by Hondo Jinx
“Hold!” a tiny voice demanded.
For an instant, Braddock thought Chundra had spoken. But then he noticed the hummingbird perched atop the stony giant’s boulder-like head.
Only it wasn’t a hummingbird, after all.
It was a tiny, winged woman. Braddock could barely see her. She was only three or four inches tall.
“Relax, Doal,” she said, patting the monster’s head. “Don’t you recognize our friend Chundra?”
The huge creature leaned forward, squinting its eyes, which looked like a pair of dark holes drilled into granite. The monster’s mouth curved upward in a jagged stalactite smile.
“Be seated, Doal,” the woman said.
The stone-skinned giant plopped down on its rump, shaking the meadow again. The little woman fluttered up and hovered briefly in the air.
Her transparent dragonfly wings moved very quickly. She clutched a tiny bucket in her hand.
She settled again, folded her legs beneath her, and sat cross-legged atop Doal’s head.
“Stranger, please lower your wand.”
Braddock holstered the pistol. He didn’t reckon it would do much good against her pet rockslide anyway.
“Thank you,” she said with a slight nod.
He tipped his hat. She might be tiny, but she was still a lady. “Thanks for calling off Doal. He’s big.”
Her twittering laughter was high and sweet. “Yes, he is very big, very strong, and very protective.” She leaned and rubbed the giant’s stony skull.
Doal smiled, rumbling happily.
Chundra hopped down, dropped the spear, ran over, climbed Doal’s massive foot, and perched on the giant’s craggy toe.
“Welcome, Chundra,” the tiny lady said. “Who is this stranger you bring to my valley?”
Braddock heard her question clearly, understanding the words even though she was squeaking in Chundra’s language.
Now that was curious.
When Chundra responded, however, the only word Braddock caught was “Braddock.”
That’s when a revelation kicked Braddock right between the eyes. The little woman and he understood each other. Braddock had been so surprised that he’d taken their initial communication in stride.
“A good, strong name,” she said, and flew down beside Chundra, who bent and scooped her into a gentle hug.
Chundra lowered her to the toe.
The tiny woman said, “Welcome, Braddock. I am Philia. Any friend of Chundra’s is a friend of mine. Please come closer.”
Braddcok dismounted and walked over. Doal’s foot was apparently six feet long, because Braddock was suddenly eye to eye with the little lady standing atop it.
“Howdy.”
Up close, he was shocked by her beauty. Long, chestnut tresses framed a tiny, acorn-shaped face dominated by large eyes with emerald green irises and a dazzling smile capped with dimples. Her skin was light green with a healthy pink glow shining on the rounded swell of her cheeks and upper breasts.
Philia was only a few inches tall, but proportionately speaking, she had the body of a goddess. Girlishly slender, she was long-limbed and small boned, but she had the hips and breasts of a perfectly developed woman.
To these curves clung a tunic the color of spring moss. A twist of vine was cinched around her narrow waist, highlighting her hourglass figure.
Between the tunic’s lower edge, which barely covered her tiny bottom, and Philia’s strappy, knee-high sandals, her legs were smooth and shapely.
Atop her thick, brown hair she wore a woven tiara of delicate pink and white flowers.
Yes, Philia was tiny. Yes, she was green. Yes, she had wings. But she was nonetheless gorgeous.
With her huge green eyes gleaming merrily, Philia curtseyed, inclining her head in a subtle bow. Then she straightened, batted her thick lashes, and held out a hand.
Braddock bent his head and kissed her tiny hand. Her flesh was sweet, as was her scent, a light and fetching apple aroma.
When he lifted his head, Philia studied him intently, her big eyes shining with interest and her pretty little mouth hanging slightly ajar.
“Where are you from, Braddock?”
“Texas.”
“Texas? Is that within the Belt?”
He shrugged. “I never heard of the Belt.”
Philia gasped, and her eyes grew even larger. “Are you… an off-worlder?”
He nodded. “Seems that way.”
Philia listened with rapt attention as he told her about the centaurs, the portal, sheltering on the plateau, and meeting Chundra.
“You,” she said, and paused, her cheeks blushing a darker pink as she shimmied back and forth, smoothing the abbreviated tunic over her hips. “You are a man. I’ve heard of men. Who hasn’t?” She laughed, sounding nervous and elated. “But you really are? You really are a man?”
Braddock nodded.
“A true man?”
He didn’t know exactly what she meant by true, but he was a man, nothing more and nothing less, so he nodded again.
With a burst of tinkling laughter, Philia spun in a graceful little pirouette, swinging her tiny bucket in a circle. When she came to a stop, clear liquid sloshed from the bucket onto Doal’s toe.
“Oh no,” Philia said with a pained expression. “I’ve spilled Mother’s dew.”
She knelt, frantically sipped up the dew, and let it run from her mouth into the bucket. When she turned away from Braddock, he couldn’t help but appreciate the ripe fullness of her shapely bottom.
If only she were his size.
Philia deposited more dew then froze on hands and knees. Her eyes narrowed thoughtfully. She drew a slender green forearm across her mouth. “Wait,” she said to herself. “It might not matter anymore.” An excited smile dawned on her pretty face.
Leaving the bucket, she shot into the air and spun around Braddock’s head, cheering, “It might not matter anymore!”
Philia landed on his hat. A second later, her tiny face appeared upside down and smiling at him as she leaned over the brim.
When her flowery crown fell, she pointed, and the crown zipped back to her chestnut locks.
“You can do magic.”
“Nothing impressive,” she said. “I’m only a dew maiden, after all. But yes, I do possess magic. Don’t you?”
Braddock shook his head. “Your magic, is that how we’re able to understand each other?”
“Yes, though our ability to communicate isn’t a spell or the effect of an elixir. It’s part of my magical nature. I can speak with men and monsters alike. Birds and beasts as well.”
“That must come in handy.
“Yes, I suppose it does.” Philia flipped over the brim of his hat and hovered in the air six inches from his face. “I am a meadow sprite. Do you know meadow sprites?”
Again, he shook his head.
“My sisters and I live upstream in a broad, beautiful meadow. We serve our Meadow Mother and preserve the harmony of our domain.
“As I mentioned, I am a dew maiden. Each morning, I gather dew for the Meadow Mother.”
“To drink?”
Philia shook her head, laughing prettily. “No, silly. To enchant. I can create some of the elixirs myself. A few, that is. Cleaning, mostly. Mild healing, fertilization of plants.”
Her bottom lip pouted. She really was pretty. Enchanting, even. Her scent lingered in his nostrils. Strong and sweet, almost dizzying.
“Alas, I am not powerful enough to perform most incantations. Therefore, I must surrender my bucket to the elders, who tease and mock me. And I remain a lowly dew maiden.”
All at once, she brightened, showing Braddock a huge smile that made him grin reflexively. “But now, after all these years of teasing, I can finally change all that. With your help, that is.”
“My help? Like I said, I’m no wizard.”
“I suspect you are much more than a wizard.” Laughing, Philia darted forward, brushed across his cheek, and breathed deeply. Close to h
is ear, she moaned, “Oh, thank the loam and rain, you are a true man.”
Philia whipped away, zipped back, and once more hovered before him. “May I rest in your palm?”
He held his hand out in front of his face, and Philia settled gently as a feather on the palm.
A change had come over the tiny dew maiden. She was breathing hard. Her cleavage rose and fell, blushing pinkly. She lifted her chin. Her lips, suddenly bright red, parted slightly. Above her glowing cheeks, her eyes shone with green fire.
Fixing Braddock with a passionate gaze, she panted, “You have the power to make all my dreams come true.”
“How’s that?”
She bit her lip and said, “Have sex with me.”
7
Braddock laughed. “I’m flattered, darlin. But what you’re asking isn’t possible.”
“Please hear me out,” Philia begged, and fell to her knees on his palm. “You have power here. Immense power.”
He shook his head. “Like I said, I’m no wizard.”
“You are much more than a wizard,” Philia said, beaming up at him. “You are a man. A true man. Which makes you a savior to monster girls.”
“What are monster girls?”
Philia’s smile wilted, and the pink glow vanished from her cheeks. “We are magical abominations.”
“Hold on a second, darlin. You’re a monster girl?”
Philia nodded, dropped her gaze, and spoke in a voice that throbbed with shame and sorrow. “We come in many shapes and sizes. Sprites and sylphs, shifters and slime girls, succubi and sirens and countless other varieties, but regardless of form, yes, we are monsters… monsters united in misery.”
Braddock reached out with a fingertip and gently lifted her tiny chin. “Why are you all miserable?”
“You know nothing of the planet Tardoon?”
He shook his head.
“Once, humans dwelled together in towns and cities, free to build happy lives. Men and women lived in harmony, married, and had children. But the Great Corruption changed everything. Overnight, women were transformed into monster girls.”
“How?”
“A powerful curse. Men changed, too. Outwardly, they still looked human. But inwardly, they became monsters. Cruel, hateful monsters that drove us into the wilderness.
“So we live in exile and struggle to survive. Beasts hunt us for our sweet flesh. Centaurs enslave us. Sidians sacrifice us to their dark gods.”
Philia shuddered.
Braddock wondered what Sidians were, but Philia started talking again.
“Some monster girls live in solitude among the wastes. Others, like sprites, form communities. But we are all lonely, because we can’t have children.”
“The Corruption made you infertile?”
Philia laughed bitterly. “Quite the opposite. We are incredibly fertile, and our libidos are quite strong. Manic, even. We are constantly in heat, perpetually hungering for the essence of men. Therein lies our curse. For there are no true men left.”
Braddock nodded, putting it all together.
“Until now, that is!” Philia did a backflip and beamed up at him. “Now, you are here. And you can save me.”
“Hold on, darlin. I don’t see how I—”
“Have sex with me. Free me from a life of servitude. When we bond, I will be able to start my own meadow. And then, once I gather handmaidens—”
“I’m not following you, darlin. By bonding, you mean sex?”
“Yes and no,” Philia said, popping to her feet again and pacing prettily back and forth upon his palm. “We bond by having sex; but bonding is much, much more than sex. Our bond will strengthen you, too.”
“How?”
Philia wound a chestnut curl around her finger. “Honestly, I’m not sure exactly how. I only know bonding benefits monster girls and their masters alike. Together, we will claim a meadow. I will become Meadow Mother, and you will be my Meadow Master.”
“Master?” As a frontiersman, Braddock cherished liberty above all else and understood well the paradox of autonomy: true cooperation and compromise, those hallmarks of community, are possible only between self-reliant individuals.
“Oh yes,” Philia said excitedly. “Once we bond, I will serve you forever.”
“I thought you wanted me to set you free.”
“Yes, from Hortensia.” She clapped a tiny hand over her mouth, green eyes bulging. “I can’t believe I actually said that aloud. But yes, please free me. Liberate me from the abuse of Hortensia’s wicked handmaiden elders and allow me the great honor and pleasure of serving you instead.”
Braddock frowned at her. She was missing the point of freedom. “I hate to break it to you, darlin, but I’m not looking for a servant.”
Philia regarded him quizzically for a second. “A wife, then. A lover and loyal friend. The mother of your children.”
Philia leapt into the air with a happy squeal and circled his head, trailing laughter and sparkling green dust.
Her scent grew stronger, and Braddock felt a pleasant tickling in his mind.
“I can’t believe this is really happening!” Philia shouted. “Once I gain my first handmaiden, I will flower, and you will impregnate me!”
“Hold on there, darlin,” Braddock chuckled. “You’re moving kind of fast. Where I’m from, folks generally get to know each other before planning a family. Now quit flitting around so we can talk face-to-face. You’re making me dizzy.”
Tittering, Philia settled gently onto his hand. She was as light as a cloud’s shadow. “Make love to me, Braddock. Set me free, and we will fill our meadow with beautiful babies.”
“I’m sorry, darlin.”
She started to protest, but he cut her off.
“I am sorry about your predicament, darlin. If there is one thing I believe in, it is freedom. You’re a pretty little thing and sweet, too, and I would love to help you, but it just isn’t possible.”
“Why?” Philia sobbed.
“Look at us,” he said. “In case you hadn’t noticed, you’re about the size of my thumb. I could never give you want you want. I’m much too big to make love to you.”
Philia burst into giddy laughter, making Braddock wonder if his rejection had made her snap.
She zipped forward, kissed his knuckles, and raced up to plant another kiss on the tip of his nose.
“That was your hesitation?” she said, sounding elated. “Our size differences?”
“Well, yeah. If I tried to do what you’re asking, I’d split you in half.”
“Do not worry, you silly, wonderful man! Our size difference is no problem at all. In fact, I will fix it right now.”
Her eyes glowed brightly, and her whole body lit up with a wavering green aura.
Braddock’s danger sense came to life. “What are you fixing to do?”
“I am going to fix everything!” Philia chimed.
A bright flash enveloped Braddock in green light. The air grew sweet and warm, like a patch of summer clover. His head felt strange, almost dizzy as the warmth and sweetness permeated his flesh.
Suddenly, everything around him started growing. The field, the forest, Philia. Everything was getting bigger.
Then Braddock realized the truth.
The world wasn’t growing.
He was shrinking.
Fast.
When he finally stopped shrinking, he stood at eye level with the dewy tips of the grass.
Philia beamed up at him. But now she was life-sized, making it seem like she was a foot shorter than his six foot six inches.
Only he wasn’t six foot six anymore. He was maybe four inches tall.
And that was a problem. His duds and guns had shrunk with him, but he doubted the firepower of his tiny six-shooters.
Philia stepped forward and put her hands on his hips. Up close, she was even more stunning. “Smile, Braddock! I fixed everything!”
“Fixed it? Darlin, you just bought me a world of trouble.”
&nbs
p; 8
The ground shook. Braddock turned to see a colossal bear-man lumbering toward them.
Chundra was no longer a humorous little sidekick. His footsteps shook the ground beneath Braddock’s feet. From the Earthman’s new vantage point, the bear-man looked twenty feet tall.
Crouching down, Chundra smiled and patted Braddock’s head gently.
Behind him, Doal was a mountain. Meanwhile, the impossibly huge buckskin cropped grass, calmly uprooting mouthfuls bigger than Philia and Braddock combined.
The sprite raised her hands to Braddock’s face and turned his eyes toward hers.
“Not trouble, Braddock. Bliss.”
She pulled his face down to hers. Their mouths met in a light kiss. Then another. The kissing grew spirited.
Philia’s lips were soft and tasted more like fruit than flesh. Her scent filled his lungs and rose like a dizzying vapor into his head.
With every kiss, Braddock’s concerns faded. Part of him knew he was being foolish. Most of him didn’t care.
His pulse quickened. Desire rose abruptly, hot and urgent and raw.
He mashed his mouth into hers and ran his big, calloused hands over the soft curves of her tiny body.
Though truth be told, she no longer seemed tiny. Petite, yes. But all woman.
Beneath his exploring hands, her short dress hid nothing. Its fabric clung to her, thin as a sheen of perspiration upon her full hips, round bottom, and firm breasts.
Philia kissed Braddock passionately, moaning and squirming as she tugged at his belt, unfastening the buckle and the jeans beneath.
This was madness.
He broke the kiss and seized her wrists before she could haul him into something they would both regret.
“Hold your horses, darlin. We’re out in the open here. And tiny. What if something decides to eat us?”
“I am delighted by your concern, Braddock, because it tells me you will be a vigilant defender of our meadow.” Philia leaned forward to kiss his neck. “But do not worry. Doal will protect us.”
Braddock glanced at her mountainous companion, whose cave-like eyes had closed. “I think he’s asleep.”
Philia laughed as if Braddock had said something funny then squeaked, “Chundra, will you be our sentry, please?”
