Living on farm land had its ups and downs.  There were plentiful resources and lots of space.  A borrower could easily make their home and borrow almost free of consequence, as their take was usually unnoticeable among the take of the landowner.  It was, however, a lot more work.  The land was so spaced that a mission could last all day long, and sometimes even into the night.  It was much more dangerous as well.  There were animals everywhere to look out for, and sometimes there were hazardous tools to worry about.<br/><br/>The Clocks made their home in the attic of the barn, where the old farmer was storing what seemed to be ancient memorabilia.  There was much more room here than the last home, the home she lived in when she met Sho.  There were memories in that house, but she knew there were always new ones to be made here.  Most of their “house” was situated in a hollowed crate covered by a dusty velvet blanket.  On the outside it looked like it might be a cobweb-infested box of junk, but the corner of the crate had a hole in it which Arrietty and Spiller ducked into to enter the kitchen- her mother's favourite room.<br/><br/>Homily was singing, much as she often did in the mornings, whilst her tea brewed on the stovetop.  The lovely aroma wafted around the kitchen and out the cracked open window.  The window was small and so dusty it was impossible to see through from the outside, but being located at the steeple of the barn, it provided a nice view of the farm below.  They even got an avian visitor from time to time, as they did now.  A rooster was perched into the sill outside, silently observing the inner workings of the Clock's home with a curious golden eye.<br/><br/>“Got the milk, mother,” Arrietty announced.  Spiller set the thimble on the table gracelessly, splattering it all over the surface.  Homily smiled at him forgivingly, but took the milk away before he could cause any further damage.<br/><br/>“Thank you, Arrietty,” she responded sincerely, then added, “You too, Spiller.”  Spiller's subtle curve of the lips signalled his acknowledgment.  Homily set to work with preparing breakfast, while Spiller took to watching her with rapt interest.  Who knew- the boy had taken an interest to cooking.  Arrietty left to search for Pod, her father.  She exited the crate and crossed the rafters to a separate hole in the wall, where he'd set up his workshop.  While her dad was now far too old to continue borrowing, he still loved to spend his time inventing and fixing things up, and Arrietty was often more than willing to help him test them out.<br/><br/>His latest project was pinned up to the wall now as he tinkered with a harness on his worktable.  The old man looked up and smiled warmly to his daughter as she entered.<br/><br/>“Wind is light today.  Ready to go for a spin?” he asked.  She loved her mother, but she always felt closer to her dad.  Pod always trusted her skills, and never once doubted she was capable of anything.  The device he was crafting now was a massive pair of wings.  They would allow her to glide, whilst appearing like a bird to keep her safe from airborne predators.  If it worked, it would cut the travel time on borrowing to half, and would double as a carrying wagon on the route back home.  He tightened up a few of the straps and fixed them to the wings.  He reached up, gently handing each side to make sure they were folding correctly.<br/><br/>“Sundown,” he reported, “I want to make sure these are just right.  Should make it past the main house.”<br/><br/>The day seemed to crawl by.  Arrietty even took a short nap to speed it along, but by the time the sun was beginning to settle she was eager to try the wings out.  They were a little large and thick, but Pod adjusted them and took plenty of go-rounds to triple check everything.  When he was finally finished, he stood in front of her, crossing his arms and looking her up and down with his lower lip pursed in deep thought.<br/><br/>“No, not ready.”<br/><br/>“Papa!” she complained.<br/><br/>He grumbled something incoherent.  Arrietty held out her arms as if demonstrating her confidence.<br/><br/>“It'll be fine!  I'll make it back by sunrise, I promise,” she begged.  Pod seemed unmoved, but after a minute's consideration, his eyes met his daughter's, and she felt that familiar trust he had in her flicker.  He was worried as any parent would be, but her father was also just as proud.  He stepped forward and gave her a hug, then helped her turn around to the window.<br/><br/>“Keep the sail extended.  Tilt skyward when you need to slow, it'll catch wind and begin to drop you.  Gently, now,” he instructed.  Arrietty stared down at the long fall, and found herself nervous, but she was given no time to harbour cold feet when the wind picked up very suddenly and lifted her away.  Pod was alarmed as she screamed, but her screams of terror soon transformed into laughter as the wind carried her away.  Who knew flying would be so much fun?<br/><br/>She tilted wobbily on the current in attempt to gain her barings.  She circled the main house a couple of times, getting a feel for moving this contraption.  Looking down, she saw the farm zooming past her at incredible speeds.  It had taken her only a minute to cross what usually took her half a day.<br/><br/>She felt the wind calming, and scrambled to find a place to land.  She chose a small window sill on the first floor, which she landed on roughly.  The wings folded up a little haphazardly.  She would have to report that when she got home.  She did her best to fold up the bird-shaped glider, then slung it over her back.<br/><br/>The mission?  Spiller needed new shoes.  Homily could make them, but first they would need some supplies.  Peering into the window, she noted she'd found a bedroom.  It was just the right place.  Also, it appeared to be quite empty- at the moment, anyway.  She had years of experience getting through windows, so this one was no difficult task to slip through.  Arrietty dropped down from the window and landed softly into the planter.  Now to find the shoes.