... This couldn't get much worse, could it?

The young borrower, Luke, remained firmly bundled beneath a drain pipe. He sat quietly, watching snow flutter from the sky through teary eyes. Every shiver, sniffle, and choked sob blown away by the wind. His mother was gone, wasn't she? Nobody would hear him, now. ... It wasn't ordinary a Borrower to be outside. Yet Luke had no other choice. This was an accident of his own making. ... He'd only wanted freedom. He hasn't realized it'd meant being seen. Not by a Bean- but by a cat.

The screams- her screams-- replayed over and over again in his mind. His mother had placed herself between him and the furred beast. Luke had been given time to run. Where? ... Outside. Cold, sharp, windy outside.

And now he sat, begging to whatever God was listening that his mother- his mom would come back. That he would wake up, in his bed. Safe, warm, and with her. "... Please, let this be a horrible, horrible nightmare..."