Epilogue

Chapter Thirty-Eight | Epilogue 

Time is one of those funny things in life. One second, you're learning to walk as your consciousness comes online. You're exploring the world around you and learning new things. Decisions come your way and, like the butterfly effect, branches into an entirely different life. In the very next moment, you're sprinting toward your dreams and building a life for yourself full of adventure and excitement.

Both Amanda and Parker were right there in the middle of it all. Though both of them might have made different decisions in the moment, neither would change where they were now.

After meeting Rey and Hero and hearing about their story, Parker felt his optimism growing once more. The two Borrowers met his mom, Amanda, with enthusiasm and listened to the story of Amanda's "borrowed" son, a title both of them thought was amusing. Rey and Hero also told Amanda about their sister-in-law, Ashlynn, and how their niece's situation was very similar to that of Parker. The girl, Mayzie, was just about Parker's age and had grown up as a child of both worlds and she couldn't be happier, though navigating the world was sometimes confusing and challenging.

They talked about how, like Parker, Mayzie as well as Dorian and others in their Borrower community had online presences. They even showed Amanda and Parker Dorian's music videos. At first glance and without knowing he was a Borrower, neither Amanda nor Parker would have known, which Rey explained was the point.

"The world isn't ready for us to all be together and know about one another, but that doesn't mean that we can't have glimpses like these videos or our writings. Even some of our inventions from my business with my friend, Theo," said Rey. "And I'm pretty sure we're not the only ones. Take a look at Tay Models online and tell me it's not a Borrower-human team. That and my business partner Theo are great examples of what we could do together if Borrowers and humans could live together in harmony."

"Yeah, as much as I want us to all live together in peace and harmony knowing about one another, not everyone will treat us the same even though we are so similar," Hero explained.

They spent hours talking on the first day, and they continued for the next week while Rey and Hero rested before their next trek back into the wilderness. Before they left, the two Borrowers invited Amanda and Parker both to come and see the community they'd built, saying their doors would always be open if either of them ever wanted to come by. They needed time to return but left their contact information and said they'd be in touch next time they were in the neighborhood.

Sure enough, a month later Parker's discord chat and social media pages were flooded with follows, likes, and comments from what Parker could only guess was the Borrower community Rey and Hero talked about. It was confirmed when Rey reached out directly just to say hi and that if Parker needed anything, this is where Parker could reach out.

During that month, Parker poured himself into his studies and his training. His physical skills were enhancing by the day just like his mind. With everything he learned, Parker tried to find a way to teach others and make life for Borrowers better. From engineering and medicine to the basics of math, English, and science, Parker began developing lessons and blueprints for others to understand.

His lessons began with the others in the house. It took time to convince everyone that what he had to offer was useful, but eventually most of them yielded. Parker's reasoning was that he was learning from them, so it was only fair that they learn from him in return. Reading was the first thing Parker started teaching since that would be the most useful, and everything else fell into place from there.

Reed and Dove were the most receptive to Parker's lessons and Mira tried to help and follow along while the others mostly humored the Borrower teen. It was progress though, so Parker took it. It would take months to really get the ball rolling, but everything Parker had learned was slowly being integrated into the others.

A real moment of pride came when Parker happened to come into the room to hear Dove actually trying to read to her older brother, Finnick, with one of the miniature books Parker had printed out and cobbled together.

Before he knew it, Parker was graduating alongside his girlfriend, Lyn, and making plans to attend a college. The scholarships he accepted gave him his pick of the litter, but Parker found a program that would give him the best of all the subjects he was interested in. Science. Technology. English. Art. What made it better was that it was all virtual. He could attend all of his classes and submit his assignments under complete anonymity.

The other Borrowers in the house were uneasy that Parker had decided to continue delving into his "human side" rather than fully committing to being a Borrower, but the only one who actively commented on it was Kit, who Parker found out from Finnick later that she was being so mean to him because she actually had a massive crush on him.

For a sixteen year old boy, it was a strange phenomenon for girls to be mean when they actually were interested in you, but Parker left it alone. He was happy with Lyn; at least, for a time.

College was a trying time for their relationship and, to Parker's dismay, Lyn's affections had ended up shifting. The distance between their two different colleges and the things she wanted had changed, leaving both of them heartbroken. Nothing was necessarily wrong, but it just wasn't completely right.

It was heart crushing, and it did leave Parker adrift for a time, but never did he start letting his studies and interests suffer. During that time, Parker had just turned eighteen and, with some intense discussions with his mom, decided he wanted to take a kind of sabbatical and go with Rey and Hero to the community they talked about many times during their visits.

Amanda wasn't certain about it and set some firm rules about contacting her as soon as they had arrived, to which he agreed. Their discussion lasted several weeks and, finally, Amanda consented. The journey was going to be a difficult one and the last thing Amanda wanted was to see her son hurt. He still had faint scars from his last encounter with the outside world.

But Hero and Rey assured her that they'd keep her son safe and that she was always welcome to drive over to Ashlynn and Soren's place and wait for them and visit.

This did make Amanda happy, but it was still surreal.

This was her son. This was her pride and joy. Remembering the first time she'd seen him and now seeing him all grown up was an emotional rollercoaster. Tear stains dripped onto Parker's pack as he turned and told his mom that he would see her again very soon.

Sure enough, it was true.

Amanda gave them a week before reaching out and contacting Ashlynn, who had already been told the entirety of her and Parker's story. The two were fast friends, sharing many of the same concerns with their kids and how they were progressing through life, and soon Amanda and Ashlynn were having coffee together as they waited for their modern adventurers.

Parker, with the help of Rey and Hero, had an entirely different experience from the last time he was truly roughing it while camping. They showed him where he needed to be and what he needed to look for to keep himself and others safe. They taught him practical skills where Parker found ways to integrate what he'd learned from school to the wilds around him.

While the adventure was a needed one, Parker was grateful to see the yard that belonged to Ashlynn and to see his mom's car in the driveway. One tearful reunion later and Parker was being shown the entire community that lived in the walls of the home. Parker witnessed their recording studios, manufacturing tables, and modern construction while also getting glimpses of the old ways and the "traditionalists." 

He was seeing new faces and being introduced to so many new Borrowers all at once; and one of those faces made him blush and smile from ear to ear.

All the while, Parker was making mental notes on how he could make the world around him better, and he knew exactly what he could do to make it happen.

It was a rough decision, but Parker decided to go home but promised that he would return as frequently as possible. He had some applications to fill out.

Now that the need was obvious, Parker made his decision. While also writing and continuing making his lessons to teach other Borrowers and tutor humans with his online lessons, Parker decided that he needed to learn more about medicine. Too many Borrowers suffered from sickness and ailments that Parker believed could be fixed. Amputations were far too frequent on limbs that could easily be saved and infections from rusty pipes and other random odds and ends were a common occurrence.

Having someone who knew what they were doing when dishing out medication was an immediate need not only for the community Parker met, but other Borrowers who lived out in the wilds; and Parker intended to meet those needs while pursuing his passions.

It made Parker realize that he would be spending more time away from his mom, which made him feel sad. This was the one person he never wanted to leave or disappoint, and now he needed to do one of them to help make his dreams come true and make the world a bit better. He came to his mom with a heavy heart after his first semester in a virtual medical program he found and told her his plans.

He'd almost expected some pushback, but it was almost the opposite. Amanda couldn't be more proud of her son for delving into his passions, regardless of what they were. She knew she'd never lose contact with him and reassured him that he was always welcome home. Amanda told him that it was part of being a parent to give your kids the skills to go out into the world and live the life they wanted. Of course, she always wanted him to be around and stay with her, but she didn't raise him to be timid and to stay locked away forever.

Amanda assured him that she would be okay and both of them promised that they would have a weekly check-in when the time came to make sure that everything was alright. In the meantime, Amanda would take up more things to occupy her time. She'd even considered becoming a foster parent now that Parker was all grown up, which made both of them tear up.

True to her word, Amanda registered as a foster mom and welcomed kids in need into her home. She'd had a lot of practice helping Parker recuperate, so human kids almost felt easy. Amanda also took up a few hobbies including watercolor and writing since Parker was becoming more independent by the day. She even started illustrating her own children's book series about a little lost boy who had found himself in a world of giants.

Parker also decided to write the story for himself, using the "correct terms" and making his book seem like a work of fiction inspired by writings from Mary Norton. It took a long time for Parker to compile everything together and summarize all of the events. After all, how do you boil down an entire lifetime of stories into a single set of pages? But he did, and the title that Rey and Hero had dubbed as Parker's story was too good to pass up. With the help of his mom, their story was finally complete. Perhaps it would be seen as fiction. Perhaps others – humans and Borrowers alike – would see this story and believe.

And so this is it.

This is the story of "My Borrowed Son."