The all-encompassing moan finally died out, and I hoped the giantess would drift back to sleep.  Her knee slid into my back, driving me along with it toward the precipice.  I tried to move out of the way, but the round, smooth skin was unavoidable.  With a scream I went over the edge and plummeted to the floor.

To my surprise I landed in a soft, wrinkled sea of dark blue fabric.  This heat wave may have saved my life: in an effort to stay cool through the night she had pushed her blanket off the side, forming a soft cushion for me to land on.  I thanked what little luck I had left and started looking for an escape, hoping I could wait this shrinking spell out.

The battering ram of a leg continued over the side and I realized I was not out of the woods yet.  It continued sliding over the mattress until there was nothing keeping it from falling and her foot dropped.  The bare sole of her foot raced toward me, and I rolled to the side just before the soft, wrinkled flesh slammed into me.  It crashed into the blanket, fortunately muffling the sound and only making a dull thud, though I still felt my vertebrae tingle.

Moments later her other foot impacted with another suppressed boom, and the bed creaked under her immense weight while she sat up.  For a while she sat still as though considering her options, and I stared up her monolithic calf waiting for her to make a decision.  A faint whiff of foot odor wafted toward me and I covered my nose but made no other move.  If I stayed still, I told myself, she might not see me.  If there were a miracle, she might get her feet out of my face and go back to bed.

The mattress groaned while she stood; I knew my luck couldn’t be that good.  She stood there for a bit, yawning loudly and stretching her arms.  Silent and still I looked up at her towering over me, trying to estimate how small I was.  Her round, protruding ankle bone was so far above my head I would have to climb up her foot just to reach it, and I had absolutely no plans to do that.  Without any hard numbers or comparisons, I simply came to the obvious conclusion: I was incredibly small, to the point of insignificance.

Her head rolled to the side while she tried to work out some knots, then began to turn downward.  Hurriedly I grabbed a loose part of the blanket and yanked it over me like a tarp, sliding as much of myself into the fold as I could.  I could scarcely breathe while waiting, expecting her to flip the cloth away at any moment, or simply stomp her bare foot onto the disturbed fabric.

A tremor passed over me, partially suppressed by the insulation around me, then another, weaker the first.  There was a series of them, accompanied by rhythmic pounding, until I finally heard squealing hinges and a door shut.  I expected a trick: she was sharp, and the whole night before proved that she could be devious about luring somebody into a trap.

It was not until I heard the distant sound of rushing water that I allowed myself to breathe regularly.  With one movement I threw off the small bit of fabric and found the room still and empty.  I was alone, and felt the tiniest bit safe.  Even better, she had gone to get ready for the day, meaning I had ample time to make my escape. 

From atop the blanket I surveyed the room.  It was obviously very well-kept, almost Spartan, with only furniture besides the bed a half-filled bookcase on one wall and a drafting desk against the other.  The closed door was on the opposite side and would take some time to get to, and then I could either slide through the crack beneath or wait for her to open it.  Her clothes from last night had been dropped on the floor on her way to bed, the only pieces of clutter I could spot.  Walking around them would be obnoxious, I figured, but not too much of a delay.

I hopped off the blanket and started toward the door.  Immediately I encountered my first roadblock: walking on carpet was like being in a swamp now.  With every step I had to surmount the thick fibers, then make sure my feet didn’t get caught once I put them down.  It was an incredibly taxing process, especially when I had expected to simply walk to the door, and significantly set me back.

The floor began to shake from someone walking by in the hallway.  Any hope that they were just walking past was dashed when the doorknob turned, and I looked for something to hide under in a panic.  I knew that even if it was just one of her friends dropping in I would be in extreme danger.  They were clearly in on it, and I had no reason to doubt what she said about their kill on sight policy for “bugs.”

With a creak the door swung open and I dove forward, just making it under her discarded skirt.  The air here smelled strongly of her, much more than her sheets, and now that I wasn’t expecting the fresh air of my room it wasn’t too unpleasant.  She had a naturally alluring musk without even a hint of perfume, which permeated my sinuses when I took a deep breath to steady myself from all the pounding.  If I hadn’t been in mortal danger, I might even have enjoyed it.

No matter how enjoyable it was, I knew I could not stay here for long.  With a room that was otherwise so meticulously kept she was bound to move this skirt soon, and then I would be exposed.  I poked my head out and looked around for the next place to hide.  Her shirt was in a heap only a few seconds of sprinting away, but that carried the same risks as the skirt.  Not much further along was a pair of low-top Converse, one turned on its side, almost inviting me in.  Though alluring, I couldn’t help but wonder what would happen if she chose this pair today.

I could not see the titaness despite her being almost impossible to miss, but the squeal of scraping wood told me she was still by the door.  Wanting to keep tabs on her I turned my head in that direction, but found my view blocked by one of the skirt’s ruffles.  Now that she was in the room moving would be too risky.  Even under the skirt she might see my little lump tunneling beneath the fabric, then the jig would be up.  I would have to wait it out a bit longer.

Some light thuds, followed by rustling clothes.  She was getting dressed, and all that stood between me and seeing her naked was a small ridge of fabric.  I wanted so badly to see it, even just a glimpse, and compare it to what I had so often imagined.  What I had expected to see last night.  My desire to remain uncrushed won out though, and I remained hidden under her skirt.

The floor rattled, and an immaculately clean white toe sock pulled tight around an enormous foot slammed down in front of me.  I looked up and caught a glimpse of her tanned, towering legs all the way to her white panties, with the rest of her blocked by a flowing black skirt.  Her muscles tensed and then she was gone, the floor rumbling beneath another one of her footfalls.

My gaze followed the titaness to her bed, where she planted her feet on the blanket and flattened the small ripple where I had been hiding.  Good thing I moved.  She stood there for a moment, brushing her fingers along the fitted sheet, then took a step toward the night stand.  There was a clatter while she shoved some things to the side, then she whispered to herself, “Shit.”

“Hey, Jackie?” she bellowed, and I reflexively retreated underneath her skirt.  A loud groan answered her, at least confirming the pink-haired woman was awake.  “Have you seen my shrink?”

Another loud groan.  Apparently, Jackie didn’t like being woken up like this.  “Which one?” she asked.  It seemed doubtful she had multiple therapists, and I concluded there must be other shrunken people in the house.  So much for this wearing off.

“The one from yesterday,” she clarified.  “I wanted to have some fun before my art history study group. but I can’t find it anywhere.”

“Haven’t seen it.”  Irritation bled into Jackie’s voice, and I doubted this was the first time this had happened.

“Wanna help me look?”

“Not really.  Can’t this wait until after your study group?  It’s not going anywhere.”  I would be glad to prove her wrong.

My captor sighed deeply.  “Fine,” she yelled back at length, kicking the empty blanket with her socked foot.  I just might make it out of this yet.

She stepped back off the blanket and bet down, her long, slender fingers digging into the padded cloth.  A loud billowing rustle followed when she hefted it off the ground, dumping tiny bits of detritus onto the floor.  The racket continued while she shook it out, and I realized this was my chance. 

I crawled out from beneath her skirt and looked around for somewhere to hide that would escape her bird’s eye view of me.  My heart sank: there were no good options.  Now I understood why she kept her room so clean.  Unless I got in the shoe she would be able to see me anywhere I hid.  Maybe she would be merciful if I gave myself up.  I walked toward her enormous foot and prepared to tap on her heel.

Just before I touched her skin, I spotted my best option: the bookcase!  The lowest shelf was only a foot off the ground, and there was a slight overhang I could press myself into.  I dashed toward the wooden tower, using her heel for cover as long as I could, and jumped over the carpet fibers like they were hurdles. 

When I arrived at the base of the bookcase she was still thoroughly shaking out the blanket, meaning I still had some time.  I jumped off the floor and grabbed onto the base, climbing onto the bottom by kicking my feet against the solid wood.  My heart raced when I planted my feet on the board, and I scurried off to the side to hide behind the column.

She dropped the blanket with a dull thud, then the floorboards creaked beneath her tremendous weight shifting.  Taking a risk, I peeked my head out from behind cover to see what she was up to.  The giantess was on her hands and knees, shoulders-deep under her bed, looking for something which wasn’t there.  My eyes focused on her perfectly round ass stuck into the air, wiggling back and forth with each of her movements and outlined by the black skirt pulled taut around it.  A bug’s eye view wasn’t so bad after all.

Her head withdrew from beneath the enormous bed frame, giving me plenty of notice to duck back in.  I left myself just exposed enough to keep eyes on my gigantic seeker, figuring my tiny cranium would be nothing more than a knot in the wood.  For a while she simply stood there, looking back and forth at the floor and occasionally adjusting the elbow-length sleeves of her orange and white-striped shirt.  After another sigh she stood, apparently resigned to not find me until later.  Inwardly I beamed with pride: I had defeated her.

The ground quaked when she set a foot down beside the skirt, and I remembered that I was not out of hot water yet.  In a single stride she had covered more ground that I had in ten minutes.  She bent down and swiped up the discarded skirt, then lurched forward and grabbed her shirt as well.  The frustrated titaness violently shook the clothes until nothing could remain hidden in them, then tossed them onto the bed.  I was stuck among the books until she left, which would hopefully be soon.

She took a short step toward the bookcase and placed her hands on her sides while she inspected it.  I stared up at her, unable to pry my eyes from the colossal woman.  There was something undeniably alluring about her, the embodiment of feminine power, that I could not resist.  A voice in the back of my head whispered that she didn’t want to hurt me, she just wanted to have some fun like she said.  Involuntarily one of my feet slid off the edge toward her.  This was all a game, and she would be in a much better mood if she won.

I caught myself just in time, pulling myself back into the bookcase right before she leaned forward.  Now I could see her eyes scanning the spines of her books, looking for the right one.  Or me.  I doubted she would pass me over just because she spotted me by accident.

Her scan of the next row complete she squatted, her butt nearly bumping into the ground.  I stood awestruck by her, mesmerized by her beautiful face framed perfectly by her knees.  While her entrancing blue eyes worked their way toward me that voice came back, urging me to give myself up.  The idea sounded even better this time: how long could I survive on my own at this size?  I needed someone strong and powerful to look after me, and no one could keep me safe better than an actual titaness.

A loud ding from her nightstand interrupted the thoughts and brought me back to reality.  She had called me “it” and referred to me as a bug, there was no way she would protect me!  Her eyes drew closer and I receded into a crack between the monolithic textbook beside me and the shelf.  There was just enough light to make out the cover, and I craned my neck back to read the title like a marquee.  It was the same textbook I had for art history.  Shit.

Long fingers curled around the spine of the book, pressed white from the grip.  It began to slide out, and I began to regret my choice of hiding spot.  No doubt she would be delighted to find me right before she left, giving her just enough time to squeeze the life out of me.

Another ding rang out from her nightstand, and the book paused.  My captor lowered her face to the ground and sighed, close enough that I felt her hot breath.  She grunted and stood, leaving the book in his place while she went to see what was going on.  A loud crash resonated from the floor while she scarcely managed to control her tantrum.

A loud scrape, then she yelled out, “No, I haven’t found it yet!”

“Ha!”  Jackie replied.  “Don’t worry, I’ll help you when you get back!”

“Lot of good that does me now,” she grumbled.  She let out another dejected sigh, then I heard a door open near me.  Nobody entered, and from enormous hands rustling with densely-packed items and screeching hangers I realized I had entirely missed the closet.

If she was looking for clothes, I figured I had a few minutes at least.  If I wasn’t gone by the time she got back and grabbed this book I was certain to be discovered, then I would be completely at her mercy.  Hurriedly I scanned the floor, looking for anywhere to hide for just a few minutes.  Aside from the Converse there was nothing, not even a sheet of paper, that would hide me from her.

My eyes ran over the shoes, looking at them from the side for the first time.  The wide opening beckoned to me like the mouth of a cave, and I realized that the dark blue “Converse” written on the insole was completely intact, as though it had only been worn a few times at most.  I looked over the laces and white toe and something clicked: these shoes were almost comically long, and not just to my tiny self.  Admittedly she was an exceptionally tall woman, but not even her massive feet could fill these clown shoes.

The door slammed shut.  While laughing at her shoes I had missed my chance.  Two huge objects clattered to the ground, and while they settled I looked them over.  Polished black leather, enormous tapered columns… high heels!  I could not comprehend why she owned anything taller than flats, she was downright Amazonian as it was, but I was overjoyed.  The Converse would be safe.  Now I just had to get to them.

Her muscular legs strode over to the table, and she stopped to fiddle with something.  This was my chance.  I leapt from the bookcase and hit the ground running, practically flying over the carpet fibers.  In practically no time I was within the shoe’s shadow, right when the racket from the desk stopped.  A couple seconds later I was inside the shoe, just before her enormous foot set down beside it, her instep curling around the heel.

I breathed in deep to steady my breath and instantly regretted it.  An overwhelming miasma of sweat and feet assaulted my nose, and I shoved my face into my elbow to keep from coughing too loud.  Not only were these used recently, they were frequently around her feet during the hot summer months.  Her feet were, apparently, much larger than I had considered.

Once more she squatted in front of the bookcase, and quickly plucked out the textbook she wanted.  She lingered a moment, inspecting the slot where it had been.  Such a small crevice would have been a perfect hiding spot, but opened up like this it was a death trap.  Good thing I had moved.

My titanic captor returned to her towering height, and I retreated down into the shoe.  I took shallow breaths, telling myself it would only be a moment while suppressing the urge to retch.  Down here the imprints were much easier to see, with each toe outlined in dark gray.  The smell grew stronger too, causing my eyes to water.  If I ever got to a shower, I would have go through several times before this came off.  All because I wanted to score with my dream girl.

Everything was quiet outside until her rumbling voice broke the silence.  “Hmm, nah,” she muttered to herself.  “It’s a bit of a walk to get there.  I’ll just flutter my eyelashes down at him a bit and he’ll be in the palm of my hand in no time.”  She chuckled with deep malevolence.  “Literally.”

A lumpy white beast probed its way into the shoe, fumbling for the roof.  Her foot.  With a gentle flick she turned the shoe upright, tossing me onto my face against the insole.  I coughed and hacked, trying to keep from puking when a blast of foot stench hit my nostrils.

Indifferent to my troubles her foot surged forward, gradually filling the trailer sized Converse.  I scooted back as far as I could, trying to put any distance I could between myself and the gigantic foot sliding my way.  My back hit the toe, trapping me.  As though they sensed my distress the toes slightly wiggled, stretching the fabric that already struggled to contain them. 

If anything these shoes were too small, I realized, when her toes engulfed me and pinned my body against the grayed insole.  They twiddled and twitched, wrapping themselves around me as though they were trying to pick me up.  The tips of her toes prodded me some more, as though trying to decide what they had discovered.

“Oho!” the giantess exclaimed once the probing stopped.  “But why could there be a bug in my shoe?”  Her toes curled around me in excitement, constricting the breath out of me.  My head swam, then my bones rattled when she slammed her foot back down.  “I think the little pest was trying to hide.”

The canvas around me groaned, and somehow the fit got even tighter.  Her toes mashed me down, pressing against my ribs hard enough I could not breathe.  Not that I even really wanted to: the thin layer of cotton did little to filter the smell from beneath her toes.  My captor’s weight shifted, leaning on me even harder and pushing out the tiny reserves of air that had remained in my lungs.

My brain bounced in my skull when she lifted her shoe up and brought it down again, and I heard my ribs creak under the unstoppable force.  She did it again, causing what little I could see to go blurry and snapping my lower ribs.  I tried to cry out, but there was simply no air in my lungs, and her foot was cycling like a piston again.  One more time, the wind-up harsher than before, and when she brought it back down my world exploded with pain before being replaced with nothing.

Fulda felt the tiny man in her shoe go flat, and a pool of moisture spreading between her toes confirmed it.  Though she had wanted to play with him more, she would never turn down the opportunity to trap and crush a bug inside her shoe.  She walked toward the door, smearing his remains against her insole.  Besides, she would have another one tomorrow, and he might not be so inconsiderate.