Itty, Bitty Life...
By twoey68
@twoey68 (13627)
United States
August 10, 2009 8:34am CST
This is one of those fun little what-if discussions. I’ve been reading my borrower books again and it got me to thinking. Let’s say you wake up tomorrow morning and your only 5 inches tall. We’re talking shorter than a pencil. Get a ruler and look at how small 5 inches is…it’s small. Your not the only one tiny either, your whole family is tiny.
What would you do? Where would you go? Would your house be safe or would your pets look at you like a snack? If you had to go outside, could you imagine what it would be like outside where you live at that size? What kind of lifestyle would you build…would you explore everything, find a nice little corner to live in or just hide between the walls and floors and hope no one finds you? Would you be scared of ppl or want to see them?
I think after the initial shock wore off, I’d be ok. If Morgana were shrunk too we’d be ok here, but if not she’d definitely look at us as a snack. I shudder when I think of how she “plays” with crickets and such that come in under the door. The closest safe place for us would be my brothers house…no indoor animals. He’s about 3 blocks from us and it would be a nightmare to get there. I think I’d just wait till someone finally came to check on us and try to hitch a ride on them. I can’t imagine trying to get all the ways with cats, dogs, kids, cars, grass that’s like forests…we’d never get there. I’d probably want to explore some like between the floors and walls and we’d probably just build us a little place under the floor somewhere. I wouldn’t mind if my family saw me but I wouldn’t want outsiders to know b/c they might want to turn us into some kind of carnival show. COME SEE THE FREAKY LITTLE PPL!! Nope, I don’t think so.
[b]**AT PEACE WITHIN**
~~STAND STRONG IN YOUR BELIEFS~~[/b]
6 people like this
20 responses
@BarBaraPrz (45498)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
10 Aug 09
I loved The Borrowers when I was a kid! Some "they" made a TV movie of it some years ago, with Eddie Albert as Pod... wasn't as bad as you'd think.
If I still had my tin dollhouse set up, I might live in there, but there's no wall on one side and no running water, of course, nor stove... a cherry tomato would be the size of a pumpkin!
1 person likes this
@jwfarrimond (4473)
•
10 Aug 09
Here's another thought. What if the entire population of the world was reduced to 5 inches tall overnight. 
@mtdewgurl74 (18151)
• United States
11 Aug 09
Well, if that happened..there would definitely be problems. Alot of people would end up as cat,rodent,owls,birds,lizard and other various animals bait..but then again the food and clothing bill would be so cheaper. Let's just hope they know how to sew.
@saundyl (9783)
• Canada
14 Aug 09
I used to love the borrowers! I think the littles were the same thing different author - loved them too!
I think my pets would think I'm some kind of toy if i shrunk that small. I'd be scared - some of the bugs you see around would be almost as big as me and they can be scary when im a big person!
@paula27661 (15811)
• Australia
11 Aug 09
Oh my…5 inches tall and two cats and a dog! I hope that my beloved pets would recognise me and not be inclined to make a meal of me! Where would I go? I would like to stay in my house but that may not be practical. I guess the first thing to decide would be whether we would want other normal sized people to see us. If we did we would certainly make the evening news and become a bit of side show which would not be good. If we told no one the authorities would presume we are missing. It’s a tough one I guess I would tell my family and see what happens…Would we ever return to our normal size I wonder...
@scififan43 (2434)
• United States
15 Aug 09
I am familuar with the story. However I do not think I would want to be that short. I think I might get attacked by the cat like in the sci-fi movie the incriible shriking man.
@slickcut (8141)
• United States
11 Aug 09
Lol this sounds a little freaky but i supposs after the shock wore off i could make it..The good thing about it you could slip in to small places, and if someone got inside a car , you could hop in real easy & go with them they would never know....You could be a spy, you would never have to but food, just slip it off of someones plate..You could get away with a lot, however we would have to be careful not to be squashed under a foot.LOL
@imsilver (1665)
• Canada
10 Aug 09
Awww... i loved the Borrowers books. I buy them for my kids everytime I stumble across on in the thrift store. I always read them again before I hand them over.
I'd definatly be dinner within a few minutes. My daughter's cat is quite the little hunter. I'm constantly being brought voles and mouse tails and bird feathers. I'd never be able to outrun him :)
@jillmalitz (5131)
• United States
10 Aug 09
It would be a nightmare. There was a tv show many years ago where the main character had shrunk and found life difficult to say the least. Some years later after the show went off the air I was in California and got to go to Universal Studios where that show was filmed. I saw the props they used. Like a 12 inch ruler that was like 12 feet tall and huge telephone and a pencil. It was something to think about when I saw all that. Don't want any part of it.
@SomeCowgirl (32191)
• United States
10 Aug 09
If my entire family were small then I think we'd be okay. This discussion kind of reminds me of "honey I shrunk the kids" a movie I used to enjoy watching when I was younger. In any case, We have two chihuahua's and a tabby cat, so I don't guess it would be too terribly bad if we were that small. I would hope they wouldn't eat us, though we have one who will eat anything in sight! lol! I think we would just stay at home, possibly try to call other family, though I'm sure in a way we would all be quite embarrassed to find we were very small. The phones would be hard to reach, and I fear we'd have to eat the dog's food, and the cat's food, and then after that I am not sure what we would do. I don't think any of us would want to go outside, there's another cat out there, and ofcourse deer. Other wild animals that aren't as gentle. I guess to a certain extent we would explore our world now that we were small, I'd love to know how long it would take us to read a book if we were bored, or how loud even the lowest volume on the t.v. would be!
@celticeagle (159058)
• Boise, Idaho
11 Aug 09
My cats would really wonder. I have to go out afew times. I would have to find things to climb on and hope they don't topple.. I would be pretty nervous about large animals getting me. It would definitely be a different ball game. We would be on the receiving end of alot of greef being so small.
@tamarafireheart (15384)
•
11 Aug 09
Hi twoey68,
That will freak me out, no way I want to that small, I used to watch the borrowers and follow therir adventures but I wouldn't to be that size, danger round every corner.
Tamara
@cyrus123 (6363)
• United States
10 Aug 09
Five inches is mighty small! My Jack Russell Terrier would probably have the time of her life with me! She's very hyper and she would probably have me torn in shreds like she has all her other toys! I would probably want to do some exploring, myself. Do you listen to country music any? The reason why I was asking is because this discussion reminds me of that song "Little Bitty" by Alan Jackson. Some of the words are "Little bitty dog and a little bitty car". "It's all right to be little bitty. Little bitty town in a big old city", lol 
. Those aren't the exact words, I don't think, but it goes something like that. Kathy.
. Those aren't the exact words, I don't think, but it goes something like that. Kathy.
@tammytwo (4298)
• United States
10 Aug 09
I would be terrified. But I guess as you said after the initial shock wore off it might be alright. You could use it to make money because surely no one has seen a five inch tall person. Of course you wouldn't really need much if you were that tall.
Yes, I have cats that would probably look at me really weird, especially if I tried to talk to them. They may freak out a bit.
@whiteheather39 (24403)
• United States
10 Aug 09
Yikes what a terrifying thought! I would not last two minutes ...two of my dogs would pat/knock me around as a new toy and the third would swallow me whole as she is so greedy she eats anything and everything. There would be no place safe to hide inside my home and certainly not outside. Now I shall have nightmares just thinking about it.
@jwfarrimond (4473)
•
10 Aug 09
It's a long time since I read that. I think that there was a TV series as well, but I'm not sure. Only 5 inches tall and four cats in the house I'm thinking..cats go more on smell than anything else so even if I was only 5 inches tall, I'd still smell the same .... Right? 
I might have four very confused cats, but hopefully, not ones that were inclined to eat me..hopefully. 
I'm thinking..cats go more on smell than anything else so even if I was only 5 inches tall, I'd still smell the same .... Right? I might have four very confused cats, but hopefully, not ones that were inclined to eat me..hopefully. 
@blackbriar (9076)
• United States
10 Aug 09
No what-ifs about it. If I was to wake up only 5 in. tall, I would prolly die soon as medical care is a way of life for hubby and I. I would more than likely die of an asthma attack being the dust bunnies are only a few inches below my nose. Either that or my cats/dog will finish me off.
@Pose123 (21635)
• Canada
10 Aug 09
Hi twoey, First of all I think that you have a great imagination and the second is I will have to give it some thought as to what I would do. It certainly would give us some perspective as to how a small creature must feel when it gets out of it's natural habitat and perhaps wanders into a house and can find no way out. I'm not sure if we would be safe from our pets or not but I wouldn't want to take any chances. Going outside would have to be a nightmare, so if we could find a way of using the telephone, it would be best to call someone and explain the situation. They would have to come and get us and keep us somewhere safe. We would probably be like pets ourselves and perhaps they would make a lot of money by showing us to us to the public. Blessings.
