The Secret World of Borrowing

In the fledgling hours of dusk, as the sun excuses itself behind the glistening horizon of the sea, the city of Temis prepares to retire for the day. Shops rolled down their shutters, women walked their children home, and the usual bustle of commuters hurried back as the sky grew dimmer.

Temis wasn't an especially large city, but it was a busy one nonetheless. The throng of people racing back to their homes signaled the beginning of the peak traffic hour. The roads were packed at this exact hour everyday without fail; perpetuated by the monotonous ritual of work-eat-sleep the citizens of Temis experienced each day. Their schedules were predictable to a fault, and today was no exception.

That made their houses perfect for Borrowing.

“Hurry up, Ambrose!” A small voice called from below the shelf of an open kitchen cupboard, “I can hear their metal cages coming!”

“Just a second, Joshua!” Ambrose called out, “I've almost…got…this…sugar bag…open-”

With a yelp of surprise, a loud pop was heard from the cupboard.

“Ambrose!” Joshua yelled out in panic. He was about to mount the climbing rope which dangled from the cupboard, but the jerking motions from above alerted Joshua to his sister's descent.

Ambrose slid down, a triumphant grin on her face as she lowered herself down to the kitchen tabletop, next to Joshua.

“I got it!” Ambrose squealed excitedly, holding her basket before her to reveal the fine grains of white sugar tucked safely within, “With this much, we could survive the whole summer without having to go out again!”

Joshua sighed. He was ready to scold his reckless sibling for taking so much risk in staying outside for so long, but her smile was honestly one of the few joys the small boy had left in his life.

Ambrose and Joshua were Borrowers: a race of three inch tall people who live within the floorboards of a giant’s household. They were siblings, and the only Borrowers left in this house, or their entire neighbourhood for that matter. Their parents, braving the open sky when the previous owner of their home moved out, sought a new host to borrow from. The two siblings waited even now for them, but their parents never did returned.

Just as they were on the brink of starvation, a new tenant had arrived, and they were saved as their new owner left her food out in the open as she unpacked her furniture, saving the siblings from hunger.

Now, they must Borrow the traditional way, raiding the giant’s stash when she was absent.

“Well, let's hurry then,” Joshua said, looking out past the far window, worried that the owner would return any minute, “Before Christmas returns.”

Christmas was the nickname they gave their hostess. It was a cold winter night when they first saw her, and Christmas had decorated the living room with Christmas decorations despite living alone. She had a plate of roast for herself by the fireplace, with a lonely expression. She looked like she was musing over something, but the thoughts of giants were alien to the siblings, and they thought little of what she was thinking. All that mattered was the food she had. The trash bin was rife with leftovers that day, which made for easy pickings for the Borrower siblings. It was a joyous Christmas feast that day, where they were saved from hunger, and they decided to call their new hostess ‘Christmas’ in her honor.

Ambrose, meanwhile, was none too pleased that her brother was overlooking her achievement so dismissively.

“Hmph,” Ambrose said with a pout, “You could have said ‘good work’ or ‘well done’ like daddy used to say, at least.”

Joshua looked back at his sister and sighed. There was no saying no to her with that face. He petted her long, dark hair, ruffling it up affectionately as he said, “Good work, sis.”

Ambrose grinned as her brother's hand rocked her head left and right. She was already fifteen years of age, but having no real parents to care for her, she was no better than an adolescent girl. Joshua lamented the fact that he was unable to teach her to grow up properly, but she was all he had, and spoiling her was all he could do to keep himself sane.

Just as the siblings had their moment of respite, a loud rumble sounded out from the outside. It continued until a telltale sputter killed the rumbling, announcing the arrival of a metal cage.

Christmas had returned.

The sound of the main door opening sent the siblings into a panic. Ambrose backpedalled away from the noise, but realised Joshua was still frozen in place. She began pulling at his arm, begging him to move.

“We have to go back, Joshua!” Ambrose yelled.

If there was one rule to being a Borrower, it was to never be seen. Ever. To be seen was to die, as those who were captured were never to be seen again. If there was one thing their father drilled into their heads, it was that primal fear for the humans.

Joshua snapped back to reality with his sister's incessant tugging.

“No,” Joshua said firmly, hiding his own fear with a serious expression, “She might see us if we run back now. We've got to hide here.”

Joshua heard the rhythmic thuds of Christmas’ footsteps grow closer. She was heading into the kitchen, right where they were!

“Quick, hide here!” Joshua yelled, pointing at a black mug. It was tall enough to hide them, and more than wide enough to fit them both. The siblings dove behind it, cowering in the shadow of the drinking cup.

Thump, thump, thump. The sound of Christmas’ feet slapping against the wooden floor grew louder, until it abruptly stopped. Joshua chanced a glance around the mug, and saw their mistress right before the table they were on.

Christmas was massive; twenty Borrowers standing on each other’s shoulders would not have reached her full height. Her hair was a light brownish color, bangs tied into girlish braids and hair flowing all the way down her back. She wore a sleeveless sweater top and her arms held large paper bags which she put onto the table, precariously close to the mug the siblings were hiding behind.

Ambrose had to hold her mouth as tears streamed down her cheeks. If Christmas heard her crying now, they were certain to be found. Joshua held her tight in an act of reassurance, but his own trembling was no source of courage. Dreadingly, they waited for Christmas to leave.

Christmas began unpacking the paper bags. They were foodstuffs which Joshua knew would be put in the Cold Place, a towering structure which billowed cold winds when any of its three doors were unsealed. A massive store of food lay within, but a Borrower's strength alone would never have been able to open it. It was by Christmas’s strength that such a massive constuct could even be moved, opening the giant gateway like it was an afterthought. Such was the power of the humans.

Though they were so close to Christmas, she had not once spotted them, and thankfully, Ambrose’s sobbing had died down as well. Christmas was about done, too, as she tossed the used paper bags onto a nearby shelf. Joshua watched as she took an empty jug from the cupboard and filled it up with water. She put it down on the far side of the table, and reached for-

“Oh no,” Joshua muttered.

The mug the siblings had been hiding behind ascended rapidly into the air, completely voiding their hiding spot. Out in the open, the siblings panicked and ran as fast as their little feet could take them. Ambrose had fresh streams rolling down her cheeks, whispering to herself, “We're gonna die, we're gonna die, we're gonna die.” Joshua said nothing, his efforts focused entirely on getting behind something else as fast as possible.

They rounded a set of salt and pepper shakers and pressed themselves hard against them. Joshua looked back and saw that Christmas was reaching for the water jug, her attention turned away from them. It seemed like a stroke of luck that they had not been spotted, and Joshua breathed a sigh of relief as he watched Christmas walk away.

“T-that was close,” Joshua gasped between labored breaths.

Ambrose just sat there crying, no longer needing to hold back. Joshua reached his hand out to pat her back, giving her an encouraging rub.

“We survived,” Joshua said to Ambrose.

“B-but…we almost died, didn't we,” Ambrose mumbled between sobs.

To that, Joshua could say nothing. It was true: this was the closest brush with death they've ever come across in all their lives as Borrowers. It would have been all over if Christmas was even a little more observant, and they were sure to have been captured then.

“C’mon,” Joshua said, rising to his feet, “We've got to go back.”

Joshua felt Ambrose pull at his sleeve, a weak and timid pull, even by her standards. Joshua turned around, and saw his sister holding her basket’s lid open.

“I…I spilled out most of the sugar…” She mumbled, fresh tears of guilt and despair falling from her eyes, “W-while we were running…”

Joshua looked into the basket. There was a fifth of what there was before they had to hide. With only that much sugar, it meant they had to come here again.

“It's fine,” Joshua lied, “There's still enough for us in here.”

“R-really?” Ambrose said with a sniffle.

“Really,” Joshua replied, “Right now, let's just think about getting back home first. We don't know when Christmas is coming back.”

The two Borrowers tied ropes around their waists, rappling down the side of the kitchen table. They landed gingerly upon the ground, then peaked around for any sign of danger.

Nothing. The room was completely still, devoid of Christmas’ heavy footfalls or any other sign of life save themselves. They'd have no problem dashing to the far wall, where a secret hole in the ground would lead them beneath the floorboards, and back home.

On the count of three, the siblings dashed across the kitchen floor, running as fast as they could. They were out in the open,and the two tiny scavengers did not look up to appreciate the gargantuan furniture around them. The tables, the doors, the Cold Place; to a Borrower, they rose to the air like skyscrapers, unfathomably large constructs upon which the giant humans imposed their will. It would have been nauseating to look at, how nothing in the world was scaled to you, and so the siblings did not look.

Joshua chanced a peek at the door, however. He was always cautious, but this time, he saw Christmas standing still in the hallway, her gaze unmistakably locked to the same ground Joshua and Ambrose stood on. She didn't do anything; just stood there watching with an unreadable expression on her face.

Joshua decided to not tell Ambrose, and together they ran to a foot mat. Lifting off the edge of the mat revealed the tiny hole which led to their home, and Ambrose dove in hurriedly.

Joshua glanced back at the hallway, but Christmas was nowhere to be seen. Had she seen them for real, or was it chance again that she looked in their direction and did nothing? Joshua felt he had used his entire life’s worth of luck that day, and hurried after Ambrose, putting the mat back to its original position. Satisfied that their secret passage was secure, Joshua leapt down into the space beneath the floorboards, and headed back home.