With the news there was a chance to bring Jake back to his normal size, Martha’s mood improved noticeably. As she explained the situation to him she could swear she saw his face lighten up, although it was hard to discern his tiny facial features. She wished she had a magnifying glass lying around. Nevertheless, they were both optimistic about being able to put all of this behind soon. She was sure the time would come when they would both laugh at his current predicament.
She decided to move on with the chores, the first task being providing Jake with some clothes, or at least a semblance of some. She searched around her room and found an old blue shirt she no longer wore. She cut off a tiny piece of the fabric, roughly the size of Jake, and fashioned something resembling a sleeveless tunic with the help of a basic sewing kit she kept in one of the desk drawers. She also cut a tiny strip of the material to serve as a belt for him. Then she watched him put it on and adjust the tightness with the belt. It looked good enough to last and she took some pride in her needlework. She wished she could fashion something for his feet, the overgrown landscapes of her apartment surely taking a strain on them, but she simply lacked experience in the shoemaking domain. Especially when it came to making shoes to fit one millimetre long feet.
With that settled, she decided to clean up the living room. She realized she needed both hands for that and began to wonder what she would do with Jake. Leaving him in the jewellery box was out of the question – she didn’t wish to risk another bug sneaking up on him when she was gone, nor did she want to lock the box leaving him in darkness. She could put him in one of her shorts’ pockets, but she feared he could fall out or get harmed when she decides to sit down. She checked the drawers once more, finding a small, leather pouch she could hang around her neck. Perfect. This way she could focus on her chores, knowing Jake is close by and, most importantly, safe. She opened the pouch and put it on the desk, letting him know her plan. He shrugged but walked into the pouch anyway. She waited a moment, to make sure he reaches the bottom before she puts it on her neck and did so when enough time passed, leaving the room with Jake safely tucked in. She hoped it wouldn’t be too uncomfortable for him, knowing how he didn’t enjoy such imprisonment, yet at the same time realizing she’s doing it for his own safety.
Once in the living room, she started picking up the clothes he left behind after shrinking, folding them and laying them down in the corner of the couch. Then she gathered empty beer bottles and put them back in the crate. Next she vacuumed the crumbs of crisps left around from the night before, feeling especially relieved Jake was not on the floor at this particular moment. As a final touch, she wiped the coffee table and the console, then ventured to the kitchen to do the dishes. Done with those, she went back to her room to grab her phone, then returned to the couch, sitting down and taking the pouch off her neck. She opened it and lay it down on her left thigh, letting Jake come out on his own.
While Martha was busy doing the chores, Jake was busy rolling from one end of the pouch to the next, the slightest move on the giantess’ part tossing him around. It wasn’t a painful experience but it wasn’t too pleasant either, even if he could tell she wasn’t deliberately trying to cause him any discomfort. Finally though, the moving stopped. He heard the pouch being opened and ran to the exit as soon as he saw the light coming from the outside. The moment he stepped out he noticed he was on a vast plain stretching hundreds of feet before him, ending in a rugged hill. He looked around and saw her sitting on the couch with her legs crossed, himself now standing in the middle of her thigh. He looked all the way up, meeting her gaze.
“Hey. Hope I didn’t rock you too hard” she said, her voice echoing around. Even when speaking casually, she sounded so loud to his ears. “I need to take a break. You can walk around if you want. Two conditions, though. One: I want to be able to see you. Two: mind where you’re going. The latter is more important”. Having said that, she turned her attention back to her phone, leaving Jake to his own devices.
And so he decided to wander. The surface beneath his feet was warm, the skin here being even warmer and softer than the one on her palm, so even the act of moving around was a pleasant experience. He marched along her thigh until he reached the knee, making sure not to get too close. It was a long way down, after all. The skin here was harder, more rugged and for a moment Jake felt as if he really was standing on some lightly coloured hill overlooking a plain. Then he decided to walk back, Martha’s red shorts looming on the horizon almost looking like an impressionist’s idea of a sunset.
Up above, Martha had some difficulties focusing on her phone and the websites she was browsing while she felt Jake’s tiny feet lightly tickling her as he walked around. She looked down at him, realizing he was too invested in meandering around her thigh to pay attention to her face. She decided to gather a few souvenirs from his journey. She went into her phone camera’s settings, made sure to turn off the flash and the sound and took the first photo, featuring the little man in the very middle of her thigh. Then she zoomed in, taking another. He looked so tiny and helpless, such a little thing lost on the ocean of her skin. She felt guilty about doing this without asking for his permission but couldn’t be bothered to stop.
She watched him walk back towards her knee, then turning right and slowly walking down the slope of her left calf. Another few photos at various stages of that body part. He made it all the way down to the rock of her ankle. Another photo. And from there he pressed on through the ridge of her foot towards her toes. She was well aware of how big her feet were, but she couldn’t help but realize just how infinitesimal Jake was compared to them. Especially when he made it to her big toe and stood on it as if it was some sort of a cliff. Each and every of Martha’s toes was several times bigger than his entire body, but it was the biggest one that truly dwarfed her friend. She took a few photos more, some zoomed in, some zoomed out, all emphasizing his insignificance.
Yet despite all of this, she also couldn’t help but find him cute, in a way. For a moment she wondered whether she shouldn’t keep him like this. There were plenty of advantages to that, after all. She could always have him at her disposal, she could always keep him fed and warm, she could take him anywhere with her, he would never leave and forget about her like other people did. He would always be there for her and she could always take care of him. And then her mind cleared. No, she thought. He’s my friend, not my pet. And it’s my responsibility to get him back to normal.
But that didn’t mean she couldn’t have some fun on the way. She started to wiggle her big toe, moving it slowly but even such a minor act was enough for Jake to struggle to keep his balance, and Martha had to hold her giggle as she watched him trying not to fall. Eventually the gravity took the better of him and Jake tumbled down from her toe and onto the couch. She held her breath. Fortunately, he got up immediately, the upholstery of the couch having softened the impact. She took one last photo of him facing the massive wall of flesh her foot must’ve looked like to him now and put the phone down.
“Jake” she said, making him turn and look all the way up towards her face “You’ve made quite a journey. Would you like to rest somewhere higher?”. She saw him nod. “Please stand still. I’ll try to pick you up this time”.
She lowered her hand to the spot Jake was standing in and very slowly, very carefully she pinched him in between her thumb and index finger, lifting him towards her eyes. His body disappeared almost completely in her fingertips, with only his head and his collarbone being visible. Even holding him like this she could barely feel him. So tiny, so fragile. She set him down on her right arm, as she adjusted her sitting position, leaning back a bit so that he would see him better.
“Can you hear me?” his squeaky voice reached her ears.
“Yes, I can. Did you enjoy your walk?”
“Believe me or not, but I did”
She smiled at him. “Why don’t you sit back, relax and tell me more”.