Honey I shrunk the apprentices!

[mrsbrisby]

I think I have this figured out now. Mostly...

[ She added while adjusting the small mouse sized mirror on a stone so it would be propped upright enough to show what she was talking about then she paced over to stand next to a large acorn. ]

Its Wish magic so all I really have to do is wish for it hard enough and I should be able to make this acorn small enough to fit in the palm of my hand.

[ That said she closed her eyes and held out a paw which began to glow as she made her wish. When her eyes fluttered open again she was indeed holding the now much smaller acorn in her paw. ]

It worked! I mean... I-- I thought it would. I've been practicing this a lot lately and...

[ Just spit it out, she told herself with a deep steadying breath. ]

Would anyone out there feel brave enough to volunteer to be shrunk yourself?

Comments

[mrsbrisby]

Over here!

[ She slid out from underneath the sofa while attempting to drag a very large sneaker behind her. ]

Some one must have lost this here. I don't suppose you...

[ She looked to his acres of tentacles. ]

No, probably not. My! You are much larger in person than I thought you would be.

[ The shoe was then given a last tug, bringing it out from underneath the lobby's sofa. ]

Well, maybe if I leave this here out in the open the person who lost it will be able to find it again.

[abys_keeper]

Oh! I collect them. For Aby. [he pulled the shoe up into his bell, then squished down to look at her mostly eye to eye]

You're very tiny. What are you anyway? I've never seen a you before.

[mrsbrisby]

Or maybe it will be safer in there.

[ The poor shoe. Hopefully no one was looking for it. ]

I've never seen a you before either.

[ But as long as he wasn't a giant eyeball anymore. It wasn't really so bad staring into the face of a human. Brisby was becoming rather fond of humans. ]

I am a mouse. If it wouldn't be rude... may I ask what you are?

[abys_keeper]

I'm a jellymer from the crushing deep where the whales go to die and the Lantern Lady swings her light to catch the souls of the unwary. Its the place of the deep song and the ancient bloom where time is just a story that no one believes.

[and then]

Where's a mouse from?

[mrsbrisby]

[That was an amazingly long and detailed explanation that left her quietly surprised. Her own answered absolutely paper in comparison. ]

This mouse is from a field. No where near as elaborate as all that. Usually its a corn field in summer and it's allowed to go fallow during the winter.

Isn't it difficult for you living above the water?

[abys_keeper]

What's a field? What's corn? What's fallow? [he tilted his head to the side] Summer? Winter? So many strange words.

[but then...]

Sometimes. There's not much room to move or to hide. It's endless but it's open and scary sometimes. I miss the vastness. Of being surrounded by nothing but sweet blue.

Do you miss your fallow?

[mrsbrisby]

My! You have so many questions! I suppose I do too... Your vast ocean sounds so different than what I'm used to.

I do miss it But actually... I miss my children a lot more. I wonder how they are doing. If they are well. I'm sure they miss me as much as I miss them.

[abys_keeper]

It's different from anything. [he missed it, but there was probably nothing there for him now.]

You care for your mouselings... [he rested his chin on his fist and smiled at her] It's no wonder you're so gentle and sweet.

[mrsbrisby]

[ Aww... He was a huge and some what intimidating looking creature but he was really very dear. She smiled up at him before gesturing towards the stairs. ]

Would you like to have some tea?

[ Then a thought occurred. ]

Do you even drink tea?

[abys_keeper]

Drinking... [he tilted his head to the side] I don't know what that is. But I'll try it.

[mrsbrisby]

[ She wasn't at all sure he would be able to drink surrounded by water like he was, but maybe with a straw? They could figure all that out once they made it home.
Brisby dashed away to the stairs and climbed up the first one before looking back to wave Keeper over. ]

My home is upstairs with Eleanor. Have you met her yet?

[abys_keeper]

I think so. That's the monster's territory and he doesn't like me much. But if we sneak in I might not get eaten. [he is much slower to come to her, so she might need patience. A lot ofit]

[mrsbrisby]

[ The large stairs weren't easy to climb too quickly but she was able to bounce up a few and then pause to wait for him to catch up. ]

The monster's territory? I don't think I have seen any monsters make it into the apartment before.

[ She was of course thinking of the corrupted. ]

And I really can't imagine anyone would want to eat you!

[abys_keeper]

They were mates. [he nodded] I think he was trying to protect her and didn't like me there. But I wasn't going to eat her or anything unless she said I could. I was just looking at human things.

[mrsbrisby]

I... Um, don't imagine there would be very many people interested in being eaten. It's not a very comfortable idea.

[ Brisby bounced up a few more stairs and paused again so Keeper could catch up. ]

What is it that you do eat? It can't be humans?

[abys_keeper]

It won't hurt for long. [at least he doesn't think so. He follows at a gentle pace]

Anything so long as it's alive and not too hard and not too small or large.

[mrsbrisby]

Alive?

[ That confession sent a shiver from her nose all the way to the tip of her tail. ]

That is... very gruesome.

[abys_keeper]

Is it? [he doesn't know] It's the only way I can eat.

[mrsbrisby]

[ Offering him tea was out then. Technically plants were alive but... some how she didn't think that would really work out. Actually the more she thought of it as she bounced up those last few stairs to the landing then more owl-like he began to seem. They also... sometimes... oh dear... ]

You... you... have eaten recently?

[ There would be no need to have a snack of say... a very small mouse? ]

[abys_keeper]

No. [she was afraid. A very small prey. He stopped where he was and backed up so she wouldn't be as afraid]

But you are too small. And if you said no I wouldn't. I wouldn't anyway because you're cute and I like you. We're friends.

[mrsbrisby]

Are we friends? Oh good! I like you too.

[ Being a friend was so much preferable to being a snack! ]

Especially after you said you wouldn't eat friends. Friendships do last so much longer that way.

[ She waited on the landing until Keeper joined her and the dropped her voice a little lower. There was absolutely no way Eleanor or Micheal could have heard them here but Keeper had said there had been trouble. ]

Maybe I should try shrinking you again here. That way we might be able to sneak through the apartment without your getting into anymore trouble. What do you think?

[abys_keeper]

[he laughed]

Maybe but what if I get big again unexpectedly? OR you make me giant. People would be really scared then. And the monster man might want to eat me if I scared his friend. [it is very hard sometimes being a jellymer]

But I really want to see where you live. [what to do...]

[mrsbrisby]

Oh dear...

[ The giant thing had happened and very recently. Fortunately no one had been afraid of a giant acorn. It had been sort of a selfie opportunity. Stand for a snapshot in front of the giant acorn! ]

But there is something else. If you want to see where I live it is a much smaller place than I think you could fit into. It's mouse sized, you see.

[abys_keeper]

Mmmmmm... .[he rolls about in thought] Okay. Try to make me small. And I'll try not to get big again.

[mrsbrisby]

Ok. Here goes nothing.

[ She nodded before closing her eyes. This time she tried to clear her mind of all other thoughts before making her wish. She wished Keeper and his ball of protective water would both shrink... down, down, down... to her size! ]