A Glorious Death Part II
My name is Jill Tiny
chapter 21
by
copier
· original author:
rainman1131
Jill and Jackie exchanged a glance. "Well," Jill said. "We haven't exactly decided what we're doing yet."
The small woman nodded. "Right. Well, my name is-"
"We don't want to know your name!" Jackie yelled, causing the little woman to clap her hands to her ears, as the echoes of Jackie's shout echoed off the faces of the buildings.
Jill, startled, looked a question at Jackie. Jackie leaned in close, whispering in Jill's ear. "I don't want to get to know them, Jill. It hurts too much. Remember Nathan and Sally? You barely knew them, right? I saw your eyes when they died. I know you felt it ,too." Jackie bit her lip. "I just don't want us to have to go through that again. No friends here, Jill. Okay?"
Jill nodded, feeling something that was trying to be tears. "Okay, Jackie."
The little woman looked up at the two giant girls, her head tilted quizzically.
"Okay," Jill said, looking down. "Listen up, little lady. You will speak only when spoken to, understand? If we want something from you, we'll ask. Got it?"
The woman, seeming to realize she had no choice, nodded.
"Good," said Jackie. "First of all, tell your people to stop hiding from us. We want to see them."
The little blond sighed. "Okay." She raised her hands up to her face, and cupped them around her mouth. "Come on out, everyone! The giants know you're here! Best not to hide from them! They won't like it if they have to come and get you!"
Both girls saw the little people start to come out from between the buildings. They poked their heads out tentatively at first, becoming bolder when the giant girls made no move toward them. There were men, women, and children, and Jill could already see hundreds of them. Who knew how many were in the entire city?
"Just go about your business, people," Jill called down to them. "We're just having a look at your little town. Don't be scared." The words felt heavy in Jill's mouth, tasting like betrayal.
Jill knelt down next to the little woman. Smiling, she placed a gentle finger on her shoulder. "That was very good. Thanks for your help."
The woman flinched a little as the huge finger dropped onto her shoulder, very close to her face. She could see the deep ridges of Jill's fingerprint. She reached out a hand, and ran it along the thick, ridged skin.
"Wow," breathed Jill. "Your touch is so soft."
The little woman pulled her hand away, saying nothing. She looked up, waiting.
"Right," said Jackie, rubbing her hands together. "Give us the tour, little one."
The little woman raised her arms, pointing one toward each side of the street. "May I speak?"
Jill nodded. "Go ahead."
"All right. This is the downtown area. It is, as the dark-haired one has said, merely cosmetic. Only for looks. It's a city built for dolls, not real people. We all live on the other end of town. I guess you could call it the suburbs."
Jackie smiled. "Okay. Lead us to Suburbia.
The little blond turned and began walking up the middle of the street. Jackie and Jill fell in behind her, moving forward carefully so as to avoid stepping on her accidentally.
They had been walking for maybe five minutes, moving quickly through the downtown area, when Jackie cried, "Hey, is that it?"
The woman nodded. "Yes, Miss. That's where we live. 'Suburbia', as you call it."
They had passed completely out of the downtown area now, and had reached a vast neighborhood of smaller dwellings. Some looked like single-family residences, some were large, mansion-type homes, while others were large enough to maybe be apartment buildings. None of them were larger than four stories, so Jill and Jackie had a panoramic view over the roof tops of the entire suburban sprawl.
And it was impressive.
The little, mostly square buildings covered most of the rear two thirds of the room, encompassing a roughly square area that was thirty yards on a side. Roads and sidewalks criss-crossed between the buildings, giving enough access for both big and little people alike. Jill saw that all the roads were wide enough for the really big people also, people like Jill's mom.
There were several open parks and empty lots around, and Jill noticed some more little people milling around in some of them. There were also more of them now in the streets around her. She guessed there were maybe a couple of thousand in sight now.
"Hey, little lady?" Jill call down.
"Yes, Miss?"
"How many people live here? In the whole city?"
The little woman tilted her head. "Well, the numbers change all the time, what with new ones being added, and some taken out for experimentation. Normally, we have about ten thousand."
Jackie whistled softly.
"That's a lot," said Jill, feeling a little sick as she thought about her mom's ultimatum. Twenty-four hours to kill them all, or Cindy dies.
The woman looked up at the giant girls questioningly. "Would you like to see the rest?"
"Sure," said Jackie.
The little woman turned and walked off the street and onto the sidewalk. She walked quickly across the lawn of one of the smaller homes, stopping up near the house. She didn't so much as glance at the little door. She turned back to the giant girls. "Knock on the roof."
Jackie blinked. "What?"
"Knock on the roof," the woman repeated. "It's only good manners."
Jackie knelt on the lawn next to the house, shrugging up at Jill, then rapped sharply on the wooden roof.
There was no response.
Jackie looked at the little woman.
She gestured up at the giantess, holding out her hands, and miming a lifting motion. "It was just a courtesy knock. Now lift it up."
Confused, Jackie turned to the roof, placing her fingers under the edge of the eaves. She lifted, surprised to feel the roof detaching easily from the front side of the house.
"Oh, cool!" Jill cried, kneeling down next to Jackie.
"Yeah!" agreed Jackie as she pushed the roof completely over, letting it fall gently against the other side of the house.
"Look at these!" Jackie said with delight, running her fingers along a little set of brass hinges that held the roof to the wall in back.
"That's awesome!" squealed Jackie. "Doll house technology at it's best!"
Jill looked inside, and was surprised yet again. She had been expecting a miniature replica of a real house, but that's not what she found. The house was actually only a wooden shell that housed four Plexiglas containers, not too different from those they had seen in the Behavioral room, only much smaller. There were tiny mattresses and tables inside, plus a little door in each one that gave onto a central hallway. In front of each Plexiglas container were two long structures that looked to Jill like troughs.
Jill looked around at the little woman. "What are those long things in front of the containers? They look like..."
The woman smiled grimly. Like feeding troughs? Like what animals eat out of? Yeah." She laughed quietly, without humor. "Welcome to the monkey house."
Jill goggled down at the little woman. "You've read Vonnegut?"
"Surprised I can read?"
Jackie turned around. "Watch that tone, Missy."
The blond woman glared up at Jackie. "No offense intended, Miss, but as I said before, I overheard your plans. I know what you have in mind for us, so does it really matter if I keep being polite?"
Jill looked at the little woman and the other people who had begun to gather in the nearby streets and yards. "Look," she said. "I'm not sure what we're going to do here. We're in a tough spot. Unfortunately, that puts all of you in a tough spot, too."
The little woman nodded. She brought her hand to her chin, rubbing it absently. "Young lady, you know literature. Do you know history, as well?"
Jill smiled shyly. "Yeah, I know a little."
Jackie snorted. "A little! She's a nut on the subject!" She tuned to Jill. "What three languages are on the Rosetta Stone?"
"Egyptian hieroglyphs," Jill said, reciting from memory. "Greek, and..."
"Demotic," Jill and the little woman said at the same time.
Jackie laughed. "See?"
The blond woman raised her arms to Jill. 'Pick me up, please, Miss. I need to talk to you." She smiled as Jill's huge fingers closed around her. "I need to talk to you about Sparta."
The plan is...
The small woman nodded. "Right. Well, my name is-"
"We don't want to know your name!" Jackie yelled, causing the little woman to clap her hands to her ears, as the echoes of Jackie's shout echoed off the faces of the buildings.
Jill, startled, looked a question at Jackie. Jackie leaned in close, whispering in Jill's ear. "I don't want to get to know them, Jill. It hurts too much. Remember Nathan and Sally? You barely knew them, right? I saw your eyes when they died. I know you felt it ,too." Jackie bit her lip. "I just don't want us to have to go through that again. No friends here, Jill. Okay?"
Jill nodded, feeling something that was trying to be tears. "Okay, Jackie."
The little woman looked up at the two giant girls, her head tilted quizzically.
"Okay," Jill said, looking down. "Listen up, little lady. You will speak only when spoken to, understand? If we want something from you, we'll ask. Got it?"
The woman, seeming to realize she had no choice, nodded.
"Good," said Jackie. "First of all, tell your people to stop hiding from us. We want to see them."
The little blond sighed. "Okay." She raised her hands up to her face, and cupped them around her mouth. "Come on out, everyone! The giants know you're here! Best not to hide from them! They won't like it if they have to come and get you!"
Both girls saw the little people start to come out from between the buildings. They poked their heads out tentatively at first, becoming bolder when the giant girls made no move toward them. There were men, women, and children, and Jill could already see hundreds of them. Who knew how many were in the entire city?
"Just go about your business, people," Jill called down to them. "We're just having a look at your little town. Don't be scared." The words felt heavy in Jill's mouth, tasting like betrayal.
Jill knelt down next to the little woman. Smiling, she placed a gentle finger on her shoulder. "That was very good. Thanks for your help."
The woman flinched a little as the huge finger dropped onto her shoulder, very close to her face. She could see the deep ridges of Jill's fingerprint. She reached out a hand, and ran it along the thick, ridged skin.
"Wow," breathed Jill. "Your touch is so soft."
The little woman pulled her hand away, saying nothing. She looked up, waiting.
"Right," said Jackie, rubbing her hands together. "Give us the tour, little one."
The little woman raised her arms, pointing one toward each side of the street. "May I speak?"
Jill nodded. "Go ahead."
"All right. This is the downtown area. It is, as the dark-haired one has said, merely cosmetic. Only for looks. It's a city built for dolls, not real people. We all live on the other end of town. I guess you could call it the suburbs."
Jackie smiled. "Okay. Lead us to Suburbia.
The little blond turned and began walking up the middle of the street. Jackie and Jill fell in behind her, moving forward carefully so as to avoid stepping on her accidentally.
They had been walking for maybe five minutes, moving quickly through the downtown area, when Jackie cried, "Hey, is that it?"
The woman nodded. "Yes, Miss. That's where we live. 'Suburbia', as you call it."
They had passed completely out of the downtown area now, and had reached a vast neighborhood of smaller dwellings. Some looked like single-family residences, some were large, mansion-type homes, while others were large enough to maybe be apartment buildings. None of them were larger than four stories, so Jill and Jackie had a panoramic view over the roof tops of the entire suburban sprawl.
And it was impressive.
The little, mostly square buildings covered most of the rear two thirds of the room, encompassing a roughly square area that was thirty yards on a side. Roads and sidewalks criss-crossed between the buildings, giving enough access for both big and little people alike. Jill saw that all the roads were wide enough for the really big people also, people like Jill's mom.
There were several open parks and empty lots around, and Jill noticed some more little people milling around in some of them. There were also more of them now in the streets around her. She guessed there were maybe a couple of thousand in sight now.
"Hey, little lady?" Jill call down.
"Yes, Miss?"
"How many people live here? In the whole city?"
The little woman tilted her head. "Well, the numbers change all the time, what with new ones being added, and some taken out for experimentation. Normally, we have about ten thousand."
Jackie whistled softly.
"That's a lot," said Jill, feeling a little sick as she thought about her mom's ultimatum. Twenty-four hours to kill them all, or Cindy dies.
The woman looked up at the giant girls questioningly. "Would you like to see the rest?"
"Sure," said Jackie.
The little woman turned and walked off the street and onto the sidewalk. She walked quickly across the lawn of one of the smaller homes, stopping up near the house. She didn't so much as glance at the little door. She turned back to the giant girls. "Knock on the roof."
Jackie blinked. "What?"
"Knock on the roof," the woman repeated. "It's only good manners."
Jackie knelt on the lawn next to the house, shrugging up at Jill, then rapped sharply on the wooden roof.
There was no response.
Jackie looked at the little woman.
She gestured up at the giantess, holding out her hands, and miming a lifting motion. "It was just a courtesy knock. Now lift it up."
Confused, Jackie turned to the roof, placing her fingers under the edge of the eaves. She lifted, surprised to feel the roof detaching easily from the front side of the house.
"Oh, cool!" Jill cried, kneeling down next to Jackie.
"Yeah!" agreed Jackie as she pushed the roof completely over, letting it fall gently against the other side of the house.
"Look at these!" Jackie said with delight, running her fingers along a little set of brass hinges that held the roof to the wall in back.
"That's awesome!" squealed Jackie. "Doll house technology at it's best!"
Jill looked inside, and was surprised yet again. She had been expecting a miniature replica of a real house, but that's not what she found. The house was actually only a wooden shell that housed four Plexiglas containers, not too different from those they had seen in the Behavioral room, only much smaller. There were tiny mattresses and tables inside, plus a little door in each one that gave onto a central hallway. In front of each Plexiglas container were two long structures that looked to Jill like troughs.
Jill looked around at the little woman. "What are those long things in front of the containers? They look like..."
The woman smiled grimly. Like feeding troughs? Like what animals eat out of? Yeah." She laughed quietly, without humor. "Welcome to the monkey house."
Jill goggled down at the little woman. "You've read Vonnegut?"
"Surprised I can read?"
Jackie turned around. "Watch that tone, Missy."
The blond woman glared up at Jackie. "No offense intended, Miss, but as I said before, I overheard your plans. I know what you have in mind for us, so does it really matter if I keep being polite?"
Jill looked at the little woman and the other people who had begun to gather in the nearby streets and yards. "Look," she said. "I'm not sure what we're going to do here. We're in a tough spot. Unfortunately, that puts all of you in a tough spot, too."
The little woman nodded. She brought her hand to her chin, rubbing it absently. "Young lady, you know literature. Do you know history, as well?"
Jill smiled shyly. "Yeah, I know a little."
Jackie snorted. "A little! She's a nut on the subject!" She tuned to Jill. "What three languages are on the Rosetta Stone?"
"Egyptian hieroglyphs," Jill said, reciting from memory. "Greek, and..."
"Demotic," Jill and the little woman said at the same time.
Jackie laughed. "See?"
The blond woman raised her arms to Jill. 'Pick me up, please, Miss. I need to talk to you." She smiled as Jill's huge fingers closed around her. "I need to talk to you about Sparta."
The plan is...
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August 15
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