“Well,” started Hero. “Since you didn’t tell anyone about me, I guess I could stay a little longer; but then you have to let me leave. I have more hero work to do.” Sam, elated, grinned broadly.

“Great! Which one do you want to do?” asked Sam. Hero thought for a moment. He knew Sam had a lot more questions, and Hero had questions too; but, he didn’t want to give too much away.

“Um… why not show me your game?” prompted Hero as he sat down on the bookshelf lip, slipping his pin and backpack off to his side. Sam nodded and reached over to the small rectangular device he was holding earlier. The motion was so quick it made Hero’s head spin. He could only imagine how fast Sam could be if he put his mind to it.

Sam hesitated, glancing at Hero before asking, “Is it okay if I get closer? That way you can see the screen?” Hero waited a second before giving his permission with a brief nod. Sam’s smile returned as he turned around, his immense back to Hero, and scooted backwards until his back was against the bookshelf like Hero’s back. What was once two feet of distance changed to two inches, but this time didn’t unnerve Hero like it had before. Sam was safe – at least that’s what Hero believed about the human boy.

For the next half an hour, Sam explained the levels and the game. The Borrower learned this thing was called a “Switch” and had lots of games on it. One with “cars,” one with little rings, and one where you solve puzzles and farm. It was a nifty little device and, by the end, Hero felt a pang of sadness that he had to leave.

This time, Sam didn’t resist and, instead, offered to help Hero leave instead of climbing to wherever he needed to go. Hero had to admit it was tempting to not have to scale the entire top half of the bookshelf, but just the thought of stepping onto a human palm made his insides weak with nervous butterflies.

Hero thanked Sam for the offer but elected to climb instead. Sam was obviously disappointed but understood. It was perfect timing. Sam’s parents just arrived and were calling his name. The human glanced back at Hero and gave a small wave.

“Bye Hero. Will I see you again?”

“I hope so,” replied Hero as he tugged on the line to make sure it was secure.

“Tomorrow?”

“I don’t know. I’ll come as soon as I can, promise.” Satisfied with the answer, Sam nodded, pushed himself off of the bed, and left the room for Hero to ascend the line and vanish into the walls once again. The experience was a success in Hero’s mind. Talking to a human was still very scary, but Sam seemed to understand Hero wasn’t a plaything; and he hoped it would stay that way.

Hero had heard stories from others about humans tricking Borrowers into coming out, talking, showing themselves, before being captured or persuaded to stay. Hero knew he was young, but he hoped he could make the right decision and stay vigilant.