“Ow!” Nick exclaimed quietly, smacking his head on the toilet lid. “Jesus! Half-an-inch tall and I STILL bump my head on this stupid lid.”
Nick frustratedly pounded his fist on the ceiling, then rubbed his head to help alleviate the pain as he crouched and moved forward towards the illuminated edge of the toilet rim. It probably wasn’t the best idea to shrink himself more after everything he’d been through already that day, especially since the stress was going to make his re-growing himself afterwards THAT much more difficult and his escape THAT much more treacherous, but he needed to fit between the closed lid and the toilet rim, otherwise he’d be stuck in a potentially worse position. Thankfully, he hadn’t really needed any concentration to shrink himself down from 3” tall to only a 1/2” tall, relying mainly on his body’s reaction to him picturing giant, naked women.
As Nick reaches the edge of the toilet bowl and stepped into the light, he beheld a jaw-dropping sight: a vast expanse lay before him, a massive room that was to Nick larger than the grand hall of a billionaire’s mansion. The ceiling was almost a mile above him, and the distance to the floor at least a 50ft drop, and while his eyes were still trying to grasp how enormous everything seemed, Nick’s ears were bombarded with a the bellowing singing of his giant wife shielded behind a closed shower curtain, her massive silhouette shifting back and forth as she bathed.
He didn’t know exactly how long it had been since Cassie had hopped into the shower, but he doubted she’d be in there much longer. He needed to get down from the toilet and at least find a hiding spot somewhere before she finished, lest she find and squash him beneath her heel before he could grow back.
Unfortunately, Nick was kind of stuck at the moment: there was a long drop to the ground ahead of him, and there wasn’t anything he could use to assist in his descent, nor was he able to grow himself any to decrease the danger of the long fall, and every second he stood there doing nothing, unsure of what to do, brought him another second closer to Cassie finishing her shower.
Nick frantically racked his brain. He had to figure out something quickly; he couldn’t just stay there...
...Could he?!
Actually, the more Nick thought about it, the more he realized that staying put wasn’t necessarily a bad idea: he WAS pretty much concealed beneath the toilet lid, and it was unlikely that Cassie would have to use the toilet again after having just gone. Sure, she might flush the toilet, but Nick was now safely clear of the bowl. Staying hidden where he was until Cassie finished drying off and exited the bathroom might just be the best course of action...
...But what if she DID happen to lift the lid and spot him?
Thinking quickly, Nick dropped to his stomach and slid his tiny figure beneath the toilet seat, hoping the increased cover would offer him some added protection. Then, he waited patiently, albeit anxiously, for Cassie to finish showering.
As Nick lay in wait, however, listening to the blaring music and his giant wife’s serenade, he became increasingly irked, finding it extremely unsettling that Cassie could be singing so happily after having just drowned and disposed of her husband, yet even more proof that he was right on his recent conclusions that she never really loved him unconditionally.
Suddenly, Nick heard the faucet squeak; the shower slowed to a stop. His little heart was beating out of his chest; Nick started praying…PLEADING to the gods that Cassie wouldn’t lift the toilet seat and find him.
“Just dry off and leave...Just dry off and leave...”
Nick kept repeating the same plea over and over again in his mind and out loud, albeit whispering, trying to influence his giant wife’s actions. He knew it was unlikely that Cassie would actually hear him over the music blasting from her phone, but Nick wasn’t taking any chances, remaining relatively silent and as still as possible.

“Ah,” Cassie sighed contently, brushing the water from her face. “God, that felt good!”
She casually sang along to her music as she stepped to the opposite end of the tub.
Nick jerked in shock as Cassie suddenly tore back the shower curtain, slinking back even further beneath the toilet seat, taking additional shelter behind a nearby rubber foot which separated the toilet seat from the bowl.
This move, however, would prove costly. When Cassie reached down to retrieve her towel from atop the toilet, she ended up shifting both the lid and the seat beneath it. The rubber separator Nick was holding on to suddenly jerked to one side, tossing the tiny man forward towards the edge of the toilet.
Nick hastily spun around and grabbed the ledge just before he fell to the floor, a move which now left him dangling helplessly off the front the toilet, in full view of his giant wife.
Cassie, however, was too preoccupied with snatching up her towel and wiping her face to notice him. Before she retreated back into the bathtub, though, and wanting to take care of it while it was still fresh in her mind, she reached out across the toilet with her right hand, straining to touch the tank handle, and pressed the plunger with her fingers to flush the toilet.
The sudden rush of water inside the bowl gave Nick a start; in the process, he lost his grip. The tiny man plummeted towards the floor, tumbling through the air the entire way.
*FLOOF*
It wasn’t exactly a soft landing, but the shaggy, blue bathmat was definitely a preferred surface to land upon compared to the hard, linoleum floor. The sudden impact, however, was still intense enough to leave Nick stunned and laying prone amidst the plush, carpet fibers.
Meanwhile, Cassie, still in he bathtub, was singing along to her music as she actively dried herself off: she quickly ran the towel through her hair to soak up the excess moisture, then focused on getting her legs and feet so she could at least step onto the bathmat and finish drying off outside the shower.
Nick was battered and bruised from his fall, struggling to find the strength to even move. He strained to push his torso up; pain shot through his whole body. Knowing he had to get moving, Nick pushed through it, slowly bending his knees and scooting his legs beneath his body, using them along with the adjacent carpet fibers to get himself into a standing position. The tiny man twisted and stretched to attempt to work the kinks out of his muscles and crack his back, hoping to alleviate some of his pain and stiffness to be able to walk more easily...
Nick jumped as the shower curtain suddenly flew open behind him. He snapped his head around and gazed upwards...
His eyes went wide, and his jaw trembled with freight: Cassie’s gigantic, naked figure was toweling off her face as she stepped out of the bathtub, her titanic, wrinkled, right sole bearing down right on top of him.
“EEK!” Nick squeaked as he frantically dove out of the way, narrowly avoiding being stepped as Cassie’s foot hit he floor with a giant BOOM. Her left foot stomped down a second later, mere inches from where Nick’s prior dodge had landed him.
The giant, naked Cassie now towered directly over Nick’s head, completely unaware that her tiny husband was literally underneath her as she nonchalantly dried her hair and upper body. She gleefully sang and danced along to the music, her humongous figure swaying back-and-forth above the tiny man in what certainly could have been considered a seductive dance, especially considering her giant pussy, which was also directly overhead, kept dripping excess water onto him and the surrounding carpet.
Nick, however, had other things on his mind. Even without the extreme animosity he now felt towards his giant wife, he wouldn’t have been able to enjoy the view anyway: he was too preoccupied actively avoiding Cassie’s giant, dancing feet as they continuously stomped down upon the bathmat. Her heels were especially dangerous as they alternated tapping to the beat, threatening to squash the tiny man with a single stomp should he at any time find himself beneath them.
Ironically, this was the one time that Nick actually WANTED Cassie to remain UNAWARE of his presence; she’d no doubt squash him for sure if she discovered him at her feet, but without being able to accurately predict where she’d move next, all it would take was one wrong step and he’d be a goner.
Nick needed to make a break for it, but he couldn’t risk making a run for the door with Cassie stomping around; even if he DID manage to avoid getting stepped on, she could easily spot him. Instead, Nick dashed between Cassie’s dancing feet and made his way through the carpet fibers towards the tub, hunkering down between the edge of the bathmat and the tub, trying to stay as small and out of sight as possible until Cassie left the bathroom.
Cassie, however, was in no hurry to leave, taking her sweet time to dry off as she meandered around in front of the bathroom sink, and Nick only grew increasingly nervous each time the giant woman turned or stepped in his direction, worried he’d either be stomped or spotted. Taking extra precautions, he quickly lifted up the edge of the bathmat and slipped his tiny body beneath the under-padding. He knew it might be a risky position to be in, especially if Cassie happened to step over to the shower again, but honestly, what were the odds of THAT happening?
Every minute or two, Nick would peek out from his hiding spot and watch Cassie for any sign that she might be getting ready to finish up and leave the bathroom; once again, Nick found himself growing more and more peeved and pissed off, still in disbelief that Cassie could seem so chipper after flushing him down the toilet to his doom.
Jeez! Nick thought to himself. Could you BE any happier, you giant bitch?!
A few minutes later, Cassie wrapped her towel around her body, grabbed her phone off the sink, then finally proceeded out of the bathroom and down the hallway, turning the corner into the bedroom.
Hearing her music wavering, and the giant woman stomping away, Nick poked his head out of his hiding spot to make sure the coast was clear, then pulled the rest of his tiny body out from under the bathmat. He thought it odd Cassie would forget to flip off the bathroom light, but didn’t have the time to waste speculating. He hurriedly began sneaking along the edge of carpet towards the toilet to find a better hiding spot.
He couldn’t have gone more than a foot when he suddenly spotted Cassie‘s giant, toweled figure coming back out of the bedroom, stomping down the hall towards the bathroom again.
Nick panicked, frantically diving back beneath the bathmat once more.
“Did she see me?!” Nick whispered nervously. “Oh, God, please tell me she didn’t spot me!”
Cassie re-entered the bathroom and set her phone back down on the counter, then unfurled and removed the bath towel from her torso, revealing a fresh pair of panties she’d donned while she was in the bedroom only moments ago. Finally, she stepped over to the bathtub to hang her towel over the shower rod.
Nick cringed as he heard and felt Cassie stomp closer, bracing himself beneath the bathmat...
Cassie’s left foot stomped down onto the carpet just behind him, her toes missing Nick’s concealed figure by mere inches. Thankfully, she opted to stretch her arms instead of stepping any closer, practically throwing her towel over the shower rod before stepping back to the sink.
Nick exhaled, breathing a sigh of relief as he heard Cassie stomp away; he’d thankfully remained un-squished AND undiscovered....for now.
Meanwhile, the now topless Cassie opened one of the bathroom sink’s vanity drawers and pulled out her hair dryer, plugging it into a nearby outlet next to the sink. Then, with a quick flip of her finger, she turned it on and began flipping and blow drying her hair.
Nick cringed, covering his ears to protect them from the thunderous roar of the hurricane-force winds blasting from the device’s nozzle. He greatly would’ve preferred Cassie’s blaring music to the deafening noise now ejaculating from her hair dryer. Cassie’s music WAS was still playing, however, albeit currently over-powered, resulting in a painful cacophony of sound that assaulted Nick’s senses.
The tiny man waited uncomfortably for what seemed like forever for Cassie to finish her egocentric chore, and was exceedingly grateful when heard the blow dryer finally switch off. Nick slowly removed his hands from his ears; thankfully, they too preferred the less strenuous noise of Cassie’s music, having adjusted themselves accordingly.

With her hair now completely dry, Cassie put away her blow dryer and slammed the drawer shut. Then, she took a moment to apply a fresh coating of deodorant to her underarms, mumbling to herself that she probably should’ve taken the opportunity to shave her pits during her long, refreshing shower.
Cassie shrugged and replaced the cap on her deodorant, setting it back down on the counter. Then, with her routine finally complete, she quickly donned her bathrobe, grabbed her phone, and shut off the light to the bathroom before heading back down the hall towards the living room.

With the bathroom light now off, Nick re-emerged from his hiding spot and quickly made his way to the toilet, sitting down beside it to rest just out of sight of the doorway. He closed his eyes and took a few moments to catch and slow his breathing. With his body now fully relaxed, Nick began concentrating, hoping that in the privacy of the dark bathroom, and with everything now quiet, he’d finally be able to regrow himself.
He kept thinking how fulfilling it was going to be when he emerged alive from the bathroom, and how freaked out Cassie was going to be when he scared the shit out of her.
Nick quickly pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind. There’d be plenty of time to revel in victory later; right now, he needed to focus...
...Concentrate....focus....breathe...
...Nothing was happening!
“Damn it!” Nick vented aloud in frustration as he stood back up. “Why the hell can’t I GROW?! I did it before while I was in the pipe. Why the fuck am I having trouble NOW?!”
The only answer Nick could come up with was that he was still too stressed. He was slightly dubious of that reasoning, however, unsure how his own apartment’s bathroom was any more stressful than being stuck in a toilet’s drain pipe. Of course, the bathroom also came with the added fear that his giant wife could find and squash him at any time. Needless to say, he couldn’t just stay where he was and wait to be found: he’d now have to escape his own apartment!
Getting out, however, meant getting past Cassie without being seen. Thankfully, being half an inch tall came with the obvious advantage of being able to move throughout the apartment unnoticed. Unfortunately, it also meant that it would take a very long time for Nick to get anywhere, and even if he managed to sneak past Cassie, squeeze under the front door, and escape the apartment, then what? He was still shrunk, and it’d take him FOREVER to get to Jenny’s place...
“...Jenny!” Nick exclaimed with regret. “Oh no! She must be worried sick about me!”
It was the first time since his ordeal began that Nick had actually been able to take a moment to gather his thoughts, and Jenny was foremost on his mind. He’d called her before coming back to his apartment that morning and told her he’d be over once he’d officially broken things off with Cassie. She’d been waiting for him all this time!
Then, there was the added regret Nick felt regarding his and Cassie’s little rendezvous earlier. If Jenny ever found out about, she’d probably ALSO want kill him. Of course, if she only knew what kind of trouble Nick was in...
He had to get back to her, but how?! He’d never be able to make it Jenny’s place at his current size, and even if he DID manage to destress himself enough to restore his height...He was COMPLETELY NAKED! What was he gonna do: STREAK across the PARKING LOT?!
“Great!” Nick exclaimed. “Now, I have to secure a fresh change of clothes AND escape my apartment....ALL without Cassie noticing me! How the hell am I supposed to do THAT?!”
Nick hated to admit it, but it seemed his only option was to find a place to hide until he naturally grew large enough to be able to grab some clothes and safely escape the apartment.
“Yeah, that’s great, Nick!” he scolded himself. “What’re you gonna do: hide under the fucking bed?!”
Nick snapped to attention; that wasn’t a bad idea at all. If he could make it to the bedroom, he could slip under the bed and stay safely hidden until he grew to at least a couple feet tall....however long THAT would take. Cassie’d NEVER be able to squash him then. Heck, he could probably just wait until Cassie went to bed that night. He’d no doubt be large enough by then to sneak a change of clothes and get out of there without Cassie ever suspecting a thing.
After making sure the coast was clear, Nick scurried past the front of the toilet and headed towards the trash can, collecting a stray piece of CLEAN toilet paper to create a makeshift toga for himself, then ran over and took cover beneath a small ledge under the vanity cabinets. From there, he slowly made his way along the base of the vanity to the bathroom door. After that, all he’d have to do is make it down the hallway, take a sharp right into the bedroom, and slip under the bed.
“Yeah, this’ll be a sinch!” Nick said sarcastically in an unsuccessful, half-asked effort to reassure himself. It was a long journey for a man of his size; Nick just hoped he could make it without Cassie spotting him….or accidentally stepping on him.
As Nick approached the bathroom doorway, he kept hearing Cassie shifting in her chair. He became more and more apprehensive each time he heard her move, and nearly shit himself when he felt her stomping towards the hallway, watching her pass from the living room to the bedroom, and then back to the living room again.
In the midst of his apprehension, however, Nick also felt enraged. As he watched Cassie pass by, he kept wishing he could just grow back, jump out of the shadows, and just start strangling her for what she did to him. Unfortunately, even if Nick DID have the control over his powers to do that, under the best circumstances, his growth rate was slow: it’d take anywhere between 20 to 30 seconds for him to go back to normal—plenty of time for Cassie to spot AND squash him before he got too big.
Nick stood at the open doorway and cautiously peered down the hall, meticulously planning his route to the bedroom. He hadn’t seen or heard Cassie for some time, so it seemed like the coast was clear, but he kept getting an unsettling feeling that things were just too quiet, and that as soon as he started his journey, Cassie would come stomping around the corner and spot him.
Ultimately, Nick opted on crossing over and sneaking along the wall on the far side of the hallway opposite the bedroom. It would certainly add more time and distance to his journey, but it came with the added benefit of the laundry hamper AND a utility closet where the water heater and air conditioning unit were. At the very least, if Cassie DID happen to enter the hallway before Nick made it to the bedroom, he could duck under the utility door or crouch behind the hamper for cover.
Nick took a deep breath, then quickly scurried along the doorway into the hallway corner, traversing along the wall to his destination.
Not long after starting his trek, Nick heard Cassie singing again, and pounding away at her laptop keyboard.
“Good,” Nick whispered, “Now, just STAY there until I can get to the bedroom.”
Despite his half-inch size, Nick was able to traverse the hallway rather quickly, taking a well-deserved rest once he reached the laundry hamper.
“Alright,” he commented, catching his breath. “So far, so good. Now, just a quick sprint across the hallway and I’m there!”
Nick crept along the side of the hamper, then carefully peeked around its corner, watching and listening for any sign of movement...
The only thing he heard was the tapping of Cassie’s fingers on her keyboard.
Nick eyed the gap between the hamper and the catty corner bedroom doorway, planning the shortest path across the hall.
His heart was already racing, his palms were sweaty...This was it!
“Alright,” Nick whispered, “Here we go...
One....two....
....THREE!”
Nick tore through the carpet, running as fast as he could, reaching out and pulling any fibers he could grab onto along the way, using the added leverage to propel his tiny figure across the hallway. Every sound behind him only forced Nick to push through the pain and run even faster, fearing that each one was Cassie stomping after him. He didn’t care, though; he believed if he could make it under the bed he could keep out of her reach, even if she DID spot him.
As he broke the doorway’s threshold, Nick felt like he’d crossed the finish line in the biggest race of his life. With the bed literally towering before him, he didn’t even bother stopping, nor even slowed down; he just kept running even faster, closing his eyes and gritting his teeth, straining to endure the pain...
Nick’s right foot was suddenly yanked out from under him; the next thing he knew, he’d landed face-first onto the floor. He quickly shook off the impact, lifting himself up to start running again...
Once again, Nick fell to the floor; Something had ahold of his ankle!
He flipped his body over to inspect his right leg...
Apparently, in his haste to tear through the carpet, his right foot had somehow gotten tangled up in some frayed strands from one of the carpet fibers. Nick reached down to hastily untangle himself and get moving again, but the task proved far more complicated than he initially thought: his ankle was well wrapped with stray fibers. It was one of those rare instances where he wouldn’t have been able to replicate the results if he tried: he had literally stepped in a one in a million spot!
Nick started panicking, hastily tugging at the fibers to break their hold.
“Damn it, come on!” Nick exclaimed frightfully, bringing himself to tears. “Come on, I’m out in the open! Cassie’s gonna find me for sure!”
Nick quickly closed his eyes and tried to recenter himself, doing his best to calm down and not get discouraged. Panicking wasn’t going to help anything.
“Come on, Nick! You can do this! Just take it one string at a time.”

Cassie could’ve spent the rest of the day slumped across her arm chair. It had already been a frustrating day; she didn’t want to go anywhere or do anything. Besides slipping on a fresh pair of panties earlier, she didn’t even bother to put on the rest of the clothes she’d laid out before her shower, opting to just lounge about in her bathrobe and waste away the rest of the day surfing the internet.
She wasn’t just picking random sites, however.
“Ah, OK, so all I have to do is plug it in and it just wipes everything off the phone,” she commented. “Awesome!”
Although she hadn’t initially intended on spending the rest of her afternoon dealing with it, Cassie had spent the last several minutes searching the web for ideas on what to do with Nick’s phone. She figured if she was going to surf the net anyway, she may as well take a few minutes getting some suggestions on how to effectively dispose of it. She happened upon a website that offered an online way of completely wiping a phone of all its data and resetting it back to factory status. Thankfully, it would wipe and overwrite EVERYTHING, INCLUDING its previous ownership, while still maintaining privacy so that there would be no record of who had deleted it.
“Then, I just have to drop it off at that kiosk the next time I go to the store,” Cassie said eagerly as she rocked herself forward and up out of her recliner, traipsing off towards the bedroom to retrieve Nick’s phone.

Nick was freaking out, frantically tugging at the carpet fibers to free his leg. Not only had Cassie’s talking to herself set him on edge, she was now stomping in his direction.
A split-second later, her giant figure appeared in the archway between the living room and the hall, and with Nick currently stuck in the middle of the floor, just inside the bedroom door, she was literally headed right for him.
Nick redoubled his efforts, but it was already too late: he couldn’t run, couldn’t even move. In desperation, Nick slunk as low as possible into the carpet, curling his body up into a ball, hoping Cassie would neither see him, nor step on him.
He closed his eyes, tucked his head to his chest, and braced for impact...

*KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK*
Cassie jerked, stopping mid-step as she grabbed her chest; she was suddenly startled by someone knocking on the front door.

Nick was still cringing; he could feel Cassie standing over him, shrouding him in her shadow. The was a loud sound, followed by a giant, startled gasp...
She must’ve spotted him. He nervously awaited for the inevitable impact of Cassie’s foot with his tiny body...
...Oddly enough, it never came.
Nick hesitantly opened his eyes and looked up: Cassie’s right foot was resting on its heel just a few inches in front of him, casting a massive shadow over the surrounding carpet. Her bare sole towered overhead, and Nick was in direct line with the ball of her foot; all she’d have to do is step down and he’d be squished.

“Ugh, who could THAT be?!” Cassie sighed frustratedly, coming out of her shock. She shifted her right foot back to give her leverage, turned around, and stomped back through the living room towards the front door.

Nick sighed with relief as the giantess above backed off and stomped away, but he was far from calm. He was so intensely focused on Cassie’s actions his mind didn’t even register the loud, pounding sound he heard only seconds beforehand as someone knocking on the front door. He thanked God Cassie hadn’t spotted him, but he needed to use his time wisely, and immediately continued his efforts to meticulously free his leg while his giant wife was otherwise preoccupied.

———————————————————————————————————————

Jenny swallowed hard as she pulled her hand away from the door. She’d been standing outside Cassie and Nick’s apartment for almost a solid five minutes, centering herself and building up the courage just to knock; even now, she was having second thoughts, already regretting her decision to come over in the first place, almost wishing nobody answered.
Unfortunately, Jenny wasn’t sure she had a choice. She was extremely worried about Nick, not knowing his whereabouts, and was concerned for his safety, continuously picturing the worst case scenario over and over again in her mind:
What if Nick lost control of his powers again? She pondered. What if he’d had another shrinking episode....and in front of Cassie, no less? What if she tried to squash him again?
Jenny bit her lower lip, eyeing the stairs that lead back down to the front door of the apartment building, planning her getaway, but she’d come too far to just turn and leave. She HAD to know that Nick was safe.
Suddenly, Jenny heard footsteps inside the apartment heading towards the door. Her heart began racing, and she swallowed hard again, almost jumping where she stood when the deadbolt unlocked and the door opened in front of her.

Cassie was stunned when she saw Jenny standing at her front door.
Jenny, having already suffered her shock, opened her mouth to speak, but hesitated, unable to even formulate the words. She was also caught slightly off-guard at the sight of Cassie in her bathrobe.
“What do YOU want?” Cassie asked standoffishly after her initial shock had worn off.
“H-Hi, Cassie,” Jenny stammered apprehensively, sighing. “Look, I know I’m probably the LAST person in the world you want to see right now—“
“You can say THAT again!” Cassie interrupted, her demeanor intensifying.
Jenny sighed again, closing her eyes and tilting her head up, trying to push through the embarrassment.
“I know,” she continued. “I know I shouldn’t have just come over like this, but I was wondering if Nick was still here. He told me he was coming over to talk to you this morning, but I haven’t heard from him all afternoon. I was....starting to get worried.”
“Well, not that it’s any of YOUR business,” Cassie sneered, moving to close the door, “but Nick isn’t here.”
“Cassie, come on,” Jenny interjected, putting her hand on the door and preventing Cassie from closing it in her face. “I know your mad at me, but this is about Nick. I’m afraid he might have had another one of his shrinking spells. Are you SURE you haven’t seen him?!”
“I never said I hadn’t SEEN him,” Cassie admitted snidely. “Sure, he WAS here, but he left a while ago.”
“Are you sure?” Jenny inquired emphatically, trying to be perfectly clear. “Are you sure you SAW him leave? I mean, it would only take a second for him to shrink while you’re back was turned...”
“I’m not blind, Jenny!” Cassie snapped. “I certainly would’ve noticed if that happened. Besides, I watched him leave myself. Trust me, he’s not here! Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to get back to my afternoon... ”
“Cassie, please,” Jenny begged, trying to restrain herself. “Could you at least tell me when that was, or at least if you know where he went? He said he was going to come talk to me as soon as he was finished with you...”
Jenny cringed, realizing she’d phrased that wrong.
“...I mean, after you and he were done talking,” Jenny restated. “I’ve tried calling him, but...”
Jenny paused yet again, very apprehensive at admitting that she’d been calling Nick.
“Look, I haven’t heard from him, and I haven’t seen him,” Jenny said semi-calmly. “If something happened after he left...he could be in real trouble.”
“Jenny,” Cassie replied bluntly, “to be perfectly honest, once he left here, he and his stupid shrinking powers CEASED to be my problem. If YOU wanna deal with him, and spend your time searching, that’s fine by me!”
“Cassie, come on. You can NOT be this heartless.”
“I’M being heartless?!” Cassie exclaimed, taken aback. “You fuck my husband, and you think I’M the one that’s being heartless?!”
“Cass, what do you want me to say?!” Jenny exclaimed, “That I’m SORRY?! Yes, OK, I am sorry! I didn’t mean for it to happen. I didn’t mean for ANY of this to happen! When Nick came over here that night, I swear, the ONLY thing I thought we’d do was talk....*sigh* but when he told me about everything that had happened to him, and all the trouble he’d been in, I...I don’t know, I-I guess I felt sorry for him.
“I mean, when YOU first told me about all of this, you know about his....powers and what not, I’ll admit I found it....odd, to say the least...but I also found it...I don’t know, kinda...hot. When you were telling me about all the...’stuff’ you and he would do together, and when Nick started telling me about it again that night...I...I guess I got a little aroused.
“Look, I never meant to hurt you, Cassie. We were really starting to become best friends...I-I never wanted to betray you like that, but YOU shouldn’t have treated Nick the way you did either. I’m not asking you to forgive me, but please, don’t let your anger towards me put Nick’s life in jeopardy.”
Cassie sighed and shook her head, speaking in a far calmer tone:
“Jenny....this whole thing with Nick...it’s just frustrated me to no end. I mean, it’s had me so flustered that I can’t even think straight, and I haven’t been able to for MONTHS. I felt like I’d gone crazy! These past few weeks without Nick around have honestly been a Godsend. For my own sanity’s sake, I think I just wanna forget about all this—about Nick, and you and me—I just wanna leave this part of my life behind me and move on. I just can’t worry about him anymore. If you want my advice, I suggest you do the same, but you can do whatever you want. Just....leave me out of it.”
With that, Cassie moved to shut the door.

Nick was frantically sprinting through the living room carpet as fast as his little legs take him. Minutes before, he was still struggling to free his leg from the carpet fibers in the bedroom, eyeing the safety of the shadows beneath the massive Queen-sized bed only a few feet away.
The moment he heard Jenny’s voice, however, Nick abandoned his plans; he HAD to get to her!
With a sudden rush of adrenaline, Nick give his leg one huge yank, snapping the remaining fibers clinging to his ankle, and quickly scrambled to his feet. The tiny man took off like a shot, flinging himself out of the bedroom and into the hallway. At still only half an inch tall, it would take all the speed and energy he could muster to reach the front door in time. Even with the odds stacked against him, and the extreme danger of Cassie spotting and squashing him before he could make it to Jenny, Nick couldn’t pass up the opportunity of being rescued.
“Please, Jenny!” Nick kept saying to himself as he frantically grabbed the nearby carpet fibers, thrusting himself forward. “Please, don’t leave! I’m almost there; I’m almost there!”

Jenny sighed dejectedly, bowing her head in shame as Cassie began closing the door. Jenny’s gaze randomly jumped about the floor, the top of her vision watching the bottom of the door as she watched it close...
Jenny’s eyes suddenly went wide; without even lifting her head, she the immediately reached out her hand and stopped the door just before it shut.
Cassie was caught slightly off guard, sighing in frustration as she lifted her own gaze to Jenny, who was still staring at the floor.
“Jenny, what?!” Cassie said bitterly. “I told you, I don’t want—“
“Cassie!” Jenny spoke softly, but with extreme intensity, lifting her head and looking Cassie squarely in the eyes. “Where’s Nick?”
“Wh-What?” Cassie replied with confusion.
“I said: Where’s Nick?” Jenny inquired again, enunciating each word with an extremely irate look in her eyes.
“Jenny,” Cassie uttered, wondering exactly what Jenny was getting on to. “I told you, he left.”
“And you WATCHED him leave?” Jenny asked.
“Yes, of course.”
“...Without his shoes?!”
“Wh...what?” Cassie stammered nervously.
“His sandals are behind the door, Cassie,” Jenny said sharply. “I can see them through the crack in the door!”
Cassie immediately shifted her gaze to the kitchen floor; sure enough, Nick’s sandals were behind the door from where he’d kicked them off when he came over that morning.
“And don’t you dare tell me that they’ve been there for the past six weeks,” Jenny continued, “because I know for a fact that they haven’t been, because those were the exact pair Nick was wearing when I went to see him at his motel room a couple weeks ago. And don’t you dare try to feign ignorance either, because I’m pretty sure you’d have noticed if Nick left here BAREFOOT!”
Cassie swallowed hard. The jig was up!
“So, I’ll ask you again, Cassie,” Jenny said, taking a step across the threshold and getting right in her face. “Where....is....Nick?!”
Cassie took a deep breath, staring Jenny down.
“I don’t know what your insinuating, Jenny,” she said quietly, yet harshly, “but I want you to leave....RIGHT NOW!”

Nick rounded the corner from the living room into the kitchen; Cassie was already trying to shut the front door...
There was Jenny, standing in the doorway!
If Cassie shut the door...it was all over.
“JENNY!” Nick screamed as he took off for the door, jumping up and down and frantically waving his arms as he ran. “JENNY! HELLLLLLLP!”