Geof sat, his butt against the wooden floor, his back to the massive pillar that stretched high above him, eventually merging with the rest of the impossibly large table. He had been like this for hours, unable to think of anything else to do. His situation was less than ideal.

The main entrance to the house was to his left, a simple white door that had been the focus of his attention. It was his only hope of returning to normal. Hopefully soon, the others would come back and see him. Then they would help.

Geof didn’t know how any of this started. Only a few hours ago he had been his normal size, saying goodbye to the girls as they left for the mall. He heard the door close, returned to whatever he had been doing, then… black. When he woke up he was on the ground, his head spinning, his world changed.

The shadows in the main hall had been slowly creeping across the ground, making their way over the solid floor, rich with dust and dirt. He had been meaning to clean up recently. Looks like it was too late for that now.

“Shit,” he whispered, and not for the first time. He hadn’t been able to calm himself since the realization that he was shrunken. Whenever he tried, images of his now giant family filled his mind. The idea that a single step could squash him dead was disturbing, even horrifying.

Assuming that nothing had happened, there were three other people who lived in the house. Two were his older sisters, Erin and Emily. Geof shuddered to think what would happen if they found him like this. To normal sized humans, he was nothing more than a bug. Powerless. His sisters had always been a little cruel to him, playing jokes, laughing, making fun. He loved them, and knew that they loved him, but would they really help if they found him like this? He had to hope they would.

The last girl was his girlfriend, Jo. Sweet, lovely, perfect in every way. If there was one thing he was sure of, it was that she would help him. But, he still needed a way for her to see him. At his current size, that was a problem he didn’t know how to solve.

Then there is the issue of simply surviving. He hadn’t encountered anything that posed a threat to his life yet, but he couldn’t be that lucky for long. There were bugs that would have him for a snack, massive objects, the massive heights that he could easily fall from, and perhaps most intimidating of all, the three girls.

One step. That's all it would take to kill him.

Geof shook his head, clearing those nasty thoughts from his mind. He needed to stay positive. He was overthinking things. The girl’s would come back, would see him when they took off their shoes, and that would be the end of it. They’d find out how this happened and change him back. Simple.

His stomach was still doing somersaults though. It's hard to just wish anxiety away.

Hours passed before Geof heard the familiar sound of a car pulling into the driveway, of doors soon slamming shut. They were back. This was his chance. The tiny boy took a deep breath, attempting to calm himself as he stood. “I'm alright,” he whispered to himself, heading out towards the center of the hallway, away from the relative safety of the table. Soon he found himself bathed in the light from the windows high overhead, as opposed to the deep shadow of the table.

Giggles, talking, footsteps, Geof could hear them all only a little bit away. Then a key slid into the lock, the knob turned. This was it. This is where he was found. “Come on Geof,” he said one last time. “You can do this.” The door swung open.

Instantly his confidence flooded out of him. To think about the size difference between him and the girl’s was one thing. To actually see them, to be within only a few steps, to have to crane his neck just to look at their faces, was another. But that wasn’t even the worst of it.

Erin, the eldest of his two sisters, came in first. She took a step inside, her Nike high-tops slamming on the ground with an enormous force. Geof had often fantasized about those shoes. Thought about the thick laces, imagined rubbing against the flat treads that made up the sole. He liked to think that the black and blue leather would be soft to the touch and that the well-worn bottoms would be light and malleable from years of use. Those fantasies seemed crushed by his new perspective.

His sister took another step, her foot slamming closer to Geof’s vulnerable body. Now the fabric looked hard and violent, the sole thick and powerful, her laces long and whip like. At his height he barely came up to the highest point of her sole. One badly placed step…

“Erin!” Geof started shouting, jumping up and down frantically, screaming at the top of his little lounges. He knew that he didn’t have much of a chance, that even the idea of giants like these hearing his microscopic please for help was laughable, but he had to try. He couldn’t just stay at this height until he died. “Erin please, look down. Its me!”

He lost his breath as his sister’s foot rose into the air, coming forward just enough to block out the light from the window, her sole hovering above head. Geof suddenly found himself engulfed by shadow, on the verge of being squished to death by his older sister.

Never before had he been able to make out such details of her sole. It was ridged completely, tiny bumps and grooves making up the entire surface. Still though, there wasn’t a single safe place. If it came down, if his body was still under it, he was crushed. He could make out tiny specks of things stuck to the bottom of her shoe. Perhaps just pieces of dirt, possibly mud and flecks of grass. Maybe the old, smashed carcass of one of the thousands of bugs she had squashed over her life. More so, he could see the cracks and folds that crossed her sole, the result of years of use.

Amazing, and awe-inspiring. The reality of the situation was almost too much for the tiny boy to really understand. His sister was about to step on him. This couldn’t have been reality. This was some form of hell, his sister’s turned into giant demons.  

He screamed then, jumping out of the way just in time, his body hitting the hard floor, the giant’s foot slamming only a little bit away. For a moment he was left in amazement, the gravity of things truly setting in. Her foot had hit the ground so hard, with so much force. There was no possibility of surviving something like that, and if he stayed out in the open his chances of being stepped on only grew. But, what other option did he have?

“Erin!” tiny Geof called again, pushing himself back up, trying to think of a way to actually reach the giants all around him. Erin’s foot moved as she walked, leaving his body behind. But it didn’t mean he was safe. Only a moment later, Emily’s foot landed close by, the sudden force making him jump. He hadn’t been looking, hadn’t even realized her foot was even close. If it had just been over a little bit more…

Then a shadow came over him once again. Geof reacted immediately, diving out of the way to avoid his sister’s murderous step. Her shoe came down where he was standing, missing his body by only the tiniest margin.

“Shit, shit,” Geof repeated, hastily pushing himself up once again. Already his arms and legs were bruised from the continuous impacts to the floor, his lungs were burning, his muscles were beginning to grow fatigued. He wondered how much longer he could continue this mad fight for survival.

Emily’s feet were much like her sister’s. Gigantic, probably smelly and dirty. She wore a pair of Jordan high tops, a red and white pattern decorating the sides and sole. As opposed to Erin’s old and worn out ones, Emily’s were practically brand new, barely any strain apparent in the sole or fabric. It was a sad thought to realize that if he was stepped on, his blood stain would actually tarnish them.

“Emily, please,” he began again, knowing that it was pointless. He was looking up at his sister now, his tiny body between her two massive feet, her breasts practically blocking out his view of her face. He hated to say it, but she was attractive. All three of them were gorgeous. Tall, athletic, skinny, in shape, sexy features and flowing hair, they were everything a guy would dream about.

Emily took another step, passing Geof, her footfalls echoing as she walked down the hallway. He was quick enough to turn around before the final giant’s step caught him by surprise. Jo was at the back of the group, lagging behind a bit as she closed the door.

“Jo, it's me! Geof! Please, I need help!” The girl didn’t look down. She didn’t hear his pathetic cries, didn’t think that her boyfriend would ever be in the sorry condition he was in. She simply took a step.

Jo was different from the other two, Geof had to have faith in that fact. She was a kind spirit, the type that felt bad whenever she killed a bug. She was an angel to little Geof. She even looked like it. Long brown hair that dripped down her back, wearing a light, white sweatshirt that loosely hung on her slender shoulders, wrapping around the curvature of her breasts. Blue eyes, a pale face, long eyelashes, and full lips. A delicate appearance to match her lovely personality.

Her DC skater shoe slammed into the ground, the earth rocking from the unimaginable force. Geof almost fell, but knew that doing so could be his end. “Jo, please,” he whimpered. “Don’t do this.”

“Hey guys,” the giant above him said, her words a deafening boom that rang in his ears. “If Geof in the kitchen?” For a moment the tiny bug let his hopes lift. She was looking for him! Maybe, just maybe, she’d actually find him. At least after a while.

“Nope,” came the answer. “Not in here.” Geof turned to see his sister Emily stepping back into the hallway, leaning absentmindedly against the doorway, her tongue sliding up the length of a lollipop. “Maybe he went out?”

“Yeah, I guess,” Jo said. Geof then turned, his spirits lifted, preparing to try one last time to make the girl notice him. What he failed to realize was that her foot was already arcing towards him.

“Jo, look-” His words were cut off as the toe of her shoe slammed into his tiny form. Without even the slightest effort, his girlfriend, the one girl he loved most in his life, smashed her foot into his chest, his body flying through the air.

He landed with a sickening thud a moment later, his limp form bouncing off of the unforgiving floor, traces of blood already spilling from the side of his mouth. His eyes were open, registering the ceiling thousands of miles up as it quickly moved along, the lights far above flickering slightly as he moved under them. Then he felt his head smash into the floor again, his body soon following, then rolling uncontrollably.

By the time he stopped, he found himself lying on something almost soft. His midsection was on fire, a burning sensation creeping from his ribs down to his stomach. Silently he wondered what the damage from such a blow would be. Broken bones? Ruptured organs? Torn muscles? And all of that was because of his girlfriend. Jo had kicked him, and she hadn’t even known.

He really was small. Nothing. Barely even a bug. His hand moved over the surface momentarily, feeling the forgiving, yet prickly fabric. No, he wasn’t even a bug. Bugs had life, they mattered, they had a purpose. Jo wouldn’t have kicked him if he had been a bug. She wasn’t that type of girl.

He must have been the hall carpet, he soon realized. How many other bugs had wandered onto this thing, seeking food or survival? How many others had been brutally kicked, or stepped on?

A shadow fell over the tiny boy then, and he remembered the horrid situation he was in. “Jo,” he said, his girlfriend's head moving forward, blocking out the ceiling light above. She looked beautiful like that. Huge and powerful, yet soft and delicate, the light forming a halo around her features. Simply perfect.

Then her foot arced over his head. “No,” Geof whispered, realizing that he wasn’t going to be able to dodge her shoe. No, this wasn’t something he could survive. The thousands of comparative tones about to crash down on his pathetic body would be too much. Her sole would smash into his face, his entire life turned into a bloody spot on the otherwise black bottom of her shoe. This was it. This was how he died. Stepped on by his giant girlfriend.

Her shoe came down, his screams reverberated off of the rubber surface. Instantly pain radiated through his body, far more intense than that of her kick. He felt his body compressing, his ribcage shrinking in on itself, his arms and legs on the verge of snapping, his face pressing into the hard grooves of her sole.

It was so dirty too. Well worn, mud and dirt jammed between the zigzag pattern of the sole. He couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t think. His life was just a darting pain that ran throughout his entire being.

But, worse than anything, was the humiliation. Jo was crushing him. She didn’t care, didn’t even think about his tiny form as it smashed against her sole. To her, he was less than a bug. A worthless creature that didn’t deserve her compassion or mercy.

The pressure was suddenly removed, light flooding back into his world. He could breath, his lungs viciously taking in the fresh air. But, more than anything, he was alive. A tiny smile escaped his dirt-covered lips. Jo didn’t kill him.

It must have been the carpet. It absorbed just enough of the pressure to allow him to live. He started rubbing his beaten hand against the rough fabric. It had saved his life.

“You want to get dinner started?” he heard someone say, her voice far off.

“Yeah, might as well. It’ll still take a while.”

“Should we make some for Geof?”

“Do we have to? He such an idiot.”

“Still, he’s our idiot.”

“Fine. Whatever.”

The table was set, dishes and glasses placed equidistant around the table. The sun was on the verge of setting, its orange rays coming in through the large bay window, illuminating the table with its otherworldly hue. Two of the girls were already seated, Emily at one end, texting away at her phone, Jo at the other, playing with a loose strand of hair that had fallen in her face. Somewhere in between, all but invisible, was Geof, still struggling to be found.

After the events of the hallway, he had spent a few hours recovering from the pain. He was sure at least one of his ribs had been broken, but other than that nothing seemed to be that badly injured. Bruises, possibly a torn muscle, but nothing he couldn’t live through. Considering what had happened, knowing how feeble he was compared to these gods, Geof considered himself lucky.

The girls had then begun dinner, the kitchen coming alive with activity. He started to smell the delicious food, knowing full well that eating any of it would be nearly impossible. Perhaps he could dig around the garbage after though. That's what bugs did, right?

Eventually he reached a decision. He wasn’t going to be content with simply surviving off of his sister’s scraps. He needed to be found, and he figured the best time for that would be during dinner. All the girls would be looking at their food. If he could just get next to their plate one of them might spot him. Of course, he’d have to avoid being eaten.

The trek to the table had been exhausting. The house was a mess, clothing tossed haphazardly about, covering almost every inch of the floor. He found himself climbing over bras, squirming under his sister’s panties. More than once he found himself inside the toe end of a sock. It all smelled, it was disgusting, but it was what he needed to do.

After hours, he finally made it to the table, then managed to climb up one of the legs thanks to the intricate design that was carved into it. He reached the top, still in one piece, and that much closer to his main goal. All he needed to do was somehow reach the girls, and his ordeal would be over.

At least that is what he hoped. He still had his doubts about what his sisters would think about him in this state. Finding their micro brother, completely helpless, probably literally in the palm of their hand. They wouldn’t kill him, of that he was sure, but still.

He could remember a few years ago, back when he was still a little kid, when his sisters would gang up on him. They would make fun of him, call him short… sometimes they'd even pin him down and make him sniff their feet, asking him, “How does it smell stupid?” Just the thought was enough to send a shiver up his spine. What would their feet smell like at this size?

He shook himself then, knowing that such thoughts wouldn’t bring him anything good. He needed help, and being worried about things like that wasn’t going to do any good. Still, if given the choice he would want Jo to find him. So, without any more gruesome thoughts, he set off in her direction.

“How are things going in there?” Emily shouted, looking up from her phone for a brief second.

“Almost done. Just give me a second,” Erin answered from the kitchen.

“Hey, you guys hear anything about Geof?” Jo then asked, still fidgeting with that strand of hair, twisting it around her slender finger.

“Nope,” was Emily’s answer. “Who cares?”

“Well, it's just odd, you know? He doesn't usually come back this late. And shouldn’t he have at least called?”

“Maybe he died,” came Erin’s voice from the kitchen.

“Did you try calling him or something?” Emily asked, not really caring.

“Yeah.”

“He didn’t answer?”

“No.”

“Then fuck him.”

Jo rolled her eyes, biting her lip lightly. “Still. I hope nothing happened.”

“Oh, stop worrying,” Erin said, pushing through the door, a dish of steaming lasagna clutched in oven mits, the smell of it instantly spreading through the air. She quickly made her way over to the table, each step shaking it just enough to cause Geof to almost lose his balance. “He probably just got mugged.”

“Maybe raped,” Emily put in.

“Shot in the gut.”

“Near fatal car crash?”

“Knife to the spine.”

“Trapped in an elevator, slowly going insane.”

“Mauled by a bare?” It was so comforting to know how much his sisters cared about him.

“Whatever. The point is, he probably isn’t dead.”

“Yep. Now eat,” Erin said, plopping the still steaming tray of pasta in the middle of the table. “Well, actually, let it cool for a second. Here, I’ll get us the drinks.”

Geof was almost at Jo’s plate by this time, his legs burning with exhaustion, his lounges feeling as if someone was plunging a knife into his side with every exhale. But he was so close now, he couldn’t just give up.

A few moments later he reached her plate. Without giving the idea much thought, he leapt onto the high lip, using all of his strength to pull himself up onto the cold porcelain. “Jo!” he instantly started shouting, pushing himself to his feet. “Jo, look down. It’s me! I’m here! Down here!”

Minutes passed by without anyone noticing the tiny little thing on Jo’s plate. They started by nibbling on bread, waiting patiently for the steaming dish to cool enough to eat, the scent enticing and tempting them. Even Geof found himself wishing that he could have a bight of his sister’s delicious cooking. But, despite that, he continued to jump and scream.

“Hey, when's the maid supposed to come, anyway?” Erin asked, her eyes already devouring the burning dish.

“Not sure,” Emily answered. “A few hours, I think.”

“I thought she came on Saturdays?” Jo asked.

“No, it's definitely tomorrow,” Emily answered with a smile. “I remember because it's Geof’s day to jerk off. He has a bit of a thing for Ms. Anna.”

“Really?” Jo asked, clearly surprised.

“Yep. When he was thirteen he once tried to get a picture of her, all sneaky like. See, she was wearing a skirt, and well, you can fill in the rest. I’m pretty sure he still has it on his phone.”

“Gross.” Jo lowered her eyes, thinking over that last bit of news. That was probably more than she needed to know. Then she saw something moving.

“Jo, yes!” Geof shouted, his eyes meeting with his girlfriends, his hopes lifting. They were dashed when her face turned to one of disgust.

“Great, a bug,” she silently whispered, her hand reaching forward, her forefinger pressed against her thumb. Suddenly fear gripped every inch of Geof’s body as he realized what was happening. He was so small she thought he was a bug. Perhaps that was true.

“Jo, please-” he said lightly, his words cut off as his giant girlfriend’s finger crashed into his already destroyed midsection, sending him flying.

He felt his back land on something giving, felt his body sinking slightly into the mystery substance, the thick aroma of the meal multiplying in intensity. Then he felt the heat as fluids spilled out and onto his exposed body.

“Ahh!” he screamed, jumping up and away from the burning liquid, his broken ribs screaming in response to the sudden movement. He managed to slip his feet beneath him for just long enough to walk out from the crater his fall created, the uneven surface soon causing him to fall back down.

Where was he? That was a question he needed answers to if he expected to survive. There were many places on the table that could prove deadly. On one of the girl’s plates, perhaps in the bowl of a spoon, a coaster… the deadly possibilities were endless.

He pushed himself off of the odd surface, attempting to understand what had happened. It was white, tinted yellow. Mushy, folding under pressure. Smelled delicious, was hot to the touch.

“No,” Geof whispered as realization dawned on him. He looked up, seeing white, porcelain walls, the girl’s faces high above and beyond. He had fallen into the dish of lasagna. Hurriedly he pushed off, rushing to the edges of the dish, hoping that he wasn’t about to become the main course.

“Think it's ready?” Emily said, unaware of the tiny speck desperately running across the food she so greedily lusted over.

Eren shrugged. “Probably. I don’t care anymore. I’m hungry!” She grabbed a knife, holding it menacingly over the food.

“Wait, Eren!” Geof shouted yet again, and to the same effect. His pleas were ignored, totally and completely, Eren plunging her knife into the dish soon after. Instantly steam erupted from its insides, the smell increasing ten fold.

Geof could only watch in horror as his giant sister cut a section away, lifting it up, then dropping it onto her plate. Then it was Emily’s turn. With vigor, she grabbed the knife and stabbed at the pasta, quickly cutting away a section for herself. It was Geof’s misfortune that it happened to be the piece he was trapped on. He could only scream as his body was rocketed into the air, soon to be dropped along with the rest of her food onto her plate.

“Emily, I’m down here!” he screamed, watching as his massive, god-like sister grabbed a fork and knife, licking her lips in anticipation of the meal.

Geof couldn’t fathom how any of this was possible, how he managed to be trapped on the plate of his giant sister’s food, helpless and weak, about to be devoured, and with no way out. Her fork plunged into the piece, her knife soon following.

There was nothing Geof could do to reach his sister. She was too consumed by the delicious taste of her food, the pleasant taste that danced across his tongue with every bite. She wasn’t looking for a tiny bug on her plate, and she would never notice her tiny brother.

Dinner continued as it normally did. The girls talked, the conversation turning from one thing to the next, the topic of their missing Geof never surfacing. Time and again Emily’s fork lowered onto the plate, and each time it left the food in a messier condition than when it came. Soon Geof found himself almost swimming through a sea of pasta, meat, cheese and sauce. All his efforts went to escape as he was forced to watch his giant sister almost scoop him up time after time, the sight of her teeth coming down, squishing her food, enough to make him gag.

He knew that he couldn’t survive forever. With each bite the amount of dinner decreased, his chances of being accidentally scooped up rising drastically. Every time the fork came down he pictured his tiny body caught, his sister then shoving the fork full into her mouth without a care. Would she feel his body when she bit down? Would she know something was strange? Would he be swallowed alive, doomed to a slow death inside her stomach?

It seemed his questions were about to be answered. Emily lowered the fork to the plate, its prongs digging into a section barely any distance from her tiny brother. She lifted up, Geof’s body still trapped in the mass of sauce and pasta.

Desperately he screamed, “Emily, don’t eat me!” but she didn’t hear. She was simply too powerful, too much of a god to hear the tiny screams from the mortal she was about to devour. Her lips came into view, plump and red. Then her mouth opened, a great cavity of horror that Geof knew he would never escape.

He almost gagged at the sight. Spit covered the entire interior, some strands even bridging the gap from the roof to her tongue. Her massive, perfectly white teeth were the next thing Geof noticed. Each one was large enough to crush him, his body turned into mush. Then their was the tongue, an appendage more powerful than his entire body.

The shadow fell over him as Emily passed the fork into her mouth, her lips coming down on the end. “Please, Emily!” Geof begged, on the verge of tears as she started pulling, the pile of food slopping off of the silverware, tumbling on her tongue. He felt her jaw widen, her tongue pushing around the food just a bit, moving it into position.

Her first bite was torturous. Though it didn’t come down on little Geof’s body, the sound was enough to make his stomach churn. It was deafening, tiny chunks of meat popping, sauce and cheese oozing out and away as he power jaw mashed the lasagna apart.

Again her jaw opened, again her tongue moved the blob of food around. In the pitch-blackness of her mouth, Geof could only pray that he hadn’t been moved onto her tooth. A single bite and his body would be squished. No chance of being saved, no carpet to lessen the pressure. He’d be killed, and by his own sister.

But would it be worse if she didn’t chew? What would happen if she swallowed him alive? He’d be dissolved in her stomach acids, his skin slowly falling off, his body disintegrating in possibly the most painful way imaginable. How could his sister be doing this to him? Why couldn’t he do anything to stop it? Her teeth came down again.

Unaware of her little brother’s plight, Emily continued chewing, her teeth rising and falling rhythmically, her food quickly turning into a loose glob. Only a few more bites then she could swallow. If only she knew what she was swallowing.

Jo stood, her empty plate in hand, moving around the table. “Delicious meal,” she said with a smile. “You really know how to cook.”

“Thanks,” Emily answered, her mouth still full.

“You really need to give me your recipe one day.”

“I will,” she answered again, tiny bits of food flying out. She quickly grabbed a napkin, wiping up the spillage, then holding it to her mouth. “Woops, sorry,” she said, a big swallow following.

“No problem. Email it to me later, alright?”

“Sure.”

There were many things that Geof never thought he would do in his life. Somewhere towards the top of the list was sleeping in his sister’s used bra. He found it funny how unpredictable life could be.

Dinner had ended poorly, but he had survived. For now, that was the most important thing. Living. After Emily had chewed him and her food, she had started talking. Geof had been flung out of her mouth then, landing in her napkin, soon trapped as she folded it. Covered in food, slime, and his sister’s spit, Geof had been forced to push his way free of the napkin.

He had given up trying to be found after that. At least for the day. He had been stepped on by his girlfriend, chewed up by his sister, almost crushed, almost killed. That had been enough.

It took hours to reach his sister’s room, even though it had barely even been a walk when he was normal sized. The amount of things on the ground didn’t help. Clothes littered the floor, the few sections that didn’t have a shirt, sock, or shorts draped over it was instead covered in dirt, dust, and general grime. Geof had passed many mysterious lumps, all of which he carefully avoided and wished to forget. A ketchup stain at normal size was barely even a concern. At micro size, it was anything but. Could he be trapped in it? Was it crawling with bacteria? Were bugs attracted to things like that? There were simply too many ways it could cause his death.

That described a lot of things now. Death was everywhere for little Geof, or at least that's how it seemed. He was tiny, small, pathetic. He couldn’t do anything now, was completely at the mercy of the god like beings that he once called his sisters and girlfriend.

So, when he finally reached Emily’s room, when he climbed on top of her thickly padded bra, he had simply collapsed. What was the point in going on? It wasn’t like he could wake up a sleeping giant. Hell, he’d probably be inhaled if he tried. He let his eyes close, sleep soon comforting him.

He woke to the sound of Emily’s feet stomping around, coming dangerously close to his “bed”. She had looked beautiful in the morning light. Hair sticking up in every which way, no makeup, a groggy look to her. She was wearing socks, a pair of tight shorts that barely covered anything, and a small t-shirt. Geof wasn’t proud, but he stared when she changed, her perfectly rounded butt visible for a few moments before she put on a pair of jeans.

Should he have tried to get her attention? Probably, but it wasn’t like it was going to do much. Jumping up and down like an idiot was just going to get him crushed. He was a bug, and was gradually growing to accept that as reality. If he really wanted help, he would need to find a better opportunity. But, could he live that long?

The girl’s had left a while ago, disappearing out the door, none of them questioning the location of little Geof. Did they really care about his disappearance? That once again brought up the question of what they would do if they ever did find him like this. Perhaps his sisters would have some games for him to play. It wasn’t like he’d be in a position to say no.

Click. Geof sat up, his ears trained. That sounded like the door, but there was no way the girl’s would be back so quickly. He heard footsteps soon after. His eyes locked on Emily’s door, waiting for it to open, his mind racing, his stomach sinking as the stomps came closer. The handle turned.

“Oh shit,” Geof whispered, the door swinging open, a new giant stepping inside.

Anna was the hired help, and Geof had completely forgotten that today was the day she was scheduled to come. Once every week Anna would visit, pretend to be horrified at the sheer amount of dirt and grime that the family managed to produce in such a little amount of time, then start cleaning.

Geof thought she was beautiful, both physically and mentally. She was always smiling, always a little bit playful, and had a beautiful body. Latina with an amazing, dark skin tone. Brown eyes, long hair that she tied back in a ponytail, a thin waist, and a perky butt that Geof often found himself staring at when she bent over.

But now she was a giant, prepared to clean up the mess that he and the girls had made, and he was just a bug. And what do maids do to any bugs they find? They squish them like the pests they are.

Geof gulped, quickly trying to think of what to do. Anna didn’t wait though, quickly going to work, picking up some of the close off of the ground and tossing them into a hamper. She was humming a tune, one that Geof could almost place.

But shit, he had bigger things to worry about than a song name. If she saw him, would she realize what he was? Would she just stomp him? But, then again, she was actually looking at the ground. When would he have a better shot at being found?

Geof took a big breath, calming his nerves. He couldn’t live at this size, he needed to be noticed. He stood up, his feet sinking into the padding a bit, preparing himself to do whatever was necessary for survival. He needed to be found.

It was only a few minutes before Anna came over to his bra, her hands working quickly, grabbing the clothes and tossing them into the hamper without a care. She was still humming that tune. She grabbed a pair of socks, then a shirt. Only a few articles away now, and Geof was starting to have second thoughts. Would this work? What if it didn’t? What if she tossed him in the laundry? Could he survive something like that?

Then she came to his bra. Without hesitation the tiny bug started jumping, waving his arms frantically, screaming Anna’s name with every ounce of energy his little body had left. He needed her to see him, needed to be found. This might be his last chance.

The latina maid grabbed one of the bra straps, lifting it quickly. Geof felt the fabric ripping out from under him, his body falling backwards. No, he had not been found. He was only a bug, after all.

He landed on the thin carpet a moment later, his head whipping backwards, his vision blurred. “Crap,” he whispered, rubbing the back of his head, his eyes tearing up a bit, perhaps from the pain, perhaps from the fact that his best hope had been ripped from him. Was this really it? A destiny to continuously be passed over, never to be found?
            But bugs are rarely given time to think, at this was no exception. Geof’s eyes opened as a shadow fell over him, Anna’s sole quickly coming into focus. She was about to step on him.

“No, Anna!” Geof shouted, though he knew it wasn’t going to work. He cringed, curling up into a ball as her shoe crashed to the ground, fully expecting it to be the end. When he finally opened his eyes again, he saw her thick sole resting only a few inches away from his tiny body.

Quickly he pushed himself to a standing position, his survival instincts kicking in. He wasn’t going to be found like this. He needed to get away, go somewhere safe. Somewhere that didn’t have a high chance of him being crushed to death.

Anna was wearing similar shoes to that of his sister’s, a pair of pink and black Etnies. Geof had often looked at those shoes with lust, wishing that he could be closer to them, that he could feel the sock fabric, that he could really study the intricate design of the sole. Now, however, there were few things he would want less than to be close to them.

They were old, worn down from the constant use, the sole compacted by the giant’s weight, cracked in spots. The leather was stretched, the laces frayed towards the end. It only made them look the more menacing.

She lifted her foot them, taking another step to reach the next article of clothing his sister had so carelessly tossed about. Geof didn’t pause to see where it landed, he simply started running. He was not in a safe spot. He didn’t want to die.

The impact of her sole almost caused the tiny creature to stumble and fall. It was so close, so forcefull. If he had been under it… his thoughts drifted to the image of a tiny red speck staining her magnificent sole. Would she see it one day and wonder what it was? No, it would probably just be overlooked, thought of as just another stain, something small and insignificant that she had stepped in. Nothing of any concern.

Geof looked back, now in full sprint, his heart beating fiercely, his skin wet with sweat, his stomach twisting in on itself with panik. He didn’t want to die. The sight that came to his eyes was more than he had been prepared for. The giant’s sole hung above his head, dirty and cracked, a pattern of hard triangles covering the entire surface save a single section that had been painted pink, the word “Etnies” carved into it.

“No, please, Anna!” he screamed desperately, watching as the shoe started to lower, still running at full speed. Was this how it ended? Crushed by his maid? Perhaps that was fitting for a bug like him.

But maybe if he kept running he could avoid it, live another day. That was the best he could hope for at this point. Surviving. Like an animal. His leg came down, sinking into something that he wasn’t concerned about.

Then he found himself falling. He screamed then, his head turning, a mass of pink hurriedly coming to meet his face. He slapped into it hard, the thick substance quickly enveloping him, holding him firm. Then he realized what had happened. He was stuck in a piece of gum. One of his sister’s used chewing wads that she had carelessly tossed on the floor, he had run right into it, fallen in it, been trapped in it.

“No,” he said, horrified, struggling against the glob’s pull. “No, no, no!” he screamed, the shadow of Anna’s shoe growing larger as her foot came down. But there was nothing he could do. He was trapped, about to be squished, and there was nothing in the world that could save him. This was it.

He felt Anna’s sole come down, felt his body start to compress under the unimaginable pressure, his face mashed even further into the pink glob of used chewing gum. His arms and legs burned, bones on the verge of snapping. His stomach was squished, threatening to force out all of its contents.

Then he saw light. But it was not like how it was when Jo had stepped on him. This wasn’t the peaceful realization that he had been saved from a gruesome death. This was the realization that something that was supposed to be quick and painless was going to be drawn out. The gum had saved him, most likely in the same manner that the carpet did, absorbing just enough of the pressure to keep him alive. But, now he was stuck to the bottom of her sole.

“No!” Geof screamed, watching as the ground raced towards him, feeling the unimaginable pressure once again. Now Anna was walking on him. Was he really worth that little? Was his life so worthless that a giant could walk with him attached to the bottom of her foot and not even notice?

Apparently so. Geof quickly lost count of how many times the giant had stepped on him, how many seconds he had spent under her dirty sole. Pain radiated through his being, but there was nothing he could do to stop it. His arms and legs were firmly mashed into the gum, his head free only enough so that he could see the ground he was about to be smashed into.

Anna sonn finished Emily’s room, moving on to her sisters, then to Geof’s. She vacuumed after, then started dusting. Cleaned off the counter, took out the trash, cleaned out the spot in between the couch cushions, and all with her little stow away.

Geof was alive for all of it, wishing that his torment would end, wanting nothing more than to go back to how things had been. Normal sized, with a normal life. Two sisters who had been mean to him at times, but cared for him deep down, and a girlfriend who was the best person on earth. Why did this have to happen?

Finally, when Anna moved into the kitchen, did the glob of gum come unstuck. She pulled her foot up, the glob stretching, then snapping off, the tiny bug trapped more than ever inside its clutches.

“Wow,” Anna said, looking at the floor, covered in food particles and dirt. “These guys a terrible at keeping things clean.” She walked away for a moment, coming back with a dustpan and broom. “But, I guess that's what they pay me for.” She crouched down, the broom already sweeping particles into the pan.

“Anna, please don’t do this,” Geof called, still desperate to be found, unwilling to give up. “Anna, I’m here! Come on Anna, notice me!”

Her brush came closer, sweeping the crumbs without any discrimination. She was humming that tune again. It was catchy, Geof had to admit. Still, he felt no qualms about interrupting. “Anna, I’m in the gum!”

Her brush was about to sweep him up. “Anna, don’t!” he screamed, but it was useless. The brush hit his glob of gum, he was sent flying into the dustpan. Then Anna stood up, humming happily away, walking towards the sink.

Then Geof realized what was about to happen. The trash compactor was under the sink. “No, Anna, I’m not trash!” he screamed, struggling to free himself from the gums firm grasp. “Please, don’t throw me in there!” She was almost at the sink, humming happily away, unaware of his tiny plight. Little did she know she was about to kill him.

Her hand reached down, opening the compactor. “No, Anna, please!” But it wasn’t any use. He was simply too small to be heard. A tiny bug to be stepped on without a care. A piece of dirt to be swept up. A worthless waste of what he called a life. Anna happily tossed him into the compactor.

So this is how things ended. Not under the foot of a goddess, nor in his sister’s stomach. Squashed by a trash compactor. He heard sounds outside as Anna flipped the switch, initiating the process. There was no way out, no possibility of survival, no magic to come save him. This was it.

He felt things press against him, felt his body compress, felt his bones start to snap. Well, it was bound to happen eventually. This world was just too big for someone of his size. He was going to die like the insect he was.

His body started to give. Anna was still humming that song. What was it? It had such a pleasant tune to it. Something old, something good. Then, in his last moments of life, it came to him.

Live and let Die

Everything stopped. The pain was gone, the pressure alleviated from his miniscule body. His eyes didn’t see anything; only darkness surrounded the insignificant little bug. For a moment he truly believed himself dead, thought that the trash compactor had squished him beyond recognition.

Then light poured back into the black hole of the trash compactor. “Holly shit,” Geof said, amazed and unbelieving, as Anna opened the compactor once again. The light was at her back, illuminating her bronze skin in the most beautiful way. Perhaps it was only because she was saving his life. Either way, Geof truly believed she looked beautiful. Still, he couldn’t simply marvel at the amazing sight. Not here, not when his life could be extinguished with the simple press of a button. The little micro pushed himself to his feet, rushing forward towards the newly opened gap.

Anna, high above, gave a sigh as she dropped another pile of dirt and trash onto the tiny bug. Geoff felt pieces of dirt, leftover food, and god knows what else hit his back. He didn’t let that stop him, not when he was so close to his freedom.

The door to the compactor opened at an angle, a steep one but climbable. It was with only mild difficulty that Geoff managed to reach the top, about two feet off of the ground. His arms reached up, fingers gripping onto the topmost edge of the compactor, fresh air finally replacing the stale stink of the garbage.

“Yes!” he screamed in glee, pulling himself up the last inch. He had escaped death yet again. “Yes!” the tiny boy shouted once more, throwing his arms above his head, smiling as if he was back to normal sized.

Then Anna went to close the compactor. A simple motion, her hand pushed on the top of the compactor, sliding it back into place. Geof could do nothing other than stare in horror as the bottom of the drawer came flying forward, smashing him in the face as the compactor top disappeared under the counter.

He felt himself falling, the air rushing around his small body violently, the hard tile of the kitchen floor quickly growing closer and closer. Desperately the boy tried to rotate his body, screams of panic ringing in his ears.

“Ahhhh!” Geoff screamed, landing with a plop, he body bouncing off the unyielding ground, then rolling across the smooth surface. He was face down when he stopped, his body lying on the cold ground, his cheek pressing into crumbs that must have been microscopic to the giant’s that now tormented him.

Everything hurt, but nothing appeared to be broken. At least he had that to be thankful for. At his size impacts felt different. Perhaps his body was more resilient at this size, more flexible, or maybe a bit denser. Geoff didn’t know one way or the other, and didn’t bother giving it much thought. He had just survived a fall that, to him, had been thousands of feet.

Slam! His thoughts were jerked back into place as a pair of feet slammed into the ground on either side of him. Hurriedly the boy pushed himself to a sitting position, almost every muscle in his body screaming in protest. The view he received was one of the most horrifying he had ever encountered.

“Anna…” he whispered, their eyes locking. She towered above him, her face miles above his insignificant body, yet she was definitely looking at him. She must have seen him, must have! But, no, her face didn’t look like he had expected it to. The beautiful giant wasn’t confused at finding a tiny Geof between her feet, nor was she happy. She looked… annoyed.

“Damn,” Anna said with a sigh, crouching down lower so that she could better see the tiny thing below her. Geoff was motionless now, fear overtaking his every muscle. Her huge eyes were staring at him, massive orbs of a cool, deep brown. But they held no compassion, no sympathy. Only displeasure and disgust. “How is there another bug,” she spat, pushing herself back to her full height.

“No…” Geof whispered, the hope that he needed so badly flooding away and out of reach yet again. It was starting to feel like he would never be seen, that he would be forever doomed to repeat this loop of false hope, believing that he was saved only to be stepped on yet again. Death continuously creped behind him, dangling salvation in front of his face time and time again, just so that he would fall that much farther when he believed it.  

It was starting to hurt. He could feel it in his stomach, and gnawing at the corners of his eyes.

Anna raised her foot up yet again, the dark sole lifting until it blocked the light above, washing the tiny boy in shadows once again. It was just as dirty as before. No, it was definitely worse, her hours of cleaning causing numerous other things to become adhered to the old, worn out rubber. He could see crumbs, hair, dirt, food particles, and even the little patch of pink that marked where his body had been glued to her sole. Most of the gum had been worn off by now, or perhaps it had just been thoroughly mashed into a film. Under her unimaginable weight, such things could be possible. It wasn’t going to save him this time.

She started pushing the massive shoe downward, aiming to end his worthless life once and for all. It was only at the last moment that his legs kicked into action, pushing against the ground with everything he had, sending him just far enough to avoid the defending SLAM that erupted as her Etnies collided with the ground.

He rolled on the floor for a moment, quickly pushing himself back to his feet, his momentum easily sending him into a full sprint away from the god who thought of him as only a bug. But he wasn’t safe yet. At his height, he would never be safe. Anna’s other foot was almost in position, ready to crush his life away.

To think that he was about to be squished under Anna’s sole, the same shoes that he had stared at so lovingly, fantasized about so intensely, wished to be close to. He had wanted to touch the dark fabric that looked so soft, wanted to rub against the stitching that held it together. Even the laces, thick and pink, looked like they would be so pleasant to play with. And just the sight of that pink logo stitched so carefully into the side was enough to fill his head with dirty thoughts.

Now they were about to squish him, and the only thing the little bug could hope to do was run. It wasn’t going to be enough though, he knew that. The giant above him could move far too quickly for him to ever have a chance. Still, he couldn’t just give up. He couldn’t let his life slip away.

Her foot came down again, the impact sending waves of force through the ground as her thick sole came to a stop. Once again Geof had managed to narrowly avoid a certain death, jumping to the side as her shadow loomed overhead. Then he heard something he wasn’t prepared for. The closing of a door, followed by the booming of many pairs of feet.

“Hey Anna,” Emily said as she walked into the kitchen, a bag in her hand. Jo and her sister followed soon after.

“Hello,” the giant maid said, her attention momentarily drawn from the tiny insect scrambling at her feet. “Back from shopping so soon?”

“Yeah, the mall ended up closing early. Something about a water main or something.”

“Ah, Okay,” Anna said, turning her attention back to the ground, her eyes searching for a tiny speck to crush.

Geoff had taken advantage of the momentary distraction, running at his full speed towards the counter. At his size, even the span of a single tile was a length of considerable distance. He just barely managed to reach a relatively safe spot, under the cabinet that slightly jutted out over the floor, before Anna started her search again.

“What are you doing,” Jo then asked, taking a step around the maid, her feet causing an earthquake with every stomp. Geof could only cower against the wall, waiting for what was to come next.

“Looking for a bug,” Anna replied, her eyes still scanning the ground, coming dangerously close to Geof's hiding place.

“You found a bug?” Emily asked.

“Is that really surprising?” said Erin, dropping one of her bags onto the table.

“Good point.”

“Anna,” Erin then said, “The house looks clean. I think you could go home a bit early.”

“Oh, thank you,” the Latino goddess replied happily. Geoff let his hopes rise, thinking that his latest ordeal might have just come to a close. Anna was leaving. She wouldn’t need to crush him anymore. “Let me just find that bug.” His stomach dropped.

Geoff pressed himself harder against the wall, his heart beating faster than he was comfortable with, his breathing ragged and fast paced. He didn’t want to be found like this, didn’t want to be mistaken for a bug. The tiny boy gulped, thinking once again about a tiny stain on Anna’s Etnies, all that would remain of his being.

“No, don’t worry about it,” Jo said quickly. “I’m sure we can handle it.”

“Yeah,” Emily put in. “We know how to deal with bugs around here.” Geof jumped as her massive shoe slammed into the tile only a few paces from where he was. “We stomp ‘em!”

“Right,” Erin agreed. “Trust us, we’re fine.”

“Well, alright,” Anna finally conceded. “I’ll just get my things then leave.” The girls smiled, the maid leaving the room, her footsteps booming up until the point where the front door closed. Then it was just Geof, unknown once again, and trapped in the kitchen with his two giantess sister and girlfriend.

“Well, at least we’ll have some fun tonight,” Emily said after a moment, her voice echoing in Geof's ears.

“What do you mean?” Jo asked.

“We’ve noticed you were a bit glum about Geof.”

“Yeah,” said Erin. “So we decided to do something to take your mind off things.” She reached into her bag, pulling out two bottles of vodka. “Why not a party?”

“A party?” Jo said, obviously hesitant about the idea.

“Yeah, why not? We get a bunch of people, get shit faced, have a good time with it.”

“I don’t know. I just want to find out what happened with Geof. He hasn’t called or anything.”

“I’m sure it's fine. Besides, we already invited a bunch of people.”

“Really?”

“Yep. Now relax and have fun. I’m sure our dorky brother will be back before long. He probably just got stuck somewhere.”

A party… Geoff didn’t know how to feel about that. There would be a lot of people, almost none of them paying any attention to the ground, their feet taking up so much space on the floor. Just a single misplaced step and he’d be crushed to a pulp. But, if there were more people, more of a chance to be found, right? That's what he had to do, just be positive about things. He’d be found tonight.

The tiny bug glanced at the trash compactor, then onto the table at the bottles of alcohol. A bunch of drunk idiots trying to get laid, not exactly the perfect situation for him to be found. No, if he was going to be saved it would have to be before the party. If not, his chances of becoming a glob of dead Geoff rose exponentially. This was it, he needed to get the giants’ attention. Now.

Eren took a step, her shoe crashing into the floor only a few paces from her miniscule brother, causing him to jump yet again. No matter how much it happened, he just couldn’t get used to the sudden impact of the girls’ steps. They were just so sudden, so loud, so… deadly.

Once again he had a great view of her massive high-tops. today she was wearing a different pair of shoes, ones that Geof liked much more than the ratty, worn out ones she almost crushed him with yesterday. These were relatively new, bought perhaps a week or two ago. They didn’t even stink like her sweaty feet yet.

Nike's, just like the last pair. They had a high top that rose far above her ankle, and had the same skater-type style. A large, mostly flat sole that stuck out a considerable amount past the seams that marked where her foot was. They were blue, a pretty sky blue that brought back memories of the outside air and freedom. Things that Geof might never be able to experience again. The trim was black, dark, and rough to the touch.

Even though they were only a week or so old, the edges had started to show signs of ware. Geof could see small bulges forming on the sides where his sister’s foot would press into. Tiny folds and creases could be found along almost the entire surface of it, if one looked hard enough. The laces were fat, black, and zigzagged across its lip, shiny black material holding them in place. And, of course, there was the large white check mark emblazoned on the sides.

Geoff had to move, needed to do something to make his sister notice him. Going closer to the titan was one of the last things he would have wanted to do at his size, but he didn’t have a choice anymore. He couldn’t survive at his size any longer. He took a breath, mentally prepared himself for his insane actions, that sprinted forward.

The tiny boy wasn’t sure what his plan was, or if he even had one. He just knew that he needed to be closer to his sister. She would never be able to notice him on the ground. Maybe if he could just reach her shoe, if he could scratch at her leg and beat his fists against it, then just maybe she would notice him.

And if she did? Would she think he was a bug and just kick him off? No, he had to believe that his sister wouldn’t do that. This was the last chance he had. The protective lip of the counter passed overhead, the light from high above brightening his world again. He sprinted forward, quickly closing the gap between him and his sister’s shoe, all the while listening to their conversation above, praying that she didn’t move.

He leapt into the air a few strides from the massive wall of fabric, his fingers grabbing for a hold when he smashed against the leather, perhaps an inch up. He was quickly able to find a grip in one of the countless stitches that made up a seam, his feet resting on the tiny portion of her sole that jutted out. For a moment he allowed relief to wash over him. The tiny bug had made it to his sister’s shoe. Now all that was left was a short climb. He was almost found.

Geoff started moving upwards. He had landed close to the toe end of her shoe, so the top wasn’t that much of a climb, even at his diminished size. Before long he was able to reach up and grasp the ledge the fabric made as it turned into the shoes lip. With a final heave, he pulled his tired, rasping body onto her foot.

“Yeah!” he shouted happily, rolling onto his back, breathing heavy from the exertion. It wasn’t much, but he had done it. He had climbed her shoe. Now all that was left was to go up her laces and reach her leg.

He was close now, closer than he had ever been before, and this reinvigorated his spirit. For perhaps the first time since things had changed he no longer felt like a pathetic bug struggling for survival. He had climbed his sister's shoe! Damn it, he could do this! He would be free.

“I can do this!” the tiny boy shouted, rolling back to his feet, rushing to the girl’s shoe laces. He leapt onto the first one, his hands reaching for the second. It was easy to find a grip in the tight, woven material, and pulling himself proved to be easier than even he had hoped.

Soon the second row had been passed, then the third, then the forth. They were steadily becoming steeper, but Jeff didn’t mind. His boost of adrenalin was pushing him forward. Everything was going fine. This was going to work. This was almost over. He wasn’t going to die!

Then Erin moved. A single step was all it took to remind Geof of his true place in the world. The tiny insect gripped her shoelaces tightly, his body plastered to the rough material of the girl’s laces as her foot rocketed upward, the first part of her step.

“Erin!” Geoff shouted as it started to come down. The stomach sunk, his knuckles going white as the clutched onto her shoelace. It was like the drop of a rollercoaster, the sudden change of momentum almost enough to throw the tiny boy off of the shoe he had tried so hard to reach. All his efforts were about to be destroyed, just because his sister was walking.

“Please!” he begged, a moment before her foot made contact with the ground, his face slamming into the hard, unforgiving fabric. “Please, stop.” He looked up, expecting to see the sweet, innocent face of his sister high above. Instead he was greeted with her backside looming high above. She was midway through another step.

“No!” the micro shouted as her foot rose higher again, the same process repeating as it had. Over and over again the tiny boy was tossed about on his sister’s shoe. Each step she took was another roller coaster, one that he could easily be killed by. The immense force that pushed against him on the way up, then the cataclysmic impact as her foot collided with the earth. It was almost too much for Geoff to bare.

Erin opened the screen door to the back patio, her footsteps echoing off of the boards underfoot. “Damn,” she said high above, stopping momentarily to admire the sorry state of things in the back. There were leaves, dirt, and twigs scattered all around the patio, cluttering it considerably. “I really should have had Anna take care of some of this.” Then she shrugged. “Still, nothing getting shit faced won't fix.”

Almost absentmindedly, she kicked at a broken branch that was close to her. A simple action, one that would normally have no negative repercussions. This, however, was not a normal situation. Geoff had managed to hold on throughout the course of her walk, but a kick was something else. His body had already been beaten and abused by the constant impacts. The sudden acceleration upwards alone was almost enough to break his ribs as he was pressed against her foot by the amazing force. The sudden stop at the top of her kicks arc was too much though.

Geof's fingers simply couldn’t hold on. They slipped from Erin’s laces, his body soaring into the air, following the arc of her kick. The floorboards of the patio passed under him, moving at an unbelievably quick pace, soon replaced by the jagged tops of blades of grass. But Geof didn’t see this. His body was facing upwards at the bright sky, and the few clouds that dotted it. They looked so big and fluffy, almost like soft little cotton balls. How he wished he could be big enough to be able to just sit and watch them without fear of being stepped on accidentally.

The tops of the grass blades soon rose above him, the harsh, densely packed earth soon following as his back slammed against it. He rolled much like he had done before, his world becoming a spinning mess of brown, green and blue, only stopping when his back hit a particularly thick stalk of grass.

“Ugh,” he groaned, letting his broken body slip to the earth. “The lawn…” he whispered, smiling lightly at the end. “Perfect.” He let his eyes close, slipping into a deep sleep that he desperately needed.

“Ugh… holy hell…” Geof groaned, sitting up, rubbing his head. Somewhere between the time he blacked out and the moment he returned to the world, he had developed a splitting headache to match the sorry state of his body. But that was truly the least of his problems. “Shit,” he muttered, looking around at his surroundings, the recent events of the days coming back.

Tall stalks of grass towered above him, many times his size, the sun coming through the thick canopy of green in tiny bursts. The ground around him was completely made up of dirt. Deep brown, tiny sprouts sticking up in some places, and altogether disheartening. He hadn’t been noticed in his house, on the flat surfaces of the wood floors and carpet. What hope did he have now, surrounded by these blades of grass?

Painfully he pushed himself to his feet, wondering how many more kicks he had left in him. At what point would the physical damage grow to great? How many more close calls before his leg broke, or he hit his head wrong?

“Shit,” he muttered again, finding his balance, his miniscule weight causing a few loose specs of dirt to tumble free of the larger plane. He looked forward in the direction he hoped was the patio, finding that he could only see a maze of green and black. There was no way of knowing if that was the correct path, or what he might encounter on his way. There were bugs out here. Big ones. Ones that probably wouldn’t mind having little Geof as a snack.

He looked at the grass stalk closest to him, noticing the multiple shades that made up its stalk. A deeper, darker green at the base that gradually became lighter and more airy at the top. it's something he had never noticed when he was big. Perhaps just because it was too subtle, perhaps it was because he just never took the time to notice. There were some interesting things about being this size.

He saw the stalk bend, feeling the rush of air soon afterwards. A simple, light breeze, yet to him it was almost enough to push him over. Yet another thing he never gave much thought to that had become a matter of concern. But, there was nothing he could do about the wind. Hastily he turned back to the path he hoped would lead back to the patio, his footsteps crunching on the dry soil.

It was a while before he encountered any obstacles. The yard was just a mess of grass. Each step he took only revealed more of the same pattern. There was nothing to mark his path, nothing to convince himself that he wasn’t just going in circles. He just had to push forward, hoping he was going the right direction.

The sun was almost setting at his back, its rays turned to a watery orange, bathing his course in colors of red and yellow. The shadows had become spots of near total darkness, each one housing a possibility of death that Geof couldn’t seem to get himself over. He could remember reading somewhere that many bugs were nocturnal. That may have been the only reason he had yet to run into any.

A shadow fell over him, bigger and more sudden than any of the blades of grass could have produced. Instantly he sprung behind one of the great stalks, fearing for the worst. A crunching sound enveloped him, one that was accompanied by a deep tremble in the earth. Tiny Geof could only imagine what gigantic monster could have such an impact. After a few moments of further panic, he poked his head out from the blade.

“Wow,” he heard a voice utter, the sheer power of it ringing his ears. Still, he was able to recognize it as his sister, Eren. His hopes lifted for as long as it took his mind to remember that she wasn’t his savior, only another way he could be crushed. “I guess it is getting a bit high.” The girl shrugged, turning around. Geoff was struck with the amazing sight of her gigantic booty in the late afternoon light. It looked beautiful, cupped firmly by her tight jeans that left almost nothing to the imagination.

Then she was off, walking across the lawn and out of Geof's narrow view. “Damn,” the boy said, not sure what to make of the situation. Why was his sister out here?

His question was answered quickly by what sounded like an angry roar, reverberating over the lawn, assaulting the little boy’s ears. “What the hell?” he said, the sound drowning out his words. Without thinking, he started running away from the source, thinking only that it could be some predator, or some device that would only bring him harm. It was only after sprinting past several stalks of grass that he realized the source.

“Oh no,” he whispered, his eyes going wide. His sister had said that something had been growing high. If she meant the lawn, then maybe she had been told to cut it. And if that was the case, the roaring could only be coming from the lawn mower. “Shit!” he screamed, his speed doubling.

All he could picture was a giant lawnmower, thousands of time his size and weight, coming towards his position. The wheels would crush him, his sister’s steps could smash him to a pulp. But, worse than that, was the spinning piece of metal that could cut through his body without even the slightest delay. A machine built to cut down the massive plants that towered over him would have no trouble destroying his entire body, ripping him to shreds. If he didn’t find the patio soon he was dead. No possible way to come back, not a chance of some lucky break saving him. He needed to reach safety.

But that was no easy task. Within only a few minutes his lungs burned for air, his legs feeling as if they were about to fall apart. The roaring had only grown louder, more violent, more bloodthirsty with the passing moments. It was coming closer. He could even feel the earth vibrating underfoot, a miniature earthquake that would only grow more intense until the monstrous machine was cutting through his body.

No longer did the orange and red colors of the sunset look quaint and peaceful. As he sprinted through the stalks of grass, the world looked alight with the fries of panic, pushing him forward. He could swear he felt the heat from them, but that might have only been the terror taking a hold of his mind.

Soon he was sweating, the roaring turned into a continuous blast of noise that assaulted his ears, the shaking of the earth transformed into a true vibration that had caused him to lose his footing many times already. The machine was almost upon him, but there was a small silver lining. He could see that faint outline of the patio.

It was still far off, but it was there. His safety, his sanctuary. If he could just keep up the pace for a bit longer he might be able to make it. But god was the noise loud. He couldn’t imagine his sister was that far away, though he dared not look back to check. The sight of that much violent power coming to kill him might have been too much for his damaged mind to take.

“Holy shit,” he kept repeating to himself, his legs begging for a break, the horror behind him pushing him forward. he couldn’t stop now, not when he was so close to safety. He wasn’t about to let himself die like this!

Then a noise cut through the otherwise unbreakable wall of sound that the lawnmower generated. It was enough to make Geof turn his head for just a moment. Long enough to not notice the loose pebble below his foot. He tripped, his feet going out from him, soon finding his body sliding through the earth.

He started to push himself up, his face and chest now covered with rubble and mud, when he heard the sound again. A high pitched hiss, something that sounded almost natural. Something like a predator. Quickly he jerked his head to the left, his eyes hurriedly scanning for the source.

Then he saw it. “Oh god,” was the only words that he could find, the rest stolen by the sight of the newest gruesome abomination to enter his life. A massive body, twice, three times the size of his own. It was rounded, black completely, its shell reflecting some of the harsher rays of light from the sun, turning parts of it crimson. Its head was worse though. A small orb of a thousand glistening, black eyes, all of which were pointing at him.

Instantly Geof recognized it as a common beetle. He had used to go searching for them when he was a kid, enjoyed messing with them. Putting them in jars, flipping them over… he had found them fascinating. Now though, as the creature stared at him with hunger, it only looked like a monster.

“No,” Geof said, pushing himself away from the creature, the sound of the lawnmower only growing louder and louder. “No!” he screamed as the insect started moving towards him, each of its disgusting six legs working in tandem, pushing it's fat body closer to him. “Stop!” But the creature wasn’t about to listen. Even to a bug, Geof was nothing of consequence. A meal, that was all.

Geoff pushed himself to his feet, sprinting away from the monster with everything he had. Again he heard the hiss cutting through the roar of the mower, breaking into his skull, followed closely by the shifting of pebbles as the beast came forward.

Then he was falling, plummeting to the ground again, his back aching. How had it already caught up with him? He had been running at full sprint. Was he really that pathetic, that easy a meal?

His face scraped against the packed ground again, his hands quickly rolling him onto his back. If he was going to die, he needed to at least see the attack coming. Or, that's what he had believed. When he rolled over, when he saw the creature, his heart sunk. Even a simple beetle was large enough to dominate his entire being.

The roar of the engine was deafening, cutting off even the creature’s hiss as it pushed itself into the air on its hind legs, readying the final strike. Geof could see why the noise was so loud; just behind the beetles repulsive body the black wheels of the mower passed by, flattening the massive stalks of grass under the unimaginable weight.

So this was it? Not under his girlfriend’s foot, or as a snack, or even in the trash compactor. He was going to be the meal of a bug? “Emily, Erin,” he whispered desperately, knowing that neither could hear his tiny please, but unable to do anything else. He didn’t want to die like this. But, what was a tiny, worthless, insignificant boy like him to do?

The second wheel passed by, the beetle ready to deliver the final blow, its thousands of eyes locked on the little human that would become its next meal. He couldn’t hear anything over the completely deafening bellow of the gigantic machine that was passing so closely, though he doubted that was any worse than the sounds that escaped the monster’s rasping mouth. Geof’s heart was beating furiously, his eyes unmoving from the monster’s head. Even as the shadow fell over them both, he could not manage to rip his eyes from his imminent doom.

Then Eren’s foot slammed into the earth, the amazing power of her step enough to send a shockwave through the ground powerful enough to force her tiny brother against the dirt. Geoff was left in amazement, his mouth hanging open, his mind barely even understanding the sight his eyes were registering.

Where the beetle had so recently towered over him, Eren’s old, ratty Jordan shoe now stood, a thick ring of dirt mounted up against the worn out sole, pushed up from the massive impact. There were stains covering the entire surface, most of them of dark colors, like the brown of dirt or black of mud. Others were lighter, grass stains making up the majority.

The leather was worn and bent, thousands of creases of all sizes now covering the material. It was bulged out a bit at the sides, the old seams struggling to hold in Erin’s foot as it pressed against the confines of the old, worn out shoe. Geof could even see a small hole near the toe section, his sister’s white, puffy sock clearly visible.

Then she continued her step, her foot peeling away from the earth and the gross, gory, slimy remains of the beetle she had crushed so effortlessly. Strands of the creature's innards were still stuck to the underside of her Jordan as it rose into the air, thick bridges of green and white slime gradually becoming thinner and thinner as she continued her step until they eventually snapped.

Within another moment she was gone, leaving Geof alone once again. His sister had just saved him… Geof couldn’t put together what he thought about that. Should he be happy that she had crushed the threat, or appalled at how close he just came to death? He didn’t know what to think.

So, without thought, he pushed himself back to his feet, sprinting in the direction of the patio. His body no longer hurt, or at least he couldn’t feel it anymore. That was one of the better things about being put into such a life threatening, horrible situation. The adrenalin burst afterwards was enough to carry him forward.

He reached the ledge of the wood only moments later, quickly finding a place where the dirt had piled against the patio enough for him to climb up. He threw his body onto the hard surface, letting himself sprawl out. Another situation was finished, and he was still breathing. That was the most important part about things. he was still breathing.

But damn, that was bad. “Holy shit,” he whispered to himself, a small smile gnawing at his lips. The sky above was fading quickly, the brightest of stars already peaking out from under their blanket of darkness to lighten the sky. His chest lifted, the ragged pace of his breathing had turned into a slow, constant one. “Holy shit,” he said again, almost laughing at the absurdity of the situation, of how incredibly lucky he was to have survived.

When he was big again, he would have to tell Jo and the others about this. No, they wouldn’t believe him. They’d probably call him insane, ask if he was all right, maybe even laugh. None of this made any sense whatsoever, but at least it was exciting. In that life threatening, completely horrifying, would never wish to do again type of way.

Once he was bigger…

Geoff could hear the party going off inside, the thundering beat of the bass system Jo had installed making the deck vibrate at even intervals. The tiny bug couldn’t do much, except sit and wait patiently on his prison of wooden planks. The sliding glass door had been shut, any and all cracks sealed thoroughly. There was no way for him to go back inside.

So, instead of worrying about the tragedy that had become his life, despite the endless tortures and horrors that promised to be in his future, the small boy simply leaned back and relaxed. He was safe up on the porch, at least relatively. There weren’t too many bugs that would venture this far from the protective grass, and most of his giant friends and family were staying inside.

The stars were comforting. Even though he was only a fraction of his normal size, those tiny pinpoints of light still looked the same. High above and unreachable, never changing. One of the few constants in his life.

He wondered how Jo, Erin, and Emily were handling his disappearance. Sure, they had shrugged it off before, but surely they would start to worry, right? One day missing was a problem, but there could be an excuse, some set of bad circumstances. Two days though, they would start worrying. He was sure.

But then he started thinking about his sisters, and the ways they laughed whenever they joked about him accidently walking into a bad neighborhood and getting stabbed, or shot, or torn to pieces by a rabid dog. It had seemed like stupid jokes before, but now… he wasn’t so sure.

Geoff sat up suddenly, hearing the door slide open, a burst of hot air wafting across the patio. It carried with it a mixture of intense aromas; sweat from all the closely packed bodies was the most prominent. Trailing just behind was the overpowering scent of alcohol.

The tiny quickly jumped to his feet, looking for a place to hide. He knew that outside, where the moon was his only source of light, he wouldn’t have any chance of being found by these giants. He had been showed that before, and had taken that lesson to heart.

Before he could move, the ground underneath him started to vibrate as the giant took the first of her great footsteps. Geoff was almost knocked over, just barely managing to remain standing as the massive goddess simply strode over to the edge of the patio. She stopped only a pace away from the tiny little bug.

It was only after Geoff regained his balance that he had time to look up at the massive face miles above his. When he did, when he saw the full, red lips, the long, flowing hair, the sparkling eyes and the rossy cheeks, his heart skipped a beat. Standing before him, her pale skin radiant from the moonlight, was Jo.

“Jo…” the tiny boy whispered, his emotions dropping from the momentary high of seeing his former love. She wasn’t going to see him. After all, he was only a bug to her.

His gaze lowered, first passing over her breasts, covered in a tight black jacket, the one that he had bought her for her birthday. She had said it was her favorite. Then down to her butt, cupped gracefully by her yoga pants, and finally to her shoes. They were a pair of Nike high tops, the color explosive even in the low light.

Geoff gulped, marvelling at the giant’s shoes. They were one of the most impressive things he had ever laid eyes on. Massive, bulky, and amazingly attractive. Though he couldn’t see it now, he knew that the sole was a vibrant mixture of reds, greens, blues, pinks, and yellows, each looking like they were splashed on. The sides had the same effect, only they had the reflective property that nice plastic often had before it became worn out and cracked. Her soles were simply matte.

Even the laces stood out with their neon colors. He really loved those shoes, and knew Jo loved them to. That's why she only took them out on special occasions, or when she wanted to look really nice. She had worn them on their first date. Then, they seemed loving and inviting. Something that spoke of her carefree, easy going nature and fun attitude. Now though, from his shifted point of view, they only looked like a colorful tool to crush him to death.

Geoff jumped a bit as his girlfriend moved her foot slightly, inching it unconsciously in his direction. She look drunk, that was for sure. Geoff couldn’t blame her though. If he was in there, back to his normal size, he’d be the same. Still, it didn’t help his chance of being found at all.

So he turned around, knowing that nothing but trouble would come of him trying to reveal himself. Without any more though to the giant girl, he turns around and started running to the shadows.

He didn’t make it far before he heard, and felt, the impact of Jo’s first step. He glanced over his shoulder, wary of where the girl might choose to place her foot, praying it wasn’t not him. She arched her back, yawning deeply, then lifted her shoe.

It came down hard, shaking the patio, though it wasn’t too close to Geoff to cause him much worry. As long as nothing abnormal happened, it looked like he would survive his most recent encounter with normal sized humans.

But then something fell from Jo’s hand. It collided with the wood with a tremendous thud, the giant black object bouncing, then tumbling about wildly. Geof could only crouch down, throwing his arms above his head in panic, waiting for the mad tumbling to stop.

“Woops,” he heard his girlfriend say from above. Tentatively he opened his eyes, confused momentarily at the sight infront of him. It was only after moments of thought that he realized the object that had crashed only a few paces in front of him was Jo’s cell phone. Then her slender fingers came down, wrapping around the black devise.

Geoff's breath was taken, the sight of her massive fingers so close to his tiny, vulnerable body proving more impressive than he would have imagined. Once again he was only a few paces away from a giant that could kill him without a single thought.

Then his stomach sank as he heard his girlfriend utter a single word. “Oh?” she said, curriouse, he hand ceasing to move. Slowly Geoff dared to drag his eyes away from the phone, up her slender arms covered by the tight fitting black jacket, up to her pale, thin, beautiful neck, then to her eyes. Dread filled him as he realized what she was looking at.

“What the?” she whispered again, her eyebrows coming together in a look of confusion. Suddenly her fingers released their grip on her cell, drifting closer to Geoff's small form. The boy screamed, turned and sprinted away, thinking only that Jo thought of him as a bug.

He had been conditioned to think that way. Only a day or so at the size of an insect, yet he knew his place in the universe. He was not the giant master of things that he had once been, big enough to disregard most of the horrors that were below, thinking only of his normal life. Now though, when a single step could mean his bloody death, when a beetle could chew his head off, when his maid thought that he was only a bug, his self image was starting to waver. Was he really a human anymore? With everything that had happened, with all the horrors that will surely come, how can he say that he was anything more than a bug?

So, when Jo’s slender, warm fingers grabbed at his waist and chest, as he was trapped by his former love and girlfriend, he could think of nothing else than being squashed like the insect he was. He didn’t want to die like this. Jo would bring him up to her face, perhaps it would take a moment to realize that he was nothing more than a pest, but the realization would come. When it did, she would simply grip harder and harder, until his chest burst and he became nothing more than a corpse in her hand.

Wind whipped at his hair as Jo accelerated him upward, bringing him closer to her face, just as he had thought. His arms were pinned against his body by the girl’s monumental grip. Even though she was barely applying any pressure, it was still enough to make him feel uncomfortable, breath coming hard as her fingers prevented his chest from expanding.

He squeezed his eyes closed, unable to look his former lover in the eye as she murdered him. His breathing was hard and rapid, his heart beating with the same intensity it always did whenever one of these gods tried to kill him. To think that after all he had survived, he was about to be squished by Jo, just because she dropped her phone. After all the feet he had dodged, after escaping the trash compactor, after the beetle, Jo was simply going to kill him.

But death did not come. Eventually his heartbeat lessoned, his mind coming to terms with the fact that Jo had yet to murder him. Slowly his eyes peeled open to see his girlfriend’s pale face, rosy cheeks, pink lips, and gentle features framed by the moonlight at her back. Her eyes, orbs of a deep, comforting brown, were looking at him with amazement. Not horror, nor anger, as he had expected.

“Jo,” he said, almost a whisper, his nerves barely even letting him say that much.

“G… Geof?” She questioned back.

A smile found its way onto the insects face. “Jo, it's me!” the bug said, his hopes suddenly rising. “Yes, its me!” he repeated, excitement taking a firm hold. For the first time in what seemed to be an eternity, he felt like a person again.

“Geoff, is that you?” Jo said, bringing him closer, still looking confused and shocked. “What?”

“Yes, its me! Thank you, thank you.” He couldn’t contain the glee that flowed over him, through him, around him. “I don’t know what happened. I shrunk and… and… I don’t know. Things have been happening, I was almost stepped on. But, that doesn't matter now! Jo, you found me, now we can-” he was suddenly cut off by the giantess that held him.

“Oh god,” the girl said, bringing up her free hand to slad her forehead, breaking out into a fit of giggles soon after. “I must be wasted.” Another fit of giggles followed. “I think this bug is my boyfriend.”

Then, just like his hopes, Jo let him drop. It was sudden, quicker than he was really able to process. One moment he had been saved, his girlfriend having found him and acknowledged his existence. The next, his was slipping through her grasp, tumbling down to the dirt. As he was supposed to. No, he was not a human anymore, Jo had just confirmed that. His body collided with the wood.

He felt Jo's footsteps reverberating off of the wood as she walked away, the screen door opening and shutting as she passed through. And all the while he could hear her cute giggling, and the occasional word. “I thought he was Geof,” she said. “But it was just a bug.”

And so his part in the world was once again confirmed. He was just a bug. A pathetic, weak, small, disgusting little pest that didn’t deserved, and would never receive, even the lowest form of compassion or kindness. The former love of his life had just laughed at him, dropping him without a care, leaving him to die.

What was he supposed to do now? He couldn’t have asked for a better opportunity. He had been talking to her, actually was able to make her realize that it was him that she held in her hand, yet it didn’t matter. He was just a bug. How long would it be until he was finally crushed like one?

A light breeze rustled the grass, eventually finding its way over to his body, feeling cold against his skin. The black sky hung above, much like it always had, yet now it looked more ominous, more constricting. The stars were no longer the tiny balls that represented a hope for his future. They were only reminders of the heaven he would never return to.  

It sounded far away, but he could hear the screen door open and close. He didn’t care though. He just stayed where he was, his back against the cold wood, his arms and legs spread about himself, his unblinking eyes staring at the heavens.

Laughing, footsteps… something in his mind put together that it was his sisters that had come outside. They were to the back of him, still out of view, probably leaning against the house and talking about someone in the party. It seemed that they hadn’t seen him yet. Perhaps that was a good thing.

The tiny bug blinked, tried to move, found that his muscles protested too much. Perhaps if there was a reason to get up he would manage, but for now, after what had happened, there didn’t seem to be a point.

Maybe Erin would come over and step on him. Maybe it would be Emily instead, her massive Nike’s stomping on his head without a thought, his brains splattering on the wood, filling up the tiny gaps that made up her sole.

“No,” he said allowed, his arm coming up and slapping him in the face. He couldn’t just roll over and die like this. No matter what happened, no matter how many times he tried and failed, he needed to persist. Even a bug has a chance, and Geoff wasn’t about to throw that away.

Though his tired muscles screamed at him to stop, he pushed himself into a sitting position, then onto his feet. Everything ached, from his legs that had been running for so long, to his chest that had been bashed countless times, to his head that might had been hit one too many times. But he couldn’t die. Not now, not after all that had happened.

The ground started vibrating under him, growing with intensity with every second. Geoff tried to turn and run, but the tremors soon made it hard to even keep his balance, let alone move.

With a final slam, an unimaginably huge pair of feet slammed down on either side of him, knocking him onto his backside. He looked up then, the sight taking his breath away. Though he had seen Emily from this point of view before, it just isn’t something that one can grow used to.

She was wearing normal clothes, jeans and a pink sweatshirt, though it looked stunning in the low light. And that was to say nothing of the shoes that surrounded tiny Geof. An old pair of DC skating shoes. They had high tops and a thick lip that the giantess had her pants tucked into. The sides of the shoes were made from a fabric that had been beaten and assaulted by years of wear and tear until it took onto an almost torn, violent look. Although it was old, it only looked better with age.

The laces were thick, black, and relatively clean. Emily had to replace them often, as they often become the most disgusting thing about the shoes, always getting caught under the sole. The sole itself was colored a dark grey on the sides, and a black on the bottom. It was thick, almost as tall as little Geof was, and completely devoid of any safe spots. Only narrow ridges in the shape of zig-zags and the occasional circle, though nothing deep enough that he could possibly survive being stepped on.

“Emily!” Geof shouted, though he knew it wasn’t going to do much. “Please, It’s me, Geof!” His sister ignored him, simply staring out into the lawn, occasionally saying a few words to her sister, who stood at her side.

“So, how do you think the parties going?” Erin asked absentmindedly.

“It's Okay. I mean, I’ve been to better, but for a spur of the moment thing it's going pretty decent.”

“True. Though I was hoping a few more people would show up.”

Emily shrugged. “Honestly, I’m kinda glad it was on the small side.”

“Why?”

“Because I couldn’t find anything to wear. Anna didn’t do our laundry this week.”

“Probably shouldn’t have sent her home.”

“Probably not. But look at me, I’m just wearing a sweatshirt and jeans.”

“Your shoes look nice though.” Emily’s gave drifted down to the old skating shoes that clutched her feet so snuggly. She moved them around a bit, observing how the material seemed to move as the lighting changed. They did have a certain appeal to them.

“Right. Unlike that bug down there.” Geoff's heart stopped.

“What bug?” Erin asked.

“The one between my feet,” she said, pointing out the tiny speck.

“I still don’t see it.”

“Erin, it's me!” Geoff started, a rush of excitement and fear coursing through his body. Once again he had been found, but he didn’t know if it would end up and better than any of his other encounters with giantesses.

Almost as if to answer his question, Emily moved her foot swiftly to the side, the thick sole crashing into his small form, knocking him hard against the wood. He rolled for a moment before regaining himself.

High above he could hear the mocking laughter from his sisters. “Oh, that one,” Erin said, glaring down at the little pest. “Ugly little thing, isn’t it?”

“It's just a bug. A stupid, pathetic little ant.” She lifted her shoe, moving so that her foot hung over Geof’s head. For a moment the boy was stunned, the sight of his giantess sister holding her humongous shoe above his head, ready to crush him, proving too much for his mind.

Once again he had been found, and once again he was thought of as nothing more than a bug. And now it looked like he was about to be crushed like one. “Stupid thing,” Emily said down, that cruel smile lighting up her features. Geoff remembered it well, it was the same one she had whenever she picked on him when he was younger.

Slowly she brought it down, the massive sheet of hard rubber descending until it just barely started pressing on her little brother. “How does that feel, buggy?” he could hear Emily say from miles above, her titanic voice muffled by her shoe’s sole.

It was so dirty, he couldn’t imagine how it ever got to this state. Dirt was caked into the treads, along with grime, dust, food particles, and the leftover remains of bugs and plants that she had trampled into paste. He could only imagine that his fate wouldn’t be much different.

“Emily,” he pathetically called, his eyes closed, his cheek pressed against the girl’s dirty sole. Then she started moving her shoe around in small circles, dragging his body along the hard ground, rolling him as she went side to side. It was torturous, a pain that he was unable to control or stop. And it was all due to his older sister.

“Please!” he called out, though his screams were drowned by the giant’s laughing high above.

“You think it's dead yet?”

“I kinda doubt it.” Emily removed her foot, letting the faint light wash back onto her mashed and brutalized little brother. “See, its still twitching a bit.”

“God, why don’t these things just die? I mean, look at it! You didn’t even step on it and it's almost dead!”

“I know. Disgusting little things.”

Geof didn’t know what to do. This was it, surely. If he couldn’t somehow make his sisters realize that he wasn’t just a bug, they were going to torment him until they eventually killed him. He didn’t want to die like this, squashed by the underside of his sister’s sole.

But he was only a bug. He didn’t have a say in such things. If the pair of goddesses above him wanted to torment and torture his little body, they could. That was the power that they had over him, complete and total.

“Hey bug,” Erin said, taking a step closer to his already broken form. She lifted her shoe up, just like her sister had, then gently brought it down until it just barely pressed against him. He cringed as her shoe made contact with his face, her equally dirty sole coating him with grime and filth. “You better start licking, or I’m going to squish you!”

Geof blinked, almost on the verge of tears. He could do nothing about this. He was only a bug, and a bug had to do what his gods said. Without thinking, he stuck his tongue out, slipping it into one of the thick grooves in her shoe.

“Erin,” Emily said through laughs. “It's a bug. It's not going to lick your shoe.”

“Oh, I guess you're right. We’ll just have to kill it then.”

“Please,” Geof begged as Erin moved her shoe away from his crippled body. He tried to move, but found that the pain was to complete. Now he was truly powerless, nothing more than an ant to be killed.

He didn’t want to die. He didn’t want his sisters, the girls who he had grown up with, played with, loved, to murder him like this. It wasn’t fair, it wasn’t right! He didn’t deserve to be at this size, to have to try and survive in this world. He wasn’t a bug!
But he was. “Wanna squish him together?” Emily asked playfully.

“Sure.”

Suddenly the light was blocked out, a pair of massive feet hovering above his disgustingly tiny, pathetically feeble, life. “See ya bug,” Emily called down, that devilish smile spread wide. She was really going to love crushing her little brother.

“You better enjoy this,” Erin added. “It is our shoes after all. Now die!”

“Please-” was the last words that escaped the tiny insects mouth before the girls’ feet came crashing down on his unprotected body. His chest ruptured, organs exploded out from his sides. Bones were snapped, then snapped again, his spine ripped into thousands of pieces. His head cracked open, brain matter squishing until it made up the lowest layer of grime that covered his sister’s shoe.

Perhaps the thing that hurt the most was the fact that Jo would never know what happened. Well, none of them would, but he could only imagine it would hurt her the most. Even as he took his final breath, Geof could only think of her, and the sweet moments they had together. Thier first date, all the times they cuddled on the couch, the movies they had watched together, all the love that they had shared. All dashed away with a single motion of his sister's shoe.

“That was fun,” Erin said, unaware of the life she had just ended.

“It was. Wanna go back in now?”

“Sure.”

The giants walked away, some of their brother’s remains staining the deck, the rest glued to the bottom of their shoes, where it would stay for all eternity. Geoff had been nothing but a bug, and now he shared ones fate. Nothing more than another sheet of grime to adorn his sister’s shoe.

“Hey, what ever happened to Geoff anyway?”

“I care?”

“Good point.”

Hours later and the party was dying down, the last of the drunks stumbling out into the darkness of the night. The house was littered with red solo cups and beer bottles, as well as some other mysterious fluids that no one really wanted to question. Nothing looked broken though, and that was always a nice thing.

Jo sat on the couch, her light body sinking into the deep cushions. Her chin was propped up on her palm, her elbow resting on the couch’s back so that she could look out the window. She had always liked this couch, it was great for snuggling up with someone you loved.

“Hey Jo,” Erin said, turning the corner. “I think I’m going to go to bed. We can clean tomorrow.”

“Alright,” the girl answered, almost in a monotone. She didn’t look away from the window.

“You alright?”

“I’m fine.”

It was quiet in the house, all the life drawn out of it. Erin walked over to the girl, sitting down on the comfy cushions lightly. “You still worried about Geof?”

“A bit. I really thought he’d be back by now.”

“I know. I’m getting a bit worried too.” She put her arm around the other girl, bringing her close. “But don’t worry too much. Geof is a resilient little moron, he’ll be back soon.”

Jo giggled a bit, turning to Erin. “What ever happened to that, ‘maybe he got stabbed’ stuff.”

“That was only a joke. I care about him to, Jo. But, worrying about things isn’t going to make much of a difference, especially this late. Come on, let's get some sleep.”

Jo nodded. “Alright. Maybe he’ll be back by morning.”

The two giants stood up, walking away from the window, Erin shutting off the lights as they left the living room. “I’m sure he’s fine, Jo,” Erin repeated one more time, now and forever unaware that her little brother was already dead, the pulp of his body molded to her sole.

Jo responded, “I hope so.”