Chapter 3

Mina squirmed helplessly in the grasp of giant fingers. The pads of those meaty digits were pinched tightly around her waist, leaving her legs to dangle loosely in the air. Filling most of the horizon were the lovely features and cascading red hair of her captor. Pretty, green eyes larger than Mina’s head stared straight at her. A mouth that could consume her in one bite was hanging agape in shock.

In her peripheral vision, Mina saw several other large faces crowding closer. Her eyes darted back and forth nervously, spying a raven-haired brunette and a blonde with curly locks so pale, they were almost white. Both were dressed in silk, lace, and sequins and were as wide-eyed as the redhead.

“Wh-what is it?” asked the dark-haired giantess. “Some kind of doll?”

“Don’t be an idiot, Opal,” said the blonde. “Look how it’s moving. It’s clearly alive.”

“Is it a bug?”

“It’s wearing a dress!”

“But Diamonda, what else could it be?” Opal rasped in awe. “Is it…a fairy or a pixie or something?”

“You’re such a child,” Diamonda scoffed. “There’s no such thing.”

“Well, whaddaya call this then?!” demanded Opal, pointing a column-like finger at Mina. The long-nailed fingertip stopped a mere few inches from her face. Mina shrank backward in fright.

“Aww, I scared it!” Opal cooed. “Sorry, little tiny lady!”

“It has to be some kind of freak of nature,” Diamonda reasoned. “Probably escaped from a circus. Careful, Sapphire, it might be diseased!”

The redhead, Sapphire, hadn’t spoken since Mina’s discovery. At last, she brought the miniature girl closer, never breaking her intense stare.

“What are you?” she whispered in awe.

Mina swallowed hard and returned the giant woman’s gaze. “I... I’m Wilhelmina,” she said dumbly.

“Holy tap-dancin’ Jesus!” Opal gasped. “It talks!”

“Yes, I talk,” said Mina. “I’m a person, really I am!”

“Why are you so small?” Sapphire asked, her wide brows knitting in confusion.

“I was born this way.”

“Told ya it was a freak,” said Diamonda.

“Hush,” Sapphire hissed. “Let her speak.” Gently, she lifted her other hand palm upward and set the thumb-sized maiden inside it. Mina sat down and hugged her knees tightly, trying not to tremble.

“It’s okay, sweet pea,” the redhead said. She rubbed a huge finger softly down Mina’s back. “We ain’t gonna hurt ya. Now, how’d ya get like this?”

Mina took a deep breath and looked up at the ginger giantess. “I… Look, this is going to sound crazy but I was born inside a flower that grew from a magic barley seed.”

“Bullshit,” said Diamonda. “I’ll bet you don’t want us to take you back to whatever freak show you ran away from.”

“Di, I swear I’m gonna sock ya one!” Sapphire snarled through her teeth. She composed herself and returned her attention to Mina. “I’ve never heard of a magic seed before but let’s say I believe ya. That still don’t explain why you was crawlin’ around on my naughty bits.”

Nearby, Opal tried and failed to suppress a snorting laugh.

“Oh my gosh, I am really sorry about that! Everything happened so fast!” Mina said. Her tiny chirpy voice started talking a mile a minute. “I was trying to hide and I ended up in your stocking but then you scooped me up and I fell and, good golly, your bosoms are enormous and I thought I was going to die in there but then—”

“Hey, hey, relax,” Sapphire called out. She continued to stroke the diminutive girl’s back until Mina gradually calmed down. “I ain’t mad. I just don’t expect to find tiny people between my tits. Nobody else is down there, are they?”

She tugged at the neckline of her corset and peered inside. “Hello in there! Anybody home? If you’re building a summer house, we have to negotiate the rent first.”

Mina giggled. “Nope, it’s just me.”

“That’s a relief,” said Sapphire. “Ya wouldn’t wanna live there anyway.” She cupped one of her substantial breasts with her free hand and jiggled it. “Too many earthquakes.”

A shadow fell over Mina and she looked up to see Opal’s gigantic face descending towards her. The brunette leaned in closer to Sapphire’s hand until her nose bumped into the tiny girl’s stomach. Mina squeaked and fell over backwards.

“I still can’t believe that you’re real!” Opal cried. The miniature woman covered her ears in sudden pain, prompting Opal to drop her voice to a whisper. “Oops. Sorry. But seriously, have ya been livin’ in the walls all this time, doin’ us mischief? When the milk goes sour or I can’t find my earrings or Diamonda stubs her toe, is that your doin’?”

“For God’s sake, Opal,” Diamonda shouted. “It’s not a damn fairy!”

“She’s not an ‘it’ either. Show some respect,” said Sapphire. Diamonda simply rolled her eyes. “And Opal, step back a bit. You’re frightenin’ the poor gal.”

Sapphire extended a finger which Mina grabbed hold of to pull herself back up. 

“Thanks,” the miniature maid said. “No, I wasn’t living in the walls. Actually, I sort of came here for, um…a job? I’d like to be a dancer.”

The ladies stared at her for a moment. All at once, Diamonda and Opal burst into riotous laughter. Even Sapphire arched her eyebrows in surprise.

“Then you’ll want to talk to me,” a dulcet voice called. Mina spun around and peered over the side of the giant fingers. Standing in the doorway was a tall, older woman with hair the color of spun gold. Her tresses were tied up beneath a stylish black hat tilted at a playful angle. The woman wore a long, elegant golden dress with a plunging neckline. The ample bust within gave even Sapphire a run for her money. Mina blinked in astonishment for the bodice, sleeves, and waistline of the dress were dotted with sparkling gemstones.

Several other dancers were crowding behind the woman, trying to peer into the dressing room. But the elder lady wouldn’t allow them to pass.

“Miss Goldie,” said Sapphire, nodding her head. “How long was ya standin’ there?”

“Long enough to see an opportunity,” said Goldie Sweetwater, the dance hall’s proprietor. She glided into the room and reached out a gloved hand, palm upward. “Give her here, Saph.”

Sapphire cupped a hand over Mina and drew her closer to her chest. “Ya ain’t gonna hurt her, are ya?”

“On the contrary,” Goldie declared. “I think we can find this little lady a position here.”

Diamonda and Opal looked at each other bewildered. Still a bit uncertain, Sapphire scooped Mina up gently and deposited her in Goldie’s hand.

The new giant woman peered down at Mina slyly with half-lidded eyes, watching her like an empress on high. “What’s your name, my wee nugget?”

“M-Mina. Well, Wilhelmina Smallwood actually, ma’am,” the tiny girl said. She curtsied sweetly, trying not to slip and fall on the black satin glove.

“Smallwood,” Goldie repeated with a smirk. “How simply adorable. I understand you want to be a dancer?”

“Oh yes, ma’am! I love to dance. I dance for my Mama all the time.”

“Indeed?” said Goldie. “Is your mama a precious little nugget like yourself?”

“Oh no, ma’am! She’s big. Like you. Uh, not that I’m calling you BIG, exactly. Not in a bad way. Everyone’s big compared to me, you see, and—”

“You realize of course that if you danced on my stage, the audience would have trouble seeing you,” Goldie continued. “And you’d risk being stepped on by one of my girls.”

“I thought about that,” Mina said. “I was thinking I could dance on the tabletops. Give the customers an intimate show, up close and personal-like, you know?”

“I do,” Goldie agreed. “I had much the same thought. And I daresay that people would come from miles around to see the smallest dancer in the West. Nay, the smallest dancer in the world! You could be famous, Mina. You’d put Goldie’s Mine on the map.”

“You really think so?”

“Certainly. Of course, you’ll have to audition first. I need to be sure the world’s smallest dancer has some talent. Why don’t you show me what you can do? Go on, my lovely.”

Mina blinked up at her. “N-now? Right here? In your, um, hand?”

“Why not?” asked Goldie. “Think of it as a private stage. Mind the edge though, dear. I wouldn’t want you to fall. Go on, Mina. I’ll sing you a ditty. ‘Buffalo gals, won’t you come out tonight, won’t you come out tonight’…”

As the song began, Mina frantically tried to remember one of her routines. She grabbed the hem of her dress and kicked her legs up. Waving her hands and swaying her tiny hips, she danced up and down the length of Goldie’s palm. It was hard to keep her footing on the smooth satin but she did her best. While she did so, the other giantesses crowded closer, watching curiously. 

For her big finish, Mina dropped down to her knees and slid forward with her hands up in the air. But she had stopped a bit too close to the base of Goldie’s palm. The satin shifted beneath her and she slipped right over the edge of the woman’s wrist. With a high-pitched shriek, Mina slid down the length of a giant arm, finally coming to rest in the crook of Goldie’s elbow. She hugged the soft skin tightly, trying not to fall off.

“Wonderful! Simply marvelous!” the older woman exclaimed. She reached down and plucked the girl off her perch, returning her to her gloved hand.

“Thank you,” Mina said. “The ending was a little rough but—”

“Not at all! It was quite amusing. Imagine using someone’s entire person as your dance floor! Such possibilities…”

Mina wasn’t certain what to make of this idea. She looked up at Goldie skeptically but the woman’s enthusiasm seemed genuine.

“You’re hired, my little gem. Shall we shake on it?” Goldie offered a dainty pinky which Mina took with both hands and shook vigorously.

“Oh, thank you, Miss Goldie!” Mina exclaimed. “You don’t know what this means to me!”

“Sapphire,” said Goldie, turning to the dancers. “You seem to have taken a shine to the nugget. Can she stay with you in your quarters?”

“Fine by me,” the redhead answered. “She don’t take up much room and I wouldn’t mind the company.” Goldie walked over and tipped Mina carefully into Sapphire’s hand.

“Opal, you’re good with a needle,” Goldie stated. “Think you can make Miss Mina a costume? There should be some leftover material in the storeroom.”

“I’ll give it a try, ma’am.”

“You can’t be serious!” Diamonda protested. “This is a joke, right? You’re not really going to hire that—that speck?!”

“Why, Diamonda,” chuckled Sapphire. “Are ya jealous? Afraid she’ll steal your limelight?”

“Not damn likely,” the blonde dancer said.

“I’ve made my decision,” Goldie announced. “Miss Mina is one of us now. Anyone who thinks otherwise must take it up with me. Or find employment elsewhere. Is that clear?”

Diamonda scowled. “Yes, Miss Goldie.”

Goldie leaned close to Sapphire’s ear. “Take good care of her,” she commanded in a low whisper. “This little wonder could make us all very rich.”

Sapphire nodded then turned her attention to the tiny figure in her palm.

“C’mon, sweet pea,” she said. “Let’s go get ya settled in. Unless ya’d rather live in here of course.” She held her hand above her cavernous cleavage and began to tilt it slowly. Mina squeaked in alarm and clung to her fingers, dangling above the daunting valley.

Sapphire righted her hand again. “I’m just teasin’ ya!”

“Wait! We can’t leave yet!” Mina cried. “I have to get Swiftpaws!”

Sapphire cocked her head to the side curiously. “And who’s he when he’s at home?”

“Swiftpaws is my mouse. I rode him into town this morning.”

The redhead giggled at the thought. “Of course ya did. Well, we can’t leave poor Swiftpaws behind, can we?”

At Mina’s instruction, Sapphire crouched before a knothole in the floor and lowered the teensy girl into it. The dancer got down on hands and knees and leaned over the opening, trying to watch Mina’s progress. Her generous backside wiggled in the air as she pressed her face close to the floorboards.

As this rather comical scene played out, Diamonda’s icy blue eyes shot daggers their way.

To be continued...