"Shit, shit, shit! Oh great gods above, protect me from this creature!"

A loud snarl echoed through the forest, causing Theodora to run faster, faster than her feet had ever stepped before. It was as if the wind itself was carrying her, driving her to achieve escape from the ravenous beast through any means necessary.

"How did it come to this!" she screamed, jumping underneath a giant log and returning to a running pace as she dared not look behind her.

She held her hand over her mouth, pushing her dirty blonde locks aside as she continued sprinting away from the source of the sound. Her feet were light, barely making any noise as they struck the moss of the forest floor, but she wanted to avoid making any audible trace that the monster could follow, and her ragged breathing wasn't aiding that fact.

She ran, forcing her body to keep up with the demand of absolute adrenaline fueled sprinting, avoiding all the obstacles that were before her.

Suddenly, she came upon a break in the forest, ending up launching her right into a gigantic dirt clearing, the next set of impossibly tall redwoods far across the expanse of rock and dust.

She didn't dare stop, hoping she could make it across the clearing before the creature laid eyes on her. But she barely made it halfway before a sound of rustling leaves echoed behind her, and as she turned to look, the creature flew out of the bushes, heading straight towards her.

"No! Anyone, please help me!" she screamed, shielding her face as she fell to the ground and awaited her imminent death.

The snarling creature continued its pace, almost falling upon Theodora, when suddenly…

*THUMP*

*THUMP*

*THUMP*

"What is…" Theodora began, before seeing a sight that shook her to her very core…

-

"Can't do it Tess, I'm sorry. Five gold coins for a goblin sword is ludicrous! I wouldn't even pay two!"

"C'mon Roderick, it's barely been used, you could at least use it for scrap. Three gold, how does that sound?" Tess pleaded, her fiery red hair breaking apart on her freckled face, revealing her begging blue doe-eyes.

"Those eyes ain't gonna work on me missy. I have no need for scrap, the adventurers around here make sure of that. Look, I'll take a few of those apples for… ten silver coins." Roderick responded, the burly blacksmith taking pity on the poor girl as she stood before his stall, her pack mule rearing its head as it stood behind her.

“Ugh… fine. Ten silver for three.” Tess sighed, reaching into her cart.

“Four.” Roderick laughed.

“Roderick, you’re killing me! How’s a girl gonna eat if she’s gotta give away everything for so little… Ten for three and that’s final.” Tess took a stand, looking at Roderick with annoyance.

“Fine, I’ll take it. Tess, you gotta work on your game. No one’s gonna pay what you ask if you keep offering garbage for gold. Why don’t you find a niche? You could lean into the apple thing, build some clientele!” Roderick offered, trying his best to help the struggling merchant.

“Because the apple thing doesn’t pay the bills. I can barely feed Papo here, let alone myself. You know I literally killed a goblin for this sword? They tried raiding my cart on the way here, if I wasn’t trained in swordplay I’d have been a goner. Thanks, by the way. But anyway, I risked my life for a hunk of metal that no one even wants!” Tess groaned.

“Well, I can’t help you besides advice now, young lady. I’ve got a kid on the way, I can’t be giving you handouts anymore…” Roderick sighed.

“Oh, Mary’s pregnant? Congrats!” Tess smiled, handing over the apples.

“Yep. Another mouth to feed in this economy…” Roderick laughed, rustling his hair.

“Well, send my regards. I’m gonna lie to some novice adventurer that this sword is magic or something. See ya Roderick…” Tess waved, motioning for Papo to follow her as she started to walk down the city streets.

“Build an honest business!” Roderick yelled, getting a middle finger from the feisty red-head as she continued to walk away.

Roderick smiled, then returned to polishing his blades. "That girl… reminds me of me when I was her age…" he laughed, before settling the blade he was holding down as a customer began to speak to him…

-

“Well Papo, things aren’t looking too good. I sold the sword, but I’ve barely got enough to get us enough food to make it to Bisila. And we gotta get moving before nightfall…” Tess sighed as she pet the head of her mule.

Papo whinnied, following Tess as she walked with her hands crossed behind her head.

“Let’s just head to the forest and make some headway before it gets too late…” Tess suggested, as she began making her way outside of the city limits.

Within time, she passed the main gate, and began walking down the trail, Papo in tow as her cart clunked along the bumpy ground.

Tess sung a tune, her ragged boots thumping along the ground as she paced along the road, listening to the sounds of the forest and trying to mimic the birds.

“Y’know Papo, I like having you, but you aren’t much for conversation. It’d be nice to have someone to talk with on these trips. Gets real stale sometimes…” Tess sighed, giving Papo a ruffle on the head as she tried to occupy her mind.

She continued pacing the trail, finally reaching the treeline, the whistling of the wind blowing through the trees and scattering redpine-needles on the ground.

“What is that…” Tess mumbled, as she looked closer at the trail ahead, noticing a small figure running across the path, then falling as it turned to face behind it.

“No way… is that a… Mini? Holy shit, Papo, it’s pay-day! Hold tight!” Tess yelled as she broke into a sprint. Just as she began running, she noticed something break out from the treeline and bee-line towards the Mini. 

“A rat?!” she muttered as her feet pounded against the ground, closing in on the Mini.

She grew close, eventually stopping just before the Mini as the rat almost closed on top of it. She lifted her leg, then flung it as hard as she could into the rat, sending it flying into the forest, disappearing from sight…

-

“GREAT GODS!” Theodora screamed, watching as a giant boot-sole flew above her, pinning the rat to its front as it carried it into the air, rocketing it away from her.

She shielded her eyes as the boot caused a gust of wind, almost rolling her along the ground as she tried to hold fast.

The boot crashed back down into the ground and shook the earth, sending Theo momentarily flying into the air, then falling back down with a painful thud.

Theo trembled in fear. She knew one thing about Giants; they showed no mercy to Minis.

She looked up, seeing the giantess who stood above her. She was covered in commoners clothing, with boots that looked older than the ancient trees of her forest home. Theo didn’t know any Giants, but this one seemed like a rarer breed, as she had bright-red hair that was unheard of amongst the Minis in her hometown. Her pale face was covered in what looked like specks of dirt, but Theo had heard of these; they were called freckles. The giant girl had a button nose, flanked by two oceanic blue eyes that reflected the light of the afternoon sun brilliantly.

Suddenly, the giantess leaned down, resting on her knees as her face turned to look down at Theodora.

“Well, hi there!” she smiled, brushing her wavy hair behind her ears as she stared down at the Mini with greedy eyes.

“What… what do you want… I appreciate you saving me, but please… let me go…” Theo pleaded, hoping her voice reached the ears of the gigantic being before her.

“Well… I was hoping we could help each other! You see… I’m broke as all hell, and people of your size are very valuable…” the giantess explained, a smile on her face.

“But… how does that help me?” Theo asked, confused.

“Ah… well, it doesn’t… but it helps me!” the girl laughed, reaching down towards Theo. Her fingers had surprisingly well kept nails, something Theo cursed herself for being distracted by as she realized she should run. She began to break into a sprint, but it was pointless, as her leg was caught easily.

“No!” she cried, as she felt herself get lifted into the sky, eventually settling in front of the expansive face of the titan.

She grinned, her plush lips breaking apart and revealing teeth that possessed a unique gap to them.

“Sorry hun… a girls gotta eat.” she said, showing slight pity to the Mini.

“Please don’t eat me!” Theo pleaded, struggling against the giantesses grip.

“Woah… I’m not gonna eat you! Calm down! Curse the versatility of language…” she complained, struggling to keep a hold on Theo.

“Y… you’re not? I thought that’s what you Giants want us for…” Theo asked, slowing her struggle.

“I mean, some races eat you guys, especially Nekos, but I personally find that sickening… I mean, you guys are pretty much us but smaller. Any Human who eats Minis is a monster in my book…” she replied, cringing at the thought.

“No, if anything, I’ll sell you. You guys sell for a lot. I could finally stop eating rations and apples for every meal…” the girl laughed, before touching a hand to her stomach as it grumbled loudly.

“Please don’t… I’ll do anything! I don’t want to be sold! Then I will be eaten!” Theo begged, tears beginning to stream down her face.

“Oh don’t do that… you’re pulling on the wrong heart strings. I’m a merchant, little one. I’ve got tough skin against emotions, they make a sale hard…” the giantess laughed.

“Wait… you’re a merchant, so let me make you an offer!” Theo countered, a thought coming to her mind.

“I’m intrigued…” the giantess responded, her eyes showing her curiosity as they focused on the swinging tiny.

“Let me pay you back for the cost of saving my life, then you’ll let me go!” Theo said, growing dizzy from dangling for so long.

“That’s a terrible offer. You would fetch a platinum coin or two, do you know how hard that is to come by? You can’t even carry a coin, you don’t have that kind of cash…” the giantess laughed again.

“Then let me give you a platinum coin or two of service! I’ll work to pay off my debt!” Theo offered.

“You? Work? What could you do for me?” the giantess asked, wondering what the Mini was getting at.

“I could… I could… I don’t know! But there has to be something!” Theo pleaded further.

“Hmm…” the giantess pondered, looking to the sky as she searched her mind for ideas.

“Well… the road does get pretty boring… and I suppose you could have some uses.” she continued, lost in thought.

“Right! Please, let me be of service…” Theo asked, holding her hands together in a helping hands gesture.

“...Alright. I’ll tell you what. You do what I say, when I say it, no questions asked. But if I feel like you aren’t worth the hassle, I’ll sell you at the next opportunity. You have until then to prove your worth to me. Do we have a deal?” the giantess explained.

“Deal! Now please, stop dangling me, I’m going to be sick!” Theo begged, trying not to gag.

“Oh, right… here.” the giantess laughed as she swung her hand around, dropping Theo into her open palm.

“What should I call you?” she asked, standing upright, forcing Theo to lay flat for stability as the palm soared into the air.

“My… my name is Theodora. My friends call… used to call me Theo…” Theo said with a forlorn tone.

“Used to?” the giantess asked.

“My village was wiped out by a horde of rats. That’s why I was running from one… I doubt anyone’s still alive…” Theo explained, wiping a tear.

“I see. Sorry to hear that. Guess it’s a good thing I showed up when I did…” the giantess said, showing genuine empathy.

“I guess so… hey, what’s your name?” Theo inquired, looking up at her giant captor.

“Oh, me? My name is Tess.” Tess answered, a slight drawl to her speech.

“Tess… that’s funny. We call female Giants “Giantesses.” So you’d be “Tess the Giantess!” Theo laughed, trying to ignore the trauma that plagued her brain.

“That is funny. Tess the Giantess. I like that…” Tess giggled, smiling at the notion.

“Well, I’m not a friend of yours, but I’d prefer to call you Theo. So I’m gonna do that. And, Theo, we need to keep moving, I’m gonna set up a campsite a little further down the road for the night, and that’ll take some time. The question is… where do I put you…” Tess pondered, looking at her person to find a location to store Theo.

“Ah, here. My breast pocket should be good enough…” she muttered as she lowered Theo towards her pocket. Theo stepped down, sliding into the crevice until she was able to peek out of it, laying back as she took in her new situation.

“How did I get into this mess…” she thought, as Tess let out a satisfied “hmph,” and began walking once more…

-

“Alright, this clearing seems suitable. Papo, stay here, I gotta get the camping supplies out of the cart…” Tess ordered as her mule stopped, grunting as it looked at her.

“Fine, have an apple…” she sighed, grabbing one out of the cart and chucking it to Papo, who caught it deftly with his mouth and began to chew.

Tess pulled the supplies from the cart, and began establishing a camp. Within a short span of time, she had a fire set up, and pulled a log over to it so she had somewhere to sit. She cleared a spot on the ground for her sleeping hide, laying it flat and spreading it out.

With a sigh, Tess sat on the log, resting her tired feet after a long day of continuous walking.

 “Heavens above… my feet are exhausted…” she groaned, settling them into the dirt as her boots creaked and groaned.

She ruffled her sweaty hair, trying to keep it out of her eyes as best she could. She was long overdue for a haircut, but considering she only knew how to do it with a sword, she wasn’t too fond of the idea.

“Ah… Theo…” she muttered, as she pulled her pocket open and looked at the Mini. She was sleeping, tucked deep in the pocket as her chest rose and fell. 

“Cute…” she giggled, enamored by the peculiar view of the tiny girl.

She tapped her feet into the ground, thinking about the arrangement she made with the Mini, wondering what uses she could find for her. 

“She would fetch a pretty coin…” she murmured, looking to Papo.

“Papo, what should I do? Should I sell this little thing and finally get us a night in the Inn?” she asked, a look of thought on her face.

Papo looked at Tess, stomping his feet into the ground and grunting angrily as he flicked his tail.

“Right… that would be a little cold, even for me… but we really need the money. If I eat another apple, I might turn into a tree…” she sighed, rubbing her hungry stomach.

Suddenly, the Mini in her pocket stirred awake, shuffling around until she poked her head back up.

“Um… hi…” Theo yawned, looking at her surroundings.

“Heya. Sleep well?” Tess asked, looking down at the Mini.

“Considering I almost died… and I'm probably the last living member of my bloodline… and now I’m a servant to a giantess… yeah… I slept pretty good…” Theo sighed, remembering the events of the day.

“I guess that’s something to be thankful for?” Tess offered.

“Guess so…” Theo replied awkwardly.

Tess kicked her feet against the log, enjoying the warmth of the fire as the night began. She looked around the clearing, watching as the trees rustled and listened as the animals chirped and called.

“Ow… cramp!” Tess yelled as her foot suddenly tightened, causing her to grimace in pain. She grabbed at her boot, riding out the throbbing sensation until it faded. 

“Wait…” she pondered, looking at her beaten boots.

“Hey Theo… I think I found a use for you!” she laughed, plucking the Mini out of her pocket.

“What? What are you talking about?” Theo asked, confused by Tess’s implication.

“Well, let me just show you…” Tess explained, lowering Theo to the floor, until the tiny girl, wrapped in her leafmade clothing, settled onto the ground, looking around with a confused expression as she wondered what exactly Tess was getting at.

She looked up at the giantess, noticing her tattered boots. They looked far past worn, barely held together by the faded leather, with worn down soles that did their best to separate Tess from the harsh ground.

“I’m confused, miss… what do you mean?” Theo asked, before Tess suddenly raised a boot.

“Wait! Don’t crush me, I’m sorry!” she pleaded, cowering to the ground.

“Crush you? Don’t be silly… and don’t call me miss… just call me Tess…” Tess laughed, pulling her boot up to her knee and pulling at the top. Within an instant, she jerked at the boot, causing it to fly off of her foot with a harsh pop, revealing a bare, rosy appendage to the open air. Tess dropped the boot onto the ground next to the long, sending a quake through the ground around Theo.

She repeated this act with her other boot, eventually freeing both feet, then lowering them to the ground in front of Theo.

“What are you… oh my god…” Theo gagged, getting hit with a sudden wave of harsh, boiling hot fetid air. The feet were covered in a light film of dirt, and covered in solid callouses from a life of walking sockless in boots.

“Ha, yeah… sorry, these are the only boots I’ve got, and they’re pretty old. And as far as washing… well, I haven’t been able to afford a bathhouse for a while, so things are probably pretty ripe down there…” Tess laughed, flexing her feet and enjoying the freedom from her footwear.

Theo coughed and coughed, hacking up a lung as every reactive breath brought in more of the cheesy, sour air emitting from the neglected appendages. She watched has they writhed, two monsters that Theo could never imagine she’d have to conquer.

“You ever given a massage?” Tess asked, looking down expectantly at Theo.

“I’ve never given one to someone of your size! I can’t even reach your toes!” Theo remarked, looking up at the bulbous digits as they hung above her. Just as she did so, a drop of liquid landed squarely on her face, and an invasion of salty tang dried out her mouth, making her cough even more.

“Well, I’m sure if you put your back into it you can knead out some of this soreness. If you want to earn your keep, this is how you’ll do it tonight. Go on!” Tess ordered, nudging her feet towards the tiny girl, kicking up waves of dust.

Theo gulped, trying to ignore the terrible taste of toe-sweat that filled her mouth. She made a deal, and her people kept their word. “Better than being eaten…” she mumbled, walking up to the imposing wall of wrinkled flesh. She touched a hand to the surface, taken aback by how steaming hot and slick it was, feeling her hand slip against the rough texture. The foot suddenly jerked back, making Theo jump.

“Sorry, ticklish. I’ll get used to it…” Tess giggled, trying to keep her foot still for Theo.

Theo sighed, then touched her hand to the foot once more. She pushed, and felt it sink into the flesh, eventually settling in and reaching what felt like muscle. She began to knead at it, using all of her strength to massage the foot, ignoring the awful stench that radiated from it. She took stifled breaths, each one a sharp tang of vinegar and cheese, mixed with the residual scent of old leather. 

“Even I never smelled this bad, and I lived in a forest!” Theo coughed, trying her hardest to make a dent in the foot.

Tess smiled, leaning back as she felt the tiny girl dig in to her meaty heel. “Maybe this is worth two platinum coins…” she sighed, as her personal masseuse worked at her foot.

-

As time passed, Theo worked more and more at the foot, eventually getting up as far as Tess's foot’s ball as her arms grew weaker and weaker.

“I can’t reach any higher!” Theo yelled, trying to jump and touch Tess’s toes. Tess had been slowly lowering her foot for Theo to reach, but at around two inches tall, Theo could only reach so high.

“Ah. Here… just do me a favor and get the stuff out between my toes… you don’t gotta rub em…” Tess asked, lowering her feet flat to the ground.

“The stuff between… no… I can’t…” Theo wretched, looking between Tess’s digits and seeing a pileup of blackened gunk that had accumulated between each and every one.

“C’mon. What, you thought I’d have you doing all the easy work? Get to cleaning my tiny little servant!” Tess ordered, pushing her foot towards Theo.

The little blonde shook in place, wondering what Gods she wronged to be in this position. “Happy thoughts, happy thoughts…” she muttered, as she stepped between the toes, and knelt down towards the gap. The smell was atrocious, and she gagged as she fought to hold her breath, grabbing a lump of the gunk and feeling it mold around her hands. “EW!” she yelled, feeling it slip between her fingers and coat her skin in a slimy film. With a heave, she threw it over her shoulder, launching the glob away from the foot. She repeated this process, digging out the crud until the webbing between Tess’s toes was eventually clean enough.

Theo shivered, as she didn’t even need Tess’s instructions to move to the next gap, repeating the process as her dignity rapidly dwindled. “I can’t believe this…” she thought to herself as her arms sunk deep into the gunk.

This continued, until eventually, the foot was finished.

“Good job Theo! Boy, you’re a hard worker. Now, the next foot!” Tess ordered with a bratty tone as she lowered her next foot towards Theo.

Theo whimpered, before getting right back to work…

-

Eventually, Theo finished her task, leaning back towards the ground and falling, splayed out in exhaustion and disgust.

“Well, you did good Theo. My feet haven’t felt this good in ages. You’ve earned yourself a break…” Tess sighed, leaning down to pick Theo up.

As she raised Theo to her face, she wrinkled her nose. “Oh my… you stink…” she cringed, holding Theo away from her face.

Theo simply rolled her eyes, sitting up and looking at Tess.

“Now what?” she asked, dreading any more work for her tiny tired body.

“Well, the night is growing dark, and I gotta get some shut-eye. It’s almost a day’s walk to the next place. Are you hungry, by chance?” Tess asked.

“Starving…” Theo responded, feeling her stomach pang with hunger.

Tess got up, and walked over to the cart. She grabbed something, holding it in her free hand as she walked back to the log.

“Here…” she sighed, as she broke it, a snap ringing out through the forest. She held it over Theo, dropping a rain of crumbs onto her.

“This is some of my ration, it should be plenty for someone of your size…” she explained. “Eat up, I can’t hold my hand like this for too much longer…”

Theo didn’t think twice, and quickly munched down the food, taking ravenous bites until it was all gone. She felt her stomach fill to the brim, and leaned back against the hand, letting out a tiny burp.

“Excuse you.” Tess laughed. “Now, I gotta put you somewhere safe, somewhere you won’t be messed with that’s warm…” Tess thought. “Not my pocket, you’ll get crushed if I roll over…”

“I know! Gods, I'm full of ideas today!” she cheered, as she reached down beside the log.

“What are you… no! Anything but there!” Theo pleaded, watching as Tess grabbed one of her boots.

“Sorry, but it’s perfect. Too tall for most things to reach, warm as hell, and no way for you to escape and break our deal…” Tess grinned, looking at Theo with a glint of mischief in her eyes. “You’re probably gonna want to get used to that smell…”

Theo whimpered, feeling the heat radiate from the boot, the fire not holding a candle to it’s intense blaze. “I should’ve let the rat eat me…” she grumbled, as Tess held her over the boot.

“Ready?” Tess asked, looking at Theo for approval.

Theo looked at her with an uncaring expression.

“Good enough for me!” Tess laughed, dropping Theo into the footwear as she rolled down the ramp of the shoe’s back wall, eventually landing on the beaten insole with a sickening squelch. Theo’s lungs had the air forced out of them with the impact, and as her body attempted to replace the air, a dry heave escaped her mouth, the acrid sting of the vile environment causing her eyes to burn and her nose to lose feeling.

“Is this… hell?!” she coughed, struggling to survive as the air was so damp with sweat she could taste it. Her leafen clothing absorbed the liquid, quickly growing waterlogged and heavy as she struggled to reach her feet. Just as she gained stability, the boot began to rock, as Tess carried it while she walked.

“Here, gonna leave it next to me… scream if you need anything… ugh, they do smell…” Tess cringed as she pinched her nose, settling the boot next to the head of her sleeping hide as she wormed her way into it.

“Goodnight Papo…” she called out, getting a grunt from the pack-mule as it replied, beginning to sleep standing up.

“Goodnight Theo…” she continued, looking towards the shoe.

“Goodnight….” Theo begrudgingly responded, her voice barely audible from within the leather enclosure.

Tess smiled, thinking about how lucky she was to have found a Mini. “Roderick will love to hear about this…” she thought, her mentor always in her mind. As she let her mind drift off to thoughts of future sales and bartering ideas, she grew more and more tired, eventually falling into a soft slumber…

-

Theo laid on her back, trying to ignore the fact that a sheen of sweat coated the insole that she was on, wishing to every God and Goddess she knew of that she could go nose blind and be rid of the horrific stench of the merchant’s footwear.

She thought of her village, wondering if anyone made it out alive. She pondered what they would think if they found out she found a Giantess, let alone that she was now traveling with her. It was rare for anyone to even leave the vicinity of the village, and unheard of for them to make it to a Giants city. She longed to return, but knew in her heart that even if they survived, by the time she made it back, she’d be a completely different person.

Theo looked around the boot, realizing that where she was, the heel, was too exposed to the moonlight to comfortably sleep. “Curse this fetid footwear…” she groaned, as she realized she’d have to move to the enclosed toe area to get any real sleep, seeing the burned imprints of Tess’s toes blackened against the brown insole.

“Two platinum coins, huh? I guess that’s a lot of foot massages…” she scoffed, settling her head into one of the sickly toe indents. “One day… one day I’ll be free…” she continued, closing her eyes. 

“I guess it could be worse…” she sighed, as she began to drift off to sleep…

-

“Oh Gods, I slept for too long!” Tess yawned, looking up at the sun and noticing it was square in the middle of the sky. 

“Papo, get ready to go!” she yelled, waking up her still-standing mule as she hopped to her feet. She quickly packed up her sleeping hide, tossing it into the cart as she kicked dirt over the fire, putting it out. She looked around, making sure nothing else was left behind.

“Oh, silly me… my boots!” she laughed, grabbing a hold of her footwear and picking it up, walking over to the log. She sat down and brushed the accumulated dirt off of her feet, grimacing as she noticed that they were covered in a layer of black and brown, no matter how much she wiped.

“Whatever…” she grumbled, as she quickly slid her foot into the boot, the worn material easily giving way to the barreling foot as it settled into the shoe. She stomped it down, feeling it fit securely, and repeated the steps with her other shoe, eventually having both boots on as she writhed her feet inside, making sure the fit was secure.

“Guess I’m good…” she sighed, as she began to lead Papo down the road. “Got a long walk ahead of us…” she exhaled, her boots hitting the ground with each heavy step…

-

Theo woke with a start, as her environment suddenly shifted, causing her to roll around within the boot.

“What’s going on!” she shouted, as she tried to gain stability. Eventually the boot dropped harshly to the ground, causing her to bounce up and fall to the squishy insole.

“Tess!” she shouted, as she looked up to the opening to call out to the giantess. As she held a hand over her eyes to cover it from the high-noon sun, an eclipse began to block it out. 

“Oh Gods…” Theo gasped, as a giant foot appeared over the boot. Before she could even begin to run, it rapidly lowered over her, pinning her between the toes as she was carried to the toe-section of the boot.

The foot settled in, and tapped to the ground to ensure a snug fit, causing Theo to have the wind knocked out of her and forcing another exhale against the dirty foot.

“Tess!” she shouted, stuck fast between the toes.

There was no response, and within moments, the shoe began to lift, causing Theo’s stomach to roll. It then lowered fast, crashing to the ground and shaking her brain with the impact.

This cycle repeated, each time causing more and more disorientation for the Mini. “Tess!” she yelled. “Please!” she continued, struggling to speak between stomps as she grew dizzy. “Stop!” she finalized, feeling her stomach get queasy. She knew she wouldn’t last long if this kept up,

“Think!” Theo thought, trying to come up with some way to get Tess to realize she was in there.

An idea crossed her mind, but she didn’t like it. She'd tasted enough foot for a lifetime. She yelled, opening her mouth and exposing her teeth, lunging towards the thick flesh…

-

Tess continued to walk along the beaten-path, humming a tune as she watched the trees go by and the birds fly. As she continued to pace along, she had a nagging thought, as if there was something she was forgetting.

“Did I forget something, Papo?” she asked, looking at the mule. He simply motioned to the ground, confusing her.

“No, I got everything off the ground…” she replied. “Maybe I didn’t put out the fire all the way or something?” she muttered, trying to wrack her brain.

Papo kept nodding his head towards her feet.

“I don’t know what you’re saying Papo…” she said with a confused expression, normally able to read her mule just fine.

“OUCH!” Tess yelled, feeling a sharp sting within her boot. She jumped in the air, falling on her rear as she landed with a thud on the dirt ground.

Papo hee-hawed, walking over to Tess and pointing at her boot with his nose.

“What is… THEO!” she shouted, quickly reaching down to her boot and pulling it off…

-

Theo gasped, finally exposed to the open air. If only she wasn’t stuck to Tess’s foot.

“Tess!” she shouted, trying to get the girl's attention.

Suddenly, a pair of fingers grabbed her from the flesh, pulling her into Tess’s open palm.

“I am so sorry Theo! I woke up late and was in a rush…” Tess apologized profusely, looking at the beaten Mini.

“Never… never do that again…” Theo panted, trying to catch her breath as she laid flat.

“I’ll try and be more aware next time…” Tess laughed with an embarrassed scratch of her head. She looked towards Papo, who simply grunted, distancing himself from the rotten removed footwear.

“That’s at least a platinum coin of service…” Theo replied, a tired smile creeping on her face as she continued to catch her breath.

“Let’s agree on a gold coin. Only one-hundred and ninety-nine more of those to go…” Tess laughed, as she stared at the tiny blonde.

“I’m never gonna be free, am I…” Theo groaned.

“I could always sell ya!” Tess offered.

“Not a chance.” Theo grumbled, as she rose to her feet within Tess’s palm.

“So where to next?” she asked, looking up at the smiling redhead.

“The capital city of Bisila.” Tess answered, shoving her foot back into her boot and making sure it was secure.

“Better get going then. Put me in your pocket before I bite you again, I need a break…” Theo ordered.

“Excuse me, missy. It’s me who orders you around!” Tess laughed, shaking her head as she lowered Theo into her pocket. Theo settled inside with a sigh, feeling her body ache from the earlier incident.

“God, I sound like Roderick…” Tess laughed, as she motioned to Papo to follow her.

“A Mini of my own?” she began. “I guess that’s not a bad trade…” she sighed, continuing the trek to Bisila as the sun beat down upon her…