03.00 PM
Riviera…
It’s raining. Drops of water cascades upon the streets below, apartments made of red brick decorates this small town along with those retro style coffee shop and diner stood atop the wet pavement. It’s a pretty quiet time, barely any cars strolling down the road, just a few street vendors sitting down under their tent while everyone else already indoor avoiding the rainy evening.
A woman running the sidewalk through the rain. Pretty tall, large breasts covered by the comfy ribbed sweater, a blazer and semi rounded glasses with her tight pants completing her surprisingly youthful vibe. Her looks alone giving an impression she’s probably on her early thirties or even late twenties yet strangely it’s supposed to be more than that already.
Seeing a canopy on an alley, the woman immediately rushes herself under it. Using a handkerchief the woman trying her best to wipe away some of rain water from her clothing. Maybe Lola is already home and she could help with preparing for dinner early, she thought, craving for some warm meal in this rainy weather. The woman grabbed her phone but immediately slipped thanks to the rain, letting it fall to the concrete below behind her.
Sighing, the woman turn herself around and crouching down to pick up the phone… then she noticed something else on the ground ahead. Tilting her head, the woman trying to focus on something that piqued her interest…
A tiny!
Jaw dropped, the woman grabbed her phone and walks a little toward the tiny before crouching down again to examine it in detail. Face down, the tiny looks motionless and completely soaked by the rain. With utmost care, the woman brought both of her hands forward. Her tree trunk-sized fingers carefully cradling the tiny, delicately rolling the tiny’s limp body into her right palm of her hand. Stood up slowly trying not to shaken the fragile thing on her hand, now the tiny is laying on the back. Male, probably about early twenty, shirt and jeans heavily tattered and completely soaked, tiny cuts and bruises a bit visible for the woman’s eyes.
Miraculously, the subtle movement of his tiny chest suggesting that he’s still alive. Her heart ached at the sight of his vulnerability, now all she wanted is to save this poor guy. With her other hand creating a protective dome to cover the tiny guy from the rain, the woman continues the walk while quickened her pace a bit obviously worried about the tiny in her hand…
+++
…
…
…
“Ugh…”
Migraine hit Allen’s head hard. Blurry vision, head throbbed. Allen felt something soft beneath him, a contrast from the hard concrete that he last remembered before he passed out. Senses slowly sharpened within him, now he felt it all; the sight of ceiling high above, what seems to be a wall surrounding him and the bed, faint scent of… stew, probably?
Mustering up some strength, Allen sat up. He felt stings on his own body, no doubt the rough walk he had just take on; through forest of grass blades and the rest of the wilderness before he finally reached Riviera, cuts and bruises decorating his skin after such obstacles. Examining his own body, the damaged shirt and jeans are replaced with a new set of white shirt and pants. Strange… then those bandages covering all those cuts. Is someone saving him? Is this someone’s home?
Glancing around, nothing… an empty, unfamiliar room with a single bed in the middle where Allen is sitting currently. White wall that’s just high enough to prevent Allen to trespass or even see anything beyond. Swinging his legs over the side of the bed, his feet landed on the wooden floor. Still odd, his mind struggles to process this sudden change of place. Allen still remembered how he was finally reached the outer part of Riviera, passing the wild until he arrives on an alley only for him to collapse due to mentally and physically drained.
“Just a second! I need to check on him first!”
A woman’s voice broke the silence, echoing through the unknown room where Allen is currently in. The abruptness of it caused Allen to get anxious real quick. The unknown place and his change of clothes, now Allen started to felt uneasy by everything coming at him all at once. As if it’s not enough, sound of thudding footsteps could be heard, gradually grew louder with each passing second…
“Oh, you’re awake!” all of a sudden, billboard-sized face of a woman appeared right above the whole room, caught Allen off guard that he fell down on his back. Her warm smile radiates softness, the gentle voice trying its best to be reassuring that there’s no intention of malice whatsoever from the youthful looking lady. Despite the giant woman’s effort not to make the tiny panic, fear and confusion immediately manifested inside Allen. His breath unstable, his whole body trembles, instinctively Allen crawl back until he bumped himself into the corner of the room.
“No, don’t be scared, I’m trying to…” the giant woman gently lowered her right hand, but Allen could only sit on the corner, his tiny frame trembling with fear as he put his arms up in defensive at the sight of her massive claw-like hand above. The giant woman notices it; those tiny eyes, opened wide looking at her like a giant who’s going to have him as her own meal for the day. Now she could only wonder what’s the cause of this? She never seen something this severe before on a tiny.
Retracting her own hand, the giant lady could only look at Allen still cowering in fear on the corner of the tiny room. She tried to come up with something to ease up the whole situation. Then the giant woman seems to think of something as she stood up and leave once again, disappeared from Allen’s sight. But still, Allen sitting by himself in the corner, clearly traumatized by the bigger one after what just happened earlier today and now, he seems to be trapped inside a room with another giant.
“Calm down, little one,”
The giant woman returns, this time she brought something on her right hand and gently put it down on the tiny room close to Allen. Slowly, Allen uncurled himself and take a look at something that the giant woman put down inside the tiny room. A tray, with a plate full of… beef stew and a glass of water, complete with spoon as well. All of it the size of Allen himself. Fear gradually turns into confusion, now Allen craned his neck up trying to look at the giant woman who’s just warmly smiling at him.
GRRRRRRR
Now his stomach yearns for food, drools rolling down Allen’s mouth as the smell of beef stew entered his nose. No more contemplation necessary, Allen jumps forward and devoured the beef stew. Heavenly, delicious. Tender chunks of beef melting inside his mouth, combined with sweet taste of carrots and potatoes added with that subtle taste of mushrooms. Not to mention the thick broth accompanied the whole thing, hint of onion and garlic probably with addition of herbs giving a comforting warm embrace to starving Allen after the whole ordeal that he had to endure today. Meanwhile the giant woman could only giggle watching the tiny guy eating up the warm meal reminiscent of a hamster. After all, food is always her own reliable way to ease up the tense situation.
+++
Delicious.
After years only eating fruits and vegetables, to taste such strong flavor of meat again…
Now Allen is full, he’s completely re-energized and a bit relaxed than before.
“You okay now, little one?”
Allen turned his eyes toward the giant woman once more. Her kind eyes, a genuine concern with no sign of bad intention. Now that Allen could trust her a little bit more after the warm meal…
“Y-Yeah… thank you, uh…”
“Olivia,”
“Huh?”
“Olivia Hariel, you could call me Olivia… and you are?”
“Oh!” Allen stood back up, bowing down toward the mountainous lady. “Allen! Nice to meet you!”
“Allen! Okay!” now Olivia felt a bit relieved. Finally, she’s getting somewhere. “So… I found you earlier unconscious in an alley, what happened there?”
“Oh, uh…” as much as Allen wanted to tell her, his own mind trying its best to block Allen from recapping the dreadful memories.
“Are you perhaps lost? Maybe I could help you get home,”
Home…
The seemingly innocent word pierces through Allen, suddenly everything feels heavy once again as tears running down his face remembering the horrifying moments just hours ago.
“Allen? Oh no! Was it something I said!? Sorry!” Olivia put her hand on her mouth, noticing Allen’s sudden silence and his gasp. “Uh… but at least let me make sure one thing, okay? Do you have somewhere to go back to?”
“…not anymore,”
The answer touches Olivia in her sensitive heart. Now she’s definitely regretting ever asked such question to Allen, but she had no choice.
“Okay… look, I know you’re not in the mood to tell me anything. But don’t worry, helping you is the least I could do right now,” Olivia trying her very best to convince Allen. “Here…”
Extending her hand, Olivia signaling Allen to climb on.
“Don’t worry, you can trust me,” once more with the most gentle and reassuring voice, Olivia waits for Allen. “At least let me show you around,”
Looking to the side, trauma haunts Allen’s mind about physically interacting with the normals. The pain of losing everything, could only hopelessly watch… the normals betraying his trust severely earlier today. But then he reminded how Olivia basically had just saved him from the mean outside world out there, changing his clothes, treating his injuries. Heck, even giving him warm meal. Now it’s a brand new dilemma where Allen doesn’t want to reject the goodwill of this one kind giant.
Decided to trust his own life into literally the hands of a giant once again, Allen crawls into the palm of Olivia. The smooth and velvety yet firm fleshy surface provide such a comfortable place to sit for gummy bear-sized Allen, combined with that subtle fresh creamy scent surrounding himself really calm him down immediately. Looks like Olivia took pride in taking care of her hands greatly to the point it became such a pleasant place for a tiny to relax on.
“Hold still,” Olivia stood up, now Allen could see everything from high up; he was inside an enclosed area above the table surrounded by just a tiny square-shaped wall with a tiny bed in the middle of it. Looking around, this seems to be a dining room. But then the vertigo hits Allen once more, it’s been a long time since someone lifts him up this high that he quickly retracts himself back into sitting in the middle of the palm a bit shaken.
“There there, Allen…” instinctively Olivia pulled back her right hand until it’s placed just right in front of her chest, allowing Allen to lean on the wall of sweater. Much to the surprise of Allen, Olivia’s left index finger came down upon him and gave his tiny head a delicate snuggles. Combined with the subtle heartbeat echoing from behind him, the comfy atmosphere immediately calmed down Allen as the massive digit gently ruffling his hair above. His eyes relaxed and his body loosened up, even for just a few seconds his entire worry vanished up in smoke in this temporary heaven. Makes him wonder though… Olivia seems to be experienced with this kind of thing, giving that certain motherly vibe to him.
+++
“Here is the kitchen,” Olivia entered the room. The smell of beef stew grew stronger than ever before. “Now you must be wondering how it is possible to provide you a tiny portion of beef stew like that, right?”
Now that Olivia mentioned it, the curiosity always lingered on the mind of Allen since he ate it up before. There’s no way Olivia could slice everything that tiny, right? Especially with her wearing glasses, Allen doubt it.
“Have a look,”
Allen peek down from Olivia’s palm and he saw the usual counter and stove, beef stew cooked inside the pot there. But then he saw something on the counter side… seems to be fellow tinies, three of them! The two tinies seems a bit bigger in terms of body shape, buffed body wearing just simple shirt and pants. Holding what looked like a knife-shaped sword, the two strong tinies slicing up beef, potatoes and other vegetables there. Meanwhile, the other one seems to be a tiny woman wearing an apron cutting the big slices into smaller chunks and preparing it all into a plate. The tiny table looks to have several plates already, ready to be served. Now Allen finally understood how Olivia could present him with tiny-sized beef stew, the mini mystery finally solved…
“Bruno! Doug! How’s the preparation?”
“In a short while, ma’am!” the two buff tinies gave salutes to the giant woman before continuing with their slicing and dicing job.
“Amanda, ready to serve?”
“Just a little more, miss!” the tiny woman gave salute as well before continue preparing the meals.
“Good! Wouldn’t want the others getting hungry for too long, aren’t we?”
Wait… there are other tinies in this house? Yet Allen refrain to ask a question about it, he’s still hesitate with this unfamiliar woman who brought him to her own home. For what purpose, Allen could only mass guessing. Besides wouldn’t want to come off as rude after the kindness that Olivia showed to him so far.
+++
Living room…
“…and here we are!”
Another room, this one is larger than the previous ones. From Olivia’s palm, Allen looked around… couch, coffee table, television, gaming console, a rug… seems to be ordinary until Allen turn his head to the left side of the room… down on the floor, the sight surprised Allen so much.
A tiny settlement! Houses made of wood and probably bricks stood on top of the wooden floor. There’s also tinies in it too! All of it surrounded by painted yellow line. But one thing caught Allen’s attention…
The tiny village seems to be divided by the empty space in the middle, nothing but an empty spot of the floor where a few tinies seems to play football in it.
“So, Allen,” Olivia’s voice beings Allen to face her from below. “What I do here, I’m the owner of this shelter for tinies without home. I must say… you were so lucky out there that I’m the one noticing your unconscious body first. What are the odds?”
Allen could only wonder how lucky he is, of all people who could’ve discover him earlier…
“Can I have your attention down there?” Olivia crouches down. Her impressive figure looks imposing, being unbelievably huge compared to anything inside that tiny settlement below. Sure enough, the command of Olivia caused some tinies to come out from their home, two of them walking toward the empty space in the middle all facing Olivia. “Today, we have a new member of our proud community,”
Gently, Olivia sets her right hand down, letting Allen to step down into the floor. Right in front of him, two tiny girls stood there ready to welcome their new acquaintance.
“His name is Allen, I found him unconscious earlier just a few blocks from here… well, you guys show him around, okay? I need to go back to my cooking here. Oh, and Allen? Welcome to this humble shelter! Hope you enjoy your stay!” giving one last warm smile toward tiny Allen, Olivia immediately stood back up and walking away from the tiny settlement into another room…