G/t one-shots and short stories

Cozy (In the Sterling household)🧦 🛏️-Original work

Milton Borrowfield crept within the walls of the giant household. It was dark and late in the evening, but to borrowers, this was prime time. Unlike their bigger counterparts, borrowers slept during the day and went about their night as if it were day.

"Papa!" came a small voice. Milton turned to see his daughter Agnes emerging from one of the side passageways leading to the bedroom quarters for the children, a cozy nook lined with scraps of fabric and down feathers. She ran to give him a quick hug.

"Where are you off to?" she asked.

"I've got to check our supplies. Winter will be here before we know it." Milton patted her shoulder.

Agnes nodded seriously. She knew how hard it was for borrower families like theirs to stay warm and fed during the cold months.

Milton headed further down the winding passageways within the human's home, past the tiny nook containing their kitchen where his wife Cassia was boiling thimblefuls of tea. He gave her a wink as he passed. She blew him a kiss in return.

"Be safe, my love," she said.

He lifted a loose bit of wallpaper and slipped behind it into their pantry. It was neatly organized but sparse. They were running low on everything. Milton sighed. He would have to take more risks if he wanted his family to survive the winter. Although some things were easy to borrow in a human house, getting what they needed was always risky. The human was very neat and clean. This made it harder to get into the food supplies; the human Sterling was very good at keeping his food stored and sealed. The only saving grace was that the human was oblivious; Milton had some very close calls before, where he swore he was done for. In the warmer months, Milton and his family took advantage of the outdoors and got what they needed from the human's garden. But as winter approaches, it would be harder to borrow food from the human, the risk of being seen would increase. But it would be worth keeping his dear Cassia and their children happy, healthy, and cozy.

Milton emerged from the pantry, brows furrowed with concern. His youngest, Finn, waddled over to him, arms raised expectantly.

"Uppy, Papa!" the four-year-old boy demanded.

Milton smiled and swept Finn into his arms. At least his children were still blissfully unaware of their precarious situation.

He carried Finn into the kitchen, where Cassia ladled hot tea into thimble cups. She glanced at Milton knowingly.

"I told you, we needed more, what's the damage?" she asked.

Milton nodded. "We've got enough for maybe another week or two. After that..."

He trailed off, not wanting to upset Finn. The boy squirmed out of his arms and scurried off to play with his siblings.

Cassia stepped closer and put a hand on Milton's shoulder. "We'll figure something out. We always do."

"But winter is nearly here. I don't know if I can provide everything; we must keep the children warm and healthy. Especially with the human spending more time indoors now."

Cassia nodded, her expression serious but unafraid. "It won't be easy. But we've prepared as best we can, and we still have a couple of months left. And I have faith in you, my love. Your cleverness has gotten us through tough times before."

Milton pulled his wife close. 

Cassia smiled up at him, pride and trust shining in her eyes. "Now come, the tea is getting cold."

Milton's mind raced as he held Cassia's hand, sipping tea and eating breakfast with his family. The bitter cold of winter was nearly upon them, and the thought of his children suffering from frigid temperatures twisted his gut. It wouldn't be so bad if the human turned up the temperature in the house, but the human seemed content to only use blankets. And every time Milton tried to change the temperature on the thermostat, the human would turn it back down, grumbling about broken machines and raising costs, whatever that meant.