Charity 5

Whispers of a Former Life: Episode 5

Charity finally reached the underside of the desk chair. 

It towered over her like a modern sculpture wrought from black plastic and polished chrome. The five thick legs jutted outward like the roots of a machine, each ending in a wheel she could have crawled inside. She pressed a trembling hand to one of them. The surface was smooth but cold, alien, lifeless. Something she used to nudge aside with her foot now felt like it had been forged for giants. 

Beneath the chair, the floor was different. 

The carpet here lay matted and worn, a patch of flattened threadbare terrain where the chair had rolled over it again and again. The rough bristles of the carpet were bent like blades of grass after a storm. From her scale, it looked scorched, like the aftermath of fire across a wheat field. She could still see the trails the wheels had carved, shallow depressions that her foot occasionally slipped into. 

Maybe she’d rolled it back without thinking, some idle motion of her foot while checking her phone or applying lip gloss. A movement made in the easy, careless days of being tall. 

That kind of power was gone now. Every shift, every step, every inch came with a consequence. 

She looked up, squinting into the distance. 

The rest of the room stretched out around her like a planet turned inside out. The far wall with her mirror and the framed photo collage was impossibly far. The images, once cherished snapshots of volleyball games and beach trips, were now indistinct and dark, lost in haze. Her vision worked differently now. It was sharper in close detail, every thread of the carpet, every speck of dust, but distance was a blur. The human eye wasn’t designed for this scale. 

Nothing was simple anymore. 

Moving across her bedroom wasn’t a matter of feet. It was a trek. A cross country expedition. Every piece of furniture, every obstacle, every scrap of clothing on the floor had become terrain to consider, navigate, avoid. Strategy and stamina would matter now. 

She collapsed beneath the seat of the chair, muscles aching. 

Her lungs burned, but not from exertion alone. Her entire body still vibrated with the aftershocks of transformation. She could feel the low hum of change in her joints, the slight disorientation in her inner ear. Her heartbeat thudded with strange rhythms, as though her body hadn’t yet found its new calibration. 

The world called her kind Littles when being polite. 

But in unguarded company, she knew the other names: underbred, subhuman, vermin. Words people used when they forgot, or didn’t care, that the person inside was still the same. Still her. 

Charity Stevens. 

Popular. Sharp-tongued. Fearless. Or at least, that’s who she’d been. 

Now? 

Now she was a girl lying beneath her own desk chair, five to six inches tall and shrinking in every other way. 

Her instincts screamed to move. To act. To find food, water, safety. But instinct and endurance weren’t aligned. Her muscles pulsed with fatigue. Her body begged for stillness. She wasn’t in danger, not yet. And pushing herself now, in this condition, would only risk injury. 

There would be time to move. 

She just needed to rest. 

Just for a little while. 

She curled into herself, folding her arms across her stomach, her cheek pressed into the rough carpet fibers. They smelled of dust, sweat, and faint traces of lemon furniture polish. Familiar, yet foreign. 

Her eyes fluttered shut. 

And then came the dreams. 

Not quiet ones. Not peaceful. 

Sara. 

She was there in every nightmare, someone who was so short now looming impossibly tall, her shadow falling across Charity like a rolling eclipse. Charity would try to move, would try to speak, but her limbs would fail, her throat would close, and the silence would be drowned out by that laughter. 

That laughter. 

It echoed through the dreamscape like thunder off canyon walls, melancholy, mocking, triumphant. 

In one nightmare, Charity would be crawling toward the door, dragging herself forward inch by inch, only to see a foot the size of a refrigerator slam down in front of her path. In another, she’d be calling out for help, yelling, screaming, only to see Sara’s face tilt into view above her, smiling, serene, her eyes filled not with hatred but something worse: vindication. 

“You always wanted to be beneath me,” dream-Sara would whisper. “Now you are.” 

Then came the hand. 

That colossal, feminine hand, its palm pale and soft, fingers flexing like the branches of a willow tree, descending over her like a lid. She could feel the static on her skin, the air pressure changing. It would lift her, close around her like a fist, and- 

Charity jolted awake. 

Her heart slammed against her ribs. Her whole body was slick with sweat. Her eyes darted wildly, pupils straining in the low light. 

The room was still. 

The chair remained above her, unmoved. 

But the echo of laughter still lingered in her mind like smoke after a fire. 

She wiped at her face with the back of her hand. Her breaths were shallow, ragged. That dream had felt too real. Like something her body knew was coming. Like it wasn’t a warning, but a promise. 

Sara Reeves had not yet come. 

But she would. 

And when she did, there would be nowhere left to run. 

 

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Chooch
Chooch
1 month ago

Is it the majority opinion of Littles being considered animals or “vermin”? I’m really surprised there’s no Little rights movement as it’s not like their intelligence or sentience is in question. I could understand if the popular belief was that Littles were basically simpleminded animals that could be trained to do adorable tricks but it seems clear from society that Littles are capable. It’s interesting that Gracewood is trying to give Littles a voice by sponsoring bands and allowing them to live in cities, though it’s still unclear if Littles can’t eat people food or is it just assumed they can’t? I can’t imagine working all day to only be able to eat pellets or whatever I can but that’s “Underbred appropriate”.

Last edited 1 month ago by M L
C M
C M
Reply to  Chooch
1 month ago

i wouldn’t say the majority. I think it’s like anything in modern times where there is a loud minority of people that see it that way. of course that could be me hoping since it seems like education and news about littles is extremely filtered to the point of propaganda so the general public might not know better unless they know someone that has become a little or done their own research.

the big ticket issue is the governments definition of a little, as that is codified in law at this point marking them as animals and property, and they justify it because of their biology mostly as they are very different in that aspect.

as for the food, canon wise they can eat normal food but it’s extremely difficult to curate a diet for them to do so. Pellets are designed for littles specifically and the only way to get their nutrition. Sarah lets jordan eat normal food because she’s insanely controlling about his diet that she can work around it, but even that does go out the window eventually because he needs pellets at some point to stay healthy. there is food for littles that is like normal food for humans, but it’s extremely expensive and rarely seen. I’m actually surprised none of us talked about there being that food in the recent episodes at the party for the littles lol

washsnowghost
Reply to  C M
1 month ago

because I’m injured, the total metamorphism makes me think it could heal almost all injury’s and diseases which would make a large population better for being a little and many hoping choles company could make a way for immune to become littles just so they a have a new little body. Even if their is no cure. I myself and many I talk to online would in a heart beat because having a new body that works would be great, even if your considered a animal because your brain still works and you live longer to do many things

C M
C M
Reply to  washsnowghost
1 month ago

They’re kind of doing that but in the reverse. Generitech is using the research on Littles to help with human issues like cancer aging and stuff. I don’t think they’d want to find ways to make humans become small like Littles though as it’d move humanity significantly down the food chain and they wouldn’t have any of their infrastructure anymore

Asukafan2001
Admin
Reply to  C M
1 month ago

Generitech is not researching any ways to make people small as they don’t like the idea of playing god.

It was an evolutionary or de-evolutionary disease that caused people to reduce but they don’t believe in purpose build man made solutions to reduce people.

washsnowghost
Reply to  C M
1 month ago

I said this in other posts but this may be a evolution the planet made for humans because of the impact they are having as a immune response per say. Littles are the perfect human for the planet and with their human brains will survive the animals and bugs that can kill them.

Lethal Ledgend
Reply to  washsnowghost
1 month ago

Vulnerable humans came first, with immune people evolving from them, not the other way around.

washsnowghost
Reply to  Lethal Ledgend
1 month ago

I could still be a virus that keep evolving like most virus’s until there are now immune

washsnowghost
Reply to  Asukafan2001
1 month ago

Putting my engineering science hat on, a human becoming a little and losing mass and having a hole new internal body structure it seems plausible for mass restructure and good health after becoming a little because the human loss of mass makes it so only good mass stays and bad goes away. this is from AI what are body is made of.
 Water: ~60% (varies by age, sex, and body composition), essential for cells, organs, and bodily functions.
• Organic compounds:
• Proteins (~20%): Build tissues (muscles, skin, hair) and enzymes.
• Lipids (~15%): Form cell membranes, store energy, and produce hormones.
• Carbohydrates (~1-2%): Provide energy (glycogen in muscles/liver).
• Nucleic acids (DNA/RNA): Store and transmit genetic information.
• Inorganic compounds:
• Minerals (~4-5%): Calcium and phosphorus (bones/teeth), electrolytes (sodium, potassium for nerve/muscle function).
• Trace elements: Iron (in hemoglobin), iodine (in thyroid hormones).
• Gases: Oxygen and carbon dioxide (in blood and respiration).
At the elemental level:
• Oxygen (65%), carbon (18%), hydrogen (10%), nitrogen (3%), calcium (1.5%), phosphorus (1%), and trace amounts of others (sulfur, potassium, sodium, etc.).
based on what our body is made of, people being broken down to a little and being better for it is plausible just not probable. Most of our body’s break down easily.

Last edited 1 month ago by washsnowghost
washsnowghost
Reply to  Asukafan2001
1 month ago

governments keep their population busy on purpose so they cant pay attention to what they are doing like in the US. They poison us with our food but we are all so busy trying to make a living to survive that we don’t have time to look at what they are feeding us and just buy what is less expensive.

washsnowghost
Reply to  Chooch
1 month ago

I get a little confused like you why if littles are like a small animal humanoid why more people don’t know what they eat to be heathy so they can make their littles food they can eat them selves like many Dog and cat owners do because commercial pet food is made from such bad ingredients that are bad for them even though they like to brag they have high standards. I’m not a big fan of the stuff that PETA does but their research into the the stuff they put into animal food is good. Like any pet owner i’m sure many obsessed little owners want to know how to feed their littles them selves with only buying treat pellets. I understand why choles company makes pellets but l like I said there has to be alterative little food or cook books.

Chooch
Chooch
Reply to  Asukafan2001
1 month ago

But can Littles eat regularl food and this is basically discrimination due to a misunderstanding, or do Littles actually have different dietary needs?

Asukafan2001
Admin
Reply to  Chooch
1 month ago

Littles have different dietary needs. There bodies are incapable of breaking down human food and deriving the same level of nuteients. If they subsided solely off people food in most cases they would eventually die.

Sara curated Jordan’s diet quite closely and makes it a decent while but you learn that he had to eat pellets as well but she allows him some normal food out of kindness

Lethal Ledgend
Reply to  Chooch
1 month ago

Even the Little food at the Little party is stated to be made of pellets (or from the same ingredients as pellets.)

C M
C M
Reply to  Lethal Ledgend
1 month ago

OH! I knew that had to have been something I missed. So i’m guessing the foods and ingredients for the non-pellet little food are still pellets but made to looks like normal food and each ingredient is flavored to match those. that’d explain the expensiveness to me

Darkone
Darkone
Reply to  Chooch
1 month ago

Go back and look at some of the first chapters. There is mention of a Little’s rights rally and Sara asks Chloe if she is going to attend it. ( I just looked back, check episode 166).

Yes, in the USA there are those who think Littles have more rights than pets, but other parts of the world see them as even less than pets (Asuka has this in different parts of the story and if you read the comments, it is discussed in more detail).

I’m not sure if anyone here has the desire, but a Smallara wiki would be nice to have.

C M
C M
Reply to  Darkone
1 month ago

Lethal is usually my smallara wiki lol

C M
C M
Reply to  Asukafan2001
1 month ago

for sure. that’s why i love the comments in all the stories. it’s cool seeing people care about the world you built and really cool that you gave us a space for us to write our own stories in this world, as Smallara proper and Madison’s world redux were the first things that actually made me want to do any kind of creative writing cause i find everything about the Smallara universe interesting

washsnowghost
Reply to  C M
1 month ago

same with me , even though my writing lacks your grace, the structure of the universe is very creative.

Lethal Ledgend
Reply to  C M
1 month ago

Maybe I should change my Username to Smallara Wiki.

C M
C M
Reply to  Lethal Ledgend
1 month ago

lol now i just imagine you as a chatgpt exclusive to smallara

Lethal Ledgend
Reply to  Darkone
1 month ago

Underbred Stans are first mentioned in 104. Sara calls them “You know the ones who are like equal rights for animals, humans, and underbreds. Like, it’s crazy that some people think you and Mocha should have the same rights as me.”

Underbred Humpers are first mentioned in 156, Sara claims, “Yeah, you know. Those people who are all obsessed with underbred rights. They are sooo sickening, like we all get it. They used to be people, but things change.” This was the first mention of the rally Miss Brooks would suggest the girls attend, which Chloe did attend, as mentioned by Darkone.

In Madison’s World, S02E43 Madison remembers discussing them with her mother, “the debates about Little rights, the laughter they shared over how ridiculous the Little Humpers were—those people who thought Littles were somehow equal to humans. All of that was gone.”

297 Dayton mentions “Peta (The animal rights organisation) protects all your rights” This is reaffirmed in Madison’s World on multiple occasions – Though that’s a bit different then what the original question was asking.

Chooch
Chooch
Reply to  Lethal Ledgend
1 month ago

Wow, so Sara herself sees Littles as animals. It seems to be that the focus of the stories will revolve around Littles having to accept the fact that they are considered pets and nothing but animals, and not necessarily changing the minds of people to treat them equally. Though it’s interesting that Sara doesn’t disagree with their sentience or personhood at the party, otherwise I feel like she would say something like “Why are you treating these animals like people with food trucks and letting them form a band?” Could be a potential conflict point between Sara and Chloe if their views on Littles differ. Or maybe Sara slowly changes her mind.

Darkone
Darkone
Reply to  Chooch
1 month ago

Keep in mind that Sara considers Jordan to be a “pet person”, so she acknowledges that he, and others, are above cats and dogs in the hierarchy of animals but below that of humans.

Also remember that humans are animals as well, we just seem to make a false distinction between ourselves and the rest of the animal kingdom.

Chooch
Chooch
Reply to  Darkone
1 month ago

Yes, but in this setting, Littles are treated pets and not able to live independently. I feel like there might be conflict with Chloe wanting to empower Littles and Sara thinking of them as nothing more then pets.

Darkone
Darkone
Reply to  Chooch
1 month ago

Chloe has told Sara that their difference of opinion will not come between them, but if Chloe is a TRUE proponent, I can’t see this not becoming a problem at some point. Either Chloe will have to compromise (which I feel she already has to some extent) or Sara’s POV will have to change if they are to remain together.

Chooch
Chooch
Reply to  Asukafan2001
1 month ago

Is being pro Little rights considered an extreme position?

Lethal Ledgend
Reply to  Chooch
1 month ago

It’d depend on what rights you’re talking about, and how you go about advocacy.

Sara sees people who view Littles as equals as extremists, but she also looked at Cindy as extreme.

I think in universe pro little is the rarer more extreme view with most people falling between Cindy and Chrissy.

Of course the type of advocacy is important too, so far all we know of little rights advocates is that they’ve held ralleys nothing too extreme there. But if they were to escalate to riots, or even assassination attempts of people like the president or Cindy, that’d be much more extreme.

Chooch
Chooch
Reply to  Lethal Ledgend
1 month ago

Well I wouldn’t support violence but I could certainly see people wanting to advocate for Littles being independent. Sara has basically told Jordan he can never see his ex because she attempted to free him and treat him like a person. Morally, Sara is in the wrong. But it seems like the story is going to focus more on Littles gradually being seen as literally nothing more then adorable pets for their owners.

Lethal Ledgend
Reply to  Chooch
1 month ago

That wasn’t Emily, Jordan’s ex, that tried to free him, that was Dani, Jordan’s friend.

Sara’s cut Jordan off from his ex due to her issues with Emily.

Chooch
Chooch
Reply to  Lethal Ledgend
1 month ago

Well it’s still not good because Sara is basically saying Jordan is not allowed to have a relationship with Emily. Maybe Jordan likes her and wanted to date her?

Chooch
Chooch
Reply to  Asukafan2001
1 month ago

Yes but Jordan doesn’t get a choice of who he interacts with. That’s my point. He can’t chose to have his own adult relationships.

washsnowghost
Reply to  Lethal Ledgend
1 month ago

I have always thought Sara treats her little man has her child that she wants to control his life and of course who he dates is part of that like any mom. She approves Kelli like most of us so she makes sure they see each other a lot lol.

Chooch
Chooch
Reply to  Asukafan2001
1 month ago

But she can sell Little tailored products without them being literal pets. But even Chloe doesn’t believe Littles are people?

Asukafan2001
Admin
Reply to  Chooch
1 month ago

It’s not Chloe’s decision if they are pets or not. Canonically according to the u.s government they are not equall and are considered pets. They are the legal property of the guardian who licensed them.

Only licensed distributors can buy, trade and sell littles. A little privately cannot be sold, bought, or traded as a good or service. Only authorized entities recognized by the us government.

Chloe can not like it but it’s the law. Some people are holding rallys and stuff as they don’t like the law. But it is the law. Similar to how the supreme court overturned roe. v wade in the u.s. in regards to abortion. A person can choose not to like the decision and people do hold Rally’s and such about it. Smallara is similar.

Chloe’s family company sells little products because ultimately people are willing to buy them.

If Generitech doesn’t make them someone else will. But Chloe’s family can ensure the products they make are made correctly.

Last edited 1 month ago by Asukafan2001
Chooch
Chooch
Reply to  Asukafan2001
1 month ago

No I understand that, and it makes sense that her family makes products tailored to Littles. But with her family’s influence and power, they would be a powerful voice for Little rights. That’s the point I was making. Does Chloe actually want to have Littles be independent or does she also see them truly as just pets? I feel like this is one of those things that is a real sticking point in a relationship. Unless Little rights are really not even a serious consideration?

Chooch
Chooch
Reply to  Asukafan2001
1 month ago

That was my core question: so even Chloe sees Littles more as animals then people. So it seems that Littles better get used to making sure their owners are happy! Because society at large has spoken and they are domesticated pets! I wonder what kind of training programs or obedience schools there are to make sure these pets know their place 😅

Lethal Ledgend
Reply to  Chooch
1 month ago

No, Sara sees Humans, Littles and animals as three separate categories.

Humans on top, Littles at the midway point and animals on the bottom.

C M
C M
Reply to  Asukafan2001
1 month ago

Darkone is lethals alt account and you can’t convince me otherwise haha

Fatal Fable
Fatal Fable
Reply to  C M
1 month ago

Lol, that’d be pretty funny if Lethal used alt accounts.

Darkone
Darkone
Reply to  Fatal Fable
1 month ago

I appreciate the connection to Lethal, but he certainly retains more history and information about this universe than I do. I have to re-read chapters to verify some aspects of the story. Also I get the feeling that Lethal is not in the USA and I am (of course I can deny this all day and if you believe otherwise, I will probably not convince you 🙂 )

I do agree with Lethal on many points, especially that Sara is in the wrong with the way she treats Jordan as a “pet person”, but that is just an aspect of the story and it works. I’ll keep hoping that her attitude changes, but I’m not holding my breath.

Dlege
Dlege
1 month ago

So is Sara going to find her or someone else? I’d love it to be Sara! Not for her to have revenge but to show charity that Sara is the bigger person (no pun intended) would love to discuss this further on maybe a discord! Still loving the suspense

washsnowghost
Reply to  Dlege
1 month ago

Like i said on other posts, I think its the only way for both to get closure if sara owns her and gets her money to help her business

Lethal Ledgend
Reply to  Dlege
1 month ago

“Being the bigger person” doesn’t sound like Sara.

Lethal Ledgend
1 month ago

0) a dream image? This series has a lot of rarities in its first five chapters.

1) “A movement made in the easy, careless days of being tall.” A time of many fond memories for Littles.
 
2) “The world called her kind Littles when being polite. But in unguarded company, she knew the other names: underbred, subhuman, vermin. Words people used when they forgot, or didn’t care, that the person inside was still the same. Still her” I’m fully believing Charity has used all those words… and worse.

3) “She wasn’t in danger, not yet. And pushing herself now, in this condition, would only risk injury.  There would be time to move.  She just needed to rest, just for a little while.” That’s fair, it’s not like there’s a cure she can take anymore.

4) “She was there in every nightmare, someone who was so short now looming impossibly tall” Seeing people face karma is my dream too.

5) “Sara’s face tilt into view above her, smiling, serene, her eyes filled not with hatred but something worse: vindication” Well this world does seem to want to validate her a lot.

6) “That colossal, feminine hand, its palm pale and soft, fingers flexing like the branches of a willow tree, descending over her like a lid. She could feel the static on her skin, the air pressure changing “interesting that she’d already have such a vivid idea of what interacting with a human would be like at her size.

7) “Sara Reeves had not yet come. But she would.  And when she did, there would be nowhere left to run” I still hope Charaty doesn’t end up with Sara or her friends, just becomes some random’s little.

Nodqfan
1 month ago

This story is only getting more interesting to read. I thought that was Sara in Charity’s house, and I went booo, she doesn’t need another little lol. Forgive me I just got out of the hospital a few hours ago.

Nodqfan
Reply to  Asukafan2001
1 month ago

All is good.

C M
C M
Reply to  Nodqfan
1 month ago

glad to hear that

Nodqfan
Reply to  C M
1 month ago

Thanks.

Dave
Dave
1 month ago

Okay, someone has to say it. That picture is hot! I just wish Sarah didn’t have her shoes on, lol!

Last edited 1 month ago by Dave