The women had been walking for about an hour now and they were finally reaching the natural aquifer which flowed into the lake in the valley below them. The water from it had carved the valley from the rock that they would follow to the lake. The gravel path crunched below their shoes, the terrain around her becoming less deciduous with each step. Sarah was ahead of her, her runners body giving her a seeming endless amount of energy.

Dianne was jealous of her friends younger form. She was already feeling sore, but Sarah, off ahead of her, didn't even seem to be even trying, like she had boundless vigor. Dianne couldn't tell if she was going for a daylong hike or if she just threw on whatever clothes she had before she went to do a little grocery shopping. Sarah's long sleeve shirt was loose fitting, her black yoga pants accentuating her thick thighs and muscular butt, the muscles in her calves flexing in each step. Her black ankle high boots looked old, the corners on the heels easily worn off.

The gravel path ahead of them sloped downward, and as Dianne stepped forward, the loose pebbles below her feet slid beneath them, and for a fraction of second she felt as if she might fall. She had to put her hands out to stabilize herself, flexing her muscles in her legs and pressing into her toes to keep herself grounded. Her boots had a solid grip to them though, and her sliding abruptly came to a stop. She kicked her left foot into the ground, knocking the gravel away from her boots, before stepping forward again, surveying the valley below.

The sun continued to rise over them as the trail started criss-crossing the stream of water coming from uphill and behind them now. It was starting to get hot, but as they neared the valley entrance, the atmosphere around the lake created a natural wind that would pick up the moisture and temperature from the cool water, creating a pleasant wind. Still, she could feel a drop of sweat rolling off her forehead.

Sarah didn't seem to be bothered at all as she moved ahead of her, the blue sky above them contrasting with the greens and tan colors of the forest and valley ahead of them. The air was crisp, and Dianne gulped it in as she strained herself to keep pace with Sarah. As she skipped ahead, Dianne could hear a splash of the water that ran over the trail, Sarah's boot, kicking through water from a small puddle ahead of them.

Sarah spoke from ahead of her. “This is, like, really pretty. I can't believe we've never done this before”

Dianne had to take a breath before she spoke, Sarah's pace a little too fast for her to relax as she walked.

Dianne responded. “Yea. I've been looking forward to it for a while. Feel the wind? You can smell the lake from off of it”

Dianne looked at her friends loose fitting shirt as she extended her arms like she was about to embrace.

“Totally Awesome” Sarah said, the gravel trail marked with her wet bootprints as the small pebbles slid beneath her. The stream ran across the path again ahead of them, forming what looked like a wide shallow puddle covering the trail. Dianne could see the reflection of the trees and sky in it, the crystal clear water revealing the rocks submerged within.

Sarah's next step splashed into the water.

“Oooh” She said, clearly surprised. “This is deeper than it looks” She paused, as she looked down at her boot, the water submerging it up to the ankle. She shrugged, bringing her other boot into the water, before shivering.

“It's like, super cold.” She said, starting to trudge her way through it, before reaching the other side. Her boots audibly squished as they reached the dry gravel shoreline, water visibly being squeezed from the boot as she did.

Dianne walked forward, pausing at the edge for a second, before stepping into the puddle. Her boots had a waterproof lining, she had bought them specifically for such features. As her boot sunk into the puddle she felt nothing, her boots performing as advertised. The water splashed onto her ankle as she walked, but she remained otherwise dry.

Sarah stood watching her as she crossed the water obstacle, shifting her weight back and forth between her legs, her boots squishing and water oozing from them as she did. Dianne looked at her quizzically.

“That's not going to bother you?” Dianne said, still a few feet away from crossing the watery path.

“Huh?” Sarah said, looking at the reflection of the sky in the water.

“Your boots – they're soaked!” Dianne pointed out.

Sarah laughed. “Says the girl marching through the same pool I did”

Dianne emerged from the water on the other side. “Yea. But these boots are specifically designed for that – they have gore tex lining and everything.” She took a few steps, and shook her shoe, the water slipping off it so you could no longer tell it was wet except for near the treads, where it still glistened.

“See?” She said, pausing. “I actually prepared for this trip” She stuck out her tongue slightly, as Sarah turned and started walking again, each step causing water to ooze from near the bottom of her boots as she did.

Sarah and Dianne continued their slow decent, the green canopy of the forest to their sides becoming less dense as the environment became more dry.

“Fair enough” Sarah said. “How much did those cost you though? These things work well enough for me and I didn't need to pay an arm and a leg”

“Umm... I forget exactly – I got them on sale a few years ago and haven't really worn them” Sarah hadn't forgotten, they were quite expensive, but she didn't want to admit the whole price given.

“Besides – I hate wet shoes” She paused as she heard Sarah boots squelch below her weight. “Your boots are soaked! Doesn't that bother you?”

Sarah laughed. “Well like, when you're a runner like me, wet shoes are totes a given” She said, before laughing. “Even if they were waterproof, my feet sweat a lot. I'll admit, these totally don't breathe well, so dunking them in the water like that is actually totally refreshing”

“Ugh - that gross” Dianne said, her voice not hiding her disgust.

Sarah giggled. “You, like, get used to it – you don't really have a choice.”

Dianne nodded. “Fair enough” She looked at Sarah walking ahead of her, her haphazard outfit not in the least bit slowing her down, as Dianne felt a bead of sweat rolling down her forehead. Sarah didn't seem to be sweating at all, but both of them could feel the heat rising as they descended into the Sandy valley below them.

Sarah turned to her. “Let's pick up the pace a bit – I'm starting to get hungry!”

Dianne agreed, even though she was moving already a bit faster than she would have preferred, but the beauty of the world around them made for an easy distraction to her own discomfort. And as the cool air from the blowing up from the valley below caused her to shiver, Dianne was happy with her purchase, her boots providing the grip and comfort she expected, her feet remaining comfortable and dry.

***

I wasn't sure if the shrill sound of screams was just in my imagination, and I thought it strange that, even though I felt like I was on fire, I couldn't see anything.

There was nothing left to reality but the burning pain that wrapped my whole body, the overwhelming terror of the inevitable moment as I sensed the hot dry rough sock ceiling that I knew would come down onto me again, the sharp burning sensation only dulled as the infinite weight of it pushed me down into the soft insole before all the air was forced out of my body, the pressure on my bones feeling like I they might snap at any second.

As the tons of weight came down on me, the rough dry texture of the huge sock burned and dug into my skin, before the terror of immense and unending pain overwhelmed my every sensation.

BOOM

The vibrations of my world seemed to dig into every inch of me as my head was pushed sideways into the insole, my cheek now pressed the opposite way from the new arched ceiling of Dianne's left foot as compared to her right.

My life, now pure pain, dulled as the air was violently knocked out of me.

Am I even screaming?

As the rope like ceiling began to lift away from my skin, the burning sensation seemed to lighten, and in that merciful moment, it seemed as if the world that was this black prison of heat and pain, time came to a crawl. I could hear a splash of water from beyond the leather walls, and the feeling of my parched throat came back with a roar, the pain of a dry gulp seemed to emanate from a wave of hurt from my neck to the tips of all my limbs. Dread overcame me as time seemed to move again, the hot rope ceiling a terrifying inevitability as I sensed it move upward, implying my impending doom.

Please, Goddess...

There was no mercy for me, and from within the leather coffin the dry heat of the socked ceiling could be felt as the air seemed to pushed away from it, a briefest second of force as the my world turned white with pain, my head slamming into the insole as my skin felt like I was on fire.

BOOM

The freight train of a foot slammed onto me with unrelenting force, the vibrations of the environment causing the ropes to chaff against my skin as my mouth was forced open, the wind rapidly pushed out of my lungs. The coarse ceiling pushing into my tongue and caused me to taste blood as I wheezed.

I was trapped, slowly being crushed, and the muffled voice of the goddess above me caused the world to once again shake. I couldn't tell if I was somehow screaming or if the voice was only in my head, every inch of my body feeling like tiny scissors slicing into me over and over.

“BE**ID**S”

A loud splash and a crunch made her booming voice indistinctive as my my body was slowly being ground into a pulp. The weight making it seem like my bones might soon snap.

“-ate wet shoes”

I only heard the last few words, my mind so focused on the pain that I wasn't sure if I was imagining it. The thought of wet shoes made my mouth water, and as the ceiling lifted off of me once again, I drew a tiny breathe, the brief amount of oxygen causing me to realize with grim horror that I wished my Goddess wasn't so concerned with keeping her feet perfectly dry . The very key to my salvation, my survival, was at odds with this flight attendants concern with keeping herself comfortable.

I couldn't cry as the heat from the sock filled me with a new level of dread and anxiety as time seemed to slow, the world of pain that would come following the blast of hot dry air that preceded her socked foot.

I may die of dehydration because this flight attendant doesn't like sweaty feet.

And I wished more than anything that I could lap at the sweat from the bottom of her foot.

BOOM

The violent vibrations shook me back and forth, it felt like was being ground underneath a giant sheet of sandpaper during an earthquake. And as the weight settled down on me, my chest was pushed downward, my face pushed painfully to it's side, and weight increased and increased until my mouth was forced open, the pressure on my jaw becoming so intense that I thought my jaw might snap.

Are those screams? Or is it just raw pain?

And before by jaw burst, the weight began to retreat, the sense of vertigo as the sock ceiling that would come down to torture me once again withdrew just enough to make me comprehend my pathetic existence. It seemed to pause above me, like it wanted me to comprehend just long enough what my life was.

The pain and dread made it difficult to tell if the noises I heard were form me, beyond me, or my imagination.

Am I crying?

This time, however, the sock seemed to linger above me longer than normal, but I couldn't be sure if that was just me or my imagination. Then the sensation of being dropped followed, more violently than I was used to, and all I could feel was terror.

Are those screams?

BOOOOOM

*cr-ack*

The sensation of being on fire seemed to recede as a new pain terrible pain replaced it. I felt the hot taste of metal as blood was spit out of mouth as the air was forced painfully out of me, the pain in my chest like a million needles were being thrust into and out of my body. The strange sound of a gurgling wheeze seemed like it came from beyond me as my mind focused on the terrible pain from within my body, the sensation of suffocation barely noticeable as the million ton sock pushed and compressed my chest further into the insole, the blood seemingly squeezed out of mouth from my body like I was a grape being squished for wine.

And then the sock rescinded, and all the feelings of pain hit me at once as I struggled to draw a gurgling breath, and I realized that Dianne's humongous foot had broken a few of my ribs.

I was being slowly ground into paste, but the pain was overwhelming that I could do nothing but experience the agony of being Dianne's insole.

This is my purpose...

***

Dianne was walking with Sarah ahead of her still, her mind wandering as she looked at the beautiful environment around them. She loved the color of the sky and the breeze on her skin, and even the sound of Sarah's squelching boots became a pleasant sound of her experience.

The thought of Sarah's boots made her think about her own, and she could definitely feel the difference now between her feet as the walk continued to take their tole on them. The left foot felt far more supportive, but she could tell her insert wasn't quite in the position she would have liked, it seemed to be jutting into her arch almost at one singular point, where as it should have been flatter to better redistribute the weight.

Without even thinking about it, she kicked her foot up before slamming down into the ground, relishing the feeling her arch support flattening out slightly to better redistribute her weight as she walked, before letting her foot settle in again. She paused, shifting her weight back and forth slightly.

That feels much better. She thought to herself, not realizing what exactly she was doing. She had completely forgotten that thing supporting her was a tiny person, and any thought of her comfort disappeared as her her foot settled pleasantly into position, her mind shifting it's focus back to the natural beauty of the world around them.

Dianne and Sarah walked for about another hour as the sun continued to rise in the sky to near it's apex, the woods around them thinning as they reached the crest of the dry valley that led to the lake beyond. As they reached their goal, they could see a few large rocks sitting in the sun ahead of them.

Both of the girls were sweating now, Dianne could see small stains around Sarah's arms, her yoga pants darker from her sweat. Dianne was far sweatier, and used her shirt to dab some sweat out of her eyes.

“It's getting hot. And I'm totally hungry” Sarah said. She pointed at some rocks that were near the edge of the cliff that descended into the valley. “Let's sit here, we can, like, get a good view of the valley below while we eat”

Dianne nodded. The rocks were just above the trail that descended along the cliffs edge into the valley, and were flat enough to let them eat their food without having to deal with a slope. As they neared it, the wind from the valley below could be felt blowing up and over the walls.

“Oh my God” Dianne said, feeling the air wrapping her body, blowing between her legs and arms, the sweat from her brow suddenly cold and causing her to shiver.

“That feels amazing” She said, before pausing, reaching into her bag. She took out her prepared lunches.

Sarah sat down on the rock, and Dianne stood next to her, handing her the food.

“What do we got?” Sarah asked.

Dianne looked at the food. “Just some ham and cheese – we got some snack bars, and a few bananas.”

Sarah was already tearing into her sandwich. “mmm -” she said, a mouthful of food, her voice muffled “Tha-s .. m- Gr-ea-!”

Dianne couldn't help herself from laughing. As she did, she felt a slight pressure under her foot, the wind from the valley below causing her whole body to shiver, and the pressure of tiny boy pushing into her sore arch mixed with the beautiful view of the valley below, she felt almost euphoric.

God. Dianne thought. I can't believe I haven't done this before. This is amazing.

She felt wonderful. But to Dianne, the experience was of lightness and beauty, the pleasure of life was just a product of the natural beauty of the world, and her as a living creature able to absorb and experience all of the wonders and pleasures that it had to offer. The colors of the yellow and brown of the cliffs and valley contrasted starkly with a spec of light blue from the lake she could see miles ahead of her, the trail etched down into the valley twisted and turned like a snake below the white clouds floating above in the blue sky.

And then a tingle of pressure came from under her left foot, and her eyes turned down to her brown boots.

My insert is doing an amazing job. She thought, as her mind became conscious of the feeling of the thing below her left foot, her right foot now noticeably more sore from the lack of cushion the thing provided.

The boy continued to move below her foot, causing her to tingle with pleasure.

Dianne suddenly laughed. Sarah looked at her, clearing her throat as she swallowed some food.

“What's so funny?” She said, cocking her head.

Dianne giggled before she paused to speak. “Oh – I just realized I forgot about Mark in my shoe.” She said, before laughing again.

“For a second, I legitimately didn't realize that the thing in my shoe wasn't just an insert”

Sarah snickered. “Ha. You're lucky. You know it's good when it feels like that. Like, it's like he was born to be an insert.”

Dianne nodded. “Yea – he's great.” Dianne felt the pressure slowly increase, marks movements increasing in pressure like a tiny massage. It felt amazing.

“Man he's great.” But then his vibrations began to slow.

She could feel him below her and through her sock, his little massage appearing to taper off in intensity. Dianne frowned, before lifting up her foot and shaking her shoe, the bouncing of the tiny man between her insole and her socked foot distinctive, before she put her foot down, and began to slowly shift her weight onto the thing, the tiny man being pressed into her sock pushing into her foot before the boy began to vibrate once again, increasing in intensity.

“What's wrong?” Sarah asked, looking at the her friend.

Dianne sighed. “Well there is one thing that's odd” She said, looking at her brown boot as the vibrations of the tiny boy became more intense as she shifted more weight onto him, causing her to once again shiver with pleasure as the boy worked on pleasing her.

“He occasionally will give me what I think are these tiny little massages” She said, her leg now rigidly locked as she began to lift her other leg off from the ground, her sock now completely wrapped around the boy as his body was pressed firmly into the sole of her foot and the insole of her boot. Mark's vibrating body seemed to climax in intensity, before she felt the pressure slowly decreasing.

Dianne took a moment to focus on the last bits of pleasure from the massage before she could feel him begin to slack off. His movements became less and less, until he stopped completely.

Dianne then spoke again. “But after a while, he slacks off” She picked up boot up, before shaking her foot, reminding the little boy of his place below her.

“No free lunches Mark” She said, smiling. “You pay for this trip with free massages”

Sarah burst out in laughter, before Dianne ending up joining her.

“I didn't think my joke was that funny.” Dianne said, giggling as she let her weight of her foot rest once again on the tiny boy, his squirming slowly increasing as she let her weight settle onto him.

Sarah stopped laughing enough to let out a gasp. “No – it's not the joke.” She said, giggling.

“Let me guess, like, those tiny 'massages' are followed by less and less pressure before he totes stops?”

Dianne nodded. “Yea, exactly, just like that” She said, feeling marks tiny body vibrating like a toy below her.

Sarah smiled. “Yea. That's not him giving you a massage”

Dianne raised her eye quizzically. “What is it then?” The tiny boys vibrations began to reach their predictable climax in pressure.

“You're suffocating him” She paused to laugh as Dianne expression changed to one of concern. Dianne moved her foot up off the ground, she could sense the tiny boy moving below her sock as she relieved the pressure.

“Those 'massages' are him fighting for air. And eventually he becomes too weak to fight, so it dies down again. You shaking him about to 'pay for the trip' as you say, is probably what's giving him enough time to breathe.”

Dianne look of concern caused Sarah to giggle. “Oh no! I didn't realize I was doing that! That must have been awful”

Sarah stopped giggling. “Don't worry, it's like, perfectly normal. Plus, he would have long since been totes squished already if he couldn't take it. It's just part of him being your insert.”

Dianne felt reassured. “You think? It won't kill him?” She began to return her weight onto the tiny boy, the tingling feeling of the weight of her foot slowly increasing the pressure on the tiny boy not stopping her from smiling.

Dianne laughed. “Yea - I guess this is fine.”

Sarah nodded. “Of course it is. Mark is your insert after all, that's where he belongs”

Dianne looked down at her boot once again. “You hear that Mark? Goddess Sarah here has your best interest at heart. Sorry about this but you'll get used to it” She shivered as the pressure against her foot caused her to tingle with pleasure as she shifted her weight further onto him.

Sarah looked at Dianne, smiling wryly. “Speaking of which. I could totally use my turn now”