Shrinking deprived Valerie of many different ways to enjoy life. Activities which used to be normal turned into challenges, which were difficult at best and impossible at worst. The world was not built with shrunken people in mind. This may have been slowly changing, but mostly in a very surface-level way. Politicians would be very positive and optimistic about their support for tinies, and restaurants would advertise themselves as tiny-friendly with adapted menus and special “tiny lanes” on the floor, this was all rather noncommittal. Safe. Nobody was seriously trying to adapt the cities at large. Any sidewalk was still a deadly danger zone for Valerie. The suburb she lived in had lots of parks, and those parks housed hundreds, if not thousands, of squirrels, which were absolutely all-too happy to attack shrunken people; nobody was working on getting the little pests out. Actual care for tinies was still an afterthought in the eyes of the society at large. She, and others like her, had to rely on the help of the normal-sized relatives and friends.

Still, though, she appreciated the minor improvements for what they were. So, when she learned that the local Cinemax had introduced special seating for tinies, she decided she wanted to go. She hasn’t been to the movies ever since she shrank.

The suggestion was made by Sophia one Saturday night, when the three girls gathered at the dinner table. She pulled out her phone, read the news piece aloud and showed Valerie some pictures. “See, they are placing the tiny seats on the armrests in the Extra lounge”, she explained. “You get dropped off at the cinema, then the staff gets you in your seat before people come in and picks you up after everyone leaves. I think you should totally go!”

Hannah was apprehensive of the idea. As expected; the pale, shy girl had been Valerie’s main caretaker since they started rooming together in freshman year. “Doesn’t seem like they offer the service every day”, she said, “and I’d still be worried with so many people around…”

“I wanna go”, Valerie said. She was looking at a picture on Sophia’s phone screen. In the picture, a Tiny businessman was happily lounging on a comfortable miniature seat next to his normal-sized wife. “Hannah, if you’re around it’s totally going to be safe”.

The blonde bit her lip nervously. “If you think so”, she said. “Don’t get me wrong, I can see this means a lot to you, didn’t want to get in the way…”

“You kind of are, though”, Sophia said. “Just let her go, you aren’t her mom. There’s a showing tomorrow. A fantasy movie. “Bright Tower””.

“What time?” Hannah inquired.

“6:30 at night”.

“I can’t make that”, the girl sighed. Valerie felt her heard drop at those words. “I have a project meeting…”

“On a Sunday, Hannah?”

“Yes. I’m sorry! You know how it is with group projects…”

“It’s okay”, Valerie said. “Maybe we can get another time?”

“What?”

Valerie fixed her microphone.

“Can you look for different time for me and Hannah to plan for?”

“Maybe there’s no need”, Sophia smiled. “I can just take you myself”.

“You?” Hannah asked, acting surprised.

“Yeah. What?”

“Nothing, it’s just… you don’t usually do things like this”, Hannah mumbled. Valerie knew exactly what she meant. Sophia wasn’t really very accommodative of Val most of the time. She didn’t like putting any effort into making the tiny girl’s life any easier.

“Well, I wanna see the movie”, Sophie shrugged. “I can take her and look after her”.

She smiled down at Valerie and the tiny girl beamed a smile of her own in response. Hannah meekly agreed. There was a bit of a concern on her face, but Valerie didn’t know where it came from and she didn’t want to ask. She just wanted to feel normal for a bit, and going to the movies while not tucked into a pocket or seated on a shoulder seemed like a great way to do so.

***

Valerie let out a content sigh as leaned back in her seat. It was located on the armrest to the right of Sophia’s seat. In the Extra lounge, seats were wide and so were the armrests, so both girls would have plenty of space to themselves. As promised, Valerie (and other tinies, of which there were few) were seated first, and the normal people were just starting to come in. Sophia, surprisingly, was among the last. She walked over to Val’s seat, but didn’t seem in a hurry to sit down or take her coat off.

“Hey, here’s the thing”, she said quietly. “Turns out some of my friends are here and they have most of the row right behind us. I am gonna join them, if you don’t mind…”

“Sophia…”

“It’s gonna be alright, no one’s gonna sit next to you”, Sophia interrupted her. “I’ll keep an eye on you anyways. I’ll be just there!” she pointed. “Just don’t tell Hannah”.

“She only agreed to this because she thought you’d look after me!”

“Well, as I said, don’t tell her! Cmon, Val, I’ve already gone out of my way to bring you here in the first place, can you just let me enjoy it with my friends?”

Valerie didn’t have an answer. She shrugged.

“I guess it’s not a big deal”.

Sophia flashed a smile.

“I’ll see you in a bit, enjoy the show!”

And, with that, she left the aisle and went to the one above. Valerie looked as her roommate passed the seat directly behind and went another five seats to the left.

She then turned towards the screen and tried to calm down, noticing all the normal people taking their spots. At some point, a bunch of young men entered the hall; they had bags of popcorn and drinks in their hands. They took the aisle behind, and she guessed they must have been Sophia’s friends. She’s never seen any of them in the past.

Almost no one entered her aisle, though, possibly due to the prohibitive costs of the Extra lounge.

Feeling very alone in her armrest-mounted seat, Valerie watched the lights go out and the screen finally light up. There was the usual series of piracy warnings and ads. Then, as the movie finally opened with a series of action shots of a person on a horse fleeing from some mysterious pursue, she felt a heavy thud behind her. Valerie automatically turned around.

She was greeted with the sight of a massive foot propped up on the armrest. It was bare. She could only see the sole, of course, and this sole was so large compared to her that it completely obscured the person sitting behind her.

Val let out an 'aaah'.

The sole was wide, meaty and lightly calloused at the ball and at the heel. In the faint, trembling light of the projector, she could clearly see the wrinkles on the instep and pieces of dust and lint. It was a man’s sole, she knew immediately, and not just because she was aware it was a group of men behind her but because of how masculine it was in its appearance, with bulbous toes and overall structure. A thin film of sweat shimmered on the surface.

And, as she watched, a second foot came out of the relative darkness and came to rest atop the first as the giant crossed his ankles. Now there were two soles in her field of view, and they towered, loomed over her, gigantic and seemingly monolithic. The great toes flexed as he stretched his feet.

Valerie gulped.

They must have been size 13-14, she thought, as she kept staring at the feet so unceremoniously resting on the armrest which supported her seat. A wave of warm, sweat-scented air reached her and she cringed at the musk. Valerie forced herself to turn away, and she settled in her seat once again, trying to focus on the movie. Her heart was beating faster than did had been before.

She briefly considered complaining to Sophia. She still had the mic, and Sophia probably left her comm on - as she should have, considering she was responsible for Val’s safety.