GENETITECH/BIOENG. confidential file
SUBJECT: --GOLDMAN, David
A.U. No.: --NC 654 55 D
S.C.I.D. No: --7474HHD
SUPERVISING DOCTOR: --Dr. Terrence LYNCH
ITEM: --Transcript of recorded testimony regarding subject's current condition. File for ASSESSMENT/INFO
[cont.]
Carolyn's cheerful mood was gone. The phone call from her mother had thrown her into a panic.
We watched her as she sat slumped on the edge of the bed, speaking to Cecile on the phone. Ever the consummate liar, her voice betrayed nothing. But we could see the agitation in her eyes, the way she gnawed her lip as she struggled to stay one lie ahead of her mom.
"Something tells me tonight's not going to be the night," Julie whispered.
"Linda mentioned something about a romantic getaway," Carolyn said. She glanced in our direction. "Yeah, I know he just got back from a fishing trip. And then he and Linda drove to New Mexico. They're probably at that casino in Hobbs."
Cecile's voice was a shrill, indistinct buzz coming through the portable phone. We couldn't hear what she was saying, but she was obviously upset. Carolyn moved the phone away from her ear and heaved a weary sigh. She rubbed her eyes, barely paying attention to what her mother was saying. But suddenly, something caught her attention. She sat up straight and pressed the phone to her ear. "Wait. What?"
Her eyes were on us again. Her angry glare moved from me to Julie to Denny before finally settling on Randy.
"And when was this?" she asked, her voice sharp.
Poor Randy knew he was already on thin ice with Carolyn. He whimpered and pressed in closer to me and Julie, as if we might somehow hide him from Carolyn's scrutiny.
"Well, this is the first I've heard of it," Carolyn said, still watching Randy. "But I'm sure it's nothing to worry about. You know how melodramatic he gets sometimes."
"What is it?" Julie whispered to Randy. "What are they talking about?"
But Randy didn't answer. He just huddled behind us, staring nervously at Carolyn.
"Mom, you're overreacting," Carolyn said. "You and Dad don't need to..." She paused for a couple of seconds. "It's just that now's a really bad time, what with Eddie running off and..."
Finally, she let out an angry sigh. "Okay, fine. I'll see you guys when you get here. Love you, too." She switched off the phone and dropped it on the bed next to her. Then she reached down, picked up her glass of wine, and polished it off in one gulp.
"Randy," she said. "Come here."
He was terrified, but he knew better to disobey. On trembling legs, he slowly made his way across the hardwood floor to stand between Carolyn's bare feet. She reached down and picked him up with her thumb and finger.
"Remember when we were talking on Sunday?" she asked. Her voice was calm, but there was an edge to her tone. It was the voice one would use to scold a misbehaving child. "I asked you if you had talked to my parents, and you said no. Isn't that what you told me?"
Randy couldn't look at her. He hung limply in her grasp, whimpering.
"Mom just told me they got home from church on Sunday night, and there was a message from you on their answering machine. Said you were going on and on about how Linda had left you."
"No," Randy sobbed. "I swear, I didnt..."
"Randy, don't lie to me!" Carolyn snapped. "I swear to God, one more lie comes out of your mouth, and I'm gonna put you down the garbage disposal! Understand me?"
Randy nodded his head frantically.
"Mom's a [EXPLETIVE DELETED] basket case because you and Linda aren't answering your phone," Carolyn said. "So she and Dad are gonna drive up here tomorrow to check on you." She sighed wearily. "Like I don't have enough [EXPLETIVE DELETED] to deal with."
"I'm sorry," Randy cried. "God, I'm so sorry."
Carolyn dropped Randy into the empty wine glass and held it up to her face to regard him. "Not as sorry as you're gonna be," she told him.
***
Carolyn scooped all of us and put us back in the dollhouse. Randy was the last, dumped carelessly from the wine glass.
"Get your clothes off," Carolyn commanded him. Then to the rest of us, "I want him cuffed and ready when I come back up here. If he's not, everybody gets punished tonight."
Carolyn walked over to the bed and picked up the phone. She took a deep breath, then dialed a number.
"Tim Ware, please," she said, after a few seconds. Then, "Mr. Ware? Carolyn MacManus again. I don't know if you fellas were listening in or not, but my mom just called. She and my dad are wondering about Linda and Randy."
Carolyn knelt, picked up the paper plate, and folded it over the leftover turkey. She stepped over the wooden barricade and into the hallway.
"Yeah, I understand," she said. "I haven't told them anything, but they're worried. I mean, first Eddie vanishes, and then Linda and Randy up and disappear."
She closed the door behind her. Her footsteps and her voice faded as she made her way downstairs.
"[EXPLETIVE DELETED] that bitch!" Randy snarled. [EXPLETIVE DELETED] her in the ear!"
"Come on, Randy," I said, holding up my hands in an effort to placate him. "You heard her."
Julie walked up next to me, holding the furry handcuffs and the key.
"Oh, hell no!" Randy said. "Carolyn keeps taking this [EXPLETIVE DELETED] out on me, and you [EXPLETVE DELETED] just stand around and don't do nothing!"
"Hey, [EXPLETIVE DELETED] you, Country Music," Denny shouted. "You're the one that keeps pissing Giganta off!"
Randy threw himself at Denny, and the two of them fell against the plastic couch. Unlike Denny, Randy had actually been in a fight or two. He landed a couple of blows on Denny's face before Chad and I managed to pull him off.
"Knock it off, dumbass," I told Randy as he struggled to free his arms. "If she catches us fighting..."
"She'll what?" Randy screamed wildly. "Punish us? Squish us? Put us down the [EXPLETIVE DELETED] garbage disposal? She's gonna do that anyway!"
Randy fought us every step of the way, but the five of us managed to strip off his clothes. Chad, Denny, Mr. Nichols and I held his wrists while Julie snapped the cuffs on.
***
When Carolyn finally returned, she was carrying a couple of boxes. One was a printer paper box she had found in Eddie's lab. The other was a shoebox she had taken from her closet.
She dropped the boxes on the bed and approached the dollhouse, leaning down to peer in at us. She saw Randy sitting on the floor--naked, cuffed, and scowling. She also saw Denny sitting on the coffee table, holding a damp cloth to his bleeding nose.
"What the [EXPLETIVE DELETED] happened?" Carolyn demanded. She tapped the nail of her index finger on the plastic floor just inches from Randy. "Did you hit that boy, Randy?"
"No," Denny said. "I was running up the stairs to get the handcuffs and I slipped and fell."
I don't think Carolyn really believed him, but she didn't pursue the matter. She ordered Randy to his feet and told him to extend his arms. Then she took the thin, gold chain she had retrieved from her jewelry box and threaded it through his outstretched arms. She lifted the chain, pulling Randy from the dollhouse, and hooked the clasp around her neck. Randy dangled by his arms, naked and helpless as he bounced against Carolyn's breasts.
"Stop squirming," she said, flicking him with her fingertip. "You'll just make it worse."
Carolyn stepped away from the dollhouse, only to return momentarily with the cardboard shoebox. She thrust her hand into the dollhouse and grabbed the shot glass from the kitchen, setting it down inside the box. Next was the portable toilet from the bathroom on the second floor. She peered through all the rooms to see if she had overlooked anything.
Finally, she reached into one of the upstairs bedrooms and grabbed a fistful of blankets and towels. She dropped these in the shoebox as well.
"One of y'all got the key to the handcuffs?" Carolyn asked. Julie held up the key for her to see. Satisfied, Carolyn reached in, snatched us up one by one, and dumped us into the shoebox. Then she carried us into her bedroom and set us down on the dresser.
She leaned in close, resting her elbows on the dresser as she looked at us over the walls of our cardboard prison. "Y'all behave yourselves," she said, her breath stale with wine, "and I'll leave the lid off for now. All right?"
We all nodded.
"Good," she said. She raised her face from the box, and we caught a glimpse of Randy weeping quietly as he dangled from her necklace.
***
Well, the bad news was that our escape plan had, once again, been kyboshed. But the good news was that Raymond and Cecile White's arrival meant the possibility of rescue. All we had to do was get their attention without Carolyn catching us.
"Problem is," Julie said, "if we're thinking it, you know Carolyn's thinking it, too. She's not going to make it easy for us."
Mr. Nichols suggested brainstorming ideas for escaping the shoebox and getting to Raymond and Cecile. But despite our enthusiasm, we couldn't come up with anything remotely resembling a workable plan. We sat in silence, mulling it over.
Meanwhile, in the other room, we could hear Carolyn banging around as she worked to conceal all evidence of us. We heard the clatter and crash as she dumped the contents of the dollhouse into the large cardboard box. I knew she'd be adding the cars from under the bed as well, and I prayed she wouldn't discover the two valium capsules we still had concealed behind the bedpost.
Once the box and the dollhouse were crammed into the hall closet, she went to work prying that two-by-four from the doorjamb of the guest room.
***
We all scrambled to our feet when we heard her come into the bedroom. She walked over and peered down into the box, her cheeks flushed and her hair damp with sweat.
She reached over the shoebox, and we heard her open her jewelry box. It played a plinking tune when she lifted the lid, and it took me a moment to recognize it as "Angel of the Morning."
As the tinny music played, Carolyn reached around her neck and unclasped the necklace. Randy hang from the chain by his cuffed wrists, dangling helplessly as Carolyn lowered him into the velvet interior of the jewelry box.
He began to whimper when Carolyn released the chain, letting it fall around him. He apologized to her over and over, promising that he'd be good if she'd just uncuff him. I didn't like Randy, but I couldn't help feeling sorry for him. Carolyn had done a masterful job of breaking him.
He was still sobbing weakly when Carolyn closed the lid on the music box, silencing him and the music simultaneously.
"Randy's gonna spend the night in timeout so he can think about what he's done," Carolyn said with a tired smile. "So looks like one of y'all gets to sleep with me."
Her hand hovered above us like a leathery bird of prey, ready to swoop down at any second and snatch one of us up. She was waiting for one of us to submit willingly, like a good little pet. And we were all hesitating, hoping someone else would volunteer.
It was a dangerous game of chicken. If we waited too long, Carolyn would lose her patience and choose one of us to take out her frustrations on. When it came to "quality time" with Carolyn, volunteering was infinitely preferable to being drafted.
So when it became obvious nobody else was going to step forward, I did. Carolyn grinned as she reached down and scooped me into her palm. "My special little guy," she cooed, tickling me with her index finger.
Then she peered back into the box, the smile fading from her face. "Rest of y'all might wanna check those attitudes," she said, nudging the shoebox with her fingers. "There's enough room in that jewelry box for all you little [EXPLETIVE DELETED]."
***
Carolyn popped a valium before turning off the light and crawling into bed, so I actually got off relatively light. After she peeled off my clothes, she set me on her breast and put me to work massaging her nipple.
"Such a good boy," she cooed. "Such a good little pet."
As I rubbed her nipple vigorously, she sighed and shifted beneath me. "Yeah. Just like that."
After a couple of minutes, she let out a moan. She shifted again, and I nearly lost my balance. Her left hand came up over me, pressing me against her breast. She rubbed me roughly over her rigid nipple and the bumpy flesh of her areola. This brought an even bigger gasp from her.
She slipped her other hand beneath the sheets to pleasure herself. Her breaths became short and frantic, and I could feel her heart pounding. She moaned again, then held her breath as a spasm wracked her body. Her hand fell away and I clung desperately to her nipple as she bucked beneath me. Finally, she was still.
She plucked me from her breast and dangled me above her face, tilting me so she could look up at me. Her features looked eerie in the red glow of the digital clock.
She lowered me to her lips and kissed me gently. Then she rolled on her side and set me on the pillow, near her face.
"My little Davey," she whispered. "My special little guy."
In just a couple of minutes, she was fast asleep.
I couldn't bear staring into her massive face, so I turned over and looked at the digital clock instead. In the garish red glow, I could make out the half full water glass and bottle of pills on the nightstand. Unfortunately, Carolyn had snapped the lid back in place, which meant I wouldn't be able to steal any that night.
It was just as well. The last time I'd tried that little stunt had been five nights ago, before Carolyn had killed Eddie. I wasn't feeling nearly as bold now. In fact, now that I was separated from Julie and the rest, I felt utterly alone and helpless.
Carolyn snored behind me, her breath warm on my back. Miserable, I watched the clock slowly tick off the minutes towards midnight. I drifted off to sleep before it got there.
***
I walked down a dark hallway, into a bright room. Mom was elated, crying happy tears over my return. Dad stood next to her, his arm around her, grinning. Bethany and Liza, my little twin sisters, ran up and hugged me eagerly. Standing around my family were my closest friends. Including Julie, which didn't seem particularly strange at the time. Loud music played in the background, and a colorful banner hung overhead, reading "WELCOME HOME DAVE!!!"
I was overjoyed to see them. I couldn't remember why I'd been so worried and miserable before. I was happy, and it felt great.
As my loved ones gathered around me to celebrate my homecoming, I looked for Julie but she was gone. I felt a knot in my stomach, but I tried not to think about it. I didn't want to spoil the mood.
Lots of kisses, hugs, handshakes, and slaps on the back from those in attendance. The music sounded odd, almost distorted, as if I were listening to it in a tunnel. It sounded familiar, but I couldn't quite place it.
"Juice Newton," said Eddie, who was standing beside me. "I hate this song, but it was always Carolyn's favorite. You know, Debbie sang it at our wedding."
"I know. You told me," I said impatiently. Everybody else had moved away from us, carrying on with their celebrating. I looked around the room, but still couldn't see Julie anywhere.
"I did?" Eddie said. "When did I do that?"
"Must have been before you died," I said. Eddie was silent, and when I glanced back in his direction, I saw he was gone.
The party was still going on, but I was watching it from the window of the dollhouse. I shouted desperately to get their attention, but they couldn't hear me.
"My special little guy," Carolyn said from behind me. I turned to see her enormous face filling the vacant fourth wall of the dollhouse. I turned back to the window and screamed for my family and friends to save me as Carolyn's monstrous hand reached for me...
***
I woke up disoriented, looked around for Julie, and was startled to see Carolyn's face still looming so close. She was still asleep, still snoring away. Her warm breath trickled from her nose, blowing back my unkempt hair.
God, I missed my family so much. With everything else that had been going on, I hadn't really had time to dwell on it. But this dream had ripped a Band-Aid off the wound, and now I couldn't stop thinking about my parents and my sisters.
The worst part was realizing that they probably had no idea anything was wrong. It had been over a month since I'd last talked to them, but that was hardly anything new. I had a penchant for being incommunicado for long periods of time, for getting wrapped up in my own [EXPLETIVE DELETED] and letting my family fall by the wayside. As far as they knew, I was slaving away on my "super secret project" in Midland, too selfish and self-absorbed to call.
I couldn't stop thinking about the feeling of elation that had accompanied the dream. It had dissipated when I awoke, leaving behind a gnawing emptiness. I sobbed quietly, unable to stop the tears.
When I finally regained my composure, I looked at the clock and saw that it was 4:57. Carolyn hadn't set the alarm, but she'd probably be waking up on her own in another three hours or so. There was nothing to do but wait.
***
I dozed fitfully, waking with a start every time Carolyn shifted or snorted in her sleep. Around a quarter to eight, her snoring stopped. She smacked her lips and groaned softly. I kept my back to her, feigning sleep in the vain hope that she'd let me be.
"Wake up, sleepy head," she croaked, then cleared her throat. I felt the bed shift as she sat up. I rolled over to see her smiling down at me. She reached for me, her fingers gently enveloping me as she lifted me to her face.
"Did you sleep good, Davey boy?" she asked. I nodded.
She glanced over at the shoebox on her dresser and sighed.
"Mom and Dad'll probably get here in a few hours," she said. "I better get you little guys taken care of."
***
Carolyn lifted the golden chain from the jewelry box, letting Randy dangle for a few seconds. He begged and pleaded weakly for release. Carolyn finally lowered him into the shoebox, and Julie rushed to unlock the cuffs.
Randy was naked and shivering. Mr. Nichols ran to get a blanket for him, but Carolyn thrust her hand into the box to block him.
"No need," she said. "In fact, all you guys go ahead and get undressed. You're getting a bath this morning."
I was sitting on Carolyn's shoulder, still naked as well. The others began peeling off their clothes, glancing self-consciously towards Julie as they did so. Julie glared up at Carolyn, but said nothing as she reluctantly stripped.
Carolyn carried the six of us into the bathroom and set us down on the vanity. She fiddled with the faucet, running her finger through the water until she was satisfied with the temperature. Then she pulled the knob to stop the drain. When there was about an inch and a half of water in the sink, she turned off the faucet. One by one, she lowered the other five into the warm water.
Julie stood away from the others, covering herself with her arms as best she could. Mr. Nichols did so as well, his fat cheeks blushing bright red. Chad and Denny washed themselves without much enthusiasm, while Randy simply hugged himself and shivered.
Carolyn squirted a dollop of liquid soap onto her fingertip and lowered her hand into the sink. "Here you go, little ones," she said. One by one, they approached her finger and scooped some soap from it. Except Randy, who pressed himself against the side of the sink to get as far from Carolyn's hand as possible.
"Randy, I'm in no mood to [EXPLETIVE DELETED] around with you this morning," Carolyn said. She rubbed the soap on his chest with her fingertip, then splashed her finger in the water to rinse it off.
"Okay, you guys go ahead and soak for a bit," she said. "Davey and I are going to have a bath."
***
"Why are you so grumpy this morning," Carolyn asked.
She was reclining in the bubble bath, with a thick layer of white suds up to her breasts. She held me in her soapy hand, attempting to pet me with her fingers. But I couldn't bring myself to look at her that morning. The dream was still too fresh in my mind. My feelings were still too raw...
"Didn't sleep much last night," I told her. She was already on edge, and I really didn't want her going off on us.
"Poor little Davey," Carolyn cooed, kneading between my legs with her thumb. I squirmed to pull away, but she was relentless. "Would you like to play on my toes? Would that make you feel better?"
I shook my head no.
"You sure? I know how much you like my pretty feet. Don't you?"
I sighed. "Carolyn, please."
She stopped rubbing me. She lifted her hand so I was uncomfortably close to her face. Her eyes narrowed and her mouth turned downward in an angry frown.
"I don't know what your [EXPLETIVE DELETED] problem is this morning," she said, "but you better get over it quick. Got it?"
I nodded. "Yes, ma'am."
"Good." She smiled coldly. "Now let's try this again. Would you like to play on my toes?"
Defeated, I said, "Yes, ma'am."
Carolyn sat me on the rim of the tub, and I marched dutifully to the far end. Her foot, wet and slick, broke through the suds. She grasped me with her toes and brought her foot to rest on the tub's edge.
She had no problem making me hard. With practiced ease, she squeezed me between her soapy toes, grinding me relentlessly. I writhed helplessly, wanting desperately to deprive her of this one small victory. But in the end, I couldn't help myself. I came in a bitter, reluctant spasm, just like she knew I would.
As I hung there limply between her wiggling toes, I stared down the length of her leg to where it vanished beneath the bubbles. I raised my head, and saw that smug, infuriating grin on her face.
"You see?" she said, giving me another squeeze. "Isn't that better?"
"Yes, ma'am."
Carolyn chuckled. "You've really got it rough, don't you, Davey?" She slipped down slightly into the tub, leaning back her head and closing her eyes.
"So, what did GenetiTech say?" I asked.
"Hmmm?" Carolyn opened her eyes and raised her head to regard me.
"When you called them last night. What did they say?"
"Why do you ask?" She smiled again and gave me another playful pinch with her toes. "You still hoping GenetiTech is going to rush in here and same you little guys from mean ol' Carolyn?"
"Just curious," I said.
"Whatever," Carolyn said. "Tim Ware is gonna be waiting at Linda and Randy's place to meet my parents. He's gonna explain the situation to them and the need for secrecy."
"What happens then?" I asked.
"Oh, I'm sure Mom and Dad are gonna freak when Mr. Ware tells them how Linda and Eddie killed all you little guys. If I can get enough wine in Mom and enough Dewar's in Dad, I should be able to calm them down. If I'm lucky, I can get them back on the road tomorrow and everything can go back to normal here."
Back to normal. Those words didn't mean a [EXPLETIVE DELETED] thing anymore. But there was no point in provoking Carolyn any further than I already had, so I simply asked, "So, everything's okay?"
Carolyn nodded. "Yeah, sweetie. Everything's fine." She glanced towards the sink and frowned slightly. "Although I could still wring Randy's little neck for calling my parents in the first place."
I was really disturbed by how nonchalant Carolyn now seemed about the prospect of lying to her parents about Linda. Just three days previously, she'd been sobbing with shame and guilt, wondering what she was going to tell them.
But now that she had a plausible story, she was in the clear. Tim Ware had no idea Eddie had invented a [EXPLETIVE DELETED] shrinking machine. As far as he knew, Eddie's device simply made things disappear. And now he was convinced Eddie and Linda had taken the machine and run off together. Randy, Julie, Mr. Nichols and I were just hapless victims who had gotten in their way and been atomized for our trouble. No doubt Chad and Denny would eventually be added to the list, if anybody ever figured out their connection to Linda.
Carolyn was going to get away with it. We were powerless to do anything about it, and she knew it. All she had to do was keep up the lie. And God knows, she was [EXPLETIVE DELETED] brilliant at that.
"Gonna keep Miss Julie and the others tucked away somewhere safe while my parents are here, but I figured I could keep you with me. Would you like that?"
I could hear Linda's voice giggling in my mind. "You're so cute," she had once said to me, "pretending like you have a choice."
So I nodded, and Carolyn seemed pleased. She wiggled her toes again, giggling as I squirmed between them. Then she leaned back to resume her relaxing soak.
***
After forty-five minutes or so, Carolyn finally got out of the tub and toweled off. She set me on her bare shoulder and walked over to the sink. The others were still sitting quietly in the tepid water, still apart from one another. Carolyn reached in and picked them up once at a time, setting them on the vanity.
"Can we get some clean clothes?" Julie asked her.
Carolyn sighed. "I packed all that stuff away last night and I don't feel like digging it out right now. You'll have to make do with what you were wearing."
"But I don't have anything to wear," Randy protested. "You made me..."
Carolyn slapped her palm on the marble vanity, startling everyone into silence.
"You know what? I'm sick and tired of all your bitching and whining. I hear one more peep out of you little [EXPLETIVE DELETED], I'm gonna start flushing you down the toilet."
Carolyn glared right at Randy, who lost his nerve and backed away. She reached for him, knocking the others aside as she grasped him by the waist. He squirmed between her finger and thumb, kicking frantically as she picked him up.
"I'm tempted to start with you, Randy," she said as she held him to her face. "Show the rest of these little [EXPLETIVE DELETED] that I mean business."
From my vantage point on Carolyn's shoulder, I could see her reflection in the mirror as she glared at poor Randy. I saw the cruel smile cross her face, and my stomach knotted.
Carolyn walked over to the toilet, and Randy began screaming.
"Carolyn, don't," I begged her. "Please don't do this." The others called after her as well, but Carolyn ignored us all. She lifted the lid of the toilet and dangled Randy over the bowl.
Randy was screaming incoherently, his arms and legs flailing in Carolyn's grasp. Carolyn held him aloft for several seconds, then dropped him. Randy let out a terrified scream as he plummeted into the toilet.
He hit the water with a splash, then bobbed to the top. He was sobbing and coughing as he struggled to stay afloat.
Carolyn stood, watching him with cold amusement. Then she reached over and put her hand on the toilet handle.
"Carolyn, stop it!" I screamed.
Carolyn let out an irritated sigh as she reached down and fished Randy out of the toilet. He was crying as he lay, wet and shivering, in her hand.
"Too bad you had to go and fall in the toilet like that," she said to Randy as she carried him back over to the sink. "Don't know when you're gonna have the luxury of another bath again."
One by one, she picked them up and set them in her palm next to Randy. Then she carried them into the bedroom and dumped them into the shoebox.
She paused for a moment, then reached up and took me from her shoulder. When she set me in the box as well, I thought maybe she had relented and decided not to keep me with her after all. I was actually relieved.
But no such luck. "Julie, put the cuffs on Davey boy. He's gonna be my little hostage."
Julie approached me apologetically as I held out my hands. She didn't say anything as she gently snapped the cuffs around my wrists, but she didn't have to. I knew she hated doing it, and she knew I didn't blame her.
Carolyn took me out of the box and set me down next to it. She put her hands flat on the dresser as she leaned forward to peer down into the shoebox.
"Y'all better behave yourselves while my parents are here," she told the others sternly. "Next time, I'm flushing the [EXPLETIVE DELETED] thing."
She put the lid on the box, picked it up, and knelt to put it in one of the large drawers at the bottom of her dresser. She shoved aside some of Eddie's old sweatshirts and tucked the box next to them. Then she stood up and shoved the drawer closed with her foot.
"All right, Davey boy," she said as she pulled open another drawer and rummaged for a pair of panties. "I better hurry up and get some clothes on. No telling what time my parents are gonna show up."
***
As it happened, Carolyn was headed downstairs when we heard the frantic banging on the front door. She swore under her breath as she ran down the stairs, her sandals slapping on each step.
Still naked and cuffed, I was dangling from the gold chain around her neck. With each hurried step, I was bounced and jostled, swinging back and forth to bump against the fabric of her gingham shirt.
The doorbell rang again and again. From outside, I could hear Cecile's shrill voice calling, "Carolyn! Carolyn, open the door! Carolyn!"
"God, why does she have to be so [EXPLETIVE DELETED] high-strung?" Carolyn muttered as we made our way through the living room. She stopped suddenly and bolted over to the coffee table. My convertible was sitting there next to the TV Guide, where Carolyn had left it the other day after our time in the garden.
"[EXPLETIVE DELETED]," she said breathlessly, as the pounding on the door continued. She picked the car up and looked around frantically. Finally, she leaned over and set my car on the floor. With her sandaled foot, she nudged it out of sight under the couch.
"Carolyn, baby! It's your mom!" As if there were any doubt.
Carolyn glanced around the room to make sure there was nothing else incriminating lying around. Then she pinched the chain between her finger and thumb and lifted it so that I was hanging helplessly in front of her enormous face.
"You better be a good boy, Davey," she whispered, her warm breath washing over me. "Because if you misbehave, I won't be punishing you. I'll be punishing those little [EXPLETIVE DELETED] upstairs. Staring with Miss Julie."
I nodded to let her know we were on the same page. She smiled sweetly, pulled her neckline open, and let me drop. The chain pulled taut, and I came to a jarring stop just between her breasts. I felt her fingers through the fabric of the shirt as she adjusted me, tucking me firmly between them.
The doorbell rang again, and Cecile called her daughter's name.
"Coming," Carolyn called as she hurried to answer the door.
***
"Carolyn, thank God you're okay," Cecile all but shrieked. She grabbed her daughter and hugged her tightly. I was pressed between the two of them, held tight between Carolyn's breasts.
"That man was waiting for us at your sister's apartment, and he told us the most horrible things!" Carolyn's mother was on the verge of melodramatic tears. "I swear, I thought my heart was going to give out right then and there!"
"Mom, calm down," Carolyn said. Then, "Hi, Dad."
"Hi, Pookie." Raymond hugged Carolyn, and once again I found myself mashed tightly. The overwhelming smell of Brut wafted through the fabric of Carolyn's gingham shirt.
"Carolyn, what's going on?" Cecile demanded. "That man told us some horrible things about Linda. Said she'd run off with Eddie and... and maybe even killed some folks..." At this, Cecile began sobbing.
"Cecile, the poor girl knows as much as we do," Raymond said. "Don't start pestering her with questions. Besides, we're not supposed to talk about it. He made us sign them papers."
"I don't care!" Cecile wailed. "There's no way my little girl did any of those things! That Eddie must've forced her!"
"She's still in shock," Raymond said. "I guess we both are."
"Don't you start apologizing for me, Raymond," Cecile shouted tearfully. "And you! How long have you know about this? Feeding me some cockamamie story about Linda and Randy being on vacation! Why would you lie to me, baby?"
Carolyn, ever the consummate actress, managed just the right tone of regret and indignation in her voice. "They told me I had to keep it a secret, Mom. They told me I couldn't tell anybody. Not even you guys."
"I don't like this," Cecile said. "All this secret malarkey. Those Jet Attack people are up to something."
"GenetiTech," Carolyn corrected her. "And all they're trying to do is catch Eddie and Linda and get their machine back."
"It don't seem real," Raymond said. "Like something out of James Bond."
I heard Carolyn sigh. "I see you guys brought your luggage. Just how long were you planning on... I mean..."
"This is a family crisis, Carolyn baby," Cecile said, and suddenly I felt myself mashed between the two of them again. "We all need to be together right now."
Raymond seemed to sense his daughter's hesitation. "Of course, we don't want to be no bother, Pookie. If we're in the way here, we can drive back to town and get a hotel room..."
"Don't be a fool, Raymond," Cecile snapped. "We're gonna stay here and make sure Carolyn's all right."
"All right," Raymond said reluctantly. "As long as Pookie don't mind."
"Of course she doesn't mind," Cecile said before Carolyn could respond. "Now Carolyn, you mind carrying our bags upstairs? Your daddy's back is hurting from the drive and my old heart can't deal with all this stress."
"Sure, Mom," Carolyn said wearily.
***
I spent a couple of hours pressed between the warm, soft flesh of Carolyn's breasts. Occasionally, I'd feel her finger pressing me through the fabric of her shirt, just making sure I was still there.
Cecile spent the first half hour or so pressing Carolyn for details on Linda and Eddie. Carolyn played her part, feigning anger and outrage that Linda and Eddie had betrayed her like that and claiming she felt foolish for having ever trusted either of them. Cecile jumped to Linda's defense, and Raymond finally played the peacemaker and convinced them to discuss something else. They sat in silence for a few minutes until Cecile turned on the TV to watch The Young and the Restless.
When lunchtime rolled around, Cecile insisted on making sandwiches for everyone. Carolyn excused herself to go to the bathroom. She went into the guest bathroom, closed the door, and sat down on the toilet lid. Then she pulled out from under her shirt and unhooked the chain that was threaded between my wrists.
Once I lowered my numb arms, the feeling started coming back like a million needles. I winced and gasped as sharp, shooting pains tore through my shoulders and biceps.
"Poor baby," Carolyn whispered as she gently massaged my arms with her fingertip.
"Are these really necessary?" I asked her, holding up my wrists to show her the ridiculous furry handcuffs.
Carolyn smiled and nodded. "I'm afraid so, baby doll. At least for now. But if you promise to be quiet, I'll let you sit in my pocket instead of wearing you around my neck. All right?"
I nodded, without enthusiasm. Her enormous finger stroked my trembling arm, then ran along my chest and down my stomach. I tried to pull away, earning an angry poke from her fingernail.
"Stop that," she scolded me. "You've been so good up to now. Why ruin it?"
I hated that feeling of helplessness, but I knew that was the point. Carolyn loved making me feel vulnerable. Hell, for her I'd go as far as to say it was a full blown fetish.
Carolyn cocked her head to the side as she looked down at me. "You have been a good boy this morning, Davey. I think some kind of reward is in order, don't you?"
She grasped me gingerly between her thumb and finger and slowly lowered me towards the floor. She laid me face down on top of her sandaled foot, hooking my arms around her middle toe.
"You can be my little toe ring," she said with a chuckle. "I really like that." She wiggled her toes, and I clung to her foot, waiting for her to tire of the game.
"Would you like to kiss me, Davey?" Carolyn asked in her saccharine voice. "Would you like to kiss my pretty toes?"
Wearily, I leaned in to do so. She raised her foot and stomped down hard, jarring me hard enough to knock the wind out of me. If I hadn't been cuffed to her toe, I would have been thrown off of her foot.
"I didn't give you permission," she said with mock sternness, as if addressing a misbehaving puppy. "Ask me."
It was so infuriating, but there was nothing I could do. I knew it, and Carolyn knew it. She was, in fact, reveling in it.
"May I kiss your toes?" I asked, without much enthusiasm.
"You don't sound very excited," she said. "Maybe you need to spend a little more time on the chain."
I choked down my resentment and tried again. "Carolyn, may I kiss your toes?"
Her toes twitched playfully beneath me. "Beg me."
God, I hated her so much. But I couldn't bear the thought of hanging from that chain anymore. I was glad my back was to her, because I didn't want her to see my face burning with humiliation and rage.
"Please, Carolyn. Please let me kiss your toes."
"My pretty toes," Carolyn corrected me.
"Your pretty toes. Please let me kiss your pretty toes."
Carolyn pretended to mull it over. "All right, Davey. Go ahead."
I touched my lips to her red toenail.
"Again," Carolyn commanded. I kissed her a second time, and she wiggled her toes excitedly.
"Ooh, you're getting me a little worked up, darling," she said. "And with my parents in the next room. You're so naughty! Again."
And so it went for another ten minutes or so, until Carolyn finally tired of the game. Just as she was plucking me from her foot, we were both startled by a knock at the door.
"You okay, Carolyn?" Cecile called through the door. "You've been in there a long time."
"I'm fine, Mom," Carolyn called. "I'll be right out."
"Are you having trouble going?" Cecile asked. "I think your father may have some Dulcolax in his suitcase."
Carolyn let out an exasperated sigh. "That's all right, Mom. I'll be out in a second."
There was a pause. Then, "I could go upstairs and get it. It's no trouble."
"I'm fine, Mom!" Carolyn shouted. "Go away!"
Carolyn sighed as she looked down at me. "Parents," she muttered, rolling her eyes. "Pain in the ass."
Then she pressed me to her lips, kissed me noisily, and tucked me into her shirt pocket.
***
After lunch, the rest of the afternoon passed tediously, with me sitting quietly in Carolyn's shirt pocket. There was no more talk of Linda or Eddie. Carolyn's parents either sat quietly watching TV, or they engaged in small talk with her about the weather, about Cecile's ailing heart and impressive regimen of pills, about Carolyn's garden and her grasshopper problem, and so on.
At one point, the conversation turned to finances. Raymond, ever the dutiful father, was afraid Eddie might have emptied her bank account and wanted to be sure she wasn't broke. She assured him that GenetiTech was taking good care of her, which earned a disapproving "tsk" from Cecile.
It was stuffy and uncomfortable in Carolyn's pocket, but still infinitely preferable to dangling from that [EXPLETIVE DELETED] chain. The pain in my arms has receded to a dull ache. Eventually, boredom and fatigue overtook me. I dozed off listening to Cecile describe her latest ordeal at the doctor's office.
My dream was scattered and confused. I was home, and everything was normal. Mom was sitting in her chair, working on her laptop. Dad was snoozing on the couch. Liza and Bethany were sitting on the floor, playing with a familiar dollhouse. I knelt down to peer through the window, and I saw a party in full swing. Folks were eating, drinking, and making merry like there was no tomorrow. So I reached down to open the tiny front door, and I suddenly found myself inside the dollhouse. I wandered through the impossibly labyrinthine corridors, searching for the party, but none of the doors I opened seemed to lead anywhere. I finally found myself in the dollhouse kitchen. Julie, Eddie, Linda, Randy, Mr. Nichols, Chad, and Denny were all standing around the plastic orange table, waiting for me. A colorful banner hung overhead that read "WELCOME HOME DAVE!!!" Behind them, the wall was open, and I knew it was only a matter of time before Carolyn peered in...
I woke up to the clink of silverware and the smell of meatloaf. The immediacy of the dream was fading, but once again I was left with a sense of profound loss. Alone and miserable in Carolyn's pocket, I sat and listened to Cecile yammer on about her good friend Lily who went to the hospital with stomach pains. "They cut her open, but couldn't find anything wrong, so they just sewed her back up again."
***
The girls had evidently consumed quite a bit of wine at dinner, and Raymond had knocked back a couple of Dewar's and waters. After another hour or so of television, Cecile yawned loudly and finally announced that it was bedtime for her and Raymond. I could actually feel Carolyn sigh with relief as her parents trudged up the stairs. When she heard the door to the guest room close, she slipped her fingers into her pocket and fished me out.
"Don't know about you, Davey boy," she said, "but I'm [EXPLETIVE DELETED] exhausted. Did you ever have this much trouble with your parents?"
And there it was again. Carolyn was capable of such viciousness, but sometimes it was her unintentional cruelty that hurt the worst.
"What the hell is your problem?" she asked me, her breath warm and sour with wine. "You've had a bug up your ass all [EXPLETIVE DELETED] day!"
And something in me just broke. I started crying, and I couldn't stop. I wiped at my eyes with my cuffed hands. I can only imagine how ridiculous I looked to her, weeping like a [EXPLETIVE DELETED] baby as I dangled naked between her fingers.
"I miss my family, Carolyn," I told her between sobs. "I want to go home."
"Davey," she said sweetly, petting me with her fingertip. "You are home."
"I have a family, Carolyn!" I cried angrily. "I have friends! I have a [EXPLETIVE DELETED] life! You have no right to take those from me! From any of us!"
Blinking away my tears, I looked into her monstrous face and was surprised to see a glimmer of pity in her eyes. She looked shocked and, for just a fleeting moment, I think she actually realized the magnitude of what she had done to us. For once, I wasn't just a pet or a plaything to her. I was an actual person.
Then, just as quickly, it was gone. Guilt gave way to anger. Carolyn's face darkened as she gnawed her lip. The hand in which she was holding me began to tremble. She gave me a cruel pinch with her thumb and finger, and I yelped with pain.
"Stop whining," she snarled, shaking me. "Stop your [EXPLETIVE DELETED] whining. This isn't about you!"
I struggled in her grasp, earning another pinch. Suddenly, I found myself just inches from her face, staring into her gigantic, bloodshot eye. I could see my own reflection looking back, horrified.
"Selfish little [EXPLETIVE DELETED]! I'm busting my ass trying to keep you little [EXPLETIVE DELETED] happy, and all you ever do is cry and whine and bitch and complain."
She stood up angrily and carried me into the kitchen, still ranting.
"I'm sick of it. I ought to just step on all you little [EXPLETIVE DELETED], or let you starve to death. If I was half the monster you think I am, I'd do that, you know."
She set me down on the counter, then took a plate of leftover meatloaf from the refrigerator. She snatched a large knife from the sink and sliced off a small chunk of meat. She plopped it down on a paper towel. She shoved the leftovers back into the fridge, slammed the door, then tossed the knife into the sink where it landed with a clatter.
"Don't know why I bother feeding you little [EXPLETVE DELETED] anyway. Y'all always leave most of it anyway. Maybe I should just let you go a few days without eating, then see how [EXPLETIVE DELETED] picky you are."
She was holding the paper towel in one hand. She reached over and grabbed me with the other, yanking me roughly into the air. She held me tightly in her fist, my arms pinned, with only my head and shoulders protruding from her closed fingers.
"I wanna go home," she said in a high, mocking voice. "I wanna see my family." She stopped walking and held me up to her face again. "I got news for you, Davey. This is it. This is where you little [EXPLETIVE DELETED] are going to spend the rest of your life. Which, the way things are going, might be another week or two for some of you."
"Carolyn!" Cecile's voice called from the top of the stairs. "Are you okay? I thought I heard you talking to someone down there!"
Carolyn tightened her fist, squeezing the breath out of me. It hurt like hell, but I couldn't even draw in enough air to cry out.
"It was the TV, Mom," Carolyn called back up. "I'll keep it turned down."
"Get some sleep, baby," Cecile said. "It's not good for you to be staying up all hours of the night."
Carolyn let out a long, lingering sigh. "It's barely eight o' clock, Mom. I'll be up in a few minutes."
"You need your sleep, baby. That's all."
"I said I'll be up in a few minutes, Mom," Carolyn said impatiently. "Good night."
Cecile shuffled back to the guest room and closed the door. Carolyn turned her attention back to me. Her rage had faded somewhat, but she was still angry.
"You wanna pretend like I'm a monster, then fine. I'll be a [EXPLETIVE DELETED] monster. Next time one of you little [EXPLETIVE DELETED] disrespects me, you're gonna end up like Eddie."
***
What happened next, I... God, I can barely stand to think about it. It was my fault, you see. If I hadn't pissed her off downstairs, she wouldn't have been so angry when she...
Okay. Let's get through this.
***
Once we were in her bedroom, Carolyn closed the door. She pulled me out of her pocket and dumped me on the dresser. She set the piece of cold meatloaf, wrapped in a paper towel, down next to me. I hadn't eaten all day, but just being that close to the cold, congealed mash of meat and ketchup was enough to make me nauseous. Plus, my stomach was still in knots from Carolyn's tirade.
Carolyn knelt to open the drawer. "Okay, you little [EXPLETIVE DELETED]," she said crossly. "I'm not in the mood for any crap, so you'd better... What the [EXPLETIVE DELETED] is this?"
Carolyn reached down into the drawer and yanked out the cardboard shoebox, dumping out the empty shot glass, the portable toilet, and whatever else had been lying around in it. Water dripped out through wet, torn hole in the side.
They had overturned the shot glass, spilling water against the side of the shoebox. They had then torn their way through the damp cardboard to escape.
But unfortunately, they hadn't managed to escape from the drawer. Carolyn dug through the sweaters, tossing them out of the drawer one at a time, until she spotted them cowering in a corner.
One by one, she snatched them up and set them on the floor. Chad was first, followed by Mr. Nichols. Then Julie, Denny, and finally Randy.
"Don't any of you little [EXPLETIVE DELETED] move, or I'll [EXPLETIVE DELETED] crush you," Carolyn snarled as she stood up. The five of them trembled in terror on the carpet. Carolyn planted a sandaled foot to either side of them and stared down angrily.
"That's it," she said. She was obviously trying to keep her voice down, since her parents were just down the hall. Her toes twitched angrily, and she was clenching and unclenching her fists.
"Obviously, I wasn't clear this morning," Carolyn said. "I've been as patient as Job with you, but I guess that's just not going to work. So now, I'm gonna have to make an example out of one of you."
She suddenly looked over at me, a cruel smile on her face. "So, Davey. Which one?"
I stared at her, startled. "What?"
"Which one gets punished? Who's gonna serve as the example?"
They all craned their necks to look up at me. It was obvious they were all terrified out of their minds. Julie was blinking tears, and Mr. Nichols couldn't seem to stop shaking.
"Why do I have to..."
"You better pick someone," Carolyn said, looking directly at Julie. "Or I will." Julie let out a frightened whimper.
"Carolyn, please don't..."
"One," Carolyn said, glaring at me impatiently. "Two..."
If I said nothing, I knew Julie would end up paying the price. And I just couldn't let that happen. So I finally just blurted out a name.
"Randy," I said.
"What the [EXPLETIVE DELETED]?" he shouted angrily, leaping to his feet. He shook his fist at me. "[EXPLETIVE DELETED] you!"
Carolyn knelt to pick up Julie, Denny, Chad, and Mr. Nichols. Then she stood and tipped her hand on top of the dresser, dumping all four of them near me. Julie scrambled away from Carolyn's hand, rushing over to throw her arms around me.
"Jesus, Dave," she whispered. "What's she going to do?"
I had no idea. The five of us watched with dread as Carolyn turned her attention back to Randy.
"Hey, it wasn't even my [EXPLETIVE DELETED] idea!" Randy shouted up at Carolyn. "Seriously! I tried to talk them out of it. Just ask them!"
"Shut up, Randy," Carolyn said coldly.
"Just ask them!" Randy pleaded. "Come on, Carolyn. I didn't do nothing! You know that!"
"I said, shut the [EXPLETIVE DELETED] up, Randy!" Carolyn placed her foot directly in front of him. Her toes twitched, though whether it was with anger or excitement I couldn't tell.
Randy began to cry. "Carolyn, please."
"Tell you what," Carolyn said, looking down at him. "If you can make it to the bedroom door, I'll forget the whole thing. Bygones."
Randy glanced towards the bedroom door, then back up at Carolyn. "What are..."
Carolyn lifted her foot. "Better start running."
Randy turned and ran as fast as he could across the shag carpet. Carolyn watched him scramble for several seconds. The look on her face was unreadable. No rage, no remorse, no mercy. Just the faintest hint of a wicked smile. It was enough to chill the blood.
Randy made it halfway to the door before Carolyn came after him. Two steps, and she was on him. She slammed her foot down in his path, and Randy plowed headlong into it. He stumbled backwards and fell on his ass.
Carolyn licked her lips. She lifted her foot and placed it over Randy, pinning him beneath the leather sole of her sandal.
"Carolyn," I shouted. "No!"
"Jesus [EXPLETIVE DELETED] Christ, Carolyn," Randy was blubbering from under her foot. "You can't do this! We're family, for Christ's sake! I was married to your [EXPLETIVE DELETED] sister! I'm your..."
Carolyn pressed down with her foot. Randy's scream was cut short as he was crushed to death beneath her shoe.
***
Giantess World
Summer Job by Cayce