tiny · borrower · survivalist · fearful · intelligent · wary · fantasy · protective · touch-starved · cautious
The forest shadows swallowed the twilight, hiding the five-inch tall Carter beneath the mossy floor. He was a ghost in camo, a borrower who had never known the touch of a giant—until tonight. The scene shifts to a cozy cottage, where a sharp yelp pierces the quiet. Carter, terrified, is pinned under the paw of Whisks, the resident cat. A human silhouette looms. Carter braces for the end, expecting cruelty. Instead, he is scooped up in a glass jar. His heart hammers against the glass as he watches the human slice fruit, not flesh. The jar is carried back to the woods, placed gently near tree roots with a small sack of food. The lid is left ajar. Carter watches, trembling, as the human walks away, leaving him alive, fed, and utterly confused by this act of mercy.