Chapter 13

It's almost evening. Sho was experiencing a mixed of emotions. He felt nervous and excited at the same time. In less than two hours, he and Spiller will be on a "mission". They will visit the Borrowers and create a plan for visiting Freyja. He didn't have much sleep last night because of Spiller's appearance in his room. But, it was completely okay for him. The Borrowers' future is much more important at this time.

He was spending time with Niya in their lawn. The cat was also enjoying this moment as much as he did. He then talked to Niya randomly.

"Niya, I will have to thank you for all you've done. You are very helpful with the Borrowers. I will always take care of you."

Niya responded with a yawn and then licked his hand. Sho smiled and was extremely grateful for the cat. After a few more minutes, Haru called Sho for dinner. He and the cat immediately went into the cottage.

While eating, Haru could not help but express her emotions.

"Sho-san, I have respected the Borrowers since I came to realize they were like us, humans. But, I am also anxious and worried about what's happening. Please take care of yourself while you do what you have to do."

Haru's expression was really worried. Sho looked at Haru and smiled with confidence before responding to her.

"Don't worry, Haru-san. I will be okay. I can't let the Borrowers suffer more. Now that we know the solution to all these problems, we better work it out. Everything about the Borrowers is overwhelming to digest because this is not normal. However, I also came to realize that there are more things we are not aware of in this world that exist. It's very interesting, and it did change my life."

Haru looked at Sho's eyes, and they are full of passion and determination. Haru felt a little less worried now. Sho was a quiet man, but he was deep, kind, and determined. He clearly had goals in life.

"Okay, I should be packing some food after this then. I know it will come in handy," Haru said jokingly to change the serious mood.

"You should!" Sho responded energetically.

After dinner, Sho went up his bedroom and pack the things he will need for the "mission". Niya was also there. Every time he looked at his cat, he felt stronger and more determined. He understood that the cat also wanted to help.

7pm

It's time. Sho calmly went outside the cottage and bid goodbye to Haru. Of course, he was already carrying his pack with the food that Haru prepared. He was walking along the street with Niya. The cat was tied with a pet lanyard, which Sho was holding.

When they reached the mansion where the Borrowers lived, Sho stayed hidden. He unpacked his backpack and got a green stone. Niya was just watching beside him. The stone was not ordinary. It was glowing and looked really magical, with an abstract pattern printed on it. He placed the stone in his palm and closed his eyes. He thought about sad memories that would make him cry.

When tears started falling down his cheeks, he made sure the stone would get a drop of the tear. It was how you can activate the stone - it contains powers that humans never imagined before. Sho clearly remembered what Spiller told him about the stone.

"Take this stone of tears. Freyja gave it to me. It is a symbol of the sufferings of the Borrowers, and it is very precious to us. I am giving this to you, so you can use it on our mission later. The stone has the power and ability we need to complete our mission.

I will go to the mountains and find the place we will meet Freyja with later. Use the stone to contact me. Just dropped a tear on the stone and say my name. This will activate it. But remember, your tears should come from a memory with deeper emotions. When you reach the mansion, contact me and I will tell you further instructions."

Sho was remembering the time when Arrietty got almost killed by a frog because she wanted to see him. It was painful for him, and he felt extreme guilt. He cried effortlessly by just thinking about that.

When the stone felt Sho's tears, it felt different on his hands. It suddenly became hot, and Sho understood it's time he said Spiller's name.

"Spiller."

"Sho!" Spiller then shouted in Sho's mind.

Sho now opened his eyes and saw that the stone was glowing with glitters now. Niya was just yawning, and he noticed that the cat seemed undisturbed with the glow. Sho then let his thoughts go back to Spiller.

"Spiller, I am here at the mansion. How are you doing?"

"I am fine. I just reached the place. I will have to explore it first and see what I can find. Are you ready?"

"I am."

"Let your cat lick your palm. It does not see the stone. Let it lick it so it connects its mind to the stone."

So, that's the reason for Niya's unusual reaction. It didn't see the stone and its glow.

Sho let Niya licked the stone. The cat then just stared blindly at him for a few minutes. Then, it went running away to the Borrowers.

"Sho!"

Sho got startled. His mind way suddenly focused on Niya running away.

"Spiller, what happened to Niya?"

"I asked it to find Arrietty and deliver a message from me. You will know when you see Arrietty."

After a few minutes, the cat came back, and Arrietty was on its back. Sho and Arrietty stared at each other for a moment before Arrietty said something.

"I can't believe it," Arrietty looked overwhelmed.

"You know?" Sho asked.

"Yes, I even talked to Spiller through Niya. He was like in Niya and mine's minds."

The stone then moved like it was vibrating. Both Sho and Arrietty heard Spiller's voice again.

"Sho. Arrietty. Free your minds with worries. I will be doing something that you have not seen before. Will you trust me?"

"Yes!" Both of them responded in chorus and prepared their minds.

"Close your eyes and focus on something important in your minds."

Sho and Arrietty did, and they both focused on each other. They then felt cold and light, as if they were flying. After a few moments, Spiller spoke again.

"Open your eyes now."

Sho slowly did, and he could see Arrietty also opened her eyes in front of him. This time, he could closely see the small details in her face. She even looked slightly smaller than him, like around 2-3 inches.

Wait! Did Arrietty become taller?

Sho immediately looked around and saw tall and colorful trees - no plants! He stared at Arrietty who was also shocked!

"Sho... you're..."

Yes, he became small! He looked like a Borrower now!

Sho looked at Niya, and the cat was just laying at a side, looking tired. It was only literally looking down at them.

Sho didn't know what to feel and how to react. He was so small that everything around him seemed so tall. Now he understood what a Borrower feels around their surroundings.

"Sho..." Arrietty called him with worries on her face.

Although Sho was still in shock, he stared at her face and felt passionate about and in love with her?

He slowly walked towards her and stopped at a close distance, just a few inches away from Arrietty. Now, their faces are really close.

"Sho..." Arrietty suddenly became very passionate as well.

"Arrietty..." Sho said with full of emotions.

He slowly reached her face and touched it. It felt really soft and warm.

"So, this is how you feel up close," Sho said intimately.

Arrietty just smiled and closed her eyes. She was feeling the warm touch of Sho's hand. After a short moment, Arrietty felt the touch of Sho's soft and warm lips on hers. His kiss was so gentle and careful. His other hand wrapped around her back for support.

She responded intimately, too, as she touched his waist. The kiss went on, and it felt really good, warm, and passionate. It was a moment both waited for so long.