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.”