Because the prologue was so tiny, I wouldn't be surprised if you couldn't see it without a magnifying glass, here's chapter one to accompany it! Thanks for reading!

One

The bustling of the busy Trade Station began to file out in one, big rush towards the door. Last minute hagglers hung around, insistent upon their own particular bargains as the merchants packed up their goods nice and tight for the night. Stalls lost their banners, registers were locked, and flyers of advertisements and special sales littered the floor. The warm lantern lights glowed dimly as the darkness took over with the crickets and owls outside.

A woman with a pointed chin, with only a nose big enough to distract from it, slammed the door after the last patron and pushed the bolt firmly into socket.

Her husband released a heavy sigh, wiping his forehead with an old yellowed kerchief he kept in his coat pocket. He pushed the round spectacles up the bridge of his nose and peered down into his cash drawer to count the day's profits.

"Honestly!" The woman breathed out a huff of indignation. She slouched against the door for only a moment before she righted herself into excellent posture as she struggled to untie the jaunty, pioneer's bonnet from around her head. "You really ought to enforce when we close, Jonas. Otherwise, we get people him-hawing around our home as we starve for a proper supper!"

"Yes, dear," Jonas answered automatically. He itched his mustache before going back through the stack of smelly bills.

Margot removed her bonnet as she briskly crossed the room. She smoothed down her hair even though it was already kept impeccably straight beneath her hat. Giving the bun in the back a pat, she said: "You let people walk all over you."

"Yes, dear."

"Where's our boy, anyways?" She leant down and peered about the room as if he would spring up from the floorboards.

"Here, Mother!" And indeed he did, popping out from behind a sales stall for the foreign markets selling tropical goods. He had been playing beneath the window, which was wide open and humming with summer air.

"Lutz!" Margot's scolding voice came out as she pointed a commanding finger. Then again, all of her tones sounded displeased. "Enough of your cavorting about. You fetch the broom and sweep this place clean for tomorrow."

"Aw!" Lutz whined, stomping his foot angrily. "I always get stuck with the worst jobs!"

"Nonsense. Jonas, tell your son to sweep up. I'm going to cook us some dinner," Margot ordered as she went into the back where the family had a modest kitchenette and living room.

"Yes, dear," Jonas monotonously reiterated, carefully counting out the gold coins. His lips soundlessly moved as he dropped forty-five, forty-six, forty-seven…

"Jonas!"

Her anger snapped him into attention. He dropped the fiftieth coin and blinked owlishly at his wife. "Dear?"

Margot huffed, her hands in the air over her head in exasperation, as the door to the kitchen swung shut behind her. "Your son!"

"Lutz, do as your mother tells you," he said. Without a hint of authority, mind, as he went back to his handful of change.

Lutz grumbled and took the broom up from the corner. Similar to his parents, he pushed his own pair of spectacles up his nose before he got to work. Strangely, his nose was impossibly small and upturned despite the genetics of his mother and father. The brown haired boy quickly ran back and forth across the room in a quick clean-up, not caring for any spots he might have missed. The dust pan came out, and the papers were placed in the trash can in a few short minutes. "Done!"

"Done," Jonas said soon after, closing the register and making a small note on his business sheet. He smiled at the figures, placing his thumbs in his pockets and puffing out his chest.

"Come, on, Dad! I'm hungry!" Lutz whined, pulling on his father's elbow with all of his weight. His shoes kicked and scuffed the floor, making quite a racket for anybody below.

"Right, right," he nodded, remembering his own needs as his large stomach rumbled. Jonas ruffled his boy's hair, making Lutz laugh and push away. Before disappearing into the back room, Jonas looked over the empty floor once more. He always thought the Trade Station looked so much bigger when it was empty.

The light was switched off, and the father and son disappeared into the back. Slowly, but surely, the voices began to die down. Plates rattled and clanged and chairs banged and scraped the floors. The sun set lower and lower. Good nights were said, the moon rose, and the last lights flickered out. Street lamps illuminated the world outside, shattering the soft luminesce of the moon's rays.

All was finally quiet.

Beneath one of the many windows of the Trade Station was an iron grate. No doubt used for ventilation purposes of the big humans, but for others, it was a convenient highway. And creeping up through one of the intricate weaves in the metal was a tiny hand.

The hand was joined by a partner. A small grunt was followed by a light clang of the metal and a squeak. Both hands disappeared. Tense silence. Shuffling. The hands reappeared next to the sharp, shining pin of a thumbtack.

Minori stuck out her tongue in vexation as she clung to the bottom of the iron grate. She had done this dozens of times, but some nights were always more difficult than others. Practice! I need practice, is all…

Her elbow hooked over the edge, giving her some leverage. Climbing with her boots from the other side, the girl managed to kick and crawl her way on top of a decorative, metal curve. Breathing a sigh of relief, she kneeled and pulled on the thumbtack tied to a rope, effectively toting up her long bow.

She had waited for what felt like forever for the big people to go to bed. She couldn't come up in the daylight, mostly due to that boy being at the window at all hours. Her father was always telling the family that little boy was far too fascinated with their grate, but Minori never let it keep her from a healthy adventure.

An exhilarated smile crossed her lips as she began to run, clumsily stringing her bow around her shoulders. The little brown boots expertly raced across the designs until she landed on solid wood. She dodged a few dust bunnies her size that Lutz had neglected to pick up in his haste. Minori pressed herself against the molding on the wall. Engulfed in shadow, she dared not to breathe as her eyes scanned the empty room. For safety's sake, she waited an extra moment before she dashed out back into the light and faced the window.

Minori quickly looped the bow from around her shoulders and positioned her shiny red thumbtack across the string. She wasn't as experienced as her father, of course, so these were the only tools at her disposal. Still, she made do, and her marksman skills were steadily increasing from her routine.

She pulled the string back taught, her tongue pressed between her teeth in concentration and released a breath later. The tack sailed upwards and stuck firmly into the window sill. Minori giddily clapped for the victory, running across the floor to meet the end of her rope. Her bow back around her shoulders, she gave the rope a tug for a test and lifted her weight.

Anyone in the Trade Station who might have been watching might have seen something reminiscent of a spider's web swaying beneath the west window. Just a tiny strand that would catch the light. Minori struggled to use the wall to steady herself, her feet slowly pushing off of it as she walked vertically with her string. There was no stopping the twisting and turning of the rope, spinning her in confusing circles as she clambered upwards. She huffed the bangs out of her eyes and bit her lip. Not much further…

Minori made the ledge and quickly shifted. Pulling herself up as one would exit a swimming pool, she climbed upon the window and ran to retrieve her tack. Plucking it from the wood with many a twist and tug, she freed her makeshift grappling hook and wrapped the cord around and around. Tucking the round ball she made into her pocket, Minori ran to the thin screen and pressed her hands against the mesh to peer out.

Oak Tree Town. Minori's family didn't use this name. It was just the big folks' town. Streets paved with cobblestones, friendly streetlamps, and buildings huddled between crowded trees taller than little Minori could guess with leaves big enough to wrap her like a cocoon. She was one of the little folk, and she knew all too well of the dangers of venturing out into such a huge, scary place. Had her parents known of her escapades, she'd surely be locked away in her room for the next five years of her young adulthood. But there was a raspberry bush she had discovered just outside this window that was just enough motivation to fuel her frequent trips out into the wide world. A world that felt empty in its vastness.

The girl crept through a hole in the corner of the screen that Margot had nagged Jonas to fix or else 'they'd get bugs out the wazoo.' Minori was thankful he had neglected this task, so she could sneak out. Though she had never even seen the family she lived under, she was thankful to them for many things. For their plentiful variety of foods and spices, their lackadaisical attitude about cleaning every nook and cranny, and – of course - their early bedtime.

Minori let out a happy gasp as she stepped out into the open moonlight. A soft summer breeze caught the tufts of her unruly brown hair that was mottled with curls and waves beyond the control of her red knit cap. Matching dark eyes stared out at the world with a lively, awestruck light. She lifted a hand to keep her hat in place, though it rarely ever went anywhere but where it was supposed to be.

She dashed along the outside pane where white chipped paint threatened to trip her up as it crunched under her boots like fall leaves. Though her weight was miniscule, the rickety sill creaked where she stepped. Minori made her way to the very edge and smoothed out her large skirt before leaning precariously forward towards the raspberry bush creeping up alongside the building.

A bright red berry was soon plucked from the thin stalk. Minori's mouth watered in anticipation for her snack, but she noticed sudden movement between the twisting green leaves before her. Backing away with a protective arm around her berry, Minori gasped as two luminescent eyes peered out at her.

She had to take a deep breath to keep from releasing the rising scream. Minori squeaked in surprise as the mantis slowly approached her, bent arms reaching out in hungry curiosity and head rotating to and fro to listen to her footsteps and rapid heartbeat.

Holding her breath to keep her bravery, Minori pulled out her bow and aimed its end at the mantis, swinging it back and forth to keep the creature that was nearly twice her height at bay. "Back! Back you…! You horrible thing! Back!"

Undeterred, the mantis lunged a fast claw at her. Minori yelped and sidestepped it quickly. She glared at the insect and whacked it soundly over the head.

"There! Off you go! Shoo!" Minori demanded, advancing a few steps.

The mantis hissed and backed away. In a blur, it spread its wings and launched itself off of the sill and disappeared into the tall grass below.

"Gee willikers…" she whispered. Her heartbeat returned to normal as Minori breathed a sigh of relief and set down her bow, sitting down and tossing her legs over the edge and kicking them back and forth. She took a bite from the massive berry in her grasp. Red juice squirted out and around her face, making her giggle and wipe the bits away as best as she could.

This was her favorite spot. It was the only real spot she had all to herself (but for a stray bug or two), but she thought it was special in its own little way. She could see all of the lovely flowers Margot kept around the side of the house that she didn't have time for, resulting in an overgrown wilderness of lilacs, dandelions, and clover. It looked more like a wild jungle to Minori, and she was sure it had just as much adventure as dangers lurking in its dark tangles.

There was a neighbor to the Trade Station that was a dark, homey brick building across the yard. There was a yellow lit window directly across from her that was always open a few inches, and delicious smells would always waft over. They had a very impressive garden full of herbs and well-maintained gardenias and pansies and tulips and daffodils. Her father would get lots of supplies from there. Minori wondered if he would ever take her over to see it all one day.

Minori had only ever been in her mother's garden. It was nice, but it was nothing like the enchanting monstrosity of the likes before her. Minori loved her mother, but she couldn't understand her very well. How she was so content with the little space she had, not one to leave for any reason. Even if there was no need to stay hidden, Minori was sure her mother would continue to remain indoors. They were different that way. Her mother found happiness in the local joys of her home, and the only thing keeping Minori grounded was her lack of wings.

She finished her berry and clapped her hands of the residue, wiping off the stains on the paint chips around her. She collapsed backwards, stretching her arms up towards the sky. She watched the stars sparkle between her fingers. Minori breathed a happy sigh and wished she didn't have to always be so secretive and quiet. Maybe hum a song. Laugh at her own jokes.

Minori giggled at the thought of laughing with herself, only resulting in more chuckles as the silly image came true. A slight ruffle in the grass below made her stop. She clapped a hand over her mouth.

A pair of feline eyes suddenly locked on her, and the pupils dilated in recognition. Swallowing the shivers, Minori quickly stood, gathered her bow, smoothed out her dress as casually as she could, and backed away from the edge of the window pane. A low, irritated growl sounded from below. Minori kicked up her skirt and sprinted back to the screen and dived through the hole. The cat's massive ginger paw scratched over the window sill where she had just sat, but it was too late and too fat to climb up in pursuit.

From inside, Minori could hear the cat's frustrated cries as it clawed at the side of the Trade Station. She shivered.

"Well, that's enough adventure for one night…" she said to herself. She held a hand to her chest, taking a steady breath as the adrenaline inside slowed. Still, Minori allowed herself one last glance of the outside before she began the careful descent back to the grate.