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.]
I paced around the inside of the shoebox for about fifteen minutes, waiting for Julie to be returned. I felt horrible for her, unable to even imagine the terror she would feel if she woke up and found herself tiny, naked and helpless in Carolyn's grasp. At least I'd known about Eddie's device and, on some level, I had been mentally prepared for the shock of finding myself barely ankle high. But how would poor Julie manage to get her head around this?
I heard the sound of Carolyn's footsteps approaching, the slap of her sandals as she marched down the hall towards the lab. They keypad was punched and the door opened. I could hear Julie's frantic screams as Carolyn approached the shoebox and looked down at me with her smirk intact. I was so angry, I could taste the bile in the back of my throat.
"Put her down, for God's sake!" I shouted. "You're scaring her!"
With an exasperated roll of her eyes, Carolyn lowered her hand into the box and dumped poor Julie right in front of me. She was naked and shivering, still wet from her recent "bath." I knelt next to her and touched her arm. "It's okay," I whispered, in what was probably the biggest lie of my life. "Everything's going to be okay."
Julie looked up at me with red, swollen eyes and suddenly threw herself at me. Her arms wrapped around my neck and she buried her face against my shoulder. I stroked her wet hair and shushed her as she sobbed bitterly.
"Poor little thing," Carolyn cooed, brushing Julie's bare back with her fingernail. Her face still pressed to my chest, Julie let out a muffled scream and clung desperately to me. "Don't you worry, sweetheart," Carolyn said. "I'm gonna take real good care of you."
"God, haven't you done enough?" I screamed at her. "Leave her alone!"
Still grinning, Carolyn flicked the two of us with her monstrous finger and knocked us off our feet. We hit the cardboard wall with a painful thump and slid to the bottom of the box. She lifted her hand from the box and giggled as we climbed nervously to our feet.
"I'm going to go start dinner," she told us. "Hope you like meat loaf."
The lab door slammed shut, and Carolyn's footsteps receded into the distance until the only sound left was Julie's sobbing.
***
It took Julie about ten minutes to pull herself together after Carolyn left, but the transformation was startling. Once she grasped the severity of the situation and understood that this wasn't a nightmare, she quickly got her tears under control.
"As long as Eddie's keeping us a secret, we're going to have to deal with Carolyn," she said, blinking the last of the tears from her eyes. "So the first thing we need to do is convince Eddie to take the project to GenetiTech."
Since Carolyn hadn't returned her clothes, I'd given her my t-shirt to wear. It hung loosely on her petite frame, coming down to about mid-thigh. "What's his frame of mind on this? Have you discussed it with him?"
I shrugged. "He's paranoid as hell about GenetiTech stealing the project and the credit from him. I thought I just about had him convinced, but then he and Carolyn went ape-[EXPLETIVE DELETED] and hit you with the damn shrink ray."
"That was more Carolyn than him," Julie said. "I think Eddie was a reluctant participant. Unfortunately, now it makes our job twice as hard. We have to convince him not only that he can trust GenetiTech, but that you and I won't implicate him or Carolyn in any wrongdoing."
"[EXPLETIVE DELETED] that," I sneered. "No way I'm letting her get away with what she's done!"
Julie shook her head. "I'm not suggesting that, Dave. Hell, there aren't even words to describe how violated I'm feeling right now. I'm just saying we need to tell Eddie what he wants to hear. We need to convince him that we don't bear any ill will towards him or Carolyn for what happened. Once we're safely at GenetiTech, they can lock her in a cell and throw away the [EXPLETIVE DELETED] key as far as I'm concerned."
I nodded. "Okay. I'll go along with that."
***
Carolyn set the shoebox down on the dinner table and gently tipped it on its side. "Come on out, little people," she said sweetly, tapping on the box with her fingernail. "It's okay. We're not going to hurt you."
Julie and I inched out of the box, reluctant to leave the safe confinement of the cardboard walls. Both Carolyn and Eddie watched us as we walked across the dark wood of the table. Carolyn was smiling and making playful "aww" sounds in a high-pitched baby voice. Eddie just looked mortified.
"Look, guys," he said softly, obviously quite uncomfortable around us. "I know you hate me right now, and you have every right to. All I can do is promise that I'll make it up to you. I swear to God, just bear with me until I figure out the enlarging process, and I'll make it worth your while."
"You don't have to worry about a thing," Carolyn said. "I'm going to take really good care of you two."
Julie pulled closer to me, and I threw a protective arm around her. Eddie glared at Carolyn and muttered, "Why don't you go finish dinner?" Carolyn gave us a playful wave with her pinkie, then headed into the kitchen.
"We're prisoners, Eddie," I said. "You can phrase it as nicely as you want, but it all comes down to the fact that you are holding us here against our will."
"Please, Dave. Julie." He looked absolutely pained by the accusation. "Just tell me what I can do to make things better for you, and I'll do it."
"Take us to GenetiTech," Julie said, her voice trembling. "Bring Reynold and the rest in on the project."
He sighed and shook his head. "I can't."
I felt Julie straighten next to me, actually felt her strength gathering. She slid my arm from her shoulder and took a step forward. "Eddie, listen to me for a minute," she said with a surprising tone of authority. "It's not too late for this thing to have a happy ending. Right now, you can tell GenetiTech that what happened to me and Dave was an accident, and we'll back up your story. But if you keep us here against our will, it's kidnapping."
He hung his head and shook it. "Guys, please... you know you're not prisoners..."
"You're keeping us in a [EXPLETIVE DELETED] shoebox, Eddie!" I shouted at him. "Like a pair of [EXPLETIVE DELETED] hamsters!"
"That's for your protection," he said defensively. "I can't just let you run around on the floor. You might get... you know..."
Carolyn came walking back in with a couple of plates and set them down. "Dinner is served," she said. Then grinning at me and Julie, added, "I'll be right back with yours."
As she returned to the kitchen, Julie waved to get Eddie's attention. "Make the call to GenetiTech, Eddie," she told him. "You know it's the right thing to do."
He gnawed his upper lip for nearly thirty seconds, obviously struggling with the ultimatum Julie had just given him. He blinked rapidly, nervously, then finally exhaled a long, martyred breath. "I'll make a deal with you," he told us. "Give me a few days to see if I can figure out the distortion problem myself. Most of GenetiTech's shutting down for the Fourth of July anyway, so just give me the rest of the week. If I still haven't restored you guys by Monday morning, I'll take you to GenetiTech and hand the project over to Reynold myself."
Julie sighed and looked at me. "Is that acceptable, Dave?"
I nodded. "I suppose, on two conditions. One, find us someplace other than this shoebox to stay."
Eddie nodded, a relieved grin on his face. "You got it, Dave. I'll get you guys fixed up tomorrow. What else?"
I was about to ask him to keep Carolyn away from us, but she came walking back in carrying two paper plates piled high with meat loaf and mashed potatoes. I realized that such a request would best be made out of Carolyn's earshot, so I just shrugged and said, "We can talk about it later."
"Here you go, Eddie," Carolyn said, handing him the plates. "Why don't you go shrink this down so these poor little guys can eat. I bet they're starving."
Eddie took the plates and headed off to the lab, giving us a friendly grin as he rounded the corner. As soon as he was gone, Carolyn placed both hands on the table and peered down at us. "I can't get over how adorable you two are," she told us. "I swear, I could just eat you up."
"Could I have my clothes please, Carolyn?" Julie asked.
Carolyn's mouth hung open in an exaggerated gesture of surprise. "God, I'm such a ditz," she said, reaching into her pocket. "I totally forgot." She set her hand down on the table, palm up. Julie's clothes and sandals were in a crumpled pile in the center of her hand. "There you go, sweetie," she said.
Julie stiffened and held her breath as she stepped toward Carolyn's hand. Her massive, treelike fingers twitched slightly as Julie climbed up into her palm. Eying Carolyn warily, Julie inched across her palm, her bare feet sinking slightly in the thick skin. When she at last reached her clothing, she dropped to her knees and gathered the pile to her chest.
I saw Carolyn move her other hand slowly towards Julie, extending her index finger to caress her tiny form. I called out as I bolted towards Carolyn's massive hand. Julie let out a startled scream as Carolyn's fingertip gently stroked her.
"Such a pretty little thing," Carolyn cooed as she pressed Julie onto her back with her gigantic finger. She moved her finger back and forth slowly, petting Julie through the t-shirt I had given her. As I scrambled up onto Carolyn's palm, I could hear Julie's pathetic whimpers. She lay there, her eyes screwed shut, crying softly as Carolyn pulled up the shirt with her fingernail and pressed her finger between Julie's legs.
"Stop it!" I screamed, throwing myself at the monstrous finger. "Leave her alone!"
The lights dimmed for about three seconds, then came back to normal. Apparently, that happened every time the shrink ray was used. Carolyn glanced up at the flickering ceiling light, then down at us. She stopped her molestation of Julie and lifted the two of us to her face.
"I don't know what kind of lies you've been telling Eddie, but he seems to think that you're scared of me," she whispered. "He told me to keep my distance until you get used to your new size. But frankly, I don't feel like waiting."
The lab door opened in the distance, and snicked shut. Carolyn signed and dumped us on the table, along with Julie's clothes. "We'll finish this conversation after dinner," she said. "Not a word to Eddie, or I'll make you pay."
Julie sobbed as she clung to me desperately, as if I might somehow protect her from Carolyn. I glared angrily at the giantess as I cradled Julie's head and stroked her hair. Carolyn gave me an amused look, as if she and I shared some joke.
Eddie came back, carrying two tiny plates of food in his hand. "Dinner is served," he announced cheerfully, setting the plates down in front of me and Julie. He paused and looked at us, wrinkling his brow at the sight of Julie still sobbing.
"What's wrong?" he asked, then whirled towards Carolyn. "What did you do? I told you to leave them alone?"
"I didn't do anything!" Carolyn snapped, convincingly indignant. "Why does everybody in this house think I'm some kind of monster?"
Eddie leaned down, his face just inches from us. "Guys, what happened?" he whispered. "Did Carolyn hurt you?"
I hesitated, glancing past Eddie at Carolyn's scowl. She was shaking her head, and the threat was quite explicit. Even so, I was on the verge of blurting it out and taking my chances. I swear, I was just about to tell Eddie the truth...
But Julie spoke first. "No," she said, still sobbing. "Carolyn didn't do anything. I'm just... upset about everything that's happened."
Eddie couldn't see it, but Julie gave me such a panicked, horrified look, and I realized she was completely terrified of Carolyn. And with all she'd been through in the last few hours, I could hardly blame her. I nodded almost imperceptivity, just to let Julie know I'd go along with her choice.
"See?" Carolyn demanded, slapping Eddie on the arm. "I think you owe me an apology."
Eddie sighed as he walked around the table and took his seat. "Okay, Carolyn. I'm sorry."
Carolyn looked at us as she muttered, "That's better." She took her seat, and the two of them fell to eating without a word.
***
This was definitely one of those cases where hindsight is 20/20, and I'm sure Julie would have reacted differently had she known how things would eventually turn out. However, at that time, we were still counting on the fact that Eddie would turn the project over to GenetiTech in a week. And Julie was afraid that Eddie might renege on the deal if he thought we meant to implicate his wife.
So the plan was simple. Endure whatever ignominies Carolyn handed out for the next week, until we were safely in the hands of GenetiTech. Then, and only then, would we tell all. We knew it was unlikely that you guys would take legal action, but Julie said you'd probably detain Carolyn for interrogation. And she was certain that her friend Rachel Foster would make that interrogation as long and painful as possible, as a personal favor.
But like I said, if we'd known what Carolyn would eventually do, we might have behaved differently. If we had, Eddie might not have been caught off guard like he was. And he might still be alive today...
***
Julie and I had both emptied our stomachs during the shrinking process. I was ravenous, and fell on the food, greedily shoveling it into my mouth. Julie, however, just picked at hers and barely ate anything. She was still upset about Carolyn's little game, and no doubt dreading what might lay ahead in the week to come.
Eddie ate and drank noisily, while Carolyn cut her meat loaf into dainty bites and nibbled. Her eyes cut back and forth from us to Eddie.
"I'm going to run to Wal-Mart in Odessa tomorrow," Eddie announced. "I'll probably be back sometime after lunch."
"Why Odessa?" Carolyn asked, sipping her wine. "There's a Wal-Mart like five miles from us in Midland."
"I'm picking up a dollhouse for Julie and Dave, so they'll be more comfortable. I'm also getting them some books, clothes, stuff like that. If I go here in town, it might get back to GenetiTech and... I just don't feel like answering their questions right now."
Carolyn shook her head. "You are so [EXPLETIVE DELETED] paranoid."
"You don't know these people like I do," Eddie said. He nodded toward us and added, "Isn't that right, Julie?"
Julie looked up but said nothing.
"We're going to be rich, Carolyn," Eddie said around another mouthful of meat loaf. "Rich and famous."
She sighed. "I've heard it before, Eddie. I'll believe it when it happens."
"Jesus!" Eddie snorted, pointing at me and Julie. "What more proof do you need?" Carolyn just shrugged and returned to eating. Eddie sighed. "I swear, you people have no appreciation for what I've accomplished here. Reynold may be a jackass, but at least he'll be impressed when I show him."
"I'm impressed, I'm impressed," Carolyn said impatiently. Then, in a suddenly sweeter tone of voice, she said, "You look exhausted, sweetheart. You should get some sleep tonight."
Eddie shook his head. "I've got too much to do before..." He trailed off and yawned, blinking his eyes. "God, I am sleepy."
"You've been working too hard, darling," Carolyn said. "Why don't you go on to bed? I'll be up in a little bit, after I clean up the kitchen."
"I really..." Eddie yawned again and rubbed at his eyes. "Man, it hit me pretty suddenly. Maybe I'll go lie down for a few hours."
"Good idea," Carolyn told him, standing up and walking over to him. She kissed him gently on the cheek as he rose from his chair. "Sleep tight, darling," she called to him as he lumbered off toward their bedroom.
"Wake me up when you come to bed," he said in a drowsy voice. "I've really got to get some work done tonight." I felt Julie stiffen next to me, and heard a quiet cry escape from her throat as the bedroom door closed.
Carolyn looked down at us, grinning wickedly. Her hand came down, hovering over us like a monstrous bird of prey. She flicked at Julie with her massive finger, scooting her toward the upturned shoebox. Julie backed away from her, crawling like a crab and gasping in terror. Carolyn picked up Julie's clothing between her thumb and finger and tossed it into the shoebox on top of her. Her skirt and blouse fluttered down gently, but one of her sandals smacked her in the head. The other struck the cardboard with a hard thunk.
"Okay, little girl," Carolyn said, tilting the box right-side-up and trapping Julie inside. "Why don't you go ahead and change your clothes. I'm going to go have a talk with your little boyfriend." She glanced toward me and, licking her lips, brought her hand down on top of me and caught me in her fist.
***
"Poor little guy," Carolyn whispered, stroking me with her index finger. "You've had such a long, hard day, haven't you?" I'm not sure what I was expecting, but this sure wasn't it. We were in the living room, on the couch. Carolyn's bare feet were resting on the coffee table, crossed at the ankles. Next to them sat an ashtray that held her smoldering cigarette, and her half-empty glass of wine.
I don't know how long I laid there in her palm, staring absent-mindedly at her feet as she rubbed my back with her massive fingertip, listening to the soothing whisper of her voice. Eventually, she figured it out. She chuckled as she wiggled her toes playfully.
"You still think they're pretty?" she asked me, flexing her toes and spreading them for my benefit. Her red polish was chipped, and there was a small indention along the top of each foot, left by the leather strap of her sandal. I rolled onto my back and looked up into her face as she continued to rub my stomach with her finger.
"Yes, ma'am," I told her, and she smiled. Not that horrible predatory smile I'd seen earlier, but a sweet, sincere smile.
"I'm surprised," she whispered. "After what I did to you."
My mind raced, trying to narrow down exactly which offense she meant. Since she had shrunk me this morning, I had been taunted, teased, stuffed in her pocket, and nearly crushed beneath her foot. I finally decided that was the incident she was referring to.
"I'm really sorry about that, Dave," she told me. "About saying I was going to squish you and everything." She quit petting me, and lifted me up. I lay helplessly in her palm, staring up into her massive, looming face. Even with her pleasant smile, her visage was terrifying in its vastness. I fought the urge to roll over and bury my face.
"I was just really angry," she told me. Her breath was warm and stank of cigarettes and wine as it washed over me. "But you have to believe me, I would never hurt you in a million years. You do believe me, don't you?"
I wasn't sure, but the only sane response was to nod enthusiastically. Her lips peeled away in a wide grin that revealed her teeth. At my size, every imperfection was visible in horrible detail. I could see the tiny pieces of meat still stuck between her teeth, and the fine yellow streaks of nicotine along her gumline. It was horrifying, but I forced myself not to look away.
"You're my special little guy," she whispered, then puckered her lips together. Her hand moved me upwards towards her mouth, and my heart raced as I suddenly imagined myself being sucked into her mouth and ground between her teeth. I think I actually whimpered when her red, sticky lips touched me in a gentle kiss. Her warm breath trickled from her nose as her lips parted slightly with a soft smack. Then, mercifully, she lowered me away from her face.
"I'm going to take really good care of you," she told me. "I really think you're going to like it here."
"What about Julie?" I asked her. The smile faltered slightly, then returned. Somehow, it seemed less sincere.
"What about her?" Carolyn asked me.
"Just be nice to her," I said. Her eyebrow rose at the tone of my demand, so I grinned up at her and added, "Please? For me?"
Carolyn tickled my stomach with her fingernail. "As long as you and Miss Julie behave yourselves, she has nothing to worry about," she told me. "Okay?"
I nodded. "Yes, ma'am."
"Good." She cut her eyes towards the dark hallway, then looked back at me. "Since we've finally got some time to ourselves, why don't we have a little fun?"
"What about Eddie?" I asked a little hopefully. "Will he be... I mean, what if he wakes up and..."
"Don't worry about Eddie," Carolyn told me. She winked, looking inordinately pleased with herself. "I slipped him half a valium in his meat loaf."
I stared up at her, incredulous. "What?"
"I do that sometimes when I know he's in the mood for sex," she told me, giggling. Her smile suddenly faded. "You won't tell him, will you?"
I shook my head. "No, ma'am. Mum's the word."
"Good boy," she said, smiling once again. She plucked me from her palm with her thumb and finger and leaned forward, dangling me above her gigantic toes. "I think you've earned this." She tucked me between her toes and clenched them together, holding me snuggly. She began wiggling them together slowly, her warm and leathery flesh rubbing against my bare chest and back.
God, it felt incredible. I found myself moaning and squirming in spite of myself, and Carolyn gave a delighted giggle as she brought me to reluctant orgasm. I spasmed and sputtered, and collapsed limply in her grasp. Carolyn whispered, "[EXPLETIVE DELETED], that was quick," then plucked me from between her toes. She kissed me once again, then returned to stroking me with her finger.
***
It was sometime after nine when Carolyn set me back in the shoebox. Julie watched warily from the corner, then ran to me as soon as Carolyn's hand withdrew. She looked so concerned, almost in tears, as she hugged me and gazed into my face. "I was so worried about you, Dave," she whispered. "What did she do to you?"
I shook my head. "I really don't want to talk about it."
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah," I sighed. "I'm fine. I just... it's just kind of embarrassing."
As Carolyn busied herself outside, cleaning the dishes off of the table and rinsing them off in the kitchen, Julie and I walked over to the corner of the shoebox and sat down. "Poor Dave," Julie said sympathetically, laying her head on my shoulder. "Just six more days, and I promise that bitch'll pay for everything."
"I know," I whispered, feeling oddly guilty, as if I were somehow betraying Carolyn. I knew it was ridiculous, that I had every reason to be angry with her. But for some reason, after spending the evening with her, my anger had abated somewhat. All that was left was a lot of shame, and a guilty longing...
***
The next morning, Eddie and Carolyn woke us up with their bickering. Julie and I were sacked out in the shoebox, which was still sitting on the dining room table. We'd fallen asleep sitting up against the cardboard wall, Julie nestled underneath my arm. She stirred at the same time I did, and I lifted my arm from around her shoulders. I hissed at the sensation of needles as circulation returned.
"Why didn't you wake me up?" Eddie was standing at the kitchen doorway, arguing with Carolyn. We couldn't see her from inside the box, but we could hear and smell the bacon frying.
"I'm sorry, okay?" Carolyn shot back. "You've been working so hard lately, and you were exhausted. I figured you needed the sleep."
Eddie sighed wearily. "I can sleep next week, okay? I'm fighting a deadline here."
"Why?" Carolyn asked. "What deadline?"
"Never mind." Eddie walked over and looked down at us. "Morning, guys. Did you sleep well?"
Julie shook her head. "No, Eddie. We spent the night in a [EXPLETIVE DELETED] shoebox."
Eddie gasped and stormed back toward the kitchen. "Why didn't you give them something to sleep on? A rag or a sponge or something?"
"Didn't think to do it," Carolyn answered back. "Sorry."
Eddie came back over to us, smiling apologetically. "I'm sorry, guys. I promise, it'll be better tonight. I'll find you guys something nice to live in."
Julie and I both nodded without much enthusiasm.
***
Eddie carried us into the lab, and Carolyn followed with our plates of eggs and bacon. He set the shoebox down on the workbench and upturned it gently, allowing Julie and I to walk out ourselves. I'll say this for Eddie... he never once picked us up or tried to handle us. I don't know if it was guilt, an aversion, or respect for Julie and me. Perhaps a combination of all three.
"Here," Eddie said, taking the two plates from Carolyn and setting them in the floor, on top of the plastic border circuit. Carolyn stepped back against the door, and Eddie walked over to the console. Julie and I both crept to the edge of the workbench and watched as Eddie took aim at our breakfast and shot it with a blinding white ray. The two plates were enveloped in a lingering white light for about five seconds. Then, they seemed to simply break apart in a cloud of luminous vapor. When the glowing cloud faded, the two breakfast plates remained at 1/30 of their original size.
I still have no idea how it worked, even though Eddie tried to explain it to me. Even Julie never fully understood it, and she's a lot more on the ball than I am. I know Carolyn didn't have a clue. She only knew how to operate the machine because I'd worked so hard to make it user-friendly and intuitive.
God, I was an idiot.
"Okay, I'm off to the store," Eddie told us, setting our paper plates down on the workbench. It was scrambled eggs, toast and bacon, along with two plastic cups of water. "And Carolyn's going to work in her garden this morning, so you guys'll be on your own until I get back. Anything else you need?"
I shrugged. "I don't know about Julie, but I've really got to pee. Bad."
Julie nodded a little shyly. "Me too."
Eddie slapped his forehead. "Damn, I didn't even think of that." He sighed, apologetically. "Just... um... just..." His eyes brightened as he reached over our heads to one of the shelves. He pulled down a half-empty bottle of water. Unscrewing the white plastic lid, he set it down inside the shoebox. "Just use that for right now," he said. "I'll try to think of something a little more pleasant when we get your new house set up."
He reached up to the shelf again, and plucked a tissue from the dispenser. He folded it up and set it down next to the bottle cap. "Just... you know... tear off what you need to..."
Julie sighed. "I'm not wild about these accommodations, Eddie," she said, shaking her head.
"I know, I know," Eddie said contritely. "I promise, I'll think of something better." He turned to leave, walking past Carolyn. She stepped toward us, grinning playfully as she bent down to regard us. Her grin faltered when Eddie grabbed her by the arm and pulled her out of the lab. "Come on, Carolyn," he insisted. "Leave them alone, okay?" The two of them left, and the door latched shut behind them.
***
It was Julie's idea to hang out in her car after we finished breakfast. It was amazing how, after only a day, seats our own size seemed absolutely luxurious. In fact, it was something of a relief to be in an enclosed area, somehow insulated from the vast expanse of the giant world outside. We sat and listened to 10,000 Maniacs (her CD, not mine) and tried, if only for a moment, to forget our situation.
We were reminiscing about Dr. Brauva and the rest of the gang at SMU, when we heard the beep of the keypad. A panicked look flashed across Julie's face, and she mashed the autolock button. The car doors locked with a loud click. She grinned nervously, a little embarrassed. "I guess that's not going to help, is it?" she joked bravely.
The lab door opened, and Carolyn came bounding in. Only, this time she held the door open to admit a second visitor.
Her sister, Linda.
"That's it?" Linda said, her voice tinged with disappointment. She was looking at Eddie's machine and hadn't noticed us yet. "I thought it would look more... I don't know... Star Trekky."
"Don't be stupid," Carolyn told her. "You don't know [EXPLETIVE DELETED] about science."
Linda snorted. "Oh, and you do?"
Carolyn approached the workbench, poking through the stacks of spare parts looking for us. She knocked them over effortlessly, calling in a singsong voice, "Come on out, guys. Linda wants to see you."
"Oh my God," Linda giggled. "You're serious? You've really got them here?"
"Somewhere," Carolyn said, lifting circuit boards to check beneath them. She slid the upturned shoebox around to look behind it. "I know you're in here somewhere, guys. You better not be hiding from me."
Julie and I watched her peer over the component pile. Her hand hovered overhead, her fingers flexing, eager to snatch us up at the first sign of movement. She sighed and slapped the workbench with the palm of her hand. We felt the car jolt beneath us as the wooden table shook.
"Should we go out there?" I asked Julie as we nervously watched Carolyn through the windshield. "I mean, it might be worse if we make her find us."
"I know," Julie said, her voice trembling. "But I can't."
Carolyn's eyes fell on the two of us, and her angry scowl quickly became a cruel, twisted smile. Julie and I both slumped down in our seats, wishing we could somehow make ourselves even smaller. We stared helplessly as Carolyn's massive palm came down over the windshield. Her fingers pressed against Julie's door, and her thumb against mine. The BMW's springs groaned softly as the car was lifted from the workbench.
Julie grabbed my hand and clutched it tight as we felt ourselves being moved through the air. "Hold out your hand," Carolyn said. "No, flat. Yeah, like that." The car tilted back slightly, then came to rest. The shadow of Carolyn's palm yanked away quickly, and we found ourselves staring into the wide-eyed, grinning face of Linda.
"Oooh," she squealed, tapping on the windshield with her bright pink fingernail. Her voice was so loud and piercing that Julie and I both clasped our hands over our ears. "They're so itty bitty!" She tapped again and continued in that grating, high-pitched voice. "Hello! Hello little people!" She moved the car in for a closer look, and her eye filled the entire windshield. Julie gasped and buried her face, unable to bear the scrutiny.
"Oh my God," Linda said again. "Is that really Dave?"
"I told you," Carolyn said. "He's my special little guy now." Her face appeared on the passenger side, leaning in for a closer look. "Aren't you?"
Linda giggled. "Can we... you know... play with them?"
"Sure," Carolyn said. "Put them down on the floor."
There was a falling sensation as Linda knelt and set us on the carpet. Carolyn stood directly in front of us, her sandaled foot tapping impatiently on the carpet with a muffled thump. Aside from that, the only sound was the music softly playing from Julie's stereo. And, I suddenly realized, the sound of Julie's quiet, desperate laughter.
"Come on out of there, guys," Carolyn said. "We just want to look at you."
"Yeah, come on out, little people," Linda added, giggling. "We're not going to hurt you."
Julie clicked the ignition key once, killing the stereo. She looked at me with a crazed grin and whispered, "Hang on."
I shook my head. "Julie, don't," I pleaded. "I swear, we'll be in so much trouble if she catches us."
"[EXPLETIVE DELETED] her," Julie snapped. She turned the key and the BMW's engine roared to life.
"Hey!" Carolyn yelled as we shot forward across the carpet. The ride was bumpy, like a road in ill repair, and we were going at least 60 when Carolyn slammed her foot down right in our path. I think I actually screamed, but Julie yanked the wheel hard to the left and we narrowly missed colliding.
"Julie!" I shouted, but she was oblivious to me. She clutched the wheel in both hands, grinning maniacally as she avoided Linda's foot and Carolyn's grasping hand. It was only a matter of time before they caught us; Julie's defiance was little more than an empty gesture. But after the way Carolyn had molested her last night, she wasn't going to relent willingly.
The frustrating thing was, I should have felt the same way. But, shamefully, I didn't.
A flash of pink as Linda stepped down in front of us. Her toenails were bright pink, just like her beaded sandals. We swerved to the right, and again to the left as Carolyn's foot slid into our path. Another hard left, and suddenly it was all over. Julie screamed as the red, rubber sole of Carolyn's flip flop covered the windshield.
"Get the [EXPLETIVE DELETED] out of there," Carolyn barked. "Right now!" She mashed down with her foot, easily buckling the car's roof enough to crack the windshield and shatter the back window. I fumbled for the door handle and got the door open, but Julie just sat there, staring helplessly as tears of frustration poured down her cheeks.
"Julie, get out of here!" I screamed, shoving at her. She didn't respond. I grabbed her arm and desperately yanked her free of her seat, dragging her over the middle console and out the door on the passenger side. We tumbled onto the carpet and lay there, powerless to do anything as Carolyn crushed Julie's car flat. The tiny BMW groaned and creaked, then finally snapped beneath the weight of her monstrous foot. She did it slowly, twisting her foot as if grinding out a cigarette. Warm water and antifreeze spilled from the broken radiator and puddled on the carpet, and the tires popped and hissed flat as the wheels buckled.
Finally, she reached down and picked up the ruined car gingerly, as if it were a toy, and dropped it into the trash can. It landed with a loud, ear-splintering crash that didn't seem to faze either of the giant ladies. Carolyn looked down into the wastebasket, smiling as thin plumes of white smoke billowed upward. She grabbed Eddie's open bottle of water and poured it into the metal can. An angry hiss, a lot more smoke, and the tiny fire was out. Carolyn dropped the empty bottle into the trash, on top of the car.
"You little [EXPLETIVE DELETED] bitch," Carolyn said, her grin menacing and hateful. She stomped down just inches from us, so hard that the wind actually knocked us back a little. Kneeling, she reached for Julie with excruciating slowness. And poor Julie offered no resistance. She just sat and cried quietly as Carolyn grasped her between her finger and thumb.
"Please don't hurt her, Carolyn," I pleaded, rushing towards her massive hand. I made a running leap for her thumb, but missed and landed flat on my face on the carpet. Carolyn stood up and held poor Julie up to her face.
I leapt up and ran to her. I scrambled up the side of her flip flop and climbed onto her foot. Desperate and shamelessly, I prostrated myself along the top of her tan foot and began covering her big toe with kisses. The usual smell of sweat and lavender soap was mingled with the acrid scent of burning oil and antifreeze.
"Don't hurt her, Carolyn," I repeated, craning my neck to stare into her distance, smirking face. "I'll do anything you want. Just let her go."
Carolyn sighed, then shook me off of her foot. I landed on the carpet with a thud. "Here, Linda. You can play with this one," she said. Then looking down at me, she added, "You'll like him. He's got a thing for feet."
"Really?" Linda asked, looking down at me with a gleeful expression. She knelt down and tentatively wrapped her fingers around me. She lifted me gently into the air, up to her lips, and whispered, "I can't wait to put you to work on mine."
"Let's go in the living room," Carolyn suggested. "Eddie won't let me smoke in here." She gazed at Julie and licked her lips. "And I'm really going to need a cigarette before we're done."
***
Giantess World
Summer Job by Cayce