A noise from my phone jolts me awake. 

"Wha- what's...huh?”

My eyes are quickly adjusting to the light of my living room. My mind, on the other hand, is still swimming. I give my head a few shakes to regain my focus.

"Oh. I fell asleep at my desk...nice. What time is it?" I say to no one.

My phone reads '7:14pm'. How long was I asleep? I remember studying for a few hours and then... It's a blank. Must have dozed off, I was so tired. I stretch my arms and back, letting that familiar shiver rock my whole body.

"Ughh..."

A deep sigh escapes my lips. Well, at least I don't feel tired anymore. I doubt I'll be able to go to bed at my usual time, but it's no big deal. Tomorrow's class is an afternoon one, so I can sleep in. I look back at my phone and read the notification on the lock screen.

One missed call from ‘Sara <3’. Hm, I hope it wasn't urgent. She's so chatty and I don't have the mind for that right now. I'll call her back later.

Wait, its seven already?! I was supposed to feed the little guys two hours ago!

From the living room to the kitchen to my bedroom. I waste no time. It's such a negligent thing to do. I'm usually so on top of things. Okay, that's it, no more staying up late. From now on I'm going to have to rise to the occasion. Hopefully they won't mind their food coming a little late.

"Food time, everyone. What have you been up to today?"

As I'm depositing their food and water, I hear something unusual. My brows furrow in confusion. It sounded like a voice. A super quiet one, but nonetheless a voice. My head turns to look around and then behind me. For a moment, I almost think someone's in the room with me. 

"H-Hello...?"

The voice is gone, only to be replaced with low static. This time I easily locate the source of the noise. My eyes lock onto the now-partially broken walkie-talkie. The volume of the static seems to increase and decrease as though someone's testing it out. 

I look closer, leaning in slightly. The toy was switched off when I placed it there, I think. My hand begins to reach over for it when a clear, audible voice stops me in my tracks.

"J-Jeannine? Hi there. Can... Can you hear me?"

My eyes go wide. No way… No fucking way!? Already? It's only been half a day! It would be unbelievable. I'm so curious!

My deadpan staring and lack of response prompt the speaker to continue.

"Um, I think it's loud enough? Dad, should we boost the volume?"

"No, just give her a second. She's probably just surprised." Another voice answers him.

I finally snap out of my trance and respond. Suddenly I feel somewhat shy. How unlike me...

"Hello, mister. Are you the one who got that thing working so quickly? Who am I speaking with?"

My question hangs in the air for a while. Just as I'm about to assume something broke, his voice replies.

"It was a team effort. My dad and I have been hauling wiring and soldering things all afternoon. You can call me Icarus. My father goes by Daedalus."

My hand rushes to my mouth to stifle a gasp. I'm in utter disbelief. I'm speaking to a Lilli right now. I'm pretty sure the only Lilli voices that get heard are those of their political figures, but even they don't get to be heard by the everyday person like me. 

I doubt anyone my age can claim to have spoken with a tiny.

These guys sound older than me. For the first time, I'm kind of curious what they look like. Hearing their voices has made them 'real', in a manner of speaking. It's very...humanizing. Of course, I always knew they were thinking, feeling beings, but this is something else entirely. 

I'm struggling for words.

"Wow, that's awesome!”

"Thank you, Ms. Jeannine! We've also been wanting to speak with you. We're all very thankful! Even the escapees from earlier have come around. No one wants to leave anymore. They were moved by your gentleness and mercy." 

"Oh...were they now?" I blush. "They can consider it forgiven. I'm not one to hold grudges. And just 'Jeannine' is fine. Afterall, you sound older than me, Mr. Icarus."

"Alright then, Jeannine."

This is interesting, I think I'm going to be here a while, so I get comfortable. I sit down cross-legged in front of the square. It's as low as I'll go for them. I could always get down on my front but that would be so weird. 

Plus... Ouch. Better not, unless I absolutely must.

"Is there anything else?" He asks me.

"Hm?"

"Is there anything else you'd like us to build? Communication was the priority, but we can do more."

His question catches me off guard. Never in a million years would I have thought that they'd be able to establish communication with me so soon. If it had taken months, I wouldn't have batted an eye. Clearly my little ones are more capable than I thought. 

Somehow, it fills me pride. I consider what else we could need.

"There aren't any other 'urgent' things as of right now. You should focus on yourselves. Build some homes, make some nicer clothes, and turn this place into a real home. Can you do that for me?"

There's another pause. Some unintelligible noises suggest he's talking with the others. The background noise suggests a large group. It's likely all ten of them are present. His voice returns, sounding astoundingly confident.

"Yes! It'll take some time, but it will be done."

"Good. I wouldn't want my little roommates living a worse life than I. Make me proud!"

I'm just about to get up when a different voice comes through the speaker. It's a woman's voice, and it's shaky.

"J-Jeannine! Wait, please! I have a question, if that's alright with you."

"Sure. What’s up?"

Sounds of fumbling with a microphone come through the plastic kid's toy. I hear her nervous breathing from her mouth being a bit too close to it.

"Why have you done this for us? I just want to understand. There isn't anything to gain from it, right?"

"Hm, I wonder?"

I put my finger to my lip and look away, as if lost in thought. 

It feels too soon to be revealing such things with them. Why spoil the fun? A little mystery never hurt anyone. It makes me far more interesting, especially to them. 

"There's a bunch of reasons, little miss. I want to protect you and allow you to live in comfort and peace. That should be enough, no?"

"Okay... Um, thank you. You're very kind to us and it's just so..."

"Unlike most Brobdingnagians?"

She goes silent, likely too afraid to say it out loud. Merely insinuating it has her expecting me to react negatively. I shake my head and sigh.

"It's alright, we don't have to pretend. Everyone here knows what people as big as me can do to you. None of you would be here right now if not for some giant person trafficking you on the black market."

"I didn't mean it like that. I'm very sorry!" She pleads.

"Didn't I say it was alright? You don't have to mince your words when you speak to me. Even if I got mad, do you think I'd squash you or something? Come on, I'm not a monster."

"..." She goes silent.

"Well, avoiding the title of 'monster' is a low bar. I hope to be called 'friend' someday. That, or even something nicer? I'm open to nicknames if they're cute!"

Sounds of laughter come from the speaker. A bunch of people, including her, seem to have found that funny. I start to feel self-conscious, but maintain my calm demeanour.

"J-Jeannine, I have a request to make." The woman asks me suddenly.

"What's the matter?"

"Could I...touch you?"

"W-What?" I look in her general direction in utter confusion. My mind instantly jumps to the worst conclusion. "I- Uh... No, sorry…" 

"N-N-No! I meant just your finger! Please, I know the risks, but...!"

My eyes look down to my arms, still crossed over my chest. My right index finger rests on my upper arm, tapping every so often. Against my better judgement, I'm considering it. It's so irresponsible but then again, I know I can be careful. If anything happens, I have nine witnesses too. The blame won't fall on me since it wasn't even my idea. 

"Okay, sure. Walk toward me."

I set my finger down in an open area, not too far from where I assume she is. It takes some squinting, but I soon see a tiny speck making her way to my nail. She goes around it and touches the skin of my fingertip. I might be imaging it, but I think I felt that. It's so indescribably faint, but it's something. 

"Oh, I think I felt that!"

Her response, if there was one, goes unheard without the aid of the speaker. I wait for her to move away so I can remove my finger, but she doesn't let me. Instead, she climbs onto the nail and sits there. I'm not sure what she wants exactly. I stare at the pink of my nail, patiently waiting for her to do something. Thirty seconds pass and there's no change.

What is she after? She knows I can't move until she's clear of me. Does she want me to tilt her off? No, that's ridiculous. She couldn't be that stupid.

An idea pops into my head. She's in the exact area I had them sit when I carried them. Does she want that? If so, she's got some serious guts. Okay, little one, I'll humour you. 

“You'd better hang on tight.”

Carefully, I lift my finger off the ground. I raise it all the way up to eye-level, holding my breath as it passes my mouth and nose. My eyes focus hard on the daring, little dot. I can vaguely make out her body, but not her face or other features. We've already taken a big risk by doing this, so I figure another won't matter. I bring my finger close, almost to the tip of my nose so that I can see her.

Long, brown hair goes down past her shoulders. A fair complexion with modest features gives her an unassuming appearance. She's wearing some sort of toga, clearly a product of the fabric I provided. I want to say she's tall, but I really wouldn't know without a reference. She seems to be smiling and waving at me. Her lips are moving, but I hear nothing coming from them.

Would I be able to hear her if she were closer? 

With my free hand I brush my hair over my ear. Keeping my eyes trained on her until I can't anymore, I move my finger to my ear, pressing against the cartilage. My voice becomes very soft, just to be safe. I've never been this close to a Lilli before, and I'm not taking any chances.

"What is you name, little one?"

"My name is Orina!!!"

I stifle a gasp. 

Oh my god, I heard her! That faint squeak was her voice. She must be yelling at the top of her lungs, but to me it's just barely audible. I focus hard so that I don't miss anything she says.

"I wanted to tell you that you're a beautiful person!"

Suddenly my face goes redder than ever before. I'm lost for words. I bring my finger back around to the front of my face. Her compliment is returned with a smile and a mouthed 'thank you'. She may not know it, but that meant a lot to me, genuinely.

"Okay, let's get you back down now. I hope that was what you wanted." I giggle.

She's just so small. 

It feels like I'm handling a butterfly, only far more fragile. As much as I trust myself not to, I worry about dropping her. My gaze drops to my lap. A quick mental calculation tells me that it would be a miles-long drop. Even if she landed on my legs, I have serious doubts she'd survive. 

How scary...

I lower my finger back down to the ground and she hops off. At last, I have my finger back. 

"I'm very pleased to have spoken with you two. Maybe I can chat with the others some other time? Yes, I think I'd like that a lot."

This time I don't get a response from the speaker. The dead silence suggests that they've turned it off. I guess that's all they wanted to say… That's totally fine. This was far more than I expected, anyway. They're doing well, as far as I'm concerned.

I stand up and wave at them from high above.

"I'm going to go take a shower and make some dinner. Lights out will be in an hour or two. See you guys!” 

I grab some clean clothes from my dresser and head to the shower.

While under the hot, steamy water I reflect on my interaction with Orina. In hindsight, that was terribly risky. We're both lucky I was able to keep my finger so still. In the future it might be best to keep from touching them directly or vice versa. 

Though, I can't say I didn't enjoy that.

It's coming along, slowly but surely. I can't wait to see what they do next!