Shay’s sleep was sound, but hardly as restful as home. She remembered hearing Todd’s voice just above her muttering her name over and over, as though saying her name made her real to him. The bed above her creaked with every twitch he made, a reminder of how much bigger he was than her. It was bone chilling and not something she wanted to hear first thing in the morning when she began to stir.
There was a massive creek followed by his rhythmic stomping as Todd left the room and Shay slipped into unconsciousness once again. She wasn’t sure how much time passed, but at some point she opened her eyes again, surrounded by the cloud like pillow and the warmth of the blanket. Her eyes darted to the outside of the bed and saw Todd sitting nearby on the ground with a smattering of supplies that would satisfy her family’s building needs for years.
Curiosity got the better of her and she sat up, pulling the blanket over one of her shoulders, and watched him silently. He was methodical and delicate with his fingers as he seamlessly cut and folded the pieces of tape in his fingers and inserted them into the box that rested on the ground in front of him. His keen eyes barely blinked as he worked, calculating each and every detail of his work. Shay shuddered to think of what it would be like if he were to take that same precision in examining her.
“Good morning,” said Todd suddenly and slowly, surprising Shay. She let out a faint squeak and pulled the blanket up just beneath her nose before looking up into his eyes. Evidently, he had noticed her watching and though he did not look at her right away, he caught her movement out of the corner of his eye and a thoughtful smile tugged the sides of his lips upward. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to startle you. Did you sleep well?” His eyes flicked up to meet hers.
Shay nodded timidly behind the blanket while her heart decided whether it was worth maintaining its current pace in her chest. A few deep inhalations and exhalations later let the Borrower’s nerves settle and she lowered the blanket.
“Did… you? Sleep well?” she asked, having to repeat herself when she realized he hadn’t heard her the first time. Todd nodded and set the box to the side, seemingly satisfied with his work.
“I did, though I have to admit that it was a little weird knowing that there was a girl sleeping under my bed,” said Todd with a nervous chuckle while reaching up and scratching the back of his neck. “Anyway, I just finished the ultimate false bottom hiding place of all times. Not to brag, but not even my siblings are going to know the difference. Do you want to see it? Give it a try and all that?”
Shay straightened up and tried peering past Todd to see into the box. Her apprehension for humans conflicted directly with he kindness Todd had shown her. While Todd, to her own surprise, was winning her over, the idea of getting in a box she struggled so hard to get out of on her own made her uneasy.
The Borrower teen looked back and was forced to come to the obvious conclusion – Todd could have captured her at any point, especially while she slept, and yet he had not done anything of the sort. Regardless of her instinctual fear, nothing indicated he was one of the bad humans like the stories she heard so many times. At any rate, she would be going home today and could pretend none of this happened.
She nodded and pushed herself up, stumbling on the uneven surface clumsily, and took up her bag before walking out from under the bed toward Todd. The human’s muscles tensed, which amused Shay slightly. It seemed like she wasn’t the only one who was nervous about their interactions.
Todd pushed the box forward slowly toward the small humanoid girl, still baffled beyond his wildest imagination that such a small, sentient being existed. From the belt that held paperclips and hooks to the pack on her back, it didn’t seem real. He tried clearing his throat as she approached, but found the nervousness constricting his words.
“Okay, this is probably going to be your best entrance and exit,” he said while pointing at the seam of the box. From the outside, Shay couldn’t tell there was anything different from the cardboard. Then, she noticed that the Todd had cut along the seam of the tape, an almost unnoticeable cut – especially for a human. “I made it so this seam here opens and closes like a door. There’s a bit of floss inside that keeps it secure. Sorry, I don’t have any string. My bad.”
Todd reached inside of the box to lift the false bottom and unlatched the floss so the door was revealed. Shay watched in awe as the cardboard door practically appeared as Todd pressed on the inside of the box.
“Wow,” she breathed to herself as she cautiously approached the edge of the box and peered inside. Todd immediately retracted his hand to giver her full reign of the structure he created. Shay crouched and saw a number of things that were different than when she was there just yesterday. She listened as Todd explained the different things he did.
First, he created additional walls on the interior to keep things from falling and crushing the interior structure. The false bottom let her go completely unseen and protected her from the inside. Second, he added floss straps for her to grab onto. He explained that it could help keep her stable if the box got jostled around too much. Next, he showed her how there were different places she could peer out and illuminate the inside if she wanted. One major difference, however, was the comfort of the journey. Todd had put together a makeshift bedroll for her to lie down on so she wouldn’t have to get comfortable on the ground.
It was perfect and Shay found herself getting choked up at all of the work Todd, this human, had done for her; all to help keep her safe. She wiped at her eyes, which instantly sparked a look of concern and worry from her human counterpart.
“Shay? Are you okay? Did I do something wrong? Look, I can change it if you don’t like it. I just thought…”
“It’s perfect, Todd,” she interrupted with a thoughtful sniffle. “This will definitely keep me hidden. I… don’t know what to say. Just… thank you.” Todd smiled at the Borrower girl’s words. Todd usually took pride in his work and something about her words was somewhat flattering.
“Of course! You’re more than welcome,” smiled Todd. “Um… do you want anything else in there? Snacks? Water? Anything at all?”
“Um… some water would be nice, and maybe some snacks?” said Shay unsurely. Todd nodded.
“Sure. Not a problem. Um… I’m getting up now; didn’t want to startle you.” Shay’s tightened chest was beginning to relax with each passing moment. She nodded and stepped further into the box to examine the reinforced elements in hopes to discover any weaknesses the cardboard might have while being jostled around. Todd stood up and Shay listened to his retreating footsteps.
I can’t believe it. I get to go home! I’m safe and I get to go home. Todd. He’s such a nice human. True, he’s really tall, but he’s not as scary as all of those nasty stories my brothers told me about. You know, he’s a lot like us Borrowers. He made this whole construction and he’s very good at crafting with his hands. I wonder what he could do if he had the materials we usually work with. How similar are Borrowers to humans anyway? Hmm…
Shay was so preoccupied in the box and examining the makeshift bedroll that she didn’t notice Todd return. He had walked back quietly with a sinking feeling in his chest. He had just gotten off of the phone and the electronic device was still clutched in his hand.
There wasn’t going to be an easy way around it. There was no other way. This was going to be a jab in the gut for both him and Shay. He knelt and sat with his back against the door facing.
“Shay?” he called out quietly. Shay heard Todd’s voice and approached the cardboard door, pressing it open and taking a few steps out.
“Yes, Todd?” she asked. One look at the human’s face was all she needed to know something wasn’t right. Instinctually, her hand rested on her hook while the other grasped the strap of her bag. It broke Todd’s heart to see Shay’s guard suddenly rise again in such a short amount of time. He really thought he was winning her over, but now the hesitance she had when they first met seemed to be returning; and what he had to say wasn’t going to make it any better.
“Well… um… there’s not really an easy way to put this. I just got off of the phone with my mom,” started Todd, not sure if how he was going about this was the correct path.
“Phone?” asked Shay. The word sounded familiar, but Shay wasn’t exactly sure what it did or how it worked.
“Yeah. This. It lets me talk to people who are really far away,” said Todd as he held up the device in his hand. “Anyway… um…”
“Is everything okay? What’s going on?” asked Shay hurriedly.
“Well, I mean, mostly everything is fine. Apparently, my parents forgot my sister had a school event today. She meant to remind them but with the move and everything, it completely slipped their minds. They would skip it, but it’s tonight and you’re not supposed to miss orientation,” explained Todd who instantly notice the bewildered look on Shay’s face.
It was clear that what he was talking about was going right over her head in a manner of speaking. Todd sighed and winced. “To put things simply, they didn’t call me this morning when they left because they wanted me to rest and settle in and so that means we won’t be meeting for brunch like we planned.”
“Wait… what? You mean… they’re not meeting you?” asked Shay. She felt her insides seize as Todd shook his head slowly. “You can take me to them, right? Before they leave? Even if you don’t meet for broonch?” Todd bit his lip as he watched the pain and panic filling Shay’s eyes with tears. Her hand went from grasping the hook at her side to wringing one of the straps on her pack. Small, quick breaths were just the start of hyperventilation.
Todd’s heart ached as he shook his head. “Shay, I can’t. They’re already a quarter of the way home. They’ve been on the road for a few hours. Even if I asked, they wouldn’t turn around now. I… I’m so sorry.” Shay sucked in a sob.
“But… then… how am I going to get home?” she choked out, the waterfall of tears cresting over the rims of her eyes. She began walking backwards instinctually until her back hit the cardboard. Her arms wrapped around her mid-section in the form of an odd hug. Slowly, she sank to the ground, keeping her knees close to her chest.
“Hey, hey now. It’s going to be okay. Look, I’m really sorry, but there’s nothing I can do right now; but what I can do is I can bring you back when I go home over the long weekend,” soothed Todd, trying to think of something – anything – to make the girl smaller than his fingers stop crying.
“W-week-end?” sniffed Shay in between heaving, tearful breaths.
“Yeah. I was going home over the long weekend which is about a month away or so. I know that’s a really long time; but, unless you want to travel by mail, this is the safest thing we can do,” encouraged Todd.
“B-bu-t what ab-about my f-f-family? They ha-ave to be s-s-so w-wo-rried!” Shay, amongst her quickening heart and tear blurred eyes, hadn’t realized she had given away that her family lived back at the home. Todd better understood now. She was young; much younger than he originally thought. “Wh-a-at am I go-gon-gonna do?”
Her cries were desperate, and Todd wanted nothing more than to show her she was going to be okay. If it were his sister, he would give her a hug, which would be more than complicated with the girl who could easily hide in his palm with no one being the wiser. Would he be overstepping boundaries if he were to reach out to comfort her?
The grad student thought better of it. If anything, she would recoil. Putting himself in her shoes, it could easily sound like a lie intended to keep her from her family. Instead, he took the supplies he intended for the box and set them just close enough so Shay could see him out of her peripheral vision. Those tear lined eyes registered his movement just as he had hoped.
“You’re going to be okay Shay. You can stay here with me and live for as long as you want. You can stay or go, whatever you want, and I won’t stop you,” said Todd gently. Shay looked up at him and blinked a few times, the thoughts seemingly trying to gain purchase in her mind. “We’ll be roommates until I get you home. Sound good?”
Shay’s small eyes narrowed suspiciously. “You’ll bring me home?” she asked in between hiccups.
“Of course. I promise!” said Todd.
“And… wh-when you s-say stay? You do-don’t me-an as a p-pet, right? I don’t want to be a pet.” Shay’s emotions overwhelmed her once again as more tears began glossing her cheeks.
“No. No! Of course not! I would never do that to you Shay. You’re free to come and go as you’d like,” said Todd. Shay eyed the human. This seemed like a convincing argument for her to stay, but it could equally be as useful as a lie. What if he had changed his mind about helping her? The Borrower child pulled her legs up to her chest.
I don’t have much of a choice, do I? I can’t get into the walls. There’s nothing to borrow. I’m already this far in.
“O-k-okay, Todd, I’m going to trust you.”
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