. “But I don’t want you anymore. I don’t even want you inside of me. Jason doesn’t either.”

“Good,” Ben said, in a voice one uses to talk down a growling dog. “Good. But perhaps, for all the good times I gave you, you might give me one parting gift.”

Jason sucked on Heather’s nipples, his tongue picking up thousands of sacrifices. Neither giant were keeping track of which souls belonged to who anymore, or even if people wanted to be eaten. Needless to say, Heather was in a good mood, and feeling generous.

“Fine,” she said, grunting as Jason massaged her clit with one finger.

“I was wondering if any of those people you ate had memories of a good Scotch,” Ben suggested, cautiously. “I’m thinking a McMillan 25, maybe aged in a sherry cask...”

A bottle appeared in Ben’s hand, and a glass in the other. He made a slightly delighted “hmph” to himself, and poured a shot. He drank it, slowly, regarding its flavor ever so carefully. Then swallowed. Yup. That’s all the evidence he needed.

“How was it,” Heather asked with only the faintest hint of genuine interest. She kissed the tip of Jason’s monstrous penis, teasing the latest batch of human specks that they would be eaten soon.

“It lacks...” Ben raised the bottle and eyed it suspiciously, “...subtlety.”

Heather paused, feeling a little insulted.

“In fact,” Ben continued, reading the label on the bottle, “One might say it’s a poor imitation on every level. It has the broadest characteristics of a good whiskey, but none of the little details you might expect. Even the bottle doesn’t look right. The label is missing the typical legal boilerplate text. It isn’t really a whiskey at all, so much as someone’s memory of a whiskey. That’s the thing about memories, Heather, they’re useless. Often even less than useless. They’re distortions of reality, and the more we recall them the more they get distorted.”

“I’m sorry you’re disappointed,” Heather said, clearly annoyed.

“Take your own memories, for example,” Ben said, pushing his point. “How well do you think you remember Jason? Hm?”

Heather leered at the smaller man, irritated at his insinuations.

“Oh don’t look at me, you should look at him instead,” he continued. “See, it’s weird to me that he’s so passive now. He doesn’t quite take charge like he used to. Very strange. Then I noticed his haircut. Jason hasn’t had that haircut since you two dated, and that was years ago. Odd that that’s come back in style.”

Heather looked back at Jason, analyzing him. He analyzed her back, mirroring her actions.

“See, the real author of our memories isn’t history. It’s us,” Ben continued. “Memories are really more like stories that we tell ourselves. We accentuate desirable characteristics of these stories because they bring us comfort and validation.”

“What are you saying...” Heather murmured. Her eyes narrowed into slits. Jason’s did too.

“You once told me that you broke up with Jason because the only person he could ever really love was himself,” Ben said. “And yet, here he is, selfless, and clearly in love with you. When, Heather, in your relationship with Jason, did he ever once tell you he loved you?”

“Make your point,” she hissed. Ben was dangerously close to being liquefied. He knew it, but he also knew he might be the only person alive who could talk sense into her and stop this demented goddess from eating the world.

“That isn’t Jason,” Ben said. “That isn’t even a memory of Jason. It’s a wholesale fabrication. A product not of your recollection, but of your desires. He’s who you wanted him to be. He’s attentive to your needs, he emotionally comforts you. He probably follows you around like a dog on a leash. He’s your ideal of a perfect man. All the flaws in his skin are gone. You know who has flawless skin? Fucking nobody ever. For fuck’s sake, even his cock has gotten bigger.”

Heather looked back at Jason. Ben was right.

“You ate him, didn’t you?” Ben asked.

Heather nodded.

“And then you missed him. You missed having a giant by your side, making you feel safe, but more than anything, making you feel like you’re not alone.”

Heather nodded again, a tiny tear forming in the corner of her right eye. Jason started to tear up too.

“His soul doesn’t live inside you, Heather, nobody’s does. They aren’t coming back. He never came back.”

Heather put her hand to her mouth and closed her eyes in agony and regret. “Mark...” she whispered. Ben immediately understood the significance, but just let it go. There was enough damage done today. Heather lowered her head and closed her eyes, tears streaming down her cheeks. Ben didn’t say a word. 

A finger delicately caressed Heather’s cheek, tracing the path of her tears. A hand rested on the back of her head, drawing her delicately inward. A kiss was planted on her forehead. She opened her eyes and met Jason’s tender gaze. “I love you,” he said.

“You’re wrong,” Heather said, though Ben wasn’t quite sure to whom. “You’re really, really wrong,” she continued. “Jason isn’t dead at all. I didn’t kill him. I perfected him! Look at him! He’s perfect!”

She stroked his face with one hand, and with another pet his chest. “Perfect,” she added once more with the utmost affection. “That’s what people become inside me, Ben. Perfect.”

“Tell that to the whiskey,” Ben quipped, tossing the inadequate bottle aside.

“Whiskey doesn’t have a soul,” Heather snapped.

“Neither does he.”

Heather glared again at Ben, the way someone eyes a fly before grabbing the swatter. The world was lurching back toward chaos. Its entire future hinged on Ben’s ability to make an argument. If he was unsuccessful, Heather would never stop until every last living thing had been consumed and purified, living on as a microscopic imitation on her body. 

“Look into his mind,” Ben said, “and tell me it has the full complexity of an authentic human being.”

She looked, and immediately regretted it. Ben’s hunch was right. Jason’s mind lacked... Subtlety. And then she fell utterly and inconsolably silent. She closed her eyes, and Jason disappeared, not that he was ever really there anyway. Minutes passed like eternities before either spoke.

“Can you fix this?” Heather pleaded, pathetically patting herself on the stomach. Somewhere in there two billion lives had been boiled and digested.

Ben shook his head somberly. “No.”

“Please,” Heather whispered. “You’re the smartest guy I know. You have to have an answer... Something...”

Ben sighed. “Heather. Did you really think you were saving people? Or did you just enjoy... Doing... What you did?”

Heather shrugged. “I don’t know. I mean... It felt so fucking good at the time...”

“I have an idea,” Ben offered, quickly changing the subject. He could see in Heather’s eyes flickering remembrances of the thrill of unleashing her beast. Each time it got out of its cage to play was worse than the last. That beast wasn’t going away, so it damn well needed to be neutered.

~~~

AJ, the Great Mender, used her nigh-limitless power to heal a broken world, shattered years ago by two wicked gods. She could make the world forget what had happened, if she wanted. But it wouldn’t be right. For the lives lost deserved to be remembered. AJ remembered them more than anyone else, for their own memories dwelt within her now. They had been given to her by Heather, along with the girl’s power.

“She wouldn’t be my first pick to run the world,” Ben said at the time. But deep down he knew AJ would do the job well.

The raven-haired goddess stood on top of the world, looking down at a planet that was now, fully and irrevocably, hers. Corporal Dawes got his wish, and infinitely more than he ever could have wished for. Alexandra Jacobs didn’t just rule Earth, she ruled the entire universe. 

But more than anything, she ruled him. She grew herself to the size of a planet; a paradise almost exclusively for him. Each day, a new adventure began, as he charted the grooves on her toes. It took him six years to finish her left foot alone, but the passage of time lost its meaning to him. He was preserved, forever in his 20s, a timeless trophy for the amusement of a planetoid, omnipotent woman. To her, he was absolutely nothing and absolutely everything at the same time. He lived in total bliss.

Planet AJ did have two other inhabitants, however. Heather and Ben, microscopic nomads who traveled together across an entire continent formed by AJ’s right buttocks. The two companions voluntarily had their memories of their previous lives wiped completely. It was the only way that Heather could ever live with herself. 

AJ granted Heather a little power. Just enough to use on Ben. Even with a clean slate, Heather discovered quickly how much she liked having Ben shrunken to her whims. The air around them was thick with AJ’s pheromones. The woman’s scent was intoxicating, and the tiny couple lusted after each other constantly. 

Ben was a daily tool of Heather’s sexual gratification. He lived to serve her. And she reigned over him, and only him, forever.

THE END