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The Borrower Arrietty 2: Chapter 02

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She stayed in his pocket while he finished up his project. It was very uncomfortable, but now that she was with him again nothing mattered. Sho knew that Arrietty was uncomfortable, but he didn't know what else to do. He tried to leave as soon as possible, and the second he left the school and began walking in the street, he gently pulled her out of his cramped pocket and set her on his shoulder, like they had done before. They walked together in silence, each soaking up the happiest moment of their lives. It was Arrietty who spoke first. "Sho, how are you?" she whispered into his ear.
He smiled, and whispered back, "I'm great, now that you're here." Arrietty beamed, then asked a bit more urgently, "How was your surgery?"
Sho whispered in return, "It was ok. I had a bit of chest pain for about a month, but now I'm back to normal." Arrietty stayed quiet. She had noticed that his strides seemed much more powerful than before, and faster. His eyes were sharper, and his reaction was also much more rapid. For the first time, she felt a pang of fear. Now that he had the strength of a normal human, would he still be able to handle her as gently and slowly as before?
Sho seemed to read her mind, and he whispered, "Don't worry. I can still be very gentle. My muscles are still used to slow movement." Sho looked down, and saw Arrietty's fear, and slowed down. "Are you okay?"
Arrietty glanced up at him, and said "I'm fine." He knew something was up, but he didn't know what. Arrietty was in fact remembering Pod, and how he had told her that all humans were dangerous. His words echoed in her ears. She knew he was wrong, but yet…?
Sho glanced down at her again, a tiny person standing on his shoulder. Her brown dress floated effortlessly with the wind. Then he noticed the gash on her arm. He stopped walking, nearly tipping her over, and asked, "What happened to your arm?"
Arrietty snapped to attention, and replied, "Nothing. I was fighting some rats."
"Does it hurt?"
"Not anymore." She smiled. "Thank you for caring about me." She carefully sat down on his shoulder, and began to hum. It was a song that she had known for a long time; she had composed it during a rainstorm when she couldn't leave her old house. She hadn't a name for it yet, but she could feel herself described nicely in the song.
Sho heard her humming, and asked, "What song is that? Does it have lyrics?"
Arrietty turned red, and said, "I… I wrote it. I don't have a name for it. And it does have lyrics." She cleared her throat, and began to sing in her quiet voice.
I'm fourteen years old, I am pretty
I'm a teeny tiny girl, a little lady
I live under the kitchen floor
Right here, not so far from you
She kept singing in the voice she had practiced for so long. Sho was utterly enchanted. Her song indeed represented her wonderfully. He could feel her sadness and happiness at the same time. When she finished singing her song, Sho smiled and whispered to her, "That was wonderful, Arrietty. I didn't know you had such a beautiful voice." She blushed, and didn't say anything. Sho continued. "Call it Arrietty's song. It is your song, and you are in the song."
She thought about it for a moment, and replied, "I guess that would be okay. Mm…"

The rest of the walk was uneventful. Arrietty told Sho about her move, and her house. Sho listened intently, and he didn't utter a single sound until he had arrived home. Arrietty didn't know where they were going until she saw the fields and the huge house she had lived in for most of her life. She gasped, and Sho reassuringly whispered, "Don't worry. I won't let anyone know about you until you want me to." He opened his backpack, and she jumped in. He gave her a last smile before closing his backpack. He then carefully slipped the backpack back on.

He entered the mansion quietly, and he was greeted by Haru, his maid. She had been the one that had ultimately forced the Borrowers to leave their beautiful home. "Welcome home." "Haru, if you wouldn't mind, I'd like dinner in bed today. I'm so tired after working on that project." "No problem at all. Your heart is holding up fine?" "Yes. I'll be waiting upstairs." He climbed up the staircase with ease, and he quickly went into his room. He closed the door, and brought Arrietty back out. His room hadn't changed, and as Sho was preparing his homework, she tried to remember how to get back to her old house. She slowly climbed the wall, and pushed a panel that gave easily. This was it. She looked through the narrow passage that she had once travelled. She heard Sho softly calling for her, and she promptly left the passage and jumped onto the bed – too hard. Her legs buckled under the unfamiliar texture of the bed, and she heard her ankle crack. She almost yelped in pain, but she succeeded in swallowing the shout and instead, grabbed her foot, trying to ease the pain. Sho watched this unfold, and even his now much faster reactions couldn't help her.
"Stop moving, Arrietty. Don't touch your foot." Sho instructed. Arrietty tried to do as he said, but the pain was unbearable. She could call for Spiller, but then it would be like betraying her friendship with Sho. But Haru might show up at any time, and if she was seen she would be in big trouble. Before she knew what was happening, Sho carefully picked her up and set her on the roof. "Call for Spiller. I know he can help you." With that, he shut the window. He didn't slam it as she had expected, but he gave her a sympathizing glance before softly shutting the window.
Arrietty knew that she had no choice. "Spiller! Spiller! Where are you? I need help!"
Spiller, who was in the city borrowing some goods, heard her faint cries and immediately deployed his special flying-squirrel technique. It wasn't 20 seconds before Arrietty saw him gliding up speedily toward her. He was surprised to see her back at the forbidden house, but he had also somewhat expected this to happen. He saw her foot, and became worried.
"Hey, Arrietty. You sprained your ankle pretty bad. What happened? Did the human…"
"No, it was myself. I jumped onto his bed and I slipped." Spiller carefully inspected her leg, and wrapped it in a cloth so she wouldn't move it.
"I know you like that boy, Sho. This bandage will help with healing. Return to him; there is nothing more I can do. Just get plenty of rest." With that, we flew into the air once again, leaving Arrietty on the roof. She didn't know what to think; was Spiller mad at her, or did he understand? She sighed, and looked up at the already starry sky. She heard the door open in Sho's room, then a bit of conversation. The door closed, and she turned around. His room was empty except for him, and he was looking at her. She climbed onto her knees and crawled over to the window. She hit it a few times like she had done before to get his attention. Sho nodded, and he slipped out of his bed and opened the windows just a crack. He watched as the tiny person crawl painfully through the window, and he held out his hand. She climbed onto his palm, and he brought her this bed. He set her down on the pillow, and he broke off a small piece of bread from his dinner and offered it to her. Arrietty gladly accepted it, and began to eat.

That night, Arrietty fell asleep on Sho's desk while watching him work. He took a small cloth and lay it over her, and he continued to work. When he had completed his homework, he tiredly laid down on his bed. He smiled as he watched Arrietty sleep. They were back together again. Sho had long hoped for this day to come, and today it finally did. To him, Arrietty wasn't a pet, but a person that needed help. If she wanted to leave, she could. If she wanted to return, she could. He knew that Arrietty wasn't a hamster or mouse; she was a human with human thoughts. He would refrain from helping her too much, in case it offended her. But right now, she was hurt, so she probably couldn't borrow by herself. He fell asleep thinking about what he would do tomorrow.

Back at Arrietty's home, Pod and Homily were both very worried. Arrietty hadn't ever attempted anything this serious, and she hadn't returned. They had given up hope for their only daughter, and they acknowledged that she might be dead. Homily cried every time she saw a trace of Arrietty, and Pod could only sigh. Homily was in the middle of preparing dinner when she heard a knock at their door. "Come on in, it's unlocked." Spiller stepped in, and he got right to business.
"Arrietty is fine. I saw her today." And with that, he ran into the darkness once again.
Homily tried to understand. Her daughter was alive? What had happened to her? She ran out the door and shouted into the night, "Where is she?" But she heard no reply. Spiller had heard her shout, but he knew Arrietty would prefer to be left alone. She would tell them when she wanted to.

Morning came, and when Arrietty finally woke up, Sho had already left for school. She tried to stand up, but a sudden pain shooting up her leg stopped her. Then she remembered where she was, and she looked around. She was sure she had fallen asleep on his desk, but now she was in the small house made especially for Borrowers. She peeked outside the intricately detailed window, and saw Haru cleaning Sho's bed. Arrietty almost gasped, but she swallowed it and held her breath. Haru finished cleaning and left, closing the door behind her. Arrietty gave a sigh of relief, and then she began to explore the small house. Everything was made especially for Borrower use – the books were removable from the bookshelf and contained fine print; the cups were just the right thickness; the tables and chairs the perfect size and height. The electricity worked, so she could have light. But she swore to herself to never use the lights in case another human was nearby. She entered the kitchen, and it filled her with nostalgia for her old house, which this kitchen had been part of for just a few hours.
The teapot that Homily had used still contained the tea leaf that had been left inside when they moved. The aroma was weak, but she could still smell it. She carefully set down the teapot, and left the kitchen. She opened a wardrobe, and found assorted clothes that were just perfect for her. She picked out a dress similar to the red one she usually wore, but this one was slightly shorter and it was a beautiful sapphire blue. It fit her perfectly, and she danced a little in front of the mirror. Her hair flowed freely, since she hadn't found a suitable replacement for the one she gave to Sho. She wondered if he had still kept it. She slid her pin back at her waist, and she was almost back to her old self. Her leg still hurt though, so she stayed in the Borrower house reading books until Sho came home. She had read about half of a book when she heard Sho's door open. She quickly returned the book and erased nearly all traces of her existence. The only thing different in that house was that her house clothes replaced the blue dress. She hid underneath a table, and hoped for the best. She was lucky; the voice that called out to her was Sho's. She opened the front door to greet him, and he was surprised that she had changed clothes. "How's your foot, Arrietty?"
"It's ok. It still kinda hurts, but I think I can manage to walk." Her ankle was slightly swollen, but it wasn't as bad as last night. Sho nodded, and offered to carry her to his desk. She gingerly stepped onto his hand, and he set her down slowly on the desk. She limped over to his homework paper, and tried to read what it said.
"Essay… on… a… is that word 'friend' or 'fiend'?" Arrietty was so small, she had a hard time reading the rough print on his paper.
"It says 'Essay on a Friend'. Guess what my topic is." Sho smiled at Arrietty, and she turned slightly pink.
"It's me, isn't it."
Sho replied, "Yes. But I have to write about your history with me… is that okay with you?" Arrietty paused. If he wrote about her on his paper, she'd be immediately found out. Sho knew this too, and that's why he had asked. Arrietty had to weigh the options. Either Sho wrote about her and expose her existence, or he wrote about someone else to both of their disappointment. She desperately wanted to just say yes, but she knew that wouldn't be right.
She whispered, "I don't think you should. I don't know what would happen if you did." Sho nodded his understanding, then he started to write. He stopped after writing 'I have a friend named'. He didn't know what to write. He wasn't very liked by his schoolmates, as he had a not-so-good history. Most people were afraid of him because he had a new heart, and others just didn't like him. Arrietty was his only friend. He sighed, and dropped his pencil. Arrietty saw his distress, and she sighed. She sat down on the desk, and thought it through a little bit more. Then she finally spoke up.
"Sho." He turned tiredly toward her. "Sho. Go ahead and write about me." He sat up straight, causing Arrietty to flinch a little.
"Oh, sorry. But are you sure?"
Arrietty dipped her head, and continued, "Just don't write about how small I am, or what I do for a living. And don't mention my parents, or where I lived." Sho understood why, but he was running out of ideas to write as she crossed them out.
"Wait, Arrietty. Tell me what I can write." He took his pencil and looked intently at Arrietty.
"Well, I guess you could say that I was your only friend when you were sick. And that I had to leave because of family matters." Sho jotted all this down on a piece of lined paper. "You could also mention that you helped me out a few times, and that you were my only friend." Sho nodded, and kept writing. "I guess that's it… is that enough?"
Sho glanced at Arrietty. She wasn't kidding. She was serious; this was all he could write about. He gazed at his paper, before finally agreeing. It wasn't much, but he could manage. And he could add a side note to his teacher that Arrietty didn't want so much information about her released. Arrietty watched as his pencil seemingly flew over the paper, and how the tip of the pencil kept getting duller and duller. By the time Sho had finished, Arrietty had dozed off. He prodded her lightly with the eraser end of his pencil and woke her up. "Hey, if you're gonna sleep, I'll take you back to the house for now." She nodded sleepily, and climbed onto his hand. Being careful as to not drop the hazy girl, he slowly walked over to the house and set her into the bed. He whispered good night to the little Borrower. He heard her reply, and he gently closed the front wall.
Arrietty returns in Arrietty 2!

Bad things happen...

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280077s's avatar
Times like this I wish I had a premium membership so the adds would stop distracting me. Its kind of hard to concentrate on the story because of it. Stupid DA.