Sean looked around his unearthly surroundings. He was standing on a vast plain crossed by what seemed like dried-up rivers. Five massive pillars rose behind him, each, even the smallest, being more than a hundred feet hight. The ground beneath him was soft and warm; he could feel the heat emanating from it even through his shoes. And the air was filled with a mix of a pleasant, flowery scent of some kind of soap or perfume and the subtle, barely noticeable smell of sweat. He was amazed to find how much of a wholly different environment a palm of a woman’s hand could be to him at his size. He looked up, towards a massive face of the woman, so massive it filled his entire field of vision. It was a very attractive face: triangular, with only a suggestion of laugh lines, thin eyebrows and pleasantly shaped lips. Her skin was smooth and youthful, with only a few wrinkles in the corner of her deep, blue eyes hinting at her age. These had always been his weak spot – eyes. They could make or break a girl for him and now that he was looking up towards Kristine’s, he found himself being enamoured by them. ‘If only they weren’t the size of a pool each’ he thought. Even though there was no malice in her gaze, Sean felt as if he was being pierced through just by being looked at. He was uneasy, both by being seen in this state and by seeing just how enormous, how absolutely colossal the woman holding him was. He felt tiny, insignificant, even more so than he already was – but also safe, although not being sure why. He watched the giantess slowly open her mouth, revealing two rows of perfectly white teeth, each looking like a massive pillar from some ancient temple. And when she spoke, her breath a gust of warm air against his body, her melodic voice echoed around him.

‘My, you’re quite small. I’ve never seen a man this small before, if you don’t mind me saying’ she slowly spoke, looking at him in amazement ‘If this is too loud for you, I’ll lower my voice’ she added, noticing the tiny man lift his hands towards his ears ‘Oh, I’m forgetting myself. My name’s Kristine. What’s yours?’

He cried his name out, then did so again. Even being this close to her face she couldn’t hear him. Bringing the palm with him to her ear was no good either, Sean was too small to be heard even from close proximity.

‘That’s okay’ the giantess said, moving the hand back below her face ‘We can find other ways to communicate. How about this: you lift your right arm for a yes and your left one for a no. Is that okay?’

He lifted his right arm. A giant smile filled his sky.

‘Good, that’s settled’ she said, content ‘In that case I hope you don’t mind if I ask you some questions. First of all… are you human?’

Right arm.

‘Really? How curious. Then I guess you must be the smallest human in the history so far’ she said, smiling ‘Okay, question number two – have you always been this small?’

Left arm.

‘Even more curious. But why? Why are you so… Let me ask in a different way. Were you sick? No? Okay. Then… Did someone do this to you? No, I see. Did… did you do this to yourself?’

Right arm. Hesitantly.

‘Oh my. I’m not sure if I want to know HOW you did it’ she said, reaching out for the cup with her free hand and taking a sip. Much to her displeasure the tea in it was getting cold, but it gave her an idea ‘Would you like some tea? It’s not hot, you could safely have a drink’ she asked and saw him lift his right arm. She put the cup back on the coffee table, dipped the tip of her index finger in the beverage and brought it closer to Sean, lying it down on her palm. She watched in marvel as the little man carefully approached her fingertip and gathered some tea from it with his cupped hands. She waited patiently until he had his fill, then wiped her finger against her dress. ‘Poor thing, he must’ve been thirsty’ she thought. She then saw him bow in gratitude and a cheerful giggle left her lips. He was adorable.

‘Don’t mention it. It’s my pleasure to help out a little guy such as yourself’ she told him, bestowing another gentle smile at him ‘Speaking of help, I’m sure there’s someone out there who misses you. Am I right?’

Sean hesitated. He didn’t exactly have friends these days. He’s lost touch with his colleagues when he quit working at the University and went independent. He had no family in this city. The only person who could’ve realized (or cared) that he was missing was Mandy and, the way he figured, only because he was paying her for working at his lab. And so Sean lifted both his arms and the twin blue moons above blinked in surprise.

‘Is that a “I don’t know”? Yes? Oh, it is. Well, in that case, how about you spend the night here? It’s not like you’re going to take much space’ she sent him a smile ‘Besides, I could use some company. And you could use some safety’

He couldn’t argue with that, even if he wanted. He was actually relieved to hear Kristine’s offer and agreed to it wholeheartedly. He wished he was at least a bit bigger to be heard so he could properly thank her and express his gratitude. Since that was out of the question for now, he opted for the tried solution and bowed once more, glad to hear her sincere laughter in response to his gesture.

‘My, you’re so well-behaved, little one’ she said, smiling down at him ‘My niece would get a kick out of you. In fact, she’s coming over tomorrow morning. Would you like me to show her to you?’

He hesitated once again but, not wanting to be rude, he slowly lifted his right arm.

‘That’s wonderful! I’m sure she’ll like you as I do’ she said, reaching for her cup once more. ‘Hum. Too cold now. I’ll just go and pour it into the sink. I’m taking you on a ride, little one. Don’t worry, I won’t clench my fist, you’ll be safe’.

She slowly closed her fingers, making sure she keeps her promise and not accidentally harm her little passenger. Taking the cup in the other hand, she stood up and walked to the kitchen. She poured the leftover tea into the sink and left the empty cup there, but not before pouring some cold water in it. She then stepped over to the kitchen table and took a seat, setting the hand Sean was in down so he could descend onto a white napkin. Her hand now free, she brought it down and put it on her thigh, all the while looking at him. He didn’t stay in one spot for too long, eager to take a gander at his surroundings. There wasn’t much to be seen on the empty table, save for the napkin Kristine put him on and a small wicker basket filled with various types of fruit standing nearby. She watched him turn his attention towards the latter and offered him an apple. He accepted, so she grabbed one and took a bite, then pinched a tiny piece of the fruit and offered it to him, smiling as she watched him eagerly approach her finger and take it. They sat for a moment, each eating their piece of the apple and when Kristine was finished she stood up and threw the core in the trash bin. She noticed an empty matchbox lying by the stove and an idea appeared in her mind. She picked it up and put it on the table, lying it down on its side.

‘I need something to safely keep you in. Can you hold on in there before we find something better for you?’ she asked and, having received a positive answer, she waited for Sean to walk inside before slowly turning the box and closing it. She picked it up and walked out of the kitchen, holding the matchbox in her hand as steady as she could.

Outside, the sun had already set. It was getting dark and Kristine felt the fatigue taking hold of her. She walked into her bedroom and opened the box as she set it on the pillow, allowing Sean to step out of it. She crouched to see him better, his little frame being a bit more visible against the whiteness of the pillow.

‘I’m going to take a shower and I’ll be right back’ she told him with a comforting smile ‘I’ll prepare a sleeping spot for you then. In the meantime, don’t go too far, I’d hate to lose sight of you’ she added and left the room, grabbing a light blue sleeping gown on her way. As he waited, Sean strolled around the pillow, as if he was walking on a huge, snowy hill. He was glad to be out of the matchbox, the ride in which he didn’t particularly enjoyed – the inside was made out of a coarse paper and it smelled distinctly of sulphur. All in all, not a pleasant place to be when you’re just a quarter of an inch tall.

He took his shoes and socks off, relishing in the softness beneath him as he walked there and back again. He took the time to look around, seeing an antique wardrobe standing in the corner, a shoe closet filled with several different pairs of shoes to the side and a small white desk with a mirror, which stood on the opposite of the two. He turned, noticing a short nightstand with three drawers and a small, dark green lamp standing on it, being the only source of light (albeit a bit dim) in the room. There was a glasses case lying nearby, in a similar shade of green. He then looked ahead at the vast, white expense of the covers, wondering how long Kristine’s bed was and guessing its length to be about seven feet.

Suddenly, Kristine entered the room and Sean was amazed to see someone this enormous move so swiftly and graciously. Her blue gown was long, almost reaching her ankles, and it had floral embroideries as wide as he was tall running through its surface. He turned and walked back into the box, making sure to grab his shoes on the way, and stayed put as Kristine moved him to the nightstand. As he stepped out he saw her crouching in front of his standing spot, searching for something in the drawer below. Suddenly he heard her cry out in joy and he instinctively covered his ears upon the loud noise.

‘Sorry about that’ she said, bringing her face up to look at him ‘But look what I found!’

She lifted her right hand and Sean noticed a bunch of tiny (at least to her), colourful objects gathered in her palm. As she brought it closer and let it slide from her hand onto the nightstand, he realized just what they were – cushions. Miniature, decorative cushions, each around an inch in diameter.

‘My niece got them for me as a gift. I’ve never had any idea where to put them. Until you came along’ she said, beaming another smile at him ‘You can pick whichever you want. Even better, you can sleep on a different one each night. I mean… If you were to stay that long’ she added in an awkward tone before regaining her composure and enthusiasm ‘Go on! Pick one!’

He approached the pile of cushions, of which there were twelve. Each of a different colour and with a different picture on it. There was a light green one with a pink flamingo. A white one with a rainbow stretching between two clouds. A black one with red, blue and yellow smudges resembling a nebula. A grey one with the four cardinal directions, looking like a rudimental compass. A beige one with a golden strip running across it. And a few more. He picked the compass one and climbed on top of it, lying down on his back. She asked if he needed a blanket, to which he shook his head. Happy to see Sean having found his sleeping spot, Kristine took off her glasses and put them back into the case.

‘I was going to finish my book’ she began to speak after a moment of silence ‘But the light in here isn’t too good for that. Besides I’m tired’ she added, turning to her side and looking towards him. Sean sat down to face her as well. Her beautiful face looked mesmerizing in the twilight of the bedroom and he didn’t mind falling asleep and waking up to such a sight. ‘I’d let you sleep here in bed with me, but I’d worry about your safety. I wouldn’t want to hurt you when I turn in my sleep. And I need the case for my glasses, so I couldn’t put you in there either. But I don’t think you’re complaining. Are you?’

Left arm. Distant smiles, from her to him and back the other way.

‘Happy to hear. And now, let’s go to sleep’ she said and he watched her massive arm stretch above him, her long fingers grabbing the chain under the lamp’s shade and pulling it down, plunging the room into darkness. ‘Goodnight, little one. See you in the morning’ she whispered at the end.

He lied down on his miniature pillow, listening to her calm breath, soothed and relaxed. The long and perilous day was over and he was finally safe, now that he was under Kristine’s protection. ‘I couldn’t have picked a better place to stay’ he thought with a smile as he fell asleep soon after, the sound of her breathing rocking him gently to sleep.