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Description
Aerite smiled. “I’m glad you finally agreed.” She stood up, and shrunk into the size of a normal borrower. Townspeople that had once been hiding within their alcoves now began to peek out, trying to catch a glimpse of the mythical borrower before she disappeared into Dore’s house. As she opened the small thatched door, Sho noticed that her features crumpled into a grimace. Perhaps it was a time when Sho did not want to see Arrietty.

Jane hesitantly asked, “How is she doing?”

Aerite looked Sho sadly in the eyes. “I’m afraid this was worse than I expected. I can still save her, but this will take some time. I’d advise you two to spend your time elsewhere, and return when Spiller calls.” With that, she glided into the house and closed the door behind her.

Jane and Sho eyed each other, then slowly climbed back up to their regular heights. Maribel called for Jane to wait, but Dore held her back.

“Maribel, Arrietty will need someone to stay with her as she recuperates. I think it’d be best if you remained here.”

Jane nodded agreement, and Maribel gloomily followed Dore. Sho had already walked several yards ahead of Jane, who had to run to catch up. The two traversed the woody forest in silence, Jane trailing behind a step or two. This was probably the first time the two of them were finally alone with each other, and she realized that they didn’t know each other very well. It was like a satellite friendship, where they only knew each other through their own friends. Even though they shared a school and even some classes, they had never truly spoken with each other.

As the passed the clearing and onto the sidewalk, Sho turned to the right towards his house. Jane hesitated, then lightly pulled Sho’s arm back. “Wait. Let’s go to my house.” She blushed as she realized what she sounded like, and stuttered, “I think it’ll help you get your mind off Arrietty if we go somewhere besides your house. We could play card games, or talk, or –”

Sho smiled. “I get it, don’t worry. After you.” And he meant it. He knew Jane was only trying to help him, and in effect help Arrietty too. She was a queer girl, but nonetheless a compassionate and truthful one.

“So,” asked Jane as they ambled towards her house, “how’s school?”

Sho laughed. “What an awkward question. … Well, I suppose it’s okay, though I’d much rather be at home so that I can spend time with Arrietty.”

Jane sighed. The point was to steer him away from Arrietty, yet he jumped straight back. “Well, if we’re going to be talking about Arrietty anyways, how did the two of you meet in the first place?”

A small, sad smile made its way across Sho’s lips. “I was sick, still, at the time. It was a few weeks before my surgery. My aunt drove me to her house, and in the driveway we stopped to move Haru’s car. I stepped out to take a breath of fresh air, and I noticed a cat stalking something. That something was Arrietty, and that was the first time I saw her. The second time was when she was borrowing tissue paper from my bedside table. After that, I left a sugar cube for her after seeing the one she had borrowed on the floor. She brought it back to me and told me to leave her alone, and we had our first real talk. The rest happened in such a blur that I don’t even remember it anymore. It has been almost a year now…

“Which reminds me – how did you come to meet Maribel? You mentioned ‘research’ briefly in the past, but you never elaborated.”

“Well, I was – wait, here’s my house. I’ll tell you once we get comfortable.”

--

Jane brought in a tray with lemonade and some crackers, and set it on the desk. Sho had taken a seat on her bed, daydreaming or perhaps talking with Arrietty through his mind. Whatever it was, he ceased it and looked keenly at Jane. “Well?”

“Okay, okay! Don’t rush me or I’ll forget. I was doing a research project about mushrooms that grew wildly, and the only place I knew they grew was in that forest. So I was exploring the area, going deeper and deeper into the woods.

“I came across a little clearing with tons of little flowers, and I kinda forgot about my project. I laid in that clearing, and pretty soon I fell asleep. Maribel later told me that these were the borrowers’ gardens, where they grew herbs and other flora. In any case, I woke up when I heard a little girl singing, and I jumped to my feet. I heard a shriek and I looked towards where it came from, and I saw Maribel. She screamed again and tried to run away, but she fell over a rock and almost broke her leg. So I … carried her back to my house to nurse her back to health.”

Sho grinned. “That sounds remarkably like some adventures Arrietty has had before, too.”

“Yeah, even though they’re not blood sisters they almost seem like so.”

“…hey, you wanna try something?”

Jane looked up abruptly. “What something?”

Sho looked away, somewhat embarrassed. “Well, y’know how we can … talk to borrowers through our minds? I wonder if its possible to do it between two humans as well.”

Jane burst out laughing. “Don’t be silly! The bond is created between the bean and the borrower, remember? There’s a reason why you can’t invade Spiller’s thoughts.”

Sho shrugged. “I just thought that maybe I never tried, so it never happened. Do you want to try it?”

Jane heaved a sigh, and closed her eyes. “I’m clearing my mind right now, so if you want to try, go ahead.”

Sho slowly closed his eyes, and he focused on listening to the area around him for signs of life. He heard Jane’s breathing, and possibly her heartbeat, but it could’ve been his own. He detected a faint sparkle of a mind, and he reached towards it, slowly embracing and delving into it. He could feel Jane’s memories slowly making them appear before him-

A shock racked through Sho’s brain, sending him spasming on the floor. Jane jumped up from her chair and knelt by Sho, eyes worried with concern. “What happened? Sho, are you okay?”

The pulses of adrenaline subsided, and Sho slowed his breath. “I don’t know. What did you do?”

“Nothing, I swear.”

“Then what was tha-”

From Jane’s window came several firm, angry raps, and they found Spiller standing outside, furious. She went to open the window, but before she could fully unlock it Spiller shoved it upwards and open. Sometimes, it was easy to forget a borrower’s immense strength.

“What the HELL are you trying to do, bean? Kill Arrietty and Aerite?” shouted Spiller, spitting his words with disgust. “Your precious little bonds are held together by MAGIC, and Arrietty is currently under the influences of magic, both her own and Aerite’s! Your little attempt to create a new, petty bond with your girly here nearly killed BOTH of them!”

Sho’s terrified eyes widened. “I- I didn’t know, Spiller! I’m sorry!”

Spiller continued to rant, his face growing red with anger and his head practically fuming. “Ignorance is no EXCUSE! You humans are all alike, exploiting us for the fun of it and never realizing the CONSEQUENCES! You never think TWICE about your actions, doing whatever pleases you until you realize it’s all TOO LATE!”
Sho quickly bowed his head to the floor, in an act of apology. “Please tell Arrietty and Aerite that I’m terribly sorry and that I’ll never do that again!”
Spiller seemed to not be deterred by this apology; in fact, he grew even more irate. “You think that they are the only two that suffered to get here? The only reason that they haven’t died is that Dore stole the energy from the forest around our home and from every other borrower nearby to replenish what you’d wasted!” He pointed with an accusatory finger, “You! You have ruined all of our lives! It took us centuries of careful nurture to build up that forest, and what do we get in return? A petty little human bean who’s too sick to take care of himself that causes an endless amount of problems for everyone back home.

“Arrietty left you because you were dangerous, but she returned because you helped her and she fell in love with you. Her parents were worried sick, and still are, and are exceptionally so right now because of the state she is in right now. I’ve had to travel back and forth, miles and miles, to deliver messages, sometimes with extreme speed that leaves me unable to move for a day or two. Our forest has had to pay the price for your entertainment. And now, we all have to move out of this dead land. If you haven’t noticed, your visits to our home have raised attention in other human beans and they’re drawing nearer and nearer to our homes!

“You’ve been nothing but trouble!”

Description
Aerite smiled. “I’m glad you finally agreed.” She stood up, and shrunk into the size of a normal borrower. Townspeople that had once been hiding within their alcoves now began to peek out, trying to catch a glimpse of the mythical borrower before she disappeared into Dore’s house. As she opened the small thatched door, Sho noticed that her features crumpled into a grimace. Perhaps it was a time when Sho did not want to see Arrietty.

Jane hesitantly asked, “How is she doing?”

Aerite looked Sho sadly in the eyes. “I’m afraid this was worse than I expected. I can still save her, but this will take some time. I’d advise you two to spend your time elsewhere, and return when Spiller calls.” With that, she glided into the house and closed the door behind her.

Jane and Sho eyed each other, then slowly climbed back up to their regular heights. Maribel called for Jane to wait, but Dore held her back.

“Maribel, Arrietty will need someone to stay with her as she recuperates. I think it’d be best if you remained here.”

Jane nodded agreement, and Maribel gloomily followed Dore. Sho had already walked several yards ahead of Jane, who had to run to catch up. The two traversed the woody forest in silence, Jane trailing behind a step or two. This was probably the first time the two of them were finally alone with each other, and she realized that they didn’t know each other very well. It was like a satellite friendship, where they only knew each other through their own friends. Even though they shared a school and even some classes, they had never truly spoken with each other.

As the passed the clearing and onto the sidewalk, Sho turned to the right towards his house. Jane hesitated, then lightly pulled Sho’s arm back. “Wait. Let’s go to my house.” She blushed as she realized what she sounded like, and stuttered, “I think it’ll help you get your mind off Arrietty if we go somewhere besides your house. We could play card games, or talk, or –”

Sho smiled. “I get it, don’t worry. After you.” And he meant it. He knew Jane was only trying to help him, and in effect help Arrietty too. She was a queer girl, but nonetheless a compassionate and truthful one.

“So,” asked Jane as they ambled towards her house, “how’s school?”

Sho laughed. “What an awkward question. … Well, I suppose it’s okay, though I’d much rather be at home so that I can spend time with Arrietty.”

Jane sighed. The point was to steer him away from Arrietty, yet he jumped straight back. “Well, if we’re going to be talking about Arrietty anyways, how did the two of you meet in the first place?”

A small, sad smile made its way across Sho’s lips. “I was sick, still, at the time. It was a few weeks before my surgery. My aunt drove me to her house, and in the driveway we stopped to move Haru’s car. I stepped out to take a breath of fresh air, and I noticed a cat stalking something. That something was Arrietty, and that was the first time I saw her. The second time was when she was borrowing tissue paper from my bedside table. After that, I left a sugar cube for her after seeing the one she had borrowed on the floor. She brought it back to me and told me to leave her alone, and we had our first real talk. The rest happened in such a blur that I don’t even remember it anymore. It has been almost a year now…

“Which reminds me – how did you come to meet Maribel? You mentioned ‘research’ briefly in the past, but you never elaborated.”

“Well, I was – wait, here’s my house. I’ll tell you once we get comfortable.”

--

Jane brought in a tray with lemonade and some crackers, and set it on the desk. Sho had taken a seat on her bed, daydreaming or perhaps talking with Arrietty through his mind. Whatever it was, he ceased it and looked keenly at Jane. “Well?”

“Okay, okay! Don’t rush me or I’ll forget. I was doing a research project about mushrooms that grew wildly, and the only place I knew they grew was in that forest. So I was exploring the area, going deeper and deeper into the woods.

“I came across a little clearing with tons of little flowers, and I kinda forgot about my project. I laid in that clearing, and pretty soon I fell asleep. Maribel later told me that these were the borrowers’ gardens, where they grew herbs and other flora. In any case, I woke up when I heard a little girl singing, and I jumped to my feet. I heard a shriek and I looked towards where it came from, and I saw Maribel. She screamed again and tried to run away, but she fell over a rock and almost broke her leg. So I … carried her back to my house to nurse her back to health.”

Sho grinned. “That sounds remarkably like some adventures Arrietty has had before, too.”

“Yeah, even though they’re not blood sisters they almost seem like so.”

“…hey, you wanna try something?”

Jane looked up abruptly. “What something?”

Sho looked away, somewhat embarrassed. “Well, y’know how we can … talk to borrowers through our minds? I wonder if its possible to do it between two humans as well.”

Jane burst out laughing. “Don’t be silly! The bond is created between the bean and the borrower, remember? There’s a reason why you can’t invade Spiller’s thoughts.”

Sho shrugged. “I just thought that maybe I never tried, so it never happened. Do you want to try it?”

Jane heaved a sigh, and closed her eyes. “I’m clearing my mind right now, so if you want to try, go ahead.”

Sho slowly closed his eyes, and he focused on listening to the area around him for signs of life. He heard Jane’s breathing, and possibly her heartbeat, but it could’ve been his own. He detected a faint sparkle of a mind, and he reached towards it, slowly embracing and delving into it. He could feel Jane’s memories slowly making them appear before him-

A shock racked through Sho’s brain, sending him spasming on the floor. Jane jumped up from her chair and knelt by Sho, eyes worried with concern. “What happened? Sho, are you okay?”

The pulses of adrenaline subsided, and Sho slowed his breath. “I don’t know. What did you do?”

“Nothing, I swear.”

“Then what was tha-”

From Jane’s window came several firm, angry raps, and they found Spiller standing outside, furious. She went to open the window, but before she could fully unlock it Spiller shoved it upwards and open. Sometimes, it was easy to forget a borrower’s immense strength.

“What the HELL are you trying to do, bean? Kill Arrietty and Aerite?” shouted Spiller, spitting his words with disgust. “Your precious little bonds are held together by MAGIC, and Arrietty is currently under the influences of magic, both her own and Aerite’s! Your little attempt to create a new, petty bond with your girly here nearly killed BOTH of them!”

Sho’s terrified eyes widened. “I- I didn’t know, Spiller! I’m sorry!”

Spiller continued to rant, his face growing red with anger and his head practically fuming. “Ignorance is no EXCUSE! You humans are all alike, exploiting us for the fun of it and never realizing the CONSEQUENCES! You never think TWICE about your actions, doing whatever pleases you until you realize it’s all TOO LATE!”
Sho quickly bowed his head to the floor, in an act of apology. “Please tell Arrietty and Aerite that I’m terribly sorry and that I’ll never do that again!”
Spiller seemed to not be deterred by this apology; in fact, he grew even more irate. “You think that they are the only two that suffered to get here? The only reason that they haven’t died is that Dore stole the energy from the forest around our home and from every other borrower nearby to replenish what you’d wasted!” He pointed with an accusatory finger, “You! You have ruined all of our lives! It took us centuries of careful nurture to build up that forest, and what do we get in return? A petty little human bean who’s too sick to take care of himself that causes an endless amount of problems for everyone back home.

“Arrietty left you because you were dangerous, but she returned because you helped her and she fell in love with you. Her parents were worried sick, and still are, and are exceptionally so right now because of the state she is in right now. I’ve had to travel back and forth, miles and miles, to deliver messages, sometimes with extreme speed that leaves me unable to move for a day or two. Our forest has had to pay the price for your entertainment. And now, we all have to move out of this dead land. If you haven’t noticed, your visits to our home have raised attention in other human beans and they’re drawing nearer and nearer to our homes!

“You’ve been nothing but trouble!”