The color drained from my face at my mother’s words. Update her social media? I dreaded what she meant by that, knowing that it would have something to do with my “punishment”. 

“But first!” Mom said, sitting back down on her bed. “Let’s get you used to your new mode of transportation!” 

My mom held me in one hand and lowered me towards the ground. As I got closer, I realized what my destination was: 

Her fuzzy house slippers. 

“Wait!” I cried. “Mom, no! Please don’t!” 

But it was too late. My mother tilted her hand and I went rolling off onto the soft insole of her left slipper. I scrambled to my knees and looked up at her hopelessly. 

“Aww, baby!” Mom cooed. “You look so precious in there~” 

“Please, Mom!” I shouted up. “Please take me out! I don’t wanna be in your slipper!” 

“Now now, honey,” she chided, slipping her right foot into its own slipper. I shuddered as I heard the sound of her smooth skin sliding against the fabric. “I told you that you were going to live under my feet, and I meant it. You have to start getting used to it, ok?” 

I didn’t even respond as I simply stared back at her in terror. Her only response was to smile and lift her bare foot above me. 

“Ok, baby! Get ready~” she teased me, wiggling her toes as she lowered her foot toward me. “Here I come~” 

I scrambled frantically toward the end of her slipper, deeper into the dark cave as if I could escape. It was no use, as the foot slid over me and completely smothered me, pinning me on my back as all light was snuffed out. The lower half of my body was pressed under my mother’s warm sole, and the upper half in the humid alcove of her arch. 

“Please, Mom…” I weakly cried, slamming my free hand into the side of the slipper. “Let me out…” 

But my pleas went either unheard or ignored as my mom stood up to head into the living room. 

“Ok sweetheart~” I heard my mother’s muffled voice rang out above me. “Let’s go!” 

I then fell into the rollercoaster rhythm of ups and downs, being quickly thrown into the air and lurching forwards before slamming back into the ground. This continued for about 30 seconds as my mom made her quick journey. I sighed in exhaustion and relief when I felt the weight of her body lift slightly off of me, meaning that she must have sat down on the sofa. The light returned as I felt the massive wall of flesh above me slide back out of the dark, soft cave of the slipper. I weakly raised my head to see my mom’s giddy face peering in at me. 

“Enjoy the ride, baby?” She cooed. “I hope so, because you’ll be getting a lot more from now on!” 

I groaned and let my head fall back down onto the cushioned surface of the insole, closing my eyes in defeat. 

“Now come here, little guy…” I felt my Mom’s finger and thumb latch onto my sides as I was lifted into the air. I hung limp, not even bothering to protest anymore. For a split second I thought that my dead weight would be a form of protest, but then realized that was stupid because I was so tiny that she could overpower me and move me however and wherever she wanted no matter what I did. 

I felt myself being laid on the couch, and I opened my eyes to see my mother’s bus-sized feet on either side of me. She was slowly flexing her soles, making the skin stretch and wrinkle up in a steady pattern of motion. I sat up and saw her with one finger on her chin, her phone in the other hand. 

“Hmm…” she mused. “Now what would be the best pose for you…” 

‘W-What are you talking about?” I asked sheepishly. 

“For my Facebook post!” She said casually. “I’m wondering what would be the best pose for you in the photo…” 

My mouth fell open in horror. She couldn’t do that! 

“No, Mom!” I pleaded. “Please don’t post pictures of me like this!” 

“Oh you look fine, baby!” Mom teased. “You're so small that people won’t be able to see your body in detail.” 

“You know that’s not what I mean!” I angrily shouted. “I don’t want other people to see me small at your feet!” 

“But I do, sweetheart,” she said matter-of-factly. “I want all my friends to see what I’m doing to discipline my baby boy! It’ll help promote pandemic safety!” 

I simply stared at her, dumbfounded and powerless. 

“Oh! I know!” she excitedly said, getting her phone camera ready as she stood her right foot up next to me with her left foot laying down on my other side. “Walk up to my right foot and stand next to it, with your hands on it, like you’re giving me a massage!” 

“NO!” I shouted defiantly. I immediately regretted it. 

Without a word, and with a stern look on her face, my mother slammed her right foot on top of me, grinding me into the malleable surface of the couch like a cigarette butt. 

“When I tell you to do something, you do it!” She scolded as she lifted her foot and set it back into position. “Understand?” 

“Yes… Mom…” I groaned defeatedly as I stood up, reeling from the attack. 

“Good boy. Now, get into position.” 

I did as I was told, standing beside the foot and placing my hands on it as if I was rubbing her arch. From her point of view, one side of my body would be partially concealed behind the wall of her foot, but most of me would still be in view. 

“Hehehe” she giggled, raising her phone. “Now… look at the camera!” 

I looked up, a desperate, defeated, almost pleading look on my face as my eyes met the camera and she snapped her photo. 

“Awww!” She cooed as she examined the picture. “You’re pouting! That’s actually perfect! So cute!” 

She began typing away to write the caption as I sat on the couch, looking down as I helplessly awaited my own mother announcing to the whole world that, until further notice, I would be her tiny, shrunken foot toy. 

“And… posted!” She declared, and my heart sunk. She turned her phone around and lowered it to the surface of the couch in front of me. “Here… wanna see your BIG quarantine debut~?” 

My heart sunk even further as I looked at the new Facebook post on my mother’s account. 

I looked just as pathetic as I felt in the photo, but the caption was even worse. 

It read: 

“Someone was a bad boy and wanted to break quarantine in the middle of this pandemic! I caught him this morning trying to sneak out to go to his girlfriend’s house! Well, it looks like @Rosey_xo is going to be waiting a little while longer to see her boyfriend, because as of now, for the rest of this quarantine, I will be putting my foot down, quite literally, on my young man! Until this pandemic is over, he will be living under these pretty little feet of mine and caring for them however I see fit! 

#motherknowsbest #toughlove #footcare” 

It already had comments from my Mom’s two best friends as well: 

Judy Stevens: 

"Good for you, Amber! That's such a wonderful idea! Makes me kind of wish that my Scott hadn't already gone off to college..." 

Karen Jenson: 

"Wow, Am, that's awesome! He looks so cute by your feet, where he belongs! Hmm, I just realized that Tommy and I are due for a little mother-son bonding!" 

I shuddered in humiliation. There was even a comment from Rosey’s mother: 

Holly: 

“Omg, Rosey said that she thought it was a joke! *laughing crying emoji* 

She’s a little less enthusiastic now, but I for one am all for it! I’m glad that my daughter’s bf is from a disciplined household!” 

As if on cue, I could feel tons of vibrations through the couch, coming from my phone in my mother’s pocket. 

“Hehehe!” My mother giggled as she pulled her phone back, replying to her friends as she slipped my phone out of her pocket and tossed it onto the couch in front of me. “Here, baby. I think that’s for you~” 

She pulled out the size ray and pointed it at my phone, shrinking it down to a size that I could handle. I immediately picked it up and turned on the screen. My heart-rate picked up as I saw my notifications. 

5 new messages. 

All from Rosey…