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Description
A sharp scream brought Arrietty back to consciousness. She snapped awake, head tingling from the pain she had received last night. She quickly glanced around the room to see Jane, hand over mouth and unmistakably pale. "Jane, what's wrong?" Before she even finished her sentence, she knew what had happened. Feeling herself turn white as well, she looked down at the ground where her feet stood - and knew that she was no longer borrower-sized.
Arrietty stood at the same height as Jane, wearing the same simple red dress and brown shoes. She grew dizzy at the sudden growth in height and size, and collapsed onto the floor. Jane, catching up to what had happened and slowly pushing away her sense of shock, rushed over to help Arrietty back on her feet. The borrower struggled to gain control of her now monstrous and cumbersome limbs, and painstakingly clambered onto her feet. She grabbed Jane's arm as she steadied herself, and her breathing was unsteady. Jane helped Arrietty stand up, before asking her cautiously what had happened.
"Arrietty, talk to me. What did you do?"
"I don't know. Sho contacted me again, we tried to...make contact...and then I just got this terrible pain. I went back to sleep and I woke up to hear you scream."
Maribel, who was sleeping in Jane's room, arrived at the scene panting. "What the... Arrietty?!"
Seeing Maribel, Arrietty felt herself shrinking as the world around her grew larger and more massive. It took about 30 seconds for her to shrink from a human size to a normal borrower size, and Maribel approached Arrietty slowly. "Arrietty? Are you..." and for the lack of a better word, "okay?"
"Yeah, I think I'm fine..."
As Arrietty explained somewhat hesitantly what had happened during Sho's last call, Spiller was on a full-speed glide towards Sho's house. He had no time to lose; the elder had said as much. He had to find out what had happened to Arrietty that would catch the attention of the luminescent stars. He reasoned that Arrietty would be with Sho, so when he discovered Sho's lawn covered with all sorts of animal traps, he knew something was awry. He caught the scent of two city-stench human beans in Sho's house, and he approached Sho's window cautiously. Knocking lightly upon the window will, Spiller caught Sho's attention. Sho opened the window and let Spiller in quietly. He locked the door to his room, and in quiet whispers, he explained the current situation. "My parents are here. Haru told them about Arrietty. They are trying to catch her and her family."
"Where is Arrietty?" was the gruff inquiry.
"She's with Maribel and Jane. Don't worry."
"The elder said that something happened to her. Take me there. Now."
Sho hesitated. There was an edge to Spiller's voice, as if he was trying to be threatening. "Tell me what's going on."
Spiller calmed down noticeably. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't make such demands. But I am in a great hurry, so I'll explain later. We need to go."
Sho did not even nod; he merely extended his hand and Spiller understood. Their care for Arrietty had brought the two eerily close, and they seemed to be able to understand each other without a word. Sho slipped the borrower into his chest pocket, and made his way down the stairs.
"Mom, I'm going over to Jane's. I might not be back for lunch."
An absent-minded "mhm" was all he got, and Sho shut the main door. The walk to Jane's would be long. "Spiller, tell me what's going while I walk."
Spiller, who was perched at Arrietty's normal spot now, assented. "You remember the elder Dore. He told me once about how Arrietty was a special borrower, different from all the other borrowers he had seen in his life. She had the characteristics of a mythical borrower who was said to have a wide range of powers that no other borrower had. The mythical borrower was called Aerite, and she was able to grow and shrink at will, to fly like a bird, to swim like a fish, and to run like a cat. Other fabels exist of her changing into animals, plants, as well as being able to tame any creature. When I was a child, I heard a story that said Aerite could even control the weather.
"Aerite became feared and respected, and she would help the other borrowers in her neighborhood do all sorts of things. Being a borrower herself, she knew the troubles that they suffered. One day, however, she realized that she could live her life as a human bean without being recognized. Her thoughts grew impure, and she began to spread rumors of our existence. It was then that we borrowers began to decrease in numbers. Our population once was several times the population of human beans - now, it is a mere fraction.
"Arrietty possesses many of the same characteristics as Aerite. The similarity in their names is the first. They both have a family that ran away from home to remain alive. They both loved nature immensely. They both loved adventures and anything risky. And last of all -" Spiller whispered the last part in almost a loathsome manner "they both loved another human bean. Aerite ran away with the human bean, who grew to dislike her sudden change in attitude. Furious, Aerite began to seek out borrower families that she had once disliked, and..." but Spiller could mot finish the last two words.
Sho finished it for him solemnly. "and she killed them."
They were approaching Jane's house when Spiller signaled for Sho to hide. Sho ducked into a small alley, and watched as his parents tried to find him. "They've been following us. I was too busy talking to you to notice their scent." grumbled Spiller.
"Did they see you?"
"No. But I think they know I'm here."
Sho waited for his parent's voices to disappear before creeping towards Jane's house. He spotted them disappearing past a corner, and he made a mad dash towards the building. He rang the doorbell furiously, and he was greeted by a shaken Jane. "Come in. Hurry." Sho made no objection, and Spiller nodded his greeting. Jane led the two silently into her room, where Arrietty and Maribel were waiting on Jane's desk.
Spiller got down to business immediately. He spoke as he leapt onto the desk. "Arrietty. The elder says something happened to you, and the stars chant your name."
Arrietty nodded, and replied, "Something did happen. And I know of the myth as well, Spiller. Sho, I can tell that you know of it as well. I think..." she finished in her head "...it has to do with what happened last night."
Sho heard her in his head, and agreed out loud. "I think so too. But for now, let's just try to keep everything under control. Since you know about Aerite, you know what you must not do." He sat down on a small wooden stool, and faced his so-called sister. His memories of the time when the two decided that they were siblings "of emotion and feelings" flooded in a sudden gush, and he shook his head sharply, trying to get it out. He felt another presence pushing the memories back, and he knew Arrietty wanted him to remember.
"Sho... Would you still love me if I was human sized?"
"I have no reason not to. It would be wonderful to be with you no matter what." He wanted to add 'dear sister' at the end of his reply, but decided against it.
Arrietty grew human-bean-sized, and smiled at Sho. She had a better control over her size changing now after some practice, and it only took a few seconds. It felt like she just needed to imagine the world around her growing or shrinking, and her body would do the opposite. Sho was stunned for a moment before regaining his senses. Arrietty looked almost exactly like she did in their mind-world, except...she was much more beautiful in real life. Sho was speechless, however. He could not find words to say. He wanted to tell Arrietty how pretty she was, how much he loved her - but he couldn't find a way to express himself.
Arrietty understood his emotions, and embraced him gently. It was a refreshingly new experience, hugging Sho as a person and brother and not a thumb. Jane and Maribel turned away embarrassedly, color returning to their cheeks. Sho held Arrietty with awe that a person once the size of his palm was now nearly as tall as himself. Arrietty wasn't different at all in appearance other than her size, and though they were very much lile siblings, she felt like a stranger to Sho.
Sho felt his shirt wetten, and asked quietly, "Arrietty... Are you crying?"
"A bit. I was afraid that you wouldn't like me if you saw me like this." She stared him in the eyes, her own sparkling with tears of joy. "Thank you, Sho."
Jane turned to face the two, but Maribel remained faced the other way. Jane asked the two, "So, Arrietty. Would you rather stay in your borrower form or human-being form?"
Maribel finally faced them, and nodded vigorously in agreement. "Which would you prefer?"
Sho answered first. "I don't care, I love you just the same."
Arrietty was silent for a moment. She could live her life as a borrower, with nothing changing, or she could live her life as a human-bean, but she'd have to face new problems. Everyone awaited her response. They understood that it was difficult to choose after undergoing such a traumatic change. Arrietty glanced around the room. Would she join Sho and Jane, or remain with Maribel and Spiller?
"I... I think I want to be part of both. Half and half."
As if on cue, everyone groaned at the cliché response. Arrietty giggled, and returned to her borrower form. "So then, Sho, why did you come here?"
"I wanted to make sure you were okay. Which reminds me" he looked at Jane "my parents are trying to stalk me, so is it okay if I stay with you guys? I want to avoid going home."
Maribel leapt to her feet. "Of course! It would be nice to spend the day with another human bean!"
Jane grinned. "Fine with me. Where do you guys want to go for lunch?"
With sparkling eyes, Arrietty tossed in her two cents. "I want to try eating as a human bean."
Sho shook his head. "That would be unfair to Maribel and Spiller. By the way, where is Spiller?"
Maribel sighed as she sat down on the desk. "He left some time ago. I guess he had to go back to the elder. That is his job now."
Arrietty threw a fake tantrum, shouting merrily "I want to eat like a bean!" The effectiveness was increased by her tiny borrower-size, and soon everyone was laughing along with her. Jane listed several possible fast-food joints near her house, and Arrietty selected one that she thought sounded tasteful.
Maribel, with just a hint of jealousy, asked Arrietty, "So are you going to walk outside like a bean or borrower?"
"Would you mind if I said bean? I want to try it, just this once."
"Sure. But you have to carry me, then."
"How? This dress doesn't have any pockets..." Arrietty said as she began growing larger.
"In your hand then. And look who came to join us!"
Spiller peeked in from the open window, his darkened face hiding none of his rosy blush. "Could I join you all? I've never been near a bean-musfarm before."
Sho gave Jane a quizzical glance, and she briskly replied "Human being mess hall. He means restaurant. Of course you may! It's rare to have you around."
Maribel remained indifferent. "Where did you go just now?"
Spiller said without a tremor, "To the elder. I needed to report back to him."
Arrietty's eyes grew panicked. "What did he say?"
"He said nothing. He only smiled and waved me away. I don't know what that means."
Sho whispered something into Jane's ear, and Jane shrugged. Maribel heard it though, and announced out loud "Sho thinks that the elder is a funny person."
Jane tapped Maribel on her head, as a mother would to a naughty child. "Stop it, you."
Arrietty felt a little dizzy after she finished growing into her human-bean-size, so she knew she still needed practice. At first glance, Arrietty would have looked like any other teenager, but upon closer inspection one could see that the seams on her dress were too thick and her shoes to be too perfect. And if you were careful enough, her hands were visibly shaking from nervousness. Arrietty held out her hand to carry Maribel and Spiller (which felt very weird), but Jane handed Arrietty a small purse whose color marched her shoes.
"Here. Use this. It will be much easier to hide those two."
"Th-thanks. Are you sure I can use this?"
"Of course! In fact, you can have it as my present to you. I don't need it anyways."
Arrietty gave Jane a large hug, nearly knocking over the two other borrowers on the desk. "Oh, thank you!"
----
"Arrietty, my arm hurts."
"Oh, sorry!" exclaimed Arrietty, who realized that she was digging her nails into Sho's arm. She wiped her hands nervously on her dress as she glanced around at the people that strode around the small group. One woman stared at her dress with particular interest, and muttered something. Arrietty trembled as she walked past, and for the first time she felt truly exposed to the world. She grabbed Sho's arm unwittingly again, and he stifled a groan. He understood her fear, but it was starting to get out of hand.
"Arrietty, stop it. No one will cast a second glance at you in this kind of world. You look like any normal person. And you know what we taught you. If anyone asks you a question-"
"I try to answer or I ask you. It's easy for you to say."
Jane placed her hand gently on Arrietty's shoulder. "Hang in there, missy. We're almost there." She pointed at a large sign that read Burgerdelight, and Arrietty relaxed cautiously.
Spiller and Maribel were engaged in furious rounds of rock-paper-scissors in Arrietty's new handbag, and Sho whispered for them to be quiet several times. They were loud enough to be heard if someone walked close enough to the trembling giant-borrower. One passerby walked close enough to hear a murmur, and glanced curiously at the group. Arrietty held her breath, and he passed them by without a word. Sho patted her hand, and she gave a long sigh of relief. "You'll get used to it soon enough. Relax." Arrietty replied with a curt nod, and he smiled.
Jane opened the door for Sho and Arrietty, and the cold air-conditioning welcomed the three customers. Sho picked a secluded table, and motioned Arrietty to sit next to him. Shivers ran up her spine as Arrietty touched the cold plastic seats. Jane stood across from them and placed her hands in the table. "Alright. What would you guys like?"
Sho waved his hand in an offhand gesture. "Your recommendation is good enough for me."
Arrietty clasped her hands together. "It's cold in here. Anything warm will be good. Thank you."
Jane nodded. "Two recommendations it is. And", with a wink, "the two little ones can share what we have." She headed off to the counter, but Sho called for her to wait. He reached into his pocket and brought out his wallet, from which he produced a few pieces of paper that Arrietty had never seen before.
"It's on me today. I owe you for helping me keeping Arrietty safe."
Jane accepted gleefully, happy that she didn't have to pay out of her own pockets. As she meandered to the counter, Arrietty plucked a bill out of Sho's wallet.
Quite surprised at the vain theft, Sho exclaimed, "Hey! Careful!"
"What is this? Isn't it just paper?"
"It's called a dollar bill. See? That number 'one' means that this piece of paper holds one unit of money."
"What's money?"
Maribel, peeping out for a breath of air, answered. "It's a silly thing that beans use to trade with. It used to be made of rare metals like gold and silver, but now these flimsy pieces of paper replace them."
"Can't I just write a number on a piece of paper?"
Sho laughed. "Look closely. Every little mark on the paper was printed in a way so that people know that this one is real and is valid."
Arrietty handed the bill back to Sho, who waved it away. "Keep it. It isn't worth much and I can't do anything with just one dollar."
Arrietty shook her head. "I can't take your trade-item! Even in the borrower world, we never take another borrower's trade-item."
"You'll have to learn to say money, or cash. No one will understand the term trade-item. And if you can't take it, then borrow it."
Maribel chuckled, and nearly fell back into the handbag. "Don't use the term 'borrow' so lightly, Sho. It isn't exactly what you think it means."
Spiller grunted his agreement from within the brown handbag, and Maribel shrunk back in to continue their game. Arrietty fidgeted a little, whining that she wanted to play with them as well. A young couple appeared out of nowhere and sat down at the table next to them, and Arrietty nearly gasped. Jane was walking back from the counter with three large burgers as well as some fountain drinks, and when she saw this she mentally told Maribel of the situation. Sho gave a small sigh of relief when he heard their game end, as did Arrietty. Jane set the green tray down noisily on the table, and Arrietty winced.
"Arrietty, here is your fish burger. Sho, this is a double. I got lemonade for both of you."
Arrietty stared at the aluminum foil with curiosity. She watched as Sho instructed her on how to open the sheet, and followed clumsily. She could not help but notice the queer glances that the couple at next table were giving her. She touched the burger's top bun, and immediately jerked her hand back.
"It's so soft... And oily..."
She held her breath and picked up the tender burger with her hands as Sho did. Slowly, she sank her teeth into the fleshy meat and crisp vegetables, and her eyes sparkled. Borrowers could never fit so many tastes and textures into a single bite. If her tongue could sing, it would. She somewhat literally smashed the remaining burger into her mouth, savoring the incredible mix of flavor. Sho had only finished half of his and Jane even less when Arrietty had finished swallowing her last bite. She stared at her messy fingers, and looked at Sho - with a face so colorful that it could make a child laugh - for guidance.
Jane giggled, and put down her burger. "Here, follow me."
Sho breathed a sigh of relief. He couldn't think of any excuse to bring her into the male bathroom, nor could he handle entering the female bathroom.
Jane explained like a teacher to a kindergartener, "Here. This is the sink. Just lift the handle with the back of your hand."
Arrietty slowly turned on the water, which flowed smoothly from the faucet. She placed her hands underneath the cold running water, and she gave a little exclamation of surprise.
"I've never felt water like this! It's so light and runny!"
Being a borrower, water tended to clump together from water tension. Now that she was quite a giant, water simply rolled off her fingers. Big bubbles didn't form, and even the smallest drop darkened her dress. She left the water running as she glanced around for something to dry her hands and face on.
Jane, who was waiting behind her, motioned with a tilt of the head for Arrietty to turn off the water first. She pulled a paper towel from a dispenser and handed it to the borrower. "Here. Usually, you don't need more than two sheets. But if you do, make sure you use them fully. Don't waste. Throw it in the bin when you're done."
Arrietty obliged daintily as she tossed the crumpled ball into the black basket. Being a human bean was such fun!
As Arrietty nibbled off the last piece of her French fries (which she found to be a tad too salty and oily), Sho and Jane were deciding on their next stop to show Arrietty. Sho wanted to show her the mall and to hopefully find a new outfit for her, whereas Jane wanted to take her to the park nearby.
A deciding game of rock-paper-scissors had brought them into the air-conditioned complex of stores and shops, leaving them with one grumpy human, one happy human, one puppy-eyed borrower, and two fearful borrowers.
Maribel, still licking her fingers clean of the giant crumbs of salt, said with slight distaste, "Everyone in our borrower neighborhood says that the more we hang around human beans, the easier we are to be discovered."
Spiller eyed Sho with untrusting eyes. He wasn't sure if Sho had any evil intention for bringing them to such a human-bean-infested place. "Too many human beans. Their smell is too thick." He shook his head. He wouldn't be able to use his keen senses of smell here. At least he knew Arrietty was still one of them.
"Why is it so cold here?" asked Arrietty, shivering from the blaring air conditioning. Sho shrugged, and led her into a store filled with girls' dresses, shirts, pants, and approximately every other female accessory. Sho could not help blushing slightly as he entered, and Jane grinned widely.
"Alright, go ahead and pick out what you like." mumbled Sho, still slightly uncomfortable with the human-sized-borrower.
Arrietty seriously glanced around her, but she could not find anything that suited her wants. "Sho, way aren't there any dresses like mine?"
Sho, scratched his head, at a loss of words. Jane did her best to inform Arrietty. "Well, in human society, these are the things that most girls wear. If you don't wear it, people will think you're strange. And I know that for a fact."
Maribel peeked out slightly, and shuddered at the thought of putting on any of the t-shirts or shorts for sale. It was unthinkable that anyone in their right mind would wear something that almost didn't exist! Arrietty pushed Maribel's tiny head back into the purse, and shook her head. "I can't wear any of that. I just want something like this."
Jane sighed. She could understand Arrietty's emotions, for Maribel felt the same way and shared that with her. "Well, I don't think I'll be able to get you exactly what you're looking for, but I can find the one that suits you best. Something more… earnest."
Arrietty nodded a reluctant agreement, and Sho patted her on the back. "I'm sorry, Arrietty, but I guess I'm useless here."
"Oh, don't say that, Sho."
Jane interrupted Arrietty's next sentence with, "Aren't you the one paying?"
A barely audible snicker was heard from the purse, and Arrietty smiled. "Please?"
Sho fished out a few more denominations and handed it to Jane. "That's all I can give you right now."
Jane nodded briskly, then began her treasure hunt for the perfect combination for Arrietty.

Description
A sharp scream brought Arrietty back to consciousness. She snapped awake, head tingling from the pain she had received last night. She quickly glanced around the room to see Jane, hand over mouth and unmistakably pale. "Jane, what's wrong?" Before she even finished her sentence, she knew what had happened. Feeling herself turn white as well, she looked down at the ground where her feet stood - and knew that she was no longer borrower-sized.
Arrietty stood at the same height as Jane, wearing the same simple red dress and brown shoes. She grew dizzy at the sudden growth in height and size, and collapsed onto the floor. Jane, catching up to what had happened and slowly pushing away her sense of shock, rushed over to help Arrietty back on her feet. The borrower struggled to gain control of her now monstrous and cumbersome limbs, and painstakingly clambered onto her feet. She grabbed Jane's arm as she steadied herself, and her breathing was unsteady. Jane helped Arrietty stand up, before asking her cautiously what had happened.
"Arrietty, talk to me. What did you do?"
"I don't know. Sho contacted me again, we tried to...make contact...and then I just got this terrible pain. I went back to sleep and I woke up to hear you scream."
Maribel, who was sleeping in Jane's room, arrived at the scene panting. "What the... Arrietty?!"
Seeing Maribel, Arrietty felt herself shrinking as the world around her grew larger and more massive. It took about 30 seconds for her to shrink from a human size to a normal borrower size, and Maribel approached Arrietty slowly. "Arrietty? Are you..." and for the lack of a better word, "okay?"
"Yeah, I think I'm fine..."
As Arrietty explained somewhat hesitantly what had happened during Sho's last call, Spiller was on a full-speed glide towards Sho's house. He had no time to lose; the elder had said as much. He had to find out what had happened to Arrietty that would catch the attention of the luminescent stars. He reasoned that Arrietty would be with Sho, so when he discovered Sho's lawn covered with all sorts of animal traps, he knew something was awry. He caught the scent of two city-stench human beans in Sho's house, and he approached Sho's window cautiously. Knocking lightly upon the window will, Spiller caught Sho's attention. Sho opened the window and let Spiller in quietly. He locked the door to his room, and in quiet whispers, he explained the current situation. "My parents are here. Haru told them about Arrietty. They are trying to catch her and her family."
"Where is Arrietty?" was the gruff inquiry.
"She's with Maribel and Jane. Don't worry."
"The elder said that something happened to her. Take me there. Now."
Sho hesitated. There was an edge to Spiller's voice, as if he was trying to be threatening. "Tell me what's going on."
Spiller calmed down noticeably. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't make such demands. But I am in a great hurry, so I'll explain later. We need to go."
Sho did not even nod; he merely extended his hand and Spiller understood. Their care for Arrietty had brought the two eerily close, and they seemed to be able to understand each other without a word. Sho slipped the borrower into his chest pocket, and made his way down the stairs.
"Mom, I'm going over to Jane's. I might not be back for lunch."
An absent-minded "mhm" was all he got, and Sho shut the main door. The walk to Jane's would be long. "Spiller, tell me what's going while I walk."
Spiller, who was perched at Arrietty's normal spot now, assented. "You remember the elder Dore. He told me once about how Arrietty was a special borrower, different from all the other borrowers he had seen in his life. She had the characteristics of a mythical borrower who was said to have a wide range of powers that no other borrower had. The mythical borrower was called Aerite, and she was able to grow and shrink at will, to fly like a bird, to swim like a fish, and to run like a cat. Other fabels exist of her changing into animals, plants, as well as being able to tame any creature. When I was a child, I heard a story that said Aerite could even control the weather.
"Aerite became feared and respected, and she would help the other borrowers in her neighborhood do all sorts of things. Being a borrower herself, she knew the troubles that they suffered. One day, however, she realized that she could live her life as a human bean without being recognized. Her thoughts grew impure, and she began to spread rumors of our existence. It was then that we borrowers began to decrease in numbers. Our population once was several times the population of human beans - now, it is a mere fraction.
"Arrietty possesses many of the same characteristics as Aerite. The similarity in their names is the first. They both have a family that ran away from home to remain alive. They both loved nature immensely. They both loved adventures and anything risky. And last of all -" Spiller whispered the last part in almost a loathsome manner "they both loved another human bean. Aerite ran away with the human bean, who grew to dislike her sudden change in attitude. Furious, Aerite began to seek out borrower families that she had once disliked, and..." but Spiller could mot finish the last two words.
Sho finished it for him solemnly. "and she killed them."
They were approaching Jane's house when Spiller signaled for Sho to hide. Sho ducked into a small alley, and watched as his parents tried to find him. "They've been following us. I was too busy talking to you to notice their scent." grumbled Spiller.
"Did they see you?"
"No. But I think they know I'm here."
Sho waited for his parent's voices to disappear before creeping towards Jane's house. He spotted them disappearing past a corner, and he made a mad dash towards the building. He rang the doorbell furiously, and he was greeted by a shaken Jane. "Come in. Hurry." Sho made no objection, and Spiller nodded his greeting. Jane led the two silently into her room, where Arrietty and Maribel were waiting on Jane's desk.
Spiller got down to business immediately. He spoke as he leapt onto the desk. "Arrietty. The elder says something happened to you, and the stars chant your name."
Arrietty nodded, and replied, "Something did happen. And I know of the myth as well, Spiller. Sho, I can tell that you know of it as well. I think..." she finished in her head "...it has to do with what happened last night."
Sho heard her in his head, and agreed out loud. "I think so too. But for now, let's just try to keep everything under control. Since you know about Aerite, you know what you must not do." He sat down on a small wooden stool, and faced his so-called sister. His memories of the time when the two decided that they were siblings "of emotion and feelings" flooded in a sudden gush, and he shook his head sharply, trying to get it out. He felt another presence pushing the memories back, and he knew Arrietty wanted him to remember.
"Sho... Would you still love me if I was human sized?"
"I have no reason not to. It would be wonderful to be with you no matter what." He wanted to add 'dear sister' at the end of his reply, but decided against it.
Arrietty grew human-bean-sized, and smiled at Sho. She had a better control over her size changing now after some practice, and it only took a few seconds. It felt like she just needed to imagine the world around her growing or shrinking, and her body would do the opposite. Sho was stunned for a moment before regaining his senses. Arrietty looked almost exactly like she did in their mind-world, except...she was much more beautiful in real life. Sho was speechless, however. He could not find words to say. He wanted to tell Arrietty how pretty she was, how much he loved her - but he couldn't find a way to express himself.
Arrietty understood his emotions, and embraced him gently. It was a refreshingly new experience, hugging Sho as a person and brother and not a thumb. Jane and Maribel turned away embarrassedly, color returning to their cheeks. Sho held Arrietty with awe that a person once the size of his palm was now nearly as tall as himself. Arrietty wasn't different at all in appearance other than her size, and though they were very much lile siblings, she felt like a stranger to Sho.
Sho felt his shirt wetten, and asked quietly, "Arrietty... Are you crying?"
"A bit. I was afraid that you wouldn't like me if you saw me like this." She stared him in the eyes, her own sparkling with tears of joy. "Thank you, Sho."
Jane turned to face the two, but Maribel remained faced the other way. Jane asked the two, "So, Arrietty. Would you rather stay in your borrower form or human-being form?"
Maribel finally faced them, and nodded vigorously in agreement. "Which would you prefer?"
Sho answered first. "I don't care, I love you just the same."
Arrietty was silent for a moment. She could live her life as a borrower, with nothing changing, or she could live her life as a human-bean, but she'd have to face new problems. Everyone awaited her response. They understood that it was difficult to choose after undergoing such a traumatic change. Arrietty glanced around the room. Would she join Sho and Jane, or remain with Maribel and Spiller?
"I... I think I want to be part of both. Half and half."
As if on cue, everyone groaned at the cliché response. Arrietty giggled, and returned to her borrower form. "So then, Sho, why did you come here?"
"I wanted to make sure you were okay. Which reminds me" he looked at Jane "my parents are trying to stalk me, so is it okay if I stay with you guys? I want to avoid going home."
Maribel leapt to her feet. "Of course! It would be nice to spend the day with another human bean!"
Jane grinned. "Fine with me. Where do you guys want to go for lunch?"
With sparkling eyes, Arrietty tossed in her two cents. "I want to try eating as a human bean."
Sho shook his head. "That would be unfair to Maribel and Spiller. By the way, where is Spiller?"
Maribel sighed as she sat down on the desk. "He left some time ago. I guess he had to go back to the elder. That is his job now."
Arrietty threw a fake tantrum, shouting merrily "I want to eat like a bean!" The effectiveness was increased by her tiny borrower-size, and soon everyone was laughing along with her. Jane listed several possible fast-food joints near her house, and Arrietty selected one that she thought sounded tasteful.
Maribel, with just a hint of jealousy, asked Arrietty, "So are you going to walk outside like a bean or borrower?"
"Would you mind if I said bean? I want to try it, just this once."
"Sure. But you have to carry me, then."
"How? This dress doesn't have any pockets..." Arrietty said as she began growing larger.
"In your hand then. And look who came to join us!"
Spiller peeked in from the open window, his darkened face hiding none of his rosy blush. "Could I join you all? I've never been near a bean-musfarm before."
Sho gave Jane a quizzical glance, and she briskly replied "Human being mess hall. He means restaurant. Of course you may! It's rare to have you around."
Maribel remained indifferent. "Where did you go just now?"
Spiller said without a tremor, "To the elder. I needed to report back to him."
Arrietty's eyes grew panicked. "What did he say?"
"He said nothing. He only smiled and waved me away. I don't know what that means."
Sho whispered something into Jane's ear, and Jane shrugged. Maribel heard it though, and announced out loud "Sho thinks that the elder is a funny person."
Jane tapped Maribel on her head, as a mother would to a naughty child. "Stop it, you."
Arrietty felt a little dizzy after she finished growing into her human-bean-size, so she knew she still needed practice. At first glance, Arrietty would have looked like any other teenager, but upon closer inspection one could see that the seams on her dress were too thick and her shoes to be too perfect. And if you were careful enough, her hands were visibly shaking from nervousness. Arrietty held out her hand to carry Maribel and Spiller (which felt very weird), but Jane handed Arrietty a small purse whose color marched her shoes.
"Here. Use this. It will be much easier to hide those two."
"Th-thanks. Are you sure I can use this?"
"Of course! In fact, you can have it as my present to you. I don't need it anyways."
Arrietty gave Jane a large hug, nearly knocking over the two other borrowers on the desk. "Oh, thank you!"
----
"Arrietty, my arm hurts."
"Oh, sorry!" exclaimed Arrietty, who realized that she was digging her nails into Sho's arm. She wiped her hands nervously on her dress as she glanced around at the people that strode around the small group. One woman stared at her dress with particular interest, and muttered something. Arrietty trembled as she walked past, and for the first time she felt truly exposed to the world. She grabbed Sho's arm unwittingly again, and he stifled a groan. He understood her fear, but it was starting to get out of hand.
"Arrietty, stop it. No one will cast a second glance at you in this kind of world. You look like any normal person. And you know what we taught you. If anyone asks you a question-"
"I try to answer or I ask you. It's easy for you to say."
Jane placed her hand gently on Arrietty's shoulder. "Hang in there, missy. We're almost there." She pointed at a large sign that read Burgerdelight, and Arrietty relaxed cautiously.
Spiller and Maribel were engaged in furious rounds of rock-paper-scissors in Arrietty's new handbag, and Sho whispered for them to be quiet several times. They were loud enough to be heard if someone walked close enough to the trembling giant-borrower. One passerby walked close enough to hear a murmur, and glanced curiously at the group. Arrietty held her breath, and he passed them by without a word. Sho patted her hand, and she gave a long sigh of relief. "You'll get used to it soon enough. Relax." Arrietty replied with a curt nod, and he smiled.
Jane opened the door for Sho and Arrietty, and the cold air-conditioning welcomed the three customers. Sho picked a secluded table, and motioned Arrietty to sit next to him. Shivers ran up her spine as Arrietty touched the cold plastic seats. Jane stood across from them and placed her hands in the table. "Alright. What would you guys like?"
Sho waved his hand in an offhand gesture. "Your recommendation is good enough for me."
Arrietty clasped her hands together. "It's cold in here. Anything warm will be good. Thank you."
Jane nodded. "Two recommendations it is. And", with a wink, "the two little ones can share what we have." She headed off to the counter, but Sho called for her to wait. He reached into his pocket and brought out his wallet, from which he produced a few pieces of paper that Arrietty had never seen before.
"It's on me today. I owe you for helping me keeping Arrietty safe."
Jane accepted gleefully, happy that she didn't have to pay out of her own pockets. As she meandered to the counter, Arrietty plucked a bill out of Sho's wallet.
Quite surprised at the vain theft, Sho exclaimed, "Hey! Careful!"
"What is this? Isn't it just paper?"
"It's called a dollar bill. See? That number 'one' means that this piece of paper holds one unit of money."
"What's money?"
Maribel, peeping out for a breath of air, answered. "It's a silly thing that beans use to trade with. It used to be made of rare metals like gold and silver, but now these flimsy pieces of paper replace them."
"Can't I just write a number on a piece of paper?"
Sho laughed. "Look closely. Every little mark on the paper was printed in a way so that people know that this one is real and is valid."
Arrietty handed the bill back to Sho, who waved it away. "Keep it. It isn't worth much and I can't do anything with just one dollar."
Arrietty shook her head. "I can't take your trade-item! Even in the borrower world, we never take another borrower's trade-item."
"You'll have to learn to say money, or cash. No one will understand the term trade-item. And if you can't take it, then borrow it."
Maribel chuckled, and nearly fell back into the handbag. "Don't use the term 'borrow' so lightly, Sho. It isn't exactly what you think it means."
Spiller grunted his agreement from within the brown handbag, and Maribel shrunk back in to continue their game. Arrietty fidgeted a little, whining that she wanted to play with them as well. A young couple appeared out of nowhere and sat down at the table next to them, and Arrietty nearly gasped. Jane was walking back from the counter with three large burgers as well as some fountain drinks, and when she saw this she mentally told Maribel of the situation. Sho gave a small sigh of relief when he heard their game end, as did Arrietty. Jane set the green tray down noisily on the table, and Arrietty winced.
"Arrietty, here is your fish burger. Sho, this is a double. I got lemonade for both of you."
Arrietty stared at the aluminum foil with curiosity. She watched as Sho instructed her on how to open the sheet, and followed clumsily. She could not help but notice the queer glances that the couple at next table were giving her. She touched the burger's top bun, and immediately jerked her hand back.
"It's so soft... And oily..."
She held her breath and picked up the tender burger with her hands as Sho did. Slowly, she sank her teeth into the fleshy meat and crisp vegetables, and her eyes sparkled. Borrowers could never fit so many tastes and textures into a single bite. If her tongue could sing, it would. She somewhat literally smashed the remaining burger into her mouth, savoring the incredible mix of flavor. Sho had only finished half of his and Jane even less when Arrietty had finished swallowing her last bite. She stared at her messy fingers, and looked at Sho - with a face so colorful that it could make a child laugh - for guidance.
Jane giggled, and put down her burger. "Here, follow me."
Sho breathed a sigh of relief. He couldn't think of any excuse to bring her into the male bathroom, nor could he handle entering the female bathroom.
Jane explained like a teacher to a kindergartener, "Here. This is the sink. Just lift the handle with the back of your hand."
Arrietty slowly turned on the water, which flowed smoothly from the faucet. She placed her hands underneath the cold running water, and she gave a little exclamation of surprise.
"I've never felt water like this! It's so light and runny!"
Being a borrower, water tended to clump together from water tension. Now that she was quite a giant, water simply rolled off her fingers. Big bubbles didn't form, and even the smallest drop darkened her dress. She left the water running as she glanced around for something to dry her hands and face on.
Jane, who was waiting behind her, motioned with a tilt of the head for Arrietty to turn off the water first. She pulled a paper towel from a dispenser and handed it to the borrower. "Here. Usually, you don't need more than two sheets. But if you do, make sure you use them fully. Don't waste. Throw it in the bin when you're done."
Arrietty obliged daintily as she tossed the crumpled ball into the black basket. Being a human bean was such fun!
As Arrietty nibbled off the last piece of her French fries (which she found to be a tad too salty and oily), Sho and Jane were deciding on their next stop to show Arrietty. Sho wanted to show her the mall and to hopefully find a new outfit for her, whereas Jane wanted to take her to the park nearby.
A deciding game of rock-paper-scissors had brought them into the air-conditioned complex of stores and shops, leaving them with one grumpy human, one happy human, one puppy-eyed borrower, and two fearful borrowers.
Maribel, still licking her fingers clean of the giant crumbs of salt, said with slight distaste, "Everyone in our borrower neighborhood says that the more we hang around human beans, the easier we are to be discovered."
Spiller eyed Sho with untrusting eyes. He wasn't sure if Sho had any evil intention for bringing them to such a human-bean-infested place. "Too many human beans. Their smell is too thick." He shook his head. He wouldn't be able to use his keen senses of smell here. At least he knew Arrietty was still one of them.
"Why is it so cold here?" asked Arrietty, shivering from the blaring air conditioning. Sho shrugged, and led her into a store filled with girls' dresses, shirts, pants, and approximately every other female accessory. Sho could not help blushing slightly as he entered, and Jane grinned widely.
"Alright, go ahead and pick out what you like." mumbled Sho, still slightly uncomfortable with the human-sized-borrower.
Arrietty seriously glanced around her, but she could not find anything that suited her wants. "Sho, way aren't there any dresses like mine?"
Sho, scratched his head, at a loss of words. Jane did her best to inform Arrietty. "Well, in human society, these are the things that most girls wear. If you don't wear it, people will think you're strange. And I know that for a fact."
Maribel peeked out slightly, and shuddered at the thought of putting on any of the t-shirts or shorts for sale. It was unthinkable that anyone in their right mind would wear something that almost didn't exist! Arrietty pushed Maribel's tiny head back into the purse, and shook her head. "I can't wear any of that. I just want something like this."
Jane sighed. She could understand Arrietty's emotions, for Maribel felt the same way and shared that with her. "Well, I don't think I'll be able to get you exactly what you're looking for, but I can find the one that suits you best. Something more… earnest."
Arrietty nodded a reluctant agreement, and Sho patted her on the back. "I'm sorry, Arrietty, but I guess I'm useless here."
"Oh, don't say that, Sho."
Jane interrupted Arrietty's next sentence with, "Aren't you the one paying?"
A barely audible snicker was heard from the purse, and Arrietty smiled. "Please?"
Sho fished out a few more denominations and handed it to Jane. "That's all I can give you right now."
Jane nodded briskly, then began her treasure hunt for the perfect combination for Arrietty.