‘Oh my god dude,’ her voice woke you from your fitful sleep, falling around you like the sound of a storm, ‘what the fuck happened?’

A scream of fear answered her, leaping from your lips before you could fully comprehend your situation.

Your housemate was massive, huge beyond compare.

Her bright eyes stared down at you with wonder, her jaw moving as she chewed on a wad of gum. Rings studded her ears, her long braided hair falling over her shoulder; trailing behind a short undercut. She was leaning over you, a building sized hand gripping the sides of the stool upon which you now stood. You were not as tall as the nail on her little finger.

‘You shrank! Shit, that’s crazy!’ she giggled at the thought, ‘Do you know how close you got to being squashed just now?’

She straightened, looming up into the heavens. Your stomach flipped, bile rising in your throat. The very sight of her, the scale, was maddening.

She twisted on the spot, moving so that her denim clad ass hung over your perch. A fresh shriek escaped you as you tried to shuffle backwards, desperately trying to move out of the growing shadow as she made to sit down. The sky was filled with her shapely rear as you reached the edge of the stool. Below was nothing but a vast and empty expanse, the tiled kitchen floor seeming a mile away.

The plastic beneath your bare feet trembled as the back of her thighs crashed into the far edge. You screamed her name, pleading her to stop. Your arms waved above your head, a futile gesture that could not possibly halt the descent of the giant woman’s unfathomable weight. In the darkness, in the shadow of her peach ass held tight by her grey denim three quarter lengths, death came for you.

You closed your eyes, throwing your arms out as if you stood a chance of stopping her.

‘It was that close,’ she chuckled, steadying herself on the kitchen table, ‘you were that close to being a stain on my butt! I just can’t believe it, you’re like the first person I have actually been around that has shrunk.’

She moved away, her footsteps sending tiny tremors rattling through the ground. The light returned to you as she dropped heavily into the stool opposite.

‘There’s been Facebook friends that have shrunk, obviously.’ She continued, oblivious to the terror her mere presence visited upon you. She chewed as she talked, garrulous as ever, ‘And there was one guy in high school that shrank in the gym while I was in there but a cheerleader found him and stomped him out so I only saw the blood when she was talking about it later. Besides that, nothing so yeah, fuck, I can’t believe it happened to you! You know the only reason I didn’t sit down is because I saw your clothes on the floor. How nuts is that? The reason you are still alive is because I happened to see your shorts down there. Oh shit!’

The turned away, throwing a hand theatrically to hide her eyes, ‘You’re totally naked! I was so freaked out by how tiny you were I didn’t even realise!’

You covered yourself automatically, your cheeks flushing pink as she uncovered her eyes and lowered her face towards you. Her red lipped smile stretched for a mile, ‘Still I guess it doesn’t matter now huh? You’ve got much bigger problems.’

She kicked your discarded clothes away with a flick of her boot, leaving them to skid into the corner of the room. ‘I guess I can find another housemate once I clear your stuff out but like, what are you gonna do?’

Your mind raced. How could she be talking about you as if you were no longer here, as if you had died, when you were stood right in front of her? How could she be so casual? You choked back a sob, reeling as your life unravelled before you.

‘Please,’ you muttered, mumbling through quivering lips, ‘please help me, you’ve gotta help me.’

‘What was that?’ Her voice was loud, her talking ceaseless even before you were reduced in size. She leaned down to you, her braid whipping through the air as she brought her ear close to you, ‘Dude you’re so small, you’re gonna have to speak up.’

You repeated your plea, urging her to help you. You cast about, at this size you couldn’t even get yourself down from the stool.

Her eyebrows furrowed as she heard your request, her gaze looking down quizzically, ‘Help you, ah man, I dunno. I don’t think I’m ready for the responsibility of being registered. Plus I’m supposed to be heading into the city tonight, I’m already late. I was literally on my way out of the door and yeah, I just dunno.’

‘Please, I don’t, I don’t need you to be registered to me or anything just help me for a little bit, help me get down from here at least. I promise you won’t have to do much, just give me a day, just get me somewhere safe, please.’ Hope dripped off every one of your words, your eyes scanning her beautiful face for any hint that she may be convinced. ‘Please, I’m begging you.’

‘Ok, fuck, fine, yeah, I’ll help I guess.’ She pinched the bridge of her nose with exasperation, ‘You need to go somewhere though, you can’t stay here unregistered or not. You’ve been a cool housemate, I don’t really want to hurt you or anything. I’d be really upset if you got squashed and like, look how close you came already. I don’t want to have to deal with stepping on you or something, that would be super gross. I’ll take you somewhere tomorrow, we’ll figure it out.’

‘Thank you!’ You couldn’t hide your joy, even in the face of tragedy, her help however small would change your fate for the better. Everyone knew how low the survival rate for Shrinkies was, how many were captured and killed for entertainment. Having her on your side would guarantee you would at least avoid that fate.

You could have kissed her though there was no doubt that should you try, you could easily end up being consumed.

‘Now we just need to figure out what to do with you. You can’t stay on that stool all night, you might not be so lucky next time and I’ll definitely be wasted when I get back. Where can I put you that’s safe?’

Put you? You tried to call up to her, tried to get her to listen though there was no stopping her once she got going. How could she still talk of you as though you were absent, as though you had no say?

‘I’m not gonna put you in your room, I don’t want you wandering off and getting lost. You can’t go in my room, you’ll definitely end up getting stepped on or something.’ She chewed on her gum as she spoke, her chin resting on her hand, ‘I could leave you on the table until tomorrow? Shit no, if we have people back I don’t want you getting hurt. Even if I put you in a glass or something to keep you safe it could go wrong when everyone is drunk. Imagine me saving you just for you to end up drowning in a shot of whiskey. Well, not that you’d last long if it was a shot. Knowing your luck you’d probably end up getting drunk straight away. I know I’d probably remember and check my glass first but there’s no way Rowan will, even if I tell her about you. Fuck, she’d probably beg me to let her drink you anyway, I’ve seen her doing it before. She really loves fucking with you tiny things, you should see some of the things she does to them.

You know, she kills a bunch every weekend, she calls it the ‘threesome’.

She swallows one alive at the start of the night and puts one in each of her shoes. She said it makes her feel really powerful when she’s dancing, knowing that her good time is a painful death for someone else. I guess it kinda makes sense if you think about it, in a fucked up kinda way. Yeah, I definitely won’t do you like that.’

She looked down at you then, taking in the expression of horror you wore, ‘Shit, sorry man, you don’t want to hear this do you? I was just thinking out loud. There’s got to be somewhere I can put you where you won’t accidentally get found and squished.’

The huge woman paused a moment, her eyes tracking around the room, her jaw working as she chewed. ‘Fuck, I’ve got it! You’re not gonna like it but hey, you asked me to help so I’m gonna help.’

Her fingers slipped between her lips and withdrew the masticated wad of beige chum. Her saliva flowed across it, filling the rents made by her sharp teeth.

She closed one eye, extending her fingers towards you. The sticky lump was easily three times your size. She held it over you, ready to strike, ‘Hold still, this will only suck for today.’

Your eyes widened with shock as she drove the gum towards you. You broke into a run, shouting to her, begging her to stop as she followed close behind. She giggled as she watched you try to escape, the sounds of her amusement nightmarish as you tried to evade her.

She caught you quickly, her size overwhelming you. With her free hand she slammed a fist down onto the stool, the impact causing you to stumble. It was then that she struck, the wad of slime covered goo stabbing down from the heavens and smothering you in its embrace.

Your cry of fear as it enveloped you quickly became a gag. Her saliva was everywhere, the scent of it all encompassing. Your mouth and nose filled with the viscous liquid as your limbs were swallowed by the wet material. You choked, swallowing a mouthful of the warm liquid, thrashing your head to dislodge the sheet of translucent slime.

Your stomach bucked as you felt yourself rise into the air, your one free leg hanging limp. Craning your head to free your face from the cloying goo you, you looked into her smiling face.

‘Hey, I did say you wouldn’t like it. Still you asked for my help and its better than being stepped on like a little bug isn’t it? No need to thank me, this idea is amazing. There’s no way this can go wrong and no way you’ll get found by anyone who would hurt you.’

You were paralysed and helpless, fighting just to keep your face from sinking into the mire that would surely drown you. You coughed and spluttered, should up at her, still begging her to stop, to reconsider her insane idea.

‘Squeak, squeak, squeak,’ she giggled, ‘man you really are lucky that I’m on your side, I don’t know how any of you guys survive without help.’

She bent over, her finger moving you beneath the table. With a careful prod she stuck the gum to the underside of the wood, sealing you in position. You tried to protest as she moved away, inspecting her work with those brilliant eyes.

‘There, all good.’ She nodded approvingly, ‘I know it’s a bit gross but its just for one night and it really is a smart idea. No matter who comes back tonight, nobody will think to go hunting for Shrinkys stuck to the underside of the table. You’ll be here like what, twelve hours, maybe more depending on how hungover I am tomorrow? I’d let you out when I get back but you know how clumsy I am when I’ve been drinking. Yeah, tomorrow morning makes sense. I can try and figure out what to do with you after breakfast. ‘Til then, stick around.’

She chuckled at her own joke, flashing you a brilliant smile before disappearing into the room.

You screamed yourself hoarse, calling her name, begging her to come back and free you. You could only hang there, wrapped in stands of gum like a fly in a web, watching her booted feet and exposed calves walk back and forth. She shook the ground with every footstep, the door slamming behind her as she left for the night.

Alone, you were left to hang in the dying light. You struggled at first, thrashing in place. If anything it merely served to entrap you further, the long strands of masticated gum entangling your limbs. Though you yearned for freedom, you could not deny that to escape your viscous prison would result in death. Below you yawned a massive expanse, a foot and a half drop onto the tiles that would leave you smashed and broken upon them; should you fall.

You cried aloud at the hopelessness of your situation. You had no choice but to put your faith in your former housemate now all powerful keeper. You would go along with whatever she suggested tomorrow, painfully aware that should you anger her or worse, bore her, your life could be ended with the slightest flick of her finger or tap of her foot.

You would need to learn your place in this new and gargantuan world.