Bucky's

Chapter 10: Escape?

She took a second to catch her breath and examine her surroundings. Other than the friendly Giant Leon, nobody knew she was here. She was under the table, facing a menagerie of colossal men's dress shoes, larger than cars, of various shades of brown or black. Patty took cautious steps forward, so as not to be seen or accidentally kicked or stepped on. She just about had a heart attack when one of the shoes shifted in front of her, inches from knocking her over. She gave them a wide berth and continued on to the end of the table.

Peering from around a table leg, Patty's stomach twisted into knots as she viewed the vast distance between herself and the exit. She needed to get the hell out of the restaurant before anyone realized she was missing, but wasn't sure if she could even make it. Everything, from the tables to the Giants, looked incomprehensibly massive from her vantage point on the ground. She had gotten used to seeing the restaurant from high up in the tank, or being carried around on a plate, or from the top of a table. Now, she felt smaller and more vulnerable than ever.

Despite the obstacles in her path, Patty was determined. She plotted her next move. She would sprint from table to table, and pray that nobody spotted her or squashed her underfoot. She only had one shot to get it right, and failure was not an option. Her whole body shook with tension as she geared herself up to run out in the open. The table she was currently at was designed for larger parties of Giants, so it was situated deeper within the restaurant, further back from the other tables in the main dining section. Patty had a long, long way to hoof it to the next table.

She waited for the right moment as a waitress stomped past, then forced down her fears and ran like the wind. The distance to the next table felt like miles, but Patty didn't slow. She pumped her legs like pistons in an engine, fueled by pure survival instinct. By the time she reached the table, her lungs felt like they were on fire and her heart was about to pop. She hid from view and gasped for breath. Fortunately, this table wasn't currently seating customers, so Patty felt a bit safer and less exposed while she recaptured her breath.

The next few tables were closer together, but there was considerably more foot traffic. Patty was afraid, not only of being stomped on but of being seen. The Giantess waitresses moved fast and didn't look too closely where they were stepping, but the customers occasionally took leisurely glances around the restaurant, and it was hardly inconceivable that somebody might spot her, or worse, just seize her up and take advantage of the opportunity to eat her as a free snack. Patty cowered behind the table leg at the thought, but she knew she couldn't stay here. She needed to move before the employees noticed she was missing and tracked her down.

The task was daunting, but Patty bided her time for the right moment and forced her feet to move. A waitress balancing plates in both hands rushed around a corner with alarming speed, and Patty had to dive out of the way of her shoe as she clomped past. Patty stifled her squeal of fright and clambered back to her feet, not ceasing her flight until she was under the next table. She panted for breath, staring absently at a titanic pair of heels.

Nobody came after her, so she was confident she had passed by unseen. Patty walked to the other side of the table, keeping plenty of space between her and the gigantic pair of heels, and prepared herself for the next leg of her journey. When the coast was clear, she sprinted to the next table. She wasn't used to doing so much exercise, particularly in bare feet, and she could feel the strain in her body. Her chest was beginning to burn with exertion and the skin on the soles of her feet was raw. These were minor inconveniences compared to being eaten alive, or torn limb from limb, or having her fingers or toes chopped off for disobedience. She kept moving, pushing through the pain.

She felt like she was running a marathon. All her senses were on high alert, but she tragically managed to overlook a spill and slipped in a spot of gravy on the floor in between tables, nearly faceplanting. She managed to arrest her fall by banging her knees and elbows instead, promptly scrambling back to her feet and diving for cover. Somehow, Patty avoided being seen the entire way, perhaps because she was so tiny compared to the Giants around her, who were focused on their dining experience. With her head spinning, she rushed under the next table. She saw a Giant's sandaled foot in front of her and tried to stop, but her feet were slippery with gravy and she slid forward and collided with the base of the sandal, launching herself headfirst onto the huge foot. Patty froze up, terrified that the Giant would find her, but by some miracle he didn't notice anything out of the ordinary. The foot shifted a bit but was otherwise undisturbed. She was grossed out, being on top of a gigantic, smelly, sweaty foot, with tufts of hair on the toes and big thick toenails, but she was too scared to make a move to get off. She nervously surveyed her surroundings.