‘Oh wow, you shouldn’t have!’ Her olive cheeks blushed as the box was slid across the table. Her bestie had already cleared a path amongst the tapas bowls and wine glasses that crowded the small space.

‘Don’t be silly, how could I not get you a little something to congratulate you on your promotion? Just take a quick peek though, I don’t know how fussy this place can be.’

The dark haired girl’s eyebrow rose. She twisted a curl between her fingers, the tips dyed a cool sea green. ‘Oh,’ she replied, trying to hide her disappointment, ‘yeah sure, of course. I don’t want to get us kicked out before we’ve had dessert.’

She placed a hand upon the box, the brass catch cool against her skin. ‘I was scrolling through looking for some for Amie’s party next week. You’re going right?’

‘Um, I not sure, I…’

‘Oh yeah, shit I forgot you were like a total hippy now. It might not be your thing, I know she likes to get crazy with them after a few drinks. She has like a thousand now or something and everyone is taking a few. She has some games or something planned, I dunno. I get the whole power thing but I guess I’m just casual about it, you know? I don’t mind stepping on them n’ stuff or maybe swallowing a couple with shots but I’m still not sure I get the craze. Maybe it’s just me, I probably missed the boat when they were getting popular. You know what I mean?’

She saw her friend’s expression. ‘Shit, sorry sorry, obviously you don’t. Still you’re cool right? It’s just you don’t like killing them, you aren’t affected or anything are you? What am I saying, of course not. I’m cool with it, it’s not for everyone, you do you babe. I’m totally squeamish with vomit so I get the whole blood thing. You know you can get synthetic ones without blood if you prefer? I can pick you some up next time, it’s no trouble at all. Here, I’ll make a note.’

‘Honestly, I’m fine. You go next week, it’s not for me. I’m not bothered by them but y’know I just don’t want to spend my night stomping little people. It’s just not my idea of fun. This is really thoughtful though thanks, I don’t think anyone is looking, I’m going to take it out.’

She flipped the catch, gently lifting the lid to reveal the tiny, cowering person within.

‘Notice anything special?’ her friend asked, beaming.

At first she didn’t. It squeaked like they all did when she took hold of it. She held it tight between her thumb and forefinger, firmly enough to not to drop it should it squirm but not so hard as to crush its fragile little torso. It quivered with fear as she brought its inch high body to her face, its cries of discomfort falling on deaf ears.

‘No way!’ she gasped, her voice sounding like thunder to the tiny person in her grasp, ‘Is this for real? How did you manage to do this? This is crazy, when did it happen, I didn’t see anything online?’

Her friend laughed, taking a sip of wine before replying.

‘Ok, honestly? That’s not the real Ash though I admit I was shocked when I saw it. The seller had no idea or the price would have been huge. I couldn’t believe anyone wouldn’t be able to recognise that face but fuck it, their loss is our gain. I did ask it some questions before we got here. Apparently it was a look alike or double or something? Honestly, I can barely understand their squeaks and their voices are so annoying. I don’t know how you don’t just squish yours every time they open their dumb mouths. Still, I know what a huge fan you are of Mr. Gray so figured why the hell not?’

The dark haired girl was shocked. Though the tiny creature in her hand was far from the ideal gift her friend assumed, she couldn’t deny the striking resemblance it held with superstar Ash Gray.

She turned it over, watching it tumble from her fingers onto her outstretched arm. ‘It’s uncanny,’ she mused, genuinely astounded by the doppelgänger in her grip, ‘It’s like I’m looking at the real Ash Gray. Honestly babe, you should keep it, you could get so much money for it.’

As impressive as the lookalike was, the last thing she wanted was another Shrinky to deal with. She just didn’t like them. More to the point, she didn’t understand what everyone’s fascination with trying to get her to have one was. They were just small people, they weren’t special. You might as well obsess about beetles or worms. She regarded the squeaking animal in her hand, jabbing it with a finger raising a shriek of pain and fear. She was tiring of it already.

Her companion scoffed, adjusting her glasses, ‘You’re impossible to buy for, you know that right? It’s a gift, enjoy it, use it, have some fun for once! Plus it can be a little friend for the last one I got you. How’s is it doing anyway?’

The girl compressed the diminutive person with her thumb, almost choking on her wine. ‘It’s erm, fine,’ she spluttered, ‘yeah, really good. I love it.’

Her friend leaned forwards, a smirk on her slender face, ‘Yeah? Have you got it with you?’

A prickle of sweat crept across the small of her back. ‘Um, no, it’s at home,’ she lied, ‘I give it tons of stuff to do. Why, do you bring yours out of the house?’

The smile that answered her made her regret the question immediately. ‘You know it,’ the glasses clinked as her friend swung up her long, pale leg and dropped her chunky heeled boot onto the table. ‘Check this guy out.’

Her eyes fell on her friend’s boot and the small human that dangled from it. It was fixed to a strap by a thin silver chain, two small manacles clasped around its wrists. It was unconscious, maybe dead.

‘Is it, is it alive?’ she asked, hiding the horror from her face. She knew her friend didn’t share her animosity towards Shrinkies and was as active as the rest of their group at tormenting those she owned.

‘It had better be, I didn’t give it permission to die!’ Her friend giggled as she shook her foot, sending the tiny creature bouncing against the side of her shoe. It groaned, its tiny voice begging weakly for mercy. ‘Save your breath,’ its captor beamed down from above, a glass of wine hanging from her fingers, ‘What did you think was going to happen when I caught you and your friends trying to escape?’

She didn’t wait for its answer, returning her foot to the floor and smiling at the waiter that scowled at her from the other side of the room. Once again she leaned forwards conspiratorially, ‘Can you believe it? I came home early and found a bunch of them out of their cage. You should have seen them scatter. I swear their brains turn to mush, their bodies certainly do!’

She laughed again, the sound grating on her friend who was at least two drinks behind. ‘I stomped the first one out, didn’t even speak to it, just wham! Dead bug! I had just finished work so got blood all over my office heels, I was so mad. I’ve got some of them cleaning them back at the apartment but still, little shit. That one,’ she gestured to the floor, ‘I caught up pretty easy, they aren’t that quick. I was going to make him the example to remind the others who is in charge but the last one called me a bitch so got the pick instead. It took me ages to think of something but in the end I think my idea did the trick. I think I’ve got some photos on my phone, let me check, it took ages to die and the sounds it made was crazy!’

The dark haired girl felt queasy. ‘No!’ she blurted, dropping the tiny human into its box and slamming the lid shut. Her friend looked up from her clutch bag, a quizzing look on her face. ‘I mean, it’s ok, show me later. Come on, we should probably order something before that waiter gets even more pissed off with us.’

The box and its inhabitant was dropped into the waiting handbag and forgotten. Their gossip turned to lunch and the remaining hours of the day.

                                                                     = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

The shrunken person couldn’t say how long they had sat in darkness, the sounds of the outside world a frustrating muffle. Their rough handling by their new owner had left large bruised patches across their body that flared each time the bag jostled them into the side of the box. The last few days had been a whirlwind, their life before already fading into a fog. Was it true what they said, did the shrinking process really cause their brains to rot?

The box rolled again, pitching more violently than before. Far above there was a metallic sound, keys in a lock? The hard container bucked as the bag bounced against the huge woman’s body. It winced with pain, trying to lessen the impact against the solid wood walls as best it could. By the time the shaking stopped, it was curled into a ball, quivering with fear and agony.

It was in this position that she found it, warm yellow light illuminating its battered body. Her face looked down from the heavens, her expression impossible to read. The bed squeaked as she sat upon it, the box in her lap.

Without a word she once again plucked the inch high human from its box, its struggles useless against her. She lifted it to her face, her green eyes studying it carefully. It really did look a lot like Ash Gray. She sighed, a warm rum scented breeze that spilled over the tiny person in her hand. ‘What am I going to do with you?’

She closed it in her fist lest it try to talk to her. Why did she have to go through this again? She really should just tell people to stop giving them to her but how could she refuse when on the surface it was such a thoughtful gift? She felt it fluttering against her skin. It would be so easy to close her hand and ends its life. One squeeze and it would be no more, just a smear of blood and bones to be washed down the sink. So simple.

Her stomach churned at the thought. All that blood, dripping through her fingers? Disgusting.

‘For fuck’s sake.’ She opened her hand to glare down upon it, her vision blurring after a night of drinking.

She lifted her free hand to knead her eye. It was late, far too late to be dealing with this shit. Her head was swimming so she couldn’t say how long it had been talking before she took notice.

It stood shakily on her palm, its tiny hand steadying itself against her thumb. The scale between the two was obscene. Despite her opinion on Shrinkies, it still raised a slight smirk.

It was begging, she was sure of it. They nearly always begged. It was one of their traits she liked the least. Her smirk became a frown as she lifted it to her face, drawing it close to try and hear its ridiculous voice.

‘Please,’ it implored her, ‘I can tell you don’t want to do this. Please let me go.’

‘Let you go?’ her frown became a scowl, ‘Yeah right, so you can just get caught again? Are you trying to ruin my friendship here? How is that gonna look if I let you go then you show up on another site? It’s not like you aren’t difficult to identify. Shit, this is just my luck. Why couldn’t you have a less recognisable face, huh?’

She closed her fist around it, shaking it irritably. ‘Fuck sake. No, I can’t let you go, I can’t risk it.’ Her victim squeaked out for mercy as once again the pressure on it increased. Pain shot through its body, its ribs creaking as her huge hand closed in like a vice.

The torment continued as she dropped her hand to rest upon her bare knee, the little person held fast within. ‘I’ve got to do something with you but what? Gah, why do I have to be so fuckin’ squeamish?’

She cried aloud with frustration, leaning forwards to deposit the small person on the floor. It landed hard, one source of pain being replaced by another. It was slow to recover, her bare foot already looming beside it before it could realise the new danger it faced. High above her expression was dark, her smudged make up giving her a feral look. Her untidy curls, a blend of black and pale green, framed her cherubic face; streaming across her shoulders and chest.

‘Come on,’ she breathed to herself, her foot rising from the floor, ‘you can do this. Just get it over with, nice and quick.’

The Shrinky screamed louder than before, scuttling away on aching limbs as the vast foot lifted into the air. Her toes flared, each one longer than the person below was tall, each one easily capable of killing it with ease.

It broke into a run, its weary legs creaking as it raced across the carpet. A deep shadow followed it, her tan foot cruising casually above.

She aimed, her vision blurred by alcohol and fatigue. The ground shook around the tiny human as she stomped down, throwing it forwards, her toes flaring to bulldoze it into oblivion. It scrambled desperately as her huge toe slammed down behind it, barely escaping its crushing embrace. It could feel the heat emanating from the round side of her foot, the scent of her sweat fresh in its nostrils. It was sobbing, the futile cries for mercy choking in its throat.

The foot struck again, lazily swiping sideways in an attempt to pulverise it against the carpet. The massive woman above held her head in her hands, her curls spilling through her fingers. She couldn’t stand to watch its demise, her eyes closed as she jabbed blindly at the floor. Any second now she would feel its body beneath her foot, feel its bones break against her skin, the blood seep across her flesh.

She heaved. Peeking out between her fingers, how was it still alive? It’s voice rang in her ears; tiny, tinny and desperate. Why wouldn’t is just shut up and die? Why was it making this so hard?

‘Just stay still!’ she shouted, her foot exploding onto the carpet beside it. She scowled down at the simpering creature, it was so little and helpless compared to her. Utterly pathetic. Her other foot moved beside it, trapping it in a valley of flesh.

Its panic grew as it searched for an escape, the ground rumbling. Ahead of it, her feet came together with a heavy thud. It span in place, running towards her heels and the ever closing gap. Her flesh was everywhere, each breath laced with her scent. Its heart raced in its chest, the warm pink walls growing closer as she prepared to grind it into paste. The creature rebounded, falling to its knees. It closed its eyes, knowing that in seconds its life would be ended beneath the merciless goddess above. Despite the futility of the action, it reached out, its hand pushing against her unstoppable sole.

 The huge woman flinched.

‘Urgh, fuck!’ Her voice groaned from the heavens, recoiling from the creature’s touch. Her eyes narrowed with hatred as she looked down at the bug caught between her feet. It’s stupid moon eyes reached up to her, its mouth flapping with worthless chatter.

‘Fuck,’ she repeated, drawing her legs up on to the bed and curling them underneath her. Her hand reached down, easily snatching it from the floor. ‘I can’t do this,’ she moaned, ‘I need time to think.’

She threw it down beside her, standing as it bounced across her sheets. It watched helplessly as the massive woman crouched and reached into the space beneath the bed frame. It considered running for a brief moment before she returned, looming over the multi-coloured landscape.

As before, her hand caught it instantly. She said nothing as she held it loosely in her grip. In the darkness, it sat against her skin, a helpless passenger to an unknown destination.

In her other hand she held a plastic box. She needed time to decide what to do and the container had served her well in the past. Her hand opened, tossing her captive into its new prison. It hit the plastic floor hard, crying out in pain. She ignored it, affixing the white plastic lid and snapping it into place.

The new inmate skidded across the plastic base of their cell, jostled as their titanic jailer lowered the container to the floor. They had barely recovered, kneeling, when her foot struck the wall, pushing the box under the bed. Her face appeared briefly, an irritated frown playing across her eyebrows before her hand reached forwards, shoving it further into the darkness.

It watched as she stood, her feet disappearing as she clambered onto the bed. The mattress above groaned beneath her weight, the sheets rustling as she tucked herself into bed. It sat down, despair welling in its heart. Within a single glance it accepted that escape was impossible. The only way out was via the plastic lid and that was sealed tight. The knife gash that allowed in air was far too thin for them to squeeze through.

The walls were clear, allowing it to see into the gloom. A massive gym bag dominated two of the four sides, an old pair of skater style shoes filling the third. It shivered as its eyes scanned across the massive diamond treads.

The container was empty aside from a pile of rags she had left it to sleep in. It rose to its feet, trudging dejectedly over to where they slumped against a wall. At least it didn’t seem like she had murder in mind. Though its body ached from her rough handling, hopefully the worst was behind it. Tomorrow they would talk, she would let them go, she had to. It could just disappear, her friend would never need to know.

It took a deep breath. This would only be temporary. It would be ok.

Reaching out, it lifted the rags and screamed.

In the seconds before she turned out the light, its eyes bulged in horror at the dry, emaciated corpse that had been hidden beneath the scraps of cloth. It was barely more than a husk, the previous occupant.

Above, the giantess turned and settled in to sleep. The Shrinky she would deal with tomorrow, or maybe the day after.