Rachel had already found a nice, comfortable spot on the couch again by the time her mother stomped back downstairs from her shower. Her yoga top and pants have been replaced with a loose-fitting, white, V-neck T-shirt and khaki shorts, an outfit not all that dissimilar from what Rachel was wearing.
“Hey hon,” Janet said, “did you get the clothes put in the dryer?”
“Yeah, I took care of it,” Rachel sighed, repositioning herself on the couch.
“Great, thanks. I’m gonna go ahead and head next-door to talk to Shannon, OK? I’ll see what’s going on and try to clear everything up.”
“OK,” Rachel nodded anxiously, “thanks Mom.”
“No problem, hun,” Janet replied, lightly patting her daughter’s upper arm, “just relax for a bit, and don’t worry: I’m sure everything’s fine.”
“Yeah,” Rachel uttered uneasily.
Janet walked through the kitchen to the back door, and slipped on a pair of flip-flops she kept there for a quick trips outside. In no time at all, she was out the door and through the rear gate, heading across the lawn to the Martin home.
——————————————————————————————————————————
Shannon lay fast asleep on the couch in the Martin’s living room. After having awoken so early, and expending so much energy searching for Chris that morning, she’d unintentionally passed out as she relaxed in front of the TV, contemplating her next move. So far, she’d already scoured the entire 2nd floor, literally combed through the carpets, looking for any sign of the shrunken boy, but she’d yet to find any sign of him. At one point, she became so frustrated that she’d actually contemplated running the vacuum throughout the entire home, from top to bottom, and sifting through the refuse for his tiny body; she ultimately decided against it, though, as it was unlikely that Chris would actually survive being sucked up. She wasn’t trying to intentionally kill him, of course. Then again, there was no guarantee that he’d be able to survive on his own for the next couple of days without her help, so it was basically a no-win scenario.
Shannon was tired, frustrated, worried, and anxious, a plethora of emotions all swirled into one.
“Alright, Chris, fine! Have it your way!” she proclaimed, throwing up her hands in defeat, “If you don’t wanna come out, you’re gonna have to make it on your own! We’ll just see how long you survive without me taking care of you! And good luck trying to contact me when you DO give up; I can barely notice you as is. Oh, and you better watch yourself, because I’m not going to tread lightly and watch my every step. So be careful, or I might accidentally squash you!”
With those words, Shannon stomped downstairs to the kitchen to whip up some brunch, having not eaten all morning due to her search. She knew she needed to find Chris, but at the same time, she wasn’t going to expend any more energy looking for someone who was so small, he could easily be overlooked, especially if he was actively avoiding detection. It was his own fault for escaping anyway. Besides, it wasn’t like Chris could hide forever: the potion would eventually start wearing off, and sooner or later, Shannon would find him.
After she’d finished eating, Shannon made her way to the couch in the living room, figuring she’d watch some TV, while still keeping an eye out on the floor, just in case a tiny Chris was trying to get her attention; if the tiny boy knew what was good for him, however, he’d probably be better off staying away: there wasn’t much guarantee that she wouldn’t just squish him for being so disobedient.
Shannon reclined on the couch, resting her head on one of the pillows. Eventually, her eyes gently closed, and she drifted off to sleep...
Shannon was startled awake a loud rapping at the back door. When she realized what was going on, her surprise turned anger and frustration.
“Ugh!” she exclaimed perturbedly, “I swear if that’s Rachel again...”
Shannon practically stomped to the back door and peered out through the curtains, fully prepared to tell Rachel off again...
Her eyes suddenly grew wide; she was slightly taken aback. It wasn’t Rachel at all: it was Janet Carson, Rachel’s mother.
“Great,” Shannon sighed, gritting her teeth, “what did the little brat do, tell her mommy on me?!”
She composed herself, and slowly opened the door.
“Yes?” Shannon asked.
“Hi, Shannon. I’m Janet Carson from next door, Rachel’s mom.”
“Yeah, I remember you,” Shannon replied slyly, “what can I do for ya?”
“Well, I’m sorry to have to bother you, especially when you’re taking care of a sick kid and all, but I wanted to address the little exchange you and Rachel had earlier.”
“Ah, well, don’t worry about that,” Shannon piffed, “I was just a little bit irritated earlier. As you can probably imagine, it’s been kind of a hectic week.”
“I completely understand,” Janet sympathized, “Rachel was just upset over the whole misunderstanding, and I just wanted to come over try to patch things up, if I could.”
“It’s quite alright,” Shannon said, trying to be deceptive, “no apologies necessary. To be honest, it’s just been an especially frustrating morning.”
“Chris still not feeling any better?”
“Unfortunately, no. He’s....still pretty helpless.”
“Well, if I may ask, how long has he been sick?”
“Oh, he came down with it over the weekend.”
“And he hasn’t gotten any better yet?”
“Well, somewhat. I just wanna make sure he’s completely over it before he has any visitors.”
“Well, what does he have, exactly?” Janet asked, obviously concerned.
“Oh, it’s just a little something. You know, nothing serious.”
“Well, with all do respect, Shannon, if he’s been sick since the weekend, it certainly IS serious.”
“Oh, it’s nothing to worry about, really. He just needs to take it easy and let his body recover.”
“Well, yes. I agree,” Janet said, “but if he hasn’t gotten any better yet, maybe you should have him checked out.”
“Well, actually, he was feeling a little better yesterday,” Shannon said, attempting to reassure the woman, “but then he had a little relapse, so I insisted on him staying sequestered until he’s completely back to normal.”
“Uh, wait a minute, Shannon,” Janet interrupted, now extremely concerned, “if he’s taken a turn for the worse, that could definitely be a sign of something serious. I think you may need to take him to the doctor right away, or at least one of the medical clinics around here.”
“Trust me, that won’t be necessary. He’ll be fine; he just needs to sleep it off, that’s all.”
“Look, if you’re feeling stressed, maybe I could take him to the one of the clinics in town for you. It’s no trouble. That way you could have some free time for yourself.”
“Oh, that’s very kind of you,” Shannon replied nervously, “but it’s really not necessary.”
“It’s no problem, really. I could take him off your hands for a little while. I’m happy to do it.”
“Look, I appreciate the offer, really I do, but now’s not really a good time.”
“Well, what’s going on?” Janet inquired, confused yet suspicious of Shannon’s behavior.
“Like I said, it’s been kind of a hectic morning,” Shannon replied quickly.
“Yes, I-I know. You said that,” Janet replied, “I meant, what exactly is going on?”
“I....just have a lot of important things to take care of, that’s all.”
“Well, if you need some help, I can certainly give you a hand,” Janet offered.
“That really isn’t necessary. I can take care of things just fine.”
“Okay,” Janet replied, completely baffled, “but before I go, could I at least check in on Chris and see how he’s doing, so I can give Rachel an update.”
“I really don’t think that’s a good idea,” Shannon objected, assuming a defensive posture, “I really don’t want anyone else catching what he has.”
“I promise it won’t take long. I’ll only be a second.” Janet ascended the steps, as if fully expecting to enter the house. Shannon immediately blocked the woman’s path, her entire body assuming a defensive posture.
“Please, I would really prefer it if you didn’t. Things are kind of a mess, a-and Chris really needs his rest. I promise, I will give you an update when I can, but now is not a good time, OK?”
“Alright, calm down,” Janet said apologetically, “I don’t want to intrude. Like I said, Rachel and I are just a bit worried about him, that’s all. So, could you just let me know when it’s a good time to come back and check on him?”
“That I can do, if he’s feeling better later. I’ve got your number in here somewhere. I’ll give you a call.”
“OK, well, I’ll let you get back to it then,” Janet said, stepping away from the house. “Sorry to have bothered you.”
“OK,” Shannon said, relieved the conversation was ending. “Bye.”
“Bye,” Janet said, still dumbfounded over the exchange.
Shannon closed the door and disappeared into the house, while Janet turned and headed back across the lawn towards her own home.
Several alarm bells were going off inside Janet’s head. At first, she was fully expecting to be able to check in on Chris, at least for a moment, but the way that Shannon was acting made her very uncomfortable. She began to juggle numerous unsettling thoughts, each one only increasing her concern, especially after remembering Rachel’s vivid descriptions of how Shannon acted when it came to Chris.
Could Shannon be keeping him prisoner? Or worse, could she be....molesting him?!
Janet shook off the unpleasant thoughts. She didn’t want to assume the worst, but something definitely didn’t feel right about the whole situation. Bound and determined to get to the bottom of things, Janet quickened her pace back to her house; she had a phone call to make.
——————————————————————————————————————————
From the window of the kitchen, a curious Rachel had been spying on her mother and Shannon as they conversed. It was hard to make out exactly what was being said, however, confrontation, even after muting the TV in the other room. From the looks of things, it seemed that both her mother and Shannon were becoming increasingly agitated. Shannon was definitely up to something, Rachel was sure of it, but it appeared that her mother just wasn’t being forceful enough to uncover it.
Suddenly, Mrs. Carson starting moving back across the lawn. Rachel quickly retreated from window and zipped back into the living room, practically leap-frogging over the arm of the couch onto the cushions, hoping to create the illusion she’d never moved.
She listened as the back door opened and closed; a pair flip-flops slapped across the kitchen floor. Rachel’s anxiety had never been higher as her mother strolled into the living room.
“Hey, mom,” Rachel said, trying to play it cool, “did you talk to Shannon? Clear everything up?”
“Uh, yeah,” Janet lied hesitantly, not wanting to alarm her daughter with unfounded suspicions, “we had a....an enlightening conversation.”
“Did you check on Chris?” Rachel pushed. “Is he OK?”
“We talked about it. Listen, hun, I need to go upstairs for second. I’ll be right back down, OK?”
“I-Is everything all right?” Rachel asked, growing concerned.
“Oh yeah, Rach, everything‘s fine,” Janet replied, turned towards he stairs, “I just need to take care of something real quick.”
“Mom, what’s going on? Is it Chris? Did something happen?”
“No, hunny, nothing’s happened,” Janet replied, trying to calm her daughter. “I just need to take care of something, that’s all. I’ll be right back down, and then we can talk. OK?”
“OK,” Rachel nodded, slumping back down on the sofa.
“Now, just relax,” Janet urged. “Everything’s fine.”
Mrs. Carson attention slowly stomped up the stairs to her bedroom.
Halfway up, she muttered under her breath:
“...I hope.”
——————————————————————————————————————————
Among the many benefits of taking a cruise are the ability to disconnect from your every day life and release one’s inhibitions. It isn’t even uncommon for someone to become so lost in all the activities and distractions that they even forget what day of the week it is. The opportunity cost, however, especially for those traveling into international waters, is that cell phone coverage is spotty at best, and even when one can make a call, the rates can be expense, so you’d only really want to make a call if there was an emergency.
Sheila Martin had returned to her state room to refresh herself before rejoining her husband by the pool on the main deck of the ship. Despite the fact that she’d left it off for the majority of their cruise, except when she’d called home the other day, she’d decided to turn her phone on for a moment to catch up on a couple of games and check her messages.
She was surprised to find two of them. Initially, Sheila figured it was probably Chris and/or Shannon returning her call, but the phone records indicated the calls were from two different numbers, neither of them Shannon nor the home phone: they were from Sue Ann Watkins and Janet Carson. Confused, Sheila pressed play and listened to the first one....her demeanor suddenly shifted from mild curiosity to moderate concern. She hastily listened to the second message; this one only grew her concern exponentially.
What the heck was going on at home?
Sheila checked her cell coverage: two bars. It would have to do, though it was still going to be expensive. She hastily began dialing; she had two phone calls to return, and though she didn’t know it at the time, a third one to make.
——————————————————————————————————————————
A few hours had passed since her encounter with Janet Carson; Shannon, having finally shaken her anxiety, had just gotten back to her lazy afternoon watching soap operas and snacking, occasionally checking the floor for any sign of Chris, should he have decided to come out from hiding. Several times, took quick trips through the kitchen, eyeing the counter tops for his shrunken form, just in case; even while she sat on the couch, she’d occasionally check her toes just to make sure Chris wasn’t trapped in between them. At the time, however, she still hadn’t found him.
She was still quite anxious about losing him, but kept reassuring herself there was no way he could’ve gone far. He must have been hiding, and he’d turn up eventually. Why should she sweat? Chris was the one who was tiny, and who’d have to watch out for her giant feet, lest he get squished.
Suddenly, Shannon’s phone began to vibrate; she casually checked the caller ID: it was Sheila Martin. Shannon cringed: of all the times for Chris’s mom to call, why did it have to be now? Shannon composed herself and answered the phone:
“Hello?”
“Shannon? It’s Sheila.”
“Yeah, what’s up? How’s the cruise?”
“Well, the cruise is going fine, but apparently there’s a situation we need to discuss.”
“Oh,” Shannon replied anxiously, “what is it?”
“It’s about Chris being sick.”
“Yeah, I know. It’s been kinda rough, but I’m making sure that he gets plenty of rest.”
“Shannon, exactly how long has he been sick?”
“Oh, not long,” Shannon replied. “Couple of days.”
“Well, the reason I ask is that I received several messages from family friends, and they’re saying that not only have you been giving conflicting information about his condition, but you also haven’t let anyone see him.”
“Ah, well, he started coming down with it over the weekend, and I didn’t want anyone else to catch it, so I’ve kept him somewhat sequestered, but don’t worry, I’ve been taking good care of him.”
“Well, Shannon that may be, but if Chris has been so sick that no one‘s been able to see him for several days, I think you need to take him to the doctor.”
“Oh, Sheila, it’s really not that serious. I’m sure he’ll get over it soon.”
“Well, what exactly does he have?”
“Oh, you know, there are lots of things going around. It’s probably just a little bug. Nothing to worry about.”
“Well, I’d like to talk to him if you don’t mind.”
“Um, well, he’s a little indisposed at the moment.”
“What do you mean he’s ‘indisposed’?!” Sheila snapped impatiently.
“Well, he-he’s just not really able to talk right now.”
“Shannon, I don’t know what’s going on, but I want to talk to my son, and if he really isn’t well enough to talk, you need to take him to the doctor, or at least one of the clinics in town.”
Shannon cringed harder. Obviously, she couldn’t take Chris anywhere in his state, not to mention she didn’t know where he was at the moment.
“All right,” Shannon replied, eyes shut, completely amiss of what she was going to do. “I’ll take care of it.”
“Good,” Sheila stated, “and message me when you know something.”
“I’ll....keep you informed, I promise.”
“Shannon, I’m going to be honest with you, I’m not happy about having to hear all this from other people. This is serious. We’re trusting you to take care of our son.”
“I assure you, I’m taking care of him,” Shannon offered, “I really do have his best interests at heart.”
“Well, this doesn’t bode well. I think when we get back on Saturday we’re gonna have a long talk about where we go from here. Because if I can’t trust you to take care of my son, then I don’t know if we’re going to be needing your services in the future.”
Shannon‘s heart nearly sank at Sheila’s words. Everything was starting to fall apart.
“I’m....so sorry to have worried you. I promise, I will take care of it, OK?”
“All right, keep me informed,” Sheila said.
“Understood,” Shannon said, eager to get off the phone.
“OK, I’ll let you go,” Sheila said.
“Alright, bye.”
“Bye.”
Shannon slowly and deliberately pressed the “end call” button.
“Shit!” she exclaimed, angrily setting her phone facedown. “Now what? At this rate, they’ll never let me babysit him again!”
Such was a sacrifice Shannon wasn’t willing to make. Now that she’d finally gotten Chris to fall for her, she wasn’t going to give him up so easily. Things were falling apart, and Shannon made a desperate decision: she had to find a way to keep him....forever.
This calls for some drastic measures, Shannon thought. Her plans had to change, but how far was she willing to go? She then started wondering how much money she had access to. Wondering if....if she had enough to disappear.
A wry grin slinked across Shannon’s face. She began licking her lips, like a hungry predator about to devour its prey. She had a pretty good idea, and if it worked, Chris WOULD be her’s forever.
“First things first,” Shannon said to herself, “I’m gonna need more shrinking potion.”
Shannon quickly retrieved her phone and scoured through her contact list. Once she found the right number, she assumed a tantalizing posture and pressed “call”.
The phone on the other end buzzed once....twice....*click*
“Hello?” a male voice answered.
“Ray? Sweetie, it’s Shannon.”
“Shannon?!”
There was a pause on the other end.
“Hang on one second,” the man said, “let me get to my office.”
The was another long pause, then the sound of a door closing.
“Alright, I can talk now. So, what’s up girl?”
“Well,” Shannon said playfully, “ I need you.”
“Hm, you need me, huh?” he replied, squirming in his office chair. “What exactly is it you need me for?”
“Oh, nothing much. Just some more of your...” Shannon lowered her voice, “special blend.”
The voice on the other end suddenly got very serious.
“Shannon, I told you that was a one time thing,” he replied in a hushed yet firm tone. “I can’t get you anymore!”
“Come on, Ray,” Shannon pouted, “after all I’ve done for you.”
“After all you’ve done?! What you’ve done is put me in some really hot water. I told you about that stuff in confidence. I took a huge risk just getting you the first dose, and now you’re telling me you want MORE?!”
“Come on, Ray, please? I really need this.”
“Shan, the only reason I gave it to you the first time was to help get rid of that jerk ex-boyfriend of yours.”
“...And so we could be together,” Shannon reminded him.
“Yeah, so what do you need more for?”
“That’s for me to know, and for you to find out.”
“Not good enough, Shannon. I can’t hide this anymore. They’re already asking questions about the missing ingredients, and it won’t be long before they trace it back to me.”
“Well, you should have covered your tracks better, and you might want to learn quick, because I’m gonna need a larger supply.”
“Shannon, did you even hear a word I said?!” Ray snapped, “I can’t get you any more!”
“And I said, I needed you,” Shannon rebuked. “You don’t want me to renege on our little deal, do you?”
“You can’t use your pussy to bribe me, Shannon.”
“Oh, I can’t?” Shannon asked sarcastically, “This is news to me.”
“Shannon, I can’t do this right now.”
“Come on, Ray, I’m serious. I really need your help on this.”
“Well, if you want my help, I’m gonna need to know the details.”
“Alright, fine,” Shannon relented, “I need enough to keep someone shrunk for a long time.”
“Who?” Ray ejaculated. “A-And how long we talking?”
“Long enough.”
“That’s not an answer.”
“Long-term, then. Months....years even.”
“Shannon,” Ray sighed, “even if I wanted to help you, I’m already under suspicion. If I gave you any more formula, I might as well paint a target on my back!”
“Well, you better find a way, because I don’t have much time,” Shannon demanded, “And if you ever want to have me again, you’ll get me that potion!”
“Babe, listen,” Ray began, “I’d love to help you, I really would, but I don’t think—“
“Ray, shut up and listen to me!” Shannon interrupted him. “I’m not asking you to do it for free. You get me that potion and trust me, I will make it worth your while, and I’m not just talking about my pussy.”
“Oh yeah?” Ray asked doubtfully, “How much?”
“What would you say if I offered you a chance for you and me to go away together, disappear, permanently, off the grid, with enough money to live comfortably for the rest of our lives?”
After a very long pause on the other end of the line, Ray gave his response:
“I’m listening.”
Giantess World
