I heard her before I saw her. First, the door closing downstairs. Then, footsteps coming up the stairs. As they approached the door, I heard the sound of her flip flops slapping against her soles. The ground started to shake with her last approaching steps, the breeze of the door knocking me over as she opened it.

When I got back up, the sight before me was incredible. All I could see were her feet. As she walked into the apartment, the ground shook, and without the door in the way to deaden the noise her footfalls deafening. It hit me, not for the first time, just how small and insignificant I really was. Why, I don't think I came more than an eighth of the way up the height of her sandals! 1 millimeter? 2? At this size, it didn't matter. I was less than nothing, an insect, a speck of dust.

She kicked off her shoes, and I got a glimpse of her soles, reddened and a bit sweaty from her walk home. She curled her blue painted toes, and as her soles wrinkled I realized that if she happened to squish me against them it'd be hard for her to even see what was left. Their scent was heady, powerful, and intoxicating. I watched as she padded barefoot over to the security system, blinking, signaling an intrduer had been neutralized. I watched, mesmerized, as another tiny person was snuffed out with a step, a shrill scream reaching surely only my ears as she put her hands up to ward off the inevitable. As her foot left the ground for it's next step, I could just make out the smear where the woman had been, almost indistinguishable from the other microscopic debris scattered across the sole.

Her rumbling chuckle echoed around me as she read the status report on the wall panel. That titanic foot raised from the ground as she turned it over to inspect her sole, now knowing that an intruder had been shrunk right where she had been standing. Laughing again, she blew it a kiss and brought her foot back down with a slam. I hadn't expected her to laugh. I had expected her to help. Her toes wriggling excitedly, she finally addressed me.

“I know you're here, you little bitch, and honestly I'm happy about it. I already stepped on Amy, and I hope you got to see it, because that's what's going to happen to you” her voice boomed. I watched as she started to walk over to where the panel told her I had been, until finally she stopped just inches from me. I gazed up at her as she bent over, finally spotting me on the ground, just in front of the big toe on her right foot.

Her toes loomed over me as she raised them off the ground. I gazed up as my best friend's gaze finally matched mine, and realized that she had planned this. That this wasn't a trick. She addressed me again.

“Hey, Stace. just wanted to say hi one last time before I make you a little smear.” With this she raised and lowered her toes again, knocking me off my feet as the Earth shook. “I know you're not surprised. I overheard you and Amy talking about tinkering with my security system to shrink me down so you could play with me. Little did you know that I'd already been planning to do the same! I had planned on keeping you both around, and making you my little slave bitches, but... some plans just don't work out. Love you, scream for me as you squish!”

Her cruise ship sized foot began to lift from the ground, damp sole peeling from the wood floor. It began to move forward, and before it totally eclipsed my vision I saw her for the last time. Red hair freckled skin, smiling, waving goodbye as excitement filled her eyes. Her sole became my entire sky. I saw the crushed body of Amy, almost directly above me, and I began to scream. “Julie, please! Julie! I beg you, please don't squish me!” There's no way she could have heard me, but her toes scrunched as though she had, Amy's body moving with the wrinkled sole. I gazed up at the wrinkles, and realized that they were getting larger. I realized that I wasn't getting smaller, but her sole was descending. I stumbled , throwing my hands into the air, tripping and falling onto my back. “Bye Stacy, love you!” she rumbled. I gazed upwards as the ball of her foot got closer and closer, screaming, crying.

Crunch.

I could hear Stacy's tiny screams as I brought my foot down onto her, relishing finally giving her what she deserved “Bye Stacy, love you!” I said sweetly, as I did every time we hugged and said goodbye. As my foot finally contacted the cool floor I could feel the slightest bit of resistance followed by a light crunch as I reduced Stacy to a stain. Raising my foot from the floor, I checked the sole for any sign of the little thing. Adorably, I'd managed to crush Stacy right next to Amy. “So glad you guys wanted to hang out!” I said as I scrunched my sole, then used my thumb to rub off their remains. I knew this security system was a good idea.