The systems failure had been devastating! The ship had encountered

a rending cosmic storm! They tried to send a distress signal but

couldn't. Worse yet, the energy of the storm must have caused some sort

of warping of space because, once the storm had passed, the stars they

saw were not on any of their star charts. They had only one chance for

survival. There was a solar system barely within their means to reach

using their emergency reserves of power. One of the planets, the fourth

from the Sun, was barely habitable for human life according to the final

readings they were able to get before they lost too much power. They

made it into the atmosphere but couldn't sustain power all the way to

the surface. Over a hundred miles above the ground, the ship totally

lost power and became a one hundred ton piece of junk falling from the

sky. Fortunately, the ship had very good defensive measures to protect

passengers in case of a crash. There was the additional fact that this

planet had only eighty percent of the gravity of Earth so that terminal

velocity was somewhat less. Unfortunately, the ship had no control over

where it landed! It skimmed off a mountain and crashed through rough,

rocky terrain, being virtually ripped apart before skidding to a halt!

Amy and Jim were both passengers aboard the ship. Amy was

twenty-four years old. She stood five feet, three inches tall and

weighed one hundred and five pounds. She had a slim but attractive

figure. Jim was twenty-six years old. He stood six feet tall and

weighed one hundred and eighty pounds. His short black hair contrasted

with Amy's long brown hair. They both had deep-set brown eyes. They

both staggered from the ship- and that was when they met each other!

They had not encountered one another during their months aboard the

ship.

"Are you okay?" Jim asked Amy when he saw her staggering out of the

ship.

"I'm just a little shaken!" she gasped. "I'll be all right! Just let

me sit down! Please see if everyone else is okay!"

"Good idea!" he said.

He started back to the ship.

"Hey!" she called.

He looked back.

"Are you all right?" she asked.

"A little shaky!" he said. "But I'll get by!"

He ducked into the ship.

A few minutes later, Jim staggered out of the ship, looking very

pale and truly shaken. By this time, Amy had begun to recover and, when

she saw his condition, she gasped, "My God! What's wrong?"

But before he could answer, she already knew.

"They're all dead!" he said. "Every last one of them is dead! The crew

and the passengers- everyone is dead!"

They both sat in silence for several minutes, absorbing this

information. Finally, she said, "What are we going to do?"

"Survive!" he said. "We are going to survive!"

Working together, Amy and Jim got everything salvageable out of the

ship that they believed they could possibly use.

"There's no way we can carry all of this stuff!" Jim said. "We'll have

to take only what we think is essential, mostly preserved foods, water

and basic survival equipment!"

"I'll organize it," Amy said. "Organization is one of my strong

points!"

Within a few hours, they were ready to travel.

"Before we leave," Amy said, "we have to say a few words over the dead!

Maybe it's silly but…"

"No! I agree!" Jim said.

He and Amy turned toward the ship, heads bowed.

"We don't know how much longer we'll be alive ourselves," Amy said, "but

while we are, we will honor your memories in our hearts!"

"We'll honor your memories by surviving!" Jim said. "We'll get rescued

or find some way to repro- that is, survive- here!"

Amy knew he said this for her sake, nor did she miss the 'Freudian Slip'

about reproducing the human race. Once they both had spoken, they

looked at one another. Without another word, they shouldered their

backpacks and began walking. They moved a hundred yards from the ship

before either of them spoke, as if out of reverence for the dead.

"Where do we go from here?" Amy asked.

Jim pointed to a mountain range far from the bleak plains they currently

inhabited, the very Mountain range the ship had bounced off of on it's

descent.

"There!" he said. "We may find food and water there, as well as

shelter!"

"If we don't," Amy thought, "we're as dead as everyone else!"

As they moved across the bleak landscape, they both felt the

depression. This world had gravity considerably less than Earth's.

They weighed less and the burdens of carried equipment were also less

and the walking easier. Unfortunately, with a lighter gravity there

tends to be a thinner atmosphere and this world was no exception. They

both began finding it difficult to breathe just from the exertion of

walking. Also, with the lesser gravity and atmosphere, the planet's

heat was not so easily retained. They were both very cold. The fact

that the planet was very distant from its sun also increased the cold.

Still, they trudged on, striving for the mountains. They did not reach

them on the first day. They had to camp on the plains.

"How'd you happen to be going to Planet 34B?" Jim asked.

The number was the planet's designation in the star charts using a

cross-reference system with numbers down the side and letters across the

top. The charts included more details that only navigators seemed to

understand, giving precise information. The designation Jim referred to

was strictly tourist-level comprehension.

"I'm the secretary to Earth's ambassador to that planet- I mean I was

until he was-" she began.

"Oh, man!" he laughed, trying to lighten the mood. "So the two

survivors are a VIP and a nobody!"

"You're an important person?" she quipped. "You're obviously on the

outside looking in if you think that I'm of any importance. Believe me,

I'm not! I got the job as secretary to the ambassador because my

parents have connections. Besides, regardless of how I got the job, the

bottom line is that I'm just a secretary. Besides, there's nobody

that's unimportant! So, what do you do for a living?"

"Me? I was in the Custodial Department of the ship. In other words,

I'm just a janitor, a practitioner of the cleaning arts!"

She looked at him with compassionate eyes and he felt his heart melting.

"Why do you say that you are 'just a janitor' as though it was something

bad? Is there something wrong with being a janitor?'

"Well, er, no!" he said.

Laughing suddenly, she put her hand on his arm.

"Well then, Mr. Janitor, would you be so kind as to be my friend and

companion?"

She looked up at him with those compassionate and lovely eyes. For an

endless moment, they held him spellbound. Then he said, "I certainly

would be honored to be your friend and companion, Miss Secretary! I

most assuredly would be honored!"

The next morning, the two of them again set out for the distant

mountains. During the night, changes had begun to take place in Amy's

body but, on the surface, they were too insignificant to be noticed

yet. By the end of the second day, Amy was really beginning to

struggle. She was staggering under the weight of her pack and gasping

for breath. Even through her insulated clothing, the cold was getting

to her. Jim was fairing only a little better himself. He was suffering

from the cold and the lack of air every bit as much as she was but his

greater size and strength combined with the lighter gravity was allowing

him to more easily carry his pack and trudge along although under no

circumstances could this be considered easy.

On this planet, the difference between day and night was a rather

insignificant one, mostly a somewhat noticeable brightening of the sky

in comparison to the darkness of night. In the daytime, the sky was

still overcast, but slightly brighter than at night. When the sky

darkened enough that they could no longer see the distant mountains, Amy

and Jim stopped for the night. As they sat, eating dried rations and

drinking as little water as possible, Amy said, "I'm not going to make

it, am I?"

This time, it was Jim's turn to give the compassionate look.

"Now, what kind of talk is that? Of course you're going to make it!

You're doing great!"

She burst into tears.

"Oh no I'm not!" she cried. "I'm fading by the hour and I'm holding you

back in the process! You could have gotten a lot further without me!"

"I couldn't get anywhere without you!" he blurted. "The price would be

too high!"

If he was beginning to experience any feelings for her, feelings couched

within that remark, she was too distraught to notice.

"We're in this together!" he said.

Gently, he put his hands on her shoulders.

"We're in this together and we're going to get out of it together!"

Ever so cautiously, he hugged her, stepping to one side and lightly

putting his arm around her shoulder, so as to not seem too forceful.

She turned and threw her arms around him, crying out her fears.

"It will be all right!" he kept saying. "It will be all right! I won't

let anything happen to you!"

Under his gentle holding and reassurance, she finally fell asleep.

Again, changes took place during the night while she slept and, again,

they were still too insignificant to be noticed on the surface!

They had been trudging along for several hours on the third day

when Jim turned to Amy and said, "Give me your backpack!"

In spite of the fact that she was near to collapsing, she said, "No! I

can carry it!"

"Maybe for five more minutes!" he said.

He stepped behind her and started taking her pack off.

"You can't carry both of them!" she said.

"Can't I?" he smirked.

The exhaustion was plain on his face. Carrying both packs would strain

him to the limits and probably beyond. Yet, with frequent rests, he

made it through the rest of the day carrying both packs in spite of

Amy's regular pleas to let her carry her own.

That night, Jim lay exhausted while Amy prepared the meager meal.

She noticed that his hands shook slightly as he drank his water.

Kneeling next to him, she said, "Lay down!"

She put her hands on his chest and pushed. In his weakened condition,

he fell back and found his head resting on her lap. She stroked his

hair.

"My big strong man!" she almost cooed, looking down at him. "My

rescuer! You've done all you can! Now, just relax and sleep- relax and

sleep!"

Under her gentle caresses and sweet voice, he drifted to sleep within

minutes. She soon fell asleep herself. During the night, there were

more changes.

Jim let Amy start out carrying her own pack the next morning. But,

after a few hours, he insisted upon carrying it.

"No!" she insisted. "I can keep going for a while longer!"

At first, he thought she was just saying that, but she really did look

like she was doing okay. It also looked like there was something

different about her, but he just couldn't place what it was! Before the

end of the day, he did have to start carrying her pack for her, but she

had carried it for most of the day!

That night, Jim fell asleep almost instantly. There was no

conversation. Amy missed that. The previous three nights, they had

talked and he had reassured her. But, by the fourth night, he was just

too weak to stay awake. She was very tired herself but felt she could

stay awake for just a little while longer. Besides, she needed some

time to think. She looked at Jim, sleeping peacefully away. Of course,

she wondered if they would survive and if they would ever be rescued.

But what if they managed to survive but didn't get rescued? What would

happen then? How would they live? What would their lives be like on a

daily basis? What would their relationship become? Would it end up

being romantic? She didn't exactly look upon Jim in a romantic way.

She already thought of him as a dear friend and now one she was very

grateful to, but she wasn't sure she felt any more than that. What if

he insisted that it become sexual? She really didn't think he would do

that! He had too much of a conscience. Would she want it to become

sexual and romantic as an alternative to lonliness? Would she be doing

it for her sake or for his? All of these questions collided within her

until she finally fell asleep. Again, changes began taking place as

soon as she began sleeping.

On the morning of the fifth day, Amy felt positively energetic.

She insisted upon carrying her own pack. Jim kept looking at her as if

something was wrong but he said nothing. As they walked, he estimated

that they would reach the mountains by the next day. Amy was beginning

to outdistance him even carrying her own pack. He was having trouble

breathing and was cold even through his insulated suit. The dust or

some sort of contaminants in the atmosphere were affecting him because

he was coughing intermittently.

When they finally stopped for the night, Amy looked like she could

have kept going for a while longer. She took off her backpack and then

helped Jim off with his.

"You don't look so good!" she said. "Just lay down and rest. I'll set

up the camp!"

Jim lay coughing occasionally while she did that. Then she walked over

with the water canteen. She knelt down, cradling his head and holding

the canteen for him to drink.

"Thanks!" he said. "I don't know what's wrong! It must be contaminents

in the air that I don't have a tolerance to!"

Amy began spoon-feeding him his rations.

"Aren't you going to eat and drink?" he asked.

"You know, that's funny!" she said. "I drank some water early this

morning and I just now seem to be feeling thirsty. I'll have a drink

before going to sleep. As for eating, I'm not the least bit hungry!

Oh, well! More for you!"

She stayed up later that night than she had the night before. When she

finally slept, changes again took place.

When Jim awoke the next morning, Amy was packed and ready to go.

She wasn't even wearing her insulated suit.

"My God!" Jim said. "You're going to freeze!"

"No! I don't think so!" she said exuberantly. "I don't feel the least

bit cold!"

Now that she wasn't wearing her bulky insulated suit, he saw clearly for

the first time what had been making him suspicious. Amy was almost as

tall as he was!

"My God!" he gasped. "This is impossible!"

"What are you talking about?" she said

It was obvious she had been dreading this moment, but he said, "You know

what I'm talking about! Look how big you've gotten! You're nearly as

tall as I am!"

"You must be crazy!" she said. "I'm not any taller!"

"Do you really believe that?" he said. "Do I look the same size

compared to you as I did when we met? Do you're surroundings look the

same size? In fact, your suit has seemed smaller and tighter every day,

hasn't it?"

"Yes!" she yelled. "I can barely fit into it anymore! But I really

don't need it! There have been other changes too!"

"Your size and the fact that you aren't feeling the cold anymore! What

else?"

"I'm not having much trouble breathing this thin air."

"These contaminants don't seem to be affecting you either, Amy!"

"I'm afraid!" she said. "Granted, all of these changes seem to be

positive. I barely need to eat or drink anymore and I don't seem to

need as much sleep. But I don't know what's happening. I'm scared out

of my mind!"

He held her close.

"I'm sorry!" he said. "I know you're scared! But these changes really

do seem to be for the better!"

Jim had miscalculated slightly. They almost made it to the

mountains that day, but they would have had to travel at night to

complete the journey. Instead, they set up camp. They had walked in

silence for most of the day. Amy was afraid to start a conversation for

fear that Jim would maneuver it around to talking about what was

happening to her. Likewise, Jim had kept silent for fear that he would

do that very thing. As they prepared to go to sleep, Jim said, "Well,

tomorrow, we'll reach the mountains and then, maybe, there will be

hope!"

"To hope!" Amy said as Jim drifted off to sleep.

She stayed awake a little while longer before drifting off to sleep.

Amy and Jim reached the foot of the mountains within a couple of

hours. If they thought traveling had been difficult before, at least it

had been on even ground. Now, they had to climb. There was no breath

to be spared for talking. It wasn't a sheer cliff that required any

special climbing equipment, but the grade was steep enough that it was

very rough going. Coughing as he was, Jim was truly beginning to

struggle. Although Amy was faring better, she was still exhausted at

the end of a day's climb. By the end of the third day of climbing, Jim

estimated that it would take two more days to reach the top. As they

stood looking at one another before making camp, they both realized that

they were at eye level with one another. Jim no longer had to look

down. Amy was six feet tall and proportionately large.

Her eyes said, "Please don't say anything!"

He only said, "We'd better start setting up camp!"

They worked in silence, ate in silence and soon, Jim fell asleep. Amy

stayed awake for about the same length of time that she had done the

night before.

This time, Jim was right. It took two more days to reach the top.

By the morning of the day they got there, Jim was looking up at Amy.

"Well, now the journey gets easier!" Jim said. "We travel down the

mountain and hope we find food and water!"

The obvious question at this time was, "What if we don't?"

The answer to that question was obvious and Amy refrained from asking

it. They both knew how serious the situation was and saying it out loud

would only damage their morale. Still, as they began working their way

down the mountain, their spirits lightened with the easier traveling.

It took three days to reach the bottom of the mountain and, when they

did, they found a small river there! The only means they had of testing

the water was drinking it. They did so and it tasted perfectly good!

Before they even thought about what they were doing, their relief at

this discovery overwhelmed them and they were splashing each other with

water and chasing each other, laughing and yelling. Finally, they

hugged each other in relief. Along the banks of the river, they saw

plants growing.

"We're saved!" Jim laughed. "This world has water and it has plant life

at the very least! There's a very good chance that we can survive

here!"

Amy, who now stood about six and a half feet tall, looked down at

Jim and said, "Jim, with it looking like we can survive here, the

immediate danger has passed and we can relax a little bit. I suppose

that now would be a good time to face what's been happening to me! I

mean, the cold isn’t bothering me at all anymore and I'm having no

trouble breathing. Whatever these contaminants are, they don't seem to

be affecting me. I feel healthier and more energetic with each passing

day! I feel a little less need to sleep with each passing night! I

feel stronger than I've ever been in my life! I'll bet that I'm

actually a little bit stronger than you are now! No offense! You're

quite strong. Being stronger than you is quite an accomplishment!"

"Amy!" he said. "I don't even begin to understand what's happening to

you, let alone why! But, so far, it seems to be totally advantageous!

It's allowing you to adapt perfectly to the conditions of this planet.

I'm not entirely sure where this business of growing bigger fits into it

except maybe that you're becoming healthier and physically superior all

around. I suppose the real question is: why is it happening to you and

not to me? I mean, we've both been on this planet for the same length

of time, been exposed to the same environment and so on. Yet, this is

happening to you and not to me! Why?"

"Strictly speaking," Amy said, "we don't know that the planet has

anything to do with it! Maybe it was that cosmic storm?"

"You know, you're absolutely right!" Jim said. "I never thought of

that! Of course, it still goes back to the same question: why you and

not me?"

"But," Amy said, "it might at least begin to explain one of the most

obvious impossibilities about what's happening to me!"

"Where all of this mass is coming from!" Jim said.

"Exactly!" Amy said. "There's no way I've consumed enough food in the

last few days to even begin to explain putting on what I'd estimate to

be about sixty or more pounds as I've grown larger!"

"Maybe you absorbed some kind of energy from that storm," Jim said,

"energy we can't detect that's slowly converting to mass!"

"Oh, this is sheer speculation of the worst kind!" Amy laughed. "The

bottom line is that we don't know how or why this is happening or what

the end results will be- and that's the part that truly scares me!"

Jim didn't know what to say. So he took her hand and held it. She

smiled and gave his hand a light squeeze.

"Come on!" she said. "Let's go face this world together!"

While they had been on top of the mountain, Amy and Jim had seen a

valley about forty miles distant. From that vantage, it seemed to have

a good covering of trees. Under their current circumstances, it took

four more days of slow traveling to reach the valley. During that time,

Amy's pullover shirt became a tank top; her pants were unbuttoned and

unzipped and Jim had to slice open the outsides of the leggings with a

knife for her to wear them at all. She had discarded her shoes and,

instead, wore two pairs of socks to give her feet some padding while she

walked. She was getting close to the seven-foot range.

They reached the upper edge of the valley and saw, far below, a

seemingly endless forest of trees. They stretched out, along with the

valley, for over a hundred square miles. Even from up here, they could

vaguely hear the sounds of wildlife.

"This makes sense!" Jim said as they hurried down into the valley. "In

a valley like that, the vegetation would produce oxygen and that thick,

roof-like covering of trees creates an almost enclosed environment to

maintain the atmosphere. I'll bet we'll find that the air is a bit

thicker down there and that it's a bit warmer!"

It was on the second day of their descent that they reached the

tops of the highest trees. They spent hours just walking down past the

level of foliage and, once they did get past it, they were shocked.

The long, thin tree trunks descended down into the mists.

"It must be the lighter gravity!" Amy said. "For the trees to have such

long trunks that are a long way apart and yet to have such widespread

interlocking foliage at the top- only the lighter gravity could account

for it!"

It took them three more days to reach the bottom. By the time they

did, Amy stood well over seven feet tall and probably weighed over three

hundred pounds or would have under Earth's gravity. But she wasn't the

least bit overweight and her proportions were exactly right for her

height. Of necessity, she finally discarded the last of her clothing.

Jim tried to act nonchalant about the fact that his only companion was a

towering, gorgeous naked woman. He tried not to stare but, inside, he

was feeling desire. He could have endured that but he was also finding

a whirlwind of emotions flooding his heart.

"I'm sorry!" he finally said when the look on her face told him that she

had caught him staring and there was no denying it. "I didn't mean to

stare! It's just that, well, you're very beautiful!"

"Don't worry!" she laughed. "Under the circumstances, it would be

ridiculous for me to expect you not to look!"

What she refrained from saying was that she wasn't worried about it for

a number of reasons. The first was that she genuinely didn't think he

was the type that would ever try to do anything by force, even under

these circumstances. The second reason was that she was sure that she

was considerably stronger than he was by now.

Once they reached the bottom, they only had to journey for a few

hours before they reached a lake. The water was fresh but they had

barely begun drinking when they heard a guttural roar and the sound of

something heavy crashing through the woods. They quickly hid behind a

tree and waited. Within moments, a powerful creature emerged from the

woods and stood at the lake. It stood on two legs and was probably over

seven feet tall, possibly even taller than Amy. It had a massive

musculature and was undoubtedly far stronger than she was. It vaguely

resembled an ape with a glint of rudimentary intelligence in its eyes.

It had blue skin, hardened to the point of becoming natural armor and

claws emerged from its fingers. A blue fur covered parts of its

anatomy. It was looking around as if aware that something was there.

It hesitated for a few seconds, then drank its fill of water and

retreated.

Amy and Jim moved away from the lake.

"I think our first priority is to build a shelter up off the ground so

that large animals can't reach us!" Jim said.

"Assuming those things can't climb!" Amy said.

Jim didn't look too comfortable with that thought. But they began to

discover the advantages of Amy's newfound size. She was tall enough to

reach the lowest branches of the trees and swing herself up into them.

She could just manage to reach down, hanging by her shins, and grab

Jim's outstretched hands. Then, she was able to pull him up to the

branch with her. From there, the branches were close enough together

that they could climb further.

Fortunately, they managed to avoid any direct encounters with these

creatures for over two weeks. By the time they were walking through the

forest and found themselves confronting one of the creatures face to

face, Amy was over eight feet tall. If there was any doubt of the

demeanor of these creatures, it was immediately dispelled. The creature

bellowed and charged. She knew that she was still no match for this

thing. They ran for the nearest tree. Amy grabbed Jim by the shirt

collar and by the belt and hoisted him up onto the highest tree branch

she could reach. She was as amazed as Jim was at this display of

strength. She had lifted him almost easily. She slung him over a

branch and saw that he was secure, having grabbed another branch to hold

on to. She saw a blur of motion coming at her and leaped to one side.

The creature took a moment to stop, then turned and charged again. Amy

started sprinting for all she was worth. At first, the creature was

right behind her, so close she could hear it's guttural breathing. But

with her long legs and graceful strides, she soon began outdistancing

it. She heard occasional sounds in the woods ahead of her and caught

glimpses of other creatures like the one that was chasing her. She

dodged left and right through the woods, avoiding them. Finally, she

circled back to where she had left Jim. He was still sitting up in the

tree.

"We'll," he said, "we know now that they can't climb! A couple of them

showed up and stared at me for a while, but they eventually gave up!"

Amy reached up and took Jim under the arms. She easily brought him

to the ground. "Wo!" he laughed, coughing slightly. "I'm beginning to

feel like a child in your arms!"

"So you should!" she quipped.

She saw the forced smile on his face and said, "Sorry! That was out of

line!"

"It was just a joke!" he said.

"We've really got to discover what's happening to me!" Amy said. "I

mean, I'm already taller than any woman whose ever lived and soon, I'll

be taller than anyone whose ever lived, man or woman! Yet, I have none

of the negative side effects of such size! I'm clearly not suffering

from a malfunction of the pituitary gland! My growth is of proper

proportions in all body parts with no disfigurements. I'm not even

suffering from my own weight. That can partially be accounted for by

the gravity, but it's still eighty-percent of Earth's gravity. That

can't account for all of this! I'm moving as easily and gracefully as I

did before I started to grow. It all seems to my advantage. The only

thing worrying me is that it shows no signs of stopping!"

"Amy, I-" Jim started to say.

He was startled when she reached down and caressed his face.

"You've protected me from the start!" she said.

"Well, you're protecting me now!" he said.

"But I would have died within the first two days if you hadn't saved

me!"

"No!" Jim said. "At the time, you thought you were going to die! But

at the rate you were adapting, you would have survived!"

She knelt down. Even on her knees, her face was slightly higher than

his was. But her face was hovering so close, tantalizing inches from

his face.

"You are so honest!" she said. "Even when it's not to your advantage!"

As she spoke, her lips were drawing so very close to his.

"Can- Can I kiss you?" he stammered.

"Yes!" she whispered.

Then, she bent over and they kissed, softly at first. She put her hands

on his face. In spite of her size, her hands were still long and

graceful. His hands moved to her arms. The kisses became more rapid

and more passionate. He caught himself and stepped back for a moment,

his eyes seeking out hers. He saw that she was looking in his eyes to

find the answer to the same question he was seeking in her eyes. Seeing

the answer, he paused only long enough to ask one question.

"Why?" he said. "And why right now?"

"I don't know!" she said. "Except that I need you. I need not to be

alone with this anymore!"

She kissed him tenderly on the lips.

"You were never alone!" he said, tears forming in his eyes as he said

it.

The sight of Jim on the verge of tears brought her own tears streaming

down her face. She fumbled with his shirt, unbuttoning it with her

large fingers. He took her large hands into his smaller ones and said,

"You don't have to do this! As much as I want you, this isn't a

requirement for me to care about you! You are not alone!"

"I know that about you!" she said. "That's one of the reasons I want to

do it!"

Amy's hands caressed Jim's chest. Jim caressed her arms, then his

hands slowly moved up to her neck and then to her jawline. From there,

they slowly descended to her breasts. By this time, her breasts, having

grown equally in proportion to the rest of her body size, were huge.

Jim's fingers traced circles around her aureoles and then, slowly, his

lips descended to her right nipple and he began sucking. She gasped,

throwing her head back in pleasure, tossing her long hair out of the way

behind her as he sucked and licked one nipple and then the other. She

then stood up. By this time, the top of Jim's head was barely above her

navel when they were both standing. He bent only slightly and began

lightly nuzzling and licking her vagina. Again, she gasped at the

sensations she was experiencing. Grabbing his hair, she pressed his

face into her crotch and he found himself almost smothering as he lapped

away at a vagina that was almost as large as his face. He reached

between her legs and began caressing her buttocks as he continued

licking her to orgasm. Finally, she began to moan even louder than she

already was. Pressing him to her bosom, she writhed and gasped. He

felt her orgasm explode into and around his mouth. She continued to

hold him to her vagina for long seconds, experiencing every last vestige

of her release. When she finally calmed down and stepped back, she

couldn't help but laugh. There was Jim, looking way up at her, his

erection standing almost straight up. She giggled.

"Should I let you have sex with me now?" she teased.

"Yes! Please!" he begged.

"Hmm! I'm not sure I should!" she teased. "Suppose I just say 'No!'

What could you do about it?"

"Oh, please, Amy, please!"

She laughed and squatted just above his groin.

"I have so much control over this- I love it!" she said. "But I love

you more!"

Then she threw her arms around his neck and slowly lowered herself.

"I love you!" he groaned as he slowly began to penetrate her.

He babbled that he loved her several times over as he began to thrust.

In a part of her mind, she was thinking, "Men are so easy! They fall in

love so quickly and easily!"

But she knew she wouldn't want it any other way. She seemed to have

taken the falling in love step herself, but she still wasn't completely

sure that it wasn't the need to escape lonliness more than romantic

love. In one respect, she felt she wasn't being completely honest. She

was expressing emotions that might or might not be exactly what she

really felt. She loved him, but she still wasn't sure how she would

feel if not for their unique circumstances.

Amy pressed Jim's face to her breasts and, holding him to herself,

slowly lowered herself to her back on the ground with him on top. Jim's

face was at about the level of her breasts as he continued thrusting.

He was also licking and sucking at her breasts while she enfolded him

with her arms and legs, holding him tightly to herself. He had never

experienced anything like this before. He was simultaneously the man,

on top and thrusting away at the woman and he was also the little boy,

held safe and warm in the arms of his giant protectress. He knew there

was no way he could break her grip, not that he wanted to. He knew he

was on top only because she allowed it. She was bigger and stronger

than he was- immensely so- and it was mind boggling! It was the most

erotic experience of his life! On the one hand, he wanted to thrust

faster and faster, to achieve the ejaculation he'd been desiring for

days. On the other hand, he wanted this to last forever. The only

thing marring this perfect joining was that he was feeling

extraordinarily exhausted by his efforts and he kept having an almost

unbearable need to start coughing.

Amy looked at the man held tightly to her bosom. She was

experiencing a mixture of power and erotic pleasure and she couldn't

possibly separate them or decide which she was feeling more of. It

would be more accurate to say that each feeling was feeding the other in

an endless cycle. They were both being taken to unprecedented levels in

a perfect mixture. She found the sensation of Jim licking and kissing

her breasts to be highly erotic, the more so because she could easily

adjust where he was licking by putting her hands on his face. The same

was true for his passionate gyrations. At will, she could stop his

impending ejaculations. She could control his positioning so that his

passionate thrusting met her needs exactly as she desired. Most

important was the simple fact that she was in control. However, as with

any good sex, sometimes the best part for each partner occurs when he or

she realizes that the other has taken control beyond your will to fight

it. She had already delayed his ejaculation several times but now she

was beginning to lose control as her own orgasm approached. A look of

concern also crossed her face. He was sweating like he was in a sauna

and gasping for breath, way to desperately to be accounted for merely

because he was having sex. Her eyes met his. His pleaded with her to

let him end it before he collapsed unsatisfied. A sensual thrill like

nothing she'd experienced before went through her as she experienced the

inevitable approach of an intense orgasm. Jim screamed as he felt the

ejaculation that had been building for so long building and about to

experience release. He was now grateful that Amy had the power to

control exactly when it would end. He wasn't so sure about that along

the way, but now he sensed the impending release of sexual pleasure

beyond any he'd ever experienced before. The fact that she totally

controlled their lovemaking made his release more pleasurable than ever

before. Then all capacity for rational thought deserted him. He threw

his head back with such force that it actually moved her arms and

screamed like an animal. He was thrusting faster than ever, desperately

releasing his desires while continuing to kiss her breasts. Twice, his

gyrations subsided, only to be renewed as he went into a new bout of

spasmodic thrusting. Finally, he collapsed, gasping so desperately that

it scared her.

Amy's breasts were like two huge, luscious pillows. He was torn

between kissing them or lying his head on them and falling asleep. But

necessity forced him to choose neither option. He had to roll onto his

back to leave his chest unconstricted as he gasped for air. Amy propped

herself on one elbow and leaned over him. If Jim thought he understood

before how big she was, it was now emphasized even more. He truly

comprehended how physically superior she was. In a moment of

playfulness, she grabbed his arms and held them down while giving him a

passionate kiss. A claustrophobic feeling came over him and panic

because he couldn't breathe. He began to panic, thrashing wildly. She

immediately let go of his arms and moved back a little ways.

"Sorry!" she said. "I wouldn't have liked it had you done that to me

and you never would have!"

She waited until he was breathing more easily, a matter of several

minutes.

"I really do love you, Amy!" he said. "Do you love me?"

She picked up his hand and kissed the palm, her lips almost covering it.

"I love you!" she said.

She didn't give a damn about any qualifiers. He was going to be loved

and that was it, she decided. Amy set her back against a tree and held

Jim in her arms as he drifted off to sleep. She felt little need for

sleep herself and, when she did sleep, it was a light and alert one.

She slept for a couple of hours, but mostly just enjoyed holding Jim and

watching him sleep. Days and weeks went by like this. Amy was growing

at a rate of almost an inch a day. By the time they had been on the

planet for two months, she towered about twice her original height or

over ten feet tall. At this height, her weight was about eight hundred

pounds or more and she suspected that she was capable of lifting her own

weight. Jim's head was at about the height of her hip. The creatures

were no longer a real threat. Although she still wasn't completely sure

of her ability to fight them, she could run so fast with her long

strides or leap into a tree so easily that they had no chance of

catching her. Within a couple of more months, she towered twenty feet

tall. She weighed over three tons or would have under Earth's gravity

and could lift as much. The creatures were no longer any threat to

her. She had no desire to harm them and they seemed to have an unspoken

agreement with her. They left her alone and she left them alone. Jim

only stood as tall as her knees now. Unfortunately, the contaminants in

the air were effecting him more all the time. There were mornings when

he awoke desperately struggling to breathe. He was also freezing cold

whenever she wasn't holding him. Her body generated enough heat to keep

him warm when they were under shelter. As they slept one night, Amy

began to experience dreams that told her that there was only one way she

could save him and, according to the dreams, she would soon develop the

power to do it!

About a month had gone by and Jim's condition was gradually

worsening. By this time, Amy towered about forty feet tall. It was

just before dawn and she had carried Jim to a hiding place very near to

one of the nests where the creatures slept and made their homes.

"From now on, until I'm big enough to do what must be done," she said,

"I'm going to carry you everywhere!"

In a weak voice, Jim protested that this wasn't necessary.

"You know it is!" she said. "I know you're being defensive because

you've lost your independence! I understand that, but there is no other

way to keep you alive! You'll freeze if I'm not holding you close! In

a strange way, we're going through this process in reverse! I'm holding

you like a baby! But the point is that I can't let you die! I don't

want to be alone!"

They lay down behind some foliage and watched the nesting place.

Amy closed her eyes and began concentrating. She stayed that way for

several minutes, until the creatures began to awaken with the rising of

the sun. Jim watched her carefully during that time. Then she opened

her eyes. Lifting him in one arm, she crawled back and then stood up,

quickly moving away from the area.

"Could you really hear their thoughts?" Jim asked.

"Yes!" she said. "I could. They aren't animals. They're beginning to

evolve intelligence. One day, many thousands of years from now, they

may be every bit as intelligent as we are, for better and for worse!"

"But you see this as only the beginning of your powers!" Jim said. "You

said this new telepathic ability you are discovering isn't the end and

it holds the key to saving me? How?"

"I don't want to say anything yet!" she said. "Please be patient with

me for just a little bit longer."

One night, shortly afterwards, Amy was sleeping. It was one of the

rare nights when she did so anymore.

"From now on, all of your dreams will be waking dreams!" she heard a

voice say.

It was a gentle voice, like the gentle billowing of clouds in the sky or

of a beautiful multi-colored pattern of light against a curtain of black

velvet.

"Soon, your powers will be complete and you will know who you have

become, my child! Your needs have ended! You are complete!"

"How do you know that you've stopped growing?" Jim asked.

"Because," she explained, "last night was the last night I will ever

sleep and I grew while I slept. But this isn't the end, Jim. It's only

the beginning. I can grow still more. I can grow a hundred feet tall;

a hundred miles tall; as tall as the sky; a thousand feet; a thousand

miles; as big as the planet; as big as the sun! However, after about

the first hundred feet, I won't be a physical being anymore. I'll be

energy. But don't worry. A hundred feet is all I need to save you. I

can do it right now! It will only take a few hours to will the changes

that need to take place within me to save you! Now I understand why I

was always so hesitant in my love for you, so unsure. There was never

any doubt of the love, only of the kind of love!"

"Amy!" Jim said. "Slow down and tell me what's going on!"

"She's a lifeform, Jim! The cosmic storm we encountered is a

lifeform! She didn't intend us any harm! When she realized that there

were other lifeforms passing through her and that they were being

damaged by it, she did everything in her power to prevent us from being

harmed. But the damage was already done. She searched mentally to find

a lifeform that was the most like her. She found me and transferred

enough of her power into me so that I would survive! I, in turn,

subconsciously focused upon and helped protect you because you were the

person I felt the strongest bond with!"

"But you didn't even know me then!" Jim said.

"On the contrary," Amy said. "For that one moment, I knew everybody!

So, without even knowing it, I saved you. The powers I've been

developing are powers I would have gained sooner or later. Certain ones

developed sooner to help me survive on this planet!"

"And, how does any of this allow you to save me from what's happening to

me on this planet?" Jim said.

After she explained it, Jim sat unmoving for long minutes.

"I know it's frightening!" Amy said. "But you'll be warm and safe and

able to breathe and we'll be in constant telepathic contact and you'll

feel my touch and my love every moment and I'll feel your's!"

"I've said I love you so many times I've lost count!" Jim said. "I

guess I've never said 'Let me count the ways' but I guess I should

have! I guess the nature of what I thought our relationship was going

to be has just forever changed! But, if it means being with you

forever, I wouldn't have it any other way!"

Within hours, the changes were prepared. Amy gave Jim one last

lingering kiss on the lips.

"I know you think it's the last time!" she said. "But you'll quickly

learn that it's not. We'll make love in ways that neither of us had

ever dreamed of before!"

Before his eyes, she grew and grew until she towered a hundred feet

high. She held him in her hand, so small he fit easily into her palm.

Then he felt himself levitating, held aloft by the power of her mind

alone.

She lay down on the ground and he found himself moving through the air

to her crotch. Before his eyes, her vagina was opening wide, as if in

the process of delivering a baby. But the process was being reversed.

He tried to remember everything she had told him, particularly the fact

that everything would be all right within a few seconds and not to

worry. He also remembered her greatest advice: he closed his eyes! He

felt himself touch her vagina and the size scared him but then he heard

a gentle voice in his mind.

"Everything will be all right!" she said. "Be calm!"

The power of her will overwhelmed him and he began to relax. He could

feel himself going in. The warmest, safest feeling he could ever have

imagined washed over him. No! Safer than he could have imagined. Only

in the dim recesses of his earliest and forgotten memories could he find

anything to compare to this! He felt himself passing through into a

place prepared for him within Amy's body as she had mentally willed the

changes in her body to accommodate him. For just a moment, he

experienced a choking sensation as he felt a tube going down his throat

but her voice, her overwhelming presence, again washed over him and he

relaxed. He suddenly realized that he was breathing freely, better than

he had for months, better than he ever had! And he was warm, truly

warm, for the first time in months, warmer than he'd been quite

literally since he was born! He knew he was floating in a liquid inside

of her. But the telepathic contact he was feeling made him truly one

with her. She had been so right. He was feeling her every thought and

feeling and she was experiencing his. There would never be a moment

when either of them felt alone and it felt like they were making love

every moment, a love that consisted of a total union of everything they

were! He knew too that some of her thoughts were now beyond him, the

equivalent of an adult to an infant, but he was still an adult while her

thoughts had gone beyond those of any human- but not her feelings! He

knew what she would do! When she transformed into an energy state, he

would change with her for he was now a part of her. She would journey

into space at the speed of thought and find the cosmic storm, the Cosmic

Mother! She would learn from her and then, in time, they would journey

elsewhere. The driving force of the Cosmic Mother was nurturing and so

was Amy's. Perhaps they would even return to this planet and help these

creatures along on their journey to sentience. Whatever a nurturing

mother would do, Amy would do. But he knew that, of all her 'children',

he would always be the one who was truly a part of her. Even as he

sensed that they were transforming to energy, he heard Amy in his mind,

singing him to sleep and he knew that, even in his dreams, she would

still be with him always!

THE END