His name is Dreadful

~To have a Son~

Pod had often wondered what it would be like to have a son.

He loved his little Arrietty dearly, and wouldn't trade her for the world, but to be perfectly honest, it was hard raising a daughter.

Especially being a Borrower.

If he'd had a boy, they would have started borrowing much earlier than when he started Arrietty, and maybe a son would have listened better when Pod told him not to get out of sight, or not to go outside, or never to talk to Beans….

But that hadn't happened, and no amount of 'what-ifs' would change the present.

And Pod, being the adaptable creature he was, didn't think his current situation bad enough to warrant any wishes for anything else.

He was happy to have a daughter.

Overjoyed in fact.

She was a tough girl, well-learned (the fact that she could read and write set her miles ahead of him), and had a good head on her shoulders, despite her occasional bout of irrationality which Pod supposed she got from her mother.

But still… occasionally, when Arrietty was growing up, Pod would stop and daydream about what life would have been like with a boy.

And somehow, while Arrietty was growing up, it had never crossed Pod's mind that someday a boy could join the family.

There were other things to worry about when you were living under the floorboards aside from marrying off your children.

And by the time Arrietty was talking, there weren't any other Borrowers in the house anyways, and there wasn't reason to think that that would ever change in Pod's lifetime.

So Pod had come to terms with the fact that his daughter would never have a family, and he would grow old with no one but his wife and daughter to keep him company – and that was only if the Beans didn't find them first.

They were all there was of their family, and there wouldn't be any more.

But then a funny thing had happened: they were tossed out of their home, into the wild wood, with just the clothes on their backs and a few bits and bobs and little food, and Pod had found something out in those woods that he never would have thought, in his wildest dreams, to find.

He found a son.

Truthfully, Pod's first introduction to Spiller was anything but pleasant – he didn't quite know what to make of the grubby borrower-boy, and he was too busy worrying about his daughter to spend long trying to figure him out.

However it didn't take long for that first impression to change. The more he saw of Spiller, the more Pod began to realize certain things: Spiller was smart, Spiller was brave, Spiller was calm, Spiller was respectable, Spiller knew about cover and what to borrow and how to use things - Spiller was every whit what a Borrower aspired to be.

And Spiller was every whit what Pod would have hoped for in a son.

But Spiller was also hard to pin down, and could never be anticipated – you never really knew when he was going to leave, or when he'd turn up, or how long he'd stick around, or how long he'd be away.

Pod could sympathize with Arrietty every time Spiller left; he could tell she was much attached to him, and very lonely when he wasn't around, and Pod could never really comfort her right when Spiller left, because he was just as confused about the wild Borrower as she was.

Because Spiller would never just tell you anything.

The boy hated questions – everyone who knew him knew that – and yet questions surrounded him, and the very thought of him would conjure up a whole slough of them for the Clocks.

Did he like them? Did they bother him? Did he worry about them when he was away? Did he know how much they worried about him?

Did he have a longing somewhere in him to return to them after journeying?

Did he ever consider their home his?

Did he ever think of them as family?

Pod had thoughts of telling Spiller all these things; just casually, somewhere in the conversation, saying 'Spiller my boy, if it's all the same to you, why not just call yourself a Clock and join us?'

But of course he never did.

And so it surprised him to realize one day that, well, it almost could be that easy; he almost could one day just decide to become a permanent member of the family, and have it bind.

And he only realized this thanks to his daughter.

It wasn't until she mentioned, high in the air aboard a homemade hot-air balloon, that she wanted to someday marry Spiller, that Pod even realized they were no longer under the floorboards and she could one day marry at all.

And then to realize that, after all his day-dreams and night-time ponderings, he really could have a son, and not just a son but the kind he always wanted… Pod couldn't even think of words to say on the matter.

And the fact that his dearest Arrietty had made the choice herself only made him prouder of her.

She had said she wanted to tell Spiller about it all, and Pod had almost hoped she would tell him right when they got back; but circumstances being what they were, the opportunity never showed, and Pod began to fear that she had forgotten it.

And then she went and revealed her secret of having talked with Miss Menzies, creating another perilous situation for the Clock family and getting her all upset in the process, and Pod realized that at this point the right moment might never show.

So he jumped on the chance to go help Spiller with his moorings, and decided to take a risk on his daughter's (and his own) behalf.

"Spiller", he said, cautiously, as the young man checked the rope on the boat, "There's more to this 'talking with Beans' issue than I told to Arrietty. I'm not just worried about our family now, I'm worried about her future."

Spiller continued to peer closely at each nook and cranny of the boat, fiddling with things here and there, but Pod could tell he was listening.

"See, I'm afraid of what she'll be like when she's not around us anymore – when she's got her own family."

Spiller stopped his fidgeting, and Pod could see him outlined in the darkness, listening but still not looking at Pod.

"She's a hard one to keep track of, and she's got a mind of her own, but she's got a heart of gold, and those she loves, she loves very deeply."

He watched the young Borrower intently, but he could decipher nothing of what the other was thinking.

"Spiller, I've got to be frank with you, no sense keeping secrets. Arrietty was going to tell you herself, only I think she forgot. You see… well, it's like this: Arrietty reckons that when she gets older… she wants to marry you, Spiller."

Spiller did turn sharply at that, staring at Pod with a reserved face but very, very intense eyes.

It caught Pod off guard.

"You understand what that means Spiller; it's a big responsibility, and I can't trust it to just anyone."

Spiller said nothing, only continued staring at Pod, the moonlight making his eyes shine.

"But you'll also see, that there's no one I'd feel safer entrusting her to, so long as you'd be willing to take the risk, and take care of her the way she needs… and deserves."

There was silence, and Pod couldn't help but grow nervous. Perhaps this was one of those times where Spiller would act unexpectedly – do something unpredictable and enigmatic, like push off in his boat and never come back.

But Pod wasn't content to leave it at that, with Spiller calling the shots of the situation. He was the man of the house after all.

He just hoped he wasn't pushing it too far.

"Spiller, forgive my asking, but as her father, I demand to know: what do you feel for Arrietty? Would you want to marry her?"

Not a word was spoken for minutes, but Pod knew to wait.

He had thrown the hook in, and it was now Spiller's choice to either take it, or swim away.

And Pod was eternally grateful that he chose the former.

"I've met a lot of Borrowers – them's everywhere, if you know where to look. But I've never met one like Arrietty. Don't think they come like her."

There was silence again, but Pod waited. He knew there would be more if he waited.

"I never did hold with company before your lot." He turned towards the water, gazing out into something Pod couldn't see. "If you want to know why, then that's more than I can tell you. I don't understand it meself."

Pod waited with baited breath; Spiller either answered you straight, or in circles. They were currently on the longer path, but Pod knew that if he was patient, he'd get to the answer eventually.

Spiller continued staring out at the water as he said "While you lot were gone all those months… I felt it. Wasn't sure what it was, but I felt it – felt something. It wouldn't leave me be, and when I couldn't shake it I was right miserable. Then having you back, I felt it different, but just as strong. That hasn't happened ever, so whatever it is, I think it's something special. And Arrietty… I feel if she were to ask for a bit of moonlight, or the shine on the water, or the first rays of dawn in the morning, I'd borrow it all for her, tied up in a sack. If she wants to marry me, then that's fine - I'll start makin' ready."

He turned suddenly, staring straight at Pod with a grave look in his eyes that Pod had rarely seen.

"But you can be sure, I wouldn't let nothin' bad happen to her, not now or ever. And I won't hold neither for lettin' her keep putting herself in danger like this, talking to Beans – not when I'm responsible for her; not so long as she wants me to be."

Pod could barely contain his smile as a wave of love and appreciation rushed over him for this boy, and he found himself saying, before he could stop "Spiller, I'm very glad to know you, and I'm very proud of you. As proud as ever a Borrower could be of another," he paused, and then with conviction said "as ever a father could be of a son."

And Spiller, as usual, did something wholly unexpected.

He smiled.

Not his usual teasing grin, but a real, genuine, happy smile.

Later that same evening, as Pod had shared his concerns with Arrietty about her dangerous habit of talking to humans and Arrietty had to promise to stop despite her heartbreak, Pod had been grateful for the support of Spiller, whose steady presence ensured to Pod that the boy had meant every word he said back at the boat.

And when Spiller had made the surprisingly rash act of volunteering to talk to Miss Menzies for Arrietty, Pod suspected that the 'feeling' Spiller had talked about ran deeper in fact than the young Borrower realized.

And so they all moved on in life and moved to new homes, and Spiller and Arrietty grew up and grew closer, and they kept their promises to each other and made new ones together, and with time Pod forgot his daydreams of having sons.

He had a lovely daughter who craved the woods and adventure, and loved her family with all her heart.

And he had a son-in-law who had made that family his own.