Chapter Text
The image of a perfect neighborhood might be the hardest thing to both capture and accomplish. To live in a place, filled with love and overflowing with colors, would be the dream for many. Picture every day of your life well spent with close friends, cozy activities to keep you occupied and the luck to be yourself as icing on the cake…
That was the life of the residents of a neighborhood called Home!
Living up to its name, the neighborhood was a homely place, overflowing with bright colors and a cozy atmosphere. The place was built like a safe circle with colorful, homely buildings that were built in order to form a ring together. There were eight houses in general. In each of these houses lived a quite unique neighbor that brought their own special gift to their wonderful neighborhood.
The name of the neighborhood had been chosen after one of the residents who lived in the area. There was one out of the eight houses that stood out from the rest. While seven of the houses were built to form a ring around the area, there was one that was placed in the center of the town square. This house was no ordinary house. It was not just a house either, it was Home!
No, not a home. Home was Home, center of the neighborhood named after it.
Home was a little cottage, painted with a theme that consisted of the three basic colors red, blue and yellow. The walls shined in a rich, red tone while the roof was painted in a darker shade of blue. Lastly, Home’s front door and chimney was coated in a warm, yellow tone. Around its body, flowers was planted to give it a lovely frame and behind its body were three trees in the same choice of colors standing tall and proud.
Not only was Home very lovely looking, but what really stood out the most about this lovely little cottage, was that the building was alive!
Home was a living creature with a mind of its own and deep feelings like the rest of the residents. While the other houses were ordinary, cookie-cutter buildings with people living inside them, Home was its own and lived within itself. The rest of the neighbors saw Home as a unique and lovely friend and they always included Home in their games.
Speaking of games, it was now time to wake up and get ready!
As soon as the sun rose over the hills, showering the neighborhood in a warm light, the clock-tower that stood in the towns square soon sang a lovely tune that echoed through the block. It was morning, 6 am to be exact.
A pair of blinders quickly flew upwards, uncovering a pair of huge windows. Inside them, large pupils began to move right across the glass, almost as if they were searching for something special.
Those were the eyes of Home.
Home was alive for sure, possessing eyes to see with, a mind to think with and even a heart that pounded deeply within its core. Excited that a new day had begun, Home began to rattle with the shutters that were attached to its side windows. The flapping gesture was akin to the way someone would flap with their arms.
The little red cottage couldn’t wait for the rest of the neighborhood to wake up already. Several ideas for upcoming activates began to form in its mind.
Their eyes kept moving from side to side, shifting gaze now and then. Home was placed in the center, turned in a way that it would face the very entrance of the circular neighborhood. This way, Home could watch whenever someone entered the area or left it. The latter part was no fun though…
It squeaked softly, almost as if it was calling out to someone. Oh, that’s right. It was still early in the morning so no one was really awake yet. Home let out a long creak, resembling a sigh. Its huge pupils rolled over the window frames as it realized that it had awoken before everyone else again. This was a usual routine that repeated itself in this neighborhood.
While the rest of the neighbors had a simple morning routine to follow, like brushing their teeth and getting dressed, Home would simply stay on the same spot while waiting for the rest to come out of their houses.
Perhaps it should adopt a morning routine of its own to beat some time? That thought had struck the little cottage more than once, almost every morning to be exact. Sadly, Home never seemed to really listen to it, or change anything about their mornings. It was usually all the same, day after the day.
Slowly, the big pupils shifted gaze from the outside to the inside. Home was capable of viewing both the outdoors around it and the indoors of itself.
A bright living room came into view, welcoming the cottage with a happy atmosphere.
Home’s gaze wandered around the room, trying to see if there was anything out of place or a mess in need to be cleaned up. Nope, there wasn’t anything that needed to be cleaned or sorted at the moment.
It was actually quite a relief for Home to witness a tidy surface inside its walls. Sometimes, the place was a chaotic mess. The reason behind it was simple. As the little cottage didn’t belong to anyone, it instead allowed everyone in the neighborhood to use it as a playhouse. Every day was a new adventure as Home loved to include everyone!
Inside Home, you could be anything and anyone you wanted to be!
As it was used like a playhouse, it was filled with all kind of supplies. Toys, books, craft material and paint, simply everything you could possibly need for an afternoon filled of fun could be found all over the place.
Home creaked gently as it shifted gaze around the room, now admiring the décor. It really loved it!
Homes décor was a mix of everything. Everyone had gotten a chance to decorate it from the inside to suit their own likings. This didn’t bother Home at all! Instead, it found it rather flattering that everyone wished to help it out to appear more decent.
Every piece of furniture inside it matched it’s very one theme. Despite the colors shifting between red, blue and yellow, most of Home’s wooden furniture, came in a darker brown shade. For some reason, this matched the décor perfectly.
Even if Home couldn’t really use any of its own furniture, there were two items that the cottage considered its favorites. One of them was a patchwork armchair that stood by one of the bookcases in the right corner. It was patched in different patterns, yet only of Home’s three favorite colors. The chair had been made as a gift by all of the neighbors together and Home loved it deeply!
It allowed everyone to have a seat in it whenever they felt like!
The second item was a telephone.
Home, like most of the neighbors in town, owned one. It was a quite cute looking one, if Home would say so itself. It was a red colored, rotary dial phone. The mouthpiece had blue edges while the rotary frame was yellow.
Even if the phone was adorable, Home wasn’t really the one using it… It was more for the others to use in case they wished to call around the neighborhood while visiting or invite anyone else over. If anyone wished to use it, they were more than welcome to do so.
Now, despite all furniture, lovely toys and supplies, there was one more thing that warmed Home’s heart. Something that Home appreciated more than anything, was all of the photographs hanging on the walls.
The neighbors had taken several pictures, capturing memories through the years and shared them with the little cottage in the middle. Whenever Home felt lonely, it simply looked back at the pictures, remembering all of its lovely neighbors that brought the best time in its life.
Its eyes fell upon the best photograph of them all. In the center of the living room, hanging above a colorful sofa next to a bookcase, was a group picture of the whole neighborhood. Home was included in that picture, even if it was in the background. The neighbors were standing in a bunch together, each one creating a lovely pose that symbolized their own unique personality.
If it had been able to do so, a smile would be forming on Home’s front. Home didn’t really have a mouth. The closest thing it had that resembled a mouth was its front door. Even if a door couldn’t really shape into a smile, it could slam in excitement!
The curtains that covered Home’s eyes pushed upwards, creating the illusion that the house was smiling with happiness.
Slowly, it began to go through the neighbors in mind, its eyes slowly caressing the photo on the wall. The seven neighbors were standing on a line, smiling happily at the camera.
The one standing closest to the left was Howdy Pillar. He was quite the interesting fella, called a caterpillar-folk. He had a nice fuzzy, green coat, was a natural bluenette and had a good sense of humor. He was also the proud owner of the neighborhoods local bodega. Every morning, Home listened to the clinking sound of his keys as he opened his store to provide for the others. Ever since he came to the neighborhood, no one had to worry about going hungry or lacking any kind of supplies for their day. He was a real pillar, living up to his name!
Next to the green shop owner stood a big blue, spotted beagle, dressed in a quite colorful outfit. That funny looking pup was Barnaby B Beagle, the comedian of the neighborhood. Barnaby was a master at both telling jokes and performing acts, such as balancing on a ball or juggling. He was even great at playing instruments. Home could always rely on the blue beagle to lighten up the mood with a good joke or two.
The next neighbor in line was Frank Frankly. This butterfly loving, well-mannered neighbor was the smartest puppet Home ever met. With a skin coated in a grey color, and neatly combed hair that shined with a black tone, he was simply outstanding. His attitude was sometimes a little bold, and his face often had a frown plastered onto it. However, despite this, Frank was a kind-soul who enjoyed gardening, cooking and butterfly hunting. He would often come over and participate in both games and other activates along with the others, but he always made sure to spend a little extra time to read Home a good book or two.
Next to the grey-skinned puppet was colorful looking creature standing. This neighbor was Franks complete opposite but that didn’t stop her from staying his best friend. That was Julie Joyful! She was possibly the happiest, funniest and most energetic part of the neighborhood. Not only was Julie a special kind of species, a rainbow monster to be exact, but she also possessed more imagination in her pinky finger than the rest of her friends had in their bodies combined. Her hair was golden blonde, almost reaching the ground and the way she dressed made her look like a little flower. Julie always came up with the best games and always included Home in them!
The next neighbor in the line was quite the star. Not only was she a great actress, but she was literally a star! Sally Starlet was a beautiful, glowing puppet with a soul burning brighter than the sun! If anyone could tell a great story or set up a play that captured everyone’s attention, it was her. The starry neighbor could sometimes come off as slightly headstrong and a little bossy, but it was mostly caused by her serious nature. Underneath her shine, she was a warm, loyal friend who always made sure to tell Home a great story or give it a role in her upcoming act.
Next to the bright star was a big, red bird standing. Her eyes were kind looking, decorated with bouncy eyelashes and her whole body was covered with red feathers. She also had several spots on her body that were decorated with rainbow colored feathers, only adding to her unique nature.
This kind looking neighbor was Poppy Partridge. Home had always liked her, but there had been a hard time trying to get to know her in the past. When she first moved to the neighborhood, she stayed indoors most of the time. However, after a while she managed to come out of her shell and get to know everyone better. She appeared to be a great baker and knitter. Home would often receive either a basket filled with freshly baked buns or a plate of pancakes from the big bird. Of course, Home couldn’t eat the goods, but it enjoyed the sweet gesture a lot.
Then last but not least, with a gentle gaze and pretty red locks, was Eddie Dear. He was the town’s own mailman. This sweet and somewhat forgetful neighbor was a hard worker who would always make sure to deliver everything on time while being on the clock! No matter what weather the universe would offer or what day of the year it was, Eddie would always find a way to deliver every letter or package with pride and determination. Much akin to Howdy’s passion for his bodega, Eddie was practically born to be a mailman. He even had his own collection of stamps which he treasured dearly, not to mention that he was also very good at paper crafting.
Speaking of the neighbors…
Home felt warmth within its pipes and core as it thought about the fun games it had played together with a few of the neighbors the day before. Yesterday had been filled with so many imaginary adventures that Home barely remembered how they ended.
It wondered what kinds of fun activities that would take place under its roof today. Perhaps some paper crafting, or a nice game of hide-and-seek? Oh how Home wished that they all would play dress up again! That was so much fun! Julie and Sally had the best ideas for those kinds of games.
Last week, they played doctors and Home was the hospital building! One time, they played school and Home could to be the school itself while Sally was a teacher and Julie took the role of a principal.
Home quivered slightly while thinking about the little outburst Julie had while going way into her character. The cottage flinched while thinking back on how some of its furniture had been tossed around, getting knocked over the floor with brutal force. It wasn’t because the colorful rainbow monster had gotten angry during their game. Oh no, it was simply a part of her character at the moment to overreact! Julie had that sort of passion inside when it came to her games!
Home felt how its eyes rolled while thinking about it. As much as it adored the passion its friends shown from time to time, it could also be quite rough on the little cottage. Especially when it took quite some time to clean up the mess after the games were finished… However, everyone often helped out to make sure not to leave any mess behind after a visit, which was much appreciated by Home.
Hopefully today’s games might be a little more to the simple side. A nice outdoor activity wouldn’t be half bad! Perhaps they could play some croquet or hula-hoops? Home had learned how to spin the colorful rings with the help of its doorknob!
Perhaps some gentle paper-crafting would do for today! They could use the special glitter glue!
Home wouldn’t mind a good story time as well! Sometimes, Home would get the chance to listen to a wonderful fairytale read by Sally or an interesting folder of knowledge by Frank. It loved when either Frank or Sally took it upon themselves to read it a story.
The excitement started to completely take over and the little red cottage began feeling both eager and impatience. As much as it didn’t wish to be bother, it couldn’t really hold back the thought of helping the others to wake up.
But that wouldn’t be very kind of them…
Oh well, hopefully the others would wake up soon and the day could finally begin for real!
---
“Mail’s here, Miss Poppy!” The sweet and gentle voice of the dear mailman bounced across the air and brought the attention of his nearby surroundings.
Home quickly turned its attention towards the direction of Poppy’s barn, which was placed on its right side. A deep sigh of relief escaped the little cottage, creaks running through its wood. Finally, people were starting to wake up around the place!
Home noticed that Howdy had open up his bodega not long ago and Eddie had just left the post office to begin his morning delivery route. He always started at Poppy’s place and then walked the neighborhood around like a circle. This way, he started by the office and ended up by the office when he was done.
He would start by Poppy’s, then Sally’s, Julie’s, Frank’s, Barnaby’s and last Howdy’s where he could both deliver letters and pick up potential orders that the caterpillar had taken as orders from the rest of the neighbors. Eddie could then pick them up and deliver them later in the afternoon.
Home’s eyes watched in silence as a thin stack of colorful envelopes were placed into the mailbox by Poppy’s barn. Home often sulked over the fact that it didn’t own a mailbox of its own. It never really got any letters delivered by the friendly mailman… However, this little detail never stopped Eddie from paying the little red cottage a visit for a friendly chat. It was a gesture Home appreciated a lot!
The little red painted cottage kept glancing over at the barn’s direction, trying its best not to act too much of a nosy neighbor. Much to both Home’s and Eddie’s surprise, the big red coated bird slowly opened the door and peeked her long neck out through the doorway. She smiled at her friendly neighbor while bouncing her eyelashes as she blinked.
A warm scent began to spread across the air as it came streaming out from her lovely home. It sure smelled like Poppy was baking. She might not really have been baking though. Poppy’s home normally smelled really good, a mixture of tea and baked treats, sometimes mixed together with the musky scent of yarn. This unique aroma would often tickle a neighbor’s nose whenever they stepped foot into her barn.
Eddie smiled warmly at her and pinched the shade of his hat with both his thumb and index finger. After tilting it slightly at the sweet bird lady, greeting her ‘good morning’, they two began to engage in a friendly morning conversation.
“My stars, I’m quite surprise’ to see ya steppin’ out of yer home, Miss Poppy.” Eddie nodded at her direction. He gently clenched the strap on his loyal messenger bag that hung over his shoulder.
“Good morning, Dear. Well, I do believe that it’s quite out of the blue for me to do so, but as one says, you have to step out of your comfort nest if there are chores to be done.” She spoke with a soft tone, like she usually did.
“Now that’s quite a new way of thinkin’, Poppy. I’m proud of ya!” Eddie let out a soft chuckle, tilting his cap upwards to get a better glimpse of the warm colored bird. Poppy looked as pretty as ever, her feathers being perfectly curled and polished. If she put more time into her appearance, she’d make a rainbow jealous!
“Oh I know that I might be a little of a worrywart most of the time, but I have a lot of things on my list today.” Poppy now spoke in a firm tone. Every word was true to its core as she had a lot on her list today! As it appeared to be a fine day, with warm and clear weather, she had to make sure not to miss out on it.
“Is that so? Mind if I ask what’s on the agenda for today? If ya feel like sharin’ that is.” Eddie carefully leaned over the fence surrounding her yard. He hoped that his words didn’t cause him to seem nosy or pushy. Poppy didn’t have to share her daily plans with him, but he’d gladly listen if she wanted to. To his luck, the bird didn’t seem to mind at all and nodded her head. The colorful feathers on her head bounced and waved as she did.
“Well, for starters, I have some cleaning to do. My whole barn is covered in feathers and dust!” She said while holding out her wings in front of her. Slowly, she began to count down every chore on her feather tips, one by one. “I also have to let some fresh air inside. You know the saying; a breath of fresh air is worth more than all the gold in the world!”
“I couldn’t agree more. That’s one of the best things about my mornin’!” The postman nodded rapidly in agreement. He was still leaning against her fence, keeping his balance even.
“I’m glad that more neighbors than I appreciate it.” Poppy tilted her head slightly to the side as she kept her gaze in Eddie’s direction.
“So, ya up to some cleanin’ today?” Eddie slowly pushed himself away from the fence. He had to make sure not to act too fast as it could result in him tripping over. It wouldn’t be the first time something like that happen. Eddie could appear to be a little clumsy from time to time often tripping over his shoes or slipping on the ground.
“That’s right. I also have some laundry to do as well. I have sheets, curtains and blankets that are in desperate need of getting a good wash.” A soft sigh braided together with her words as she recounted all of her belongings that was in desperate need of cleaning. Perhaps she had taken up more chores than she had energy for.
“Is that so, huh? Y’know, I should probably get’a hold on my own laundry too. It’s been a while since I clean’ the office.” He chuckled lightly while feeling the familiar heat spreading across his face. Almost instantly, a rich color began to decorate his face, leaving a charming blush.
“Then you have something to look forward to.” She giggled lightly and agreed to his words. The big bird slowly began to make her way down from her doorstep and approach the postman by her mailbox.
“Hehe, I’m not sure about if I look forward to it.” He chuckled while gently rubbing his neck. The rich color from his blush was still decorating his face, adding quite the warm touch to his orange skin-tone.
“As much as I happen to enjoy cleaning myself, I understand if it’s not the first thing on the list for your day-off.” Poppy was now in front of her neighbor. She glanced over at her mailbox and soon reached out her wings in order to retrieve her mail.
“That’s true.” He said before taking a small step backwards in order to allow Poppy to reach her mailbox.
He watched in silence as she collected her bunch of colorful envelopes. In the next moment, he glanced upwards. His eyes narrowed a bit while he observed the clear and blue sky in silence. Despite it being quite the beautiful morning, there was something in the air that struck Eddie as worrying.
“Hmm, it might rain later tho…” He finally spoke again, still keeping his gaze in the air.
“Rain?” Poppy’s eyelashes bounced up and down as she blinked rapidly at his statement. Quickly, she joined him on his sky gazing, trying to find any trails of dark clouds or signs that it might start pouring at any second. As she expected, there was nothing in the air that gave away any signs of that. “Are you sure, Eddie? It’s a clear blue sky.”
“Might be so, but I feel the thunder in the air, ya know? It’s rather hot.” Eddie’s expression changed, turning into a worried frown. He wished that he was wrong, but thanks to his work, he’d been spending a lot of time outside to get to know the weather signs well. It was rather warm in the air, not so much that it was unbearable, but if the temperature kept rising, there might be a chance that a storm was coming.
“Oh my… I hope that it won’t start before I’m done with my chores.” Poppy let out a soft whine as she lowered her neck a bit.
Almost immediately, she felt her nerves tickle from her nervous nature. The thought of rain wasn’t the real cause for her worry. Poppy enjoyed rainy days, but she preferred spending them indoors, listening to the soft pitter-patter hitting her rooftop.
It was her laundry she worried about at the moment. She always hung it outside to dry with the help of the air. If it started to rain before she was done, she had to postpone her plans to another day…
“Now don’t ya worry about it, Poppy. I’m sure ya manage in time.” Eddie calmly encouraged her with a positive attitude. Who knew, he might be wrong this time.
“Thank you, Eddie. I’ll try my best.” She gave him another nod while slowly pressing her little stack of envelope against her chest.
With that, the mailman happily began to continue on his way to his next destination. Home watched in silence as Poppy began to walk around the corner of her barn and disappeared out of view. She was probably going to her backyard in order to set up the laundry line.
The little red painted cube couldn’t help but feel disappointed somehow. Home had wished that Eddie could have called out a ‘good morning’ at it before continuing with his work. However, it knew that Eddie wouldn’t do so until he was done with his route. Home was always saved for last before the mailman returned to his office…
Silently, it began to gaze from side to side. Home couldn’t tell how many of the neighbors were up and going at the moment. Since Eddie was awake, and Howdy had already opened up his bodega not long ago, the others couldn’t be too far behind to join in on the daily activities. Home was usually of patient nature, but things felt different today.
It wondered if Frank was up. If he was, he was probably having tea in his kitchen, reading the newspaper or a novel he’d picked out the day before. Or perhaps he was in his garden? Frank was magical around his garden, making all kinds of flowers and vegetables bloom and grow with great speed. Frank had one of the best looking yards in the whole neighborhood. He was also the one who helped Home with its own flowers, keeping them healthy and trimmed every day.
While thinking of Frank, the thought of Julie came up as well. What was she often up to at this time? Perhaps she was trying to decide on what outfit to wear for the day. Julie had the biggest wardrobe in the neighborhood, owning more clothes than there were stars in the sky. The blonde rainbow monster could make any outfit rock and she loved her clothes equally. Yet, her favorite outfit was her red petal dress with puffy sleeves. She wore it almost daily! If Home was allowed to say so, that dress was probably Home’s favorite too!
She could also be munching down a sandwich with peanut butter and honey, a lot of honey! Breakfast was after all the most important meal of the day, at least according to Poppy.
Home’s mind got stuck on the subject of food, especially breakfast. Out of all of the neighbors, Home was the only one who didn’t eat. It didn’t have to. However, that didn’t mean that food didn’t appear ‘appetizing’ to it. You could say that Home ‘ate with the eyes’, simply caressing the feature of different type of edible objects.
It enjoyed looking at food, even if it couldn’t eat it.
Home especially loved looking at pancakes! Whenever Poppy or Frank made those fluffy little dreams, they always made sure to allow Home to gaze upon a plate. The stack of fluffy, flat cakes looked the best being decorated with syrup and berries! Oh how it wondered what they tasted like…
What was a flavor anyway and how could it change the expression of the neighbors so easily?
Home’s curtain eyelids narrowed as it sunk deeper into its own mind. Sometimes, it was quite fun to allow these odd thoughts to form a path inside. Home enjoyed daydreaming a lot! It was a great way to stay entertained while waiting for something else to happen!
All of sudden, a movement appeared in its peripheral vision. Home quickly shifted gaze to its right and noticed one of its neighbors walking down the circular path with confident steps. It didn’t take long for Home to see that it was Sally! The starry neighbor was practically glowing at the moment, shining like the star she already was.
It wasn’t because she was in a bad mood or anything, quite the opposite actually!
The smile that decorated her face spoke for itself. Whenever Sally was beaming like a star, which she was, it often meant that she had accomplished something quite big! Perhaps she had a new play in mind, or she felt true motivation. Of course Sally was an actress at heart, but it wasn’t all she was about. The star could be quite rough around the edges, a little sassy and harsh with her words, but she was loyal and cared deeply for her friends in her own way.
Not to mention that she was a great story teller! Home loved listening to her when she decided to read it a fairytale from time to time. She always had such passion with her words and acted out every character in the book as lively as she could. She was an expert at bringing a story to life! It didn’t matter how boring a book could be, because Sally always made it sound interesting and exciting!
Home slowly followed her with its gaze as she kept strolling down the street. As soon as she passed Home’s front, the little cottage quickly began to rattle with its shutters, almost mimicking the movement of waving. This managed to capture the star’s attention and she turned her head to face the house at her side.
“A good, spectacular morning to you, Home!” She called out, beaming at the cottage with a wide smile on her lips. Her warm appearance caused Home to fill up with excitement! If Sally would be the first one to visit today, she might come up with the suggestion of reading it a story again! Home wouldn’t mind, in fact, a story sounded great!
The joy didn’t last for long as Sally almost immediately began walking down the path again. Home flinched lightly, letting out a loud creak that somehow felt desperate. Was she leaving already?
“My apologies, Home. But sadly I cannot stay for now. I have important errands to run before I can continue with my day. I’ll see you later, my homely friend!” The starry neighbor glanced over her shoulder and waved her hand at the house again. With that, she turned on her heel and left the area.
Home squeaked in disappointment, almost letting out a deep sigh. So much for simply wanting a visitor in the morning… It glanced over after Sally, watching her closely. She kept marching on until she ended up at the entrance of Howdy’s bodega. Apparently she was going to do some shopping.
Shopping…
Home sometimes wondered what it would be like to do its own shopping for once. It never really needed to shop as other neighbors often brought their own food and items whenever they came to visit.
Also, Howdy, the shopkeeper himself, would visit from time to time to stack up Home’s pantry with dried goods and cans. This way, Home’s kitchen always had a snack in store for any of its neighbors in case they wanted to use its kitchen to cook.
The red cottage rolled its eyes, allowing the huge pupils to circle in a bow like pattern.
Time sure moved on slowly while you were forced to wait…
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“So why do they eat snails in France?” A wide smirk began to spread across the blue beagle face as he leaned his elbow over the counter.
“No idea, Barn. Why?” The shopkeeper shrugged with one pair of his four arms while leaning the other pair on the counter as well. He waited with anticipation for Barnaby to give him the punch line already.
“Well, I guess they don’t fancy fast food!” Barnaby delivered the punchline while trying to hold back a chuckle. That was proven to be easier said than done.
A loud bang was heard when Howdy bumped his clenched fist into the counter. Within a moment, the two started laughing at the silly joke, their voices braiding together and bounced through the bodega. The morning had been splendid so far for the spotted beagle and fuzzy coated caterpillar.
As soon as Howdy opened the door, casually flipping the sign from ’closed’ to ‘open’, his favorite costumer was already waiting on the doorstep. This was a quite common morning pattern for them as Barnaby enjoyed starting his day by visiting the town’s local shop for a chat or to make a purchase. The most common things on Barnaby’s shopping list were either hotdogs or tobacco, but he could add a little extra if he decided to stack up the pantry.
There was a good reason to why both Barnaby and Howdy got along so well. Not only were they of tall stature and close to their families, they also shared quite the humor! As Barnaby was a great comedian, he never failed to put a smile on the shopkeeper’s face.
You could also say that that thanks to Barnaby’s comedic nature, he never ran low on ‘cash’ since his jokes could pay for half the store!
Howdy’s choice of currency was a quite interesting form of a ‘trade system’. Instead of using money, neighbors ‘paid’ Howdy in different ways, such as a good joke or a word of wisdom. He also accepted riddles, handcrafted objects and even more.
It may seem odd to some, but this was the way things worked in the neighborhood. Besides, it was Howdy’s business and he decided himself how to run it.
The jolly chuckles kept bouncing between the walls as the duo kept laughing together. Thanks to their laughter, either of them noticed the little bell above the entrance ring as a new potential costumer entered the building.
“I see that the two of you are occupied with pointless entertainment.”
A confident voice entered the room and cut through the laughter of the two neighbors by the counter. Within a second, they turned their head towards the entrance and watched as a beaming neighbor, shining brighter than the sun, made her way up to the counter.
“Hey there, Starshine! What’re ya up to today?” Barnaby smiled at her direction, giving his friend a little nod. He would have tilted his hat for her, but it would probably be a waste of time in her book.
“More than you could ever imagen, Bartholomew! I’m working on my biggest piece of art yet! It’s going to blow your minds away!” Sally’s words almost fell right out of her mouth, like a vocal waterfall. Her body language quickly followed her tracks and allowed her arms to get a will of their own. As if she mimicked the way of a musical director, Sally began to wave her arms in the most dramatic way possible.
“Gosh, not literally, I hope.” Howdy scoffed at her comment. Wouldn’t that be a sight for the eye if people went to a play only to literally get their heads blown away from their shoulders?
“Of course not, it’s a figure of speech!” Sally rolled her eyes at the caterpillar’s silly statement. She was in no mood for games at the moment. Then, in the blink of an eye, she reached into her skirt pocket and pulled out a neatly folded note. With a confident gesture, she reached it out towards the shopkeeper behind the counter and beamed from ear to ear.
“Well, whatcha got there?” Howdy smiled and took the note from the starry neighbor. He already had a feeling of what it was but allowed Sally to answer for him.
“My shopping list for the week, my good sir. Please, do me the favor of collecting these items for me and I’ll reward you with a nice tip.” Sally hummed before she neatly placed one of her hands on her hip. She didn’t hide the fact that she was in a great mood this morning.
“Now would ya look at that!” Howdy called out after giving the note in his hand a close glance. There was indeed quite the list that Sally had given him for today.
“I know it’s quite a lot, but I am in desperate need of refilling my pantry.” Sally sighed deeply, glancing to the side. A small shade of pink began to spread across her cheeks, almost as if she felt embarrassed about her big upcoming purchase.
If truth had to be told, she had been up all night working on her new script and it sure had drained her on a lot of energy. As a result, she had been snacking on whatever she could find in her kitchen, making sure to keep herself awake until her work was finally done. This had given the result of an empty fridge and hollow pantry in her home.
Deep inside, she felt embarrassed about stuffing her face the way she had done. It happened more than once thanks to the pressure she felt from her talented hobby which caused her to snack on a treat or two. It was a bad habit of hers that she wished deeply to get control over. What if a seam popped!? No, she didn’t wish to think about it…
“It doesn’t bother lil ol’ me! It’s good for the business. I’ll get right to it, Sally.” Howdy called out in a cheerful tone and was already in full motion to prepare a big paper bag on the counter.
“Thank you kindly for that.” She watched how Howdy began to unfold the rectangular paper bag before his tall stature immediately turned around to the shelves behind the counter. There were a few items that would force him to walk around the store to collect for his costumer, but he didn’t mind. However, he decided to start off with the things that were closest to him.
While Howdy was busy with preparing the order, the rest of the company by the counter decided to keep the flame burning.
“So, a new play is bakin’ eh?” Barnaby asked while leaning his elbow against the counter. For a brief moment, he thought about bringing out his pipe and have himself a smoke, but ended up dropping the idea.
Even if Howdy had allowed Barnaby to smoke inside the bodega, he wanted to show his respect to the other costumers that weren’t all that into the smell of tobacco. Sally was one of them as she said it wasn’t good for her skin.
“It’s not ‘baking’ anymore, Barnaby. It’s done!” Sally blurted out the words while firmly pressing her hands at her hips. Instant regret showered over her as she realized that she had served Barnaby a joke on a silver platter. As expected, the eyes of the blue dog expanded and his grin grew wider. In the next moment, he dropped his line.
“Woof! Then when can I have a piece?” He wiggled his eyebrow at her, proud that no matter what people around him said, he always managed to squeeze in a pun. Despite the pun not being one of his better ones, it still earned him a chuckle from the shopkeeper in his presence.
Sally could feel her lips clenching together into a thin line as she glared at the taller puppet. Why did he always have to make a joke out of everything?
“I meant that it’s finished! I’m done writing the script and it’s ready to be produced! Must you always wound me with your unartistic sense of humor?” The star huffed while arching her back, making her stand tall and proud. She didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of seeing her defeated.
Although her comment might appear as slightly mean-spirited, Barnaby didn’t seem to mind and simply let it slide. After all, both of them were performers, who lived for a certain type of entertainment, they had just picked different paths.
“Careful there, Barn. Ya don’t want to upset her.” Howdy casually called out from where he stood. He was currently standing by one of the fruit stands that he kept inside the shop. Most of the fruit were placed on the outside when the weather or season allowed it, but the berries was kept indoors to prevent other bugs or birds to snatch a bite.
“Do not fret, Howardson. I’m in a much too good of a mood to let this spotted fur-coat rain on my parade.” Sally spoke with confidence and her frown almost immediately turned upside down, now replaced by a satisfied smirk.
“Is that so? Then it must be quite the blockbuster if it keeps ya perks up like this.” Barnaby didn’t seem offended by her comment. He was in fact quite impressed how she managed to keep her mood under such great control. It did cause his curiosity to grow an inch.
“It is, Barnaby! Last night, without any break, my fingers worked their magic and created a script so spectacular that even I have trouble to understand that it all came from me!” As expected from the star of the neighborhood, Sally immediately began to shower her company with the details. Her hands practically waved around her body, pointing out in the air. Her face was beaming again, glowing with a golden shade while her eyes sparkled from the excitement she felt.
“Well golly…” A light chuckled escaped the shopkeeper as he returned behind the counter. Like a pattern he knew from mind, Howdy began to neatly pack down item after item into the colorful paper bag. While he kept preparing the groceries, Sally continued talking over them.
“Everything is simply perfect! Which also reminds me-” The starry neighbor paused right in her sentence. In the next moment, she turned her attention directly to the two taller puppets in front of her. With a firm gesture, she held out her right hand and pointed her index finger right at them. “I need all of you to stop by my place later to help me out with the preparations!”
There was a moment of silence inside the bodega after she dropped her demands. The only noise that seemed to break the silence was the soft rustling from the paper bag between Howdy’s hands as he kept preparing Sally’s order.
“Will lunch be included?” Barnaby asked in a casual tone and slowly shifted his position by the counter. He was still leaning against his elbow but he was now facing the counter instead of having his back towards it.
“Act serious, Barnaby!” Sally was practically hissing at this point, her hands were firmly placed at her sides again.
“I thought I was?” The blue pooch slowly raised one of his eyebrows while tilting his head slightly to the side. His words fell upon deaf ears as Sally continued talking.
“Alright, back to business. As I mentioned just now, I need everyone in the neighborhood to help me out to make this happen. There are props that need to be made, lines to memorize and parts to be passed out!” She gave the floor underneath her a little stomp, firmly marking her words.
The shopkeeper chuckled lightly while leaning over and reached out the now finished bag of groceries to her. She thanked him and took the paper bag out of his hands, holding it with one arm at her side.
“We hear ya loud and clear, Starshine.” Barnaby nodded firmly and gave her a thumb up, approving her demand. The starry neighbor seemed pleased about this answer and arched her back a little.
“Marvelous! Make sure that you all will visit me within two hours from now!” She beamed from feeling a slight victory.
“Woah there, Sally!” Howdy suddenly blurted out from where he stood. He quickly held up all of his four arms at once and began to protest against her firm suggestion. “I can’t just wander off and leave my store behind while bein’ on the clock n all! I can’t join.”
“Nonsense, Howdy! You simply have to join! I expect everyone in the neighborhood to help me out!” Sally’s eyes met the shopkeeper’s wide open ones. She glared at him without budging, not bothering about the facts he had rambled up for her.
“As much as I want to, I simply can’t.” Howdy kept refusing her demands while shaking his head over and over. As much as he respected the talented actress of the neighborhood, he couldn’t leave his bodega unsupervised.
“Not even if she offers ya a position in the snack stand?” Barnaby glanced over at his multi-limbed friend and chuckled. If there was one thing Barnaby knew, it was how to catch someone like Howdy’s interest.
“Holy moly, ya got one of those!?” Howdy’s face lit up like a candle, beaming brightly as he heard those words. He almost instantly clapped two of his hands over his cheek while his eyes shined like a pair of stars. The caterpillar was a real workaholic so the sound of taking up a part-time job at the side might be a solution to keep up with his loyalty towards Sally.
“NO! This is a serious play and there’ll be no time for snacking!” Sally once again stomped her foot firmly into the floor while glaring up at the two taller puppets. The way they kept mocking her was close to get unforgivable!
“Really? And I thought that the diva herself might fancy a bite when times get tough. Like chewy toffee…” The smirk on Barnaby’s face widen while he glanced over at the star. She flinched at first and her reaction changed into an upset frown while a rosy shade spread across her cheeks.
“Urgh! Please just make sure to come by!” She hissed right at him while her face kept getting flushed up from the embarrassment she felt.
“Ya got it!” Barnaby repeated himself, making sure that Sally knew that he heard her the first time.
“I guess I could take a lunch break… But I can’t promise ya anythin’, Sally.” The caterpillar on the other hand seemed rather unsure if he really could keep his promise to her.
“Good enough! Don’t forget now!” Sally smiled in triumph as she felt a slight victory. She made sure to keep eye contact with both of the neighbors as she began backing up towards the entrance.
Thanks to her keeping her back turned in the direction she was heading, she failed to prepare for the next visitor who entered the bodega. Sally flinched as she collided with the local mailman who had just opened the door and taken a few steps right through the doorway. Both of the neighbors gasped in shock from the sudden bump and Sally immediately turn her body around to face the unfortunate one to have broken her victory triumph.
“Can you please watch where you’re going!?” She huffed at him, clenching her groceries tighter. It was pure luck that the colorful paper bag didn’t slip right through her fingers and fell to the floor.
“Oh, pardon me about that, Sally.” Eddie quickly excused himself and quickly tilted his hat at the now glowing neighbor in front of him. Sadly, this glow wasn’t created from positive energy.
“Of course...” She let out a deep sigh and rolled her eyes. There was only one neighbor around who could appear out of nowhere and keep a busier schedule than bee, and that was Eddie Dear…
“Lemme just let ya through...” Eddie felt his face flushing up from the sudden shock and gently stepped aside to let her path free towards the door. He made sure to keep the door open with one arm while seeking eye contact with the glowing star.
“Thank you.” She mumbled softly and began to slowly walk pass him. Sally didn’t seem to wish to return the eye contact Eddie gave her and instead kept her head high with her nose up in the air.
Before the mailman even got a chance to continue with his work, the star suddenly stopped right in her tracks and quickly turned around. Within a second, she had her index finger pointed out right in Eddie’s direction. He flinched as the tip of her finger almost got right between his eyes. As expected, it caught the red haired puppet quite off-guard and caused him to freeze right on the spot.
“Oh! And mailman!” She blurted out with a firm tone, almost stabbing him with her gaze.
“Y-yeah?” Eddie quickly raised his hands up in a protective move. He was used to Sally acting quite bossy from time to time, but her sudden moves always managed to startle him over and over.
“Make sure to not be late for my play! I’m counting on you as well! Now then, Farwell, my friends.” She dramatically waved her hand behind her, wishing her friends goodbye for the moment, before turning on her heel again. In the blink of an eye, Sally had left the building and door shut behind her.
Confused, and slightly relieved, Eddie slowly turned his head to face the two taller puppets by the counter. Both Barnaby and Howdy had a calm, yet satisfied smirk on their faces for some reason, almost as if they were trying to hold back their laughter.
The wooden floor underneath them creaked as Eddie took a few steps forward approaching the counter with slow steps. The red-haired puppet glanced over his shoulder and kept his gaze glued onto the entrance for a while. He had a hard time processing the sudden information he’d just received. In the next moment, he slowly turned around to face his friends.
“Umm… What play was she talkin’ about?”
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