Borrowed Peeks: Chapter 3

 Aster explores Betsy's farmhouse.

 Aster climbed the dusty wooden stairs to the quaint farmhouse. It took the Borrower girl a few tries due to her small size. But she was a determined little thing. She pulled herself atop the final stair & caught her breath.

 The little lady peered up at the lofty wooden door. It was an imposing gateway. Luckily, there was just enough space under the door to slide underneath.

 Aster got on her hands & knees. She started to crawl through the crack under the door. She groaned as her body came to a stop. The plumpness of her rear end got caught by the door & caused her to become stuck. She huffed & squirmed. Her rump was completely exposed to the outside world & her little legs kicked. But after a few panicked struggles & some shimmying of her hips, she squeezed through. The tiny gal breathed with relief & stood with her back to the door.

 She dusted off her legs. Her torn skirt barely covered her pale thighs. She brushed her short & curly jet-black hair out of her face & peered up at her surroundings.

 The room was massive & dim. There was only the illumination from a few candles & a flaming fireplace. Aster recognized the embroidered leather boots which sat in the corner next to the door. A straw hat hung on the rack above. The warm light from the fireplace danced across the grain of the wooden walls, which were decorated with many antlers & animal furs. A lever-action rifle with an engraved wooden stock hung on a mantelpiece.

 Human beans always collected such strange things. But as a Borrower herself, Aster could understand the need to stockpile. She tiptoed across the wooden planks of the floor & followed the baseboard. Luckily, the shadows of the dim room provided her with cover. She knew that giant farmer woman, Betsy, had to be nearby.

 As the tiny Borrower rounded the corner of an oversized couch, she found herself face-to-face with a snarling beast whose maw was wide & filled with sharp teeth. Aster squealed & froze from fright. Her hands covered her face. She expected those sharp canines would tear her to shreds in the next moment, a violent & grisly end. But the savage-looking creature didn’t move. It didn’t even growl at her. Aster peeked through the gaps in her fingers. Something was off about this beast. It lay frozen like it wasn’t alive. Aster peered around the black & furry head of the thing. It didn’t have a body, just a fur coat which lay flat across the floor. It was only a harmless bear rug.

 Aster breathed with relief & laughed nervously. She assumed Betsy must be a strange woman to keep something like that in her home. Maybe it was meant to scare off Borrowers & other little creatures.

 "It'll take more than that to scare me off!" Aster confirmed to herself, "I'm a fierce & brave Borrower after all."

 Suddenly, there was a deep sound in the distance. Aster's pointed ears twitched. The booming sound of footsteps grew louder, and the floorboards under Aster's feet shook.

 A looming giantess lumbered into the room. Aster recognized the giant woman's dark blue overalls, flannel shirt, and blonde braided pigtails, which swayed far above.

 Aster quickly ducked behind the couch & hid in the corner.

 The giant woman carried a pan & set it over the open flame. There was the sound of sizzling meat. And the sweet smell of hickory bacon filled the air.

 The savory scent made Aster's mouth water. The tiny girl was already on the verge of starvation. Now, she was desperate to snatch a piece of that delicious pork. The miniature girl crept closer & crouched beside the bricks of the fireplace. She peeked her head around a brick & stared at the gigantic woman's bare feet. Her feet were long & wide, even for a human bean's. The giantess' big toe was as large as Aster's head. Aster knew she had to be careful. Otherwise, the woman's callus & grimy sole would squish her puny body flat.

 Aster's blue eyes stared at the sizeable wiggling toes. A few strands of thin hairs sprouted atop the wriggling digits. She couldn’t help but have some fearful respect for the large appendage that could easily end her life. The colossal feet were elegant in shape despite their weathered & sun-kissed skin.

 Aster peered up at the legs & wide hips of the colossal woman. The giantess bent her knees & crouched closer to the warm fire. The dark blue fabric of her overalls stretched to form around her buttocks & thighs. The tall woman pushed around the sizzling contents of the pan.

 Aster blushed & ducked back down behind the brick fireplace. She didn't understand how someone who looked similar to her in body shape could be so gigantic. Even though the human bean was twice Aster's age, the enormous woman was still fit & attractive to the miniature young lady. Aster hated to admit it, but she had started to miss being around people in the two weeks she had been adventuring in the wilderness, even if she didn’t exactly view beans as normal people. They were more like imposing monsters. But regardless, Aster still found herself admiring Betsy's curved hips crouched beside the fire.

 Aster peeked back up at Betsy's towering form. Maybe being here in this creepy farmhouse was a good thing. Aster had missed the safety & luxury of living in a human bean's house & borrowing what she needed.

 "Betsy," Aster dreamily repeated in her mind, "Yes. I’ll be Betsy's Borrower. After all, Borrowers need beans to survive, and beans need Borrowers to take care of their unused trinkets."

 Betsy stood & carried the sizzling pan over to a side table. She scraped the pan & dumped the crispy hickory bacon onto her plate. The smallest piece of meat tumbled off the plate. The piece was so small that Betsy didn't notice as it fell to the floor. But the tiny girl crouched in the corner sure noticed. Her wide eyes watched with great hunger as the crispy bacon landed on the floor a short distance from her. Her mouth watered. And she wiped the excess drool off her softly rounded chin. Aster's eyes darted back up to Betsy.

 The giant woman leaned back in her recliner & kicked her feet up. She dangled a long strip of bacon in front of her freckled face before lowering into the opening of her plush lips. She was distracted.

 This was Aster's chance. The agile Borrower sprang to her feet. She swiftly & stealthily pounced toward the table scraps. She scooped the prize up into her hands. Then, she quickly darted & ducked back into the safety of the corner. She had it! The crispy meat was still warm in her hands. And it smelled so sweet.

 Suddenly, Betsy's large bare feet lowered to the floor with a deep thud.

 "What in tarnation?" The giantess spoke with a southern belle, "Did a mouse just scurry across my floor?"

 The giant woman stood to her feet & lumbered closer. Her footsteps shook the wooden planks underneath Aster's seated form.

 The tiny girl curled up in the corner & clutched the piece of crispy bacon in her hands. Was this it? She was about to break the one rule that all Borrowers followed: "Remain unseen." Aster squeezed her eyes shut.

 Suddenly, there was a raucous clatter outside. Betsy turned & grabbed the lever-action rifle from the mantelpiece. She swung open the cabin door & ran outside.

 "You damn coyotes! Stay away from my chickens!" Betsy barked into the darkness.

 The bang of a gunshot echoed through the valley & shook the walls of the farmhouse.

 Aster breathed a sigh of relief. That was way too close. She quickly found a hiding spot to settle in, but not before snatching an extra few pieces of crispy hickory bacon.