The Old House

by blanztrii

Summary:

Four years have passed since Arrietty and her parents left to live with the forest Borrowers. Arrietty loves the simplicity of her life, but is suddenly reminded of the Boy from her old home. She wants to know if he’s still there, so she and Spiller travel back to the old house in search for answers.

Notes:

My first proper fan work, so don’t be too harsh!! Hope you enjoy!

Title taken from ‘Back to the Old House’ by The Smiths. (This song is so Arrietty, it fits her perfectly)

Chapter 1

The sun had set long ago, its final rays lost to the thick clouds that hung above the forest. Large crickets chirped outside, keeping Arrietty awake. She tossed, and turned, but still couldn’t get herself to drift into sleep. Arrietty knew the crickets weren’t the true reason for her unrest. In just three days it will be four years since she moved away from the old house. Four years since she had seen the Boy. She hardly thought of him, though now she was growing weary, worried she would forget his name soon.

Squishing her pillow over her head, Arrietty decided she needed to go back. She needed to see if he was still there, and if he was alright. She never did find out if the sickness went away. She hoped it did, hoped to the stars and the moon every night he would end up alright, so she might see him again. Sliding the pillow down her face till it rested on her chest, she knew she had to go. She would never find rest if she didn’t find out his or the House’s fate.

She wouldn’t go alone, would never dare. Her mother would freak if she left the safety of the forest by herself, even though she is eighteen now, not the young fourteen year old she was when they had to flee their beloved home. Arrietty made a note to look for their old home too; the Boy had destroyed it, she knew that, but she still wanted to see if it was there, even if in pieces.

She could go with her father, though Arrietty doubted he would let her try to find the Boy. He didn’t seem to like him much when they briefly saw one another four years ago, even though it was the Boy who helped them escape. Well, Spiller helped too. Spiller! Arrietty often forgot his love for adventures, his being gone for days led her to forget. How awful of her, she never realised how horrid it is that she just forgets about Spiller when he leaves to find food for days on end. She missed him while he was gone, but forgot? Perhaps the late hour was making her silly, she never forgets Spiller. Silly Arrietty.

She huffed and turned once more, gazing at the clumpy mound Spiller slept on while he was home. It was misshapen, and very uncomfortable. She’d tried sleeping on it once when he was gone, in awe of his deep slumber everytime he returned. His exhaustion must be the cause for such wonderful-looking slumber, rather than the comfort of the mound. She wouldn't even call it a bed, though she never judged it aloud to him. He grew up differently to her, she lived like a Human Bean, while he lived like a true wild Borrower. He hated the stiffness of her miniature doll bed, though she loved it; she’d grown up with beds of cotton and wood, rather than the clumps of fabric Spiller had.

As she thought about Spiller and his odd ways of living, and how different he was to herself, she drifted to sleep, the thoughts of the House, the Boy, and the loud crickets gone, all that she thought of was Spiller.

 

* * *

 

Arrietty awoke with the sun, rising with it as she dressed and brushed out her hair. It was two days till the Day, and Arrietty was nervous to mention it to anyone. To occupy her mind for an hour or so, she washed the laundry of her and her parents’ homes, finding any odd clothing to wash in the well with the other dirty clothes. Living with the forest Borrowers for four years has slowly changed her and her parents' clothes from the simple fabrics they wore while living at the House, a few natural made garments here and there. Arrietty often kept her newer clothes for special occasions, worried about them getting dirty during everyday life.

Pushing her dirty dresses into the warm water, she hears soft footsteps from behind her; a soft humming that can only be equated to her mother's voice. A soft song she sang to Arrietty when she was young, her song, all her own. Her mother would sing about Arrietty's beauty and how young she was, a little song she would call Arrietty's Song. Its tune was nice, and Arrietty often missed her old home when she heard it.

"Morning my sweet Arrietty! A swell day for washing, don't you agree? I'd have spent more time washing mine and your father's clothes but you seemed to have taken them all," Homily held a basket with a singular shirt and two socks, articles of clothing Arrietty must have missed in her search for unclean clothes.

"Good morning to you too, Mother. I wanted to wash all our clothes as a sort of thanks. I feel I never do enough around here, with Spiller away borrowing from the woods every week," Arrietty said, putting the shirt and socks in the water well, too. Homily sighed, and Arreitty prayed she wouldn’t ask if anything was wrong.

“If you’re worried about him, I promise he’s okay,” Homily placed a hand on Arrietty’s shoulder, and she cursed herself for thinking of the Boy first, Spiller second. Her mother is talking about Spiller, of course she is. She most likely has forgotten the Boy by now, Arrietty the only one dwelling on him now.

“I’m not worrying, all is well,” Arrietty says sternly. She doesn’t want to tell Homily the true reason for her worries.

“I know you, Arreitty. You wash all our clothes when you’re thinking too hard on something. He’s alright. Spiller is a remarkable borrower, you’ve been borrowing with him, yes?” Arrietty nodded, “He knows these woods better than most, so stop worrying your pretty head about it, okay? I hate seeing you miserable.”

“As I said mother, all is well. I know Spiller will come back,” Arrietty turned from her mother and focused on scrubbing the clothes. Homily takes it as a sign to leave, plants a kiss on Arrietty’s cheek, then walks off.

Arrietty sighed, resting her hands on the edge of the well. Her mother’s questions always tired her; she truly wished it was Spiller she was worrying about. She wasn't though, she knew he was safe and capable, she'd seen how he climbed the trees, how he caught crickets and moths. He truly was remarkable. Why the Boy kept intruding her thoughts was now upsetting her. If he was alright, and living elsewhere, he'd have no reason to think of her again, while she is here thinking of him. Ugh.

The clothes floated in the water, and Arrietty watched them for a minute. If only there was some sort of machine that washed clothes for her. Her fingers wouldn't be sore and callused after scrubbing the fabrics against the rigid board. She stretched her arms and got into it, washing the clothes for a little over an hour before beginning the tiring drying process. Ugh again.

 

* * *

 

It was late when Spiller returned, his large bag full of ripe berries, nuts, herbs; a bundle of sticks strapped to his back. He looked tired, though Arrietty wasn't sure if it was just the lighting from the setting sun that made the darkness under his eyes more noticeable. Either way, she helped him inside, setting the bag on he floor as he flopped onto the floor. Spiller sighed, fumbling to get the sticks off his back. Arrietty stilled his hands and helped him. He whispered a thanks, then pulled her down next to him.

"Lay with me. Tired." He said, voice quiet. Arrietty felt her cheeks warm, which she found to be silly. She'd lived with him for over two years, she shouldn't feel embarrassed to be near him anymore. Yet, as she laid with him, she felt her heart beat fast in her chest, prayed he couldn't hear it.

"Is everything alright, Spiller? Do you want to go to bed?" Arrietty asked, threading her fingers with his. Spiller shook his head. He turned his head to look at her, only making Arrietty's cheeks warmer.

"Are you alright? You seem.. off?" Spiller said, and Arrietty hoped her mother hadn't asked him anything.

"Homily didn't ask you anything, did she?"

"No. Came here first, wanted to see you."

Arrietty brought his hand up and kissed the back of it, smiling at the flustered expression on Spiller's face. Perhaps she wasn't the only one who still got embarrassed by simply touching.

"My mother has been bothering me today. She is set on believing I'm stressed about something."

"Are you?" Spiller asked, holding their hands over his chest. Arrietty smiled at the feeling of Spiller's heartbeat under her hand.

"I guess I am, but it's silly," She bit her lip, unsure if she should tell him. "Do you remember my old home?"

Spiller nodded. Arrietty didn't know how to continue from there, so she just laid silent, counting the beats of Spiller's heart.

"You want to visit?" Spiller asked, and Arrietty looked away, nervous.

"Ah just a bit," She said as Spiller raised his eyebrows. "I do. I want to go back, just to see how different it is. Will you come with me?"

"Yes. Homily and Pod know?" Arrietty shook her head.

"Please don't tell them, I don't want them to know."

"I won’t tell. Are we visiting soon?"

"In two days, if that's alright." Arrietty said, using her other hand to fiddle with the collar of her dress.

"Oh, I tell your parents we're going to go borrowing together!" Spiler said, sitting up. She smiled, excited to go with him.

"Thank you, Spiller." She unlaced her hand from his and embraced him. He smelt of sticks and dirt, like the outdoors. She loved it, and they sat together, together, for the next few minutes.

Two days, and she'll be back there. Arrietty was over the moon, and yet she was terrified. What if the Boy is gone, passed on to some other place. If he was dead, she won't get upset, she can't.

A trip away with Spiller will be nice, either way, they never get to spend time together outside of the tiny village, not without her mother watching from afar.

Notes:

I had a lot of fun writing this, The Borrowers is one of my favourite stories, so I really wanted to write a fic about my fav girl Arrietty. Perhaps I’ll write more fics for this fandom. But in the mean time look out for more chapters coming soon!!

Chapter 2

Notes:

Apologies for the month wait, school has been so busy and I got sick. But here's chapter two!! Hope you enjoy!

Packing a bag with minimal things was difficult, an issue Arrietty seemed to get from her mother. Before they left their old home, Homily had tried to pack everything she could, an obvious issue as it would have taken days to hall it all to Spiller’s tea pot, and the pot would surely sink once they got afloat.

With Spiller there though, it was easier to choose what to bring and what not to bring; she copied what he would pack, in smaller quantities. A few shirts and skirts, a red dress, simple hair ties, among other things. Spiller packed berries, nuts, bugs, and odd bits of meat in a dark brown bag, with a large packet of salt that was most definitely out of date. The words printed on it have long faded, and Arrietty doesn't find it safe to use still. Perhaps they could find more in date salt in the old house?

The sun was a quarter risen in the pale blue sky, rays dancing through the treetops, as Arrietty and Spiller walked to Pod and Homily's home. Arrietty didn't want to just leave a note for them, she needed to say a proper good bye; she didn't know how long she'd be away from home. It was Pod who answered the door, his night hat still resting on his balding head. Arrietty waved awkwardly, nervous then to tell of their departure.

"Uh. Good morning, father. It's still dark, and I'm sorry for waking you, but I wanted to say goodbye. Spiller is taking me borrowing through the forest; we don't know when we'll be back," Arrietty looked towards her boot-covered feet and prayed Pod wouldn't say anything embarrassing. She heard her mother's soft feet walking to the door, and Arrietty'll thankfully get to say goodbye to them both.

"Keep her safe, yes? You're all she's got out there, I need to see you both back here, together, unharmed," Pod said as he leant close to Spiller. Perhaps it was a possible attempt for Arrietty not to hear, but she did and she is sure that was intentional.

"I will. Goodbye, Pod and Homily," Spiller turned to Arrietty who hugged her parents in turn, patting her mother's back before she stepped back.

"We'll be back mother, we aren't moving away or anything," Arrietty said before Homily embraced her again, rubbing her back. Arrietty prayed her mother wouldn't start crying. It would be reasonable if she did, Arrietty had never gone too far from them. Had never left home without them at all. Homily could cry about it, she decided, it must have felt like she was leaving them for good. She'd be back though, in just a few days or weeks. She didn't know.

 

* * *

 

It was later than Spiller had hoped when they finally left Arrietty's parents' home. Homily had insisted they stay for some tea and biscuits, despite Spiller's insistence that they were alright; they had already eaten and were going to be late if they stayed. Arrietty, though, gave in and reassured him they wouldn't leave too late.

Now the sun sat halfway in the sky; the location Spiller wanted it to be in once they were half way done their journey on the river. Alas, it will have to do. They'll get there eventually, a short delay won't hurt. The soft grasses tickled Arrietty’s legs as they weaved through the shorter blades, before the grasses were short no more, and towered high over their heads. Arrietty was thankful she asked Spiller to join her; she could never find her way through the grass forest by herself, even with the stone paths and signs. She was sure no one uses these paths to journey to some afar house human beans lived in; these paths were used to make borrowing easier. Though Spiller would come back with her, she couldn’t help taking note of any important landmarks and signs she would need to remember in the event he did disappear.

“What are you thinking, Arrietty?” Spiller asked, moving a large branch out of her way. She nodded a thanks to him, and couldn’t recall any of the subjects that were bothering her a moment before. Right, the signs.

“I was making note of all the signs, in case I would come through here by myself.. though I don’t know why I would go on my own,” She felt silly saying this aloud, and wished she had just made a comment on how tall the grass was, or the occasional insect that crawled. Spiller hummed, a soft look on his face. Arrietty found herself mirroring the expression, letting a hum out too.

A hut sat to their right, sturdy but old looking with strong sticks as the roof. The wooden walls were worn and didn’t seem to be looked after by anyone. Moss and vines decorated the walls and the roof, which made her a bit sad; the wood was surely suffering under the vines. But excited too! Arrietty didn’t know anybody lived this far from the village!

"Oh, does someone live out here!" She asked, flashing a bright smile toward Spiller. It fell after she saw his solemn expression.

"No," He looked towards the sky, and Arrietty knew not to press for details. He didn’t want to talk about it, so she wouldn’t make him.

"What's it used for then?" She still wanted to know why it was still there, old and suffering in the elements and under the pressure of the vines and moss.

"Someone used to live, now they don't. It's used for breaks," He said. Arrietty frowned at the wording, Used to live? What did that mean? She wondered to herself and put a hand on Spillers shoulder. He turned to look at her, then shook his head when he saw the look on her face. His way of understanding the question on her face wasn’t anything anyone else could do, and for that she loved him ever so more.

"Breaks?" Arrietty was careful with her words, dancing around the obvious emotions Spiller was having about the place. She did want to know what happened, and who lived there. She wanted to know how they knew Spiller and what their relation was. She didn’t ask though, and didn’t until many, many months later, when they both were relaxed and fine with discussing the saddening and traumatic things they'd gone through. They had one another, and sharing emotions was important; the time was just not right then as they still stood outside the old hut.

"To rest. To get sleep; you're tired, yes?" Spiller took her hand from his shoulder and pressed a quick kiss to it.

"Oh, quite. Walking is something I haven't got used to in large lengths," He motioned for her to follow and they entered the hunt together. The hut was largely empty, a small table in one corner, and a bucket in the other. On the floor was a blanket with holes in it, a flat mattress underneath. Spiller pursed his lips at it, looking at Arrietty awkwardly. She guessed he felt embarrassed over his away from home bed.

"Well, uh, the river is not far from here. We leave again when the sun rises," Now it was Arrietty’s turn to feel embarrassed as he tried to make the bed look comfortable. Arrietty pulled out the pillow from her bag, patting it onto the floor. Spiller found his from his large bag; Arrietty felt bad seeing how much flatter it was next to hers. They made up quick sandwiches and ate them together on the poor matress for dinner, cups of water by their bed's feet.

"Good night, Spiller. Sleep well," Arrietty said before pressing a kiss to his cheek. Spiller hummed and smiled, a small thing that made Arrietty giddy. Arrietty laid on the mattress, feeling the hardwood under her and felt even more awkward. If she could get that feeling away from her, she’d do it in an instant. Was Spiller asleep yet? Probably not. Above, she noticed holes in the roof, and shines of stars in the dark sky. The few stars she could see through the gaps in the ceiling reminded her of the place her and her parents stopped at on their journey to the river, four years ago. Breathing in deeply, she counted them.

Twelve little lights sat in the sky, twinkling down on them. Twelve, too, was the age she had first seen a human bean. It was frightening, they were so much bigger than she, their feet big enough to squish her. Arrietty didn't go near the grate for a week after that, she couldn't risk it. During that week she missed seeing the sky and touching the grass, so much so that she snuck out one night to just sit in the moonlight, when she knew her parents and the human beans would be asleep.

Arrietty turned to Spiller and traced her eyes over his face. She always wondered what the markings on his cheeks meant, but hadn't asked yet. Perhaps she'll ask the next day, when she wasn't in the blues about her past. Not that she had a bad past, it was wonderful, there were just moments that add up to make it seem overbearing and upsetting to think back on. The Boy was one of those memories, and Arrietty didn't know if she could bear it if he was still there. He shouldn't be, if she's being honest, he told her so long ago that he was having a heart surgery, and why would he stay on after that? She left before she could find out how it went, or if he even survived.

A huff escaped her lips. It was tiring worrying all the time; Arrietty felt as though she'd spent half her life in a state of worry. Worry over her father and if he'd come back home from borrowing. Worry over Eggletina and Uncle Hendreary and Aunt Lupy. Worry about the Boy. Worry of her mother, and now she felt she worried about Spiller too. The only one she never worried for was herself; Arrietty didn't have time to think of herself or to waste minutes worrying about her own life.

Though, now, as she came to realise she had never worried for herself, she began to do so. She was so lonely as a child, how did she not grow insane or odd? Did the other borrowers in the village even like her or her parents? Did they only choose to tolerate them because she loved Spiller? Oh gosh, did Spiller even love her? Or was he just like everyone else, feeling pity upon her? No, that'd be silly. This whole thread of thoughts was silly. She needed air, and to feel the grass under her feet.

Rushing outside, she accidentally hit her foot on a cup left from their dinner, and she prayed Spiller didn't wake. The night was cold, and the air crisp. It felt light and piercing as she breathed deeply, the smoothness of the wind entering her lungs. A thin layer of dew rest upon the grass, soaking her fingers as she brushed a hand along the blade of grass next to her. Green and tall- it smelt like distant rain.

Howls of owls and chirps of crickets made the night's silence not so unbearable, and Arrietty found she quite liked just sitting in silence, taking in all the sounds of life after the sunset. Peaceful, and just simply wonderful. After at least half an hour of sitting surrounded by the tall grass and loud insects and callings of birds, Arriettty made her way back inside the hut. Spiller was snoring softly, his long hair a mess around his pillow. Arrietty threaded her fingers through it, careful not to tug on it. Gorgeous. She couldn’t help the word from bouncing around her head, the only word she could think of to describe how he looked, both now and always. Gorgeous, gorgeous.

Tomorrow, they will make it to the river, and Arrietty will step on the dirt across the river for the first time in years. The bamboo post at the edge of the House, oh she was so scared to see it again. The last place she had seen the Boy, and the place they’d said goodbye to what they thought would be forever. Perhaps that forever would be broken soon, and she’d meet again with a friend from a life that feels so far away now.

Notes:

The way Mary Norton describes nature is so pretty, and I'm trying to replicate it in this fic but I don't think I'm doing too well 😭 Thank you to anyone who reads this <3

Chapter 3

Notes:

I am so soso sorry for the wait, time got away from me these past two months! I hope you enjoy this chapter, and I promise (hopefully) to have a more consistent update schedule.

Her room smelt of flowers. It always had- many different flowers she’d found in the garden. Rose petals, little larkspurs, pimpernels. Pimpernels were perhaps one of her favourites, they were tiny, just the perfect size for little borrower hands. She could wear one in her hair, or on her coat, or thread them together and make a scarlet or blue or orange crown. Homily called them flowers made for borrowers, and Arrietty found herself calling them by that too, even years after her mother had said it. It was logical, those flowers were simply lovely.

Arrietty missed seeing pimpernels; they didn’t grow in the region of the forest she and Spiller lived in- she had tried looking for them once but chickened out once the sun started to set. So when Spiller wordlessly handed her a pimpernel in the colour of purple velvet halfway on their walk from the wooden hut, Arrietty had to stop herself from screaming. Its petals were lush, beauty she could only find in the earth’s flora. She could hardly contain the giggle that escaped her mouth, surprising Spiller and herself.

“Sorry- I just haven’t seen a pimpernel in so many years! And a purple one at that, oh thank you Spiller.” Arrietty held the flower for a moment, admiring its colour and the delicacy of it. She held it back to Spiller, and pointed to her hair for him to thread it behind her ear. She smiled while she watched his face as he put the flower in her hair; his tongue sticking out slightly, the crease in his eyebrows as he concentrated. “Thank you,” She whispered after he moved his hands away. Spiller looked away, his face growing pink.

As they walked along the river, Arrietty thought of something to fill the silence with- they could talk about the flower more, though Arrietty was more inclined to ask about how Spiller goes about borrowing in the forest. He was away for days at a time, and returned with many borrowings to share not just with her parents but some of the other borrowers, too.

“So, how is it that you manage to find so much of the same things whenever you go borrowing?” Arrietty asked as she inspected the ground for more little flowers. Spiller paused as she bent down to pick a lobelia off a thick bush, its petals a bright blue, similar to the pimpernel that rested in her hair. She spun around and handed it to Spiller, “This one has bloomed, but look! The furled ones look like little vases; we should take some with us!”

“Alright, though they might wilter by the time we come back. Would you like to get them on our way back? I don’t want it to get squished, either,” Spiller said, and Arrietty nodded in response. She bit her lip as she tucked the unfurled lobelia into the pocket of his jacket. It stood out brightly against his brown jacket- a small pop of blue among the dark colours of nature.

“That won't make you noticeable, will it?” Arrietty asked. She knew camouflage was important when borrowing out of doors, and Spiller being seen by anything, animal or human, would most likely lead to trouble if he couldn't hide quickly in the shrubs or the grass. Spiller shook his head, though.

“It should be alright. I want to wear it, anyway. Do you know its name? It's very pretty,” He said, his voice softer when he said the last sentence. Beauty isn't something Spiller often commented on, even though it can be seen in his face when he sees the things Arrietty makes, or when he comes back from borrowing with something fascinating he'd never seen before.

“I'm almost certain it's a lobelia, similar to pimpernels in size, but very different in smell and shape. Mother always made sure I knew the differences between flowers, so if I ever needed to eat one I'd know which I can and can't eat. Not that she ever encourages it, she's quite against the eating of flowers- honestly I don't wish to either.”

“Does she know berries are flowers, in a sense?” Spiller asked, a smile on his face. Truthfully, Arrietty hasn't known that either.

“I don't believe she does. Let's not tell her, I really enjoy berries,” She said, then felt foolish. She was an adult now, Homily couldn't stop her from eating berries. “I'll eat them anyway! No matter if she tells me not to!” Arrietty rushed to explain, and groaned at the look of pity on Spiller's face.

“You can do whatever you want, you know? You're not a child anymore,” Spiller said, and Arrietty looked up to the sky; the clouds were not making any interesting shapes in that moment, so her focus came back to Spiller. “I know.. it's just so ingrained into myself to be careful with what I do around her, that if she even mentions not wanting to do something, I'll go ahead and not do it either. Just habits from the old house,” She said, waving her hand dismissively. Arrietty wanted this conversation surrounding her relationship with her mother to be over. They had a good relationship, far from terrible, their shared experiences from four years ago just play into a lot of how Arrietty finds herself acting even in present. She'll try to talk to Homily about it once they get back, she decided.

“Anyway, I asked a question before but we got a bit sidetracked. What was it? Hmm..” As they walked further down the path to the river she thought back to when the topic of conversation deviated.

“You asked me about borrowing, I think?” Spiller said after many minutes of silent walking. Arrietty clapped her hands together, of course!

“Yes! I always wondered how you managed to find the same things every time you went borrowing, I mean, doesn't the outside world change and follow less of a structure to a human bean house?” Arrietty asked, bouncing slightly when she took her next few steps. She hoped that on their way back he could show her, he'd need to get something by then, right?

“Well, plants regrow, so when I take fruit and nuts, I always leave enough for the animals and for the next few trips, and by the time a few weeks go by the bushes and trees should be full of food again,” Spiller pointed out a few bushes that would produce fruit in the spring, then a bush that had big, red berries scattered throughout it while he spoke. “It's a simple cycle, but easy to ruin if you take too much. Humans often take every bit of food at once, even if they don't need it, which hurts the survival of borrowers and animals.”

Along their walk, Spiller stopped a few ways along the stream to show Arrietty the best spots to get certain fish and other small animals; mice and insects and such. As Arrietty watched a group of tadpoles swim frantically across the river, she tried to size up how small they would look to humans. The tadpoles were around the size of her two hands held together, so the infant frogs would perhaps be the size of a human finger nail. Creatures so large to her being minuscule to the Boy messed with her head.

After many more metres and many more stops to listen to Spiller’s explanations about certain plants and grasses, the odd life cycles of various bugs, and the best spots to rest in the shade once the sun begins to set, the day had finally started to end. They sat in one of those shady spots while Arrietty peeled the shell off a chestnut, and scooped some of its meat out with a stick. She handed the stick to Spiller, and started to scoop some for herself, when Spiller told her to stop in a hushed voice. Being in the open at sunset hadn’t frightened Arrietty, but now she was scared. It would be dark soon, and they were out in the open where anything could get them.

“Someone’s out there,” Spiller hissed. Arrietty gripped onto the chestnut, hugging it to her chest as she tried to quiet her breathing. Spiller creeped in front of Arrietty and pulled his bow from his back, threading an arrow through the string. He whispered to Arrietty; “Stay quiet- don’t move.”

Arrietty nodded quickly, biting her lip as she watched Spiller crawl around the tree towards the source of the sound. Soon she couldn’t see him, but still heard his slow footsteps. Then the footsteps quickened, and a quick thud hit the tree, vibrating it against Arrietty’s head. Then someone was screaming. Arrietty frowned, it wasn’t Spiller, the scream was too high-pitched to be his. Spiller had told her to stay put, but she was just so curious. Sighing, Arrietty set down the chestnut and creeped around the tree to where she thought Spiller was. Around the tree stood Spiller- frozen, and in front of him was another borrower. They were short, or maybe it was just because they were holding their head, shaking- either way it wasn’t someone she knew.

“Oh my gosh! Did you shoot them, Spiller?” Arrietty asked, maybe a bit too loudly. Spiller frantically shook his head, and the other borrower pointed above their head. The arrow was above them, perfectly cutting through the borrower’s hat into the bark behind it.

“I shot their hat, I didn’t mean too- they scared me,” Spiller quickly explained as he twisted the arrow out of the tree, placing it back in his quiver. The borrower sighed in relief before they collected their hat from the ground. Neither Arrietty nor Spiller moved away, so the borrower just stood there looking from their two faces, their own face growing nervous.

“I-I didn't mean to frighten you- honest. I don't see many others out this far, so I don't be all that cautious at night. Oh! It's getting dark, do you two need a place to stay? I won't bite, I promise,” the borrower said in a rush, their words stumbling over each other. Arrietty glanced over at Spiller who just shrugged his shoulders.

“Sure, the wind is cold tonight. Best we don't freeze, right, Arrietty?” Spiller turned to Arrietty, an odd smile on his face. Oh man. He did not want to stay with this odd borrower, even if for just one night. Truthfully, Arrietty didn't particularly want to be sleeping in a stranger's home, either. But it was a nice offer, and it'd be strange to refuse. “Yes, we'd love to. Thank you.”

“Wonderful! Well, it's just up the tree a bit- I assume you two can climb? You have to jump around a bit on those branches to get to the opening, but it's easy enough, really!” The borrower threw a smile at them both, then darted up the tree, rather slowly, showing Arrietty and Spiller the way to their home. Two sticks up, a jump to the left, then up on the right, then a few more ups and side jumps- and you're there. Arrietty was wheezing by the time she flopped into the hollowed out trunk, oh thank goodness for the grass floor. That fall would have hurt so much worse if the floor was just wood. Spiller, to Arrietty’s envy, had a graceful landing, not a huff or puff to be heard.

“Are you alright, Arrietty?” Spiller asked, after Arrietty sat herself up right; grass stuck through her hair. The other borrower sat in the grass, just watching, as Spiller carefully picked the grass out of Arrietty’s hair. She thanked him quietly then stood up, brushing her legs of any grass. “I’m fine- oh my gosh! We left our stuff outside!” Arrietty smacked her hands to her cheeks, feeling foolish. She'd completely forgotten about their things the moment she saw the other borrower.

“Don’t worry, we’ll get them, you can wait here,” Spiller said, motioning for the other borrower to join him. They nodded quickly and dashed out of the hole in the trunk. Arrietty was glad Spiller took them with him- she knew nothing about the other borrower but she still felt weary about them. After Spiller left the hole, it was very quiet. Arrietty’s stomach grumbled- right, she hadn't gotten the chance to eat before the other borrower disrupted them. She hoped they wouldn’t take too long to return, there was no way she could sleep on an empty stomach. Below she could faintly hear the voices of Spiller and the borrower; it made her glad Spiller was conversing with them, maybe it meant they could be trusted.

Notes:

Two months!! Again, I am so sorry for the wait. School has been killing me these past months, but here it is! Chapter three!! I love writing about flowers, and I wanted to share this quote from The Borrowers Afield by Mary Norton that inspired the pimpernel scene;

"'Isn't it lovely?' she [Homily] said in a tender voice; touching the fragile petals with a work-worn finger, she tucked it into the opening of her blouse. Arrietty found a pale blue counterpart in the delicate bird's-eye, and put it in her hair; and suddenly the day began to seem like a holiday. 'Flowers made for borrowers...' she thought."

I just love that scene and will use any excuse to include it into one of my fics (so when I do eventually post another borrowers fic, it may be mentioned again). Truthfully, I don't know how big a lobelia is, but they seem around the same size as a pimpernel if the pictures from google are anything to go by.

Anyways! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I'd love it if anybody has name suggestions for the odd little borrower Arrietty and Spiller met- I'm stumped for what to name them!

Chapter 4

Notes:

The plot is moving alone! Chapter four is finally done, and we are almost at the house! I can!t wait to share the next few chapters!

By the time Arrietty awoke the next morning, both Spiller and the other borrower were gone again. After they had returned the night before, Arrietty and Spiller continued with their dinner of chestnut meat, while the other borrower ate something that appeared very similar to human food Arrietty had seen, though they might have just made it themselves. Now, though, they were gone again and Arrietty had to find something in her bag to eat. She didn’t think to pack too much food, as she just assumed they would find more while in the forest while borrowing. Perhaps that is where Spiller and the other borrower were now. Neither left a note, so Arrietty just had to wait for them to return to find out why they left.

After digging around in her bag, Arrietty found a pouch with three blueberries- they were smaller than their normal size thanks to Spiller’s gardening skills. They aren't as sweet as full size blueberries, but they do make it easier when trying to pack more than one on a trip- Arrietty recalled the time she tried to send four of the large berries with Spiller one time, their kitchen was a mess after he tripped on the bag and they burst juices everywhere. Thankfully, the smaller type are less prone to being squashed easily.

The berry was cold when Arrietty bit into it, the skin breaking with a pleasing crack sound. Arrietty would bite hundreds of blueberries to hear that sound over and over, but knew better to do so. The seeds were small, but not small enough to go unnoticed once she bit into the fruit's core. Spitting the seeds into her hand, Arrietty hoped the other borrower wouldn't mind the seeds living in their grass floor. They wouldn't notice them, surely; Arrietty watched them fall to the wooden floor of the trunk, safely hidden under the grass. She felt bad then, but wouldn't dare try finding them in fear of ruining the borrower's neatly laid out floor. She just hoped they wouldn’t grow into blueberry bushes- how terrible it would be!

She heard small cracks and whispers of voices outside the tree’s hollow hole; Spiller and the other borrower making their way back to the tree finally. Arrietty finished her blueberry then packed away the rest before whipping her hands on her dress’s front. For a moment she thought about lying back down and pretending to be asleep, but then it seemed like a silly idea. So she just opted to sort the items in her bag to make it less clumpy.

“Morning Arrietty,” Spiller said as he set down his bag- Arrietty wondered what they borrowed. “Good morning,” She replied with a smile.

The other borrower had a smaller bag, and they were quick to unpack its contents onto a shelf Arrietty assumed they had carved into the tree's trunk. A few nuts (mostly chestnuts and acorns), large leaves that smelt like home, and a variety of flower petals- some small and blue with others being tall and pink or red.

“Do you want a chestnut? I can toast it! They are much better toasted,” The other borrower rambled on, hitting one of the smaller chestnuts with a stone to split it. Arrietty declined, saying she already ate. The borrower looked a bit down about it, but they then began making it for themselves.

After Arrietty had rearranged her bag long enough for it to look odd if she continued, she looked at its contents. She had brought necessities, but in the quiet morning she wished she had brought something to entertain herself with. The other borrower was humming to themselves as they collected the items needed to toast the nuts, and Spiller was finding places for the new borrowings in his own bag. She didn't feel inclined to speak to either of them- it was too early in the morning for her to comprehend anything other than her own thoughts.

After listening to the quiet chatter of Spiller and the other borrower for what felt like hours, Spiller announced that he and Arrietty should be getting on their way- they couldn't prolong their journey any longer. The borrower seemed sad to see them go, but waved them off as they trudged down the slope of the river bank, deep into the shrubbery.

“They seemed nice,” Arrietty said, trying to fill the silence. Spiller just hummed in response, and they walked in silence, only broken occasionally by bird's song. Arrietty thought of what she would say to the boy if he was there. Would Spiller let her speak with him? It seemed problems only ever occurred for borrowers when they chose to speak to human beans, so perhaps she shouldn't. He was kind to her though, that boy, and he had helped Arrietty and her mother and father escape before Spiller took them to their new home. If she got the chance to speak with him, she decided she would ask about what had happened after she left. She was so curious about how his heart operation went. Is that what it was? It had been so long, she wasn't sure she remembered it correctly.

Arrietty and Spiller continued walking further, ants crawled across the way, making a slight inconvenience until Spiller stopped by a thick forest of tall grasses. The boat was in there- Spiller's knife block. Arrietty helped him drag it close to the water's edge, though she didn't feel that she was helping all that much; Spiller was by far stronger than she was. They sat their bags under the knife box's cover and pushed it further till it was floating on the river. The two jumped aboard and Spiller began steering it in the direction of the old house.

Arrietty dipped her fingers into the water as they floated down the river. The water was cool on her fingers, and the air blowing her hair around was fresh. It was a lovely morning. “Careful. Fish will bite.”

Arrietty snatched her hand away, both from Spiller's words and the fish's open mouth that was swimming closer. What horror it would be to have to tell her mother a fish had eaten off all the fingers of one of her hands. “Sorry..”

“Wouldn't want Homily worrying if you returned with no hand,” Spiller said, chuckling a little. Arrietty giggled too, though it wouldn't be that funny.

“Hey! It's not funny- I'd.. I'd never plait your hair again if I'd lost one of my hands!” She said, pointing her wet hand at his long hair blowing in the wind. Spiller's eyebrows shot up. “I wouldn’t like that. It's nice when you tie my hair.”

“I'm glad,” Arrietty grinned, turning back to the water, just watching now. A pod skater swam past the knife block, splashing Arrietty’s face with the cold water. It was refreshing, in a way, but she still pulled her face away- she didn’t want to get soaked. Arrietty had often wondered how the knife block managed to float so smoothly on the river; she was sure it would sink the first time she rode it with Spiller. His heavy bags of borrowings never seemed to make it dip even the slightest lower into the water.

Arrietty sat back and let the wind whip around her, another type of refreshing that the river’s water couldn’t be. The boat wasn’t fast, so it gave her an opportunity to watch the scenery go past without feeling she would miss any of it. Tall trees and flocks of birds decorated the sky overhead; the birds looking small way up in the clouds, though they would be huge if Arrietty were to stand next to them. Thinking about the large birds made Arrietty remember the time her father had encountered a crow in the first week of their new life outdoors. It was terrifying, but it also gave Arrietty insight to how her life was going to be for the next- well the rest of her life. Her and her mother had hidden in a tree stump, which resulted in them getting a lecture from Pod about not being careful- what if there was a spider, or a small animal , living in the tree trunk? They wouldn’t have known, and that would have caused a whole other problem. Even though at the time she didn’t like to think back on that moment, it gave her a sort of warm, fond feeling in her chest thinking of it now. Part of her missed those early days in the forest; those long days of learning how to live in a way to rely on nature, rather than human beans.

Time flew by as Arrietty and Spiller sailed down the river while she sat in thought. Long journeys were the perfect time to think over every moment of her life, Arrietty had realised years ago while riding in the kettle that brought her and her family to their new home. She could look at anything on the river’s shores and connect it to her own life. The tall reeds reminded her of hiding from human beans, or the time she tried to climb one of the shoots and ended up landing on her behind in the water. Odd little objects floated by a log, a butterfly fluttering around above, occasionally landing on the log. Arrietty was glad the log was on the side of the river- if it was stuck in the middle she feared the knife block could have gotten stuck, and that sounded like a situation she didn’t wish to be in.

Arrietty felt herself start to drift off in the late spring sun as it shined down onto them, making her face fuzzy with warmth, but the wood of the knife block wasn’t exactly that comfortable to sleep on. She shed off the knitted sweater made by her mother a year ago and rolled it up into a sort of pillow-like shape, before resting her head on it. She shut her eyes and let herself fall back into sleep.

 

* * *

 

It was dark when Arrietty woke up. Well- not dark, but darker. The sun wasn’t high above them anymore, and thick, grey clouds started to settle in its place. Arrietty hoped it wouldn’t rain, she hadn’t experienced being stuck outside in the rain in a long, long time, and she did not want to go through that again. Being soaked to your bones is a feeling that makes Arrietty feel like she is about to shrivel up and die- like a poor worm on a pavement in the summer sun.

“Oh, you’re awake,” Spiller said from outside the boat, “Do you want to get going now? We are at the edge of the garden.”

“Already! Oh I slept for so long.. but yes, I want to go now,” Arrietty said after taking in the rock cliffs that she knew so well from her memories- up that cliff and through the garden sits the house, and hopefully, the boy. “Well hop on out, let’s go.”

It was a struggle, but after minutes of pulling and heaving, the two carried themselves and their bags up the small cliff. Arrietty had slipped at one point, almost dropping her heavy bag on the river’s shore. Thankfully, Spiller caught her hand and pulled her back up. She would have sobbed just a bit if she had to climb back down to get her bag from the river bank.

Once they were on the safety of the flat ground at the top of the cliff, Arrietty laid her bag down and rested her head on it. She was so tired, but it wasn't time for them to sleep again; they had to get to the house soon! Arrietty felt a bit that she was holding up the whole trip. Would it have usually taken this many days to travel such a short distance? Certainly not for Spiller, Arrietty knew that.

They rested for a few more minutes under the tall bamboo posts, and Arrietty thought of what she would do if the boy wasn't there. Well, for one, she'd probably cry. Then.. she'd turn right back around and try to pretend she never went on the trip. So, Arriety decided, it would be preferred if the boy was still there. Even if he was just visiting, Arrietty would want just a little glance at him- to see if he's doing well, of course.

“Are you ready to cross the garden, yet?” Spiller asked as he stood up and strapped his bag back on his back. Arrietty sat up, looked across at the tall trees and wide variety of flowers, saw the tips of the house's roof, and nodded.

“Yeah, I think I'm ready. Better now rather than never,” Arrietty said with a wide grin. Spiller held out his hand and helped Arrietty up, smiling back at her, “Well, let's get going.”

Notes:

Life is very busy, and for someone who is a busy student, like me, it’s hard to find time and motivation to write in my limited free time. I appreciate each and every one of you who have showed me support in this story, and I’m hoping to have a few more chapters out soon because I am free for almost a month now! Hope you enjoy, bye bye!!

Chapter 5

“What if he’s dead?” Arreitty asked as they walked through the grass. Spiller made a strange sound in the back of his throat, and his eyes widened. Perhaps that was not the best question to ask. She needed to get it out though, the question had been swimming around her head for the past few days- she couldn’t keep it in for any longer.

“I’m sure we can still find something,” Spiller paused, tracing a finger over a blade of grass beside him, “He is still there. Sometimes, when I get too close, I can hear voices. A boy voice- he sounds old, though. Not young.”

Arrietty gasped- oh how wonderful! It would make sense too, if the boy's voice was older, for he too is older. Arrietty couldn't recall how old he had been the last time she saw him, perhaps around twelve or thirteen? He very well could have been younger, all she knew was that she was older than him. So he's younger than eighteen. Arrietty danced around the grass as they passed a large stone bridge, leaping quickly over the tiny stream before waiting on the other side for Spiller. She felt so giddy, and couldn't wait any longer to reach the house. Spiller was further behind her, and more cautious. He passed her his borrowing bags when he came to the stream, and though his jump was long enough that the bags would be alright if he jumped with them, it was better to be safe. Seems Arrietty still has lots to learn about borrowing when outdoors.

“Sorry for rushing ahead,” Arrietty apologised, handing Spiller his bags back and helping him strap them to his back. He hummed, a small smile on his face- Arrietty wondered what it meant. Spiller's smiles were few and far between, but when with Arrietty they were common, though she'd never seen this one. Was he making fun of her? Surely not. Arrietty didn’t know whether she should ask or not, with Spiller's dislike of questions and all.

“Sweet..” Spiller muttered, and Arrietty hardly heard it, but pretended she didn't.

More blades of grass identical to the last, small stones and dark dirt- Arrietty had soon felt like they had been walking through the garden for hours. An odd ladybug here and a scuttering ant there broke up the consistent greenness, and before she knew it they had made it. The house was tall, though not as tall as she remembered. Strange, Arrietty was sure she couldn't have grown too much taller in the past four years- she was still shorter than the grass! Perhaps it was just the angle making the house seem taller. The house looked more rundown, vines covering more than they did four years ago. Arrietty guessed the grandmother hadn’t had much help in maintaining the house’s exterior, and its old bright colours seemed to have faded to softer, almost white varieties of what they used to be.

Spiller was watching her, instead of the house, and then around behind them. It was quiet, if anybody did live in the house, they were quiet at the moment, still. Arrietty looked back too, how far had they walked? It had only been a day or two, but distance is strange when you're so small; a long trip for tiny borrowers could be a quick walk for a large human.

“Ready to go inside?” Spiller asked. Arrietty nodded, and they made their way quickly to one of the grates on the bottom of the house's outdoor walls. Arrietty used to traverse the grates multiple times a week, now, they look dirty and unused, like nobody but the small grass critters use them now.

Once past the grates Arrietty saw that the state of the house's underneath wasn't that great, either. The dust was thick, and cobwebs littered almost every corner and surface. Ahead lay the rubble that was left of the Clock home, shaken and disturbed to thwart the evil exterminators away. With no signs of any tiny people living under the floor, there was no need for them, and Arrietty and her parents were able to safely leave. Seeing what the boy did to their house now, she was thankfully, but also upset. She had lived there for fourteen years, well over half her life; perhaps there was some remnant of her past life in the mess.

Arrietty sat on a nearby rock for a while, and just looked at her old home. Quiet. Cold. Dusty. It was so wrong. It felt wrong to be near it. It wasn't right. She stood up and dislodged something from under an old piece of wood. It was a shoe, blue and missing its old shine. She wondered if it was her own or her mother's- she couldn't remember. It was alone, and Arrietty didn't bother looking for its pair, she just sat the shoe in her bag and walked back over to Spiller.

“So, where to begin?” Arrietty asked. She wondered if he saw her keep the shoe. She wasn't sure why she kept it, perhaps to show Homily?

“We should go up, if you want to see him,” Spiller's finger pointed to the nails in the wall that lead to the crack in the wall Pod had used for borrowing all those years ago. Arrietty nodded once more, leaving her old home behind. She'd return to rummage through it one day, hopefully, and find that missing half of the pair of blue shoes. Walking across the nails quickly, the two followed the many contraptions and objects built decades ago till they made it to a small room, a bench in the corner with a shelf across the wall. It looked just as Arrietty remembered, though thick layers of dust covered every surface, and she had to turn away as Spiller attempted to rid the room of it- she still ended up coughing a few minutes after.

Arrietty slumped on the bench, sighing. “How can a place become so dusty?”

“No one comes through here. Dust settles with no movements to stop it,” After placing the bags on the floor and taking off his coat, Spiller walked over to a door on the wall, peeking through the tiny hole, “Come. look here.”

Arrietty felt hopeful, springing up to see what Spiller saw. There, at the large table, were three people eating a meal. From where she stood, the tiny hole didn’t give much away about who was sitting at the table, but Arrietty could deduce that there was an older woman, a young girl, and a boy. A boy! Oh it must be the boy from before, it must! She continued watching them- every so often they would speak muffled words, and Arrietty grumbled as she couldn’t hear them through the wall. Arrietty leaned further, almost pushing her face onto the hole. Hands grabbed her waist from behind, and she was pulled backwards.

“Must be careful, they might see you.” Spiller said, still holding her. Arrietty nodded, “Right, I’m sorry Spiller.”

She giggled, pecking a quick kiss to his cheek, “Let me down?”

“Hmm.. no,” Spiller kissed her back, and the two dissolved into giggles, feeling like children again. Spiller spins the both of them around, till they are both dizzy. Spiller sits on the bench, letting Arrietty go, who stumbles for a moment before sitting beside him. She leaned on the bench’s armrest, her legs over Spillers lap. It had been a long day. She rolled her coat up and rested her head on it- she hoped Spiller wouldn’t mind her sleeping there, but looking at his face he seemed tired too. Almost asleep, too, so Arrietty whispered a quiet good night before drifting to sleep herself.

 

* * *

 

A loud voice awoke her hours later. It wasn’t like the voices at dinner, quiet and unintelligible, no, this voice was loud, and sounded young. Arrietty looked up to Spiller- still asleep. Biting her lip she debated getting up to hear the voices better. Slowly, she sneaked off the bench, careful not to disturb Spiller, and tiptoed over to the tiny hole in the wall. Looking out it, she saw the dark hair of a young girl, and quickly ducked aside. Whoever was out there was very close and could very well see her if they looked towards the wall. Perhaps they couldn’t, considering the size of the hole, but Arrietty wasn’t going to risk it. Instead, she placed her ear against the hole, and hoped they wouldn’t look towards it. There were two voices, a boy and a girl. Arrietty closed her eyes as she listened.

“I know they’re real! Grandma always said so, and I want to see them!” The young girl exclaimed. Arrietty held her breath, surely they weren’t talking about borrowers.

“What are you talking about Ada?” The boy said. Hmm. he sounded different to how Arrietty remembered.

“The tiny people!” Arrietty gasped, smacking as hand over her mouth, “Don’t be silly. They aren’t here. Even if they were, you'd never find them.”

“Why not?” The girl was whining now, but Arrietty couldn’t help but notice the way the boy spoke of them, of her family. It was so clear it was the boy Arrietty had known- he was here! Alive!

“They don’t wish to be seen, of course. They are in danger everyday and always hide.. So I've heard,” The boy’s voice sounded nervous, and he definitely noticed his mistake- Arrietty could sense it too. The young girl, Ada, gasped in delight. So she had caught it too.

“You’ve seen them. No, no you’ve spoken to them! Where! When?” She sounded ecstatic, exclaiming loudly that they must still be here, that he was hiding them from her. Arrietty was growing all the more anxious. What a time to decide to return, right when this young child wanted to see tiny people just like Arrietty and Spiller. Oh great.

“Enough Ada. Go back to be before we get caught,” The boy’s voice was quieter then, and Arrietty leaned closer to hear. ‘No! Don’t start whispering, I must hear the rest!’ She thought. She heard the girl grumble, but they didn’t sound like they were leaving just yet, “Fine. you’re no fun though, Sho, I know they live here, too!”

That’s it! The boy’s name was Sho! Of course, how could she have forgotten? Arrietty stepped away from the hole then, content with what she had discovered. Sho, the boy from years ago, was still alive, and he still remembered her and her family! He also had a sister, Ada, who might become a problem. Why must she wish to find tiny people? Arrietty must tell Spiller of that once he wakes in the morning. For now though, Arrietty was tired again. Sneaking back over to Spiller, Arrietty thought over what was said again. Surely the girl would be sensible enough to listen to her brother- no tiny people lived here! She sighed. She just hoped Ada was a nice human bean, like her brother, and wasn’t going to plan on hurting them if she did find them. Hopefully.

Notes:

Sooo long time no see guys haha. I am sorry for the delay, life and school was kicking my butt over the last few months, but here is chapter five finally! I’m sorry it’s a shorter one, the next chapter will be longer to make up for that, and quicker. I’m planning on having it finished before February.

Also, anybody who has read The Borrowers will recognise Sho’s sister as Mrs. Ada May from the original books. I thought it’d be fun to introduce her into this story, so in case anyone's wondering who she is, that’s where I got her from.

Have a great day and don’t forget to kudos! :3