Inches and Dreams

1 pill = 1 inch. Use as needed.

Katy swallowed the bitter, chalky pill, and for a moment she thought it would come back up. The sensation soon dissipated, and a warmth spread throughout her body. The results were undeniable. She'd gained an inch—her shirt a little tighter, her pants a little shorter. Unable to fathom such things were possible, she promptly measured herself against the previous mark on the wall. Balancing a ruler on her head, she carefully pencilled a line and stepped back.

5'10"

She could have melted with joy, but she'd already grabbed the bottle to take another. In eager anticipation, she gulped down the the second pill with relative ease. Seconds later, she scratched another mark on the wall, an inch higher at 5'11." Her elated smile stretched ear to ear, breaking only for a moment as another pill slipped between her lips.

This time she watched her reflection, observing how her shirt tugged in all directions, trying in vain to keep up with her broadening dimensions. The fabric constricted her ribs and shoulders, though not quite enough to satisfy her. Another pill, and the cuffs of her shirt rose to her mid-forearm. "Six feet tall" was a memory, soon to become a distant memory as she dropped another pill. Then another. Minutes later, at 6'3" she was undeniably tall. Statuesque. Leggy. Lofty. 

Most importantly, she'd outgrown Bonnie.

Her sixth grade crush, Patrick Walker, used to make comments about her height. He'd been the tallest in the class until fifth grade, when Katy's growth spurt shot her past everyone. At 5'8", she stood nearly a head taller than all of her classmates. She loved it.

"You're a giant," he'd say to her.

Katy would laugh. "I know. Get used to it."

Yet by eighth grade, Patrick hit his growth spurt. While still tall, Katy no longer towered over everyone. Patrick, proud of his own growth spurt, couldn't hide his disappointment at no longer looking up to Katy. At 5'10" he'd outgrown her over the Summer, and by the end of the school year, he'd reached 6'0", while she would only reach 5'9". She wanted to like him again, but she couldn't help but feel inadequate. They stayed friends, but by the middle of high school, he'd started dating Bonnie, a volleyball player. She was 6'2".

For years, Katy cursed Bonnie. She'd marked Bonnie's height on the wall, determined she would one day surpass her. She exercised, ate well, and practiced yoga. She prayed, she stretched, and willed with every fabric of her being to grow taller. Despite her tight, curvy body earning the envy of most women, Katy returned home from her daily workouts only check her height on the wall and despair. Now Katy stood 6'5". Bonnie had nothing on her now. 

Now she had to surpass Lance.

Desperate for a job after college, Katy accepted a receptionist job at a small insurance firm, where Lance Campbell worked her to the bone for $9.25 an hour. While generally a fair and honest man, Katy resented the way he talked down to her, calling her "girlie" and "sweetie." Yesterday she'd worked her butt off, staying late to handle the added work of his flaky assistant who often called in "sick." She approached him about paying her overtime, and he frowned.

"Really?" he asked. "Is that what you think you deserve?" Standing directly in front of her, he straightened up to his full height, making her feel small and pathetic. She couldn't help but shrink in his presence, but still reply.

"Yes. I do."

He patted her on the head and smiled. "I'll think about it. Okay, hon?"

She swallowed two more pills, seething as she stretched to 6'9". Her lean, sinewy physique grew ever more imposing. Delighted at her reflection, she popped another as she walked to her bedroom, noticing the close proximity of her ceiling and the top of the doorjam. 

She plucked her blouse from the previous day from the top of the laundry and held it up to her chest. It looked tiny, like children's clothing. She regularly bought undersized clothes relishing the feeling of how they struggled to contain her body—two sizes was the sweet spot. She tried slipping into one of her blouses, only to tear it asunder as she fruitlessly tried to stretch it around her lengthened limbs and torso. Giddy, she tore through two more shirts before settling on a tank top that clung to her like a second skin. Her modest but full breasts, having grown along with her, killed any possibility of a bra. 

She tried fitting into her jeans, but her mighty thighs wouldn't give. Undaunted, she pulled harder, until the seams gave way and her pale skin shone through on each side. She tugged harder and her calves bulged through as well. She discarded the jeans in favor of some hand-me-down capris with an elastic waist. They conformed to her legs as if painted on, though she avoided crouching for fear of splitting them as well. 

Her belly roared with hunger, and Katy realized that in her excitement she'd blown right past lunch. While she had plenty of food at home, she wanted to go out. She slipped her feet into flip-flops, even though her heel extended well past the sole. Dumping a handful of pills into her pocket (and two in her mouth), the seven-foot beauty ducked out the door and outside into the warm Spring air.

Walking down the street in public thrilled her—like exhibitionism. A head taller than everyone, Katy  delighted in the the way men and women all looked up at her, marveling at her height. She loved her legs, and how the tight muscle rippled underneath her skin, carrying her large body gracefully down the road. With another pill, her expanding hips challenged the resolve of her pants. It didn't matter: pushing the limits of clothing empowered her, and outgrowing them—particularly in public—made her feel sexy.

Katy stopped at Pizzamore, a small cafe-sized restaurant where she regularly ate lunch. The cashier, who recognized her face, watched breathlessly as Katy slouched and ducked her head to clear the doorway. She looked around, noting that the other patrons didn't even try to hide their infatuation with her massive form. Approaching the counter, she cast a shadow over the cashier.

"Hi, Ollie. Seems light for a lunch rush."

"Yeah, it's a little slow today," he said, his eyes devouring her majestic body. "Lunch special?" he croaked.

"No," she said, tapping her mouth thoughtfully. "I think I need a little more than one slice. I'll take an extra-large supreme pizza."

"Extra large? That's—"

"—sixteen inches," she finished, with a smirk. "I'm a regular, remember? Now, I'd like an extra-large supreme pizza, with a breadstick and a large drink."

"To go?"

"No," she said between her teeth, as she discreetly slipped another pill into her mouth."I think I'll eat it here."

Sitting near the window, Katy waited patiently for her order, offering a light wave to passers-by who gave her a double-take. Her head inched upwards as she tallied the minutes with pills, washing them down with an "extra large" drink that felt like a small cup in her enormous hands. She'd lost track of how many she'd taken, but estimated her height a little over seven and a half feet tall. Her stomach growled, and she rubbed her flat belly as she ate another.

"I'll feed you soon! Just one more, okay?"

Having resolved to stay until she finished it, patrons watched, entranced as the immense woman gorged through the extra large pizza, stopping only briefly between slices to take a sip of her drink and slip a pill (an antacid perhaps?) in her mouth. All the while, the chair creaked alarmingly as her rising mass pushed the limits of its capacity.

In under fifteen minutes, Katy polished off the final slice. She fastidiously wiped the corners of her mouth, and stood from her chair, only to strike her head on the ceiling. Onlookers gasped, as she'd added over a foot to her staggering height since she'd arrived. Her pants held on for dear life, but still preserved her modesty. The tank top fit like a sports bra, with the tops and sides of her breasts spilling out the sides. Katy smiled devilishly as she slipped another pill in her mouth, and waved graciously to her spectators before carefully maneuvering her way towards the door.

Eying the door skeptically, she (and everyone else watching) wondered how she would manage to fit through it, as she now had to bend significantly at the waist to avoid the ceiling. Crouching down, she turned sideways, allowing her pliant breasts to slip through. Her generous hips, however, snagged on each side of the frame. She grimaced with frustration as she tugged and shimmied powerful rear through the door, rattling the front display window and sending shockwaves through the room. With a loud crack, her hips cleared the door, bringing part of the frame with them. She knealt down and slid the slat of wood back inside. 

"Sorry!" she said, with an apologetic smile. "I guess I better lay off the pizza!" With that, she stood up, only her legs visible from inside, and headed home, systematically swallowing pills along the way. No one she passed was even waist high to her.

By the time she reached her apartment, Katy had emptied her supply. As much as she wanted to stay outside, the remainder of the pills were in the house, and she had to retrieve them. The top of her door reached her bellybutton, and she fished around for her keys, but realized she'd either forgotten them or lost them along the way. She applied what seemed like a minimal amount of force to her front door, and it immediately surrendered, buckling inward. Learning from experience, she turned on her side and managed to slide into her apartment, but had to crawl the rest of the way to her kitchen, causing plenty of damage along the way.

Retrieving the jar, she found her hands and fingers were too large to grab a single pill. Accepting the inevitable, she emptied the remainder of the jar into her mouth, surprised at the volume still left in the small bottle. With her cheeks full, she tilted her head back and gulped down the pills, which worked their way down her throat. 

Katy squealed with pleasure as her body positively erupted with growth. Her legs nearly doubled their length in an instant, and her back struck the ceiling with a crash, shooting large cracks in all directions. Cramped, she dropped backwards, her butt flattening her couch like tinder. In the midst of the wreckage, Katy lost herself in the elation of having realized her dream. She'd outgrown her life, her job, her concerns. She had wanted this more than she wanted anything. Her arms punched through the windows and her legs stretched into the kitchen. Her body exploded outwards, and the world collapsed upon her, enveloping her body like a thick blanket.

A loud wailing pierced the air, jarring her awake. Katy lie in her bed, her apartment still intact. Her legs, the same size they'd always been, shivered from being outside the blankets. She rolled over at the wailing alarm clock, which read 6:03 AM. Her alarm had gone off at 6:00. 

She'd be late for work if she didn't get up soon. 

She fought an overwhelming hollowness in the pit of her stomach, and ran her hands through her hair, moist with sweat. Her racing heartbeat gradually returned to normal, and she sat alone in the cold quiet of her apartment. Reaching behind her bed, she tugged the cord of her alarm clock, which turned briefly to 6:06 before going dark. With a heavy sigh Katy dropped onto her side, curled her feet under the covers, and fell back asleep.

Originally published March 14, 2014