The giant spoon suddenly changed directions, withdrawing from its lip-sealed prison, dumping its contents, Nick included, onto Cassie’s giant, slimy tongue. The unstable, wet ground beneath him moved up and down violently, and Nick was struggling to keep his footing and avoid being swept towards the sides of Cassie’s mouth, where he could hear the frighteningly loud crunching of her two mammoth rows of teeth pulverizing the huge boulders of cereal into nothing but gooey paste.
The tip of Cassie‘s massive tongue kept tilting upwards and crashing into the top of her mouth, and Nick was struggling to keep from being washed backwards towards her throat; but he was quickly losing ground.
Suddenly, Cassie’s tongue lurched forward, catching Nick completely off guard. His tiny body collided with a loud SPLAT into a wet, sticky marshmallow. He desperately tried to push himself away, but the pressure from the huge tongue was pushing his hand and arms deeper into the slimy goo.
“CASSIE, PLElbmf!” Nick cried out as his face and upper torso were pressed firmly into the sticky mash. The tiny man struggled madly to free himself, but it was no use. He was stuck.
And as soon as Cassie swallowed, he was a goner.

Like most people, Cassie was a woman of many unique talents....and peculiar quirks. One of which was her rather nimble tongue: not only could she roll hers, like many other people who have the dominant genes, she could actually flip it upside down, but perhaps the most extraordinary and sensual of feats was her ability to tie knots in cherry stems using only her tongue, a talent she’d often show off to her husband, much to his delight.
Her tongue’s dexterity also came in hand for another one of Cassie’s little quirks: the way she ate Lucky Charms®a039;, or at least any cereal which happened to contain marshmallows. A normal person would just eat their cereal haphazardly, giving little to no heed as to the ratio of marshmallows and cereal bits on their spoon.
Not Cassie, however. Cassie would simply eat around the marshmallows, consuming all the crunchy bits first, then eating said marshmallows at the very end. Plus, if she DID happen to scoop up any marshmallows before she was ready to eat them, she would either dump them off her spoon, or push them off with her finger. When this didn’t work or wasn’t an option, however, Cassie would stick the bite into her mouth; then, actually use her tongue to seek out and separate the marshmallows and spit them back into her bowl.
And it was that particular quirk which ended up sparing Nick’s life. Despite being dumped onto Cassie’s tongue with her latest spoonful of cereal, he was luckily grouped together with one of the few marshmallows that had been scooped up as well. When Cassie spit those marshmallows back into her bowl, Nick was taken along for the ride, splashing down into the milk below.
“Ah,” Cassie exhaled with satisfaction as she swallowed her last bite.
“Enjoying your cereal?” Jenny giggled.
“Yup,” Cassie nodded with a huge grin, inspecting her bowl for any crunchy stragglers.
“Sweetie,” Jenny commented with a chuckle, shaking her head, “you know, you’re the only person I know who eats Lucky Charms®a039;like that?”
“I know,” Cassie smiled, chuckling. “I’m weird.”
Cassie meticulously scooped up the last few cereal bits quickly consumed them, while Jenny simply sighed and rolled her eyes playfully.
“Well, I need to pee,” Cassie said, resting her spoon in her bowl and standing up from the table. “Be right back.”
“OK, sweetie,” Jenny chuckled, shaking her head again as Cassie disappeared around the corner into the living room.

Nick gasped for air as he breached the surface of the milk once again, coughing and gagging on the milk which had washed down his esophagus.
“CASSIE!” he shouted up desperately, almost choking on a few random drops of milk, “JENNY, HELP!”
He’d just spent the last minute working himself free from the piece of marshmallow he’d been stuck in, and was taking what precious time he had to gauge his surroundings....and his situation:
His giantess wife was nowhere in sight, but he really couldn’t see much beyond the rim of the huge cereal bowl. The gigantic spoon, which only moments before had scooped him up and shoveled him into Cassie’s terrifyingly colossal maw, was now resting beneath the surface of the milk, its handle extending upwards and leaning over the side of the bowl...
A chance for freedom! Nick thought.
The tiny man immediately started swimming as quickly as he could to reach the spoon, knowing he wouldn’t have long before Cassie returned, but at his current size, the bowl was so vast and the spoon so far away that he feared he’d never make it in time, and if he didn’t...
Nick stopped swimming. He realized his best chance at survival was growing himself large enough to be spotted, or at least be large enough to prevent himself from being eaten, but with all the excitement and torture he’d been put through, he hadn’t been able to focus. He needed to calm down and concentrate while things were quiet, but how could he concentrate while he was treading milk...?
The answer hit Nick almost immediately. He arched his body and leaned back, trying to float his now still body on the surface of the milk.
“Come on, Nick,” he said to himself, “You can do this. You just have to focus.”
Unfortunately, it was extremely difficult to concentrate while floating in a lake of cold milk, and unlike when he was safely locked inside his hotel room, Nick had never actually practiced re-growing himself while in danger. But what choice did he have? He had to escape Cassie’s bowl before she came back and ate him.
“Alright,” Nick said as he closed his eyes, picturing himself at his perfect 6-foot height. “Here we go…
“...Focus…Breathe…Grow…”

Something suddenly bumped into Nick’s foot; his eyes shot open!
He was still floating on his back, and everything above him was still huge.
It didn’t work?! Nick thought fearfully. I’m still small!
He leaned forward until he was vertical, curious as to what had hit him...
Nick’s eyes shot open wide. A large, blue marshmallow was sitting just in front of him, slowly being pushed away by the ripples he’d kicked up...it was the very marshmallow he’d been stuck in a few moments ago, only it wasn’t as big as he remembered. In fact, NONE of the marshmallows that currently surrounded him appeared quite as big as before, and as he gazed at the walls of the bowl, Nick realized they seemed a lot closer.
Nick HAD grown! Not a lot—certainly not enough to outgrow the cereal bowl—but he was definitely bigger: at least twice his previous size! It wasn’t much, but it would have to do.
With no time to spare, Nick quickly spotted the spoon resting inside the bowl and swam like mad to reach it.

It had been a few minutes since Cassie had excused herself, and Jenny was taking the free time to browse through her phone at the table.
Suddenly, Jenny heard something; a small, faint, squeaking sound. She raised her eyes from her phone and quickly scanned the room, holding her body—and her breath—still.
“...Jenny, down here...” a tiny voice squeaked.
“Nick?!” Jenny gasped softly, quickly checking the floor around her chair. “Sweetheart, is that you?!”
“...Jenny! I’m here...” the tiny voice squeaked again.
“Nick, I hear you,” Jenny called in a hushed tone, frantically scanning the floor by her feet, “but I don’t see you, sweetie. Where are you?”
“...JENNY! OVER HERE!...” Nick squeaked frantically.
Jenny expanded her search to the more distant parts of the kitchen, standing up at the table to help get a better view, looking for any sign of Nick’s tiny figure.
“...JENNY! IN THE BOWL!...” Nick squeaked.
Still confused, Jenny turned her attention back to the table, her eyes falling on Cassie’s cereal bowl...
Jenny gasped, emitting a tiny squeak! There was Nick, his tiny figure frantically waving to her on Cassie’s spoon.
“Nick, Oh my God!” Jenny exclaimed, quickly reaching for the bowl. “THERE you are!”
“NO, JENNY!” Nick shrieked, waving her off. “WAIT—“
It was too late. Without thinking, Jenny grabbed the cereal bowl and pulled it towards her. The sudden jerk threw Nick off the spoon handle, sending him splashing back down into the milk.
“SHIT! Nick!” Jenny gasped, quickly retrieving the spoon. “Hang on!”
Jenny carefully fished the spoon around the bowl, looking for Nick’s tiny figure. The tiny man surfaced a couple seconds later towards the middle of the bowl.
“Hang on, sweetie,” Jenny whispered down, carefully maneuvering the spoon beneath him and scooping him up with a small sample of milk. “I’ve got you!”
Nick held on as best he could, sloshed around a bit by Jenny’s quick movements.
“Nick, Oh my God!” Jenny squeaked quietly, bringing the spoon up near her face so she could hear his tiny voice. “Sweetie, what happened?!”
“I shrank in my SLEEP again!” he squeaked up.
“Ugh, I can see that,” Jenny scoffed acrimoniously. “I meant, how did you end up in Cassie’s cereal bowl? For Christ’s sake, you could’ve been EATEN!”
“Yes, I’m well aware of that, Jenny,” Nick replied just as sarcastically. “Look, I’ll explain everything later. Just get me off this spoon so I can grow back.”
“Sweetie,” Jenny began, “I’m don’t think—“
Jenny suddenly heard water running in the distance, a clear indication that Cassie was finishing up in the bathroom.
“Oh no,” Jenny uttered anxiously. “Sweetie, listen: “I can’t explain right now, but you can’t grow back. At least, not yet.”
“WHAT?!” Nick squeaked. “WHAT’RE YOU TALKING ABOUT, JENNY?! COME ON!”
“Nick, I promise I’ll explain everything, but not right now. Cassie’ll be back any second!”
“But Jenny, I—“
“Nick, you don’t understand. You’ve gotta—“
Jenny suddenly heard Cassie stomping through the living room. She wasn’t sure how Cassie would react if she found Nick shrunk again. Jenny had to hide him....FAST!
“I’m sorry,” Jenny mouthed.
“JENNY, WHAT—AAAAA—!”
Nick yelped as the giant spoon suddenly and unexpectedly lurched forward....right into Jenny’s open mouth. The next thing the tiny man knew, everything went dark.

Trying to think quickly, Jenny shoved the spoon into her mouth, sucking up its contents—Nick included—then quickly deposited it back in the Cathy‘s bowl, shoving everything back over to the other side of the table.
“Jmrnmrm! Lmrt Mrm Omt!” Nick’s tiny, muffled voice squeaked from within Jenny’s mouth.
“SHH!” Jenny quickly shushed the tiny man through the side of her mouth, shoving him into her cheek as Cassie stepped back into the kitchen.
“Ah,” Cassie sighed, as she stepped over to the table, pulling out her chair. “So, what’s up?”
“Oh,” Jenny mumbled, trying to not make it sound like she had something in her mouth, “nothin’.”
Nick, however, was frantically squirming against Jenny’s cheek, squeaking to be let out of her mouth, but Jenny kept pushing Nick against her cheek with her tongue, trying to keep him still and quiet.
“I-Is everything OK?” Cassie inquired, noticing Jenny’s odd behavior.
“Hm?” Jenny uttered, her tongue in her cheek. “Yeah....I just need to...uh, use the restroom, too. Excuse me.”
“U-Uh, O-OK,” Cassie stuttered with confusion as Jenny quickly stood up from the table and scurried out of the kitchen.
Cassie gawked with bewilderment as she watched her friend disappear around the corner; then, she turned back to the table, shrugged, and shook her head as she hungrily picked up her spoon to dig into the much-anticipated marshmallow feast in her bowl.
Meanwhile, Jenny hurriedly shuffled through the living room and dashed down the hallway into the bathroom, with Nick still struggling and screaming inside her mouth.
“Nick, stop, before I accidentally swallow you,” Jenny murmured as she flipped on the bathroom light, closing and locking the door behind her. She quickly stepped over to the sink and opened her mouth, gently depositing Nick into her open palm.
“UGH!” Nick squeaked with disgust, wiping the saliva from his body, “JENNY, WHAT’S THE BIG IDEA?!”
“Shh, be quiet!” she commanded. “We can’t let Cassie find you like this!”
“ALRIGHT, FINE,” Nick squeaked with frustration. “THEN, JUST SET ME DOWN AND GIVE ME A MINUTE TO REGROW MYSELF!”
“NO!” Jenny exclaimed in a hushed tone, scaring the tiny man half to death. “NOT HERE!”
“JEEZ!” Nick yelped. “JENNY, DON’T SCARE ME THAT!”
“Sorry, sweetie,” Jenny apologized, “but if Cassie finds you shrunk again, she’ll squash you for sure!”
“Yeah!” Nick squeaked impertinently. “All the more reason for me to get BIG again!”
“Oh, and just what do plan on doing, unshrinking yourself right HERE?!” Jenny asked indignantly. “What do you think Cassie’s going to say when you just appear unannounced in your guys’ bathroom....and stark naked nonetheless?!”
“WHO CARES WHAT SHE THINKS?!” Nick replied impatiently, though realizing that Jenny HAD made a valid point.
“I CARE!” Jenny exclaimed, then quickly lowering her voice, worried she was getting too loud. “There’ll be too many questions; she’ll know something’s up!”
“Fine,” Nick replied, trying to come up with an idea, and growing even more impatient, “Just....Just go grab me some fresh clothes from the bedroom.”
“Yeah, And THEN what?!” Jenny inquired.
“I don’t know,” Nick replied restlessly. “Look, Jenny, I can’t just STAY like this!”
“Look, don’t worry,” Jenny reassured him. “I’ll grab some of your clothes and stick them AND you inside my bag; I’ll sneak you out when I leave and you can get dressed over at my place. Then, all you have to do is show up to visit Cassie like you planned. She won’t be the wiser!”
“Well...how long until you can leave?”
“I don’t know,” Jenny shrugged, shaking her head. “Look, I’ll get you out of here, I promise. You just gotta be patient!”
“But Jenny, I—“
KNOCK KNOCK
“Jenny?” Cassie‘s voice called from the other side of the door.
Jenny gasped, instinctively closing her hands, which caused Nick to emit a surprised squeak.
“Yeah?” Jenny cringed, realizing she’d just smashed Nick between her hands, though still keeping them together to drown out his tiny squeaks.
“Is everything OK in there?” Cassie asked.
“Uh, yeah, everything‘s fine,” Jenny replied nervously. “Just finishing up.”
“Uh...were you talking to someone just now?” Cassie asked.
“Huh, ME?! No,” Jenny replied quickly, trying to think of a good excuse on the fly, “I was just, uh, talking into my phone. I’m chatting with that guy I told you about. I figured it would be easier to just dictate into my phone instead of typing.”
“O-Oh, OK,” Cassie replied. “Sorry, I was just checking on up ya.”
“Uh, thanks, Cass, but I’m fine. I’ll be out in a minute, OK?”
“OK.”
Jenny heard Cassie step away from the door and head back down the hallway, then carefully un-cupped her hands, revealing Nick’s battered body.
“Oh my Gosh, sweetie!” Jenny whispered anxiously, “Are you OK?”
“Ow,” Nick strained, sitting up in Jenny’s palm, rubbing his head. “Yeah, I’m fine, but if I’m gonna stay this small for any longer, could you PLEASE put me somewhere safe before I get squished!”
“Of course, honey,” Jenny replied sympathetically. “Just hold tight, OK?”
Jenny carefully closed three of her fingers over the tiny man, leaving her thumb and forefinger free to accept and hold her phone from her left hand. Nick reeled when the he saw the huge phone descending on top of him, shrouding him in near darkness, but soon realized he was relatively safe in the makeshift cubbyhole Jenny had made between her phone and her hand.
The tiny man was growing increasingly anxious and nervous, not just over how the events of the morning had unfolded, but also from listening to the girls’ conversation which he’d overheard despite being stuck to the bottom of Jenny’s foot earlier. Jenny did have a point: he certainly didn’t want Cassie to find him at his current size and squash him like a bug before he had the chance to regrow himself, but if he regained his height in the apartment, Cassie was going to know that something was up. He didn’t want to have to explain his unexpected presence, and he CERTAINLY didn’t want Cassie to find out about Jenny’s and his “little” sexual interlude, but he was growing more and more concerned he’d be squished, eaten, or stepped on before any of that would even be a problem. For now, perhaps just laying low and letting Jenny sneak him out and over to her place was the best option.
Meanwhile, Jenny carefully brought her hand with Nick and her phone close to her chest, then turned and headed out of the bathroom, moving quickly down the hall to the bedroom.
“OOF!” Jenny exclaimed as she turned the corner into the bedroom....running square into Cassie, who was just on her way OUT of the bedroom.
Things happened quickly.
The collision knocked Jenny’s hands up, her phone smacking her in the face. The resulting jostle threw Nick from the relative safety of his cubbyhole, tossing him with a tiny squeak down the inside of Jenny’s shirt. Jenny gasped and, feeling his tiny figure tumbling down her chest, reactively smacked her free hand onto her chest to keep Nick from falling down any further. She cringed again, immediately regretting her decision, worried that she’d just smashed him into her chest, but the tiny man was already tumbling down her left breast, frantically reaching out for something to grab on to.
“Ope! Sorry, Jen,” Cassie apologized. “I didn’t see you coming around the corner.”
“U-Uh,” Jenny stuttered, her mind still concentrating on Nick’s tumbling down her chest, “I, uh...
“EEP!” Jenny suddenly squeaked, cupping her hand over her breast.
At that precise moment, Nick found something to grab on to and arrest his fall. Unfortunately for Jenny, it turned out to be her nipple.
“A-Are you OK?!” Cassie asked, seeing Jenny suddenly grasp her boob.
“Yes,” Jenny cringed, her eyes closed, regretting her reflexes yet again. “I just...accidentally tweaked my nipple, that’s all.”
“Oh, I’m sorry, sweetie,” Cassie apologized again, seeing her friend in pain. “I-I really didn’t see you there. Honest.”
“I-It’s OK,” Jenny stammered, trying to restrain herself as Nick wiggled frantically beneath her hand. She was desperately trying to keep the tiny man from moving, as his constant squirming on her nipple was currently stimulating her, but the harder she pressed to keep Nick still, the more frantically he struggled, which was only exacerbating BOTH their problems.
“I thought you went back to the kitchen,” Jenny commented frustratedly.
“Well, I was GOING to,” Cassie replied, eyeing Jenny’s odd body language, “but then I figured, since I was already over here to check on you, I might as well change my clothes real quick.
“A-Are you gonna be OK?” Cassie asked, growing concerned. “You look like your in pain.”
“Oh, I’ll be fine,” Jenny finally managed to speak, desperately struggling to endure Nick’s squirming.
“Well, you don’t LOOK fine,” Cassie commented, reaching out for Jenny’s arm. “Come on. Why don’t we go put some ice on that?”
“Y-You wanna WHAT?!” Jenny exclaimed, pulling away slightly, unsure she heard Cassie correctly.
“I wanna go get some ice for you to put on your nipple,” Cassie repeated, taking Jenny by the arm. “Trust me, it’ll help it feel better. I’ve got sensitive nipples, too, and it works for ME every time.”
“Cassie,” Jenny replied dubiously, still struggling to contain herself, “I really don’t think that—“
“Nonsense,” Cassie interrupted her, leading her to the kitchen by the arm, “it’ll be fine. Trust me. Come on.”
Jenny reluctantly allowed Cassie to guide her by her free arm to the kitchen, all the while still grasping her breast with her left hand, with Nick still squirming frantically beneath it. Jenny gritted her teeth and scrunched her face, trying to both endure the surge of pleasure she felt, and keep Cassie from discovering the REAL reason for her discomfort.
“Here,” Cassie said, pulling the chair out from the table, “just sit down for a second and I’ll grab you some ice.”
With Cassie’s back was turned and preoccupied with searching the freezer for some ice, Jenny hurriedly removed her hand from her breast and opened the collar of her shirt, hoping she could quickly retrieve Nick. Unfortunately, the moment she released her hand, Nick lost his grip. He began falling, his high, squeaky voice calling out as he tumbled down Jenny’s stomach. Jenny could do nothing but watch her tiny lover plummet further down her shirt, disappearing just past her tummy.
“What was that?!” Cassie asked, turning to look back at Jenny upon hearing the tiny squeak.
“Uh, nothing,” Jenny replied swiftly, quickly releasing her collar. “That was me. I-I....squeaked. I was, uh, inspecting my...breast.”
“Oh,” Cassie uttered, slightly confused, “well, you can just take your shirt off.”
“WHAT?!” Jenny exclaimed.
“Just take your shirt off,” Cassie repeated, turning back towards the fridge. “There’s no need to be shy. Besides, it’ll be easier anyway.”
“Uh, gee, Cass,” Jenny replied nervously, “I-I really wouldn’t feel comfortable.”
“It’s fine, really,” Cassie shrugged, pulling out a couple ice cubes from the freezer. “It’s nothing I haven’t seen before.”
“U-Uh....O-OK,” Jenny replied apprehensively, “but maybe you should wrap up those ice cubes in, like, a towel or something.”
“Yeah, good idea,” Cassie said. “I’ll just wrap ‘em in a paper towel real quick.”
The second Cassie turned her back again, Jenny immediately began fumbling with the hem of her shirt, feverishly trying to shake Nick out the bottom before anything else happened, but the tiny man had managed to get himself wedged beneath the waistband of Jenny‘s shorts. Without thinking, Jenny reached down to pull back the waistband and retrieve him. Nick frantically tried to wave her off again, but it was too late. The moment Jenny released the tension, Nick disappeared, yelping a surprised, frightened squeak as he slipped further down into Jenny’s panties.
Jenny gasped; her eyes went wide! She was in utter disbelief over what had just happened. She instinctively stood up from her chair and pulled back her waistband to see if she could spot Nick more easily.
At that precise moment, Cassie had just finished wrapping the ice cubes in a paper towel and had turned back to her friend, whom she wasn’t expecting to be standing in front of the chair...
Once again, things happened fast.
“Hmph!” Jenny uttered with surprise as Cassie’s thigh smacked her square between the legs.
“OOF!” Cassie exclaimed frustratedly. “Sweetie, why are you standing up?!
“Here, sit back down,” Cassie said, carefully guiding Jenny back into the seat. “Man, we just seem to be running into each other like crazy today, huh?!”
Jenny, however, didn’t reply; she was otherwise distracted. The impact with Cassie’s thigh had actually thrust Nick, who HAD been in the crotch area of Jenny’s panties, halfway up her vagina, with his arms pinned to his sides and only his legs sticking out of her pussy. Now, the tiny man was kicking and struggling frantically to free himself, and all of his squirming was only stimulating Jenny even more.
“Alright, now, take off your shirt,” Cassie instructed her.
“Huh?” Jenny uttered meekly, a look of shock on her face, and still focused on the fact that Nick had just been thrust unexpectedly into her vagina.
“Take off your shirt so you can put this on your nipple,” Cassie repeated, holding out the paper-towel-wrapped ice cubes.
“Oh,” Jenny replied, desperately trying to keep still, “Uh, OK.”
Jenny pulled up her shirt, taking a moment while her face was hidden to mouth “Oh my God” and grit her teeth before yanking it the rest of the way off.
“OK, here,” Cassie said, handing Jenny the paper towel, watching intently as Jenny carefully applied it to her breast. “Better?”
“Mm HM!” the topless Jenny replied, forcefully pressing her lips shut, looking like she was in pain. It was certainly an awkward position. She was currently topless and literally holding an icepack to her breast while simultaneously squeezing her vagina closed to keep the tiny man stuck inside it still, which only him squirm even more frantically. If she hadn’t been straining to keep herself still, Jenny might’ve found the whole thing quite comical.
“Sweetie, are you OK?!” Cassie inquired upon seeing the strange expression on Jenny’s face. “You look like you’re still in pain!”
“Oh, I’m fine,” Jenny lied, biting her lower lip. “I’m just....a little uncomfortable at the moment.”
“Why?! What’s wrong?” Cassie asked concernedly. “Is it your nipple?”
“You know, it’s a little hard to describe,” Jenny replied, scrunching her face uncomfortably, “but sitting here with my shirt off certainly isn’t helping me feel any better, so I think I’ll just excuse myself for a minute.”
“But, Jen, I don’t think—”
Cassie stopped mid-sentence. She suddenly spotted a pair of Nick’s sandals over by the front door. They were sitting by wall of the laundry nook, just in front of the dryer.
“What the—?” Cassie uttered as she slowly strolled over to the dryer.
Jenny watched as Cassie stepped past, taking the opportunity to shift in her seat, seeing if she could push and dislodge Nick from her pussy.
“That’s weird,” Cassie commented, standing over the sandals, eyeing them with confusion.
“What?!” Jenny replied breathlessly through gritted teeth, still trying to endure Nick’s wiggling as she peered over her shoulder. “What is it?”
“These are NICK’S sandals,” Cassie replied, bending down picking up the shoes.
“Yeah, so?”
“So....how’d they GET here?”
Jenny quickly realized that the sandals Cassie was now holding were the very pair Nick had been wearing when he came over earlier that morning.
“Um, maybe they’ve just been sitting there since he left,” Jenny said, hoping Cassie would believe it.
“For TWO WEEKS?!” Cassie exclaimed dubiously. “Jen, I’ve been in the kitchen at least a DOZEN times, and done laundry at least TWICE since Nick left; I certainly would’ve seen them sitting here!”
“Wh—What’re you saying, Cassie?” Jenny inquired nervously.
Cassie’s eyes shot to the floor; she quickly lifted up her right foot, anxiously inspecting her sole.
“Cassie, what is it?!” Jenny asked anxiously, “What’s wrong?!”
“Jenny, don’t you GET IT?!” Cassie exclaimed. “Nick is HERE!!”