The Diminutive Duo: Part Two

A slice of life story of two shrunken people living in the big sized world

Continued from Part One

Chapter Ten

Cain stood on the desk, the light from the monitor illuminating the area around him, and the desk stretching out in either direction. He had willingly been shrunk to three and a half inches tall months earlier, and was learning to live in the world of normal sized people. His girlfriend had also been shrunk, and she was staying with her sister. He was staying with his own sister now, and she sat behind him at the desk. Her arms reached past him, one close to almost within arm’s reach, and the other leading outward. The light from the screen illuminated the hairs on her arm, lighting them up like thin spikes. One of her hands was on the mouse, the other on the keyboard. He listened to the tapping of the keys, and clicking off the mouse. And he watched the screen, seeing the game his sister was playing. He was standing, knowing better than to sit. An arm would come at him if he wasn’t paying attention, because Flora clearly wasn’t. She was intent in her game, but still talking to him.
“Wait, don’t do that,” he told her.
“Why not?” she asked.
“Get that thing over there first,” he said, holding his arm out and pointing. She looked down at him, then up at the screen. “Which thing?” she asked, looking at the screen, her eyes searching but not finding.
“That one,” he said, continuing to point. “On the other side of the screen.” She bent down, her chin coming just over his head, as she looked where he was pointing.
“Why there?” she asked.
He sighed, lowering his arm, then explained the strategy.
“I don’t see how that would help.”
He explained some more, turning to face the girl. She’d moved her head back some, but her chin was still just in front of him. She exhaled, sending a wave of warm air at him. “All right,” she said, raising her head back and sitting back. As she clicked and tapped, she followed his instructions.
“I don’t know why you think you’re so much smarter than me,” she said.
“I am smarter than you,” Cain said, “And you asked me to help you.”
“If you’re so smart, why are you only three inches tall?” she asked smugly.
“That has nothing to do with intelligence,” he said, “I’m just weird.”
“You are weird,” she said, “But I’m weird too. But I’d never shrink myself.”
“Which is why you’re less smart,” he said smugly. She rolled her eyes, then looked back at the screen. Another fun exchange between the pair. He continued to give her advice as she played, and she complained each time, but followed his guidance. She just didn’t like admitting she needed help.


Chapter Eleven

Millie sat in the purse, snug in in an inside pocket, feeling the back and forth motion as her sister walked. It was quite comfortable in here. Hot and stuffy, obviously, but she was willing to push that aside. She was excited. After days of being around her sister, she missed her boyfriend. And now they were finally getting to see each other. It would be nice to have a normal sight, for once. And as the motion stopped, she heard distant talking. Then, light came from above, and fingers came down, searching blindly for her. One fingertip bumped into her hard, then another tapped her strongly. When they found her, they slid along her, soon wrapping around her, and pulled her out of her snug enclosure.
She was set on the rough wooden surface of a picnic table, and turned around and thanked Margery from above. Then she turned back, seeing across the length of the table to a skyscraper sized girl with bright red hair. Above, leaves formed a canopy to give them shade. The red haired giant set something on the table, and she ran. When the hand withdrew, Cain stood there. They embraced, and kissed. Then embraced some more. “I missed you so much,” she said. “I missed you, too,” he said.
They sat on the hard wood of the table, catching up. The giant pair sat on either side, watching wordlessly. They had spoken every day, but they still repeated everything now that they were face to face again. “I rode in Flora’s pocket,” he said, “There are so many gum wrappers in there.”
She laughed, “I’ve been played with like a toy, by two giant children. Your sister isn’t so bad.”
“So,” Flora said from above, “Are you two going to do it or not. I’m hoping or a show.”
Margery laughed, “That’s a sight I’d never thought to see, two inches tall people going at it.”
“We prefer our privacy for that,” Millie said.
“So says the girl who’s been going around naked for the past few days,” Margery said.
“Tell me about it,” Flora said, “I’ve seen more of him and his little…they’re not a bashful bunch.”
“So what time is this show, or whatever is it?” Cain asked?
“It’s in about half an hour,” Millie said, “By the oak tree.”
They both looked into the distance, and in the distance was the hazy outline of the tree. Everything got hazy after a few hundred yards, due to the particles in the air. A regular sized person could see miles out, but with the particles bigger to their small eyes, they could not see as far.
“There’s no one out there,” Flora said, looking in the same direction, her upper body bent over them.
“Hopefully whoever it is shows up soon,” Millie said.
“Do you want us to leave you? And come back?” Margery asked.
“Yes, you can go run your errands,” Millie said up to her.
“And you can get back to work,” Cain said up to Flora. She’d come back to the apartment on her lunch break, gotten him and brought him here. She seemed glad to meet his new girlfriend.
“Want to go for a walk,” Cain said, “I can’t stand any more of my sister.” Millie nodded eagerly.
Millie looked up at the pair of massive women, who looked down on them, “We’ll walk from here. Margery, can you come back when it’s over?” She nodded.
Flora bent down, moving her face to just in front of Cain, “Have fun, tiny boy.” And she puckered her lips, and moved her mouth toward him. Millie stepped away, as the lips pressed into him, the upper lip at the top of his head, and the lower lip on his chest. She sucked in, the force pressing his face harder to her lips. Then the suction stopped, and the massive lips moved away. They stretched into a grin, just in front of him. Flora stood up, saying, “I love you.” He answered, “I love you, too.”
With that, Flora turned and walked away, her shoes thumping against the ground as she walked.
“Aw,” Millie said, “How cute.”
“I thought she was going to suck you in,” Margery said from above, watching the red haired girl retreat.
Millie laughed. Then she said her goodbyes to her sister, “See you in a couple hours.”
A hand reached down for her, fingers sliding around her. Then another hand came for Cain, fingers sliding around him. With their head and shoulders protruding, they were lifted off the table, and set on the ground, between two sneakers, with ankles covered in socks. Then the sneakers picked up, landing a few feet away with a thud. Then the other, as the giant woman stepped away down the path. They watched as she retreated away. Now it was just the two of them, standing on the concrete slab, next to the base of the table, metal bars laying on the concrete, almost as tall as they were. They crossed the concrete slab, reaching the walkway that led away from the table. “Time for a long walk,” Millie said.


Chapter Twelve

They strolled along the path, concrete under their feet. It was relatively smooth, though it had been rougher before years of weathering. They were near the edge, and the drop off to the field. Blades of grass reached up like green spikes next to them. The path was as wide as a freeway, and they weren’t the only traffic. Shoes plopped down nearby, as giants strolled past, though they never looked up beyond the ankles to actually see the people. There were also paws as well, as people walked their dogs. No one seemed to notice them, and if they did, they didn’t act like it. The dogs didn’t bother them, though they did spot them. They didn’t bother the tiny people, however. Cain and Millie both had bracelets on that emitted a noise that only animals could hear. It was unbearable to them, but they could only hear from close up. So if a dog saw them, it turned its curious head, then quickly turned away once it heard the noise. Then hurried past the pair, likely why their human handlers didn’t bother to look down, since their pets were suddenly speeding up. There was also a noise that birds could hear from farther away, causing them to flee. One of the many safety precautions for little people.
A dog spotted them, stepped a paw to them as if to investigate, then stepped back on the course it had been before, clearly hearing the noise. They looked up, to see a teenage girl looking down at them curiously, as her shoes thumped past on the pavement and her dog pulled her forward. She turned her head forward and looked back once, after a moment, then continued on her way.
Millie laughed, “Big people act so silly when they unexpectedly see us.”
“We’re not a common sight,” Cain said. “I can’t imagine what must go through their heads.”
“I saw a tiny once,” she said, “A couple, actually. Out in public. Before I became one. I didn’t bother them, they were just walking along the sidewalk downtown, close to the walls of the shops that line the street. I felt bad for looking, and a few others in front of me looked. But they ignored us, and we ignored them. At the time I was considering it, and thought how nice it would be to just exist like that, everyone acting as if it were normal for someone to be thirty times smaller than everyone else.”
“And here you are, the tiny person now. Out in public being noticed by big people. Is it what you hoped”
“Yes,” she said, “I like it. I like being small, and never want to be another way. And glad it’s so accepted.”
As they walked, they held hands, looking out over the top of the stalks of grass, which went off into the distance like a forest. Occasionally a person ran past, a distant giant probably miles away.
“I do like this,” Millie said, “This is nice.”
“It is,” Cain agreed, “I’ve been to this park a few times, but never like this.”
“I mean being small. Things are so…interesting.”
“I know what you mean, but I still miss home.”
“I miss home too,” she said, “But being small in a big world isn’t so bad. It’s neat.”
“Definitely for the adventurous person,” he said.
“Absolutely,” she agreed.
They walked and talked, before Millie said, “Oh, I almost forgot. I stuck myself in a corner. I told my friend I was in the city, and she got me to promise to see her. I think this afternoon would be the best time, but that would take away from our time together. Unless you join us.”
“What’s another giant person,” he said, “I’ll go.”
“Great,” she said, “Looks like we’ll see even more of the sights of this giant world.”
They caught sight of a figure of a big person across the tops of the grass, standing near the tree. They were almost even with it now, it was a straight walk through the grass. So they went to the edge of the path, and lowered themselves to the dirt, with grass stalks poking out of the ground. They waded through the grass, placing their feet between the bases of the stalks. They heard thumping from shoes behind them on the path, as big people walked by. The figure standing out in the grass was a young woman, likely early twenties, with dark brown skin and black hair. From her cultural clothes and skin, she looked to be of south Asian descent. She sat down in the grass, a few paces away from the tree, and appeared to be talking to someone on the ground. A box sat nearby, within her reach.
They caught the girl’s eye, but she said nothing as they approached. She sat on her bent legs, her knees out in front of her. They emerged from the grass, into a patch of clover. They walked through it, the clover leafs brushing against their waists. They spotted another girl, a mini, standing at the girl’s knee, also of dark complexion. When they were about two feet away, the large woman looked up from her companion, make eye contact with them, and said, “Hello! We have some people here with us.”
The other mini turned around and looked at them, waving her arm over her head, “Hi!”
They reached the other girl, and the dark brown skin of the girl’s knee. The small girl was dressed in south Asian fashion as well. The big one loomed over them like a statue common in their part of the world. Her hands were on her upper legs, like angled pillars. “Are you here for the show?”
“We are,” Millie said, “Is it a play? Are there supposed to be actors here?”
“I do it all myself,” the large woman said, holding her hand up, fingers sprawled out, “Finger puppets.”
“Finger puppets,” Cain said, taken aback.
“She’s really good at it,” the small girl said, “She’s been entertaining me for months. So I told her she needs to entertain others. So I convinced her to have this show in the park.”
“Interesting,” Cain said, looking from the giant girl to the box, draped in cloth at her side.
“My name is Soyarabai,” the small girl said, and motioned toward the big one, “And this is my sister, Sagunabai. You can call us Soya and Saguna, if you’d like.”
“I’m Millie, and this is my boyfriend, Cain.”
“How long have you been miniaturized?” Soya asked.
They talked for a few minutes, about their time while small. Soya had been miniaturized a long time, and to their surprise had been spending most of her time with her family.
“They are very accepting of me, and my small body,” she said, “I like living at home, and with my brothers and sisters in their homes. They like to entertain me. I am the youngest, after all.”
“Yes, I call Soya my little, little sister,” Saguna said. “She likes the shows I put on.”
“I do,” Soya said, she’s really good. I hope you enjoy it.”
“I’m sure we will,” Millie said to the dark girl with the black shoulder length hair.
“So are we the only ones showing up?” Cain asked.
“You’re actually very early,” Saguna said down to them, “The show is supposed to start in half an hour.”
“Oh snap,” Millie said, “Margery must have gotten the time wrong. She does that a lot.” She turned to the giant girl, “My sister is the one that saw the sign and told me the time. It seems she was off.”
“Oh, I see,” Saguna said, “I guess you’ll have to wait, and give me and my sister someone to talk to.”
The huge girl was heavyset, with her hips bulging out, a roll of fat obvious under her sari, and thick arms. Thick legs had flesh bulging out as well. She had a rounded face, with an easy smile. And her black hair was long, they realized, as she pushed it in front of her shoulders, and it hung almost to her lap. Both girls had skin so dark, it was almost black, but it was more noticeable on the giant one, clearly.
They talked to Soya, who seemed eager to meet new people, while Saguna was content to watch the tiny people congregating on front of her, talking too quietly for her to hear. But she did not complain.


Chapter Thirteen

         After several minutes, Saguna suddenly thrust out her hand to her side, and yelled over her shoulder, “Don’t walk that way! Come around!” She made a circle motion with her hand. They looked into the distance, to see a tall figure on the path, backing up and then walking in an arc through the grass.
“I don’t know if any more of you will walk through the grass, but I don’t want anyone to be stepped on,” Saguna said. “So I’ll have big people walk around.”
“Safety first,” Soya said brightly.
The big person walked up, from the roundabout way, and they could hear the grass crunching under their feet. Saguna put her hand out when they were two paces away. “No closer! There are little people here. Please don’t step on my potential audience.” The man chuckled. “Sorry, I didn’t think,” he said. Then he knelt down, and set a box on the ground. The front flap opened, and two small figures emerged. “You two have fun,” the young man said, and he stepped back, turned around and walked away, taking the box. The two figures approached, pushing grass blades out of their way as they went.
The pair reached the clover patch, a man and a woman. “Hello,” the woman said brightly.
“Hi,” Soya said, “I’m assuming you’re here for the show.”
“We are,” the man said. Both seemed in their younger thirties. They looked up at their massive host and waved. She lifted a hand and waved back. “Welcome,” she said. Then she introduced everyone.
The same thing happened again, and again, as more big people came and set their tiny companions in the grass before walking away. One that came was a young girl, not much more than Elwen’s age, setting a young woman down at her feet. Then retreating carefully. Then someone set down a whole family, a couple with two preteen children, a boy and a girl. They chattered and looked up at their huge statue of a host eagerly. Soya did more introductions, greeting in a welcoming way.
A somewhat respectable group of small people had gathered, dropped off by a big person. It was a dozen when the last of them came. There were two couples, who seemed to know each other, that arrived completely naked. “We don’t wear clothes,” one said, “Not since miniaturizing.”
One woman showed up naked as well, a twenty something with ivory white hair, who chatted with the other nudies, but hadn’t met them before. Apparently some people wanted to make constant nudity among minis a thing. The two kids looked curiously, until being distracted away by their parents. Saguna looked on distastefully, but made no comment. Her sister didn’t take issue with it, however.
As they talked with the newcomers, they were surprised at how many of them did not live in a community. Some had never been to a community. Others had lived there and left. None were just temporarily visiting the real world, like them. Even Soya admitted she’d left a community not long after shrinking, choosing to live with regular sized people.
“Why be shrunk?” one man said, “If one is going to try to pretend they’re perfectly normal sized.”
“There’s really no point to it,” one woman said, one of the nudies, “we lived there, got tired of it, and missed our friends. Once we got acclimated back to the real world, and adjusted to the size difference, there was no reason to go back. We did pick up the nudie thing there, though.”
“We are unabashed about nudity in those communities,” Millie admitted, “I’m often naked there, too.”
“I’ve never been to a community,” a red haired girl named Agatha said, “Being around people my size isn’t important. It’s nice to be around others, but sounds like it would be boring there. I like my tiny life.”
Millie turned to one of the naked people, “So you’re naked all the time? I guess you don’t live with kids.”
“Oh, we have kids,” the woman said, her large breasts hanging down to her stomach like full bags of water, “They’re always naked, too. And we live with my brother, his kids see us all the time.”
“We just didn’t want to bring the kids, in case the show was inappropriate for children,” the man said.
“It’s not inappropriate for children,” Soya said, “It’s based on old folk tales. For adults, but our culture keeps mature themes out of it, so children can watch, even if they can’t comprehend things.”

         The giant girl cleared her throat, and there was a sound like a truck being pulled through a cornfield, as her knee rose and foot dragged against the grass. The foot came forward and planted on the grass, her lower leg upright like a dark, thick pillar that widened up to a round top. She stood up, her other knee rising, her legs straightening and her upper body rising to a formidable height. She stepped over and retrieved the box that sat a pace away. She sat back down, making a loud thump as her butt hit the ground. She crossed her legs, sitting, with her knees sticking out and her ankles crossed. The box sat in front of her. “It’s time for the show,” she said. She pulled up the framing on the box, with the drape rising to reveal a hollow space facing them, like a stage. Her hands were hidden behind the curtain, as she fumbled with something unseen. Then, puppets fell into sight from above, hanging by thin strings.
She said, “I hope you all like finger puppets.” The group walked up to in front of the stage, and sat down on the clovers. So began a long and entertaining puppet show, with the giant girl changing her voice for each character, and masterfully moving each of the puppets with each finger.


Chapter Fourteen

It was a good play. They weren’t sure how long it went, they were so engrossed. When one particular scene ended, the puppets rose out of sight, and the dark faced girl said, “Now is intermission. You can do…whatever for a few minutes until I resume the next half.”
They stood up, and some walked out into the grass to relieve themselves, the girls taking bits of clover with them and crouching among the blades, while the guys just took a few steps in and faced away from the crowd. Even the nudies seemed to want privacy. Millie and Cain discussed it, and were joined by Agatha, who seemed equally engrossed in the story.
Soya stood up and faced them, “This is an old story from my family’s homeland. I hope you like it.”
“We love it,” Cain said. Mille and Agatha agreed. The naked girl, Callie, walked up and asked Soya more about it. Soya sat there talking up to her, and Callie stood with her hands on her hips, unabashed at her bare tanned skin. Cain heard the little boy ask his mother, “Can we be nudies when we get back?”
“No, Aden,” she said pointedly. The kid looked sad, and Cain chuckled.
When everyone returned to their seats, and huge Saguna looked content with her break, she announced, “And now for the second half.” “Yay!” Soya yelled. Callie left her chat with Soya, and sat down next to Cain, but he avoided looking. Millie did look, then gave Cain an unimpressed expression.
The puppets dropped, and the giant girl went back into the story. Their attention was back on the stage, and the hovering figures not much different sized from them. But they were roughly made, mostly ceramic draped in cloth, but they were realistic enough. And the story was entertaining.
When it was over, Saguna loomed over them after having put the box away. They complimented her, and her puppets. They discussed certain parts of the story, and Saguna talked about the challenging parts. Everyone had thoroughly enjoyed it. Then they talked among themselves for a bit. Some exchanged contact information, Millie sure to get Soya’s info. Callie came and got theirs. As did the naked couples. Agatha told them, “Message me when you decided to leave that horrible dome, and live in the real world full time, we’ll hang out.” They agreed. It had turned into a good afternoon for making friends, in addition to the show. When the discussion ended, and it got quiet, the giant spoke up.
“Who needs a lift back to the pavilion and table over there?” she asked, pointing to the structure in the distance. All of them muttered assent. “I can put you in a box, and take you there. I don’t think it’s safe for all of you to be crossing the grass. Too many people running and walking around.” They agreed. So she went and got a small box from her stuff, and set it down, open side facing forward. The thirteen of them filed in, squeezing into the small space. Soya and Millie pressed against Cain. The box slowly rotated, and they stepped to the angled wall, which soon became the floor. The cardboard was soft under their feet, but sturdy enough for their weight. Saguna looked down at them, and smiled.
“Great story!” Callie yelled. There were echoing, “yeah” and “yes”. The dark faced girl smiled, and looked forward, and they started moving. She carried them the hundred or so paces to the small pavilion, and set the box down. She rotated it again, and they stepped from bottom to wall, and then were able to step out. The giant girl looked down on the group, “Are you sure you liked it?”
“We loved it!” Millie said up to her, “It was really good. You’re puppetry is amazing.”
Others said similar things, all complimentary and the girl smiled widely.
Then she reached down and her hand closed around her sister, and lifted away. She stood, waved at them with her free hand, and stepped over them, her thick legs passing over their heads. Then she walked back to her stuff at the tree, leaving them. They had all got on their wrist bracelets at the same time, just as the show ended, notifying someone to come pick them up. Now all they could do was wait. So they talked some more. Mille seemed keen to ask how people lived constantly around everything big, dealing with big friends and relatives. Everyone seemed to agree that it took some getting used to, but became normal after a while. How long that could be varied, of course.
“So are you naked all the time?” Cain asked Callie.
“Yes, I am,” she said with a grin, “Little people don’t wear clothes. At least that’s what I tell people. And they accept that. But seriously, how can you wear them? They’re scratchy and rarely fit, and so heavy. When I was big, clothes fit great, but the fabrics aren’t fine enough for us not to feel it. So I just gave up on them. I live with my brother, and he accepts it, though he does complain. My friends accept it. I go to visit my parents, and they accept it. Everyone just accepts it when you’re small, which is great.”
“What about leering or staring?” he asked, “Don’t people do anything to make it awkward?”
“Not at all. They can’t grope me or grab me or anything. And people stare no matter what, since I’m so small. Most of the time, they can barely see anything. I’ve been told I have a doll’s body before, multiple times. And I got over my discomfort being small around giants, so I figured I’d be able to get over it for being unclothed. And I did. Now I’m like this all the time, and don’t feel awkward at all.”
“Interesting,” Cain said, and asked her something else, unrelated to her nudie lifestyle. Living constantly among giant sized people and things seemed difficult, but she made it sound easy.
Big people came and collected their tiny friends, and soon it was just a few of them left. Finally, Elwen showed up. She’d been at the playground, putting off coming to get them because she claimed she was having too much fun. The seven year old crouched down and picked them by curling her fingers around them, and dropped them into a pouch strapped to her hip. They said their goodbyes before being lifted away by the child. As she walked, they sat in the dark pouch, feeling the swinging movement. Both felt incredibly tired, but they found themselves talking about the play, the girl who gave it, and the new people they’d met. It had seemed like a very interesting bunch.


Chapter Fifteen

Since being reunited with Millie, Cain’s week had gotten much better. With their sisters at work, they were visiting Millie’s friends. Now, they stood together in the shade of a heavyset woman, one of Millie’s former classmates, a girl named Jordan. They two had gone to elementary school and high school together. Now they were meeting up in a restaurant, dropped off by Millie’s sister. It was a quiet corner, giving the trio some privacy. The mountainous girl smiled down at them, amused by her longtime friend’s now tiny statue. And curious about her new boyfriend, who was just as tiny to her.
“So you two met immediately then,” the girl remarked. Her voice boomed and echoed off the table surface around them. Millie smiled up at her, ignoring the fat that bulged out at them under the shirt.
“Yes,” Millie answered happily, “In just the first few days, we met. And hit it off immediately.”
“Wow,” Jordan said, “And you’ve always been perpetually single. I’d never thought you see you actually with someone. And here you are, tiny and in a relationship.
“I just finally got lucky,” Millie answered, “I guess big people are usually jerks on the men side, and minis are so much nicer. I’ve met such nice people since becoming one. Weird how that works out.”

She asked Cain a few questions, and he answered up to the girl. He couldn’t push out the thought of mountaineers scaling her, and tried not to chuckle. He felt bad for the girl, but she didn’t seem bothered by her weight. Millie had told him she’d always been a little pudgy, but it got so much more.
“How had everyone been?” Millie asked, “I’ve had trouble keeping in touch with all of our old classmates. Especially since all they’d want to talk about is…” she motioned her small body.
“Everyone is doing well,” Jordan said, and she began catching them up on the gossip. Millie listened intently, while Cain tried to act interested in people he’d never heard of.
“And you know about Frank and Kara getting engaged,” Jordan said, “That happened before…you know. They realize you won’t be able to go to the wedding, since you’ve been…” she trailed off ominously.
“Shrunk?” Millie asked, “Permanently shrunk to the size of a beetle? It isn’t some horrific condition.”
“Oh, I know, it’s just…it’s an uncomfortable subject after all.”
“It isn’t uncomfortable,” Millie said, “You shouldn’t speak of it in hushed tones.” She spread her arms out, “I’m proud of what I am and who I am now. I’m a mini. I’ll always be a mini. I willingly did it and have no regrets. I’m glad I did it, and will be happy to live the rest of my life this way.”
“I didn’t mean to offend,” Jordan said, “It’s just…other people kind of get uncomfortable with the idea.”
“When people talk about me, and what I did, is it usually awkward? As if I’m horribly injured?”
“Yes, sorry to say we do,” Jordan said, “It’s an awkward topic, what happened to you.”
“It shouldn’t be,” Millie said, crossing her arms in front of her, “Talk freely about it, openly share how happy I am with it, and glad I did it. It’s not a disability. It’s an inconvenience sometimes, but the high points more than make up for it. I’d do it over again if I had that choice.”
“I see,” Jordan said, “Well in that case, how is being a bug?”
Millie smiled, “Great. Real bugs are annoying, of course. I’ve only been out and about in the real world for a few days, but it’s been interesting, and fun. Definitely an adventure.”
“One you’d do again?” Jordan asked, “Will you be coming out into the world again?”
“Absolutely. I regret shutting myself off in the community for so long. I’m definitely going to be out and about in the real world much more in the future. You big people are incredibly fun to interact and hang out with. And when I say big, I mean anyone over a foot tall. Not fat people.”
“I figured so,” Jordan said, “Though I’m bigger than most.”
“We really don’t notice. Width doesn’t matter, it’s the height that sticks out to us. Little kids and adults are just as massive. You’re all buildings to us.” The heavy girl chuckled in amusement. She apparently liked her tiny friend. And now she suddenly seemed much more comfortable with the interaction.


Chapter Sixteen

Cain and Millie stood on the table in the kitchen, with the large figures of her parents looming over them. They’d met back at the dome, but then they’d been on a balcony and the couple had been face level with them. Now, they were chest level, in an unfamiliar environment. As least unfamiliar to him. Millie looked around at the house she’d grown up in, now humongous.
“I’m so glad you were both able to come,” Millie’s mother said, “We’d been hoping for a visit from you, Millie, since you were first shrunk.”
“Well, there will be plenty of time for little me to visit, since the shrinking is permanent.”
“And we’re glad you found a nice boy,” her father interjected.
“He’s not a boy, he’s a man,” Millie said, “we might be small, but we’re still grownups.”
The man and woman chuckled in amusement. “I remember how tiny you seemed as a baby,” her mother said, “And now you’re even tinier as a grown woman.”
“And I’ll always be this small,” Millie said, “So soon it will seem normal.”
The two couples talked, with Cain trying not to seem uncomfortable. He’d only met the pair a few times, for just a few minutes. They were still strangers to him. And their huge size made it more awkward.
“So what about sex?” her mother asked, making it even more awkward, “Are you two…being careful?”
“We’re being careful,” Millie said, “Neither of us are ready for kids yet. But we will have them someday.”
“So I’ll get to have little grandchildren that can climb and balance on my fingers,” her father said.
“That’s right,” Millie said brightly. The older couple smiled at the thought.
“We’re actually surprised Millie was able to find someone so fast,” her mother said, turning her head to Cain. “She’s rarely been in a relationship, and never really dated before. So having her with a boyfriend is an unusual sight. Almost as unusual as her being three inches tall.”
“Yes, well, I guess I just got lucky,” Millie said, “All I had to do was shrink down to really small.”
The pair chuckled, her mother saying, “We’re glad to see you so happy.”
Her father added, “Usually, Millie was always down in the dumps, looking all depressed.”
“I wasn’t always sad,” she said, “I was just unhappy with my life, with myself. And that’s changed. Not from meeting him, but from being small.”
“And getting out of the house and moving away,” her mother added.
“That too,” Millie said, “But after living with Margery for a few days, I find I really do enjoy being small.”
It was quiet for a moment, before her mother spoke up, “So would you like to see your old room?”
“Yes, I would,” Millie said excitedly, “I want to see it with everything really big!”
Her mother laid two hands out, flat with the palm up. “We haven’t changed a thing since you’ve left.”
Millie and Cain each stepped into a hand, and sat down. They were lifted slowly into the air, as the woman stood up. She carried them through the house, on swaying hands, and the pair looked across the space at each other, smiling. Millie then looked around her, seeing her old house in a much way.
They reached the bedroom, and the woman set them down on the dresser. Millie walked around, looking around her. “Wow,” she said. She stopped at a stand where her jewelry hung, necklaces and bracelets much too big for her now. She picked up a ring and examined it. “Neat.”
Cain looked up to her mother, who watched her tiny daughter inspect her large belongings.
“So was Millie a troublemaker as a child?” he asked.
Her mother said, “No, not at all. She was extremely well behaved. Margery was the troublemaker.”
He talked up to the woman some more, as Millie looked around, going through her possessions.
Millie stopped, “Can you open the top drawer? I want to go through some things in there.”
Her mother pulled the drawer open, revealing a space cluttered with knick knacks and assorted junk. Millie walked to the edge, grabbed it, and slid her body off, so she hung down. Then she dropped, landing on a folded up piece of cloth. She slid off, and began crawling and climbing through the drawer contents. Occasionally picking something up and yelling to Cain where it came from, or giving a story with it. Her mother would add in as well, giving facts Millie hadn’t remembered or didn’t know.

It was the greater part of an hour of Millie going through her old stuff, and Cain and her mother watching. He didn’t drop down there at first, it had an odd smell to it. But when Millie went deeper into the drawer and out of sight, he decided to drop down and join her. He climbed over the piles of stuff, reaching her as she examined a coin. She held it out in front of her, like a sewer lid.
“I got this on vacation when I was twelve,” she said, “It’s not worth anything, but it commemorates the trip. Feel the metal, it’s pretty soft.” It was, he found. She slid her hand over the lines, studying the engraving, then tossed it aside. “Just another piece of junk. There’s a whole room of it!”
“It’s not that much, considering it’s twenty something years of collectibles,” he said.
She reached a ceramic cow, in a cartoonish style, which stuck up prominently.
“Now this I won at a carnival when I was ten. I was so proud of it, I kept it on display in a shelf for years. Then as a teenager it seemed silly, so I put it away. But now, I kind of miss it.”
“It does look nice,” Cain said, “Very well made. Which is rare for stuff to look like that to us.”
“I wonder if we can bring it with us,” she said, “Put it next to the cottage.”
He shrugged. It would be kind of an eyesore, he thought.
“Nah” she said, “I can’t keep collecting stuff like this. Now while I’m small, and it’s all so big.”
With that, she moved on to the next item. It ended up being an interesting time.


Chapter Seventeen

When they emerged, they found her mother had stepped away. Millie yelled, but there was no one there. They looked up, the top of the dresser was too high for them to get to.
“We should have sex in here,” she said playfully.
“I don’t want to get caught by your parents,” he said, “It’s already awkward.”
“Well, I want to do it on my old bed one last time, at least,” she said. “I don’t care if they catch us.”
A few minutes later, her mother returned, to find them talking about Millie’s life as a child.
“Are you both ready to get out?”
“Yes,” Millie said, and they stood up. Two hands came down, lying flat. They climbed up onto one each, and were again lifted away. Millie directed her to set them on a shelf, which she did. Then Millie walked past her various stuffed animals, telling Cain all about them. Then, they were carried back into the living room, and set down on the coffee table. Her mother sat down on the sofa next to her father.
“How was it?” she asked.
“Oh, it was fun. I told poor Cain about all the useless stuff I have.”
The pair talked up to the older couple, who leaned forward to get closer as they conversed.
At one point, her mother’s face lit up, “Oh, I almost forgot. Millie, can you come downstairs so we can show you some things? We think they’re yours, and aren’t sure if you want us to keep them.”
“I won’t be needing any of my clothes, obviously,” Millie said, “So you can give everything away.”
“These aren’t clothes.” She laid a hand down, and Millie stepped into it and sat down. She was lifted away, as the couple stood up and stepped away. “We’ll be right back, Cain,” the father said.
And then he was alone, the giants having taken his girlfriend away. He sat down on a magazine that showed houses and gardens as he waited.
Millie stood in her mother’s cupped hands, in front of her stomach, as her father pulled out contents of a box. She recognized the things from years earlier.
“What do you want us to keep, dear? If it’s sentimental, we’ll keep it for you. But since you’re never going to be big again, you probably won’t need much of it.”
Millie told them what things they could discard, and what she wanted them to keep. Pointing and giving directions from the cupped together hands, she was able to get rid of most of it. “I liked that costume,” she said, “But I won’t be wearing it again. And that hat, I won’t be needing.” Then there was another box to go through, which she obliged. She hadn’t realized how much stuff she’d left behind.
As she stood with her daughter in her hands, watching her husband empty out the box, Millie suddenly gave out a shriek. She looked down in alarm, to see Millie pointing and yelled animatedly.
“What is it, Millie?” her mother asked, “Are you alright?”
“This is a happy yell,” Millie said, looking up at her, “It’s my old train set!”
Her father brought the train boxes out of the larger junk box, and Millie threw her hand up excitedly.
“Honey, why are you so excited for a child’s toy that you got bored of when you were ten?” she asked.
“It might be made for kids to watch, which does get boring,” Mille explained, “But now, I can ride on it!”
“The cars are too small for you to fit in, Silly,” she said down to her. It wasn’t a realistic model train, but it ran on its own power, and did go fast enough to keep a child entertained. Or a very small adult.
“No, but I can sit on it, and go around the track. That will be so much fun!”
“We can’t set it up now, but maybe next time you come we’ll have it ready for you.”
“Will you?” she asked hopefully, “That would be so great.”
“You’ll just have to visit more often,” her mother reminded her.
“Oh, I absolutely will. I want to ride that thing so bad.”
They set the train set off to the side, and continued going through the box, though there wasn’t anything Millie got as excited about as the train. She seemed content to lose most of the stuff.


Chapter Eighteen

         When they returned, Cain was still waiting. Millie was set down next to him, hopping out of her mother’s hands. “That was interesting,” she told him, “I had so much stuff.”
The older couple sat down again, and resumed the conversation. Millie went back to talking up to them, as Cain waited patiently. Occasionally he’d join in, but he mostly stayed quiet.
“Do you want some tea, dear?” her mother asked.
“We don’t have our teacups,” Millie said, “otherwise we would.”
“Too bad,” her mother said, “I could make some.”
“What we really like,” Millie said, “Is to actually soak in it. With tea or just hot water. Tea cups are quite comfortable, they fit our bodies well.”
“Well, we can arrange that,” her mother said, “I can make you up some water.”
“It would give me an excuse to run around naked for the rest of the day,” she said, getting chuckles.
“Do little people not wear clothes very often?” her father asked.
“We’re very open about nudity. We don’t have swimsuits, so we just swim in the buff. And go to and from the pond that way, too. Sometimes people steal clothes, so we have to walk home naked. Or we just leave the clothes at home. And there’s a sauna that we just lounge around naked in, hanging out in groups most times. Or we just go out nude on our way to the sauna. Some people stop and chat with others on the way, or even just go around doing things in the village naked. It’s very weird.”
“We typically wear clothes,” Cain said, “But some people are naked all the time.”
“Yes, it’s very odd,” Millie said. She thought about how rarely she’d been wearing clothes at Margery’s.
“Anyway,” Cain said, wanting to change the subject, “Do you have any cute baby pictures of Millie?”
“Oh yes, we have plenty,” her mother said. Soon, a phone was propped on its side, and they were using their hands to flip between photos, showing Millie at various young ages.
“You were such a cute baby,” he said to her, and her mother and father agreed.
At a lull in the conversation, Mille stated, “I think I want to see the cats now.”
“I don’t think that’s safe,” her father said.
“It’ll be safe. I have my bracelet,” she held her wrist up, “I’ll zap them if they try to eat me. But I don’t believe they will. I think they’ll be happy to see me.”
Her parents looked at each other, then back at her. “Alright,” her mom said, “We’ll bring you to them.”
Millie and Cain were back in her hands, being carried though the house, up the stairs and to one of the bedrooms. The door was opened, and Millie’s mom pushed in. The cats meowed and circled her.
“I have something for you guys,” she said, bending her legs and lowering herself. She lowered them to the floor, and the stepped out. The cats didn’t seem to notice at first, then one spotted Millie.
“Hello whiskers!” Millie said excitedly, “You remember me, don’t you?”
The cat slowly approached, moved its head toward the tiny girl, and sniffed her. Then, it slid its head along her body. Millie laughed. She reached up and buried her arms in the fur, and rubbed. The cat stopped moving, twisting its neck to give Millie more access, and she continued to rub. A sounds like a motorcycle engine started, as the cat purred. The other cat came up to Cain, stuck its nose up to his chest, and sniffed. He reached under its chin and stroked it. The dinosaur sized feline seemed to enjoy it, closing its eyes and purring as well. Soon, he was walking around it, rubbing it with his arms.
“Well it looks like you both are doing well with them,” the towering woman said, before stepping away. Soon, they were alone with the cats, who seemed quite enthusiastic with their new micro guests. Mille walked around whiskers, rubbing his belly and laying against his fur. Cain’s cat, the black one, got bored and pulled away. It walked to the window, and jumped up on the sill, looking outside.
“That one hasn’t ever been social. He doesn’t like being pet for more than a few minutes. While this one will let you love him all day!” She continued petting it, soon climbing up onto its side as it lay.
Cain stepped away, seeing the fur flying in the air, shed from their new friends. Curious to see if her parents were outside the room, he poked his head out into the hallway, finding it empty. More curious, he walked out into the open space, hearing voices. He walked closer, realizing they were coming from an open bedroom door. He walked to the doorframe, but couldn’t hear very well. Knowing he shouldn’t be listening, his curiosity won out. He slipped around the corner, into the room, to see the pair sitting at the end of the bed. “She seems to be doing well,” her father was saying, “She’s happy.”
If they looked over, he’d been seen. There was an armoire next to the door, with a space underneath. He ran over to it, got onto his hands and knees, and crawled underneath. There was a little more than an inch of space, barely enough got him to get under. Once deep in the shadow, he listened.
“She’s just so small now,” her mother was saying, “My tiny little daughter, the size of a mouse.”
“She’ll always be this way, too,” he said, “They typically don’t grow back. They either don’t want to, or aren’t allowed to. Or the process is too difficult for most people. I’ve heard a lot of rumors about it.”
“Well at least that boy Cain is nice,” she said, “It’d have been nice of she’d met someone before…”
“He’s not a boy,” he said, “He’s a grown man. Just like Millicent is a grown woman. Hard to think about now. I haven’t really seen her face since she did this. She’ll age, and we’ll have no idea.”
“At least she seems happy with it. I don’t know if it’s meeting him or the miniaturization though.”
“Could be both. All she needed was a break from her life, a change of scenery.”
“She’s just so small,” her mother repeated, “My tiny daughter. She’s slightly bigger than my thumb.”
“So small,” he agreed, “Such a tiny thing now. For the rest of her life.”
“I was afraid she would never visit,” the mother said, “I was so relieved that she did. I’d rather see her in her current diminished form than not at all.”
“We’re lucky she decided to brave the world and come see us. I worry that she’ll get too involved with her new life, and never come back. She’s so small, and the world so big for her, it must be terrifying.”
“That’s what I hate about it the most,” she said, “that she went away. If she moved back here, even as a mini, I‘d be so happy to have her back. But now, she’s hours away, and may never have come to visit, and now that she has, it still may be rare that she comes back, if she ever comes again.”
“All we can do is hope that she adjusts to the new world that she’s in, and decides that being so small isn’t reason enough to shut herself away. I too would rather a small daughter that visits to none at all.”
“I really hope we don’t lose her,” the woman said, “If she gets too comfortable with those others, and uncomfortable with us…it’s such a sad thought.”
“I hope we can keep her, too,” he said, putting his arm around his wife. “I wish she’d come back.”
The pair stood up after a moment, and their feet thumped up and down as they left the room. When they were gone, Cain pushed himself out from under the armoire. He got up, and walked along the wall, rounded the corner, and went back into the hallway. It was a short walk back to the room with the cats. Her parents weren’t there, but Millie was, laying comfortably on a cat. As he got close enough to see her, he thought she looked happy enough to purr just like the cats. He sat against the cat’s stomach, without the large creature seeming to notice much or to care. They clearly didn’t see them as threats.
Not long after, there was more thumping, and Millie’s mom appeared in the doorway, holding a circular tin container. “Who wants fudge?” She added, “Not you,” when the cats looked up.
Millie yelped, and slid down the side of the cat, landing next to Cain. They walked to the pair of blue satin slippers. A hand reached down and grabbed Millie, scooping her up and dropping her in the tin. Then Cain was scooped up, and dropped on a pile of fudge cubes next to Millie. She was already eating.
They were carried through the house, and set down again on the kitchen table. When they were full, they climbed out of the tin, and walked across the table to where her parents were sitting.
“I’m going to need to bring some of that with me,” Millie said, “How long does it stay good for?”
“You can have some,” her mother said, “But not too much. You don’t want to be getting fat if you’re going to be going around naked with all of your mini friends.”
Millie laughed, “I’m not naked most of the time. And we’re active, I’ll burn it off.”
“So are you going back to Margery’s after this?” her father asked.
“Yes,” she said, “The kids love having me around. And I love being around them, even if they’re the size of houses. I think I’m becoming their favorite toy.”
“I bet you are,” her mother said, chuckling, “I wish we had a tiny or two around when you and your sister would growing up. That would have been a great playmate and babysitter.”
“Yeah,” Millie said, “But I’d have wanted to miniaturize much earlier then. I’d probably have done it as a teenager, like thirteen or fourteen. I was in that kind of state of mind at that age, and wasn’t really knowledgeable about it. But if I had been, it would have definitely appealed to me.”
“I couldn’t imagine having a child that small,” her mom said, “A tiny teenager…ugh.”
“I’d definitely have done it when I was fourteen,” Millie said, “If I’d have known what I know now.”
“Well at least your children will be small,” her father said.
“Yes, they will be,” Millie said, “But that’s years down the road.”
The two pairs talked again for some time, discussing their cottage home, the encounter with the cats, and the details of setting up Millie’s toy train. And anything else that came up. It was clear her parents didn’t want her to get bored, or for her visit to end.
After spending the entire afternoon there, it was time for them to leave. Before walking into the travel case, both parents lowered fingers, and Millie tightly hugged them both. Then they waved goodbye and went into the box. It wasn’t long before the transport showed up, and they were on their way again.


Chapter Nineteen

Cain sat Flora’s chest, on the soft fabric of her shirt, with her breasts rising up on either side just behind him. Her head was propped up on a pillow, facing him, like a chalky cliff face. “So, little man,” she said, “Now that you’re leaving me tomorrow, are you going to miss our time together?”
“I definitely am,” he said, “It’s been fun. Interesting, but fun.”
“I still regret not getting you into the bath with me,” she said, “I want you to crawl all over my body.”
“While that does sound fun, it’s also a little disturbing.” She grinned wide, showing her slabs of teeth.
“Anyway,” he said, “Millie and I have been discussing things. We’ve decided that once we get back…”
“I’m going to have little nieces and nephews?” she said hopefully.
“No,” he said flatly,” But we decided that we’d like to visit more often.”
“That’s even better,” her smile widened, “How often? You’re welcome here as much as you want.”
“Well, how often would you want me to come and stay with you?” he asked.
“I’d like you to stay forever, but that’s not reasonable. So maybe a week every month?”
He laughed, “That’s a little extreme.”
“What? You want to live in your little community, pretending that you’re not tiny? It’s a lie. What’s the point of being miniature if you’re constantly pretending you’re not?”
“Maybe we can come that often then,” he said heavily, “if that’s what you want.”
“It is. She can stay here, too. I’d like to have two little people underfoot.”
“I will come out more often,” he said, “Things out here aren’t so bad.”
She snickered, “Good. I’m glad you decided not to close yourself off from the real world.

When the pair made it back to their cottage, they were so relieved to be home. “Margery made me promise to come more often, she was happy that we decided to visit.”
“They want us to be out there more than we are here,” Cain said.
“I think I’m okay with that,” Millie said, “Being out in the real world is nice. I like this place, but I like the real world too. Why shut ourselves out of it? There’s really no reason. Except fear, and we don’t fear it.”
“That’s what my sister said,” Cain told her.
“She’s right. We’re going to be out there much more often now,” Millie resolved. The community was fun, and was a nice escape. But they still preferred the real world. Even if it was oversized.


Chapter Twenty

One week later, they were walking back from the pond, going through town and waving to their friends and neighbors. They were naked of course, no one wore clothes at the pond, and most didn’t to and from the pond. As they walked down the soft imitation dirt of the road, passing cottages spaced out along the path, Millie remarked, “You know what? I like this as a vacation.”
“It does feel like a nice vacation,” he agreed.
“But I’m missing home already.”
“It’s only been a week.”
“I know. That’s why I say this would be great as a vacation. Not as a permanent living arrangement. Coming here once a month, or once every two months for a week would be great. Then going back home. Our cottage being empty wouldn’t be a problem, most of these are empty anyways.”
“You’d be comfortable living in the world with everything big?”
“We’re shrunk, everything is supposed to be big. It’s the way things are. When we did this, we didn’t choose to do it just to live off in some secluded special area. We chose to become miniature. So I have no problem with actually being miniature. Why try to hide from what we willingly did.”
“So we live out there, and only come here occasionally,” he said thoughtfully.
“Yes. We’ll still live together, of course. We’ll take turns staying with family members or friends.”
“I’d like that,” he said, knowing it was the right choice. For her, for him, and their families. Everyone missed them, and being around regular people wasn’t uncomfortable for either of them at all.
“So we’ll just use this place as the occasional vacation spot,” she said.
“Yes, we will.”
“And we’ll live with our regular sized family members and friends.”
“Yes.”
She smiled, “I like that idea. Let’s start planning on who we want to live with first. Hopefully we can be out of here in a few days. I’m really looking forward to being back home.”
“Home is where we’re small,” he reminded her.
“It is. But I don’t care. I can live in the real world while small. I willingly did this, and I know it is right.”
They were in agreement. They would live in the regular world as minis.

Chapter Twenty One

The three of them stood overlooking the small backyard pond, standing on flat stones that circled the small pool. A big person could have jumped across, it was only a meter in diameter, but to the minis, it was a small lake. Millie, Cain and Soya stood at the edge, looking out over the water, and the water plants that grew out of it. Colorful flowers surrounded it, rising up like trees. Their clothes were in three bundles near the back of the rock, where the grass rose up above their heads.
“What would your sister say if she could see you now?” Millie asked her friend, who laughed.
“Naked outside? She’s have something to say about that. As would my parents,” Soya said, her dark skin contrasting from the light shade of the stone under them. “But they know I go naked when I swim and enjoy the sauna while I’m at the community, as do most people. And I’ve been bare in front of them. But that just gets distasteful looks now. They accept it, I think.”
“So they’d be fine with you swimming naked here?” Cain asked.
“I‘m sure they would be accepting of it,” Soya said, “I told them I was swimming. And they know we don’t own swimwear. I’m sure they’ve guessed I’ll be nude today.”
“As long as it’s not public, I don’t think it matters,” Millie said, “Now if you were swimming in a fountain at a public park, that would be different. Now you’re in private, among friends.”
“Exactly,” Soya said, looking down. Each stone was as tall as they were, and three or four were stacked from the water to the top. She was looking for the way up, which Millie and Cain insisted did exist.
They soon took off at a run, jumped over the edge, and plopped into the water below. Millie pointed out the way up to Soya, who found it and climbed the rocks up to the top, where she jumped off again. They swam, and tried to see if they could dive down and reach the bottom. “We’re not going to find the bottom, it’s like a meter deep,” Millie said. The water was murky and a dark greenish hue, with bits of algae hitting their bodies as they swam. Another oddity was the fish. They could see them when they came close to the surface, flashes of silver or white in the water, but stayed away from the minis. “There are actual fish in here!?” Soya exclaimed, horror on her face.
“Yes, but they won’t bother us,” Cain told her, “They’re almost as small as us.”
“Yeah, they’re tiny,” Millie said, “Only about six or seven inches. They don’t eat meat, only bugs. So they may brush past us to see what we are, but they won’t try and nibble us. And they don’t have teeth.”
“But what if they think we’re bugs,” Soya said, “I’m only three inches tall.”
“We’re so much bigger than bugs,” Cain said, “I know big people like to compare us. But animals see a big difference. We’re still intimidating to them, even if they are a little bigger.”
“Yeah,” Millie said, “We move fast, and our arms and legs are strong. Even mice are scared of us.”
“We’re the gorillas of the tiny animal kingdom,” Cain remarked, getting a laugh from Soya.
They swam some more, climbing on the rocks and diving, and encountering a few curious fish. “That one tickled!” Soya said at one point. They were lounging against the rocks, still in the water for a rest, when they heard the distant crushing sounds. Grass being smashed, and rocks being impacted, and the noise got louder and louder. Then, a tall figure appeared near the edge, first a head and then the rest of them with a few more steps. A giant girl stood on the edge of the water, her shoes on the stone rim. She bent down, scanning the water, “Millie?”
“It’s my cousin,” Millie said, “She’s supposed to be watching the kids.”
She yelled, waving her arm. But the huge girl may have heard, but didn’t see. Millie pushed off from the rocks, and swam out into the water. The girl spotted her, the tiny white shape crossing the dark water. There was more impacts as the girl stepped around and then sat down on the stones at the edge, with her legs bent and her side facing the water. Millie reached the three quarters point across the water, and yelled up at her, “What do you want?”
“The kids are asleep,” the giant said, “I was hoping we could talk.”
“Alright,” Mille yelled, “Just pick me up.”
The girl reached for the water and cupped her hand. She scooped Millie out, and Millie seated herself in her palm as the water drained out. The hand rose and swung toward the girl’s face, and stopped at one of the knees, even with the face. Millie stepped out onto the rounded skin surface, and the hand retreated. She looked across the inches wide chasm as the face of her visitor.
Cain heard the giant girl speak in a quiet murmur, as Millie sat down to get comfortable. She no doubt answered, but was too far away for them to hear. He turned to Soya, “Do you want to swim some more while we wait?” She nodded, and pushed off from the rocks, out into the water. Cain followed, trying to ignore the giantess that loomed over them at the top of the cliff.
Cynthia peered at her tiny cousin, perched on her knee as if it were the most normal thing in the world. She’d heard of miniaturization as a child, but it had seemed like some fringe thing that only a small number of weird people did. Like people who never wore clothes, which minis also seemed to be into for some reason. Millie was naked now, sitting on her knee, giving her advice on her social conundrum, which Cynthia look in. Millie was always good to talk to, despite her tiny size. She’d been shocked first hearing about her cousin being willingly shrunk, and confused. Millie had always seemed so normal, the friendly older cousin she’d always been close to. And Cynthia had never thought that someone she’d known would be miniaturized, or that she’d ever even see one. Not that she’d wanted to. She didn’t understand why anyone would actually do it, either. It made no sense. But Millie had done it, and a year later, Millie seemed happy with her life, strange that it was.
Cynthia took in what Millie was saying, and asked her more questions. Her issue with her friend needed grown up advice, and Millie was mentally grown up, at least. The tiny girl went on, asking more questions about the situation. Cynthia spoke back to her in a quiet whisper, not wanting to knock the poor girl over with her speech. The other two frolicked in the water, the light skinned boy and the dark skinned girl, who was hard to see in the murky water. They didn’t seem to mind her being there.
“So do you know what to do now?” Millie asked, arms wrapped around legs with her knees to her chest.
“I think so,” Cynthia answered.
“This is a tricky situation, and you could lose a friend over it. But if you’re delicate, you can salvage it.”
“I’m not a very delicate person,” Cynthia said.
“You are with me,” Millie said, putting her legs down and sitting up, “You’re very delicate with me.”
“Because if I’m not, I’ll crush you. Or hurt you somehow. And I absolutely don’t want to do that.”
“Yes, just treat your friends the same way, sometimes. Think of them as tiny little people.” Cynthia nodded. Millie pushed off, and slid down the giant’s leg, stopping at the fabric of her shorts. She got up and stepped to her hip. “I’m going to go back swimming now, but we can talk more later.”
“Yes, we can. I should get inside in case one of the kids wakes up,” Cynthia said down to her, standing in the shadow from her body. “Do you think Margery minds if I use her bath later?”
“She won’t mind. I can join you, and we can talk some more.”
“You don’t mind bathing with big people?”
“I’m naked now,” Millie said, “And I’ve been in the bath before with Margery. And we minis are always naked in the sauna and pond. And sometime out in public. I don’t care about that kind of thing.”
Cynthia shrugged, and Millie slid down the side of her pants to the stone where her butt rested. She’d wait until the mini was clear before getting up, she didn’t want to step on her.
“Hey!” a squeak sounded, and instead of jumping, Millie looked up at her from beside her hip, speaking in her high pitched voice that was hard to hear, “Do something for me.”
“What do you need?” Cynthia asked, looking down at the tiny figure.
“Pick me up with your fingers, and drop me in the water.”
Cynthia reached down, extending two fingers, and gently brushed Millie, then closed. She lifted her up, and held the tiny blond girl in front of her face. “Do you want me to drop you from this height?”
“No, lower your hand over the water, and I’ll yell when you can stop, and release me.”
Cynthia looked at her tiny cousin, pondering. Then she slowly swung her arm out, lowering her hand until she heard the squeak. She opened her fingers, and Millie slipped through. There was a faint plop in the water, as if a pebble had fallen in. A moment later, Millie’s head emerged from the water “Again!”
Cynthia retrieved her with her fingers, and held her out over the water again, this time higher. She moved them slightly apart, and felt the small body slide past. There was a shriek. Then another plop. The others were yelling, holding their arms up. She reached over, careful not to lose her balance and fall into the water, and picked up the lighter one, brought him close to her face, seeing he was a male. “Ah, Cain,” she said, “I haven’t talked to you in months. How have you been?”
“I’ve been busy,” he said, “Staying with giants in their giant homes. Occasionally we get to go home.” She’d never known him big, he and Millie had met after being shrunk. After the required chit chat, she swung her arm out over the water again, and let him go. He gave a shirt yell, then barely a noise as he hit the water. Next, she reached for the dark one, and held her in front of her face. She had Hindi features, and dark brown skin that was almost black. “You’re a new one,” she remarked, “I’m Cynthia.”
“I’m Soya,” the girl clenched in her fingers said brightly, water drops falling from her feet.
“How do you like being three inches tall?” Cynthia asked.
“I like it,” the girl said, “It’s very adventurous. I’ve always like adventure.”
“So this is especially fun for you?”
“Yes. Being dropped into a pond by a giantess is definitely something I’d have looked forward to.”
She moved her into position over the middle of the water, and dropped her. She didn’t make a sound, straightening to before hitting the water, she sliced into it like a knife. Her head bobbed out moments later. She did this for several minutes, dropping the tiny people again and again, chatting with them some as she held them in her fingers. The last time, she tossed Millie up into the air, getting a shriek, before she plopped into the water again. She surfaced and squeaked, “That was a good one!”
“Well, I have to get going,” Cynthia said to them, “I need to make sure the kids I’m watching don’t get up and get themselves in trouble. I’m being paid to watch children, not play with adults.”
“Oh, we’ll play with them later,” Millie said, “Or be played with, which is more accurate. We’ll occupy them for you so you can relax for a bit.”
“I appreciate that. Do you need me to take you back to the house?”
“No,” Millie said, and the other echoed that, “We can get back.”
“I know you can, but that’s a long walk for you.”
“We don’t mind the hike. Us minis prefer doing things for ourselves. We’d rather walk miles on our own than have someone carry us. Even if we’re tired.”
“I see. I guess it’s the independence of it.” Millie nodded. So Cynthia got up, careful to keep her balance. She stood, waved goodbye, then turned and walked away.
In the water, the three of them heard her feet crushing the grass in impacting the stones. “That was fun.” “Yeah, she was really nice.” “She’s nice like that. I always enjoy interacting with her.”
They went back to their swimming, rested some, and swam some more. They finally climbed the stones to the upper rim hours later, and relaxed in the sun. They talked, about usual mundane things. Then, Soya sat up and look around, then gasped, “Oh my gosh! “It’s a toad!”
They sat up and looked where she was looking, toward the rim. Near the edge, on the other side, a toad sat. They watched, as it continued to sit there, not moving.
“What is it doing?” Soya asked.
“Toad stuff,” Cain said, “They just like to hang out.”
“I’ve never seen one since shrinking. Do you think we can get close?”
“Yeah, we can,” Millie said. The three of them stood up, and walked across the stones around the pond. The toad did not move, as they approached. Three tiny humans did not cause it alarm, it seemed. They reached it, and slowly approached. Then all three spaced out around it, getting within a few paces. It’s eyes went to them, but it did not react. “I bet we could ride him,” Soya said.
“They move fast,” Millie said, “even if we got on, once he starts hopping, he’d be moving really quick, which would be difficult to get off. Without getting injured, of course.”
“That’s a good point,” Soya said, “That’s why they teach us to avoid wildlife. Even the small stuff.”
They slowly stopped closer to the toad, until they were next to it. Millie reached out a hand, and touched its exterior. “Slimy,” she whispered looking at her hand.
They each reached out and gently touched the creature, getting no reaction. Then they stepped away, leaving it to whatever it was doing. They stood there, quietly examining it, until it suddenly hopped off, leaving the three naked minis. “If we had clothes on, he night have gotten spooked,” Cain suggested.
“That is true,” Soya agreed, “Another advantage of minis being naked. We fit into the animal world. With the toad gone, Cain ran for the edge, followed by the two girls. He leapt off the side, plunging in the water below. When he came back up, the others were too. Then they swam across the pond, to where they would climb out. They laid out some more, until deciding it was time to go.
Then they went to the back edge, where the stalks of grass stuck up over their heads, and dressed. Then they walked across the stones along the rim, and hopped from one stone to another, taking the footpath back to the house.


Chapter Twenty Two

They reached the concrete slab of a patio, after crossing through the lawn. The concrete looked like a wall against the grass when they came upon it. They helped each other up onto the slab, and walked across. The sun was hot, and the patio was as well, but not too hot for them. They reached the set of stairs that only a mini could use, winding up along the wall. The stairs led up to a door, which was cut into the wall. They went through, into an antechamber inside the wall. “My brother in law did not like the idea of cutting a hole into the house,” Millie explained, “He asked me if I was absolutely sure I’d stay small long enough for it to be worthwhile. I told him I’ll still be small for his children’s children, and they might even use it if they were to miniaturize. He did not like that thought.” She chuckled. They passed through the inner door, to find a large wide room with a one story ceiling. Doorways cut into the walls led into other, similar rooms. “We are under the kitchen cabinets,” Millie said, “I always wanted to do something to this area, turn ii into a living area or something. But they got that dollhouse for me.”
“There’s a lot of heavy pots and pans above our heads,” Cain said, “I wouldn’t want to live under all that. It’d be like living with farm machinery on the second floor, even if it is reinforced.”
They crossed the rooms, went out another door, and emerged out into the kitchen. It was devoid of people. So they crossed the tiled floor, glad to be back in the climate control.
They cross out of the kitchen into the family room, where the large form of Cynthia lay on the couch, engrossed in a book. They walked through the carpeting, reaching the enormous upholstered structure, and used a rope to climb up to the couch cushions. They walked alongside Cynthia’s body, passing bare legs, then the thick dark fabric of pants, then the white fabric of her shirt.
The three of them came to the space between her upper arm and side, at the shirt sleeve. Mille grabbed the shirt, taking handfuls of the fabric, and pulled herself up. Cynthia turned her head, to see the three of them climbing up her sleeve. Then they walked up to the shoulder, across her chest, and stood in front of her neck. Cynthia set the book down on her stomach, and tilted her head to look at the minis. “Nice to see all three of you made it back. That was hours ago, at least.”
“That sounds right,” Millie said, “It’s a long walk. And we stayed for a bit. And we saw a toad.”
Her eyes widened, “A toad? What happened?”
They recounted the story. Cynthia listened, her giant eyes on them, then said, “That’s really neat. You little guys see so much interesting stuff.”
“It helps when we’re the same size. Things don’t run away when they see us,” Millie said, “Because they’ve never encountered tiny humans before. We’re not a threat to them.”
“Well, we are,” Cain said, “We could start hunting them if we wanted. Full sized people hunt things their own size all the time. They’d figure it out pretty quick, though.”
“Aw, don’t hurt the toadies,” Cynthia said, making a face. Then went back to serious, “Glad it didn’t get spooked and hurt you. That thing must be so strong and dangerous to you little ones.”
“We were careful,” Millie said, “They teach us now to approach animals and make then comfortable.”
“Yes,” Soya said, “We interact with lots of tiny creatures, and they get used to us tiny humans.”
They sat down on her upper chest, and talked to the giant face. She seemed to like the conversation. Most people liked talking to minis, Millie had found. And her cousins and herself had always been close. The three were soon resting on Cynthia’s breast, with Soya near the inside, Cain near the outside, and Millie near the middle, closest to the chin. Cain felt the cushion shake under his back with each slight movement through the cloth fabric of the shirt. He thought how odd it was how breasts could be so different in his mind. Big people’s breasts were things he could climb and sit on, nothing remarkable, while Millie’s breasts were very remarkable. He liked looking at the other minis when they had theirs exposed, of course, but it was completely different from a big person.
At one point, Soya stood up and stretched, and walked between the mounds to the upper stomach. Cain peered around the hill, to see her ambling, taking short steps as she idle looked at the shirt under her feet. She eventually went down to the abdomen, and stopped at the crotch. She looked up at the bent legs that rose into the air on either side of her, and the rounded knees far above. She soon came back, taking a seat at the inside of the hill next to Cain. “Had to stretch my legs,” she said quietly. Millie nor Cynthia noticed, too deep in conversation. So he talked with his new friend.
“I wanted to climb the legs,” she admitted, “And sit on the knee. But I’d probably fall.”
“Skin is a good surface to climb,” he said, “Lots of friction. And if Cynthia had any stubble…”
“Gross,” Soya said, “And I don’t think she’d like me pulling myself up by her leg hairs.”
“Probably not,” he said, “But they should be used to minis going wherever they want.”
She was quiet a moment, then said, “Thanks for the excursion out there today. That was lots of fun.”
“It was fun having you with us,” he said, “And it’s a great place to hang out. Her brother in law put it in long before she was miniaturized. And she quickly found it a fun place to visit.”
“Did she plan to swim there before she did it? Like a nice incentive to do what she did.”
“No, she didn’t think she’d ever come back. Neither of us ever intended to visit the real world again.”
“That’s interesting,” she said, “I planned to. My family insisted. I was incredibly nervous about it, too.”
“We all were. This is…a very unique experience. No one knows how they’ll adjust.” She agreed.
“You little people have it made,” Cynthia said to Millie, suddenly louder than before. “You don’t have to work, you get to experience all sorts of interesting things. If it wasn’t for the obvious drawback to being tiny, it would be a nice life. If you can stand the tiny part.”
“Most can’t,” Soya said, “That’s why so few do it. Except a few crazy people like us.”
The giant sniggered, “A few very crazy people.” The others laughed in agreement.
The continued talking, until Soya quietly asked the pair, “How do I get to a toilet?”
“Just go in the bushes,” Cain said, pointing to the giant girl’s pubic area.
“No,” Millie said in annoyance, “Just ask her. She’ll take you to the toilet.”
“I’d hate to be a bother to her, she’s so comfortable laying there.”
“What are you three whispering about?” Cynthia asked, giving them a suspicious look.
“She needs to use the little girl’s room,” Millie said loudly.
“OH,” Cynthia said, “Do you need me to take her? It’s in your travel box, right?”
“Yes,” Millie said, and the three of then walked to the side, and slid down her shirt to the couch cushions. There was a creaking from the structure under them, and an rush of air as the giant got up. She reached down with two fingers and plucked Soya up, then walked to the table where the travel room was located. She set the dark girl down, then sat back on the couch, avoiding sitting on the tiny couple. “I’ll watch out for her to come out of the box,” Cynthia said. A few minute later, she stood again, after Millie and Cain jumped from her lap, and retrieved their friend. Her two fingers returned her, clamped down on her body, and released when she was safely on the ground.
“’I’m going to check on the little ones,” Cynthia said, then, “I mean, the bigger little ones.”
She lumbered off, and they heard distant talking as she spoke to the children. Several minutes later, she returned, and laid back down, again careful to avoid them with her body. She plucked each of them up, setting them on her flat stomach, and resumed their positions on her chest, laying against her breast.
“Always such an ordeal with us,” Soya commented.
“But they don’t mind,” Millie said. “While it stinks to lose some independence, that’s just our lives now.”
“I really don’t mind taking you places,” Cynthia said, “It’s worth it to have the novelty of tiny people.”
“Are you sure you don’t mind?” Soya asked.
“No, it’s too neat to have people sitting on my chest. Are my boobs comfy?”
“Very comfy,” Cain said. The others nodded agreement. Cynthia chuckled in amusement.
After a few more instances of getting up, for toilet breaks or for Cynthia to check on the youngsters, they were sitting cross legged on her upper chest, with the space between her breasts behind them. Casual chatting, as Cynthia listened to their stories. And she had a few of her own, but none involved minis. Cain just sat and listened to the women talk, glad Millie and their friend were enjoying themselves. The big world always presented interesting things, though talking to a giant face, with the chin resting on the top of the chest, was becoming more and more routine.
There was a loud noise in the distance, and Cynthia’s eyes widened in surprise. Soya turned around in alarm, and Mille commented, “Margery is home.” They stood up, and hopped down from the girl’s shoulder, as they lifted up off the cushion. “Take me!” Millie shouted, waving her arms over her head. Cynthia picked her up, stood straight, and set her on her shoulder. The pair watched the big girl walk from the room with each step a loud thump, muffled by her slippers on the carpeting.
Cynthia greeted her cousins, who smiled when she spotted her sister sitting casually on the shoulder. “I see you two have been spending some time together. Did the backyard get boring, Mils?”
“We got tired,” Millie said, projecting her voice across the chasm between the two women.
“They found me quite comfy,” Cynthia said with a smile. Margery laughed.
A few minutes later, Cynthia had said her goodbye to the children, and was gathering her things, looming over the table where the trio was standing. “What are your plans after this?” Cynthia looked down and asked them, “Hanging out with Margery?”
“We were just going to hang out here,” Millie said, “Through Margery seems tired and doesn’t want to entertain. So we’ll just hang out in the house…the dollhouse as you would call it.”
“You can always come home with me,” Cynthia said, “II don’t have any plans for the rest of the day.”
“You don’t mind entertaining three minis?” Soya asked.
“I just see you as three people, who may or may not have boring afternoon ahead of them.”
The three looked at each other, and all nodded. Millie looked up at her cousin, “We’ll go with you. But first, do you have roommates?”
“Yes, I share my apartment, but they won’t be home. And if you’re still there when they get back, I’ll take you into my room. I know you probably don’t like being around big sized strangers.”
“We don’t,” Millie said, “For obvious reasons. We can defend ourselves, our security is great, but we just wouldn’t be comfortable around people we don’t know.”
“Understandable,” Cynthia said, “So do I just gather you up, or…”
“We’ll go into the box, and you carry the box.” Millie said, indicating the travel case. “First, I have to say goodbye to Margery. I’m sure she’ll be glad to hear we won’t be around.”
Cynthia picked her up, and set her in the palm of her hand. She went to find Margery, so Mille could say her goodbyes. “You really don’t mind?” Cain asked Soya.
“No, this should be fun,” Soya said, “It’s always interesting to see another big sized place, and meet another big sized person. As long as it’s safe, of course.”
“It is,” Cain said, “I know Cynthia. She wouldn’t endanger us.”
With that, their new giant friend returned, holding Millie, and set her down. They filed into the travel room, after Millie told her how to hold it. They strapped themselves in, and were soon being carried.
The room was set down, and they heard rummaging and things moving outside, apparently Cynthia was cleaning up. Then she pressed the button on the top, and the door unsealed, and the ring around it turned green. They got up and filed out, to see the building sized girl smiling down at them from high above. They were on a coffee table, in the middle of a living room. “How was the ride?”
“It was nice,” Millie said, “You carried it very well.”
“So what happens when it is time for you to leave?” Cynthia asked “Do I take you somewhere?”
“We’ll call the courier, who will pick us up,” Millie explained, “We’ll just give the address.”
“Do they mind that it’s not the same place you were dropped off?” Cynthia asked down to them.
“They don’t care. They know we move around a lot, and get carried places by others. It’s normal.”
“Interesting,” Cynthia mused, “I thought they’d forbid you all from going around to too many places.”
She sat down on the couch, her knees protruding in front of them, as she bent over to bring her face closer. They walked toward her, and the edge of the smooth wood table.
They talked some more, Millie and Cain and Soya telling her about their experiences traveling, and being transported inside a box. She listened with interest, having no idea how they stayed comfortable. Soon, she was laying back in a recliner, with the trio sitting on her lower stomach. An odd way to converse.
Later, they were watching a movie. They sat on Cynthia’s stomach, laying against the bottoms of her breasts, seeing the screen past her socked feet. Occasionally Millie would poked her head from behind the mound to say something, or to answer if Cynthia said anything. They’d talked for a while, and were feeling tired. Then, there was a noise from the door, as someone was unlocking it.
“Oh no,” Cynthia said, “My roommates here.” The three got up, hurried around her breast and up her chest. “We'll hide on your shoulder, behind your hair,” Millie yelled. The three rounded the shoulder and stopped at the neck, when the body under them shifted as Cynthia straightened herself and uprighted the recliner. She brushed her hair with her hand so it trailed down in front of her shoulder, obscuring the tiny people from view. They sat down, looking at the curtain of gold as they heard the footsteps not far away. They heard a man’s voice, and Cynthia answered. They had a short conversation, before he walked off into the other room. “He’ll be back out,” Cynthia said, and likely stay for hours. “Should I take you all into my bedroom?”
“Yes,” Millie said, up to the ear above their heads. The hair was moved away, and they descended the shoulder and the chest, to the waiting hand. They crowded onto one hand, as Cynthia got up and walked through the apartment. They felt the hand swaying as the giant walked, high above the carpeted floor. Worried the big person would appeared in front of them, spotting them, or worse, knocking them out of the hand. They exhaled in relief when they reached the bedroom, and Cynthia closed and locked the door. She set them down on her bed, and sat down beside them.
“That was close,” she said, “I was worried I’d be caught with you.”
“It would have just been an awkward conversation,” Millie said up to her, “We’re not afraid for our lives, we’re well protected from large beings. But I’m glad we were able to stay out of sight.”
“The less explaining I have to do, the better,” Cynthia said, “And I don’t want to have to show you off.”
Later that night, they stood between the walls of Cynthia’s legs, fair skin almost enclosing them on each side. They were tired, having been dropped from her hand to a pillow in her lap, and then tossed up and down in her mitten covered hands. It had been fun, now they were talking from the shadowed area between her legs, as the giant girl looked down at them.
“It was a good movie,” Soya was saying, “I just did not like that one scene.”
“It would have been better without it in there,” Millie agreed. Up above, Cynthia nodded.
It was silent then, a long lull in the conversation. Cynthia opened her mouth and yawned, then looked back down at them. “So how are we going to do sleeping arrangements?” she asked.
“Do you have any small squares of cloth?” Millie asked up to her.
“I have a washcloth,” Cynthia said, “Can you all use that as a blanket?”
“That will suffice,” Millie said, looking at Soya, “Do you mind us all pressing together to sleep?”
“I don’t mind,” Soya said, “As long as there’s no touching sensitive areas. Which I know there won’t be.”
“Then we’ll sleep on a pillow or something,” Millie said up to her giant cousin, who nodded.
Not long after, they were all tucked into their made up beds, with Cynthia in hers. They lay on the mattress in front of Cynthia’s head. “You won’t mind me moving around, will you?” she asked.
“We won’t mind,” Millie said, “We’ve slept around huge people before.”
“As long as I don’t roll over and crush you all,” she said, grinning.
“You’d fall of the bed to do that,” Millie said, as they were well away from her.
They chatted some more in the dark, aware of the huge shape of the girl looming next to them, and she aware of the tiny shapes near her head. Sleep overs with giants were always interesting for them.


After this, the people’s lives get routine and boring. There is not much to tell, except for typical interactions like the ones described to this point. Everyone lives their lives, adapting as they need to. And they move on with their lives. Big and little people together become a regular occurrence. While some smaller people live in the isolated communities and never experience the size difference.