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Description
Mary brought him in closer to her face slowly turning him around as she studied his body.

“Maybe Eugene or Donald. .. what do you think?”

Blood was flowing to his head. He kept trying to bend upwards, but it was getting much more difficult.

“My name’s Taylor!” he said as defiantly as someone can when being held upside down by a giant. “Put me down!”

“okay”

The counter rushed towards him with his left hand making contact at the same moment she let go. He tumbled onto his left side. All of those football workouts had paid off.   “Hey!”

She didn’t respond but walked away disappearing into another room. Taylor picked himself up and checked for new bruises. Fortunately no damage, but she clearly didn’t seem have a sense of how much more powerful she was or their very different takes on distance. He put his clothes back on. How would he get out of this?

He walked the perimeter searching for a way down. The drop from the counter was far too much. The only hope would be if she inadvertently left something against it. A long shot, but it made sense to catalog plans in case events conspired . Plotting and staying in shape. A little more agility and strength may be what he needed.

__________

Jolene made ran onto the platform just as her train disappeared into the tunnel. Another’d be by in twenty minutes. If she was lucky she’d make the next connection. At this point all she could do was wait and think. Timing shouldn’t be that important. She’d leave a message that she’d be late. They couldn’t take him back unless she wanted them to and refunding the money would bankrupt them. She could hear Fernando’s voice telling her about streetcar ethics. There was his message on the group from the Sudan. He’d managed to get them out with only a twenty five percent bribe and they should be on their way to Canada soon. All those people getting new lives. And the Ukrainians. What they must have been through. Fernando thought they’d probably be taken care of by regular DSers at first .. and maybe always. She couldn’t imagine.

Finally one end of the tunnel was filling with light. Her train coming into the station.

___________

Without coming over Mary sat down and had her breakfast at the table about a hundred feet away. He tried talking to her a few times. For the longest time she didn’t hear or care as she kept eating. Finally she got up and came over.

“I’m going out this morning.” She looked down expecting eye contact, but he wasn’t looking up at her. “Look me in the eye when I’m speaking to you Eugene.”

He looked up, but she was so close to see her face.

“Eugene is a lovely name. don’t you agree?”

He didn’t reply. She looked over towards his house.

“I was thinking it’s too close to the floor and I don’t trust you. You might get away and I paid so much. Do you have any idea how much you cost?”

A rage was building inside. A rage against her, against Jolene and against his captors. But these were eighty foot giants and it was their world. He kept quiet.

“I’m leaving you here when I’m out. There’s no way down. Just stay there and you’ll be safe.”

She walked over to the refrigerator and put a grape, some cashews and a bit of cream cheese on a small dish.

“You can have this for lunch. I’ll put some water in a bowl.”

She brought the dish and bowl over, stood back and looked at him shaking her head in disbelief.

“The girls will be so jealous”

With that she reached for her handbag and walked out the front door.

__________

Finally back on street and walking as fast as she could without breaking into a run, Jolene entered the lobby about five minutes after Mary got in her cab.

“Miss Walters is out” the doorman informed her.

“But we had an appointment. Could you tell her Jolene MacCallum is here?”

“She’s gone and if she has a cell, I don’t have her number.””

‘Damn!’ She thought. She tried Mary’s number but it just rang.

“Do you know when she’s coming back?”

The doorman shrugged.

As turned left onto the sidewalk she saw a familiar woman in a maid’s uniform approach from the opposite direction. Maybe she was in luck. She waved.

“Lucia! Wait! I need to talk with you!”

“You’re from Miss Walter’s aren’t you? I can’t talk now. I have three apartments to clean here.”

“Tell me when you’re off” Jolene was almost pleading.

“Two” came the wary reply “about two in the afternoon I have a break.”

“Can I take you do lunch?”

“I don’t have the time.”

“Just five minutes - please!”

Lucia reluctantly agreed. "In front of the bar two blocks down a little after two.”

“Thank you!”

Jolene walked the three blocks to the park. A few hours here might clear her head. Fernando was busy all morning. This one was all on her. Nothing like pressure.

__________

Jolene checked her phone. A few minutes ’til two. The three hours going around in circles walking and in her mind, but finally. She managed to connect with Fernando. He reminded her whatever is done it has to be Taylor’s decision and Lucia can’t get into trouble. So many constraints. So many things that could go wrong.

Nervously waiting, she walked halfway up and down the block three or four times. Finally Lucia was walking towards her.

“I don’t have much time. What can I do for you?”

“Did you know Miss Walter’s has a downsized person?”

“One of those little people?” she asked incredulously.

She watched as Jolene spread her thumb and forefinger apart to indicate the size of something small.

“He’s about five inches tall. ‘ever seen one?”

Lucia's eyes were wide open. Jolene continued.

“I don’t think he’s happy and is probably trying to escape, but he needs help.”

“A prisoner?"

“You could say that."

"But that's illegal." Lucia looked confused.

“Technically he was less rights. She's his guardian. If he wants help he’ll say ‘“savory cheese puffs, made inedible by time and fate.’”

“How would I help without getting caught? I need this job. You should just call the police!”

She started turning around "I really should go now."

Jolene rushed and blocked her path.

"No.. it doesn't have to be much. Like putting him on the floor if he asks. Or putting him in your pocket. Please think about it, maybe he won't even come out. And whatever you do, don't tell Miss Walters you know she has one!"

"I could be arrested. I could lose my job. These rich people - they can control your life."

Jolene just stood in place as Lucia walked around her. She had to come up with something else now. It'd be too obvious for him to disappear when she was there.

__________

The more detailed 3500 pixel final render goes to donors.

Description
Mary brought him in closer to her face slowly turning him around as she studied his body.

“Maybe Eugene or Donald. .. what do you think?”

Blood was flowing to his head. He kept trying to bend upwards, but it was getting much more difficult.

“My name’s Taylor!” he said as defiantly as someone can when being held upside down by a giant. “Put me down!”

“okay”

The counter rushed towards him with his left hand making contact at the same moment she let go. He tumbled onto his left side. All of those football workouts had paid off.   “Hey!”

She didn’t respond but walked away disappearing into another room. Taylor picked himself up and checked for new bruises. Fortunately no damage, but she clearly didn’t seem have a sense of how much more powerful she was or their very different takes on distance. He put his clothes back on. How would he get out of this?

He walked the perimeter searching for a way down. The drop from the counter was far too much. The only hope would be if she inadvertently left something against it. A long shot, but it made sense to catalog plans in case events conspired . Plotting and staying in shape. A little more agility and strength may be what he needed.

__________

Jolene made ran onto the platform just as her train disappeared into the tunnel. Another’d be by in twenty minutes. If she was lucky she’d make the next connection. At this point all she could do was wait and think. Timing shouldn’t be that important. She’d leave a message that she’d be late. They couldn’t take him back unless she wanted them to and refunding the money would bankrupt them. She could hear Fernando’s voice telling her about streetcar ethics. There was his message on the group from the Sudan. He’d managed to get them out with only a twenty five percent bribe and they should be on their way to Canada soon. All those people getting new lives. And the Ukrainians. What they must have been through. Fernando thought they’d probably be taken care of by regular DSers at first .. and maybe always. She couldn’t imagine.

Finally one end of the tunnel was filling with light. Her train coming into the station.

___________

Without coming over Mary sat down and had her breakfast at the table about a hundred feet away. He tried talking to her a few times. For the longest time she didn’t hear or care as she kept eating. Finally she got up and came over.

“I’m going out this morning.” She looked down expecting eye contact, but he wasn’t looking up at her. “Look me in the eye when I’m speaking to you Eugene.”

He looked up, but she was so close to see her face.

“Eugene is a lovely name. don’t you agree?”

He didn’t reply. She looked over towards his house.

“I was thinking it’s too close to the floor and I don’t trust you. You might get away and I paid so much. Do you have any idea how much you cost?”

A rage was building inside. A rage against her, against Jolene and against his captors. But these were eighty foot giants and it was their world. He kept quiet.

“I’m leaving you here when I’m out. There’s no way down. Just stay there and you’ll be safe.”

She walked over to the refrigerator and put a grape, some cashews and a bit of cream cheese on a small dish.

“You can have this for lunch. I’ll put some water in a bowl.”

She brought the dish and bowl over, stood back and looked at him shaking her head in disbelief.

“The girls will be so jealous”

With that she reached for her handbag and walked out the front door.

__________

Finally back on street and walking as fast as she could without breaking into a run, Jolene entered the lobby about five minutes after Mary got in her cab.

“Miss Walters is out” the doorman informed her.

“But we had an appointment. Could you tell her Jolene MacCallum is here?”

“She’s gone and if she has a cell, I don’t have her number.””

‘Damn!’ She thought. She tried Mary’s number but it just rang.

“Do you know when she’s coming back?”

The doorman shrugged.

As turned left onto the sidewalk she saw a familiar woman in a maid’s uniform approach from the opposite direction. Maybe she was in luck. She waved.

“Lucia! Wait! I need to talk with you!”

“You’re from Miss Walter’s aren’t you? I can’t talk now. I have three apartments to clean here.”

“Tell me when you’re off” Jolene was almost pleading.

“Two” came the wary reply “about two in the afternoon I have a break.”

“Can I take you do lunch?”

“I don’t have the time.”

“Just five minutes - please!”

Lucia reluctantly agreed. "In front of the bar two blocks down a little after two.”

“Thank you!”

Jolene walked the three blocks to the park. A few hours here might clear her head. Fernando was busy all morning. This one was all on her. Nothing like pressure.

__________

Jolene checked her phone. A few minutes ’til two. The three hours going around in circles walking and in her mind, but finally. She managed to connect with Fernando. He reminded her whatever is done it has to be Taylor’s decision and Lucia can’t get into trouble. So many constraints. So many things that could go wrong.

Nervously waiting, she walked halfway up and down the block three or four times. Finally Lucia was walking towards her.

“I don’t have much time. What can I do for you?”

“Did you know Miss Walter’s has a downsized person?”

“One of those little people?” she asked incredulously.

She watched as Jolene spread her thumb and forefinger apart to indicate the size of something small.

“He’s about five inches tall. ‘ever seen one?”

Lucia's eyes were wide open. Jolene continued.

“I don’t think he’s happy and is probably trying to escape, but he needs help.”

“A prisoner?"

“You could say that."

"But that's illegal." Lucia looked confused.

“Technically he was less rights. She's his guardian. If he wants help he’ll say ‘“savory cheese puffs, made inedible by time and fate.’”

“How would I help without getting caught? I need this job. You should just call the police!”

She started turning around "I really should go now."

Jolene rushed and blocked her path.

"No.. it doesn't have to be much. Like putting him on the floor if he asks. Or putting him in your pocket. Please think about it, maybe he won't even come out. And whatever you do, don't tell Miss Walters you know she has one!"

"I could be arrested. I could lose my job. These rich people - they can control your life."

Jolene just stood in place as Lucia walked around her. She had to come up with something else now. It'd be too obvious for him to disappear when she was there.

__________

The more detailed 3500 pixel final render goes to donors.