Tall Pages: Linda's Height Problem: Chapter 1

 Holland is known for many things which include the beautiful tulips that grow there every year, the friendliness of the people and for the fact that quite a lot of the country is below sea level. There was something else that it was also well known for and that it has one of the tallest average in the world. In recent years it might have lost the crown to the tallest people but it was still impressive nonetheless.
 However there were two sisters who definitely took tall to a whole new level. The eldest was named Gwen and she was around two metres and eighty centimetres tall. This definitely made her not only one of the tallest people in Holland but in the world. She had chest length blonde hair and blue eyes, however it wasn’t her height that really made her stand out. It was the fact that she was without a doubt the strongest person in the world. For her height she had a relatively normal looking figure but her strength was something that was beyond comprehension for most. She had been able to left several elephants at once without showing any kind of effort at all. There were some that said that Gwen’s mighty strength was limitless and it was hard to argue. In fact she had not found anything that she couldn’t lift or even anything that seemed heavy.
 Gwen’s sister was named Linda and they had similar appearances. Like her sister Linda had blonde hair and blue eyes, her hair was shorter than Gwen’s since it only came to shoulders. She was strong much like her sister but her strength was nothing in comparison to that of Gwen’s it. It was almost like comparison a running tap to a flowing river. However there was one significant different between the two sisters. Gwen’s height was an impressive two metres and eighty but Linda was almost twice that height. She stood at an unthinkable five metres and twenty centimetres that made her without a shadow of a doubt the tallest woman in the world. Her legs alone were over three metres long but what was most surprising was that she was most likely still growing. On a few occasions she thought that she had stopped growing but each time she would have a growth spurt which only added more centimetres to her incredible frame. Her previous growth spurt had been around seventy centimetres which took her from being four and a half metres to her current height. She did wonder if she would ever stop growing, she was already taller than many buildings but if she carried on growing she felt that one day she might even reach the clouds above her.
 The sisters had a very close relationship and the age difference between them made Gwen to be more of a mother figure to Linda. Their home was specially made to accommodate the two sisters. The ceilings were high enough for Linda to walk through normally but it was constantly needing to be raised higher and higher. Her head wasn’t too far from the ceiling now so it looked like that it needed to be raised again soon. One thing that was surprising was that the hinges on the door were of normal strength. Gwen had been living with her extreme strength for so long that she knew exactly how much strength she needed to complete certain everyday tasks. It was why she wasn’t constantly ripping doors off of their hinges or crushing people if she gave them a hug.
 There was some specially large furniture and although it seemed normal to Gwen to Linda they looked quite small. However they would do for her since she knew that it wouldn’t last very long before she outgrew them again. Most of the household money was spent on food however. Gwen’s height and strength meant that she needed a lot of food in order to maintain herself. Linda ate more than her sister since she was taller and her growth spurts would burn a lot of calories. Between the two women they could eat enough to feed a small village in the space of a week or two. They rarely ate out though since most restaurants couldn’t accommodate their needs, plus it would cost them too much for the bill anyway.
 Despite their body extremes the two sisters also seemed to be like best friends as they were always there for the other. When Linda was younger Gwen would help her deal with her growing frame since she had been taller than all of her friends at school. This made them inseparable, they would face any challenge and over the years they had faced many.
 On this particular day the two sisters were walking down the street. Their unusual appearance did get a few people staring at them but most had gotten used to them by now so they just minded their own business. Gwen was wearing a white tank top with jeans and some plain shoes while Linda wore a cream top with jeans and boots. Gwen was having to walk a little faster than normal while Linda walked slower. This was just so that they could both keep up with one another.
 “So who is this person again?” asked Linda as she looked down to her still very tall sister. She could still remember when Gwen was taller than her but now she barely came up to her hip.
 “His name is Doctor Phillip Van Basten,” replied Gwen and hopefully he can help you. “He says that with his equipment he can tell us whether you’re still growing and if you are how tall you will be when you stop.”
 “Maybe I will never stop growing?” There didn’t seem to be any fear or worry in her voice. Instead there was a hint of excitement. “Not too long from now you’ll only be as tall as my knee and then everyone will think I’m the big sister.”
 “No matter how tall you grow you’ll always be the little sister.” Both of them chuckled as they continued to walk. One thing that was a particular problem for Linda was street signs, since they hadn’t been designed for someone of her height they were often too low and she would have to duck underneath them or move out of the way.
 They walked for several more minutes until they reached a fairly large building that looked a little like a warehouse. This was a relief for both of them since it meant that it would have high ceilings. It looked like it had seen better days but still looked like it was being maintained by someone.
 Gwen knocked on the front door and she made sure that she didn’t accidentally knock the door through. She stood there for a few moments before it eventually opened. She then saw a man who was wearing normal looking clothing and he was of average height. Because of this he looked incredibly short next to the towering Gwen since there was around a metre of height difference between them. He was a relatively young looking man with short black hair and a somewhat muscular build.
 “Can I help you?” asked the man. He hadn’t fully registered just how tall Gwen was until he began to look up at her. He was a little surprised by what he was seeing but he began to remember why she had come here. “Err you must be Linda right?”
 “No I’m Gwen,” replied Gwen with a smile on her face. She pointed towards Linda with her thumb. “That’s Linda.” The man looked behind Gwen and he could see the truly gigantic figure of Linda who waved at him and smiled. He remained silent for a few moments as he couldn’t get over just how tall she was. He was told that she was tall but his mind hadn’t comprehended just how tall she was. “And I’m guessing that you’re Doctor Van Basten aren’t you?”
 “Y-Yes I am. I’m sorry but you kind of caught me in a daze there. Let me open up the bigger doors and I’ll let you in.”
 The door that Phillip had come out from was too small for Gwen to get through comfortably and impossible for Linda to squeeze through. The two women had to wait for Phillip to walk inside and open up one of the larger warehouse doors. It did take around a minute but when he did both of the sisters could step inside. Although Gwen could get through with no problems Linda still needed to duck in order to get through. A year ago she would have been able to get through much like Gwen by now ducking was her only option.
 Inside they could see some equipment which looked to be fairly hi-tech and they could see a height chart on one of the walls. They could also see now that Phillip had put on a white lab jacket and that he wasn’t alone inside the warehouse. They could see a pretty young woman standing close by him. She wore a purple dress and had long fair hair and hazel eyes, she was a very pretty woman who Gwen thought could be a model.
 Like Phillip before her she couldn’t get over how tall Gwen and Linda were. At a hundred and seventy centimetres tall she considered herself to be fairly tall for a woman. Compared to the sisters however she seemed to be tiny. For a few moments she thought that it was some kind of trick or special effect. However it seemed to be impossible so her mind could only conclude that these two women were the real deal.
 “Ladies I would like you to meet my assistant Chantell,” said Phillip as he looked up to Gwen. Chantell could only wave at the two women as she was completely lost for words. “Now before I run any tests Linda would you like to stand next to the height chart if you would be so kind?”
 Linda didn’t say a word as she walked over to the height chart. At one point she even walked passed Chantell who only came up to her knee. It almost seemed like she was living in a world populated by giants. It only took Linda a few moments to step by the height chart and place her back towards it. It was Chantell’s responsibility to take the measurements but there was an obvious problem that she came across. She was nowhere near tall enough to be able to reach the top of Linda’s head.
 “Sorry Doc but I need to get the ladders,” said Chantell as she looked up at what seemed to be the impossible task.
 “No need,” replied Linda as she wrapped her enormous hands around Chantell’s seemingly tiny body. Without much effort the giant of a woman lifted her up into the air. She lifted her high enough so that Chantell could see over her head. It was then that she could see just how tall Linda truly was. “Is that better for you?”
 “Y-Yes that is fine, thank you.” She looked at the point where Linda’s head actually came up to a measurement. She turned her head towards Phillip who was still standing on the ground. However now he had a clipboard along with a piece of paper and pen. “She’s five hundred and twenty centimetres Doc.”
 “Thank you Chantell and Linda if you would be so kind can you put my assistant down now please,” replied Phillip. After receiving a positive response from Linda she carefully put Chantell back down on the ground. Phillip himself thought that it was impossible for someone to be as tall as Linda. Scientifically he didn’t think that it was possible for anyone to grow as tall as her. However standing before him was living proof of it, if he could see Gwen’s strength he would probably be more dumbstruck as a scientist. “Ok now that we’ve got your measurements out of the way now we need to run a couple of tests. I just need you to sit down for me.”
 With some care Linda sat herself on the ground. Even sitting down she still towered above both Phillip and Chantell. Gwen stood to one side as she knew that this whole situation would involve science that she didn’t understand. She was not a stupid woman by any stretch of the imagination. She just didn’t know enough about science to fully understand what Phillip and Chantell would be doing.
 Gwen watched as Philip and Chantell approached Linda who was still sitting down. They were still looking up at her with some amazement. She looked down at them with a smile and she didn’t seem to be threatening at all. Even though she was taller than everyone else she still considered herself to be a nice person.
 “Linda may I borrow your hand?” asked Chantell who now had a small device in her hand. She waited until Linda lowered her hand and it was a few times large than the average hand. It was just another reminder that Linda wasn’t like other women. “You may feel a slight tingling sensation.” She placed the device onto Linda’s hand and activated it. Almost immediately the super tall woman felt an odd sensation in her hand.
 “What is this thing doing?” replied Linda who had the slightest hint of worry in her voice. She did think that it was just doing what it needed to do.
 However before Chantell could say anything a surge of electricity shot right out of the device. Linda could feel some pain as the surge struck her, she wasn’t the only as Chantell also felt the surge. Both women cried out in pain but the sensation only lasted for a moment before subsiding. They both fell to the ground with a fairly loud thud.
 Quickly Gwen went to her fallen sister while Phillip tended to his assistant. Gwen was worried that Linda might be dead. She had endured much over her years but even her fantastic body couldn’t withstand a strong electrical shock. The first signs were good as she could see Linda opening her eyes but she seemed to be groggy.
 “Are you alright sis?” asked Gwen as she helped Linda back up to a sitting position. Although Linda’s height had made her incredibly heavy as well but Linda was able to help sit her up with almost no effort.
 “Y-Yeah I’m fine,” replied Linda. However rather than thinking about herself she was worried about Chantell. “Is Chantell alright?” Quickly both sisters looked over to her as Phillip tended to her. Like Linda she didn’t seem to be too badly injured. This was a relief for her.
 “That device almost killed my sister.” There was some anger in her voice as she looked over to Phillip. She normally didn’t get angry but if it was Linda’s health on the line she liked to take no risks.
 “I’m sorry,” replied Phillip as he took his focus off of Chantell for a moment. “The device must have malfunctioned.” He looked at the device for a moment, in all the confusion it had smashed on the ground.
 It took a few minutes for everyone to catch their bearings. Despite everything that had happened everyone seemed to be in good health. There seemed to be no obvious injuries to either Linda or Chantell. This all seemed to be good for everyone as Gwen had calmed herself down. But with the device now broken there was no way that Phillip could get an accurate reading on Linda’s body. He wouldn’t be able to find out whether she was still growing or not.
 It was ultimately Phillip who decided that it was best to end the session there and then. He didn’t think there was much point in the sisters staying right now. The only information that he had gotten was Linda’s height. He assured the sisters that he would call them back when he was ready to initiate the tests again. They were a little reluctant to return but they knew that it was in their best interest that they return. Phillip couldn’t stop apologising to them over what had happened.
 Chantell was fine after the shock but she still couldn’t get over that she had been picked up by someone like Linda. She still thought that it was some kind of dream, she was glad that she was injured but there was something that she did feel was a little odd. She felt energised to the point that she felt that she could go for a fairly long run without getting tired. But she kept this to herself for now since it was a positive change rather than a negative one.
 With that Gwen and Linda did leave the warehouse and made their way back home. Linda was still feeling a little strange from the ordeal but she thought that it was something that a good night’s sleep could fix. Gwen was still feeling concerned about her sister and she looked up to the towering figure.
 “Are you sure that you’re alright Linda?” asked Gwen. She saw Linda turn and look down at her.
 “I told you for the hundredth time that I’m fine,” replied Linda. However since she wasn’t really looking where she was going her head struck a sign. She stopped for a moment and placed her hands on her head. She gave a fairly large ouch as it had caused her some pain. “I’m fine, I’m fine.” She didn’t want to worry Gwen since it wasn’t that big of an impact. She considered that she might get a bruise on her forehead now.
 The rest of the journey home didn’t have any incidents. It was time to grab something to eat which was always a sight to behold in this household. The amount of food used to feed these two giant women was almost insane for someone to think. Because of the quantity of food that was needed it would take a fair bit of time to actually make the meals.
 It was this department that Linda excelled in comparison to her sister. She was able to make the necessary food in a relatively quick time. Plus it did help that the sisters owned a very large oven in order to cook their food. If they used an ordinary oven it would take hours to cook everything that they needed.
 It didn’t take long for Linda to cook all the food and place it on a nearby table. Gwen sat down on a specially made chair while Linda just sat down on the ground. The table was also specially made to be higher than a normal, however it was made back when Linda was much shorter. For a time it had been the right size for her but as her growth spurts continued it soon became too small.
 As the sisters ate there was one thing that Gwen did notice about Linda. She didn’t seem to be eating her food at all. When she looked at the fork in Linda’s hand she could see that it was shaking. There was definitely something off about her that Gwen wanted to get to the bottom of.
“Are you alright Linda?” asked Gwen as she looked across from the table. “You’ve barely touched your food.”
 “I-I guess that I’m not as hungry as I thought,” replied Linda as she looked down at her food. She had felt very hungry just before she had started eating, she had only taken a few bites and now she felt full. It was something that she thought was very odd but once again she didn’t want to worry her sister.
 “Maybe you can just wait a few minutes and then try again later.” She on the other hand was very hungry and was eating all of her own food. Such strength as hers needed a lot of food to maintain it.
 Linda took Gwen’s advice and waited for several minutes before she tried again. However she still could barely eat any of her food and she thought that it was best to re-heat it the next day so that the food didn’t go to waste. She was also feeling very tired and she thought that it was best that she got herself an early night. Gwen couldn’t help but agree but despite Linda’s best efforts her sister was worried about her. She had known Linda all of her life and she had never seen her like this before.
 Linda took a quick shower before making her way into her bedroom. It was one of the few places that she didn’t feel like she was truly a giant. All the furniture inside was specially made for her. However it all came before her last growth spurt so they were looking a little small now. When she lay down on her bed her feet were right on the edge, she knew that if she grew any taller they would poke out of the end.
 There was one thing that Linda did take some comfort in. Not too far away from her sat a teddy bear that she had been given when she was born. It was a regular size bear and whenever she held it in her hand it would look very tiny. It was the only thing in her room that was normal size and it would also remind her of her childhood. It was probably her most prized possession.
 Sleep came quickly for Linda and as she slept she had a very vivid dream which all felt real while she was asleep. Many seemingly random things were happening but in her mind they made perfect sense. She didn’t question what was happening, even though the sky was pink and that Gwen was throwing a car to one side simply to get a banknote that had slipped underneath it.
 In the real world Gwen did check in on her sister as she slept. She could hear Linda snoring loudly and she made her own way to bed. She thought that everything was fine and that she was worrying herself for no good reason. In the end she decided to go to bed herself, she might have practically unlimited strength but she still needed to sleep.
 With some care Gwen made her way to her own room and after getting changed into her own specially made pyjamas she lay down in bed and without much effort began to sleep. She was just glad that this day was ending and she was already thinking about what she could do the next day. There was some cleaning that needed to be done and there were a couple of high places that only Linda would be able to reach.
 Morning seemed to come too early for Gwen as she woke up from a dream. She tried to remember what her dream was but with each passing moment the memory of the dream seemed to be slipping away. It wasn’t long before she forgot completely what the dream had actually been. Slowly she got up out of bed and made her way out of her room, she was still a little groggy and she couldn’t help but yawn.
 When she stepped out of her room she could see Linda was already making some breakfast for the both of them. She was sitting down and making a cooked breakfast which consisted of sausages, bacon, toast, eggs and beans. Each was going to be in a large quantity to help feed the two women. Gwen approached her sister and she couldn’t help but think that there was something a little odd about her.
 “Morning Linda,” said Gwen when she reached her sister. “How are you feeling this morning?”
 “I’m not too bad thank you,” replied Linda as she kept her eye on the eggs. “A good night’s sleep was all that I needed.”
 “That’s nice and what you’re making smells delicious.” She took a deep breath and she looked the smell of the food cooking. “I hope that you made plenty of breakfast since I’m starving.”
 “Don’t worry sis, I made sure that there is more than enough for you.”
 After a few more minutes Linda finished up on the breakfast and placed it on the nearby table. She and Gwen began to eat it relatively quickly. They did have numerous cartons of orange juice between them. Once again it seemed like the two sisters would eat enough to feed a family.
 Within minutes there was nothing left of the breakfast as every little scrap had been eaten. It was enough to fill up both of the sisters and they sat there for a couple of minutes so that they could let their food go down. Gwen was sure to thank Linda for the breakfast and it only seemed fair that she helped her wash up.
 Gwen watched as Linda stood up to her full height. This was when she noticed something that she couldn’t put her finger on. It wasn’t until Gwen herself stood up that she could tell what the difference was. She looked up and down Linda for a few moments before Linda noticed.
 “What are you doing?” asked Linda who didn’t seem to really notice anything different about herself.
 “There’s something different about you this morning,” replied Gwen. “Call me crazy but I swear that you’re shorter than you were yesterday.”
 “You’re right, you are crazy.” She chuckled for a moment. “You know me Gwen, I’m not shrinking, I’m growing remember?”
 “I know but you look shorter than you did yesterday. I remember this little spot on your leg here being higher than me.” She placed her finger on a spot that was on Linda’s upper thigh. “But now it’s at eye level with me. I think it’s best that we measure you just to make sure that I’m not going crazy.”
 “Fine but I’m telling you that I’m the same as I was before.” She smiled down at her to try and calm her sister down.
 Within minutes the two sisters found themselves in another room which had a very large height chart on one of the walls. With Linda’s growth spurts they had decided to place one on the wall so that they could easily monitor her height. Nearby was a ladder as well so that Gwen could climb it in order to see the results. It was one of the few times that Gwen ever needed a ladder.
 Like usual Linda stood by the height chart while Linda pulled up a ladder and climbed up it. Linda stood up straight so that Gwen could take an accurate look. What she saw seemed to worry her as she looked at her taller sister. Linda didn’t suspect that anything was wrong and just turned her head towards her.
 “See I’m the same as before,” said Linda with confidence in her voice.
 “No you’re not Linda,” replied Gwen. “When you were measured yesterday you were five metres twenty, now you’re four metres and ninety five.”
 “That’s got to be some kind of mistake.” She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “It must be a mistake.”
 “There’s no mistake, you’re definitely four metres ninety five.” She looked up at the measurement that of where Linda was supposed to be. “There’s no doubt about it, you’ve lost twenty five centimetres since yesterday.” She felt a little crazy as saw what seemed to be Linda’s head lowering slightly. At first she thought that her sister was bending down or moving her head. However when she looked she could see that she was still standing straight. There was no doubts now as she had just shrunk once again. “Make it that you’ve lost thirty centimetres now.”
 “What’s happening to me? I’m supposed to be the woman who can’t stop growing, not shrinking.” There was panic in her voice as she feared that she was going to lose her mighty height. She thought that she was going to end up being normal and this was something that she feared the most.”
 “I have no idea but I think this has something to do with what happened during our visit to Doctor Van Basten yesterday. If anyone knows what is going on it’ll be him.”
 The two sisters didn’t waste any time in getting out of the house and making their way to Phillip’s warehouse once again. They had left in such a haste that everything from breakfast was still there. Both women feared that Linda’s condition was irreversible meaning that she was just going to shrink smaller and smaller.