On a beautiful day at the end of June, the world had watched, in unison, as the incredible story of Susan Adams was made public. Across the globe, newspapers, TV channels, websites, all were concerned with only one thing. In the forest next to the small town of Barton, there dwelt, in secret, what one scientist called ‘the most astonishing product of evolution since the dawn of man’. Susan, or Susie, as she preferred to be called, was, in most respects, a normal teenaged girl: pretty, with long red hair and a graceful body, friendly to each and every person she met. Also, she was over a hundred feet tall.

 

She dwelt by herself, in a specially constructed house, and had all that she needed in terms of needs and comfort. Her father, luckily for her, was a very rich man, and he’d spent large amounts of his fortune in order to provide for her. She had thus been able to live pretty decently, even though she was permitted no contact with the outside world. However, in that same month of June, a series of events led to her breaking that rule, and so the world learned of the existence of its one and only giantess.

 

There were tons of questions to be answered, though. For weeks her warehouse-sized cabin had been the focus of a media frenzy. Reporters were all over Susie and her father, Joseph. Scientists and doctors were eager to meet her as well. Then the governor of the state came to visit, followed by several other local politicians. Eventually the stress became too much for her to handle, and her usual friendliness to visitors began to disappear. Her father realized this, and, with the help of the state government, as well as the military and police forces, managed to have his daughter’s living space closed off to the public. Aircraft were forbidden to fly within two miles of her house, and the forest around it, already enclosed by an electric fence, was now only accessible through a permit from Joseph Adams himself. Guards were stationed at the gate, and, apart from the trucks which brought food and other supplies, no-one was allowed to enter.

 

For Susie herself, though, it was another story. She was no longer under orders to remain in her home, and could come and go as she wanted. Stepping over the measly thirty-foot fence had never been a problem for her anyway. There was now a whole world for her to explore, and she wasted no time. As soon as the crowds had left, she made it her objective to get to know the town and its people. She visited the local high school a few times, but her presence was so distracting to the students that she was forbidden to come again while classes were in session.

 

Not that she wanted to sit through classes; her father had made sure she received the best possible education since she was old enough to read. Her real reason was rather different, for she had a boyfriend who attended that school. Jake Darren, whom Susie had first met in the forest a week before her existence became widely known. Though they knew it wouldn’t be easy, they had decided to give their relationship a chance. Susie also managed to earn the respect of the townspeople, even if she wasn’t liked by all of them. Many considered her a nuisance, a waste of resources, or even as an outright threat to the town.

 

If she wanted to, it would be little trouble for her to completely destroy Barton and kill all its inhabitants. But she was determined to win their friendship, and so she offered her help wherever it was needed. So far it seemed the people were a little shy about asking her help, but it didn’t bother her that much. The fact that she’d made several new friends, as well as having a boyfriend, was enough to keep her satisfied and happy most of the time.

 

As for the rest of the world, reactions were mixed. Anthropologists for a while considered naming Susie a new species of mankind, before deciding that it was best not to do so. A species cannot have just one representative, they decided. They then set about the task of researching her abnormal growth. Because visiting hours were limited, however, they couldn’t get much new research done, and had to be content with analyzing previous research conducted by her doctors. Among non-scientists, reactions were understandably less enthusiastic. Many people found it difficult to accept someone like her as a human being, and she was labelled, among other things, an abomination, a demon, and even as the devil itself. Her impact on religions across the world was noticeable, and there was even a small cult which venerated her as some kind of god. The government, however, was supportive of her, and had promised that she should be cared for and treated with respect.

 

 Two months after revealing herself to the world, Susie’s life had quieted down remarkably. Apart from the fact that she received thousands of letters every day, most of which she didn’t bother reading. There were loads of offers from film studios, advertising companies, even modelling agencies. But she didn’t feel she was ready for any of that kind of thing yet. For now she just wanted to live her life her way, the way she’d always wanted to, as a normal girl.

The gates were opened, and Linda Harvey drove her little hatchback through and onto the dirt road. Previously her dad had forbidden her to drive his car, but she’d managed to get his permission this once. She was going to visit Susie, which she’d only done once before - not counting the time Susie took her to her cabin against her will. But that was before they were friends, and Linda had almost forgotten about it by now.

 

In the car with her were her friends, Tara and Jess. They’ve never been to Susie’s place before, and were thus both extremely excited and a little apprehensive. Like most of their classmates, they were naturally frightened of the giant-sized redhead, whose visits to the school were always met with screaming and running for safety. Apart from Linda and Jake, just about everyone thought Susie was a freak, and almost everyone thought Jake was weird as well.

 

The road turned around a cluster of trees, and suddenly they saw it. The largest house they’d ever seen, nearly as long as a football stadium. Next to the front door was the comparatively tiny building where Susie’s food and other supplies were delivered, which also had a helicopter landing pad on the roof. Linda drove the car across the vast lawn and parked it next to this building. Then the three of them climbed out and looked around them.

 

“Unbelievable!” exclaimed Tara, a short, blond girl. “How the hell did they build this place?”

 

“Lots and lots of effort,” Linda replied. “Well, what are you waiting for? Get your stuff, and let’s go!”

 

“I still can’t believe you talked us into this,” Jess complained. She was the oldest and tallest of the three, with curly brown hair, and a bit on the skinny side. Neither she nor Tara had any desire to sleep over at this place, but somehow Linda had persuaded them to come along. Now they were climbing the steps to the towering front door. At the top Linda pulled a lever in the wall, and they heard a doorbell ring somewhere inside. Then the door opened, and all of them stared up in wide-eyed wonder.

 

Susie Adams stood before them, all 100 feet and four inches of her. She was wearing a simple green T-shirt, jeans and slip-on shoes. Since people everywhere knew about her, she had received gifts by the truckload, mostly new clothes, for which she was very grateful. Of course she couldn’t accept everything she received, so her father decided to sell most of the superfluous clothes and use the money to support her in other ways. She smiled as she stooped down to pick up her guests. Placing her right hand next to them, she waited for them to climb on, then lifted them up slowly to her shoulder-level. Linda looked her usual cheerful self, while the other two girls seemed very ill-at-ease.

 

“Hi, Susie!” Linda said, clearly excited. “Thanks for letting us stay over with you.”

 

“Don’t mention it!” the giantess replied. “Actually, I’m delighted you asked to come. It feels like I’m going mad from loneliness here. I almost miss the crowds of reporters…well, not really, but you get the idea. Who are your friends?”

 

Linda introduced Tara and Jess, who managed to say hello without sounding too unfriendly. Susie wasn’t offended; everyone reacted this way when they first met her, and she was certain they’d grow more and more comfortable the longer they stayed with her. Then she saw the little red car parked at her feet, and, to the awe of her tiny guests, picked it up with her left hand.

 

“Just taking it inside to be safe,” she explained, loving their dumbfounded expressions. “I don’t want you to leave before your stay is over. Okay, let’s go inside.”

 

She took them into the cabin, which had only one room, and placed them on the little dining table. The car she put on the kitchen windowsill. Then she sat down at the table, resting her head on her arms. She held her hand behind the girls, forming a wall for them to sit back against. Only Linda did so; the other two still stood around awkwardly.

 

“I’m actually getting a little tired of saying this,” Susie said, “but you really don’t have to be afraid of me. Just relax and lighten up! Then I guarantee you’ll have a great time.”

 

“We’re not scared!” Jess insisted finally sitting down. “We…I mean, this is just a little too…weird! No offense.”

 

Susie laughed. She slid her finger in between Tara’s legs, then she effortlessly lifted her.

 

“Hey!” Tara exclaimed, holding on for her life. “Hey, wait, don’t…oh, shit!”

 

The others laughed as she dangled helplessly from Susie’s finger. She really looked no bigger than an insect next to this giant. Susie took her unwilling passenger higher and higher, then lowered her and deposited her on her leg. Linda and Jess ran to the edge of the table and gazed down, to see Tara scrambling around and clutching Susie’s shirt. Susie held her open hand above her leg, just out of Tara’s reach, and laughed as the miniature girl tried to jump high enough to reach it.

 

“Okay, fine!” Tara said, exasperated. “I give up! Please don’t leave me here, will you?”

 

“As you wish,” Susie said, and curled her fingers around Tara’s body. She picked her up and put her back next to Jess and Linda, who were laughing hysterically. Tara looked upset for a moment, before she began to laugh too. She realized how silly she’d been, thinking Susie was some kind of monster. In fact, she was completely unhurt, and she realized how careful Susie had been with her.

 

“Okay,” Susie said, still laughing a little. “Now that we’re all comfortable, I’ll get everyone something to drink. Don’t go anywhere!”

 

“Yeah, like we could get off this thing!” Linda said, backing away from the table’s edge. She and the others sat down in the centre, wondering what events would happen today. If nothing else, it would certainly be a memorable two days that lay ahead of them.

 

 

The night was late, but none of them were eager to go to sleep. Susie lay on her bed, already in her nightclothes. But she wasn’t tired. Neither were the other three, who were busy exploring their host’s gargantuan body. Susie was glad to see that Jess and Tara were now completely comfortable around her; her friendly personality and all-around sweetness had won them over. Jess lay comfortably against one of Susie’s breasts, while Linda and Tara were getting themselves tangled up in her hair.

 

“This is just so amazing!” Tara exclaimed, for the at least the tenth time that day. “I mean, we’re playing hide-and seek in your hair, for God’s sake! I feel like I’m in Lilliput or something!”

 

“You mean Brobdingnag,” Susie said.

 

“Huh?”

 

“Brobdingnag is where the giants live. Lilliput is where the tiny people live. So for you, it feels like you’re in Brobdingnag.”

 

“Okay,” Tara said, a little confused. “That makes sense, I guess.”

 

“Uh-huh. Gulliver’s Travels was my favourite story when I was little. I always dreamed that there was a real Brobdingnag somewhere, with people just like me. Though I’m actually a lot taller than them now.”

 

Linda emerged from beneath a sea of red hair. She managed to untangle herself, and climbed onto Susie’s shoulder. Then she snuck in underneath her robe and lay down next to Jess. They were both just astounded at how huge Susie was. Tara soon joined them, and settled herself against the soft fabric of Susie’s bra. She could feel Susie’s powerful heart beating several feet below her. Susie lifted a part of her robe, and looked at the tiny forms of the three older girls.

 

“Oh my goodness, you three are just the cutest sight ever!” she laughed. “I wish I could take a picture; your parents will be so freaked out!”

 

“Yeah, they will be,” Jess said. “You won’t tell them we were here, right? They think we’re at Jake’s place.”

 

“Oh, I won’t tell - I’ve never even met them, actually. How’s Jake doing, by the way?”

 

“Same as always,” Linda replied. “Everyone still thinks he’s a little bit crazy, you know? Last week some younger boys actually ganged up on him.”

 

“Yeah, they were really mean,” Tara added. “I think they called him ‘doll boy’, or something like that. He was really cool though, he just walked away and ignored them.”

 

“God, I wish he could stay here, with me,” Susie said, sounding upset. “Then he wouldn’t be hated by everyone around him. And I could take care of him and spend more time with him…”

 

“He’s not a baby, Susie!” Linda interjected. “Jake’s nearly eighteen, he can take care of himself. In my opinion, you should respect him a little more. Let him have more of a say in your relationship. Right now, he feels as if he’s somehow inferior to you, and it’s not doing him any good.”

 

Susie lay silent for a while. Then she spoke again.

 

“Well, I’m taking him out on date tomorrow night. I’m sure he’ll tell me everything then. But thanks for the advice; I’m definitely going to stop being so overprotective, now that you mention it.”

 

“Hey, what are friends for?” Linda said. She looked over at Jess, who seemed way too comfortable. Her eyes were closed, and if she was not already asleep she would be shortly. Tara and Linda crawled out from underneath Susie’s robe, off her shoulder, and whispered something into her ear. Susie smiled and, after depositing the two on her dresser, turned quickly onto her right side. With a shriek Jess tumbled off her chest and landed in a fold of the blankets. Susie kept moving her body, making Jess scramble for safety.

 

“That wasn’t funny!” she yelled. “I wasn’t bothering anyone!”

 

“Not my idea,” Susie protested, laughing. But it was too late. Jess had jumped onto her arm and had begun hitting it with her fists. After a while she saw she was achieving nothing, so she began to run up Susie’s arm and toward her face. But Susie had had enough, and grabbed Jess with her hand. She placed her next to the others on her dresser, and sat up.

 

“Okay, I think we’re all getting tired,” she said. “Let’s find you place to sleep. We can have some more fun tomorrow, right?”

 

“Can’t we sleep with you?” Tara pleaded. “You know, right there, against your boobs? That was so cool! Can you imagine, us sleeping on a giant pair of tits?”

 

“I bet Jake would love it!” Linda said. “He’d be so aroused, I bet you could…”

 

“I wouldn’t know,” Susie interrupted, blushing. It had been her secret fantasy to let Jake sleep between her breasts, while she was naked, of course. Maybe she could ask him tomorrow night? She quickly changed the subject.

 

“I’m sorry, but I don’t want to risk your safety. I might turn around in my sleep and squash you all. But I’ve got a perfect place for you.”

 

She pulled open the top drawer of her dresser cabinet and pushed the three girls off the edge. They screamed, but landed safely on a pile of Susie’s underwear. As soon as they realized where they were, it was their turn to blush, and Susie enjoyed watching them. They looked up and saw her huge face looming over them. Around them, the sides of the dresser rose more than twice their own height.

 

“Awwww,” Susie said teasingly. “You poor tiny things! Stuck in my panty drawer! And you can’t get out!”

 

 The three girls looked angry for a while, but they couldn’t remain so for long. They began to laugh, and were still giggling after Susie had said goodnight to them. Susie left the drawer open, before turning off the lights and climbing into bed. She felt glad to have made some new friends today, and became more convinced that it was just a matter of time before the world treated her the same.

Jake looked at his watch. Only five more minutes before she arrived. There was nothing he could do now but wait. It wasn’t as if he was against going on a date with Susie, but it had been quite a while since he’d spent some real quality time with her. During that time he’d begun to have doubts about their relationship. Maybe it wasn’t such a great idea after all, especially considering the negative reactions it was drawing from everyone. At least his mother approved, and to him that meant a lot. He was sitting on the steps of his front door, watching the sun sink lower in the sky. Suddenly, a commotion reached his ears. Something was definitely happening to the north. He got up and waited expectantly. Then, just as he’ predicted, Susie appeared from behind an office building half her height.

 

Jake felt his breath taken away by the sight of her. She was wearing an absolutely stunning red dress, which showed off her gorgeous body perfectly. Her hair was done in a type of bun, with loose strands falling here and there. On her feet he saw equally gorgeous red high-heeled shoes, which he’d never seen before. All in all, she looked more beautiful than he could ever recall. He looked down, at his own rather plain clothes and shoes, and felt curiously unworthy. It wasn’t just him, he realized. Everyone was staring at her. The few cars that were in the streets seemed to have stopped, and Susie had to take care not to step on them. People were gaping from sidewalks and windows, and, after getting their fill of her, turned towards him.

Jake wanted to retreat and hide in his room. Unlike Susie, he didn’t like being the centre of attention. He didn’t want to talk to her, not now, in the open. She had reached his street, and, taking care not to dirty her dress, knelt down in his front yard. She was carrying a purse, which almost the size of his bedroom. After placing it down beside her, she looked at him.

Susie could see that he was rather uncomfortable, and she decided to hurry. She carefully pinched him between her fingers, lifted him up, dropped him in her purse, and closed it. All without saying a word. She was sure he’d understand; in fact, he might even be very grateful. Seeing no need to prolong the embarrassment, she stood up and headed northeast, out of town. She had to move slowly, stepping over cars, houses and power lines. Her previous visits had given her lots of practice, and no damage was done, apart from a few minor cracks in the road surface.

 

She reached the encircling forest, looked behind her to make sure no-one was following her, and set off again. Now she could move more quickly, and, though the terrain was difficult in some places, she managed seventy miles an hour. No car could keep up with her here, and before long she reached the spot where, earlier, she’d been busy preparing the settings. She sat down on the giant picnic blanket and lighted the candles; the sun was about to set. She placed her purse in her lap and opened it. Inside, Jake looked up at her nervously.

 

“Don’t worry, we’re safe,” she said. “Sorry about kidnapping you like that, but I didn’t want to hang around for long.”

 

“That’s okay,” he replied. “I’m just glad to get a break from all those…those people. Why they can’t leave me alone, I don’t know.”

 

“Well, we’re alone now,” she said. “Here, why don’t you take a look?”

 

She tipped her purse over, and Jake tumbled out and onto her dress. He took a moment to compose himself, then looked around him. In the distance, reflecting the setting sun, was the lake, and all around him stretched the trees of the forest. Of the town there was no sight; it had to be hidden behind the trees somewhere. They were pretty high up in the hills, though he could see taller peaks still to his left. Gradually, a feeling of peace and happiness descended upon him. He lay down in Susie’s lap, gazing up at his gigantic girlfriend.

 

“Wow,” he sighed. “You took me all the way up here? It’s beautiful!”

 

“Why, thank you,” she smiled. “It wasn’t easy finding the perfect spot, but I’m glad it worked out. Now, how about something nice to drink?”

 

“Can it wait? I’m enjoying myself too much now.” He stretched himself out, pulling the fabric of her dress across him. It was rare moments like these that made him regret ever considering ending the relationship. Sure, it was difficult to deal with all the criticism and ridicule, but, in the end, he was still in love with Susie, and he wanted to stay with her. She looked down at him adoringly and rubbed him with her fingertip.

 

“Have it your way,” she said, though she agreed with him. “I don’t want to rush it either. Why don’t we do this more often?”

 

“Well, there’s school, for one thing. Plus, it’s difficult for us to arrange an evening like this. Then there’s the fact that no-one likes the thought of us…”

 

“Okay, okay, enough! I don’t want to hear why we can’t be together. I just want to know that we are.”

 

The sun finally set behind the distant hills, and the only light came from the two storey-tall candles. Susie placed Jake next to her on the blanket and opened the basket she’d brought earlier. She took out a smaller basket and handed it to Jake.

 

“Just like last time, eh?” he said. “Maybe we should find some size in between, so we could both enjoy the same delights.”

 

She laughed a little.

 

“Maybe, but what’s a thimble for me is still a bucket to you. We’ll just have to live with that, sweetie.”

 

She filled her glass with orange juice; it was the only thing she had, besides water, to drink at home. But she didn’t complain. Getting this much juice for her had been a difficult task already. She lifted Jake by the back of his shirt and dangled him above her glass, so that he could dip his into it. After she’d put him back down, he stretched his arm and clinked his glass against hers.

 

“To the most gorgeous girl on Earth!” he said, not caring how contrived it sounded. He was no romantic, but he could still give it a try. Susie smiled, and he could see her cheeks reddening. This was their first official ‘date’, not counting all the other occasions they’ve spent together. They were all fine, but none of them had the same special air as this one. As they both drank their drinks, the rest of the world seemed a distant, irrelevant thing.

 

The hours passed, and the night grew rather chilly. Susie had made a quick dash back to her house to fetch a coat. She’d offered to go into town and get something for Jake as well, but he declined. When she returned she found him finishing off the last chunks of jelly from his bowl. She lay down on her side, sheltering him from the breeze. One of the candles had blown out, and she decided to blow out the others as well. The sky was clear, after all, and the moon was nearly full. She turned and lay on her back, to look at the sky above. Jake came and lay beside her, next to her ear. He wrapped himself in her silky hair. Susie gave a small laugh.

 

“What’s so funny?” he inquired.

 

“Oh, I was just having a weird thought,” she replied.

 

“Want to share it with me?”

 

“Well, I was thinking, what if somewhere in the world, there were two other people, just like us, doing this exact same thing. Only, in their case, the guy was the giant, and the girl was the little one.”

 

“Sounds pretty farfetched, in my opinion.”

 

“Hey! I managed to stay a secret for most of my life, didn’t I? Maybe someone else did too.”

 

“And if this…giant existed? You’d love to meet him, wouldn’t you?”

 

She turned on her side again, towards him. He felt himself being pulled along by her enveloping hair. Now he was lying directly beneath her huge, dark eyes.

 

“You’re jealous,” she said, in a sexy voice. “Of a guy who doesn’t even exist, too. That can’t be a good sign.”

 

“I…was just being curious,” he defended. “It was you who brought Mr. Imaginary Giant up in the first place. Hmm, now that I think about it…you were testing me, weren’t you?”

 

“Now you’re being paranoid,” she laughed. She turned back and gazed at the multitude of stars above her. “But,” she continued, “if there were other people like me, I’d definitely want to meet them. I mean, how could I resist? I would finally know that I’m not alone in the world, that there are others who know what it’s like to live like this. I’d take you with me, of course. You’ll always be my special guy, Jake. No matter how handsome Mr. Giant turns out to be.”

 

Jake snuggled in closer to her, and for a long time they just lay there, talking, with no-one around to disturb them. Eventually it got late, and Susie began to pack things up. Jake stood by helplessly at her feet, as she lifted various enormous objects and packed them into the building-sized basket. Even in the pale moonlight she still looked strikingly beautiful. At last she was all finished, and she picked him up and placed him on her shoulder. She gave him a few strands of her hair to tie around his waist, for safety.

 

As they set off down the slopes of the hill, Jake held on tightly to her coat collar. Soon, however, they reached level ground, and he relaxed a little. The town was mostly dark, save for the streetlights, and a few odd lights shining from curtained windows. They reached Jake’s house, and she knelt down in his yard again. He untied himself, and leapt into her hand. Before she put him down, however, she gave him a long, slow kiss.

 

“That’s for staying faithful to me,” she said afterwards. “You needn’t apologize, Jake. I could tell, over the last few weeks, how difficult all this is for you. But I hope you’re still willing to give us a chance.”

 

“Definitely,” he replied. “And I’d love to come and see you more often. Tonight…well, it made me completely forget all the bad things people say about us. And it’s all thanks to you, Susie. Thank you so much.”

 

 She kissed him again, then placed him carefully on the ground. They waved goodbye, and she stood up to her full height. Her shadow completely darkened his house, and he could understand why everyone around him felt threatened by her. She headed back down the road, taking extra care not to crush anything in the dark. She was glad of the moonlight as she reached the edge of the forest. In her head she was already dreaming about tomorrow, and the day after, and all the days that lay ahead. In some ways, it felt as if her life was just starting to get interesting.

The plane had come to a standstill on the runway and Joseph Adams stood up impatiently. The drama surrounding his daughter Susie had finally begun to subside, and he was eager to return to running his company. Now, in the middle of an exceptionally busy week, was when he was needed the most. Unfortunately, an important-sounding phone call had taken place, and he now found himself descending the plane’s steps to the runway of the Toho Lake Air Force Base. A bald man in a general’s uniform approached him and offered his hand.

 

“General Francis Earle,” he introduced himself. “Thank you for responding to our call so quickly. We realize you’re busy man, so I’ll keep this meeting brief. If you’d care to follow me?”

 

“Sure,” Joseph replied, a little surprised by the man’s politeness. “I’m still a little confused, though; I wasn’t aware that the US military still had any interest in me. I mean, I thought we’d cleared up the matter regarding Susan…”

 

“This isn’t about your daughter, Mr. Adams,” the general replied. “Although she is indirectly responsible for your involvement here. Just keep following me, and I’ll show you what I’m talking about.”

 

Joseph decide to stay silent, until he had a better idea of what was going on here. The two of them headed towards a deserted-looking hangar on the side of the runway. The vast doors stood open, and Joseph saw that there was nothing at all inside, just an empty floor. As soon as they had entered, the doors behind them began to close. He was about to ask a question, when something happened. A groaning noise emanated from somewhere beneath them, and, suddenly, the entire floor of the hangar began to descend. It didn’t take long before they were at least a hundred feet below ground level. A short while later, they’d entered a steel door and ascending in an elevator. When the doors opened, Joseph found himself in a long corridor, with glass windows to one side. The corridor was filled with people, some in military uniforms, others dressed in medical outfits.

 

“So, is this it?” he asked cautiously. “I don’t understand…”

 

“Then see for yourself,” General Earle said, and motioned to the windows on the left. Joseph looked through them, and gasped in surprise. He touched the glass of the window, as if doubting that what lay beyond it was real.

 

It was a room, very large, and in it was a young girl. She had long brown hair, pale skin, blue eyes, and wore a pink t-shirt and white skirt. She was lying on the floor, reading a book, ignoring everyone who looked down at her from the row of windows. The room itself must have been her bedroom, for it was furnished in such a manner. But, just like Susie, she was enormous. Everything was on the same scale as Susie’s belongings were, so the girl had to be at least eighty feet tall. Joseph couldn’t believe his eyes.

 

“This,” Earle began to speak again, “is Emma Lenard. She’s eighty-two feet tall, weighs 212 tons and just turned eleven two months ago. About the time your daughter’s existence became public knowledge. Emma was very excited, as you can imagine.”

 

“You…you’re keeping her here?” Joseph asked, unsure of how he should react.

 

“Yes, in secret, of course. Her existence is known only to those military and scientific personnel who are stationed at this facility. Apart from her parents, who, naturally, need to stay here as well.”

 

“How…how long has she been here?”

 

“Since she was five weeks old. Her whole life, basically. Ah, I can see you’re upset, but I assure, she’s been given the best possible care and attention that we believe was possible. Not so different from your own little girl, wouldn’t you agree?”

 

Joseph looked again at the colossal preteen, who had just closed her book. She stood up and went to an adjacent room, the bathroom, Joseph guessed. She closed the door. He thought back of when Susie was Emma’s age, and realized how much they were alike. So there are other giants besides Susie after all, he thought.

 

“Incredible,” he whispered, before turning back to the general. “But why did you bring me here? Do you require my help?”

 

“In a way,” the general answered. “You see, following the public’s reaction to Susan’s existence, we believe the time has come to…declassify Emma, if you will. We realize that, in spite of her abnormal size, she has all the needs of a normal child, and that keeping her here, on the base, will do her, as a person, only harm. As you are no doubt aware, her condition cannot be cured or reversed, and she’ll have to live like this the rest of her life. The question is, how do we proceed from here?”

 

He paused for a minute before continuing.

 

“After reviewing a number of possible options, we believe that the best thing to do is to let Emma live with your daughter, temporarily, of course. In fact, we’re certain that both girls will benefit from this arrangement, and from interaction with someone else of their own size. Naturally, the government will cover all expenses, since we’re aware that you’re under some pressure to provide for Susan.”

 

“Hmm,” Joseph mused. “You have thought this whole thing through, haven’t you? I’m not so sure, and I’m not sure Susie will like it either. She likes her privacy, and her place is small enough as it is.”

 

“We’ll let you discuss it, of course, but we’re strongly suggesting that you yield to our advice. It’ll be the best thing to do, trust me. Now, would you like to go and meet her?”

 

“Uh…right now?”

 

“Sure! Just head back the way you came. We’ll open the door for you.”

 

Joseph turned around, and standing before him, was a short woman wearing a blue dress. She had the same facial features as Emma, and he guessed she was the girl’s mother, which she was.

 

“Dorothy Lenard,” she introduced herself. “It’s a real honour, Mr. Adams. You’re daughter’s success story has given hope to my husband and me, that Emma might have a future after all.”

 

“Well, it’s not a success story yet. There are still lots of people who are afraid of Susie, and we need to rectify that as soon as we can. Now, why don’t you introduce me to Emma?”

 

They went back down in the elevator. When they reached the hangar floor, Joseph now noticed that one wall was completely open, and behind it lay Emma’s bedroom. They went inside, and soon found themselves in a world of oversized furniture, toys, clothes and all sorts of other things. He was again reminded of the resemblance to Susie’s own room. From behind the closed bathroom door came the sound of a toilet flushing, and soon after Emma herself emerged. She spotted them at once, and went own on her hands and knees for a closer look.

 

“Emma,” her mother said in a friendly voice. “This is Mr. Adams. He’s Susie’s father, and he’s very interested in meeting you.”

 

“Hello,” the giant girl said, putting on her best smile. “Pleased to meet you.”

 

“So am I,” Joseph said. “Um, will you be standing like that the whole time? It looks a little uncomfortable, if you ask me.”

 

Emma looked at her mother, who nodded in approval. Then she picked the two of them up, carrying them in her cupped hands. Joseph was used to Susie carrying him, but this felt a little unnerving. She sat down cross-legged on her bed and dropped them in her lap. Joseph struggled to stand up on the surface of her skirt, and he decide sitting might be a better idea. Emma kept looking at him and he decided to break the silence.

 

“So, Emma,” he said, “how do you feel about meeting Susie? Are you excited?”

 

She nodded her head. Then her shyness seemed to vanish, and she began to talk excitedly.

 

“Is Susie really bigger than me? I’ve never met anyone bigger than me, but everyone says she is.”

 

“Yes,” Joseph answered. “But you’ll be her size someday, if you keep on growing like you have so far.”

 

“Is she nice? She won’t be mean to me, will she?”

 

“No, no! She’ll be delighted to meet you. She might take a little while to get used to sharing her place with you, but I really think you’ll become good friends.”

 

“I don’t want to leave!” Emma suddenly said. “Why can’t Susie stay here, with me? Why do I have to go?”

 

“Now, Emma, we’ve talked about this,” Dorothy said sternly. “This place isn’t good for a girl like you. Besides, you might make some friends when you’re at your new home, friends who are your own age. Wouldn’t that be great?”

 

“I don’t want any new friends! And they won’t like me anyway! No-one will like me, ‘cause I’m so big, and they’ll think I’m a monster! I want to stay here!”

 

Her powerful hand brushed the two of them off her skirt, as if they were no more than breadcrumbs. Joseph landed face down on her bed, shaken but unharmed. He watched as Emma stood up and loomed over them. Then he went over to Dorothy, to make sure she was okay. She stood up without his help, and faced her upset daughter. If Emma decided to, she could crush them in an instant. All her life, Dorothy had been worried that something like that might happen, and had tried her hardest to raise Emma to be a kind and compassionate person.

 

“All right!” she yelled, trying to defuse the situation. “You can stay here, but on one condition. That you go and stay with Susie for a few days. Do you hear me? Please, darling, I need you to listen to me! I love you, Emma, and I want the best for you!”

 

Emma looked at her sulkily, but in the end she nodded her head. She picked up her mother and held her against her chest.

 

“I’m sorry I hurt you, mommy,” she said, sounding genuinely remorseful. “I know you love me, I do, but I’m really scared, and I don’t want to go…”

 

“You’ll be fine,” Dorothy said. “I’m coming with you, and daddy too. We’ll stay with you the whole time, and if you don’t like staying with Susie, we’ll bring you back here. It’s your choice.”

 

 A few hours later, Joseph was back in the plane, headed home. Not directly, though; he still had a visit with Susie that lay ahead. He wasn’t sure how she’ll take the news, but, as for himself, he was convinced it was a good idea. Emma couldn’t stay in an underground room on a military base her whole life. She needs to come out and take her first step into the real world. He didn’t know for sure when she would be coming over; the Air Force was busy upgrading an old, long-distance cargo plane to carry her and her belongings. It would take several trips, he’d been told. Then there were the living arrangements to figure out: a new bed had to be built, which could take a week at the very least, and Susie’s cabin may even have to be expanded. Thankfully, he didn’t have to pay for anything this time. Though, compared to talking his daughter into this, paying a few extra million dollars might have been a lot easier. One thing was for sure: he wasn’t going back to running his company anytime soon.

Five weeks later, and Joseph still couldn’t believe how quickly everything had happened. Susie’s cabin had gotten a partial makeover: instead of one bed, it now contained two. Furniture had to be moved around a bit, but the place did have enough space after all. Of course, Susie was the only thing around strong enough to help out in these regards, and, with her help, everything became much easier.

 

Just as her father had predicted, Susie was against the idea of sharing her space, until she heard who she would be sharing it with. The thought of meeting another person like herself had sent her into a constant state of excitement. This had been her lifelong dream, since she was old enough to realize how different she was. Finally, she had the chance to feel what everyone around her took for what granted. It didn’t matter that the girl was almost five years younger than her; to Susie, Emma was already a best friend, only one she hasn’t met yet.

 

The day came when Emma’s parents arrived, and Susie became even more excited. Listening to them talk about how wonderful their daughter was, she could almost picture in her mind what their first meeting will be like. Then Emma’s mother told her about Emma’s reluctance to come and stay here, and Susie promised her that she’d do everything to make Emma feel right at home. Thankfully, the media wouldn’t be there to interfere, since they’d already been allowed to visit the Air Force base, and were having a field day there.

 

Finally, on the second last day of September, the big moment arrived. Susie sat alone in her cabin, nearly bursting with anticipation. Though all her friends had wanted to be here with her, she made the choice to introduce them to Emma later. She reckoned Emma had enough to worry about already, and wanted to keep their first meeting a simple one. She might also be tired, after having been cooped up in that airplane for the last seven hours, and maybe she wouldn’t be in the mood to socialize.

 

The door stood open, but no-one had arrived yet. Susie yawned, and realized that she herself was rather tired, a result of several nights spent awake in excitement. It was nearly three o’clock in the afternoon. Just then she heard the sound of footsteps outside. Not teeny-tiny footsteps, like normal people would make, and which she wouldn’t have heard anyway. There was a sound like that of heavy bags being put down on the ground, and then Emma entered the house. She looked straight at Susie, and the amazement on their faces was clearly visible to each of them.

 

“Oh, er, hello,” Susie said, before deciding she couldn’t keep it in any longer. She ran over to Emma and lifted her up in a great big hug. For once she didn’t have to be super careful with her massive strength. She put Emma back down, and the younger girl stood there for a while, taken aback at what had just happened. Then she broke out into laughter, and gave Susie a hug of her own.

 

“You’re just as awesome as they said you were!” she said, looking up at someone for the first time in her life.

 

“Er, who’s ‘they’?” Susie asked.

 

“My parents and…and your dad, too! They said you were the nicest person they’ve ever met. I didn’t believe them!”

 

“Oh, I’m not that awesome,” Susie said, trying to be humble, but secretly delighted. “Hey, er, can I give you a hand? Those bags look pretty heavy.”

 

“Nah, they’re just my clothes and stuff. Can I put them…oh, is that my bed?”

 

“Yes, we just finished it two days ago. Do you like it?”

 

Emma flopped down on the 110-foot bed. The mattress was harder than her old one back at the base, but it was still comfortable enough to her liking.

 

“I’ve never seen a forest before,” she said. “Not in real life, anyway. Can I, you know, walk around in it and stuff? Explore?”

 

“Sure! There’s a fence, but that’s just to keep other people out. You can go anywhere you want. I’ll even show you around, if you like.”

 

“Awesome! Can we go now?”

 

“Uh, I’m sorry, but I can’t. Our parents will be along in half an hour, to make sure everything’s okay up here. It’ll get dark soon after that, so you’ll have to wait till tomorrow. I promise, I’ll show you everything there is to see. Have your parents told you where they’ll be staying?”

 

Emma nodded. Her mom and dad had rented a small cottage-like house on the outskirts of the town. She hadn’t seen it yet, but her dad had given her detailed instructions, and she was certain Susie could help her find it. After her plane had landed, the only thing she’d seen so far was the forest that bordered the road. A jeep had driven in front of her to show her which way she should go.

 

“So, how long will you be staying?” Susie asked.

 

“Huh?”

 

“Your mom told me you only wanted to stay for a few days. Is that true?”

 

Emma blushed a little. It was true that she hadn’t been enthusiastic about leaving her old room, but now that she was actually her, and had seen for herself how great the place was, she’d changed her mind.

 

“Well, uh, I…” she began. Susie interrupted her by laughing.

 

“Look, you’re more than welcome to stay here as long as you like,” she said. “I’m glad you changed your mind, really! Here, let me help you unpack your stuff…hey!”

 

To her surprise Emma had come up to her and given her another hug. Susie sat down on her bed, with Emma sitting down in her lap, arms wrapped tightly around her.

 

“What was that for?” Susie asked, wondering if it was something she’d said.

 

“Oh, I…I just wanted to…to feel what it’s like, to have someone hold me like this…”

 

Susie knew exactly how the little girl felt. Her own childhood had been just as lonely and friendless, with no-one who could hold her in their arms and comfort her when she was feeling sad. Emma pressed her face against her shoulder, her eyes closed. Neither of them said anything: a moment like this needed no words. A short while later, when Susie’s dad arrived with Mr. and Mrs. Lenard, he was amazed when he saw the two giantesses embracing one another. He turned to Emma’s parents, and they all agreed to let the girls have their moment, before announcing their presence. Susie and Emma didn’t look embarrassed when they found out their parents were watching them; in fact, they looked happier than they did in a long time.

 

The next day was Saturday, and Susie decided to show Emma the town of Barton. They set off just after breakfast and headed down the hill through the forest. Of course, Susie took every opportunity to tell her new friend that she had to be extremely careful not to step on someone. At their size, it was all too easy to have a little accidental misstep, and cause massive damage. They reached the outskirts of the town, and Emma gasped with enchantment.

 

“Wow! It’s like a fairy tale city, or something! Everything’s so tiny!”

 

She knelt down next to the nearest house and placed her hand on the roof. She was certain that, if she wanted to, she could put her arms around the house and pick it up, like a dollhouse. Susie stepped past her and onto the street. Her shoes were just as long as the cars that were parked here and there. Emma stood up again and, for the first time, began to notice people on the ground below her. Miniature men and women , walking on the sidewalks, relaxing in front yards, and driving cars. They were all staring at the giant girls, which made Emma feel uncomfortable, and none ventured close to them. Most people knew that Susie was friendly, but they were still wary of approaching her.

 

“Come on!” she aid, after waving to the citizens. “Let’s got to the park! My friends will be there!”

 

She began to walk along the street, placing each foot as carefully as she could. She noticed that cars avoided driving towards her, and would turn at intersections to get away from her. One or two, however, seemed to know that she posed no threat, and drove carefully between her feet. Some drivers even waved at her. Suddenly she heard a voice calling her name, and looked down. At her feet she saw Mrs. Torrance, one of the teachers from Jake’s school, and the only one who seemed to like her. She stooped and picked her up.

 

“Hello, Mrs. Torrance” she said politely. “How are you?”

 

“Oh, I’m fine, thank you, dear. Though I must admit it always gives me a fright when you take me up like this! So, how’s life treating you? And who’s your lovely little friend?”

 

Susie introduced Emma, who got some amusement out of being called ‘little’. She offered her finger to the woman in place of a hand. Mrs. Torrance took it in both hands. As she and Susie chatted, Emma looked down, and saw that a crowd had started to form at their feet. She knelt down to get a better look, and said hello to the pint-sized people. One man, wearing a police uniform, took a few steps closer, and she offered him a finger to shake as well. He didn’t react to it.

 

“H-how old are you, er…little girl?” he asked.

 

“Eleven,” she replied.

 

“Oh my God!” came a woman’s voice. “That…that means you’ll grow even bigger than you are now?”

 

“Uh-huh. My mom said she thinks I’m going to be bigger than Susie someday.”

 

The people began murmuring amongst themselves, and she felt uncomfortable again. Were they afraid of her? Susie knelt down and put the teacher back on the ground. The two girls completely dwarfed everything around them. They were blocking the road as well, and motorists began to honk their horns angrily. Soon they were on their way again, and after a few minutes they reached a large park. Here Emma saw something else she’d never seen before: children her own age. They were playing and running around. When the girls arrived, however, silence fell. Everyone stopped what they were doing and stared at them. Some parents got up and began gathering their kids. But Susie was undeterred. She was here to have fun, and if people didn’t like that, they were welcome to leave.

 

She looked around, and soon spotted her friends. Jake, Linda and Tara were sitting on the grass, and she lay herself down next to them. Emma did so as well, leaving the three older kids completely enclosed by their gigantic bodies. Susie handled all the introductions. Emma picked Jake up and curled her fingers around him.

 

“You’re very cute,” she said, and he blushed. “Are you really Susie’s boyfriend?”

 

“Yes, uh, that’s right. I…ow, my leg!” Emma’s fingers were squeezing his legs together, and he tried to break free. The young girl apologized and put him back down.

 

“Don’t worry!” Susie said laughing. “Jake’s just being a baby. Here, let me show you how it’s done!”

 

“Hey!” Jake protested. “I wasn’t being…hey! Hey, what are you…” Susie had grabbed him by the back of his shirt and lifted him up. She zipped open the front of her jacket and lowered Jake down inside, just beneath her blouse-covered breasts. Then she quickly zipped her jacket up again. Jake’s dampened voice could be heard and Susie could feel his puny body struggling around against her. Emma laughed, while Tara and Linda just watched and smiled, partly in amusement, and partly in awe. Susie was just so huge and powerful, and they were all like bugs compared to her. They turned around, and Emma picked them both up in one hand.

 

“Oh, God,” Tara whispered. “I feel so, so, incredibly tiny right now.”

 

“Yeah, tell me about it,” Linda said. “Can you imagine if there were a lot more of them? What’ll happen to us then?”

 

“Oh, we’ll still be friends,” Susie said. “We’ll keep you around and let you sleep in our panty drawers. You’ll be our little pets.”

 

“That’s right,” Emma added. “You’ll be just like little dolls to us, and we’ll play with you, and dress you, and…”

 

“Okay, okay, I get the idea!” Tara said. “Actually, I wouldn’t mind being a doll. Life would be so easy, wouldn’t it? No worries, no problems, just you and your giant owner who takes care of you.”

 

“Just give me a gorgeous guy doll, and I’m in!” Linda said. “Hey, Susie, don’t you think you should let your little boyfriend out soon? I’m afraid he might suffocate or something.”

 

Susie unzipped her jacket, and Jake tumbled out in an undignified manner. His face was burning red, both from the heat and the embarrassment. He glared up at Susie, who made an apologetic face. Before he could yell at her, she snatched him up again and planted a kiss on his face.

 

“Forgive me?” she whispered, pretending to be sad.

 

“Uh, all right,” he agreed. “Just…don’t do that again…at least, not out here, in front of everyone.”

 

 Susie smiled; she knew he’d enjoyed it. Jake was not at all the dominant type, and he loved that she was so much stronger than him. She got up and asked the others if they wanted to go to the lake. They all agreed, and she started to head out of the park. Emma followed behind, carrying the girls. They walked quickly, ignoring all the stares. Some people even had the nerve to shout insults at them, but Susie knew better than to react the way she wanted. The way she saw it, there was nothing those bigots could do to hurt her, and ignoring them was better than hurting them. She’d told Emma the same thing earlier, and so far, nothing serious had occurred. She hoped it would stay that way.

As so often happens in real life, Susie’s predictions were only partially accurate. Many people in town still remembered her first visit, and how she’d humiliated their chief of police. The fact that it was the chief who ha opened fire on Susie first was not so well remembered. The man had since left Barton, with his family, and so had quite a few others who had no wish to live in the vicinity of someone like Susie. Animosity towards her was pretty high, but, deep down, most people didn’t really want something bad to happen to her. She was just different, and they couldn’t handle it.

 

One of her favourite ways of spending time was swimming in the large lake just outside the town. She always attracted a sizeable crowd whenever she went, since the lake was a popular recreational area. Today was no exception, and Susie took Emma past the most crowded places towards a place where the shore formed a small cliff. Emma had never swum before, and didn’t know how, so Susie had offered to give her a few lessons, before the autumnal weather grew too cold. They took off the clothes they were wearing over their swimming costumes; Emma’s had only been made last week, and she was eager to try it out. Jake, Linda and Tara hadn’t been told about Susie’s plans, and they weren’t too eager to go swimming with a giantess in any case.

 

The water here was shallow, only 40-50 feet deep. Susie and Emma climbed in, while their friends watched from the shore. Several passers-by also stopped to take a look. Despite being a complete novice, Emma didn’t seem uncomfortable in the water. On the contrary, she seemed to enjoy it a lot. Tara took a look at her watch, and decided to take her leave.

 

“Watching other people learn how to swim isn’t really my idea of a good time,” she explained. “Come on, let’s go get something to eat and drink! I’m starving!”

 

The three of them waved to Susie and Emma, who were busy splashing each other with water. Then they set off down the road, after having decided which was the shortest way back. Along the way, they talked about Emma, and how she would impact their friendship with Susie.

 

“I hope we’ll still have sleepovers at her place,” Tara said. “No offense, but the stuff we usually talk about when we’re with her, isn’t exactly kid-friendly.”

 

Jake smiled, but he knew she was right. With Emma staying there, there won’t be any more romantic evenings spent at Susie’s place, alone with her. If they could only invite her to one of their houses, things would be different.

 

“We’ll work something out,” he said. “Emma still has her old home, on that Air Force base, remember? Maybe we could talk her into staying there for a few days, you know, every now and then?”

 

“Poor girl,” Linda said. “It must be terrible for her, to be so…well, I’m really glad she has someone like Susie looking out for her. I hope she makes some friends here, like Susie did. I mean, she has to go to school or something, right? She’s only eleven, she can’t have finished her education already.”

 

“She’s getting homeschooled,” Jake answered. “Her mom’s going over to Susie’s place every week, with a teacher from the school. She’ll be fine. But you’re right, she does need to make some friends. Anyone got any ideas?”

 

They’d reached the edge of the town, and were making their way towards a nice café, when a car pulled up alongside them. When Jake saw who was inside, he and the girls stopped. Out stepped Arthur and Frank, two of Linda’s old friends from school, whom she never really liked, and their friends Ted and Garrett. Jake didn’t like any of them. At school they were constantly giving him a hard time, and once or twice he almost told Susie about them, in the hopes that she’ll then deal with them. They hated Susie, of course, and Frank had even once threatened that if he could, he’d gladly kill her.

 

The four boys approached Jake, while the girls stood to one side. Despite the fact that Linda and Tara were also friends with Susie, it was Jake who took the most abuse from everyone. He always told himself that it was because the other guys were jealous of him, but, in truth, he had no clue why they were so mean to him only.

 

“What’s up, Jakey-boy?” Frank asked, facing Jake. “Hanging out with your girlfriends, are you?”

 

“Except, they’re not really your girlfriends, are they?” Ted added. “You ever going to make some real friends, Jake?”

 

“Not if everyone else I meet is an asshole like you, Ted,” Jake said.

 

“Okay, Jake, let’s go!” Linda said, sounding concerned. “See you around, guys!”

 

“No, I think Jake wants to stay,” Frank said, as he and Jake kept facing each other. “Why should he be scared of us? He’s got Ginormica around to protect him.”

 

“Don’t call her that!” Jake yelled. “And she’s not around right now, she’s at the…”

 

“The lake. Yeah, we know. Playing with that other freak.”

 

“Emma’s not a freak!” Linda insisted. “Come on, Jake, they’re just looking for another fight. Let’s just leave them!” She turned around, and Jake was about to follow, when Frank grabbed his arm.

 

“Not so fast, doll boy! You still owe Ted an apology!”

 

“For what?”

 

“For calling me an asshole, you stupid fuck!” Ted yelled. He grabbed Jake’s other arm, and they threw him to the ground. The girls looked on in dismay; this wasn’t exactly a new experience for Jake, and they felt sorry for him. Linda wanted to say something to stop them, but she knew they wouldn’t listen to her. Jake tried to get up, but was pushed to the ground by Arthur.

 

“Payback, for what that giant bitch did to us!” he snarled, and Jake remembered how Susie had punished them for hurting him, back when they first met. Frank grabbed Jake by the hair, and Arthur raised his fist, but before he could lower it he heard a powerful voice speaking above him.

 

“Aren’t you guys ever going to grow up?”

 

They looked behind them, and the horrified expressions on their faces said it all. It was Susie, of course, lying on her stomach, her massive body completely filling the end of the street. She was still wearing her bikini swimsuit, and her clothes were rolled up in a bundle next to her. Frank dropped Jake and turned to run, but Susie reached over calmly and, with one finger, knocked him down and pinned him to the ground. The other three stood still, paralyzed with fear. Arthur remembered his experience beneath her foot. She’d been angry then, but right now she looked more amused. Jake got up and joined Linda and Tara. Susie quickly gathered all four bullies and curled her fingers around them, trapping them in her fist.

 

“Are you okay?” she asked Jake, and he nodded. Then she looked at her prisoners, weakly struggling in her grip. She sighed.

 

“I suppose I’ll have to teach you guys another lesson. Again. But you know what? I’m not going to, because you’ll just go back to being the same bunch of obnoxious scumbags you are now."

 

“Fuck you!” Frank shouted, trying to break free. “I’ll fucking kill you, you hear? I said I’ll fucking kill you!”

 

Susie faked a yawn.

 

“Yeah, yeah, tell me something I don’t know,” she said. She opened her fist, and they fell to the ground in a heap. Frank was first on his feet. He looked around for his car, and couldn’t see it. Then he looked up, and saw Susie’s giant, grinning face.

 

“Lost something?” she asked innocently. “Why don’t you start looking for it? I’ll even give you a hint.”

 

She pointed at her chest. Frank took one look at her huge breasts, pressing down on the road. If his car was beneath them, it would be crushed flat by now. He gave Susie such a hate-filled stare that she decided the fun was over for today. She reached behind her back and pulled out the car; it had been tucked underneath the strap of her bikini and was undamaged. She put it down on the road, and the four guys hurriedly climbed in and started the engine. But Susie couldn’t resist one last laugh. She picked up the car, and, after licking her lips, planted a big, wet kiss on the front window.

 

“Take care, my little sweets!” she said laughing, and put the car back down. After it had driven off, she turned to Jake and the girls. To her surprise, they didn’t seem to be enjoying all this as much as she was. She opened her hand and waited for them to climb in, before standing up.

 

“Jake…” she began.

 

“You know what’ll happen now?” he interrupted, sounding upset. “They’ll just hate me even more, that’s what! And you too! Frank wasn’t joking when he said he’ll kill you, Susie; he’s been saying it for weeks.”

 

“Well, I’m sorry, but I couldn’t just leave you in that situation! And…well, you know I’ve apologized to Frank and Arthur before, over and over, and they’re still the same way they were before. I’m sorry, Jake, but I’m getting fed up with the fact that, no matter how nice and friendly and helpful I try to be, people still hate me!”

 

She looked down at the ground and wasn’t at all surprised to see lots of people staring up at her. They could easily hear her, just like she wanted them to. Just then Emma appeared, still dripping wet from her swim. Susie had planned to stay with Jake a while longer, but she wasn’t in the right mood right now. She said goodbye to her three friends, and showed Emma the way to he parents’ house. After making sure Emma knew the way back, she headed home alone. Once she got back, she took a warm shower, then lay down on her bed.

 

“Here I am, feeling sorry for myself again,” she thought. “All this fame and attention, and I still feel so alone. Is this what the rest of my life will be like?”

 

She lay in silence for a few minutes, then sat up straight.

 

 “No!” she said to herself. “I’m not living like this, not one more day! If I want my life to change, I have to be the one to change it! And I think I know what to do!”

Emma sat alone in the park, her joy at discovering the outside world for the first time quickly fading. She didn’t regret leaving her own home, but, somehow, this new life wasn’t what she’d expected. Susie was a great friend, but she was a lot older than Emma, and their interests weren’t the same; she spent more time with her boyfriend, and those girls from the high school, than with Emma. After a week spent mostly up at the cabin, or walking around in the woods, the young giantess began to wonder if fitting might be impossible for her. She’d asked her parents if she could spend one last weekend at her old home on the military base. Partly because she wanted to, and partly because Susie had asked her politely. She had no idea what Susie was planning, or why she wanted her gone for the weekend; maybe she’s planning a romantic encounter with Jake, and wanted some privacy. Either way, Emma wouldn’t be returning till Monday.

 

There didn’t appear to be anyone in the park this Thursday morning, and Emma was just about to get up and leave. Then she spotted someone, sitting beneath a tree on the other side of the lawn. Though normally shy of strangers, she felt a curious desire to go to this person and talk to him. Maybe if she took a chance, she might make a new friend. She got on her hands and knees and began moving nonchalantly towards the tree. The figure saw her coming, and got up, but didn’t run away. To Emma’s surprise, he actually came walking towards her. She saw that it was a young boy, no older than herself. He looked up at her with wide eyes, and backed away a bit as she extended her hand.

 

“Hi there,” she said. “Don’t be afraid of me, I won’t hurt you. I’m Emma. What’s your name?”

 

“Danny,” he said shyly. He looked rather skinny to Emma, and she wondered what he was doing here and why he wasn’t in school. He stepped forward to touch her outstretched hand, then got the shock of his life when she wrapped her fingers around him at lightning speed. She lifted him off the ground, feeling his little body wriggling in her hand.

 

“Gotcha!” she said mischievously. “There’s no escape for you now, little Danny! Prepare to be eaten!”

 

She brought him closer to her open mouth. He didn’t scream, or make a sound, but kept staring at her with unblinking eyes. She thought that maybe he was too scared to talk, so she put him down again.

 

“Whoa!” he exclaimed, suddenly coming to life. “You…just picked me up, and…and then you…whoa, that was so cool!”

 

“I…you mean, you weren’t scared?”

 

“Course I was scared!...Uh, I mean, uh, no way! You’ll have to do a lot better to scare me!”

 

“You mean, like this?”

 

She grabbed him by his legs and had him dangling in front of her face, forty feet above the ground. He screamed loudly, as she started to swing him back and forth, carefully of course.

 

“Why aren’t you in school, little boy?” she said, in a deep, menacing voice.

 

“I…I’m…sick,” he managed to say.

 

“Really? You don’t look sick to me! I think you’re faking!”

 

“No, I’m not! Put me down, please! I…I’m getting…bad feeling…gotta…throw up…”

 

She lowered him slowly to the ground. He didn’t throw up, thankfully, but Emma apologized anyway. He still didn’t look ill to her, but she decided to drop the subject. She held out her hand and invited him to climb in it. After looking around him to make sure no-one was around to watch, he accepted. She brought him closer to her face.

 

“Wow, you’re huge!” Danny exclaimed. “I bet you’re bigger than my house! Damn!”

 

“Oh yeah? Wait till I’m all grown up, then I’ll show you what ‘huge’ really means.” She couldn’t believe she was making a new friend as easily as this. Soon, she and Danny were talking about school, parents, friends, sport, as if they had known each other for years. He said that all his other friends were boys, but that she was welcome to come and play with them anytime.

 

“Oh, that sounds great!” she said. “But I won’t be back until Monday. Is…is that okay with you?”

 

“Sure, whatever. You should come by my school sometime and meet everyone. That’ll be so cool!”

 

“I’d love to! Now, tell me, what do you and your friends do for fun?”

 

 

Meanwhile, at Barton High School, a different kind of excitement was in the air. That morning, students who arrived at the school were greeted by a strange sight. Draped across the front of the main building was an enormous paper banner. On it the following lines were written in large red letters:

 

THE BIGGEST PARTY IN TOWN!! SUSIE’S PLACE SATURDAY @19:00, YOU KNOW WHERE IT IS! EVERYONE INVITED! FREE FOOD AND DRINKS, SLEEPOVER OPTIONAL. SEE YOU THERE!

 

Several of the staff managed to take down the banner, but not before it had been seen by a majority of the schools students. Naturally, it was the topic of most conversations during the next two days. Jake was frequently asked exactly what was going on, as were some of Susie’s other friends, but they too were in the dark. In fact, Susie hadn’t been seen in town for several days, and Jake had begun to wonder if something was wrong with her.

 

Saturday morning came, and Jake, along with several of his friends, Linda included, were on their way to Susie’s place. She’d sent them a message the previous day, via Emma, requesting their help. They were let in by the guard at the gate, and drove the winding road through the dense trees. When they came in sight of Susie’s cabin they saw the young giantess waiting for them. One of Jake’s friends, a boy called Gary, had never been here, and was almost overflowing with excitement. He had a secret crush on Susie, as Jake knew, even though he was too embarrassed too tell anyone else. Today, however, Gary found himself here by his dream girl’s request, and they all got out of the car to see what was going on.

 

“Hi there!” Susie said, sounding exceptionally happy. “Emma’s just left, so that means we can officially begin the preparations.”

 

“Preparations?” Jake asked.

 

“For my party, of course!” she said, crouching down and giving him a kiss on top of his head. Several of the others began laughing, and he shot them an angry glance. Susie merely smiled as she gathered them all into her hands.

 

“Sorry for keeping this all from you,” she said as she went inside. “But I didn’t want anyone to ruin the surprise, if you know what I mean. Now, I asked my dad to help me get all this stuff, but I need your help now to set it up. Shall we begin?”

 

The day passed quickly, and, before they knew it, the sun had already begun to set. Jake and the others were pretty worn out, so Susie had given them some time off while she continued getting the place ready. They didn’t have her strength, after all. Six o’clock arrived, and she had just finished looking over everything for the last time. She turned on the light over the front door, and it illuminated the entire lawn in front of her house. Spread out across the lawn were a dozen unlit bonfires, which they’d built earlier. There was also a large table with snacks, glasses and cutlery, and several fridges containing drinks. The rest of the food, and some of the drinks, were still inside, and she would fetch them when needed. She’d also borrowed some powerful speakers from her father, and had put Gary in charge of the music for the evening. Inside, she’d set up some chairs and tables, and a ramp leading up to her bed, in case anyone wished to go there. If anyone wanted to sleep over, they could do so on Emma’s bed - Susie estimated it was large enough for a hundred people.

 

As the hour drew nearer, she could no longer contain her anxiety. During the time she spent planning the party, she had always pictured it in her mind as a success. Now, however, she was painfully aware that it might all be for nothing. If her attempt to win everyone over to liking her failed, she wondered if she would be able to get over it. Suddenly, in the distance, came the sound of a car’s engine, followed by the glow of its headlights.

 

 “This is it,” she thought. “Everyone’s counting on you, Susie. Don’t let them down!”

“I told you we shouldn’t have come here!” Ted complained. “That place is a fucking dump! You really think anyone showed up?”

 

“Let’s just go and see,” Garrett insisted, after the guard let him through the gate. “Maybe it won’t be so bad after all. Besides, I told Tara I’d come, and she’s probably waiting for me.”

 

“Oh, so you’ve got the hots for Tara, huh? It sure didn’t look like it the other day, when we were…you know.”

 

“Well, that was some time ago. You know how people change - I mean, you weren’t always this full of shit the whole time.”

 

“Oh, for fuck’s sake!” It was too late for Ted to protest anymore; the car turned around a bend in the road, and they saw lights up ahead. And heard music - loud music. When they finally emerged completely from the forest, they got a shock. Parked in front of them were at least forty cars, spread out across a huge grassy clearing. Some of them had just arrived, as they could tell by the few people still hanging around. Ted and Garrett got out quickly, and hurried towards the area where the light was coming from. They had to go through some dense shrubs; this place was clearly not meant to be used as a road. Then, when they saw what was happening at the cabin, they got the biggest surprise of all.

 

There must have been over a hundred people who showed up, and they were everywhere. Some were dancing, others were sitting around several large bonfires, and still more were going in and out of the massive front door. The two newcomers quickly recognized some of their friends and went over to them.

 

“Hey, look who just showed up!” exclaimed Luke, a tall, muscular friend of Ted’s. “Didn’t you say there was no way in hell you’d ever come here, Ted?”

 

“I didn’t want to come, believe me. Garrett here, however, has got his eye on someone…” He turned to where Garrett had stood a second ago, but he was no longer there. Ted quickly spotted him heading in the direction of huge crowd gathered around something. Or in this case, someone. Lying on the grass, large as ever, was the red-haired giantess that everyone had come to see. Even though she was on her stomach, her head resting on her arms, she still towered many feet above the crowd of onlookers. Ted headed a little closer, and saw that some people, guys and girls alike, were even climbing onto her back and legs. And she was doing nothing to stop them.

 

“Hey!” came a voice right next to him, and he turned quickly. It was Garrett, and with him was that girl he’d been talking about, Tara. It seemed the attraction wasn’t just one sided, since she actually seemed to enjoy being with him. Garrett waved him over, before heading back into the crowd.

 

Just at that moment, Susie decide to get up from the ground. Several girls were playing around in her hair, and she combed them out with her fingers. And even though she’d told them not to, several guys had decided to crawl in underneath her t-shirt, and they were shaken out by her. The giantess stood up, utterly dwarfing the miniature people around her; they didn’t even reach past her ankle, since she was wearing thick-soled sandals. She took these off now, and tossed them away.

 

“Okay, are all the teams ready?” she called out, her voice incredibly powerful, yet still girly-sounding. There were several cheers from the crowd, as people began to move to and fro.

 

“What’s she talking about?” Ted asked a random bystander.

 

“What, you weren’t here?” he replied. “First team to get to the top gets the prize: a kiss - from her, of course!”

 

Susie indicated with her hands that they should all move back, and she sat down on her legs. Her original plan was to have the guys climbing her while she stood up, but she honestly didn’t think anyone would be able to. Some of them had had quite a bit to drink, too. In front of her stood seven groups of people, each one having elected a ‘champion’ to attempt the climb for them. Ted saw that Susie’s so-called boyfriend, Jake, was in one of the groups, but he wasn’t the one doing the climbing. Instead, his group had chosen some skinny guy Ted didn’t really know. He got closer and stood next to Garrett and Tara. The excitement was starting to get to him, much to his surprise.

 

“All right!” Susie exclaimed, silencing the crowd. “Now, I don’t want to see any foul play or anything like that, understood? If any of you decide to attack or push someone off, I’ll make sure you are punished - severely! And if anyone tries to sneak a peek at the ‘restricted areas’, I assure you, you’ll be in for a BIG surprise, and not a nice surprise, either. Now, everyone ready? Okay…begin!”

 

As the crowd cheered them on, the boys started to climb. Some of them attempted to scale her back, without much success. The others climbed onto her legs and made their way across her lap. Susie decided that it was a little too easy for them, so she shook her legs around a bit. Two of the guys fell off, but three of them reached the base of her body. Jake’s friend, Gary, was, of course, thrilled to be so close to her. He grabbed onto her T-shirt and hoisted himself up with difficulty. A long way above him, he saw the curves of her breasts. One of the other guys climbed in underneath her shirt, and she felt him moving against her skin. She reached in carefully, pulled him out, and dropped him into a large metal bucket she’d brought from her kitchen.

 

“Oops! Looks like someone didn’t remember my warning. Well, enjoy your new home, you pervert!”

 

“Hey! I’m sorry!” the boy called, while Susie pretended to ignore him. “You won’t make me stay here the whole night, right?”

 

She merely smiled; she would let him out, of course, but he didn’t have to know that yet. In the meantime Gary and the other guy had reached her breasts, and were struggling to find a way over them. She decided to give them a little help, and pressed her hands against her chest. The boys used her fingers as footholds, an so they managed to climb above her breasts and reach her shoulders. Gary was first to grab onto her hair, and he climbed as quickly as possible, his competitor close behind him. He didn’t want to know how high up he was, so he looked up, into the cascade of her red hair. Suddenly he felt a hand grab his ankle, and yelled for help. The other guy, Malcolm, was trying to pull him down, but Susie heard him, and snatched the cheater away. Malcolm soon found himself in the twenty-foot tall bucket as well.

 

This left Gary to reach the top of her head and win the race. There were cheers - and boos - from the crowd, and he peeked down to see Jake giving him a thumbs-up. He was wondering what to do next, when giant fingers curled around him. Susie’s face was before him now, huge and vast and utterly gorgeous. Gary found himself trembling in her hand, and when he tried to talk he began to stutter. He didn’t finish his sentence, though; gigantic, moist red lips had enveloped his face. When he was released, he gasped for air, his face as red as her lips.

 

“Th-th-th-thanks,” was all he could manage to say. Susie giggled. She remembered how shy and frightened Jake had been when he first saw her. She put the overwhelmed winner back on the ground, where his friends promptly congratulated him. Then the tiredness hit him, and he collapsed on the grass, worn out, but extremely happy. Susie tipped the bucket over and released the ‘prisoners’. Then she lay down on her stomach again, to be closer to the people around her. She saw Tara approaching, with a boy she recognized as one of the bullies from the other day.

 

“Hey there!” Tara said. “Looks like you’re having a good time. Everyone else, too.”

 

“Yeah, who would have thought it?” Susie replied, as people began climbing onto her body again. Tara introduced Garrett, who took the first opportunity to apologize for his and his friends’ behaviour.

 

“Hey, don’t worry about it!” Susie replied. “I get that kind of abuse all the time; I’m pretty sure about 90 percent of the people here thought the same about me as you did. Go and talk to Jake, I think he needs an apology more than I do.”

 

“Whoa!” came a voice from right beside her ear, making her jump. “Fucking awesome! I can see into her fucking ear!” A group of older boys, college students by the sound of it, had climbed from her back onto her head. One of them had slid down her hair, and was now hanging precariously next to her face. Susie grabbed the tips of the strands he was holding onto.

 

“I heard that!” she said. “You’re a brave little guy, aren’t you? I wonder what you taste like…” She brought him over to her mouth, and stuck out her tongue. The man tried to protest, as she brought him ever closer to her wet, wriggling tongue. She touched him with its tip, and he cried out, half in disgust and half in pleasure. His pals on top of her head shouted with glee as she licked him wet from head to toe.

 

“Yuk!” she said afterwards. “Do none of you guys care about hygiene? I need a drink, ASAP! Everyone off!” She wriggled her titanic body, and the partygoers hastily got off. They all watched in wonder as she once again stood up to her skyscraper height. She went indoors, keeping an eye out for the small groups of people who were having a good time inside her house.

 

“God, what a babe!” one of the college guys said. “Her boyfriend is one lucky bastard, that’s for sure!”

 

“What? Dude, she’s still underage…”

 

“I don’t care, Bobby! I want her so bad, you have no idea…” They headed off and mingled with the crowd. Susie took a glance at her bed, and wasn’t surprised to see quite a few couples making out on it. She didn’t mind; as soon as she got the chance, she’ll invite Jake over for a night, and then they could have all sorts of fun. That wouldn’t be soon, though. There was still Emma to consider, but she had managed to convince her father to construct a second hut, just like hers, nearby, for Emma to live in. Though both girls enjoyed each other’s company, they both agreed that privacy was important.

 

“Hey!” she heard a small voice, calling from somewhere near her feet. She looked down, and there was Gary, seemingly recovered from his ‘ordeal’. She bent down and tenderly picked him up.

 

“Come for another kiss?” she asked teasingly. He blushed a little; clearly he was delighted at the thought, but she decided once was enough.

 

“Uh, Jake’s looking for you,” he said. “He, um, he says they’re, well, they want you to make a speech.”

 

“Who? Everyone?” He nodded. She put him down carefully and went outside. There were now easily a hundred and fifty people on the lawn, and they were all looking at her. Some were calling for a speech, others merely cheered as she appeared. Jake stood in front of the crowd. She picked him up and held him against her chest, which caused more loud cheering.

 

“All right!” she said, in her crowd-silencing voice. “Well, I’m not that good at speeches, so I’ll just say a few things. First, well, I just want to say how great it is seeing so many people here tonight.” A round of applause broke out, and she waited a while before continuing.

 

“Second…well, there’s no easy way to say this, so I’ll just say it. I know that many of you - most of you, maybe - didn’t like me at first, and I could understand why. I mean, I’m so goddamn big and different…if it was me standing down there, I’d probably think the same way you did. But I just want to tell you that I don’t care about that anymore. If you’re here tonight, then I hope you saw me as more than just a…freak, or something. I’d really like to get to know all of you, and-and make friends with you, and…”

 

“Susie!” Jake called up to her. “Susie, you’re crying!”

 

She stood in silence and wiped a tear from her cheek. She was indeed crying, and hadn’t even realized it. The crowd of people looked on in silence as she sat down and put her boyfriend on her skirt. She gazed at the crowd for a few more moments.

 

“I…I love you guys!” she exclaimed, completely catching them by surprise. “All of you, everyone, thanks for being here tonight! You’ve really made my day - my life - wonderful! Thank you so very much!”

 

 There were cheers, and whistles, and shouts of “We love you, Susie!” It looked like her days of being an exile were over. She felt Jake embrace one of her fingers, and she enveloped him in her hand. When she was little, she’d read lots and lots of fairy tales, but never thought that her own life would turn into one as well.

As Susie and Emma were adjusting to their new lives, they were also very much aware of the impact their appearance had around the world. A few weeks after Emma had arrived, she and Susie had appeared in dozens of commercials, short films, interviews and the like. Barton was declared the official ‘Giantess Capital of the World’, as the welcoming sign on the highway proudly advertised. Critics of this decision have argued that the title isn’t gender-neutral, and thus sexist, but everyone else didn’t seem to care. Besides, if there were any male giants out there, the chances that they would also come and live in this nondescript American town were slim.

 

Emma couldn’t attend the normal school, for obvious reasons, so she had to study at home. But she visited the school, and the town, whenever she could, and gradually made a whole lot of new friends. Once her own house was completed, it quickly became a favourite spot for birthday parties, sleepovers, and other fun events. Susie, meanwhile, could now spend more time with Jake and her own friends, but she and Emma still spent lots of fun hours together, and she kept her promise of teaching Emma how to swim.

 

At the end of October, the girls received a special invitation. For one day only, they would have the chance of flying to Washington, D.C., see the city, and meet the President. Two supersized cargo planes were waiting at the airport for them, and, naturally, they lost no time in accepting. Susie chose to wear her special red dress, and she got up before sunrise to begin getting herself ready. When she’d finished bathing and had done her hair and make-up she went to check on Emma. The younger giantess had put on a beautiful blue dress and was busy tying her hair with ribbons.

 

“You’d better hurry,” Susie reminded her. “The planes take off at seven o’clock.”

 

“I’m done!” Emma declared, and waited for Susie to tell her how beautiful she looked. “You think we should take some food with us? It’s going to be a long day…”

 

“I know, but you don’t have to worry about that. My dad told me they’ve got more than enough food over there. He’s been preparing the airport for our arrival, and the city, too!”

 

“Wow, sounds like he’s been really busy lately. You should spoil him sometime, Susie; do something to say thank you, you know?”

 

“I’m planning to, just waiting for the right time. Okay, now we really have to go, or else we’ll never see Washington in a day.”

 

They left the house and set off down the road to the town’s small airport. It was quite a long distance, but they walked swiftly, and arrived a few minutes before seven. Emma was quite used to flying already, but it was a new and strange experience for Susie. The cargo plane’s aft doors were lowered, and she had to get down on her hands and knees and crawl inside. Then she had to find the least uncomfortable position, and remain that way for several hours. A few Air Force personnel accompanied her in the cargo compartment, in case of an emergency, though Susie couldn’t imagine what use they’d be when something bad happened.

 

At last the cramped and somewhat disconcerting flight ended, and Susie began to count the seconds after the plane landed. It was becoming unbearably hot in here, and she felt sorry for the Air Force men, who had to contend with the immense amount of body heat she gave off. Then the doors began to lower, and bright daylight entered the cargo bay. Emma knelt down and peeked inside.

 

“We’re here!” she announced, sounding just as happy as Susie that the flight was over. “Come and look, Susie! It’s amazing!”

 

She crawled out of the plane and onto the runway at Reagan National Airport. They had landed in a particularly quiet section of the airport, as there were no other large airplanes in their vicinity. But there were lots and lots of people. Compared to the vast crowds that were assembled here today, the multitude of reporters, who had gathered at the lake on her first day after going public, seemed quite restrained. Police and military personnel were everywhere, trying to maintain order, but they had clearly underestimated their guests’ popularity.

 

“Whoa!” Susie exclaimed, taking in the spectacle before her. “I had no idea we were such celebrities!”

 

“What do we do?” Emma asked, confused. “I hope we don’t have to, you know, go and meet all those people.”

 

They were still standing there, uncertain and a bit scared, when they heard a car horn honking at their feet. They looked down and saw a small jeep, and in it were General Earle and Susie’s father. The general raised a megaphone to his mouth and addressed the giant girls.

 

“Welcome to Washington, ladies! Looks like you got quite a reception, doesn’t it? I don’t know how the facts concerning your arrival were made public, but what’s done is done. The important thing is that we get you into the city quickly and safely. You’ll be heading north, across one of the bridges that we’ve closed off for you. Just follow the jeep, we’ll show you the way. Once we reach East Potomac Park, you can relax, and Mr. Adams here will explain the rest of the day’s activities.”

 

“Will the President be there?” Emma asked excitedly.

 

“No, no, no! The President, along with several other world leaders, will be meeting you at the Washington Monument at 14:00. They…why don’t you just follow us, and we’ll explain to you how it works later?”

 

The girls nodded, and began to walk after the steadily moving jeep. Susie looked across the river and saw the gleaming pinnacle of the Washington Monument in the distance. It was the first time she’d been away from home, and to call her nervous would be an understatement. She walked a little closer to Emma and took the little girl’s hand.

 

“Scared?” she whispered, softly enough so that no-one else could hear her.

 

“You bet,” Emma whispered back. “But I’m hoping it will be a good day. I’d like to remember it that way.”

 

 “Oh, I think it will be,” Susie said, and they stepped over the gate of the airport and began to follow the road.