The Borrowers

# Have yourself a merry little Christmas

# Let your heart be light

# From now on, our troubles

will be out of sight

# Through the years We all will be together

# If the fates allow

# Hang a shining star

upon the highest bough

# And have yourself

# A merry little Christmas

# Now

# Have yourself a merry little Christmas

# Now. #

FAINT FOOTSTEPS:

CAT GROWLS:

FAINT FOOTSTEPS CONTINUE

POP-CLUMP, POP-CLUMP

POP-CLUMP!

GROANING:

Whoa!

Aaaargh!

CAT MIAOWS:

Oof!

(ABOVE) Gran?

Oh, no!

I take it Dad's not home.

CAT GROWLS:

What's up with Henry?

Shut the door, quick. We can't let it escape.

- Let what escape?

One of them. The little people!

The little people?

Aaargh!

There we go! Get it, Henry!

It's under the sofa.

Quick, hold this. Me and Henry

will herd them towards you.

You're our net man. Don't just stand there!

- Your net man?

That's it, Henry, don't let him escape.

Tuck your shirt in, James.

RUMBLING ABOVE:

Mum!

Did you hear that?

- Hear what, Etty?

There were beans, and a cat,

and then I heard a loud thump.

Nonsense, you're letting your

imagination run away with you.

Phe-ew!

MIAOWS:

Dad's in trouble!

- He'll be fine.

VACUUMING ABOVE:

Aaargh!

Aaaargh!

Aaargh!

VACUUM CLEANER SWITCHES OFF

What are you doing?

- I was going to ask you the same thing.

Switch it back on, it'll escape!

What will?

- There it is!

What?

- It was one of them. It was right there.

I'm sure of it.

Yeah. All right, Gran.

You really expect me to

believe nothing happened?

Yeah.

Well, what about the banging? The cat?

The hoover?

Hoover? What hoover?

- I could hear through the floorboards.

Don't be silly, Etty, your dad's far too

clever to get mixed up with those creatures.

You'd have to be an idiot to go

upstairs when there's beans about.

That's right. You've got to

realise that borrowing is boring.

Well, let me come with you next

time, so I can see for myself.

Why? Everything you need, I provide.

- Not everything.

there aren't other Borrowers round here.

You'd have to walk for miles.

It'd take weeks, months even.

What about my aunt and

uncle? My cousin Eggletina?

We can't.

We could go visit them. You

must know where they are.

We are not visiting anyone.

Why not?

- Because I said so.

It's so unfair!

I hate you!

'Thank you, Dad, for the beautiful

strawberry cream...' What's that for?

I was worried sick.

I had it under control.

Yeah. Sounded like it, too.

You know, you weren't much older than her

when you got your first pickings.

Down here, she's safe. Down

here, we can take care of her.

Yeah, and having the time of her life!

Well, she has it better than most.

- It's not enough for her!

She's like you. Borrowing's in her blood.

SIGHS:

FOOTSTEPS ABOVE:

FLOORBOARDS CREAK ABOVE

DOOR CREAKS:

Arrietty?

# Black turns beamy bright

# Turning on the light

# Today is gonna be the day

# You hear somebody say

# We need you wide awake

# Tiptoe over the floor

# What are you waiting for?

# So so and no more

# That's all to be sorry for

# Today is gonna be the day

# You hear somebody say

# We need you wide awake

# No time for tea or lemonade

# Someone has set the date

# We're only half the way

# Drink a toast to the sun

# To the things that never come

# To the break of the day

# That is all I say... #

PUFFS:

PANTS:

DISTANT WHIRRING

WHIRRING CONTINUES

Aaargh!

Aaarghh!

- Aaargh!

Get away from me!

Ow!

If that's someone breaking in, I

suggest you break back out again.

Gran, you won't believe this.

You can't let her see me.

- But...

What is it?

What are you hiding in there?

Nothing.

My paint pots.

Well, which is it?

Both. It's nothing. Well, no, it's

not nothing, it's my paint pots,

which is nothing.

I'm not hiding anything.

Have a look if you like.

Well, keep it down.

You might not need your

beauty sleep, but I do.

You're telling me.

I can't believe she was right.

My own little person!

Who are you calling little?

Well, you are quite small.

No, I'm not. It's you who's...too

big, a great big overgrown giant.

We're just the right size.

We? There's more of you?

I didn't say that.

Get back!

- Ow! I was only going to help you out.

You aren't going to eat me?

Eat you? What would be the point?

My name's James.

Arrietty.

You want a hand?

Yes, please. Oh...!

If that was supposed to be funny...!

Well, it serves you right

for stealing my gun.

We don't steal, we borrow.

So there ARE more of you?

What's that?

How about I show you?

So what exactly does this thing do...aaargh!

Arrietty, are you all right?

Look, I'm so sorry. I had no

idea you'd fly so...well.

Can we do it again?

ARRIETTY LAUGHS:

That was the furthest yet!

What shall we do now?

What's out there?

How about I show you?

I've tried to imagine what it

looked like, the sky, the houses.

It's amazing.

We call it Hackney.

Right, you must promise not to tell anyone.

I promise.

Who's that?

My mum.

She died last year.

Sorry.

We don't talk about her

in case it upsets me.

I'll see you soon.

Well, go on. Don't just

sit there gawping. Go.

See ya.

Cebuella pygmaea, the pygmy marmoset.

The pygmy hippo, Choeropsis liberiensis.

Microcebus myoxinus, the pygmy mouse

lemur, which let us not forget, is,

like you and me, a primate.

And, er, Atelerix albiventris,

the African dwarf hedgehog,

so called because of its white stomach.

Countless times, we come

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