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Breakfast

I woke up to the feeling of the ground moving beneath me. The Protector had awakened to begin his morning routine. I took a moment to stretch my arms and legs, before moving the small patch of moss I used as a bed and shelter to the side. I nestled it in against the seam of His slipper, making sure my bedding wouldn't come loose as He went about his business. Once His foot appeared, everything would be dark, with only the faintest wisps of light coming through between the fibers of my haven.

As soon as my nighttime supplies were tucked away I moved toward the deeper reaches of the slipper, carefully avoiding the indentations His foot had left on my world. The prints alone were craters that I would struggle to climb out of even given an entire night; doing so within a minute would be impossible. I was still making my way to the toe of His slipper when His foot appeared, gracing me with his presence.

The Protector was a dragon. At least, that's what I think the word was; it had been so long since I'd had another creature to discuss these things with. I never saw more than His feet, but they were a glorious presence in my world. Each of His four toes was as large as the city I once lived in. His claws were black as night and curved downward as if beckoning my presence beneath them. The scales on the upper surfaces His feet were a glorious sapphire blue, almost radiant with light as the morning sun danced and shimmered across that vast surface. His soles were a perfect ebony black, covered in smaller-yet-still massive scales. Every one of His scales was larger than my insignificant body but I didn't mind. He was the mighty Protector and I was fortunate to have such a creature to save me from the perils of the outside world.

When He began to slide His right foot into the slipper, I could only attempt to brace myself. I had learned some time ago that a fall wouldn't hurt me - I clearly didn't weigh enough for it to matter, as I was less than lint to Him - but it was still frightening to fall dozens or even hundreds of feet when His almighty foot began to approach. I tumbled harmlessly into the deepest recesses of his footwear, past where even His toes would soon come to rest, and had a perfect view of His foot as he finally put the slipper on.

The world gradually went dark as His foot slid further into the slipper's opening, leaving me to gaze only at the silhouette of His paw as it approached. Already He dominated my vision, as the only things in the entire world that mattered were the slipper and His toes. They approached with speed that I could barely comprehend; they seemed to be supersonic, transcendent, moving further in a second than I could hope to move in an hour. If He didn't send me to the safety of the front of his footwear by tilting it forward, I would have no hope of surviving once He stood up. As His toes came closer, the sound of scales against fabric grew steadily louder, until it filled my ears the same way His presence filled my vision. Soon I could see only one of His toes as it came right for me, then even viewing past His talon became a challenge as it rose like a skyscraper before my mite-size body.

Even though I had seen this an uncountable number of times, I still stood in awe of His foot. Even at this scale His appearance was immaculate. The talon was flawlessly smooth. His scales were almost mirror-like. His every, tiny movement seemed to make the entire world quiver around me. It only seemed fitting that I serve my Protector by doing my part to keep His feet as perfect as I could. But that would have to wait for now, as I knew He would soon move and being caught under His toe would be catastrophic.

When The Protector began to move, all I could do was hold onto the thick, rope-like fibers of the slipper's insole and wait out His movements. Every step made the entire world rock, first forward as He stepped off with that foot, then back when it came down upon the floor. The sound reverberated around my body; every footfall echoed like a cannon going off at close range. In the darkness, I could just barely see the muscles of His toes flexing and relaxing with each step with more power than I could ever hope to withstand. I was thankful that I had such a close view of His magnificence, even one as perilous as clinging to a thread, as He made his way to the kitchen table.

Only once He stopped for half a minute did I let go and slowly crawl to His toes, the altar on which I could serve Him. Even the short walk from one room to the next was enough to generate a layer of musky sweat, further amplifying His scent around me. That sweat was my nectar of the Gods, an ambrosia without equal, which I drank with great relish. It wasn't a dirty taste, just a flavor as strong as He was. Each time my tongue touched his warm scales I silently thanked Him for this gift, quenching my thirst just by drinking from the base of His toe. There was far more than I could ever hope to drink - a sign of how well He provided for me - which left plenty of fluid for me to bathe in and renew His scent upon me.

After a few moments I felt His foot begin to shift. He often took a short walk around the kitchen barefoot, presumably to get his food, which gave me a chance to wring a few final drops of sweat from the fibers. Even the simple act of His foot pulling away was a mighty sight, like a mountain somehow drifting away to the sea, before He finally left my sight. I could hear the distinctive sound of His talons striking the hard floor, a sound that slowly faded as he walked away, then rose in a great crescendo as he approached once more. As the sound approached I knew it was time to move, lest I meet an untimely end beneath His toes.

When His foot reappeared within the slipper I watched in awe once again as it slid in toward me. Every movement He made was smooth and graceful despite His impossible size. Even now, after an untold time here, I found it amazing to simply watch His foot approach from what seemed like miles away, until His presence filled the slipper once more. This was now time to enjoy my own breakfast: His toes always picked up crumbs from the floor. While they were far below His notice - much like I was - they were large enough for me to sustain myself. I was silently thankful for the meal He offered as I searched for one of those titanic crumbs.

At my size, even the simple act of eating was not without its dangers. Every time His foot moved I had to be careful not to be caught under it. While I would be relatively safe while He was sitting, if He were to stand up I wouldn't last an instant beneath His mighty tread. I had to move in between His toes to get at anything to eat, which was perhaps the riskiest thing I did while in His presence. Those toes formed the grandest of canyons as I moved forward and sought a crumb to consume. There was no way I could hope to climb them so I remained in their shadow as I sought to find a suitable meal.

Mercifully, I didn't have to go that far. I found a single crumb at the base of His claw. It was partially stuck between two scales, but with His foot at rest there was little tension keeping the crumb there. I still had to reach up to grab it with both hands and pull with all my might, but after a moment of wiggling and tugging I managed to extricate a small fragment of food. Once it popped free I fell backward, tripped on my own tail, and nearly landed on my rear. Without wasting time I consumed the it, and yet I still felt hungry enough for more. I tried to reach up and grab more from that crumb but I was unable to pull free another piece.

I knew of staying around long enough for seconds. He would be done with His meal soon, but if I ate quickly... I decided to sprint in deeper and hoped I'd minimize that danger by working quickly. Going between His two largest toes was intimidating but I needed more food to sustain myself. There wasn't anything immediately visible; finding crumbs was more akin to hunting and gathering than a quick trip to the market. Once I dashed past the claws I slowed down to take an even closer look at His scales for some tiny fragment of food. While between His toes I could appreciate how much larger those scales were, compared to my insignificant frame; a few of those scales had tiny cracks and fissures, others were simply rough from years of being walked upon, but many were still pristine as He took great care in tending to His body. I was paying more attention to the spaces between them, though, seeking a brownish crumb against those blue walls.

Moments passed. It was hard to tell how long, exactly, I was between His toes. I was almost ready to give up my search when I finally found something. The crumb was stuck along the very bottom of His largest toe, nearly beneath the full weight-bearing surface. Getting that out would be difficult, as even the passive weight of His toe would present a mighty challenge. I got down onto my knees to brace myself, then decided to take hold with both my hands and my tail to try dislodge a piece. It was starting to move when it happened.

He stood up.

Survival

While the simple act of the Protector standing up sounds like a harmless endeavor, it was anything but harmless from my position. I was able to pull my arms free before His scales squeezed together but my tail was still caught in place. I screamed, convinced my tail was broken, but things were even worse than that. I couldn't free myself from that position as He walked across the home, presumably back to His bedroom. Each step squeezed and released my tail, though I never had long enough to pull myself free before His toe scales gripped me once again. I had to hold onto the insole of His slipper just to keep the rest of my body from being pulled under; my feet were already perilously close to being crushed beneath His almighty tread.

With every step I was made acutely aware of every muscle in His foot as He walked along. I counted each of His steps in the hope it might be the last one. Each one of those seventeen steps was a roller coaster ride as I was lifted up along with His foot, carried an unfathomable distance through the air, and brought down once more to the floor. Somehow I survived being nearly trampled on for that endless half-minute, but the tranquility of stillness was not something I had time to appreciate. My tail was still stuck between His toes and I knew I wouldn't have long to remove it.

Freeing my tail would not be an easy task, of course. Nothing was easy for someone my size. It was still quite firmly caught in place and likely damaged from being compressed again and again. I tried to move it and immediately grimaced in pain; if it wasn't broken it was likely severely bruised. Knowing that my life was at stake, though, I attempted to ignore that sensation and wiggled the tail to free it. I gripped near the base of my tail with both paws and tugged as well, though the light coating of His sweat upon everything made even grasping myself a challenge. This became even more difficult when He started to flex His toes as if trying to scratch an itch against the insole of the slipper.

Seconds later, though, things went from bad to worse. He started to remove the slipper with me still caught upon His toe! In a panic I tried to grab anything I could - my claws grasped desperately at the insole - but nothing I could do even approached a fraction of the power He wielded in those toe scales. It felt like I was being pulled out of the slipper at supersonic speed as His foot withdrew from it. The safety of my "home" was practically flying away from me as He finally pulled his foot free. For the first time in ages I was free of the relative safety of His slipper and exposed to the rest of the world.

While freedom may sound like a good thing to one unfamiliar with my plight, the dangers of the outside world are myriad to a creature less than a millimeter in height. Even the slightest whisper of wind would be enough to send me flying through the air. Insects would be like gigantic aliens against which I'd have almost no defense. Other animals would be even more dangerous; they could easily kill me without even noticing. In His slipper I was relatively safe from all these things, but now I would have to temporarily cope without that sanctuary and hope I could survive in whatever footwear He chose for the day.

My fears soon gave way to absolute horror as I realized I wouldn't be trying to survive in a pair of shoes, but instead on His flip flops. It wasn't the first time I'd been faced with that danger but that didn't make the prospect any more comforting. Rather than trying to free myself from His toes, I instead held on tightly as He put the well-worn leather sandals onto His feet. I was instantly hit with the smells that had been baked into the material over the years: sweat, musk, and other less familiar aromas all came together in a potent bouquet of fragrance.

I had a few precious moments to catch my breath as He put on the other flip flop, but then I had to hold on once again as He began to walk. The sound of leather hitting His scales was deafening, echoing like thunder or a gunshot with each almighty step He took. All I could do was keep my place between His toes, avoiding the flip flop's strap as it wedged into place beneath me. Seconds turned into minutes as He walked outside; I was experiencing sunlight for the first time in weeks.

Though the world was overwhelming, I still tried to take in what I could. I could glance out from between His toes to the rest of the universe, giving me a chance to see what else existed. Blades of grass rose like green skyscrapers, while other buildings seemed like tremendous alien structures. I cringed in fear as He kicked a scrap ball of paper away; that ball of paper alone looked like something that could have filled a stadium, if not far more. The sounds of the world were able to reach me as well - though they were still heavily muffled by the Protector's toes - and the rustling breeze and passing cars became a friendly auditory companion. Scents, however, were not something I had the luxury of taking in; the musk of His toes was growing in the heat and saturated every breath I took.

His rising scents soon brought my attention back to my plight. If I simply stuck to His toes I might be safe, but as they began to sweat I would have ever increasing trouble trying to hold my position. If I got free I just might be able to hold onto the flip flop's strap, but then how would I get back to the safety of the slipper once again? One mistake could easily send me flying out into the open world, entirely exposed to the elements and the crushing feet of others, so I had to ensure that any plan I took was not going to leave me in even greater peril.

My thoughts were soon disrupted by another distantly familiar sound: waves crashing against the shore. That noise soon was accompanied by the occasional grain of sand; every grain was like a twenty-foot high boulder of quartz. He had arrived at the beach! If His flip flops were to come off... I shuddered at the thought and knew I would have to be ready to 'hide' on the vast leather surface if He were to remove His foot for any reason. But staying in place might not be a safe option either; one firm strike from a grain of sand could leave me pinned or worse. I needed to seek shelter and the strap of the flip flop - wedged firmly between His two largest toes - seemed to be the only meaningful protection this footwear could offer to me.

Suddenly, He stopped. The pressure on my tail increased for a few moments before relenting entirely. I was free, but for how long? I had no idea what He was doing above me. He could be sitting down to sunbathe or preparing for a swim in the sea. I couldn't take the chance of being dragged into the water, though; I quickly pulled my tail free and began to run down the insole to the perceived safety of that cloth strap. Things grew steadily darker as I ran toward it, thanks to the to the material above me and His mountainous toes on either side of me forming a vast cave of sorts. I ran as fast as I could, knowing that if he were to start walking now I would inevitably slide off or be thrown into the air and be lost forever.

Mercifully, however, that didn't happen. It took me several minutes to navigate the rough terrain, as I had to avoid the fissures and cracks that had formed in the leather over time. Each crevice - a trivial imperfection to Him - was a dangerous gap to cross. If I were to fall into one, climbing out would be a tremendous challenge, if not outright impossible. I also had to be careful of any tiny twitches He made, as even the slightest of His movements could send me tumbling a long way. One false move by either me or Him and I might end up caught in the depths of that leather for a very long time or - worse - a very short one. At one point his foot slid just an inch across the sand, which was enough to make the entire landscape beneath me shift wildly. I tumbled forward, narrowly missing one of those fjord-like gaps, before coming to a stop within a few steps of my destination.

The broad toe-strap was the closest thing to a safe place to hide on the vast leather expanse. The synthetic fibers had absorbed quite a bit of toe sweat already, ensuring the material was damp to the touch, quite slippery, and reeked of His scent. I didn't need to climb very far, as His toes would stay just above me if I held close to that fabric. I curled up and attempted to rest, knowing that I wouldn't need to go anywhere for a while.

That wouldn't stop the Protector from going somewhere, of course, and several minutes later He decided that the water was too tempting to pass up. I stirred from that light nap to find His foot moving away from me once again. While it was a sight that I'd witnessed dozens of times from the relative safety of His slipper, it seemed terrifying to have it move away from me now. I was now entirely exposed to the open world, without any meaningful protection from anything or anyone that might happen to come by! All I could do is peer nervously around the toe strap at Him as He walked to the shore and disappeared into the water like Godzilla leaving Japan.

Alone and vulnerable, I didn't dare move anywhere. He would return - He had to - but there was nothing I could do in the meantime except wait and hope that nothing disturbed this uneasy peace I had. The last time something like this happened I had to try run away from a sand flea the size of a house... I shuddered at that thought and prayed that it wouldn't happen again. The sandal itself now looked like a vast desert, with those cracks and ridges appearing like dunes eroded by centuries. The massive swell of the arch of His foot served as my horizon; I could see nothing beyond the midpoint of His flip flop. His foot had effectively terraformed that leather plane into a reflection of His presence.

Looking out to the sides gave me a slightly better view of things going on, but I was a tiny speck in a world of giants. Everything moved at a dizzying speed, hypersonic from my perspective. Was I really once a part of that experience? It had been so long that I'd nearly forgotten what it was like. I tried to imagine what it would be like to walk among them again - at a normal size - but my mind simply couldn't conjure up that image. No, this had become my place, for better or worse. Since people-watching was just not a hobby I could partake in, I curled up against the strap on the flip flop and tried once more to get some extra sleep. The warmth of the sun was comforting; I dozed off within moments.

Flashback

Even in my sleep, however, I couldn't escape my fate. I found myself reliving one of my first - terrifying - experiences as a mere insect in a world of giants. I was at a pool party, but not as a guest. No, I was trying desperately to survive while on the flip-flop of a shark girl. At the time I was larger - perhaps the size of a grain of sand - leaving me just large enough to be seen while still being far too tiny to actually save myself. Back then my size was still somewhat unstable, however. At a moment's notice I'd end up even smaller or larger, but never more than an inch or so in height.

As I looked out across the massive backyard, things that a normal person might overlook were simply massive to me. Pebbles were enormous boulders. Insects were oversized monsters from the abyss. The pool itself looked like a great lake and I could barely make out the distant shore. And all the while, I had to keep my eyes peeled in case the owner of this footwear returned. I had certainly wanted to experience her feet, but not like this! When someone else walked by, the draft caused by their mere footsteps threatened to blow me away; I had to take shelter near the fabric thong that would soon fit between her two largest toes... Toes that were significantly larger than me, I noted. Their imprints were clearly visible on the well-worn leather, creating small indentations that might have served as shelter if I dared to risk being caught beneath her enormous digits. Even now, without the owner present, the sandals faintly radiated heat and musk in the early afternoon sun.

My size once again shifted, this time upward. I was almost half an inch tall now. I didn't know how long my luck would last but I knew that I may or may not get another chance at salvation. I ran toward the middle of the flip flop and tried to make myself as visible as possible. A tiny, flightless lizard on a dark leather sandal was not likely to get noticed however, even if my white scales stood out against that dark material. I shouted but I don't think my voice ever carried past the ankles of the giants walking by. Even if they heard me they certainly didn't act like it; nobody even looked around or acknowledged my tiny cries for help. It seemed hopeless but I kept trying, even though my throat was starting to hurt. If they didn't see me now, would they ever find me at all?

That's when I saw her climbing out of the water. Taylori. My girlfriend's lesbian fling. The one whose feet I wanted to be under in the first place. The reason I'd taken a shrinking potion at all. I'd always admired her at normal size but now, as she climbed the steps to get out of the pool, she looked like a towering kaiju. The water flowed easily over her slate gray skin, cascading back into the water from a tremendous height. She created a waterfall just by standing up, or so it appeared, as seemingly millions of gallons fell from the sky all thanks to her amazing height. To her friends she was simply tall; to me she was a skyscraper on two legs, supported by long, narrow, four-toed feet that were now heading in my direction.

Even as those feet came right for me I couldn't stop staring. Given her immense size, it was like my favorite porn was being played at a drive-in theater. I could see the toes splay slightly to support her weight with every step. Her short, perfectly-manicured claws scraped against the concrete around the pool, bringing forth small amounts of dust. Water still dripped from her body; her footprints left vast, damp spots on the hard ground that slowly started to evaporate beneath the sunlight. As she got closer I found it impossible to even take in all of her body, not that I'd had much luck in staring at anything above her ankles. Her shadow came over me, casting me into the shade. The tremendous difference in our sizes was made even more exaggerated as she approached; I soon had to crane my neck to see where her paws went when she stepped forward. When I looked, though, I could see the wonderfully smooth soles, covered only with a few flecks of sand from her brief walk. Her footsteps seemed louder as she got closer; her last step near her footwear was met with a tremendous, thundering rumble.

Now that she was standing right over me, I tried to regain my strength to make one more attempt at making myself heard. I lifted both hands to my mouth and shouted as loudly as I could "Taylori! Down here!" But there was still no response. She put the other flip flop on first and I could only watch, helpless, as I saw her left foot slide across that vast expanse of brown leather. What would've taken me two minutes to walk across, she covered in barely two seconds. It took only another brief moment before her foot settled into place. Then her right foot lifted off the ground and started heading toward me. I could see those details upon her sole in even more impressive fashion, but I was briefly scared out of staring and tried once again to flap and dance and make as much movement as I could.

She paused. She rested her toes against the heel of her flip flop. I realized then that even her toes were double my size, if not more. I shouted once again. She leaned in even closer, squinting her eyes as if trying to make out what she was seeing. A faint glimmer of recognition crossed her face. Then, at the worst possible moment, I was struck by another sensation of vertigo. I was shrinking again. I cursed, still trying to be seen, but in another few seconds that became impossible. I was now even smaller before, less than a grain of sand, and still perilously close to the center of her footwear. Now that I was out of sight I seemed to also be out of mind as the giantess moved to put that flip flop on. I sprinted for my life toward the thong again, the only safe place I could imagine. Ultimately, I was pushed along by the air rushing along with her foot and slammed face-first against that enormous tower of rough fabric.

All around me, everything I could see were her toes. Water started to mix with sweat and dripped off her foot. Occasionally I was splashed with the fluid. A single droplet was all it took to cover my entire body and leave me, too, dripping. The scent and heat were starting to rise, as was the humidity thanks to all that water still stuck to her foot. It felt almost like I was drowning as I struggled against the massive droplets, which only seemed to increase in size and frequency. I once again shouted, desperate, but things only kept getting worse...

Awakening

Then, suddenly, I was snapped back to reality. I was back on the Protector's sandal. He had gotten out of the water and I was once again between his toes. Just as in my dream, they were dripping with water, combined with a faint hint of sweat. All that salty air was making it hard enough to breathe - which forced me to take in his scent - while the moisture made things quite slippery. The leather refused to absorb the substantial amount of water; it coated the sweat-soaked leather and freed some of that old moisture, creating a thin layer of liquid that offered no traction at all. I had to dig my claws into the fabric 'thong' of the flip flop to avoid being thrown completely free of the footwear and stay out from beneath His toes as things started moving again. Before long, I saw the familiar blue-and-black toe of the Protector moving towards me. They soon came around me like old friends, keeping me in relative safety between them, though I knew better than to be lulled into a false sense of security. It was still a long way home.

When the Protector started walking once more my claws dug more deeply into the fabric. I was too small to even cause the strands of the fabric to fray. So great was His size that I couldn't even attempt to damage His possessions. I was rocked heavily back and forth with His every step as if caught up in a tremendous storm. When His foot lifted from the ground I was pressed more tightly against the toe strap while His toes squished against it with enough force to squeeze out another fragrant droplet of sweat. When His foot came down, everything rocked backward again and I had to cling to the fabric just to avoid falling back into the valley between His toes or, worse, sliding beneath them into a fate I'd never escape. Once again I was left nearly-deafened by the impact of His feet against the ground and the sound of scales against leather.

Throughout it all I was mindful of the fact I had to eventually get back on His foot to escape this ordeal. I had to somehow make it back to the relative security of His slipper. Clinging to His toes as he walked around outside would be dangerous if not suicidal, but if I waited too long to hop onto them I'd miss the chance. If I failed I'd be exposed on His flip flop until whenever He next wore this pair of footwear... then when He did finally wear it again, I'd still be at tremendous risk in the outside world. I needed to wait for the light to change, for the afternoon sun to give way to the lighting inside His house, and hope that I would still have enough time to tuck myself in against His glorious scales to stay in place during a transition to His slipper. It was still risky but it was the closest to a plan I could possibly come up with under these circumstances.

I was hyper-aware of everything around me, waiting for the time to cling to His foot once again and hope I could stay in place long enough to make it to the next hiding place. It seemed almost too soon that He was home again; the time was ripe for me to act. With one last, deep breath to still my nerves, I waited for His foot to start coming down and let go of the strap. With that I fell backward and landed in the webbed space between His vast toes. I wasted little time in turning to face them and searching for some kind of handhold; at my size, all I needed was to grasp the edge of His scales and I had a fighting chance. It was still a challenge of course as His every step nearly kicked me free of His foot and then nearly threw me to the insole of His flip flop. It couldn't be much longer, I tried to convince myself, as my arms burned with effort and my joints ached from the force they were required to endure. I tried counting his steps from the impacts they made through my body. One. Two. Three... how many more could I hold out for?

The answer to that was clear: Enough. I became nauseated from one last, sudden, jerking motion as the Protector kicked off his flip flops, sending that leather thing crashing off somewhere into the distance. I was now left without a safety net; if I fell now, I'd end up on the floor, in an unfamiliar part of His home, with almost zero chance of ever navigating back to safety again. I tightened my grip and could only hope He would not take a shower before putting His slippers on once again. He started walking again, this time into another room. I heard the thunderous, reverberating sounds of His talons against a tile floor and gulped. Had my luck finally run out? He suddenly stopped moving and I held my breath, simply hoping that He was not about to do something that might end my existence once and for all.

From somewhere in the distance, I heard the sound of water as it cascaded down and echoed through the room. At first I thought this was my certain doom, but I dared to look up and found that, rather than starting the shower, the Protector was simply relieving himself; that noise wasn't a shower turning on but simply urine crashing into the toilet from so far above. He finished, flushed, and walked out of the bathroom once more. I never thought I would be so thankful to see another male taking a piss but I still silently praised whatever gods might be listening. I was still clinging desperately to His foot but I wasn't in immediate danger of being washed off His toes and left to drown in the city sewers. However, I was still merely clinging to His scales, rather than tucked away into safety. This was not going to be a viable option for much longer.

As if sensing my discomfort, the Protector walked across His enormous bedroom once more. I felt movement as His foot lifted and started to press into the warm, dark space that was now pleasantly comforting and familiar. The slipper. The place that I had made home for the recent past. The closest thing to meaningful shelter I had. I kissed His toe as His foot settled into the slipper and he began to walk. I still had to cling to His toe - I wasn't entirely safe yet - but the most perilous part was settled. Once again I felt myself being moved back and forth through the air until His foot ultimately came to a stop once more. Rather than daring to get another full meal, I simply grabbed a fragment of a crumb as I ran past His toes and tried to hide in the deepest part of the footwear. Exhausted from the day's ordeal, I soon passed out as fatigue overwhelmed me and I slept away the rest of the evening.