#tinyperson

It was painstaking, but Soren was beginning to feel more secure about his family’s living quarters. He had moved them further into the barren halls between the walls past the rooms that smelled of litter and mothballs, but not as far as the human home he borrowed from. It made him uneasy to live so close to humans who he knew were going to be present. Even if it was a little colder, the halls of the empty rooms were far safer for his two younger brothers to speak freely. He had also managed to secure three days’ worth of food from picking up scraps of bread and a box of slightly stale raisins from behind one of the cabinets.

It also kept Brady busy. He was so paranoid that the cat would find its way into the passages between the walls that he spent most of his time guarding Soren’s brothers. This left all of the borrowing to Soren; and he was relieved that was the case. Brady’s incompetence had already forced one move, and he didn’t want another blunder so close to winter. It also gave Soren a chance to observe the humans in the other rooms.

He realized, after only two weeks of observation, that the rooms were sectioned off into things called “apartments.” It explained why the rooms belonged to some humans and not others. Still, it was easy to get turned around in the walls. It was Soren’s youngest brother, Rey, who came up with an idea to help them navigate. Rey suggested using thread to guide the way to different rooms. It would consume a lot of supplies, but using different threads to guide the way to different rooms was the smartest thing to do. As long as they held onto the line, they couldn’t be lost.

In order to do this, Soren would need thread – and lots of it. Based off of his observations, there was only one place he could go – and he didn’t like it. Soren prepared his bag, his hooks, and his needle. There were two outlets which led into a side room filled with paper scraps, scissors, and, above all, thread. Turns out the smelly cat lady worked with her nimble fingers with the thread to make clothes and crafts.

It was early in the morning when Soren prepared to set out. His brothers clung to his bag and begged him to take them along.

“We’ll be good and listen! Won’t we, Rey?” prompted Dorian. His younger brother nodded vigorously.

“Yes! We’ll be the best! Please let us come with you,” pleaded Rey. Soren smiled and ruffled his brothers’ hair playfully. It was long enough now that it covered the tops of his fingers completely. Unlike himself, his brothers took after his mother, kind and smooth faces round and ever smiling. Their eyes, pale blue and hair a light sandy brown, reminded him every day of the piece he wished he had. Soren took more after his father, Aaron. His features were thinner and flexible. His borrowing kept him strong; deceptively so.

“Not today bobbins,” he muttered. His brothers’ eyes twinkled at the mention of their mother’s affectionate nickname for them. “You have to stay put and guard the fort you never named.” His playful rebuke was enough to quiet his brothers. With that, he gave a simple salute and headed into the labyrinth of walls before him.

 The smell was overwhelming. Soren took a moment and breathed deeply to calm himself, but the stench only put him on edge. He knew he was fast. He knew he was flexible and could out-maneuver anything thrown or swung his way. Still, he didn’t want to test his abilities if he didn’t have to.

Soren listened carefully, refusing to breathe until he heard some sign of life. If he was right, the elderly human woman would be rustling in the kitchen in an hour or so with the cat begging at her heels. He had maybe two hours before needing to remain absolutely silent and undetected. Barely enough time and entirely risky.

He pushed the faceplate off of the electrical cords and stepped out into the human world.

It was always so vast and dizzying, the world of the humans. The tables and chairs towered above his head. The desks and trinkets were massive and often too bulky for a borrower. It took true ingenuity to even maneuver even the smallest of the human’s things for borrowing; but Soren had a clever mother and a determined father. They taught him many tricks, one of which was to find the piece which he and his siblings were called after so affectionately.

Soren, in a burst of speed, sprinted from the walls to the nearest wooden table. He swung his hook with all his might and watched the line fly from his hands. With a quick flick of his wrist, the hook twitched and lodged itself into the soft wood table. [Lodged on the first try.] Soren didn’t have time to celebrate as he climbed hand over fist until he reached the top of the table. He kept low, resting the entire front of his body on the table from behind the sewing machine. His heart pounded from the sudden burst of energy.

Just a foot from him rested a sewing box. Soren’s mother told him that it was a common place for humans to keep small supplies for sewing like needles, bobbins, and scraps of thread in the box. His heart stopped pounding and, after taking a breath, he stealthily crept to the box and forced the edges apart. Inside was a plethora of supplies, everything he and his family could use for months. Still, that wasn’t the borrower way. [Don’t take more than what you need.]

With a reluctant sigh, he pulled out two sewing needles from the strange, circular pack. He pulled out one of the bobbins which was filled with thread and found an empty one under one of the pin cushions. Soren grinned and placed the bobbins in his bag along with a few large buttons and the needles. Soren glanced around, satisfied with his borrowing.

That’s when he spotted it – a plastic bag filled with mismatched pieces of fabric and half-used thread spools. The scraps were unusable, barely two inches in any direction; at least, unusable for a human. The fabric would undoubtedly make better bedding and help line the floors and walls for insulation. There was an obvious problem. Moving fabric took time. Since the pieces were in a bag, all he would need to do was push the bag to the ground. Humans with pets often blamed their pets for things spilling and making their way under furniture. If he was going to attempt this, Soren would undoubtedly make noise – potentially summoning the cat.

He would have to be quick. Soren’s heart pounded in his chest. This was stupid. Beyond stupid. This is the sort of thing his parents would box his ears over. Should he wait? Should he abandon the scraps of the humans and the promise of warmth for his siblings? While he crouched by the sewing machine and pondered these things, he heard the soft jingle of a bell – the cat’s bell. He whipped around to see two enormous, fluffy paws cresting over the edge of the table and the tips of two ears in a chair nearby.

This was his chance.

Soren snapped his fingers, gaining the cat’s attention. Its ears twitched at the sound. Its nose and eyes peered over the table slowly, menacingly. It had caught scent of its prey. Soren watched the cat’s movements carefully. Soren’s father taught him that animals had their tells, and that a quick sway before a pounce the tell of a cat. Soren kept his body taut and prepared to leap. [Wait… wait… There!] The cat swayed once, twice, and then rapidly. Soren could feel the creature’s breath on his back as he leapt out of the way toward the plastic bag filled with scraps and thread.

He tumbled out of the way and was on his feet in a second. He grabbed the edge of the bag and rustled it.

“Come and get it fluffy,” he growled. The cat growled right back and swiped at him with its paws, but he was ready. The cat’s paw slashed at the bag, ripping it slightly. Several spools of thread began to slip from the holes. Soren didn’t have a moment to lose. He threw himself against the bag as the cat backed up and pounced again, this time tipping the bag onto the very edge.

With the cat’s back turned, Soren darted across the table to his rappel line. He knew the rope burn against his palms was going to hurt, but it was going to be alright. He seized the line and threw himself off of the table. The cat, in a spasm and flurry of movement, spun and kicked toward the young borrower. As it did, its back legs sent the bag flying off of the edge of the table and onto the ground.

Soren’s hand stung and burned as he reached the bottom. He couldn’t hold back now. He dared not hold back now. Soren pulled his hook free with a rapid thrash of his arm before he sprinted for his life toward the wall. He could sense the cat’s eyes searching for him, but he could sense something else. Tremors. Shuffling tremors. He knew what this had to be.

“Jaida? What are you doing in here Jaida?” the human’s booming voice, even elderly, sent chills up Soren’s spine. He forced his thoughts out of his head and threw himself into his instincts. He was now only inches away from the entrance into the walls. He dove, miraculously missing his head against the far wall. He whipped around and pulled the cover behind him just as he saw an illuminated eye peer at him, seething and hissing viciously.

“Now Jaida, you’ve gone and made a mess. Come along.” Soren listened as the cat growled in its master’s arms as the elderly lady shuffled away to put the cat in another room. Soren wanted to rest. He wanted to recover and sit for an age; but he couldn’t do that now.

Soren forced himself to his feet and peered out of the hole once again. He spotted the old lady and the cat leaving the room as she closed the door behind her. Soren could have sworn the cat made eye contact with him in a deep seeded hatred.

With the door closed, Soren slid back outside of the wall cover and to the bag of cloth scraps and thread. It took nearly thirty minutes, but Soren managed to pull out the necessary fabric and thread and pull them back behind the walls. Soren knew it was probably too much, but the lady was older and most likely forgetful. Soren had been told that older humans were often forgetful.

After his encounter, Soren took a moment on his pile of fabric. It was too close. Far too close. Soren couldn’t believe he had allowed himself to risk his life for some scraps of fabric. He laid back and stretched against the cloth. [It was soft, almost unbelievably so. Perhaps… for fabric this soft… it was worth it.]

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Kinnises are a species of tiny person I created for my first story universe under the alias of “Duscara.”

They are 15 times smaller than humans.

They all have dove gray ears like those of a mouse. Their ears both face forward and are higher up on their head than the ears of a human.

They all have a pink tail that is not scaly, slimy, hairy, or furry. Instead, it is smooth and thin. It emerges from where a human would have a tailbone.

Kinnises also have four wings like those of insects, resembling those of dragonflies the most. However, their wings aren’t 1:1 with any kind of insect. They emerge from the shoulder blades on their backs. Their wings are long like those of dragonflies, but unlike those wings, Kinnis wings can fold to line up with their backs, and their wings go down to their ankles when they do this. Doing this also makes the forewings cover the hindwings, as the latter are smaller, though not by much. This is kind of like the wings of bees. They have the same agility in the air as dragonflies, so they can fly backwards or upside down as well as in more “normal” directions. They can also hover.

Adult Kinnises are capable of flight. Ones that are still children are just capable of gliding and slowing their falls. Babies cannot do any of those.

They are capable of unfolding their wings without beating them. This is useful if they want to sit down.

When they are happy, their wings flutter. Their tails also emote like the tails of dogs, though they can do other things with them.

They also have a few innate, passive magic abilities. First, they are good at flying even though the human body is not a good shape for a flying creature. It gets stronger as they grow, which explains why kids can’t fly. It is reliant on their wings, so losing even one of their four wings makes it harder if not impossible for them to fly. Second, they are way better at generating body heat than people of their size should be. The third one is two abilities in one, both of which relate to talking to humans. The voices of Kinnises can be heard just fine by humans without needing to yell, and the Kinnis can hear humans just fine without them speaking softly.

Higgins Beach 100616. February 2021 By Sara Biron

Soren rested for nearly ten minutes before electing to get up and begin transporting the fabric scraps back to his family. He started with one of the heavier pieces, a soft, thick maroon fabric, and began the trek back. He rolled it up and placed it on his back. The path had become more familiar with time, but Soren knew he had to keep his head up if he didn’t want to get lost. After all, he hadn’t implemented Rey’s plan yet.

While he walked, Soren had a moment to think. If he remembered correctly, Brady had said he was going to make sure the cat couldn’t roam the halls; yet, Soren didn’t remember seeing him on his way to the apartment. This was a bad sign. Brady should have been either near the entrance Soren created or somewhere along the hallway.

Soren shook his thoughts from his head. Brady wasn’t brave enough to go out into the room on his own without backup. If Brady had gone out, he would have left the cover off or some other blunder obvious for even a human to notice.

“Soren!” The sudden, jubilant cry of his youngest brother, Rey, was enough to send his heart into a rapid shock which just as quickly dissipated. He could see his brothers’ round, smiling faces peering out from around the final corner. Soren had set very specific rules to make sure his brothers didn’t wander off. One of those rules were boundaries as to how far his brothers could actually travel from their cots; and they were almost at the edge.

Soren smiled but stared at them warningly. They knew better than to go beyond where they were told unless it was an emergency.

“Hey bobbins,” he said thoughtfully. “Look what I borrowed.” Soren tugged at the fabric on his back. Their eyes widened in wonder as they stood at the edge of the wall bouncing back and forth on their toes, eager to see what their brother had brought home.

“Ohhh! Wow brother! You’re the best! It’s so soft,” said Dorian in awe as he reached out and touched the fabric, squishing it between his fingers.

“Yeah!” Rey agreed while mimicking his brother’s movements.

“Okay, okay. Let’s bring it over to the pile,” Soren instructed. The youngest eagerly obeyed and took an armful of fabric, not caring part of it dragged the ground, and carried it to their supply pile. The middle child did the same. After they successfully carried the maroon cloth to their supply pile, Soren pointed back down the corridor.

“Hey, you two didn’t see Bra…er… your dad, did you?” asked Soren. The youngest two exchanged quick glances with one another before shaking their heads.

“No, he left this morning and said he was going to stand guard,” replied Dorian. “Why?” Soren, in a split second, made the decision to not worry them, but also to tell the truth.

“No reason,” muttered Soren. “I didn’t see him in the corridor and thought he might’ve gone back. He’s probably just further down and I didn’t see him.” A flicker of worry sparked in the boys’ eyes, but they trusted Soren and his instincts.

“Anyway,” continued Soren. “I need to get back. There’s more cloth than what I brought back and some special thread for navigation.” Rey’s eyes twinkled.

“You mean you’re going to use my idea?” he asked eagerly.

“Sure thing bobbin,” replied Soren. “Hey, do you two want to come with me and help bring back some borrowings?” The brothers’ leaped into the air cheering. They had never been borrowing before and this would be the first time, even if it was just gathering supplies with their brother.

Before they left their camp, Soren made them promise to listen to every command he gave regardless of how they felt and to be especially careful near the entrances. His brothers only had glimpses of the human world and possessed little knowledge about how to actually borrow – something Soren was slightly ashamed of. He knew he was young at the time, but Soren’s father, Aaron, and his mother, Emma Lee, had taken Soren out borrowing for the first time when he was Rey’s age. It was a risk, but Soren was glad he had the knowledge to protect himself and provide for his brothers.

His brothers agreed instantly and sprung at his heels like summer crickets. They were excited and nervous, two things Soren hoped would keep them on their toes. He followed the passages, ensuring his brothers memorized the way, before reaching the outlet. Dorian and Rey had been whispering excitedly up until this point. Now that the electrical cover was ahead, they seemed less certain, their steps faltering as they clung closer to one another.

Soren, seeing this, gave a reassuring smile. “It’s okay to be nervous and scared, but you can’t let that get to you. It’s that gut reaction that helps you make quick decisions. Turn your nerves into strengths.” The pair of twinkling, pale blue eyes blinked several times as they approached their eldest brother. They spotted the fabric a few feet away in the dust and plaster filled hallways and, in their moment of bravery, trotted up past their brother, being as quiet as they could, and began rolling up the fabric.

Soren watched, a smile curled on his lip, before glancing at the wall cover. [They’ll have to learn sooner or later. What if I didn’t take them out and just let them peer through? They’re young, almost too young, but… if something happened to me…] Soren could still see the jaws of the cat bared at him and feel its hot breath near his neck. He shuddered and shrugged it off. [They won’t be able to rely on Brady for any useful training. Guess that’s my job.] It was decided.

“Hey, do either of you want to take a peek into the apartment?” he asked. The brothers, who were quiet efficient at rolling up cloth, snapped their gaze from their current task to look at their brother, eyes wide with excitement but also hesitation.

“Yeah!” exclaimed Dorian, who Soren quickly gestured to lower his volume. “Oh, sorry.”

“Remember, we have to be quiet in the walls. In camp, we can talk normally. Here, we have to be a little more careful,” reminded Soren. Dorian nodded eagerly and was on his feet in an instant.

“I will. I’ll be the most careful! I’m ready.”

Rey, on the other hand, seemed less certain. He twiddled his fingers the way their mother used to when she was thinking hard about a problem, before nodding hesitantly. “I wanna see too.” Soren nodded once and approached the outlet.

“Now, what’s the most important thing right now?” he asked. An impromptu quiz never hurt him.

“Don’t be seen and don’t get caught. If that happens, don’t say anything no matter what,” answered Dorian with little hesitation. Rey, befuddled by the question, simply nodded an agreement.

“Those are all important, but that’s not completely the right answer,” stated Soren. “The most important thing right now is to check and make sure without a doubt that the room is clear of humans and animals. It’s kind of hard to see, so you have to listen.” The brothers watched as Soren pressed his ear against the cover and propped it open slightly. They held their breath and listened.

“What do you hear?” asked Soren. The brothers didn’t have a clear answer, nor did they have a guess. To them, it seemed quiet in the room. “You don’t hear the lady’s shows? You don’t hear her shuffling slippers in the other room? You don’t hear her cat pawing at the door?” Each prompt Soren gave seemed to make the sounds that much clearer. The brothers nodded.

“You heard all that the first try?” asked Rey. Soren’s lips tugged into a cocky grin.

“I’ve had a lot more practice than you little bobbins. Don’t worry, you’ll get the hang of it. For now, I can tell you there’s nothing in the room, but the old human will probably be back soon to clean up the mess her cat made when it was…” Soren hesitated, not wanting to tell his brothers about his close encounter with the cat. “Playing on the desk.”

Soren unscrewed the cover and pressed it open just enough to step out into the human world. Before he did, he paused and took a deep breath. He stepped out over the threshold of the wall and onto the ground. He motioned for his siblings to stay back. Soren didn’t doubt his senses, but he wanted to ensure his brothers’ first steps outside the wall were safe. He checked on one side and then the other. He stayed crouched and low. When he saw the coast was clear, he motioned them forward.

Dorian stepped out first, checking from side to side just as Soren did. Rey followed close behind, slightly clumsier though. Their eyes widened as they stared up at the vastness of the human world. Everything enlarged and out of reach. Soren could see they were beginning to get overwhelmed. Reassuringly, he reached out and grasped both of their shoulders.

“I get it’s overwhelming,” said Soren, keeping his voice low. “But you’ll get used to it in time. I’m still getting used to it honestly.” The smile on his face did reassure his brothers. The moment reminded Soren of when he finished his first borrowing trip and the look on his parents’ faces. The nostalgia was momentary, but much needed. It also reminded Soren that, sooner or later, his brothers would need to start their training – and that he was already behind.

They elected not to walk around the room, much to Dorian’s dismay, and proceeded back into the walls. They collected the fabric and, after a few trips, managed to bring everything back to their camp.

While his brothers organized the fabric and picked some out for themselves and their beds, Soren began constructing training regiments for his brothers. He couldn’t call himself a decent older brother if he couldn’t prepare his younger brothers to survive in a world full of humans.

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Higgins Beach 102520. February 2021 By Sara Biron

Surfer at Sunset, Higgins Beach. September 2020 By Sara Biron