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The drive was the same as it always was. The buildings, old and new, lined each side of the street along with the trees and shrubs. Something about this small town would be charming and inviting if it didn’t hold so many poor memories of childhood.
Kimberly remembered her childhood very well, especially visits to Grandmother Carolyn, who always seemed a bit odd to Kim, and the old house she lived in alone. Kimberly even lived there for a time with her father before he remarried.
Kimberly remembered rooms she wasn’t allowed in and toys she was forbidden to touch. If she did happen to bother with these things, her grandmother made it a point to scold her and say she shouldn’t bother with these things – that they didn’t belong to her but never really said who they belonged to. Late at night on those few times she slept over, she would hear tapping in the walls, skittering of feet, and, a few times, her grandmother talking in the other room to no one in particular.
When Kimberly got older and moved away with her parents, she couldn’t be more relieved she wouldn’t have to go back to the drafty house. Now, years later, she had to return to the same house.
Grandmother Carolyn had fallen while she was out on a slick patch of ice and had to be taken to the hospital immediately. Surgery was needed and, naturally, Kimberly and her family needed to come back into town to make sure she was alright and support her. So, while Kimberly’s father attended to his mother in the hospital, it was Kimberly’s job to retrieve anything Grandmother Carolyn needed and help tidy up the house.
It was a relief to no have to go to the hospital, but returning to the house that possessed few happy memories was almost equally as unpleasant.
Evidently thinking it seemed to summon it out of thin air, for there the old brick house sat same as it ever was. 9386 Old Stonybrook Street. She flicked the blinker and parked just outside, taking a calming breath before gathering up her purse, overnight bag, and the satchel of cleaning supplies from the backseat.
The chilled air stung at her fingers as she fumbled with the metallic key before slipping it into the lock and stepping inside. The distinct smell of the home hadn’t changed all of these years later, bringing back a flood of memories. The rooms that were visible made her mind reel.
In the front room, there were tattered pieces of thread dangling from tables and chairs. There were also strings hanging from the kitchen table. There were small fragments of cloth, just big enough for quilting, scattered all over the chairs. Books were propped up everywhere on the ground and on tables to seemingly random pages.
“Great…” Kim muttered under her breath, letting the bags slump to the ground and running her fingers through her hair.
The place needed to be cleaned and belongings retrieved. Kimberly sighed, not really knowing where to start. Living room? Kitchen? Sitting area? The list went on and on. At the very least, she needed to get the kitchen taken care of if she was going to stay here like her father told her to.
Kim walked past the couches and chairs with the fabric fragments, past the closeted stairs and dining room, and into the kitchen. Her heart sank instantly at the mess before her. There were at least a dozen chip bags of varying sizes strewn out on the counter in a row next to the coffee pot. There was a bowl of grapes that looked like it was on its last few days of being edible by the sink, which also had strings attached to the handles. Most of the cabinets were slightly open, also with strings affixed to the handles.
What the… What is going on with Grandmother Carolyn? Has she lost her mind? Head swirling, Kim set to work. She started with the dishes, emptying any of them that had fragments of cereal and turning food in them. She moved on to pulling and cutting the strings from the cabinets and counters.
All while she was doing these things, she wondered what possessed her grandmother to do such things. Was she forgetting to clean the kitchen when she was finished eating? Could she not decide which bag of chips she wanted to eat from and just kept them all out and propped open? Granted, Kim was sometimes guilty of the same thing, but she would tape or clamp the bag shut when she was done.
Kimberly hadn’t realized she had been working for a few hours at this point and realized the trash needed to be taken out. She tied the top and headed out the door to the back to the cans. The frigid air knocked the wind right out of her. Silently, she cursed as she suddenly realized that the cans had been moved. It took nearly fifteen minutes to find the cans; but, eventually managed to find them when her shoulders were shivering and her teeth were clattering.
Kim fumbled her way back into the house and made her way back to the kitchen when a sound caught her ears. It was a crunching, rustling sound. That sickening feeling in her gut wrangled free a new fear – there were mice. Great! Of all the things, now I’m going to have to deal with mice!
Stealthily, she crept to the closet and found the broom. She didn’t intend to go into the kitchen without some sort of defense against the rodent pests. The young woman stepped carefully this way and that, peering into the kitchen from around the corner, broom in hand, to catch a glimpse of where the mouse might be.
The bags of chips were still opened since she couldn’t find the clamps and hadn’t looked for the tape. Based on the rustling sound, the bag was where the vermin were rummaging around. Her eyes peered around the corner and watched one of the bags move. Her heart tripled in pace and the air in her lungs refused to exhale. Gotcha.
Kim was about to charge around the corner when she nearly dropped the broom. What emerged from the bag wasn’t a mouse. There was a fluttering of nervousness as Kim watched a small figure emerge from the opening in the bag. It looked like a human doll, yet it moved on its own. It had a mess of hair and a face and clothes with a bag it was currently rummaging in, a chip in its impossibly small hand.
Kim’s head swirled. Was this actually happening? Was she seeing things? What was it? Where did it come from? Kim didn’t have time to wonder about the tiny creature as it stepped out of one bag and went into the next, opening the flap on its small bag to presumably fill it with more chips.
She wasn’t sure what came over her, but Kim was suddenly charging into the kitchen before she knew what she was doing. In half a moment, her hand clamped down over the opening of the bag and hoisted it into the air. What was more alarming than her actions were the string of shouts from inside the bag.
There were suddenly miniscule scraping sounds from inside while edges pushed out from presumably small fists. What am I doing?! What is even going on? What is this thing? How long as it been here? Did… The thought suddenly came to Kim. The strings and fragments of cloth – were they for this little thing?
If that were the case, then her grandmother had to know about it. The question now was were there others?
~~~~~^*^*^*^*^~~~~~
The house was the same as it always was – at least from Atlas’ perspective. He had lived there for the majority of his life, moving there when he was just a child making his way in the world. He remembered the day he arrived and how surprised he felt at meeting the colony of Borrowers who lived there; however, more surprising was the human that lived in the house.
Atlas was only a boy when it happened – when one of the Borrowers, Frey, was seen and caught by the woman who lived there. Everyone was terrified. Panic spread like a contagion among the Borrower clan – that is, until the Borrower, Frey, was released with a single message. The so-called “capture” was merely an accident and Frey had been released the moment the older human realized the Borrower was safe.
The ultimate decision had to be made – immigrate or stay. The colony leaders went to speak with the human to negotiate some kind of deal and, ultimately, they elected to stay. Atlas was young and didn’t understand the relative politics of the colony at the time, but as he grew older he realized that a major influencer for remaining in the home was because Frey was related to one of the colony leaders. Being on his own, Atlas could only hope the same decision would be made in his favor as well.
Things changed for the colony after the incident. The human, named Carolyn, made various changes to her routines and habits. She began attaching belay lines and hooks to furniture and cabinets, leaving bowls of untouched dry goods on the countertops for easy access, and other essential items just so happened to be lying about on counters, chairs, and the tops of cabinets near wall access points. The rules of being a Borrower seemed to relax significantly even to the point of Borrowers spending a significant amount of time with Carolyn, talking with her among other activities.
It became more and more apparent that Carolyn wasn’t like other humans. She didn’t seek personal gain from knowing about Borrowers nor did she seem to go out of her way to learn more about them. She simply co-existed with them and only interacted when necessary, which was more than what they could have ever asked for.
There were obvious times when they needed to disguise their activities and adhere to the rules which dominated their lives outside of Carolyn’s home. One of those times that Atlas could remember was when a man and his daughter came to live with Carolyn, but that was years ago. The elderly woman ensured that anytime there was a change in the daily schedule that it was noted on the large calendar that was in the kitchen, which made the past couple of days a little odd.
Atlas had gone down one afternoon hoping to ask Carolyn if there were any more thimbles only to find she had already left to grocery shop. He knew he should’ve gone down earlier, but lost track of time helping set some new lights. While some of the others still felt odd living in a house where the human occupant knew of their existence, Atlas had to admit that it was oddly refreshing. Sometimes he would go down and simply talk with Carolyn, asking about what human life was like or advice on different issues; and, sometimes, it felt like Carolyn was the only one he could talk to. With a sigh, the Borrower gathered some necessary supplies for his personal stash and some additional dried goods for some of his neighbors before slipping back into the walls.
A few days had passed since then, and the Borrower hadn’t been back down and hadn’t planned to until a conversation he had with one of his friends, Kara. The two of them had become friends early on when Atlas first arrived even though Atlas wasn’t originally from the colony.
The two of them exchanged pleasantries and started talking about the holidays when Kara fell silent for a moment. When he asked what was wrong, Kara noted that one of their mutual friends, Sindri, wasn’t back from borrowing earlier that day and that Carolyn hadn’t put up any of her Christmas decorations.
While it was odd for Carolyn to not put up her decorations, especially if it was on the calendar, it wasn’t odd for Sindri to go off on his own for a few days. Sindri had a taste for adventure and the outdoors and, most likely, had gone out to the yard to camp or hunt or watch the skies for the promised snow.
Kara ended up dropping the subject, admitting that Atlas was probably right; however, now Atlas wasn’t so sure. Sindri, at the very least, would have told him or Kara if he were going out for an extended period of time. Remembering the shortage of thimbles, Atlas elected to head down and find out for himself. He headed up to his room in the rafter beams by the wall plates, gathered up his borrowing pack, hook, line, earring dagger, and razor before heading down to the kitchen.
Atlas had to admit to himself that each step felt heavier than the last and that his natural Borrower instincts for humans, which had lain dormant for some time now, suddenly felt heightened – charged. The hair on the back of his neck stood on end and something in the air didn’t feel right. He charged forward through the walls despite the apprehension. If something was wrong, it meant Sindri could be in danger.
~~~~~^*^*^*^*^~~~~~
Atlas tiptoed through the walls along the well-used beams and wires that lined the studs. The feeling that something was off hadn’t left him and only intensified with each step. What was so off putting? What was bothering him so much about this? He elected to check the kitchen first since that’s where Sindri would’ve went to first.
Atlas usually used his side lamp, but instead let his eyes adjust to the dark as he finally arrived at the piece of trim that served as a doorway between the human world and the world of the Borrowers. Unlike other entrances and exits, this one came out on top of the refrigerator and led to purposefully drilled hole into the cabinets. It seemed like the safest route, and it offered the most cover. Atlas usually just descended the wall lines and stepped out onto the counter, but precautions were in order.
He pressed open the trim, listening as hard as he could to the house. It sounded like there was music coming from the bathroom at the other end of the house, but from what device he didn’t know. With the line secure, the Borrower slipped down the line and onto the top of the fridge, careful to close the trim behind him.
He crouched low, immediately getting that plummeting feeling in his insides. The cabinet lines were gone. The bowls of dried goods were emptied and in the dishrack. There were no bags of chips on the counter. A dangerous thought entered his mind – the place had been cleaned, but not by Carolyn.
With haste, Atlas continued to crouch until he slipped into the cabinet through the cut hole in the shelf. He let out a shaky sigh of relief seeing that the holes from cabinet to cabinet hadn’t been filled or covered. Still, it was obvious it was discovered based on the fact the ladders and lines the Borrowers put into place were gone.
Atlas began scanning past the various dishes and canned goods, making his way along the back side of the cabinet and taking note of anything else that looked disturbed. Atlas wanted to believe that Sindri would have come up here if he noticed something was wrong or, at the very least, that he managed to escape and lose the human’s line of sight behind the miscellaneous cans. Sindri was an excellent climber after all.
Atlas slipped down into the next shelf level and began pacing back the other direction. He had almost made it to the end when he noticed something that made his head spin. Up ahead near a stack of cans and a jar of something pickled was an empty jar – empty, except for a slumped over figure in the bottom of the glass container. The Borrower’s heart was pounding, blood roaring in his ears, while his breath hitched, refusing to relieve his quickly overwhelming thoughts.
Atlas wasted no time in running over, crouching by down by the figure and slamming his open palms into the glass. The sudden sound startled the figure, Sindri, awake and he naturally recoiled from the sound; but, seeing that it was a fellow Borrower, instantly advanced and placed his palms on the glass.
“Atlas? What are you doing here? H-how’d you?” Sindri’s voice sounded far away as it couldn’t quite penetrate the glass. He was covered in a weird dust that coated his clothes and hair.
“Let’s talk about that later. We need to get you out of there. Tell me what happened while I find something to help break you out,” hissed Atlas, keeping his voice low as he began rummaging through his pack for anything that might be of use.
“It’s no good Atlas,” Sindri said, shaking his head and looking utterly defeated. “This human – she’s a clever one. She poked holes in the top, thank goodness, but screwed it on tight; and look at the cabinet. Even if we get the lid off I can’t squeeze through the top. She chose a low clearance shelf so I couldn’t get out.”
Atlas wanted to curse but refrained, seeing that any shouting could potentially alert the new human to their presence. There was nothing in his bag strong enough to penetrate the glass. Even if he started sawing with his razor blade, it would dull before he made a dent. He then glanced up, noting now what Sindri was talking about.
The shelf was just tall enough to accommodate the jar Sindri was trapped in, barely half of an inch above the lid. He looked at his friend in the eye, seeing the look of defeat and hopeless acceptance in them. Atlas would have none of that. His determination steeled as he clenched his fist and pressed it against the glass.
“We’re getting you out of there. I’m going to go get some more tools and you’re getting out of there in once piece. Got it?” affirmed Atlas.
“Atlas, listen to me. I… I accidentally broke the rules. She knows I can talk, even though I’ve been refraining since then. I don’t know what this human is capable of, but it might be better if you get the others and immigrate” argued Sindri.
“All the more reason to get you out of here. Look, I’ll be right back. Promise,” urged Atlas. He gathered up his pack, partially blocking out Sindri’s counter arguments of leaving him to the human when Atlas felt the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. The two Borrowers were so preoccupied with speaking to one another that neither realized the human’s music had gotten closer and had suddenly stopped.
Instinctually, Atlas ducked and tumbled behind the nearest canned good just as the cabinet door swung open. Atlas could see every nerve in Sindri’s body shiver as he slowly turned around and backed himself further into the nonexistent corner of the jar. Atlas wished his lungs would stop burning with the urge to shout and his heart would stop making his ribs feel like they would break from the inside. It was a moment after light came flooding into the cabinet and an eclipsing shadow overtook the jar that this new human female spoke.
“Who were you talking to?” she asked, calm and cold like the winter air outside. Sindri kept his eyes forward, locked onto the human, as he slowly pressed his back against the glass and slumped back down to the bottom of the jar. It was clear he was having trouble breathing and controlling the shaking in his shoulders. Atlas heard a disappointed sigh from the human.
“Have you thought any more about my proposal?” The question lingered in the air. Proposal? Of what? Atlas knew better than to try and steel a glance at the human, but the temptation of seeing the loathsome human who had his friend captured and having that image burned into his brain was there.
“Well, let me know when you’re ready to change your mind,” she said and, with that haunting statement in the air, the cabinet doors closed. Atlas waited a solid thirty seconds before looking back to his friend.
“What proposal? What’s she talking about?” hissed Atlas, daring to kneel beside Sindri, who was still breathing heavily and trying to recover from the brief but mind-numbing encounter. The Borrower finally snapped out of his daze and turned to face his friend.
“Um… I… I’m not sure. She said something about Carolyn being sick, something about sugary, and that Carolyn wouldn’t be back for a long time. Atlas, she wanted me to go back and tell everyone and let them know. What if she finds a way to track me back to everyone? Now, I don’t know if she’s telling the truth or not, but…”
The Borrowers were interrupted by the most alarming and heart-stopping action that nightmares were made of – the cabinet door opened revealing both Borrowers.
Atlas immediately was on his feet, as was Sindri, as they stared into the massive, unblinking eyes of a human woman Atlas had never seen before and yet seemed so familiar.
That moment of eye-contact was all they had time for, however, as Atlas’ Borrower instincts kicked into high gear accompanied by Sindri’s shrill shout.
“RUN!”
Atlas, in a fraction of a second, turned on his heel and began sprinting as fast as he could through the cabinets to get to the next level up to escape. Just as quickly as his legs could carry him, however, was how fast the human could open the cabinets.
“Wait!” said the woman as each cabinet was thrown open. Atlas suddenly had a sinking feeling – he wasn’t going to make it to the next level. With all of the cabinets open, this new human would be able to clearly see him and block his escape. Instead, he tumbled low behind another set of canned goods, watching the remaining cabinets flood with light, as he clasped his hand over his nose and mouth to keep from breathing too loud. He was cornered now for sure.
“Don’t go. I just want to talk!” The woman sounded desperate. I’m sure you do. That’s why you have Sindri captured. He stumbled forward as some of the cans he was hiding behind began pushing to the back. They stopped after a fraction of an inch, but it was enough to keep Atlas’ body taut with tension and anxiety.
Atlas could hear Sindri shouting something or another, but the pounding of his heart made it hard to hear. The Borrower didn’t need to hear to know that eyes were scanning for him and his hiding place and he didn’t need to hear to feel that jars and cans were being rearranged on other shelves.
“Look, I just want to talk. You know Carolyn, right? The woman who lives here? I know you do. There were strings and wires and food left out everywhere. She had to know about you, right? Did you know she’s sick? She fell and is really hurt. Did you know that?” The woman’s questions revealed many dangerous things, each feeling like a gut punch.
She had already put together that Carolyn knew about Borrowers, putting the number of humans knowing about their existence at twice the danger level. What other evidence had she collected? She obviously had Sindri captured. Now, the only thing standing between this girl and revealing all of Borrower kind was a single picture.
The fear of their existence being outed was overwhelming; however, the mention of Carolyn being injured hit only slightly closer to home. Was Carolyn actually unwell? Hurt?
“Look, I just want to help you out. If you do know Carolyn, then you might want to see her if things take a turn for the worst. Just… can you just pass along the message to the rest of… whatever you are?”
Was it true? Was Carolyn actually hurt? And what if I agreed to take the message? What then? Would she go so far as to be willing to let Sindri go? Atlas glanced to the left back toward where Sindri was being held captive. She already knows we can talk. Sindri admitted that much, even if it was accidental. I can still get away… but that doesn’t guarantee Sindri’s safety.
Atlas had an idea – a crazy idea – but could think of nothing else in that moment to help himself and his friend. He removed his hand from his nose and mouth, calming his breath, before summoning the courage to shout from his hiding place.
“If I deliver the message, will you let him go?” shouted Atlas, who could already sense his friend shooting nails in his direction for breaking cover. The sound of her footsteps neared, the shadow of her head being dangerously close.
“That depends on whether you actually follow through or not,” replied the woman, her voice slightly softer than her initial cries for him to wait. “Although, I can’t know you’re telling the truth and you don’t know if I’m telling the truth, so it looks like we’re at an impasse.” Atlas knew his cover was blown but moving would be just as much of a gamble as staying. He had to try. Quickly and quietly, the Borrower snuck into the next cabinet compartment.
Instinctually and without even looking, he knew the new girl’s eyes were following him. The woman continued talking. “Look, I just want to know if you know Carolyn and if you want to say good-bye to her.” This statement made Atlas’ blood run cold, so much so that he had to take a pause at this statement. Is Carolyn in that bad of shape?
The Borrower, through his years, developed a keen sense of when someone was being dishonest with him and when he needed to cut ties and protect himself. Yet, in this moment, it sounded like this new human was telling the truth.
Another crazy thought filled his mind, and he didn’t like it one bit; however, it was certainly a way to help his friend.
“If…” Atlas clenched his fist, needing to take several breaths into his constricting chest before continuing. “If I stay, will you let him go? To deliver the message?” He heard more shouts from Sindri and there was a long, drawn-out pause before the woman responded.
“You could just deliver the message,” pointed out the woman. Atlas winced.
“True, but…” Atlas bristled. What am I thinking? What am I doing? What on earth am I getting myself into? “What if I don’t try to get away? What if, in exchange for me staying here - willingly, you let him go?” There was an eerie silence between the three of them. Sindri was silent because he was utterly stunned at the suggestion of staying with a strange human willingly. Atlas was silent at his own suggestion. The human, however, was hard to pin down, mostly because Atlas couldn’t see her expression.
The response, however, sent a chill down the Borrower’s spine. “Fine.” At the sound of her response, the sound of scraping cans being pushed to the side consumed his senses. He didn’t run. He couldn’t run. He needed to do this for Sindri.
Atlas felt every nerve in his body shaking as he stood from his crouch and turned around to see a pair of giant eyes looking at him, absorbing his form. Atlas had been seen by Carolyn before, but it was just as unnerving as being seen the first time. It had been so long since he had been seen by a new human, and it was only going to get worse from here.
~~~~~
Sindri ran as fast as he could, stumbling over a few of the cords he knew were there but was too frantic to remember. He couldn’t believe what he just witnessed. Atlas had willingly – WILLINGLY – been captured rather than deliver the message himself. All he could do was stand there on top of the fridge while his friend stepped into another jar that monstrous woman had on hand. While Sindri was grateful, he still thought it was a foolish maneuver on the Borrower’s part.
He scolded himself for being too stupid and careless going into Carolyn’s apartment, and even more so that his friend was currently in tremendous danger. Who knew what the human was going to do to him! Was it true she just wanted to prove Carolyn was ill to the point that she was willing to abduct someone?
There were so many ways to go about this, and Sindri could think of none of them as he finally made it back up to the others. His breath was shallow and his lungs burned, but he couldn’t stop. He had to go tell the others without inducing a mass panic. Trouble was, he could hardly keep himself from panicking. He needed to calm down and gather his thoughts – Atlas’ life could depend on it.
~~~~~
Atlas hoped his friend would make it back to the others safely. Based on the way he was climbing the rope – clumsily – Sindri would undoubtedly be shaking like a leaf in a windstorm all the way back. The trapped Borrower wondered what his friend would say to the others and, if he managed to make it home, whether the other Borrowers would still be there.
Unfortunately, he had other concerns at the moment. The primary issue being that he was currently sitting in a cage with chipping paint and odd stains in the corners. It was different than the jar and honestly a little bit of an improvement. The cage let him move around and climb so that, if he needed to, he could get to the latch at the top. The jar was exposed and slick while the cage had a base he could duck behind if he wanted.
Observing the new human, who still hadn’t introduced herself, left Atlas with some essential notes. For one, she didn’t seem too interested in Atlas himself or the Borrower race. She stared from time to time, but quickly looked away. Atlas suspected she felt awkward or possibly guilty about keeping a sentient creature hostage. The Borrower smiled at this thought. Serves her right.
Another observation further made him believe she intended no harm. Based on the fact she could’ve done something to both Sindri and him, there was only instinctual apprehension in being so close to a strange human; however, that didn’t mean she didn’t have plans for him.
One final, crucial observation though was that this woman, whoever she was in relation to Carolyn, trusted Atlas to keep his word. Yes, he was in a cage, but there were no ties, strings, or locks on the bars of the gate. The woman knew he could climb up to the cage top. She even watched him do it and made no effort to stop him when he wanted to test the boundaries.
The Borrower couldn’t deny it – he was intrigued – but not enough to want to willingly stick around. The big question still remained unanswered. Why was she keeping him in the first place? It would be a lie to say Atlas wasn’t at least, in part, curious as to why she insisted keeping one of the Borrowers. It obviously wasn’t for fame and fortune. Otherwise, she would have taken pictures. Was it really just to have one of them to check on Carolyn? The mystery was almost as unnerving as being trapped. Something needed to be done about it.
So, summoning his relative courage and rehearsing many times in his head prior, he waited until she came back into the room, broom in hand, and called out to her.
“Why are you actually keeping me?” asked Atlas. The Borrower could have asked any question and, if he was being honest with himself, this being the question he asked was a bit surprising. Still, getting to the bottom of it all was his primary objective. The thought of him being in more trouble than what he already was in made him mildly amused; so, why not answer one of the more pressing questions.
Evidently, the question also took the woman off guard as well as she looked over at him for only a moment before looking away, now avoiding his eye contact. There was a solid minute of silence as the charged question visibly rattled the human woman. It genuinely looked as though she didn’t know the answer to the question when she dared to meet his eyes again – and what was there surprised the Borrower.
Was it remorse? Sadness? Confusion? Defeat? Perhaps a mix of all of them. As quickly as her eyes fell on him, they darted away again, focusing on the floor trim instead of Atlas.
“Why?” she echoed airily. “Honestly? I… don’t really know.” Atlas felt his insides twist. She didn’t even know? What does that even mean? She had to know! His hands balled into fists.
“What do you mean you don’t even know?” Atlas demanded, ignoring the pounding in his chest and the very obvious fact that shouting at his captor probably wasn’t good for his health. “How could you not know? After you captured Sindri, you had enough time to think about why you were doing it.”
“Hey, ease up. Look, I get it. It was stupid, but…”
“No no! There is no ‘but’ about this. I mean really! What other justification could you have for locking up a sentient being like yourself. You said it was to pass a message to Carolyn from us to whomever else is friends with Carolyn, but that’s what you would’ve said when I asked you if that were the case.” Atlas wasn’t sure what possessed him to confront the human in such a way. He shouldn’t have tried to provoke her and could’ve taken a more delicate approach, but that would’ve taken time and danced around the subject.
These things were evident because the woman was quiet having listened to the four-inch figure berate her for her actions. Now, she looked more upset than anything, making Atlas feel the smallest bit of remorse and confusion.
“You’re right,” she muttered finally. Another wave of burbling confusion swelled in the Borrower as she continued. “I mean… you all must mean something special to Carolyn. Otherwise she wouldn’t have put up all of those strings and gave you easy access to the pantry. I guess… I thought… that… maybe, if I brought you to her, that she’d see me more favorably, you know? Like we had something in common by knowing about you.” The woman sat defeatedly on the couch nearby and tucked her legs to her chest, wrapping her arms around them and tucking her chin by her knees.
“Wait… wait… Carolyn doesn’t like you?” asked Atlas. Can’t imagine why he added silently. The woman shook her head. Another question bubbled to the surface of his mind attached to a vague memory of the woman. “Who is Carolyn to you?”
“She’s… well… she’s my grandmother, but we aren’t close. She didn’t like my mother and, according to her, I’m a ‘spitting image of her’.” The last part was almost spat out by the woman as she sighed. Atlas suddenly understood and it made sense as to why the woman looked familiar. It was years ago, but she came and lived with Carolyn when she was young. This was right after Atlas arrived actually and, if memory served, the woman wasn’t a poorly behaved kid. So, Carolyn doesn’t like her because she’s like her mother? Before he could engage further, feeling slightly calmer now, the woman reached out for the cage, moving much faster than he anticipated. Atlas took several instinctual steps backwards; but, to his surprise and relief, only the cage door was opened and no hand reached through to grasp him.
“Go on. Get out of here,” muttered the woman with a defeated sigh. Atlas’s brow furrowed as his head swirled. Was she joking? Teasing? What was going on in the human’s head?
“What? Why?” Those were the only two words he could utter.
“Look, I’m sorry. This was a mistake. Just another stupid goof on my part. If she hated me before, she’ll definitely hate me when she hears that I had you in a cage and your friend in a jar. Just… go on and get out of here. Sorry.” She ran her fingers through her hair, stood, and left the room, leaving the cage door wide open.
Atlas didn’t need to be told twice to make a hasty exit from his current confinement after retrieving his borrowing pack; but each bar he ascended left a growing pit in his gut. What was this feeling? Pity? Of all things? What are you doing? Feeling bad for someone who put you in a cage? Are you insane? Atlas scolded himself as he climbed to the top, swung his legs over the bar, and descended to the table’s surface. The Borrower just made it to the edge when he slowed and stopped – now unwilling to leave the table to retreat to the safety of the walls.
He did make a promise and, even if he wasn’t being held to it, he wanted to make sure Carolyn was okay. It would take too much time to go tell the others he was alright. Besides, the humans could travel quickly, right? They wouldn’t be gone long – he hoped so anyway.
The decision was made.
With a conflicted head and aching chest, Atlas sat on the table and played with the hook that guaranteed his freedom. Thankfully, he didn’t have to wait long to see the woman walk back into the room, rubbing her eyes. She looked just as surprised as Atlas felt at seeing him still on the table almost exactly where she left him.
“What’re you still doing here? You can go. I’m not making you keep your deal or promise or whatever. Oh… wait… can you not get down?”
“No, I can get down; and I figured as much,” replied Atlas. He sighed heavily and stood, placing his hook back onto his hip clasp. “Look, maybe – MAYBE – we got off on the wrong foot. I’m not happy with the whole jar and cage thing, but I hope you were serious about taking me to visit Carolyn and making sure she’s okay.” The woman partially scoffed and shook her head.
“So you can give a detailed account of what a horrible person I am? No thanks.”
“No, I promise I won’t mention it. Please?” coaxed the Borrower. The pair locked eyes for a split second. “Look. Let’s just start over. Yeah? My name is Atlas; and you are?” The woman eyed him, her eyes trying to gain some insight into the Borrower’s frame of mind and whether or not this was some kind of trick to work against her nonexistent relationship with Carolyn.
Finally, she responded. “Kimberly; or Kim if you’d like.”
“Nice to meet you Kimberly. Um… not to be too forward, but do you think we could go ahead and check on Carolyn?” Kim nodded.
“I guess now’s as good of a time as any. She’s supposed to be in surgery in the next day or two. Let me make a quick call and we can get going.” Kim left the room for a few minutes before returning. All the while, the Borrower debated his sanity even up until the point where Kim returned with her purse and keys.
“Dad says she’s awake and the doctors are allowing visitors, so we’re good to go. Um… how do you… I mean…” Kim’s hesitation was obviously because she wasn’t sure how Atlas wanted to be transported. Up until that point, Kim hadn’t actually touched or held a Borrower and wasn’t sure how to even broach the subject. Atlas, on the other hand, had been both held and carried by Carolyn and found Kimberly’s hesitation amusing. He was less apprehensive and chuckled at Kim’s hesitation and discomfort as well as his own nerves. He pointed to her purse to save her the trouble.
“That’ll be fine. Just don’t jostle it around too much,” he said. Kimberly nodded and approached the Borrower, hesitating slightly before kneeling as she opened the edges of her bag.
“Why’re you doing this?” she asked suddenly. Atlas stared at the cluttered purse he would be hiding in for only a moment before looking back up at Kim.
“Carolyn is my friend, just as much as Sindri or Ka… er… well… I want to make sure she’s okay. I mean, you’d check on someone you care about, right? So, I mean, you must care about Carolyn. Why would you go to all of this trouble otherwise?” replied Atlas. With that, he took one single reaffirming inhalation before leaping into the purse. Kim stood timidly, the Borrower’s words ringing in her head, and walked as though tiptoeing from a cloud.
~~~~~^*^*^*^*^~~~~~
Sindri didn’t mean to cause such a panic, but this is what occurred regardless. There were shouts from some to begin migrating while others immediately began drafting strategies to get Atlas back from the new human.
Arguments for moving the majority of the Borrower community should take priority and that Atlas, more often than not, spent a lot of time with Carolyn. Was it really so terrible if he spent time with this human? On the other hand, the Borrowers knew they needed to protect the secret of their existence and leaving Atlas would potentially be forfeiting the secret to the world.
Whoever she was – they knew they couldn’t trust her to leave them in peace for long. Now that another human knew the secret, they had to be as careful as they could moving forward. The question was this: what took priority? Protecting the entire community was there safe? Or rescuing one lone person who was being guarded by a human?
~~~~~^*^*^*^*^~~~~~
Atlas had never been in a car before but had heard of the trips that Carolyn took when she was younger. The vehicle was astounding, but also terrifying. The Borrower dared to step out of the confines of Kim’s purse to hop up onto the door and peer out of the window. It was astounding how fast the car moved so much so that it began hurting his head. How far the car rolled to simply get to the end of the street would take him, on foot, a single day.
The Borrower was amazed at the highway and how fast everything was moving as well as the hundreds of buildings they passed. Houses, restaurants, storage houses, and so many other buildings whizzed by in the blink of an eye. All of these things reminded the Borrower, truly, of how small he and the others were – and this was only the city they lived in.
Before he knew it, they were pulling into the hospital, a towering, menacing looking building illuminated against the cloudy sky. Atlas resumed his position back in the purse, maneuvering so he wouldn’t be seen but also not crushed. Kim offered some kind of reassuring smile before beginning her steady trek into the hospital.
Atlas couldn’t see well from where he was, but he could hear the people and the outside world. There was a lot of it. Atlas’s mind jumped between several worst case scenarios, but knew better than to let them distract his mind.
While Atlas worried about keeping his head level, Kim walked a fine line between having a complete panic attack and keeping calm. She wasn’t ready to go in and confess to her grandmother that she captured not one but two of Carolyn’s friends. She also wasn’t ready that morning to leave the house with a person in her purse; but there she was walking into the room not knowing what to expect from Atlas or her grandmother.
Her dad was standing at the door speaking with a few of the doctors. She gave a brief wave and touched his arm, to which he offered a thoughtful smile.
“Sorry, I don’t want to interrupt. I’m just going to pop in and see her for a second,” said Kim briefly. Her father nodded and continued speaking with the doctors. With a quick, reassuring breath, she opened the door and stepped inside.
The room smelled like the house and held a bit of a chill, specifically emanating from the elderly woman in the partially elevated bed by the windows. Her blond-white hair wasn’t its usual fluffed self. When Kim was young, she thought it made her grandmother look like a white tufted dandelion. Unlike the last time they saw one another, Kim’s grandmother looked slightly thinner than before, veins protruding from her hands and arms. Her age was truly reflecting in her face by the crow’s feet nestled in the corners of her eyes. The grandmother’s gaze found Kim immediately and her face was easy to read – she wasn’t happy seeing Kim.
“Hi Carolyn,” said Kim, daring to approach the bed. The older woman’s face pinched like she bit into a particularly tart lemon.
“Well, you’ve come all this way, so that’s something. No phone calls or cards or letters, but you came. Shame not everyone could make it,” Carolyn muttered. Kim knew immediately she was referring to Kim’s step-mother, a lovely woman who thought the world of her. Neither mother had ever earned Carolyn’s true affections, but that conversation would have to wait.
“Yeah, it’s a shame,” replied Kim shortly. Instinctually, her hand grasped the edges of her purse straps. “What else is a shame is the state of your kitchen.” Carolyn’s eyes flared in frustration, but something else that Kim wouldn’t have noticed before meeting Atlas – worry.
“You’ve been nosing in my things? You had no right! I told your father not to let anyone into the house. I just about had things the way I liked them and now I’m sure you’ve gone and screwed them up,” fussed Carolyn. The heart monitor she was attached to began to spike.
“Dad told me to go and make sure everything was set up for when you got home; and anyway, it doesn’t matter. I’m not really here to pick a fight or talk about the state of your house,” said Kim directly, feeling tension encasing her lungs and making her shoulders tight. It was hard to breathe calmly or to avoid snapping at the bedridden woman giving her a hard time.
“Oh? Well, goodie goodie. I’ll have to have a word with your father about this; and why are you here?” snapped Carolyn.
“Because someone else wanted to make sure you were okay.” Kim approached the bed, watching as Carolyn’s face fell into narrowed suspicion, confusion, and then to an angered panic.
“What did you do?” Carolyn’s voice held a slight tremor to it as Kim set her purse gingerly onto the end of the bed and laid it on its side.
Atlas, who had been keeping a low profile up until that point, couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Carolyn, who had always been warm and kind to him, was showing a complete bitterness toward Kimberly. Granted, Kimberly might not be Atlas’s favorite person in the world at the moment, but even he wasn’t sure she deserved this kind of brisk treatment.
Feeling the world turn suddenly after a mildly jostling ride was the least of his worries at the moment. For now, he needed to find out what was going on and ease the situation; though, he wasn’t sure how. He glanced at the door from the edge of the bag before stepping out onto the mattress. This room was just as large as the living area if not bigger, but what really held Atlas’s attention were the numerous tubes, wires, and bags hanging near the bed. Medicine was at a very basic level for Borrowers and seeing all of this made the four-inch-tall figure feel like he entered another dimension or science-fiction novel. It was a lot to take in, especially with Carolyn being hooked up to all of these beeping devices.
“Atlas?” Carolyn’s voice brought him back to the present. The Borrower smiled and began navigating the bed covers toward her.
“Hey Carolyn. You feeling okay? Kim said that…” But Atlas wasn’t able to finish. Carolyn instantly turned her attention from the advancing Borrower to the woman who brought him there.
“What have you done? How dare you catch him and keep him in that hideous bag of yours. You had no right…”
“Now wait a second, Atlas was concerned about you and asked to come,” interrupted Kim harshly. Panicked, Atlas did the only thing he could think of – shout.
“Hey!” Both pairs of human eyes snapped onto his form. “Sorry to be that person, but maybe we should keep our voices down. Your dad, Kimberly, is right outside and we don’t want them coming in here hearing raised voices.” Both women gave one another a bitter glare, Kimberly folding her arms defensively across her chest and Carolyn chewing her lip before looking down again at Atlas.
“She didn’t hurt you, did she?” asked Carolyn, naturally extending her hand and lying it palm down on the covers for Atlas to approach. Kimberly tensed and bit her tongue, wanting to make some kind of comment in her defense. Atlas had been formulating what he was going to say on the drive, but now that it was time and saw the dynamics between the two women, he didn’t want to make things worse. He didn’t want to lie because Carolyn would know instantly, but perhaps he could help neutralize the tension.
“No,” replied Atlas. Kimberly’s eyes darted over at the Borrower. “She just wanted to let us know that you were okay and needed to come here to get better; though I don’t really know what surgery is.” Carolyn’s eyes narrowed at Atlas before giving Kimberly another stern stare.
“So, you were just walking along when you were seen and just struck up a conversation?” asked Carolyn suspiciously. “Are you sure it didn’t involve a jar or…”
“Carolyn,” interjected Atlas. “Kimberly went to a lot of trouble she didn’t need to go through to make sure we knew you were alright. You know better than anyone it’s not easy to gain our trust.”
Kimberly was astounded at what she was hearing. Atlas had an open door to rat her out and yet kept quiet as he said he would. The young woman continued to hold her breath as Carolyn spoke with Atlas.
“You didn’t answer the question.”
“Like I said, she went to a lot of trouble,” argued Atlas. “Besides, that’s not the point of the visit. How are you? What exactly is surgery? Do you know when you’ll be back?” Carolyn answered each question, still seeming, in a way, guarded while Kimberly was in the room. Kim, not speaking for several minutes, excused herself to go to the bathroom.
While they had a moment, Atlas knew this would be his only chance to ask Carolyn a very important question.
“Carolyn,” Atlas braced himself now knowing he couldn’t turn back. “What’s going on between you and Kimberly? I know it’s not my business and you’re probably going to thump me for it, but what’s wrong? What did she do?” Carolyn stared out the window for a minute and avoided the Borrower’s stern gaze. “You promised to be honest with me when we first met. Come on Carolyn, level with me.”
“Atlas, you don’t know her like I do. She’s the spitting image of her mother. Impulsive, reckless, snobbish, and I don’t even know if she is my son’s daughter.”
“Carolyn,” Atlas scolded. “Look, I may not know her as well as you, but I do know she’s hurt by all of this. We’ve all got different personalities, and that’s alright. Look, she took a risk bringing me here and hoped that keeping this secret about us Borrowers between the two of you would give you something in common. As for the other thing, it shouldn’t matter. What matters is that, for better or worse, Kim is trying right here and now.”
Carolyn was quiet for only a minute before pursing her lips and, still looking as stubborn as ever, when Kim came back into the room. Kim had just made it to the end of the bed when the main door opened and the doctors and Kim’s father came into the room.
Atlas leapt into action and made a mad dash for Kim’s purse, realizing too late he might not make it; however, in a split second, Kim stepped to the side to hide the sprinting Borrower. He just managed to slide in and hide, heart racing, as the doctors began explaining how the next few days would work between recovery and the operation itself.
They listened patiently before Kim took up her purse and excused herself. Just before she left, Carolyn called out to her.
“Kimberly.” The young woman stopped and glanced over her shoulder. “Thank you for the visit.”
That alone brought the faintest smile to both Kim’s face and Atlas’s face. It wasn’t much, but it was something. With that, they left the hospital and began the trek back. The drive was quiet for the longest time before Kim spoke up.
“Thanks… you know… for not ratting me out,” said Kim. Atlas smiled and peered out of the purse.
“Thanks for helping me stay hidden,” he replied with a grin.
“Did… did you tell her? You know… to say thank you? I feel like you had something to do with it,” asked Kim. The Borrower smiled and shook his head.
“Nope,” he replied. “She did that herself. Looks like your visit may have paid off.” Atlas watched her roll her eyes and smile to herself.
“Right. We’ll go with that,” she said in a playful, sarcastic tone. “Thank you anyway.”
~~~~~^*^*^*^*^~~~~~
It was a painstaking process, but ultimately the Borrowers had a plan in place. The majority of Borrowers were taking their places packing and dispersing through the walls to migrate while the others prepared for a proper rescue mission. Hooks were sharpened. Lines were checked. Safety pins and bobby pins were ready for any lock they could imagine.
It was time. They were ready.
But as they were preparing to descend upon the human house below, the Borrowers were beyond surprised to see, of all people, Atlas climbing up the wall lines and walking up to them all. There was an intense chorus and bombardment of questions from everyone.
How did he escape?
What did she do to him?
Would they have to immigrate?
Who was this new person? And what was she going to do to them?
Most importantly – where was Carolyn?
Atlas spent time answering all of the questions thrown at him. He explained who Kimberly was and what she was doing there. He told them about Carolyn being in this massive place called a “hospital” and how he actually went with Kimberly to see Carolyn. He told them she would be home soon and that the new person, Kimberly, would keep to Carolyn’s calendar and leave them all in peace.
Though unsure, the community also knew migrating during winter was dangerous. Atlas offered to act like a liaison between Kim and the others to give them updates until Carolyn returned. They were apprehensive at best and tentatively agreed to remain as long as Kimberly didn’t go looking for them and returned a few of Carolyn’s accommodations such as available supplies and so forth, to which she agreed. While things were going to be different, but Borrowers were excellent at adapting.
Over time, Kim remained in the house and even spoke with a few of the other residents. Atlas made frequent visits and brought Sindri so Kim could properly apologize for the misunderstanding. Then, when Carolyn came home, Kim was invited to stay temporarily and tension was kept at a minimum. It was patchwork at best; but, in the end, they made due with their makeshift family.