p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"Joshua crouched lower as he peered into the hole the removed floorboards made. Inside was Danny's home and was filled with more stuff than Joshua expected. Danny was a three-inch-tall borrower. He had chestnut skin with short black hair and was wearing a dark green dress with a miniscule hole in the back where his tail poked out of. The tiny man hurriedly swept his house and straightened anything that was moved when Joshua removed the floor (or Danny's roof). At first glance, the room looked like it was full of junk. Danny had explained before that borrowers stole human stuff and recycled it into something they can use. Which made since to Joshua, but he had a hard time deciphering how the junk in the hole was useful to borrowers. The crap still looked like a bunch of random crap. Joshua bit his lip and Danny finished cleaning and started showing him around./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""This is my bed. My mother made the cushion. And next to it is my drawer and cupboards," Danny said pointing to a pile that looked like a bundle of fabric and a stack of cardboard in the left corner./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"Danny ran to the other side of the room and pointed to a broken flowerpot. "This is my stove. You probably can't see from your angle, but I have some wood shavings underneath it for the fire. I borrowed the shavings from the garage."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"He said the last part proudly and Joshua guessed that was a dangerous feat by borrower's standards. He dipped lowered and noticed the flowerpot had a hole in the side with something inside it. He glanced away and caught Danny backing up nervously. Joshua straightened up./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""Sorry," he said and ran his pale hand through his blonde hair. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"Danny waved him off and continued to show off his home. At the end, Joshua's knees began to hurt, and he was about to stand up when Danny spoke up./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""You can take a closer look now if you want. I am going to stand over here," Danny ran over to a doorframe which he had explained led to passages around Joshua's house./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"Joshua's curiosity won out over his pain and he relented. He bent down further till his face was an inch from the floor. His head blocked out the light and, if Danny didn't have some Christmas lights taped to his walls, Joshua wouldn't have been able to see anything. At this height, he could make out miniscule details. Tiny hooks on the wall, tiny dishes on the shelf, tiny bags laying against the wall, pennies taped to the wall like decorations. One caught his eye and he peeled it off the wall. Danny protested but Joshua was absorbed by the penny in his hand./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"It was copper and small, but with a Native American's face on it. His breath hitched when he noticed the date: 1865./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""Where did you get this penny?" Joshua said quietly./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""What?" Danny shouted. He was in the middle of the room, staring up at Joshua./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"Silently, Joshua lowered his empty hand, and, after hesitating, Danny climbed onto it. Any other time, Joshua would be astounded by holding his tiny friend. He would be conscious of every movement the tiny feet and hands made and the soft brushes of Danny's tail, but right now he barely registered anything. He brought Danny up and held the penny between his fingers./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""This penny is super old. It was made all the way back in the 1865. It is probably worth thousands," Joshua said breathlessly./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""Worth thousands of what?" Danny asked./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"Joshua bit his lip to keep himself from loudly stating "Dollars!". He had to be conscious of not doing anything that would scare Danny and taint their friendship. He stared at Danny and it dawned on him that borrowers had no money or knowledge of economy. They probably operated on a trading system, he figured. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""How can I put this?" Joshua started. "Humans pay for stuff they want with pieces of metal, like pennies and coins, or with pieces of cloth, like dollars. You know what dollars are, right?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"Danny nodded./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""This coin was made hundreds of years ago in 1865 so it is now worth thousands of dollars."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"Danny nodded again, but the blank expression on his face told Joshua he didn't quite grasp it. He sighed. Money was only worth something if people believe it did. How could he make Danny believe in money that he didn't even use? Joshua knew its worth and kept thinking of what debt he would pay off with the thousands./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""So, it was made in 1865? I always thought those numbers didn't mean anything," Danny said innocently as he scooched to the edge of Joshua's palm. "The penny has been passed down through my family since my great grandma. She used it as a dinner plate, but I think it looks better as a decoration." Danny began swinging his legs back and forth over the edge./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"Joshua nodded, but his mind was racing. Danny's great grandma probably borrowed the coin from a human so technically she stole it. Deep down he wanted to express this and cash the penny. He knew it was selfish, but his mind whispered back that he could buy some nice things for Danny too./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""Would you be interested in trading for the penny?" Joshua gently asked. "I will give you anything you want for it."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"Danny shook his head. "No thank you. It's the only thing of my great grandma that I have," He held out his arms./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanJoshua hesitated. Excuses as to why he should have the penny were crossing his mind. He was about to argue when he noticed a look of fear on Danny's face. He knew instantly that Danny was thinking that Joshua would steal the coin and he would never get it back. Joshua's stomach sunk and he handed over the penny./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"Danny hugged it and looked up at Joshua. "I'm going to give it to my kids, and I hope they pass it on too."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"Joshua lowered his hand and Danny hopped off. He went back to the wall and pressed the penny back on the tape./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""Well, take good care of it," Joshua said, trying to mask his disappointment. "You may not understand why, but that penny is very valuable."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"Danny's smile grew and he ran off to his drawer. Joshua pulled his feet out and was about to stand up when Danny yelled "Hey, wait a minute."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"Joshua got back on his aching knees. Danny was back in the middle of the room, holding up a thimble./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""Is this valuable to humans?" Danny asked./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"Cue several hours of Joshua trying to explain what was valuable to humans and why some things were worth more than others./span span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"He was almost grateful when his knees went numb. Danny didn't understand but kept asking. He would giggle at Joshua's explanations and after a while, Joshua found them absurd too, and joined in the laughter./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""This is my bed. My mother made the cushion. And next to it is my drawer and cupboards," Danny said pointing to a pile that looked like a bundle of fabric and a stack of cardboard in the left corner./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"Danny ran to the other side of the room and pointed to a broken flowerpot. "This is my stove. You probably can't see from your angle, but I have some wood shavings underneath it for the fire. I borrowed the shavings from the garage."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"He said the last part proudly and Joshua guessed that was a dangerous feat by borrower's standards. He dipped lowered and noticed the flowerpot had a hole in the side with something inside it. He glanced away and caught Danny backing up nervously. Joshua straightened up./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""Sorry," he said and ran his pale hand through his blonde hair. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"Danny waved him off and continued to show off his home. At the end, Joshua's knees began to hurt, and he was about to stand up when Danny spoke up./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""You can take a closer look now if you want. I am going to stand over here," Danny ran over to a doorframe which he had explained led to passages around Joshua's house./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"Joshua's curiosity won out over his pain and he relented. He bent down further till his face was an inch from the floor. His head blocked out the light and, if Danny didn't have some Christmas lights taped to his walls, Joshua wouldn't have been able to see anything. At this height, he could make out miniscule details. Tiny hooks on the wall, tiny dishes on the shelf, tiny bags laying against the wall, pennies taped to the wall like decorations. One caught his eye and he peeled it off the wall. Danny protested but Joshua was absorbed by the penny in his hand./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"It was copper and small, but with a Native American's face on it. His breath hitched when he noticed the date: 1865./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""Where did you get this penny?" Joshua said quietly./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""What?" Danny shouted. He was in the middle of the room, staring up at Joshua./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"Silently, Joshua lowered his empty hand, and, after hesitating, Danny climbed onto it. Any other time, Joshua would be astounded by holding his tiny friend. He would be conscious of every movement the tiny feet and hands made and the soft brushes of Danny's tail, but right now he barely registered anything. He brought Danny up and held the penny between his fingers./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""This penny is super old. It was made all the way back in the 1865. It is probably worth thousands," Joshua said breathlessly./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""Worth thousands of what?" Danny asked./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"Joshua bit his lip to keep himself from loudly stating "Dollars!". He had to be conscious of not doing anything that would scare Danny and taint their friendship. He stared at Danny and it dawned on him that borrowers had no money or knowledge of economy. They probably operated on a trading system, he figured. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""How can I put this?" Joshua started. "Humans pay for stuff they want with pieces of metal, like pennies and coins, or with pieces of cloth, like dollars. You know what dollars are, right?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"Danny nodded./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""This coin was made hundreds of years ago in 1865 so it is now worth thousands of dollars."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"Danny nodded again, but the blank expression on his face told Joshua he didn't quite grasp it. He sighed. Money was only worth something if people believe it did. How could he make Danny believe in money that he didn't even use? Joshua knew its worth and kept thinking of what debt he would pay off with the thousands./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""So, it was made in 1865? I always thought those numbers didn't mean anything," Danny said innocently as he scooched to the edge of Joshua's palm. "The penny has been passed down through my family since my great grandma. She used it as a dinner plate, but I think it looks better as a decoration." Danny began swinging his legs back and forth over the edge./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"Joshua nodded, but his mind was racing. Danny's great grandma probably borrowed the coin from a human so technically she stole it. Deep down he wanted to express this and cash the penny. He knew it was selfish, but his mind whispered back that he could buy some nice things for Danny too./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""Would you be interested in trading for the penny?" Joshua gently asked. "I will give you anything you want for it."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"Danny shook his head. "No thank you. It's the only thing of my great grandma that I have," He held out his arms./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanJoshua hesitated. Excuses as to why he should have the penny were crossing his mind. He was about to argue when he noticed a look of fear on Danny's face. He knew instantly that Danny was thinking that Joshua would steal the coin and he would never get it back. Joshua's stomach sunk and he handed over the penny./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"Danny hugged it and looked up at Joshua. "I'm going to give it to my kids, and I hope they pass it on too."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"Joshua lowered his hand and Danny hopped off. He went back to the wall and pressed the penny back on the tape./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""Well, take good care of it," Joshua said, trying to mask his disappointment. "You may not understand why, but that penny is very valuable."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"Danny's smile grew and he ran off to his drawer. Joshua pulled his feet out and was about to stand up when Danny yelled "Hey, wait a minute."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"Joshua got back on his aching knees. Danny was back in the middle of the room, holding up a thimble./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""Is this valuable to humans?" Danny asked./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"Cue several hours of Joshua trying to explain what was valuable to humans and why some things were worth more than others./span span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"He was almost grateful when his knees went numb. Danny didn't understand but kept asking. He would giggle at Joshua's explanations and after a while, Joshua found them absurd too, and joined in the laughter./span/p