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.Adoption Agent, See?	By : keithcompany Category: Titles in the Public Domain > Gulliver's Travels Views: 2448 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: This is a work fiction, based on Gullivers Travels by Jonathan Swift. Any resemblance to person(s) living or dead is purely coincidental.

Chapter List
- 1
- 2
- 3
Jeana sat on the chair in the hospital waiting room. She took the one closest to the door. It gave her a view of the nurses' station. But nothing was happening there.
Nothing was happening where she was, either. No one came to sit with her, either to visit or even show solidarity.
That was fine. She was used to being ostracized.   After Daddy's... accident, people around here avoided folders and their families.
And Dad's side of the family was only Grandpa, and he'd disowned Dad when he folded.
It had always been her and Mom. Now it was her, here, and Mom in the ICU down the hall.
She wondered if she should start getting used to being alone.
"All alone?" A perky voice interrupted her thoughts at a frighteningly perfect time.
"I, um, yeah. I'm... There's no one... Visiting hours are over."
"Except for you," the woman said. She was blond and amazingly confident. Her voice remained perky, though her eyes were compassionate. She knew what Jeana was doing here.
The 'perk' must just have been her natural personality.
She sat by Jeana. "I'm Sue. I'm from the government, and I'm here to help."
That got a smile from the young girl. "Daddy used to have three sayings. That was the third one, um. 'The check is in the mail.' And 'Virgins can't get pregnant.' The three great-"
"Lies of the modern era," Sue finished with her. "I knew your dad." She held out her arms. "We've got things to talk about, but if you want a hug?"
"No," Jeana said. "You knew Dad?"
"I did the background check when he emigrated," Sue said, calmly dropping her arms. "Spent a lot of time with him then, kept in touch for years."
"Until the accident," Jeana said in a deadpan voice. Everyone walked away from the Petersons after the accident.
"Well... If I was in touch with him after, that'd be pretty creepy, wouldn't it?" Sue shrugged and scooted her chair around a bit to face Jeana. "I'm sorry. I hadn't realized that you guys got cut out until I was briefed an hour ago."
"Briefed?"
"The Queen has taken an interest."
"In... Mom?"
"In you, Jeana. She doesn't want you alone while your mom's being treated."
"Oh. You're from social services." She slumped down in her chair. Foster care. On top of everything else, she'd be living out of a suitcase and begging rides to the hospital.
Where she couldn't do anything, anyway, but hold a limp hand and pray.
"Nooooo," Sue said. "I'm on the Imperial staff. I'm to get you to Montana. Her Majesty insists that family should be with family in times of trouble."
"Montana! There's nothing IN Montana!"
"Oh, not quite." Sue took one of Jeana's hands and stroked the wrist. "There's a test station near Billings that's practically a colony of ours.
"And the Tier Project.
"And...your grandfather."
"No," she denied. "No, no, no. He wants nothing to do with us. Nothing."
"Um. Well, Jeana, I know for a fact that isn't true."
"He disowned Dad when Daddy folded!" Jeana insisted. "And hasn't even tried to contact us since!"
Sue bit her lip. "He has, actually. He writes every year, on the anniversaries of the wedding, his son's birthday... And yours."
"No," Jeana said.
"It's your mom that's trying to make a clean break. She was... really hurt when your father died.
"Mr. Peterson was very much opposed to the folding technology your dad used," Sue said. "He predicted that John would come to a bad end." Her hand closed into a fist, tight but not crushingly so. Jeana realized Sue was far more upset than she showed.
"When he did... Your mom blamed your grandpa."
"That's crazy!"
"Jeana, do you remember your mom, about the time of the funeral?"
"She grieved, but..." She remembered a few scenes. Mom burning things, Mom changing their phone number and computer accounts, taking her maiden name... "Huh."
She shook her head. That wasn't the most important part. "But I can't leave her. She needs me."
"Your mom's prognosis is good, but it's going to take a long, long time for her to get well and be ready to take care of you again."
"I'll take care of her!"
"Brave, and I'm sure you could. But that's an unfair burden for a teenager. Her Highness... Insists."
"Oh."
"Yeah, 'Oh.' She got the royal crown on to make A Decree."
"Then... I guess I'm going to Montana," she said softly.
--------
Four days later, she was walking down the jetway. The royal crew waved, offering her support, luck and a few tears.
Sue led the way, looking over her shoulder every so often. Jeana nodded and kept up.
But the closer they got to the door, the weaker her knees got. This was it. This was real.
This was Montana.
Her grandfather, a mysterious cipher that had risen to mythical proportions in her mind...he was right out there.
Sue slowed down. She didn't stop, but she didn't really force the teen forward. She hefted her backpack, checked a shoelace, tapped the jetway walls... And inexorably drew her ward along.
They stepped out into the covered walkway around the gate area. Sue's eyes swept the people around the space, locking onto an older but not elderly gentleman.
"Mr. Peterson?" she asked.
"Yes," he rumbled.
"I'm Suellellee. I'm on the Imperial staff. The Queen sent me." She flashed her badge. Peterson leaned down to look at it. Then he saw his granddaughter.
She saw his eyes. There was joy there. She had been told by one or two people that she really resembled her father. Grandpa seemed to see that and react to it.
But there was also sadness. He was probably about to say, "Sorry to hear about your mother." Platitudes transcended all barriers.
"Can you ever forgive me?" he asked.
"Um..."
"Not really the place to go over this," Sue said. "How about we get our luggage-"
"Right here!" Two of the crew were right behind them, holding five bags.
"Oh. Okay. Well. Let's get out of the airport, okay, sir?"
"Call me Jerry," he said. He offered a hand and took the bags. "Would you like to walk or should I carry you?"
"It's been a long flight from Lilliput," Sue said. "It was in royal luxury, but I'm pretty beat anyway. I would love to ride in a pocket."
"Alright with you, Jenna?" he asked.
"Jeana," she said. She shrugged. "Okay, whatever."
And the first human touched her since Daddy died. And her very first giant.
Jerry, Jeana couldn't quite think of him as Grandpa, walked out of the rather empty Lilliput-enabled gate. Jeana noticed a lot of giants staring from everywhere else in the terminal.
"Probably not a lot of elves in this part of Montana," Sue commented.
"But they do have a gate," Jeana said. "So there's some traffic."
"Doesn't count," Jerry said. "The United Scales airline got the Lilliputian contract by putting a Lilliputian-capable gate in every airport they fly to."
"Oh." Jeana dropped back in the pocket.
Sue dropped down to stand beside her. "What's wrong?"
"Oh, just found out that we're an afterthought," Jeana said.
"Or, we're so important that they'll spend money on gates that'll never be used in order to get our business," Sue pointed out.
"Whatever," Jeana said. They stood silently for a moment as Jerry went on through the airport. "I'm just in a mood, Sue. Go ahead and watch the world, I'll be alright."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah."
Sue pat her shoulder, then lifted back up to the pocket top. "Ooh! What a lovely day!"
-------
Jerry's pickup looked pretty imposing from a distance. Sue made sure Jeana came up and looked while they were still several (human) paces away.
"Are we going to have to ride in the glovebox, sir?" Jeana asked.
"You can call me Grandpa," he said.
"I... I'm not comfortable with that," she said.
"Not yet," Sue whispered.
"Not yet, anyway," Jeana said loudly. She was pretty sure she never would, but Mom insisted on polite behavior. Sue seemed to think it was important, too. No need to piss off the guy that would be setting her bedtime for the near future.
"Well, sure," he was saying. "We've only just met." He walked around to the passenger side. "But at least, call me Jerry. No need for formality."
"Yes, sir, um... Jerry." He opened the door and they saw a small building on the car's seat. "What's that?"
"Your father drove an Antelope right up until the day he... emigrated. It doesn't run right now, but I did get the Lilliport out of it."
"Eugh," Sue said. "How dusty is that going to be?"
"Acutally..." Jerry put the luggage on the observation deck at the top. "Queen Estepietal sent me a coupon to have the thing serviced. I drove over to Billings and there's a place that cleaned it."
He held a hand out to the pocket. Sue helped Jeana climb out and jump over, then followed. He gently placed them down by the suitcases.
"I hope they cleaned the fridge," Jeana muttered.
"Cleaned it, stocked it, charged the batteries and updated the entertainment database, I was told."
He shut the door. The metal on metal crash drove both Lilliputians to their knees, scream lost in the fury. When Jeana could see again, she realized the concussion had moved them and the luggage almost to the safety rail.
"Oh, my lord!" Jerry's voice came, from a great distance, through a lot of cloth. "What happened?"
"DON'T SHUT THE DOOR!" Sue screamed. She fumbled at her pockets. She mumbled something.
"What?" Jeana called.
"I forgot the god-scrambled earplugs!"
----------------
With the plugs in their ears, the closing of the other door was anticlimactic. Sue dug into her suitcases to find the pair for Jerry. She briefly covered how they let him know the bearing to the speaker.
Then they went to stow the suitcases below while he got out of the parking lot.
The Lilliport had a living room, a luxurious bedroom, a kitchen and a freezer stocked with pre-made meals.
There were three bathrooms, an office and a classroom that was connected to Jeana's school system back in Mildendo.
They also found a computer monitor that received the feed off of Mom's bed. The numbers and symbols were a mess to Jeana.
Sue glanced at it. "She's doing fine. The coma therapy is progressing. Everything looks to be on schedule."
"You can read that?" Jeana asked. The agent pointed. Along the bottom of the screen was a line of text from the nurse. Sue had read it aloud.
"Okay, I'm going to the office to tell my superiors that we completed the flight and contacted the agent on scene." She stopped in the doorway and turned around slowly. "I mean, we contacted your grandfather. Man, old habits die hard."
"Okay, I'll lay down for..." Sue was shaking her head. And pointing upwards. "I'll go... Let my dad's dad apologize to me." Sue smiled.
She climbed up the stairs. The door opened onto the 'port roof. It was high enough that she could look out the windows.
Flat land extended in every direction. She gazed at the passing sagebrush for a while. Then she turned to regard the driver.
He glanced down then face the road. That was okay with her. Anything this big, traveling this speed, needed constant attention to prevent fiery death.
There were benches along the rail. She sat at one and belted in.
"Everything okay in there?" he asked.
"Oh, fine," she said. The earplugs protected her from hearing his thundering voice, but transmitted a smaller version around the sound canceling.
She still felt her lungs vibrate, if she was breathing in when he spoke. Disconcerting but not painful.
"They said they'd fix a connection to your mom's hospital room."
"Found it," she said. She waited a moment then practically felt her mother's finger poking her in her polite-muscle. "She's doing fine," she added.
"Good. Good." He glanced down once more. "You know, I never wished her anything but the best. And you, too."
"She said you disowned us." She bit her mouth shut. She'd intended to ignore that, to just suffer without confrontation. Her mouth obviously had other ideas.
He was nodding. "I heard that. It's not true, but I heard it."
"What is true, then?" she asked. He sighed. And stared out at the road ahead. "You don't have to talk about it... Sir." He winced. She counted that as a scored hit.
"I was against the folding," he said. He braked and she felt the port slide forward on the seat. It was a nauseating sensation, the building under her in motion.
Then the seatbelt stopped it. She saw a truck in front of them, bigger than Jerry's by an order of magnitude.
Lights on the back went off and on for a bit, then stayed off and it started to pick up speed. Jerry followed.
"Anyway, the folding tech scared me. I thought it was too new, not tested enough. But your dad and your mom, they were in love."
"I remember that," she said. "They were always holding hands and kissing."
"Yeah," he nodded. "They were doing that from about the day they met. It's why he was in such a hurry to volunteer for the folding."
"And you hated Mom for demanding it of him."
"Is that what she says?" He didn't sound upset. Just curious.
"Mostly."
"Well, it's not true. I liked your mother. I still like your mother. And your dad told me, the only demand she made was that he convert to Little Ender, so her family would attend the wedding. Folding was his idea."
"She...what? Mom says SHE heard about it, and... ANd they argued... And she... She said he'd have..."
Jerry sat quietly while her world spun. "Mom has always said Dad's death was her fault. And you blamed her."
"As I said, she remembers it differently than I do."
It was a lot to take in. The evil bastard human was either also an evil liar, or not an evil bastard... Jeana's head hurt, probably from jet lag, or whatever. Or motion sickness from the car's bouncing. That was it.
"Si-... Jerry? I think I'm getting car sick." The 'port slid once more as he aimed for the side of the highway and started braking. "No, no. I'm not about to... I just think I'll go lay down."
"Okay," he said. "Are there enough beds for you and Sue?"
"Sure," she said. She'd read that Lilliputian travelers among the Englishmen tended to seek the familiar, in tactile form. Right now, curling up in bed with Sue like two puppies seemed ideal.
She wouldn't explain that to the giant, though. No telling how he'd react. She unstrapped and made for the door. He brought the pickup to a gentle stop and looked down at her. "I'll give you a couple minutes to get settled, before I start up again. Use, uh, use the bathroom if you want."
"I will. Thank you," she nodded, then went down the steps. Sue had kicked off her shoes and taken her belt off.
The bed had thick leather curtains that rose, cupping the sleepers and keeping them from spilling around the 'port. She was raising them when Jeana walked in.
"Hey. Are we stopped?"
"I'm, uh, yeah. A little car sick. I was going to pee, then lay down."
Sue nodded. "You've been up in giant land for a few minutes. Everything's at the wrong scale, especially the movement. You probably want to take that in stages." She spread her arms. "Want a hug?"
"I'm... Mom and I aren't much for touching," she said. Sue nodded, but kept her arms out. Jeana turned her back and darted into the bathroom.
She came out later and crossed to the glass door. A balcony faced Jerry. He was tapping the steering wheel and staring at the road.
The distance, just from here to where he sat, struck her. She'd have to run to get to his pocket in any reasonable amount of time. But she was inside arm's reach to him.
And the angle. Half his body was below her but his head was way, way above. And that steering wheel was bigger than her home. But he handled it absently, just as Mom would her stirring spoon or cleaning tub.
Which he could crush between his fingers.
She felt dizzy. Her knees were weak again. She forced herself to talk, to get his attention. "Jerry? I'm about to lay down, now. Um. Thanks for waiting."
"Yeah, sure," he replied. "If you need anything, even to be left alone, you tell me, okay?"
"I will, sir." Then she climbed up into the bed. Sue was propped up on pillows, reading something. Her arm extended casually.
Jeana slid across the blanket to burrow into the hug. The agent pulled her in tight. "It's okay. Breathe. Nothing's changed. You're still a whole person, a real person. Not an insect."
"He's so big!" Jeana whispered urgently.
"No shit," Sue said. "But it just takes getting used to."
"How? How do you get used to it?"
"Well, you know that actor's trick? Where they say if you're nervous on stage, you imagine the audience naked? Then they're powerless and you can get on with things?"
"Yes?"
"DO NOT TRY THAT!" Sue hissed as she shuddered theatrically. "It does not make them powerless."
Jeana giggled.
"I'm serious, girl. Once you've imagined giant rolls of belly fat like tidal waves... Eugh. You'll never sleep on a waterbed again. Or ride an inflatable raft."
Jeana laughed out loud and relaxed.
"Now, you need a talisman. Something to hold in your pocket and remind you that there's an entire nation of people your size." She took a coin out of her shirt pocket and passed it over. Queen Estepietal's face stared at her warmly.
Rumor had it that The Queen did everything warmly. Including order your execution. By the time she was done, they said, you felt like you'd inconvenienced her and often apologized for being a bother.
"I used that for my first ten missions among the Englishmen," Sue said. "The coin reminds me we have an economy. The Queen reminds me we have a government. We're players in the world stage. And the reverse..."
Jeana turned it over, though she knew what was on the back of a pound-coin. The profile of the Royal Castle glinted at her. "What does that remind you of?"
"Gulliver pissing out a fire in the Old Castle. They're just people," she said, raising her voice over the laughter that burst from the teen. "Biiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiig people. But people."
Jeana sobered a bit as she slid the coin into her own pocket. "And," she said, "holding this will remind me I have friends."
"Aw," Sue said. "That's the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me on a mission."
"Who says I meant you?" Jeana teased. Sue laughed. They lay back and listened to the distant tires on the asphalt for a while.
------
The sound of gravel under the tires woke Jeana out of a doze. She felt the room rock and sway.
"Driveway," Sue said. That calmed a rising panic Jeana hadn't even realized she was feeling.
"I thought the road was broken," she admitted. She grabbed the side of the bed and swung over. Sue called out a warning, but Jeana was confident of her ability to walk- A sudden shift flung her completely out of the bed and flying for the sliding doors
She screamed. Jerry heard and slammed the brakes. Jeana's path veered from the glass to the forward bulkhead. She hit what looked like steel, but it compressed nicely.
Seems the designers had ridden with humans a time or two. She felt the wall give, then slowly push her back to standing next to it.
"Everyone alright?" Jerry called.
"Fine!" Jeana snapped. No thanks to him.
"Well. Good. We're here." He eased out the door on his side. They heard the passenger door open a minute later. "I'm going to carry the Lilliport inside. You guys want to ride in the port or the pocket?"
Sue looked the question at Jeana. She shrugged.
"Well, Jerry," Sue said, "it's not that I don't trust you? But humans very rarely drop their pockets." She climbed out and walked towards the stairs. Jeana followed.
-----------
The house was just impressions the first day. Lots of wood. Stained wood outside, a wooden porch, a wooden door, and wood furniture.
"Jerry's a cowboy," she said softly.
"You know your mike's on in Jerry's presence, right," Sue said just as softly.
"I may have driven cattle a time or two," Jerry said. Jeana blushed. He carried the 'port through a few rooms that were all dominated with earth tones and varnished wood.
"This was your dad's room, Jeana," he said. Another door swung open. "I won't claim it's just like he left it... But there are parts."
There was a bed, hulking to take up about 70% of the floor. The edges were a mix of book cases, stacked boxes and a small desk. That was full of models of sailing ships.
There was a dresser, also full of sailing ships. And some spaceship models hanging from the ceiling.
"I wasn't sure where to put the Lilliport?" he asked. "Figured the desk or dresser would be safer."
"No," Sue said. "The floor would be safest."
"Ah, but you haven't met Duffy."
"Who's Duffy?" Jeana asked. She had an instant image of a relative. A teen, her age, a cousin or half-brother.
"He's my Scottish Terrier," Jerry said. "My dog."
"Oh."
"Where is the dog?" Sue asked suspiciously.
"He's outside. I wasn't going to let him in until you guys are settled. Then keep him in the kitchen until I can introduce you to him."
"Is there a danger?" Sue asked.
"He's a dog!" Jeana protested. "How dangerous can he be?"
"Terriers were bred to be ratters," Sue said calmly. "They killed rats. English rats." Her arms rose to try to indicate a beast bigger than a draught horse. "If he takes exception to us, he might bite us in half."
"Well, I was going to hold his collar tight and let him sniff the two of you and see his reaction."
"The one of us," Sue said firmly.   "We'll see how he reacts to me. Put the 'port down under the desk, where someone's legs would go."
"Okay," Jerry obeyed. "But he'll need to meet both of you-"
"Me, first," she insisted.
"Sue?" Jeana asked.
"Bodyguard?" Jerry asked.
"Sort of," Sue admitted.
"Okay." He walked back out to something with lots of metal surfaces. Kitchen, Jeana guessed.
They were lowered to a table and he went outside. The lights, the reflections, the vast areas of storage... Jeana started to breathe rapidly.
"Pissing on the castle," Sue said softly. She guided the teen's hand to the pocket and the coin. Jeana thought about watching the evening news on TV. And the spaceship reports. The tech crews on three-scale explorations.
"And we have a seat at the UN," she said softly.
"There's a girl," Sue said.
The door opened and a bear ran in. Claws clattered on linoleum and a dark nose rose into view at the edge of the table.
"Duffy!" Jerry snapped.
"Pissing on the castle," Jeana whispered, backing away from the beast. "Pissing on the castle."
"SIT!" Jerry ordered, grabbing the beast by its collar and forcing it to the floor. It yipped a bit, but obeyed.
Sue stood on the edge of the table, looking down. Jeana started to move to join her. "Stay back," Sue said. "If you fall off the edge, you're going to look like table scraps on the way down."
"Eep!" Jeana froze.
Sue ran across the table to the far side, jumping down to the seat of one of the chairs, then down to the crosspiece between the front legs, then to the floor.
She walked across the linoleum towards the dog. "Hey, fella! You good boy?"
Jeana dropped to hands and knees and crawled to the edge to see what happened.
The dog was excited, obviously wanting to find out what this new thing in his world was. He strained, pawing a little bit at the ground. Jerry held him tight, though. And one hand hovered to snatch Sue out of the way.
Duffy whimpered, then lay down. He stretched his nose out as far as he could, sniffing at Sue as she got within a sword's length of the dog.
He sniffed rapidly for a while. Then barked. And rolled suddenly, breaking Jerry's hold on his collar. Sue jumped back. Jerry swore. Jeana held her breath.
And Duffy ran away.
"What the...? Get back here! Miserable mutt! Sorry, Sue, I'll get him, then..." He paused as Duffy came back. He had his favorite fetch toy in his teeth. A hollow rubber ball with a metal bell inside. He dropped it and it rolled towards the Lilliputian agent.
"He wants to play!" Sue leaned back and pistoned a leg out. The ball shot across the floor. Duffy barked happily and gave chase. The uneven weight gave the ball a motion like it was actively avoiding the dog.
"Okay," Sue said. "That worked. Um... Jerry, can you put me up on this chair?" He moved her. She could have made the climb, Jeana knew, but this was faster.
Sue waved Jeana down. The both stood on the chair as Duffy brought the ball back. He placed it under the chair, then sat up in the begging position.
He sniffed at Sue, and at the young woman standing behind the agent. After a few breaths, he lay his head on the seat and looked mournfully at the two women.
Jeana stepped into the clear and around the head. Huge brown eyes followed her until she was behind them. She found his ear and scratched behind it.
It was like raking tree branches with her bare hands, but she got a happy sigh from the monster. Sue moved to the other side and scratched.
"Okay," Jerry said. "You two have made a friend for life."
Duffy followed them around, ever hopeful, for the rest of the evening. Jerry found an old copper pipe and rigged it to the back of the Lilliport.
They quickly trained Duffy to place his ball on the 'port's observation deck, where they could roll it over to the pipe and 'throw' it across the floor. That game lasted as long as they could stand the slobber.
And usually, when they thought they were done, the dog's heartfelt begging would earn him one or twelve more rounds.
----------
Jerry had made a roast for dinner. Sue looked interested but didn't reply until she looked at Jeana.
"I'm, uh, tired. From the travel." She waved her throwing arm. "And twenty games of fetch. I'm just going to shower a few times and lay down.
"But you can go eat, Sue."
"No, no. We should settle down together. Raincheck, Jerry?"
"Sure," he said. He looked a little disappointed, but then invited Duffy to din-din. The door shut softly after they were gone and the women went down to a precooked dinner, long slobber-reducing showers and bed.
------
Over the next few days, Jeana mostly kept to the Lilliport. She had fallen behind in her school work during her mother's illness.
And there were plenty of meals ready to take out and eat right at her desk. Doing her schoolwork.
And her mom's status was visible the whole time. She felt more comfortable with that visible. Like a connection was made.
And everything inside the 'port was on her scale. She needed time to adjust to the giant world. She climbed up once a day to play fetch with Duffy.
It was just a coincidence that fetch happened when Jerry was off on an errand or working outside.
Sue spent the time keeping track of her charge. Always near, always on hand. They shared meals. Sue played with Duffy while Jerry was home. Jeana heard them talking. Nothing significant, just passing the time.
Jeana put on her headphones and turned up the voice narrating her lessons then.
Four days after they arrived, Sue stood up and clapped her hands together. "Well. You're settled in nicely. I'm going to go see what's on TV."
She headed for the stairs. Jeana looked from her back to the entertainment console. "Sue? The TV's in here."
"Yeah. I'm going to go see what Jerry's watching." She stamped up the stairs and out the roof.
The teen stared... She felt horrible betrayal. The only other Lilliputian for 200 miles was leaving her! And to go hang out with... With... Another person, one who meant her well and took her in and only wanted...
She flinched, physically rejecting the direction her thoughts were going. The homework...that needed more attention.
An alarm went off about two hours later. She had a class discussion scheduled. There was a brief moment to check herself in the mirror, then she turned on the camera.
Something was wrong with the display, though. Instead of seeing the teacher and the back of everyone's heads, she was looking at the twenty faces of her classmates.
"What's going...?" she started to ask.
"Jeana!" Mrs. Croewordy exclaimed. "You're our subject today."
"I am?" Oh. The folding. And Dad's accident. That's what everyone always wanted to hear about.
"What's it like?" Shevvessy asked.
"What's what like?"
"Living among..." And the girl dropped her voice to a stage whisper. "The Englishmen?"
Jeana looked left and right. She really wasn't living among the Englishmen. She was living in the tiniest Lilliputian colony she'd ever heard of.
By choice.
Her countrymen fired questions about what they knew, heard, suspected or imagined about giant life. And what it would be like.
"I'm... I'm still sorting out the impressions," she said, stalling for time. Their faces looked disappointed. They'd actually been interested in her, what she was doing. Not some freak accident her dad had suffered.
"Well, we can reschedule this," Croewordy offered.
"AW!" they protested.
"Um..." She raised one finger. "I guess I can be ready to talk about Montana next week." The teacher nodded. "But for now... Anyone know what a Scottish Terrier is?"
-------
An hour later, she slid down the side of the Lilliport and walked into the living room. The TV was on in the parlor. She set herself for a hike and started jogging.
A ringing bell got her attention and she ducked as Duffy dropped the ball next to her. "Hey, boy! Hey, boy!" she teased, rolling the ball back and forth.
Duffy went into a frenzy of barking. She spun around, dropped to her elbows and kicked the ball with both legs. The terrier ran after it, barking in glee.
The noise attracted Jerry. He looked down at her with a smile. "Wanna play with the idiot dog or come watch TV?"
"Can... Can I do both?" she asked.
"Probably could figure a way to," he admitted. "Probably could." He bent down and offered his hand.
Sue was on an end table by his recliner. There was a glass of amber fluid next to where she sat. The agent had a smaller glass dipped from the big one.
"I can has Scotch?" Jeana asked as Jerry put her down.
"The hell!" Jerry said as Sue shook her head. "It's bourbon!"
"He means, you can't have any, whatever it is," Sue said.
"Aw," Jeana mock protested. "I never can has Scotch."
"How are you on Coca Cola?" Jerry asked. "I gotta six pack in the fridge."
"I'll try anything once," she said. "Thank you."
Duffy came back. He lifted the ball to the table top and barked.
The Lilliputians took turns rolling it off the table, throwing some body English into it to confuse the dog. It seldom worked.
The three of them watched the news together. Jeana was surprised at the way world events were portrayed.
"What do you mean?" Jerry asked.
"Just... Well, I know the UN has been talking about recognizing some Lilliputian Islanders. Back home, that's everywhere you look. Here...."
"We can find that news," Sue offered.
"No, I don't.... I don't really care. It's just..." She shrugged, waving her hands aimlessly.
"I used to be stationed in a big city," Jerry said. "They got an expansion team one year. They were so popular... Well, the local paper had a sports section AND a Jaguars' section. Players, coaches, stadium, public appearances by the cheerleaders.
"Moved out here? It was weird, picking up a paper and having to search for the score of the Jaguars game. For the most part, you couldn't even prove that the team existed."
He shrugged. Sue smiled at how similar the other two's gesture looked. "Human nature, I guess. What affects you is news." He sat up suddenly. "And, um, by human nature, I didn't mean to exclude present company."
"That's alright," Sue said. She glanced at Jeana to see if she disagreed. "Calling us people, just like you, that's a compliment."
"Heh, slightly different flesh," he said.
They stared.
"Sorry. Old scifi reference," he explained. Jeana made a 'drawing it out' gesture. "Oh, well, there was a series of books that.. Your father read. "The People were aliens living among humans and no one knowing. The title was People, No Different Flesh."
He held a hand over his guests. "There's a little difference between our flesh."
"Just a little," Sue agreed.
"Is that a short joke?" Jeana asked. She tried to look stern but Jerry just winked at her. She smiled.
After a moment, she stood up. "Do you... There're a lot of books in the bedroom. Do you think... It's in there?"
"Probably," he said. He scooted forward in his seat. "I can look-"
"Please?" Jeana held up her hands. "I can look. It'll give me a chance to..." Her voice trailed off.
"Yeah, sure," Jerry said. "Um. Well, the paperbacks are stacked in multiple rows. If you search everything that's showing, I can move all the books so you can get the next stack back."
"That'll be great," she said. "My classmates want to know what it's like, living among humans. Climbing over the backs of books'll be something to talk about."
And she'd be touching things Daddy had touched. She hadn't mentioned that. But from their expressions, the other two figured it out.
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Duffy couldn't understand why anyone was climbing books. Not when they could be throwing a ball. He watched patiently as Jeana explored the first shelf of the first bookcase by the desk.
He was a little impatient by the time she reached the second shelf. She felt hot wet breath on her neck as he tried to figure out what the big interest was.
His disappointment as she rose up over his head was almost palpable. She glanced down as he nosed his ball around, barking once in frustration. "Go find Sue!" she shouted.
Duffy turned to nose at the balcony outside their shared bedroom. "No, Duffy, she went out to watch... Wait. SUE! Are you watching over me?"
"Yes," a voice replied quietly from the almost-shut door.
Jeana was conflicted. She wasn't in that much danger climbing this high. Gravity didn't grip Lilliputians as angrily as humans suffered. From the top of the bookcase, a fall would only likely twist her ankle. She didn't need a minder.
On the other hand, Sue was on this trip to protect someone the Queen had taken An Interest in. She might have insisted that Jeana let Jerry search the books. So it would be ungrateful to demand that the woman leave her be, go watch television or something.
"Well, take a picture for class, okay?" she finally called. Then turned to climb higher. Duffy took his ball and went to see if the magic fetch fairy was waiting outside.
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