barucai

[Story] By the Book

Published: December 10th 2024, 4:02:37 am

Hi Hi ✨

Sorry for the delay, but here’s Monday’s story! I’ve been experimenting with some mini giantess stories lately, and here’s one that made it out of my drafts folder. I hope you enjoy it! Right now, I’m struggling to create giantess images with my current model. It’s either muscular or tall, but I hope my writing is enough to make you picture Alice as a 20-foot-tall librarian! Let me know what you think about this story.

📦 Grab the full res images from the attachment section of this post. ⬇️

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By the Book

"Morning Alice! Let me guess... you were reading 'The Borrowers' again?" I couldn't help but grin as I spotted our town librarian perched atop her desk, barely reaching two feet tall. She was wearing what looked like a doll's dress, probably kept in her emergency size-change drawer.

"Tom! Thank goodness you're here," Alice called out, her voice tiny but clear. "Could you grab the ladder? I need to reshelf these books but..." She gestured at herself with a diminutive hand, then at the towering shelves around her.

That's our Alice for you. No matter what size she happened to be, she was always focused on keeping the Heritage Falls Library running smoothly. I'd known her for three years now, ever since I moved to this tiny Massachusetts town to write my novel. Well, attempt to write my novel. These days I spent more time hanging around the library, ostensibly for research, but mostly to chat with Alice.

"Sure thing," I said, grabbing the rolling ladder from its corner. "Though maybe you should stick to children's books today. The top shelves might be a bit ambitious."

Alice shot me a look that would have been more intimidating if she wasn't the size of a coffee mug. "Very funny. I'll have you know I was making excellent progress organizing the reference section before you arrived."

I raised an eyebrow, scanning the desk. Sure enough, there was a neat pile of index cards arranged by the Dewey Decimal System. "At this rate, you'll be done by Christmas. Of 2025."

"Some of us prefer to be thorough," she sniffed, but I caught the smile she was trying to hide. "Besides, I only have myself to blame. I knew better than to read 'The Borrowers' before bed, but Mrs. Henderson's granddaughter wanted to discuss it for her book report and I needed a refresh."

I started gathering the books she needed to reshelf. "How's little Sophie doing anyway? Still struggling with reading?"

Alice's face lit up. Even at this size, her enthusiasm for helping young readers was unmistakable. "Oh, she's made such progress! You should have seen her last week when..." She trailed off, noticing my barely contained laughter. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing, nothing," I managed. "Just remembering last week when you were reading 'Jack and the Beanstalk' and had to conduct story time from the skylight."

Alice blushed, the pink tinge visible even on her tiny features. "That was not one of my better decisions. Though the kids seemed to enjoy it."

"Are you kidding? They loved it! Nothing sells a story about a giant quite like having a 15-foot tall librarian acting it out."

I helped her reorganize the reference section while she directed from her desktop perch, occasionally hitching a ride on my shoulder to point out specific spots. We fell into our usual comfortable banter, discussing everything from the latest town gossip to my perpetually unfinished novel.

"Speaking of which," Alice said as I shelved the last book, "how's Chapter Three coming along?"

I groaned. "Still stuck. My protagonist refuses to cooperate."

"Have you tried asking her what she wants?"

"Alice, she's not real."

She crossed her tiny arms. "All the best characters are real in their own way. Maybe you're just not listening hard enough."

Before I could argue the point, the library door chimed. Mrs. Chen from the flower shop walked in, barely batting an eye at Alice's current state.

"Good morning, dear," she called out. "I'm returning these gardening books. Oh, and I brought you some of those chocolate chip cookies you like."

Alice's face fell. "That's so kind, Mrs. Chen, but I'm afraid in my current state..."

"Not to worry," the older woman chuckled. "They'll keep until tomorrow. Though maybe avoid 'Alice in Wonderland' this time? The last time you ate that 'Eat Me' cake, we had to remove the ceiling tiles."

I helped Mrs. Chen check in her books while Alice muttered something about "one time" and "completely different context." As our resident bookworm had discovered, her size changes weren't limited to just the physical descriptions in books. Any significant size-related plot point could trigger a transformation.

The rest of the day passed quietly, with Alice gradually returning to her normal height by closing time. As I helped her lock up, she pulled a thick volume from her bag.

"What's tonight's reading?" I asked, trying to peek at the cover.

She clutched it to her chest. "Promise not to laugh?"

"When have I ever laughed at you?" She gave me a pointed look. "Okay, when have I ever laughed at you maliciously?"

Sighing, she showed me the cover: "Hercules: The Complete Myths."

"Planning on some light weightlifting tomorrow?"

"The archival room needs reorganizing," she explained. "Those boxes won't move themselves."

I thought about offering to help, but I knew Alice. She took pride in maintaining the library herself, even if it meant occasionally borrowing strength from mythological heroes.

"Just... maybe skip the part about Atlas holding up the sky?" I suggested.

She smiled, waving as she headed for her car. "No promises!"

  *

The next morning, I wasn't entirely surprised to find the library door locked when I arrived at my usual time. Through the glass, I could see Alice attempting to adjust her clothing, which was straining against muscles that would make a professional bodybuilder jealous.

I knocked gently. "Want me to grab your emergency stretchy clothes from the staff room?"

She nodded gratefully, turning to let me in. "I may have read a bit too far into the trials of Hercules," she admitted, trying to stop her shirt from riding up over her abs.

"You think?" I retrieved the drawer of various-sized clothing she kept for these occasions. After three years of size-changing incidents, Alice had learned to be prepared.

As she disappeared into the back room to change, I couldn't help but notice the archival boxes had all been neatly reorganized. "At least you got the job done!"

"Yes, but now I can barely type without breaking the keyboard," she called back. "And don't even get me started on trying to handle the books. I'm afraid I'll tear the pages."

She emerged wearing what looked like workout gear, though even that was having trouble containing her enhanced physique. Her usually slim frame had been transformed into something out of a superhero movie, complete with bulging biceps and shoulders that barely fit through the door.

"Could be worse," I offered. "Remember the time you read 'The Incredible Hulk'?"

"We agreed never to speak of that incident," she said primly, attempting to sit at her desk before thinking better of it. The chair creaked ominously. "Besides, at least the building's still standing this time."

The morning was interesting, to say the least. Alice had to direct me and Mrs. Henderson's teenage son (who usually helped out on Tuesdays) to handle all the books, while she focused on the computer work. Even that proved challenging, as she kept accidentally crushing pens and having to type with just her pinkies to avoid damaging the keyboard.

"Maybe you should take a sick day," I suggested after she accidentally bent her third stapler of the morning.

She shook her head stubbornly. "The library stays open. We have story time at three, and I promised the kids we'd read 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar.'"

"Are you sure that's wise? Given your current... condition?"

Alice flexed unconsciously, causing her shirt to strain alarmingly. "I'll be fine. It's a children's book about a butterfly. What could possibly go wrong?"

I wisely chose not to answer that.

The kids, of course, were delighted by Hercules-Alice. They spent more time asking her to lift things and arm wrestle than listening to the story, but she took it in stride. She even let little Tommy hang from her bicep like a monkey bar, though she drew the line at Sophie's request to throw her brother through the basketball hoop outside.

By closing time, the effects of Hercules were starting to fade, though Alice still had to be careful with the door handle as we locked up.

"What's on the reading list for tonight?" I asked, walking her to her car.

She patted her bag. "I was thinking something nice and normal. Maybe some Jane Austen?"

"Good choice. Though if you start speaking in a British accent tomorrow, I'm staging an intervention."

She laughed, then paused before getting into her car. "Tom? Thanks for always taking this in stride. I know it can't be easy having a friend who... well, who changes like this."

I shrugged. "Are you kidding? You're the most interesting person in Heritage Falls. Besides, you've been putting up with my writer's block for three years. Dealing with a few size changes is the least I can do."

Her smile was worth all the bent staplers in the world.

  *

The third day started with a series of increasingly frantic texts:

ALICE: Tom, I may have made a mistake.

ME: Let me guess... 'Attack of the 50 Foot Woman'?

ALICE: Worse. 'Gulliver's Travels.'

ME: The whole thing???

ALICE: I fell asleep during the Brobdingnag chapter.

ME: On my way.

I found her in the library parking lot, sitting cross-legged next to the building. At about twenty feet tall, she was roughly eye-level with the second floor.

"Don't. Say. Anything." She glowered down at me, though the effect was somewhat ruined by the makeshift outfit she'd created from what looked like several tablecloths sewn together.

"Wouldn't dream of it," I replied, trying to keep a straight face. "Though I have to ask - where did you get the... um, ensemble?"

She sighed, the sound rustling the trees. "Mrs. Chen. She's been keeping extra fabric on hand ever since the 'Jack and the Beanstalk' incident. Could you grab my phone? It's on the ground somewhere. I dropped it when I outgrew it."

I retrieved the tiny device, which now looked like a toy in comparison to Alice's current size. "Want me to call the mayor?"

"Already done. She said to just try to keep the property damage to a minimum this time." Alice carefully shifted position, trying not to crush any of the carefully tended library gardens. "Could you put up the 'Temporary Closure' sign? I don't think I can exactly provide normal services today."

"I don't know," I mused, looking up at her. "You could probably shelve books on the top floor without a ladder now."

She rolled her eyes, but I caught the smile tugging at her lips. "Yes, and break every shelf in the process. No, better to just wait it out. Though..." She looked thoughtful. "We could do story time outside today. The kids love it when I'm big enough to use the building as a prop."

"Just please don't act out 'Godzilla' again. The fire department is still mad about last time."

We spent the morning setting up an outdoor reading area, with Alice carefully arranging some fallen trees as benches. Word spread quickly (as it tends to do in small towns), and by lunchtime, a crowd had gathered to watch our giant librarian read "Where the Wild Things Are" while using the library roof as a desk.

The kids were ecstatic, especially when Alice carefully lifted them up for a better view of the illustrations. Parents seemed remarkably unfazed - after three years, the town had grown used to their librarian's variable size.

"At least it's a nice day," Alice remarked during a break between stories. She was lying on her stomach in the parking lot, which we'd blocked off for safety reasons. "Remember when this happened during that snowstorm?"

"How could I forget? You had to wear the school gymnasium's rain tarp as a scarf."

She laughed, causing several nearby cars to shake slightly. "This town puts up with a lot from its librarian."

"Are you kidding? Tourism has gone up 300% since you started having your... episodes. The gift shop can barely keep those 'I Saw the Giant Librarian' t-shirts in stock."

"Don't remind me," she groaned. "Mayor Thompson keeps trying to schedule my size changes to coincide with the Heritage Falls Festival."

As the afternoon wore on, Alice gradually began to shrink back to her normal size. By closing time, she was back to her usual 5'6", though her tablecloth outfit now resembled a rather avant-garde evening gown.

"Need a ride home?" I offered as she gathered her things.

She shook her head. "Thanks, but I should probably check the roof for scuff marks first. Don't want the maintenance budget taking another hit."

I watched her disappear into the building, then pulled out my phone to send a quick text:

ME: Don't forget dinner at my place tomorrow. I'm making that pasta you like.

ALICE: Only if you promise to read some of your novel.

ME: Deal. Just... maybe leave the books at home this time?

ALICE: Where's your sense of adventure? 😉

Chuckling, I headed for my car. Just another three days in the life of Heritage Falls' most interesting librarian. I'd have to write about it someday - if I ever finished that novel.

Then again, maybe I already had my story. I just needed to figure out how to explain that my protagonist was real, just like Alice had said. And that she happened to be a librarian who changed size based on her bedtime reading.

As I drove home, I couldn't help but wonder what size Alice would be at dinner tomorrow. But then, that was part of her charm - you never knew what to expect, but you could always count on her to make life more interesting.

Just another week in Heritage Falls, where the only thing bigger than our librarian's occasional size changes was her heart.