Two Tiny Buddies

Meeting (Prolouge)

Years back, a 5-year-old boy named Robert and his family moved into an old house in a small town. While exploring his new room, he came across two young 'Borrowers.'

After the family was settled in, 5-year-old Scratch and Dart decided to go exploring. One room they wandered into had a young human boy with very dark brown hair; the boy was investigating the room, they assumed, so both young borrowers sat on the shelf they were on. While watching, Dart started getting antsy and tried standing up, but ended up losing his balance and falling over the edge!

Scratch reached to grab him but ended up going down with him!

They land in a box beneath the shelf.

The movement caught the attention of the human. He walked over, he looked into the box and sees two boys, about the size of his pinky finger (1 inch/2.54 cm), looking up at him with wide eyes. They are shaking like leaves and almost in tears, yet they also have curiosity in their eyes as they look up at him.

The boy didn't look very scary, aside from his size, he seemed more curious about them, as interested as they were about him. Suddenly the boy reaches a hand into the box, putting his hand, palm up, next to them. They were surprised when the human didn't just grab them like they expected. They looked curiously at the palm in front of them, then at the human, then each other. Nodding their heads, they climb onto the hand, deeming it safer than staying in the box.

When the two boys climbed on his hand, Rob was amazed by how light they were. Then again, what else would he have expected? Rob slowly lifted his hand, with the boys, out of the box. He walked over to a corner where they were hidden from sight if his mom or dad came in.

After sitting down, the human placed Dart and Scratch on his knee, leaning back against the wall. The three sat there for a while before the human broke the silence,

"So, what are you? I've never seen anyone so small before, are you humans or something else?" Asked the boy in a quiet, curious voice.

"Um...well we don't actually know, we've heard the term borrowers before," started Dart.

"but we prefer to be called by our names," finished Scratch.

"What are your names?" Rob asked,

"I'm Sarae, but you can call me Scratch," said the taller one with sandy blonde hair.

"And I'm Drake, but my friends call me Dart." Says the shorter one with brown hair.

"Cool names! I'm Robert, but most people Rob. So, where do you two live, somewhere in the house?"

"We did, but most of our stuff was destroyed when the exterminators were here a few days ago. We still have some things, but most of it is gone," Scratch says, looking down at his feet.

"Oh, I'm sorry..." his expression was sad for a moment, then unexpectedly, lit up with excitement.

"If you want, you can stay with me. You can bring any belongings that are still ok, and you can set up a room under my bed or something," said Rob excitedly.

"You would really do that for us?" Scratch asked, looking up at the human,

"Of course, you're my friends. Why wouldn't I?"

Dart and Scratch look up at him, "we're your friends?" Asked both Dart and Scratch together,

"Well yeah, of course, you're my friends. Why would I invite you to stay with me if you weren't?" He says with a cheeky smile.

"It's just, our parents always said that humans were cold and cruel to people like us. I was just wondering if this was some kind of sick joke," Scratch says. Making direct eye contact with Rob,

"Well, I can assure you that this is no joke; I promise that I will never do anything to you or make you do anything that you don't like or want. I will be kind to you for as long as you choose to stay with me," Rob says, offering a hand to the tiny boys on his knees.

Dart and Scratch hop on, and Rob brings them up to his chest, holding them in a light hug. After staying like that for a moment before he lets them go and get their stuff.

An hour later, Scratch and Dart's room was set up in a mouse hole that opens into Rob's bedroom. That first night, Dart and Scratch slept in Rob's shirt pocket, enjoying the soft warmth that their living bed emitted. All three boys slept the best they had in years.

To be continued...