A Tall and Small Collection | S2

Moving into the Unknown

Soren admittedly felt slightly uneasy climbing into the much smaller box on top of the immense plastic crate holding the items the Borrowers had collected these past few years. He knew Ashlynn was going to step carefully and that it was only a temporary arrangement until they arrived at the car or when they needed to hide. Still, willingly stepping into a lidded container felt unnatural.

Mayzie didn't seem to mind though, which was probably the most important aspect of this trip. She held her bunny close and toddled from one side of the box to the other while Soren, Dorian, and Rey did one last run through of the apartment before heading back. Finding nothing else in their halls and rooms they made a home, the Borrowers stepped into the hard plastic box.

"Ready?" asked Ashlynn before daring to stand up. Soren glanced up and nodded as he sat down and placed Mayzie in his lap for the transportation portion of the ride.

"Ready!" called Rey. "Let's do this!" With one final nod from Dorian, Ashlynn carefully closed the lid, leaving the edge open, and carefully stood, keeping everything as level as possible.

"Moving," she warned as she began walking across the floor. Ashlynn could only imagine what it was like to see from their perspective. What was it like seeing a single step? Was it jarring? Did her even and seemingly gliding steps have a rhythm which was unsettling? Or had the Borrowers simply become accustomed to the motion because of their size?

Whatever the case, Ashlynn made sure she moved slower than normal and shuffled her feet rather than stepped. Even if Soren, Dorian, and Rey were used to her movements, she dared not upset Mayzie. She crossed the living room and slid out of the front door before walking across the lawn to her car. She placed the larger tote in the backseat and carefully placed the smaller one into the front seat.

"I'm locking everything up. I'll be right back," she said before closing the door with a harsh push rather than letting it slam.

The Borrowers, on the other hand, hardly knew Ashlynn was moving. They felt a couple of jostling motions and felt the box tilt slightly only once before they heard Ashlynn shut the vehicle door. This would be their first car ride, and Rey intended to make the most of it.

"This is exciting," he said eagerly as he dared to stand up and walk over to the slightly propped open lid. He grasped onto the side and lifted himself up slightly to peer out at the seat they were placed in.

Already, he caught a glimpse of a massive stick in the middle and grates further up that were probably the source of air. Rey had no idea how such a device worked, but he was eager to learn. He started to lift himself further out of the container when he felt something bap at his boot and tug downward.

"Get down. You don't know who might walk by and see you if you go out there," scolded Dorian. Rey wrinkled his nose and folded his arms across his chest.

"You are not the boss of me, and Ashlynn said no one was left in the neighborhood. Who's going to see us if no one is left in the neighborhood? Seriously Dorian, chill out. Nothing is going to happen. Come on! You should be getting excited! We'll get to meet new Borrowers, climb new walls, investigate new places to live. You're acting like we've been captured and are being taken to a lab or something," retorted Rey.

"Hey you two. Ease up. This is going to be a long day for all of us," interrupted Soren as Mayzie pushed herself up for the dozenth time already and walked across the box from one end to the other with her bunny before sitting back down in Soren's lap.

"Yeah, ease up, Dorian," muttered Rey as he went back to lifting himself part way out of the box. A sudden knock on the window set all of the Borrowers on edge. Rey immediately jumped down and crouched as a shiver of adrenaline shot through all of them. They held their breath for a moment before the car door opened and shut.