Recondite (Novella)

Chapter 5

Ty had absent-mindedly put up the vacuum cleaner and gone to his room, his thoughts whirling. Had he sank so deep in his grief that he thought he had seen his old friend? Was he insane? He had to be. Tiny people didn't exist!

'Aunty Janet swore she saw tiny people,' Ty realized, opening his eyes to the ceiling. He was laying on his bed, the covers rumpled beside him and wearing loose pants, but no shirt. Surprisingly he wasn't cold, despite the chilly air of nighttime. 'She told Tyler to leave that dollhouse out for them... But he looked and saw no evidence of their existence... Only mice-'

 That was when the gears in his alert mind turned.

 'What was that little guy doing in the living room anyways? Was he hunting for food? Is that what's making off with those small portions and pieces of meals?' A pang of sympathy cut through Ty, and he took a deep breath, listening to his breathing and the faint crickets chirping. 'He looked starved... Must be hard, all by himself with no one to have help from.' He was still for a moment, then turned over in bed and reached for his duffle bag, unzipping a pocket and pulling out a bag of chips.

Another thing was making Ty feel guilty as he popped a chip in his mouth and chewed thoughtfully-- The way he had reacted. It was normal to him how he had felt, but he couldn't even imagine how frightened Adam was-- whether it was his Adam or not. The fear in those eyes... Fear of him... It hurt Ty like a blade to the heart. The little borrower was just so helpless, incapable of fighting his way out despite how well toned his muscles were. Sure he wasn't John Cena muscles but if he were normal sized, he would probably be able to kick Ty's a** no problem.

A few hours over time and Ty found his eyes fluttering, the chips at his side as he wavered. He slowly closed his eyes, embracing sleep as he started drifting. But it only felt like a few seconds when he suddenly heard a small rapping noise, and his eyes blinked back open. The little noise continued, and he turned his head, squinting at his blurry vision from being tired.

He could see a little tiny figure outside his window, rapping its fist on the glass as if he were merely knocking on a door; it was Adam.

Startled, Ty jumped back, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. He noticed Adam flinch, but he didn't run away like last time. Reminding himself of the borrower's perspective, Ty slowly swung his feet over the side of the bed and crouched down, well aware of how much he loomed over the tiny human-like creature. Swallowing nervously, he slowly reached out and unlocked the window, sliding it open with a scratchy squeak that made both him and the borrower flinch.

"..." Ty stared down at the tiny human, his mouth open as breathed softly, seeing his breath stir Adam's curly hair a little. Adam looked tense, as if ready to flee, but at the same time looked curious.

Curious was good.

"... I'm sorry." Adam had looked down at his shoes, but now jerked his chin up in surprise, meeting the large human's eyes. 'He's sorry?' Adam wondered. Ty cleared his throat, looking away. "I-I'm sorry I-I uh, k-kinda just g-grabbed you..." He explained awkwardly, lowering his head a little like a scolded puppy. It was unbelievable. It gave Adam a different perspective on humans than what he had been taught.

One that kept him from running away.

"... I-It's f-fine." Ty's eyes strayed back to Adam, the large brown eyes meeting the smaller and more gold-tinted ones. Adam lifted his chin, standing more upright. "Y-you didn't know any b-better... R-right?" He dared to question. Ty turned his head back to Adam and nodded slowly, exhaling slowly in relief. His breath was warm and minty to Adam, oddly soothing.

"Y-yeah," Ty assured. "I-I was really surprised... But there's no excuse for just dangling you like that..." Then he blushed a little in guilt. "I-I didn't hurt you d-did I?" Adam shook his head, shuffling his feet as he stood on the window sill, the cold metal under him making him chilly.