Elyndor hesitated, his antennae twitching nervously. He wasn’t accustomed to sharing personal details, especially about his master. In the cutthroat world of scopicitae adventurers and treasure hunters, such information could be dangerous in the wrong hands. But as he looked at Pippa’s eager, innocent face, he found his usual caution wavering.
“Well,” he began, choosing his words carefully, “my master is… was… a rather well-known individual in certain circles. I don’t usually talk about him much. You understand, of course. In our line of work, it’s best to keep some things close to the thorax, as they say.”
Pippa nodded sagely, though it was clear from her expression that she didn’t quite grasp the concept of discretion. “Oh, sure! I totally understand. My mom always says I shouldn’t tell strangers about the secret stash of sugar crystals we keep hidden in the sesame seed cupboard. Oops!” She clapped her hands over her mouth, eyes wide. “I probably shouldn’t have said that, huh?”
Elyndor couldn’t help but chuckle. “No, probably not. But don’t worry, your secret’s safe with me. I have no interest in sugar crystals, tempting as they may be.” He paused, considering how much to reveal. “My master… well, he’s a bit more interesting than a hoard of sweeteners. He’s an alchemist – and a rather famous one at that.”
“Oooh!” Pippa’s eyes lit up. “An alchemist? Is that like a wizard? Can he turn bread into cheese? Or sesame seeds into tiny scopicitae-sized motorcycles?”
“Not… exactly,” Elyndor said, trying not to laugh at the mental image of scopicitae zooming around on sesame seed motorcycles. “Alchemy is a bit more practical than that. My master can take ordinary scraps – things most scopicitae would consider useless – and forge them into incredible tools and devices.”
He tapped the breathing apparatus affixed to his face. “This, for instance. It’s one of his designs. There are fancier models out there, sure. Some of the upper-crust types in the big Scopicities have breathing apparatuses with all sorts of bells and whistles. But this? This is reliable. Efficient. It does the job without any fuss, just like my master taught me.”
Pippa leaned in close, examining the device with newfound appreciation. “Wow… So your master must be super smart, huh? I bet he could make all sorts of amazing things!”
“Oh, he certainly could,” Elyndor agreed, a note of pride creeping into his voice despite his best efforts to remain nonchalant. “Back in my home Scopicity, there wasn’t a problem he couldn’t solve with a bit of ingenuity and the right materials. Need a way to cross a puddle that’s the size of an ocean to us? He’d whip up a boat from a leaf and some tree sap. Trouble with mold spores invading your food stores? He’d concoct a repellent that’d send those spores packing faster than you could say ‘penicillium’.”
“That’s so cool!” Pippa exclaimed. Then, her antennae drooped slightly. “I wish I knew someone that smart. The most exciting thing that ever happened in my burger was when Dad found a piece of pickle that was only a little moldy.”
Elyndor’s curiosity was piqued. “You’ve lived your whole life in that burger? How did your parents end up there in the first place?”
Pippa perked up, clearly excited to share her own story. “Oh, it’s quite the tale! At least, that’s what Mom and Dad always say. They were explorers too, you know. Not as fancy as you and your master, I guess, but they liked to venture out and see new things.”
She gestured expansively, nearly losing her balance on the uneven terrain of the burger bun. “One day, they were out on an expedition – I think Dad said they were trying to map the far side of the Great Sidewalk Crack – when they stumbled upon this enormous structure. At first, they thought it was some kind of strange, spongy mountain. But as they got closer, they realized it was food! The most delicious-smelling food they’d ever encountered!”
Elyndor nodded, beginning to piece together the story. “Let me guess. An abandoned burger?”
“Exactly!” Pippa chirped. “Apparently, some giant had left their meal unfinished and just… walked away! Can you believe it? All that food, just sitting there! Mom and Dad couldn’t resist exploring inside, and well… they liked it so much they decided to stay. And that’s where I was born!” She puffed up her tiny chest, clearly proud of her burger-based origins.
The mental image of two intrepid scopicitae explorers stumbling upon an abandoned fast food meal and deciding to set up house was too much for Elyndor. He burst out laughing, a rich, warm sound that seemed to surprise even himself.
Pippa joined in, her high-pitched giggle harmonizing with Elyndor’s deeper chuckles. For a moment, the unlikely pair stood there on the vast expanse of the burger bun, united in mirth.
Their laughter was cut short, however, by a sudden and violent tremor. The entire world seemed to shake, sending both scopicitae stumbling. Sesame seeds rolled like boulders, and in the distance, Elyndor could hear the alarmed cries of other microscopic creatures.
“Wh-what’s happening?” Pippa cried, her earlier bravado evaporating in an instant. Without waiting for an answer, she darted toward a nearby crevice in the bread, seeking shelter from the quake.
Elyndor, however, stood his ground. He’d experienced phenomena like this before in his travels. While alarming, they were rarely as dangerous as they seemed – at least, not to creatures as small and resilient as scopicitae.
“It’s alright, Pippa!” he called out, raising his voice to be heard over the rumbling. “Come back out. It’s not as bad as it seems!”
A pair of wide, frightened eyes peeked out from the crevice. “But… but everything’s shaking! What if the whole burger collapses? What if we get squished?”
Elyndor made his way carefully to Pippa’s hiding spot, extending a hand to help her out. “Trust me, little one. This isn’t an earthquake – at least, not in the way we think of them. It’s just something happening in the giant’s world above us.”
As if on cue, a deafening roar filled the air, drowning out even the sound of the shaking. It was a noise unlike anything Pippa had ever heard before – a mechanical bellow that seemed to rattle her very exoskeleton.
“Wh-what was that?” she asked, clinging to Elyndor’s arm.
The older scopicitae’s antennae twitched thoughtfully. “If I’m not mistaken, that would be a train. Yes, that explains the prolonged shaking. We must be quite close to the tracks.”
“A… train?” Pippa repeated, the unfamiliar word rolling awkwardly off her mandibles.
“It’s a mode of transportation for the giants,” Elyndor explained. “Imagine a massive metal centipede, but instead of legs, it runs on long, straight paths made of metal and wood. That’s what we’re standing on now, actually – train tracks.”
As the rumbling subsided and the world gradually stilled, Pippa cautiously emerged from her hiding place. She looked around with new eyes, marveling at the suddenly expanded scope of her world.
“Wow…” she breathed. “I never imagined there was so much out here. Trains and tracks and giants and who knows what else!” She turned to Elyndor, her eyes shining with a mix of fear and excitement. “What other amazing things are there in the outside world, Mr. Elyndor?”
Elyndor chuckled, patting Pippa on the head with one of his many arms. “Oh, my dear, you have no idea. The world out here is vast and full of wonders – and dangers – beyond your wildest dreams. But don’t worry. Stick with me, and I’ll show you how to navigate it all.”
As the sun dipped lower on the horizon, casting long shadows across the burger landscape, Elyndor realized they’d spent far too much time chatting. “Come on,” he said, guiding Pippa back toward their original goal. “We need to find that air pocket to sleep in before it gets dark. And tomorrow… well, tomorrow we’ll see about continuing my search. And maybe, if you’re up for it, we’ll start your education in the ways of the outside world.”
Pippa nodded eagerly, practically bouncing with each step despite her earlier fright. As they resumed their trek across the burger bun, Elyndor found himself smiling behind his breathing apparatus. He’d set out on this journey alone, focused solely on finding his treasure map. But now, it seemed, he’d found something else entirely – an unexpected companion and, just maybe, a new adventure.
The night was falling fast, and who knew what challenges the new day would bring. But for now, as scopicitae and burger alike settled in for the night, all was quiet along the train tracks. The giants’ world continued its busy bustle overhead, unaware of the tiny dramas unfolding in the microscopic realm below.
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