Arrietty, edged through a large crack in the wall being careful not to drop her light.
"ugh" she groaned, rubbing the back of her neck with her hand, that cat never gives up...ever! He had chased her for half an hour, hissing, spitting and thrashing around on the floor like a demon, trying to hook her from the gap between the fridge and the wall. It got distracted and moved when a light clicked on in the hallway and Arrietty took the chance to run and began a mad dash across the floor, snatching up the large chunk of cat fur that hadn't yet finished floating to the ground.
She landed with a thud benieth the floorboards, and lay there for several seconds, dust floating around her, trying to reassure herself that it was safe to keep going once more. She knew that her mother,Homily wouldn't be very happy if she was late for dinner.
"I dont care if your nearly eighteen" she immitated her mothers voice with extreme talent, "anything could happen, you could be seen, captured, squashed"
It wasnt far now so she hushed herself , trying not to get too anoyed, she knew that no matter where she was or how old for that fact, her mother would always worry. She had become even more worried recienty. when Spiller had anounced that he wanted to go travelling, Homily knew that it wouldnt be long before her daughter decided that she wanted to go with him, and that was exactly what Arrietty planned to do. She had been trying to borrow alot of new things receintly, to make herself warmer clothes and a bag to carry them in. Spiller was still very undecided and hadnt given her his decision yet, but she knew she would win him over eventually. She had to, because if he left...her heart dropped a little, she didn't know how she would feel. Lost wasn't the word to use , it was more than lost.
As she rounded the corner Arrietty could hear lowered voices, her father Pod sounded as though he was quite emotional, a strange notion, she thought, slight fear prickling up her arms, her father wasn't one for expressing feelings openly.
"I dont know what to say, I didn't actually expect you to take me seriously" his voice travelled through the tunnel, " yes it makes sense , and I know how you feel, but you're barely more than children, Arrietty is still only seventeen!"
"their talking about me?" the girl mouthed and flattened herself against the wall trying to determine who else was there, switching off her light in the process.
"Now Pod" Homily was reasoning, "Listen to him, this is the most sense I have heard Spiller talk, ever...sorry Spiller" She added, "We knew something like this would happen one day so it might as well be now"
"I promise to take good care of her" Spiller said sollemly
Arrietty couldnt help hugging her arms around herself, a surge of pure joy made tears well up in her eyes and she wiped them away in her velvet sleeve. This was her freedom they were talking about,was Spiller really asking for her parents permition to take her travelling and was her mother really agreeing with him!
Things had grown quiet and she assumed that they must have closed the window because she could hear no more.
" now" she wondered " should I admit to eavesdropping or play dumb?" deciding on the latter she threw her bag down heavily outside the door and called out cheerfully as she walked in.
"hello Arrietty" her mother got up from her seat and embraced her, her eyes shining brightly. Im not going just yet mother, she thought to herself, already begining to realise how hard it would be to leave her parents.
She took a seat beside Spiller at the table and flashed him a delighted grin,
" I didnt know you were coming for dinner" she said to him, looking between spiller and her parents wondering when they were planning on telling her about their discussion. She noted that spiller looked hastled and worn out and wondered how long he had been here, admiring the fact that he had come to speak to them. It was brave she told herself ,resisting the urge to peck him on the cheek.
"Did you borrow anything useful?" her father asked looking mildly curious.
Arrietty jumped up and retrieved her bag, tipping the contents out onto the floor,
" oh Arrietty I've just cleaned there" her mother groaned eyeing the things mistrustingly. Spiller came over and picked up the small wooden spike, a cocktail stick,
"nice" he grinned handing it back, before turning his attention to the chunk of cat fur, " and how exactly did you borrow this?"
"I'll tell you later" Arrietty mouthed, trying not to bring it to her mothers attention. She would not enjoy telling the tale of the run in with the cat if it was acompanied by gasps and tuts.
They took their seats around the small table. Arrietty enjoying the sounds of clunking wooden bowls as they sipped their soup. The placid chatting of her parents talking about Pods next borrow.
"I really think we should try and get some honey" Homily said sturring her soup round and round in the bowl meeting her daughters eye for the tenth time. Arrietty was begining to feel uneasy at the way her mother kept looking at her. She couldnt decide wether it was a bad look or a good one. She nugged Spiller and they glanced sideways at eachother, but Arrietty gave up because he turned away again , not saying or doing anything.
When they had finished eating. Homily and Arrietty began to move the bowls into the kitchen and her mother pulled her to one side.
"I thought maybe you would like to go back out for a walk this evening, its very warm and its light for an hour yet..with Spiller of course" she added. Arrietty nodded wondering if there really was any need for all this fuss, but decided to agree anyway incase they hadn't yet decided whether or not to let her go and perhaps they wanted to talk about it alone.
"Shall we go out spiller?" Arrietty called from the kitchen. He was deep in discussion with her father again and she saw a strange emotion cross his face when he heard the suggestion. His dark eyes reflected too much light and he looked almost nervous as he ran a hand through his hair.
"umm..yeah that sounds fine," He was definatly struggling with something and Arrietty couldnt wait to get outside so they could speak properly. She repacked her bag and spiller lifted it onto her back helping to thread her arms through the straps, and they left Homily and Pod seemingly having an unrelated conversation, but their eyes followed them out of the room.
It was quiet for a long while and they headed back up the tunnel once again but this time turned a different way and came to a short drop just below what humans call a drain. They climbed up through it, and finally reached the garden. It was Arriettys favourite place to be.
"I was so glad to get out of there" Arrietty grinned, throwing her bag down onto the grass and then following it. " Didnt you notice that they seemed a little odd tonight?
Spiller shrugged and picked up her bag for her, slinging it over his own shoulder.
"they seemed fine to me" he said and placed a hand to shade his eyes from the sinking sun. "want to go down to the water?"
"okay" Arrietty wasnt sure how long she could keep up the charade, she tried to distract herself with the smell of fresh flowers circling with the breeze and when they reached the water she sat down and dipped a toe into its ice coldness. Enjoying the colours that the sinking sun inked the sky with.
Spiller put everything onto the floor and sat down beside Arrietty draping a casual arm around her shoulder as he often did these days. His face was full of thought as he gazed out at the ripples in the water.
" Its okay, I know" Arrietty blurted out suddenly unable to keep quiet any longer, She grew concerned by the colour of spillers face and was actually starting to wonder if he was ill. " I heared you and my parents talking" she continued trying to sound apologetic.
Spillers mouth opened but no sound came to him for a while.
" I never meant for you to find out like that Arrietty!" he looked upset,
"I dont see what the big problem is?" Arrietty turned to face him, "you know I am desperate to travel, and that I have been asking you for months to take me with you."
She lay back on the warm ground smiling happily,
" Arrietty" Spiller lay next to her propping himself up on his elbow, "there are so many things I want to show you and places we could go" Light shone in his eyes for a moment,but it was soon lost "but travelling is dangerous and if you came with me, we would need to work as a proper team no matter what happens, "
"as long as your not too bossy" Arrietty grinned, but spiller wasnt in the mood to joke, he took her hand and pulled her back into a sitting position,
"you dont really know what Im talking about do you?" he crinkled his nose in an amused way and took hold of her hand in his. Arrietty could feel her heart begin to race and she willed it to slow down.
" I heard you talking to my parents about... well I thought you were asking them if I could go traveling?"
Spiller still hadnt released her hand and she was starting to wonder why,
" I did ask them permition to take you with me, but I asked them something else too"
" Which was?" Arrietty persued feeling genuinly confused now.
Spiller had stopped looking at her and was paying an unneeded amount of attention to the blades of grass under his left hand, a faint flush creeping up his face.
"Spiller whats wrong?" Arrietty tried to get him to look at her and eventually he did, reaching across to take her other hand,
"we've know eachother for a long time havent we?" his voice sounded strange and she sat up more allert
"yes but I dont see what that has to do with anything"
" it has everything to do with it!" Spiller cut her off, but not nastily, "you see " he said slowly, " I was visiting because...well at first I thought I might see you but you were out and..."
"Spiller" Arrietty reached out her hand to brush hair from his face, " just tell me whats going on"
He laughed a little and closed his eyes with a weary sigh
" Im trying but your making this very difficult " he said taking her hand down and placing it into her lap,
"just get strait to the point?" she answered trying to help.
Spiller shook his head,
"your so difficult," he teased shaking his head with a smile , "most girls want a long drawn out romantic proposal, but no you tell me to just get strait to the point, thats what I love about you, you always keep me guessing"
Arrietty felt stunned, there was a faint rining in her ears and she realised that she hadnt answered for a long period of time, spiller was starting to look uncomfortable.
"you were proposing to me!" she realised her voice was a little squeeky and she took several deep breaths through her nose to calm down. She reached out and pulled spiller closer just for the sake of having something solid to lean on.
"yes, " he said quietly ,holding her, " If we're going to travel together then we need to take care of eachother and stick together and thats how we need others to see us too, a strong, unbreakable team."
Arrietty sat up crossly,
" dont tell me this is all about morals " she eyed him catiously, " is that what my dad meant when he said that he didnt expect you to take him seroiusly, was his condition to me leaving, our marriage, is he worried we will be talked about?"
Spiller took a deep breath and nodded,
" he joked about it, but I was already trying to bring up the subject" Spiller stood up and pulled Arrietty with him, wrapping his arms around her for a second, " I dont know how else to convince you" he pleaded " but, I love you Arrietty, I really do, Please will you marry me?"
Tears filled the young womans eyes and she held her arms out to put around him and they kissed, " thats all you needed to say" she whipered.