HOME | DD

Description
Arrietty rubbed her eyes and yawned. She had slept well last night, especially after she had finally settled upon her relationship with Sho. She groggily dragged her feet out of her front door, still wearing her house clothes. She glanced at the bed, and she nearly fell off the steps. Sho was sitting under his covers reading. He glanced over at Arrietty, and his smile was wiped clean. "Oh, Arrietty! I'm sorry, did I scare you?"
Arrietty panted, "You bet you did! Why are you still at home? You should be in school!"
Sho replied, calmly, "I still have a little fever, so I'm staying home today."
Arrietty caught her breath, and made her way across the hills and canyons of Sho's blanket. She extended her right arm toward his forehead, and he leaned down slowly. She felt his forehead for a few seconds, then muttered,
"Your forehead still feels hot…;"
Sho sighed and leaned back upon his pillow. He set the book down on his lap, and Arrietty noticed the book for the first time. "What are you reading?" He picked her up and set her on his shoulder so she could see, and picked up the book. She squinted, and read, "The Five People You Meet in Heaven". She looked disapprovingly at Sho. "Are you still so keen on dying?" Sho laughed, nearly knocking Arrietty off. She tumbled down his arm, and he caught her before she hit the bed.
"Are you okay? I didn't mean-"
"I'm fine. What's so funny?"
Sho explained how his homework was to read this book; it wasn't his own choice. Arrietty turned pink, and frowned embarrassed.
Someone knocked on Sho's door, and a voice asked, "May I come in?"
Arrietty's heart skipped a beat, and Sho quickly but tenderly transported her back onto her front door steps. She ran into her house, and closed the door as Sho said in a sleepy voice,
"Huh? Oh, Haru, please do."
Haru opened the door and asked apologetically, "I'm sorry, did I wake you up?"
Arrietty heard Sho say something in return, and she sighed. She couldn't possibly live like this; hiding from humans all the time. She searched her bookshelf for Sho's book, but didn't find one. The voices outside her house continued, along with the sounds of a very loud vacuum cleaner.

Arrietty sat her dinner table, mind drifting away in the din of the vacuum. She had changed into her borrowing dress. Her thoughts wandered to her parents, and for the first time, Arrietty felt worried. Her parents were starting to get a bit old, and they probably couldn't go scavenging like her. When Haru left and Sho whispered for her to come out, Arrietty explained her thoughts to him. He listened intently while she spoke, and nodded his understanding.
"Go, then."
"What?"
"Go and visit your parents. Stay for a week, a month, a year. Your parents are more important than I. Just don't forget me." He said the last sentence with a sad smile, and he opened the window for her. A tear fell from Arrietty's eye, and she hugged his finger once again, and bid farewell. Sho watched her go with a tugging at his heart. He knew what he was doing was right. He would have gone with her, but the reason she had left in the first place was because of him. He sighed, and looked back at the miniature house. He was going to be quite lonely.

Arrietty traced her route. Although she had only taken that path once, her Borrower instinct allowed her to navigate the dense shrubbery. She arrived at her house just a few hours later. She knocked quietly upon the door that she had helped set up, and when it opened she was embraced over and over again. Tears soaked her dress, but she didn't mind. When she finally had a seat at the table she knew all too well, she described her life after she had run away. When she got to the part about Sho, Homily shrieked and Pod held his breath. He glanced sharply out the window, and Arrietty reassured him that Sho wouldn't follow her.
"Dad, I know him. He knows that he was the cause of our move, and he doesn't and never has wanted to hurt us. Trust me on this, dad."
He turned to face Arrietty. "Are you planning on going back?"
Homily interjected, "You mustn't! He is a human no matter what!" Arrietty tried to keep calm. This was steering toward what had forced her out last time.
"I have lived safely with him for so long. Why would he want to harm me now?"
Pod sighed, and continued. "If you are, I cannot stop you. He doesn't seem to be of any harm, and I can understand that. Arrietty, the thing is" he clasped his hands together, "what if you are found by someone other than Sho? What would happen then?"
"I won't. I've learned my mistake."
Pod nodded, and said solemnly, "Alright then. Pack some of your belongings and go back to him."
Arrietty was surprised. "What? Why?"
Pod smiled for the first time since arriving. "I know you like the boy. We can survive fine without you; at least for now. Go grab your stuff and go back."
Arrietty turned pink at his comment, and shook her head. "I want to stay with you for a while first."
Pod sighed. "I know that you are worried about us. But I am still a good Borrower, and Homily" who had been silently for this whole time "can scavenge. Don't worry about us."
Arrietty tried to think of an excuse to stay. "It's getting dark though. Can I sleep in my room for tonight?"
"Sure."

Sho was quite startled when he found her climbing up the roof the next day, carrying a large bag. Arrietty was too, seeing that he was at home and not at school.
"Why aren't you at school, Sho?"
Sho described how his fever got worse overnight.
Arrietty sighed, and said, "You just can't live without me, right?"
Sho smiled and nodded, before asking why she had left so soon. Arrietty painfully explained how her parents knew about them and told her to go you him. It confused Sho a bit, because he had expected her to never return. He shrugged, and carried the tired Arrietty and her bag of clothes and other possessions she had kept. As he laid her in the tiny bed and told her to rest, he caught the sight of a small smudge of brown outside his window. Arrietty saw it too, and leapt out of bed. But their slow reflexes were no match for the highly trained wild borrower, Spiller. He dodged away and was out of sight almost immediately. He had seen Arrietty walk sadly out of her house with her belongings, Homily waving good bye and Pod sighing. He followed her all the way to Sho's house to make sure she stayed safe. Even though he knew that although he liked her he was only her friend, he had an urge to protect her. He knew he wasn't going to achieve anything; her persistent and proud personality may have made things worse. He glided off the rooftop, heading towards the forest once again.

Sho glanced at Arrietty without a hint of contempt. He understood that the Borrowers were a very different race than humans, and that they couldn't be judged so easily. "Arrietty, who was that?"
Arrietty dipped her head, and replied softly, "That was Spiller, another borrower. He was following me here, but he thought I didn't know." Sho nodded seriously, and nudged for her to continue. "He's just a friend, Sho."
"Oh, you needn't worry about that. I'm not jealous or anything. I just wanted to know why he was here." He grinned genuinely, and Arrietty smiled back.

Description
Arrietty rubbed her eyes and yawned. She had slept well last night, especially after she had finally settled upon her relationship with Sho. She groggily dragged her feet out of her front door, still wearing her house clothes. She glanced at the bed, and she nearly fell off the steps. Sho was sitting under his covers reading. He glanced over at Arrietty, and his smile was wiped clean. "Oh, Arrietty! I'm sorry, did I scare you?"
Arrietty panted, "You bet you did! Why are you still at home? You should be in school!"
Sho replied, calmly, "I still have a little fever, so I'm staying home today."
Arrietty caught her breath, and made her way across the hills and canyons of Sho's blanket. She extended her right arm toward his forehead, and he leaned down slowly. She felt his forehead for a few seconds, then muttered,
"Your forehead still feels hot…;"
Sho sighed and leaned back upon his pillow. He set the book down on his lap, and Arrietty noticed the book for the first time. "What are you reading?" He picked her up and set her on his shoulder so she could see, and picked up the book. She squinted, and read, "The Five People You Meet in Heaven". She looked disapprovingly at Sho. "Are you still so keen on dying?" Sho laughed, nearly knocking Arrietty off. She tumbled down his arm, and he caught her before she hit the bed.
"Are you okay? I didn't mean-"
"I'm fine. What's so funny?"
Sho explained how his homework was to read this book; it wasn't his own choice. Arrietty turned pink, and frowned embarrassed.
Someone knocked on Sho's door, and a voice asked, "May I come in?"
Arrietty's heart skipped a beat, and Sho quickly but tenderly transported her back onto her front door steps. She ran into her house, and closed the door as Sho said in a sleepy voice,
"Huh? Oh, Haru, please do."
Haru opened the door and asked apologetically, "I'm sorry, did I wake you up?"
Arrietty heard Sho say something in return, and she sighed. She couldn't possibly live like this; hiding from humans all the time. She searched her bookshelf for Sho's book, but didn't find one. The voices outside her house continued, along with the sounds of a very loud vacuum cleaner.

Arrietty sat her dinner table, mind drifting away in the din of the vacuum. She had changed into her borrowing dress. Her thoughts wandered to her parents, and for the first time, Arrietty felt worried. Her parents were starting to get a bit old, and they probably couldn't go scavenging like her. When Haru left and Sho whispered for her to come out, Arrietty explained her thoughts to him. He listened intently while she spoke, and nodded his understanding.
"Go, then."
"What?"
"Go and visit your parents. Stay for a week, a month, a year. Your parents are more important than I. Just don't forget me." He said the last sentence with a sad smile, and he opened the window for her. A tear fell from Arrietty's eye, and she hugged his finger once again, and bid farewell. Sho watched her go with a tugging at his heart. He knew what he was doing was right. He would have gone with her, but the reason she had left in the first place was because of him. He sighed, and looked back at the miniature house. He was going to be quite lonely.

Arrietty traced her route. Although she had only taken that path once, her Borrower instinct allowed her to navigate the dense shrubbery. She arrived at her house just a few hours later. She knocked quietly upon the door that she had helped set up, and when it opened she was embraced over and over again. Tears soaked her dress, but she didn't mind. When she finally had a seat at the table she knew all too well, she described her life after she had run away. When she got to the part about Sho, Homily shrieked and Pod held his breath. He glanced sharply out the window, and Arrietty reassured him that Sho wouldn't follow her.
"Dad, I know him. He knows that he was the cause of our move, and he doesn't and never has wanted to hurt us. Trust me on this, dad."
He turned to face Arrietty. "Are you planning on going back?"
Homily interjected, "You mustn't! He is a human no matter what!" Arrietty tried to keep calm. This was steering toward what had forced her out last time.
"I have lived safely with him for so long. Why would he want to harm me now?"
Pod sighed, and continued. "If you are, I cannot stop you. He doesn't seem to be of any harm, and I can understand that. Arrietty, the thing is" he clasped his hands together, "what if you are found by someone other than Sho? What would happen then?"
"I won't. I've learned my mistake."
Pod nodded, and said solemnly, "Alright then. Pack some of your belongings and go back to him."
Arrietty was surprised. "What? Why?"
Pod smiled for the first time since arriving. "I know you like the boy. We can survive fine without you; at least for now. Go grab your stuff and go back."
Arrietty turned pink at his comment, and shook her head. "I want to stay with you for a while first."
Pod sighed. "I know that you are worried about us. But I am still a good Borrower, and Homily" who had been silently for this whole time "can scavenge. Don't worry about us."
Arrietty tried to think of an excuse to stay. "It's getting dark though. Can I sleep in my room for tonight?"
"Sure."

Sho was quite startled when he found her climbing up the roof the next day, carrying a large bag. Arrietty was too, seeing that he was at home and not at school.
"Why aren't you at school, Sho?"
Sho described how his fever got worse overnight.
Arrietty sighed, and said, "You just can't live without me, right?"
Sho smiled and nodded, before asking why she had left so soon. Arrietty painfully explained how her parents knew about them and told her to go you him. It confused Sho a bit, because he had expected her to never return. He shrugged, and carried the tired Arrietty and her bag of clothes and other possessions she had kept. As he laid her in the tiny bed and told her to rest, he caught the sight of a small smudge of brown outside his window. Arrietty saw it too, and leapt out of bed. But their slow reflexes were no match for the highly trained wild borrower, Spiller. He dodged away and was out of sight almost immediately. He had seen Arrietty walk sadly out of her house with her belongings, Homily waving good bye and Pod sighing. He followed her all the way to Sho's house to make sure she stayed safe. Even though he knew that although he liked her he was only her friend, he had an urge to protect her. He knew he wasn't going to achieve anything; her persistent and proud personality may have made things worse. He glided off the rooftop, heading towards the forest once again.

Sho glanced at Arrietty without a hint of contempt. He understood that the Borrowers were a very different race than humans, and that they couldn't be judged so easily. "Arrietty, who was that?"
Arrietty dipped her head, and replied softly, "That was Spiller, another borrower. He was following me here, but he thought I didn't know." Sho nodded seriously, and nudged for her to continue. "He's just a friend, Sho."
"Oh, you needn't worry about that. I'm not jealous or anything. I just wanted to know why he was here." He grinned genuinely, and Arrietty smiled back.