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The market district in Trolberg was always bustling with activity. Home to dozens of quaint little shops dating back to the founding of the city, as well as numerous roadside stalls, it as everyone’s favorite place to shop for everything they might need; from the day-to-day to special occasions.
Hilda went to the Trolberg markets one Saturday morning with her mum, Frida, and Louise with one mission: To find the perfect birthday present for her boyfriend, David. His 14th birthday was tomorrow, and Hilda was determined to get him something truly special. As it was his first birthday since he and Hilda had started dating, it was imperative that Hilda found the ideal gift; if she screwed up, it would be all over between them (or so Hilda kept telling herself, anxious as she was being in her first relationship and all) so you know… no pressure.
Johanna parked the car outside the exotic pet store on the corner of Wexler and Goodman. Frida took the lead, showing the girls to the general store across the street. Frida assured her companions that she knew better than anyone how to find the perfect gift for David, having known him the longest. Louise was all too happy to accept her help, being the newest member of the group and not knowing David all that well. But Hilda knew them both, and knew that following Frida’s lead on this endeavor wasn’t as sound a strategy as one might thing. Frida and David may have been best friends since they were little, but Frida didn’t understand him all that well… no matter how much she wanted to believe she did.
“Why are we starting at the general store?” Hilda asked. “It’s not the sort of place you visit to shop for birthday gifts.”
“You’d be surprised, Hilda,” Frida assured her. “When it comes to your best friend’s birthday, you can’t go wrong with general goods.”
Hilda shrugged, and decided to give Frida the benefit of the doubt for the time being. While Frida went off on her own to pick out her gift, Hilda and Louise found the toy isle.
It wasn’t as well-stocked as they’d hoped. The general store only sold cheap toys for families on a budget; lots of store-brand merchandise, such squirt guns and dart blasters that looked as though they might break after a few weeks of play, pocket-sized plush toys with backpack clips for school, plastic toy cars, trains, and aeroplanes, sets of building blocks, and some crummy low-budget action figures. Hilda took a brief look at a cheap plastic coin bank that sorted coins according to size, before placing it back on the shelf and shaking her head. David collected rocks, not coins.
“We should look at the toy store next door,” Louise suggested. “I’m sure they’d have something more substantial.”
“That’s what I was thinking, too,” said Hilda. “We’ll go as soon as Frida gets back.”
They didn’t have to wait long. Frida met them at the counter positively beaming with pride, eager to show her friends to fruit of her labor.
“I’ve got it!” Frida declared proudly. “Just what David needs; stylish, practical, and guaranteed to make his life easier!”
It was a homework planner. Hilda facepalmed. Louise sighed, and rolled her eyes. Frida’s “perfect gift” was little more than a colorful notebook with a glittering menagerie of zoo animals on the cover.
“Frida, a homework planner is not an acceptable birthday gift, under any circumstances,” Hilda advised. “You need to find something special; something that comes from the heart!”
“But… look at it!” Frida insisted, opening the book to show them its contents. “It has table that allows you to organize your schoolwork by subject for each day of the week, including weekends, spaces for planning free time and study sessions… it even comes with the Trolberg Board of Education’s seal of approval.”
“Yes, I know all that. You bought me the exact same one for my birthday last year!” Hilda reminded her.
“And hasn’t it helped?” Frida asked tentatively.
“In all honesty… no,” Hilda told a dejected Frida. “I haven’t touched it since the day you gave it to me.”
Frida looked nothing short of heartbroken.
“Frida, you need to buy something that David would want. Nothing something you think he should have,” Louise explained to her. “Hilda’s right; a birthday present needs to be special. And... not a homework planner.”
“Fine,” Frida conceded bitterly. “Then what do you suggest?”
“The toy store is right next door. Let’s go there,” Hilda insisted.
With a huff of annoyance, Frida left the glittery homework planner on the counter, and followed her friends out the door. They found the toy store packed, with a much more substantial selection that what the general store had on offer. Premium brands like PlayWell building blocks, electric train sets with built-in sound, video game systems, large huggable stuffed animals, collectible action figures, paintball guns… everything a 14-year old boy could want, and more.
Unfortunately, Hilda only had so much money on her, and a lot of these toys were quite expensive. She wanted to get David a new rock tumbler... but according to the price tag, Hilda could save her allowance for a year, and still not have enough for it. Everything else she thought he might like was well outside her budget… except for the stuffed animals. Frida followed her lead, the two of them perusing the rows of plush toys for something that David didn’t have. Hilda briefly considered a stuffed ladybug, but then decided it wasn’t likely to appeal to a boy. For a moment, she thought she’d found the perfect one in the form of an elephant… until Frida informed her that David had one just like it.
“Oh! I’ve got it!” Frida announced excitedly.
Hilda turned to see what she picked out. It was a lion, and a rather handsome-looking one at that. Hilda saw that it had a name tag attached to his ear: “Leonard”.
“David’s wanted one of these since he was four, but they NEVER have them in stock!” Frida told Hilda. “I can’t believe they finally have one!”
“That looks perfect,” said Hilda.
“What about you? Any luck?” Frida asked.
“Ugh… none!” Hilda replied. “Is there any animal that David doesn’t have!?!”
“Well… he doesn’t have a woff,” Frida recalled. “But it doesn’t look like they have any in stock…”
Hilda sighed. A woff would’ve been perfect, if only she could find one… but as Frida pointed out, there wasn’t a single woff on the shelf.
After a few more minutes of searching, Hilda was forced to give up and follow Frida to the counter. She paid thirty-five dollars for Leonard the Lion, and the two girls went back outside. Louise seemed to have disappeared on them; then, they saw her coming towards them from the bookstore down the street, followed closely by Johanna, both of them carrying parcels.
“I got David the newest edition of Dirigible Fleet,” Johanna told them. “It allows for four players, so I thought you lot could play it together for your next sleepover!”
“That sounds good,” Hilda agreed. “What about you, Louise? What did you get?”
Louise showed them a small, burgundy-colored, leather-bound book with a gold trim.
“A diary?” Hilda observed with a raised eyebrow.
“David has always struck me as a sensitive boy…” Louise remarked. “I don’t know if he already has one; but I thought he might like it.”
“That actually seems like a smart choice,” Frida agreed. “Well done, Louise.”
“But I still haven’t found my present!” Hilda reminded them all. “David is my boyfriend, and I REALLY need to find him something special for this year!”
“Calm down, Hilda… I’m sure we’ll find something. We’ll keep looking,” Johanna assured her.
The search went on. Hilda checked what must’ve been every store and stall in the market, only to come up empty-handed. She was thinking of giving David something of hers… she had an enormous stuffed woff that her mum had given her when she was girl that David would most certainly love to have. But that woff had belonged to her mum when she was a girl, and was handmade by her grandmother, Lydia; as such, it was practically a family heirloom. It didn’t feel right to give it away, not even to her best friend and boyfriend. That said, Hilda did say that a birthday gift was supposed to come from the heart… and giving David one of her most treasured possessions would fit the bill…
Hilda decided that she should at least ask her mum about it first.
“I think that’s a great idea,” said Johanna. “Besides, if you and David get married one day, you’ll still be able to pass it on to your daughter…”
Hilda blushed. Her mum did have a point, but Hilda couldn’t help but worry… what if her relationship with David didn’t stand the test of time? They were only 14 years old. Anything could go wrong in the next four years, in which case if Hilda gave David her stuffed woff, she might never get it back if they broke up. Maybe that was all the more reason to give it to him; a show of good faith. A way of saying she was determined to stand by him no matter what.
Plagued by uncertainty, Hilda decided that she would make up her mind in the morning. It was getting late, and the shops were starting to close. Hilda followed her mum and her friends back to the exotic pet store on the corner where they’d left the car.
Hilda took a look in the window, considering whether or not David would want a pet… but then, what sort of pet would he like? It wasn’t even a normal pet store, dealing in all sorts of exotic animals. Hilda would need to find one that that wouldn’t just make David happy… she had to be sure it wouldn’t terrify him. Or try to eat him. There was a red wolf cub in a cage displayed in the window, right next to a large tank containing a-
Hold on.
Hilda did a double-take, then walked up to the pet store window, eyes locked on the familiar creature slumbering in the tank next to the red wolf’s cage. It had had yellow-orange fur like most of it’s kind, and had deflated itself as it slept on top of a smooth rock. The creature stirred awake as Hilda pressed her faced against the glass, eyeing her with a sort of wary curiosity.
“Mum! Come over here! You’ve got to see this!” Hilda cried out.
Hilda returned to her house that night, almost too excited to go to sleep. When morning finally came, Hilda gathered up Twig and Alfur, along with her present… whom she had trouble convincing to go back in his carrier.
By the time they reached David’s house, Frida and Louise were already there. David’s mum let them in, and showed them into the living room where David’s family was gathered; his aunts and uncles, and several of his cousins. Hilda had never met David’s family before, though she recognized some of them from the pictures hung on the walls. There was his Uncle Jonah and Aunt Janet, who were his favorites. Jonah was his father’s eldest brother, and he and David more in common than David did with his dad… something David’s father was always a little bit jealous of.
There was also David’s cousin Lucas, whom Hilda was surprised to see there. David HATED Lucas. He was a bully, and in many ways just as bad (if not worse) than Trevor. Lucas had caused a scene last year when he started a fight with David; Hilda was surprised that his parents allowed him to come this year. If nothing else, Lucas’s mother seemed to be keeping him on a short leash; though the two boys glared at each other from across the room, Lucas was careful to not antagonize David while under his mother’s hawkish gaze.
Hilda, Frida, Louise, and Johanna left their presents by the door so they could greet David properly without spoiling the surprise. Hilda’s gift couldn’t be wrapped, so they decided to hide it behind the other presents until it was time for David to open it.
“Happy Birthday, David!” Hilda said cheerfully, giving David her card. David accepted it, giving Hilda a hug and a kiss. Some of his cousins looked shocked at seeing David kissing his girlfriend; his Uncle Jonah wolf-whistled.
When Hilda and David broke apart, Frida and Louise took their turns, each giving him their card and a birthday hug.
They spent the rest of the day out in the backyard, playing games with David and his cousins. Whilst in the middle of a game of stingball, David’s mum announced that she was leaving to get the birthday cake from the bakery; she returned in a hot minute with a large chocolate cake with orange frosting, and the words “Happy Birthday, David!” written on the top in vanilla icing. After gathering around and singing Happy Birthday, the time came for David to open his presents.
Hilda was on the edge of her seat the entire time as David unwrapped his gifts one-by-one. The first present was from his least-favorite aunt, a sour-faced woman who’d bought him a cheap coin bank just like the one Hilda had seen in the general store yesterday, along with some pocket change to put in it. David gave his aunt a half-hearted “thank you” at his mum’s insistence, setting the coin bank aside and promptly forgetting it existed.
Hilda barely stifled a snort of laughter when one of David’s girl cousins gave him a homework planner identical to the one Frida had picked out yesterday. David, forever unafraid to speak his mind, made no effort to hide his disdain this time, unintentionally reducing his overly-sensitive cousin to tears and sparking a brief argument between his mum and her sister.
“For cripes sake, just take it back to the flippin’ store, Evelyn!” David’s mum insisted. “Who gets their cousin a homework planner for their birthday!?!”
Hilda and Louise both smirked in Frida’s direction, making her blush.
Louise’s gift was next. David tore the wrapping off, eyeing the diary with confusion at first. Louise shifted uncomfortably in her spot.
“I wasn’t sure what to get you for your birthday, but I thought, uh…” Louise stammered. “Well, if you don’t like it, I can always take it back and get something better-”
“No,” said David. “No, it’s fine… it’s perfect, actually. Thank you, Louise.”
And he hugged her. Louise hugged him back, making Hilda and Frida smile. They barely noticed Lucas making a gagging sound from his spot in the corner.
As expected, Lucas hadn’t bothered getting David a present. That left just Frida, and Hilda. David unwrapped Leonard the Lion and was nothing short of overjoyed, giving Frida a fierce bear hug in thanks. With nothing left to keep it hidden, Johanna brought forth the pet carrier containing Hilda’s gift.
“What’s this?” David asked.
“I wanted to get you something truly special for your birthday,” Hilda told him. “Something you can always cherish. I’m not sure if you’ll like him, but…”
David bent down, and opened the crate, gasping when he saw what was inside.
It was a woff. A baby, in fact. No larger than a soccer ball with a coat of yellow-orange fur. David picked him up with both hands and pulled the woff out of it’s carrier. The little woff smiled up at him, and serenaded him with a short bout of high-pitched woff song.
“Good Lord!” David’s Aunt Janet exclaimed. “Is that... a woff!?!”
“It is!” Hilda affirmed. “I found him in the window of that exotic pet store at the market. The owner said he’s only four weeks old.”
“You got me a woff!?!” Said David.
“Yes,” Hilda replied. “I figured, I have Twig, and he’s the most important thing in the world to me… I wanted you to have something just as special and unique.”
“I… I…” David stammered, at a loss for words. The little woff broke free of his grasp and took flight, darting back and forth across the room before returning to David and snuggling up to his sweater. David put his arms around him, and the woff began to purr loudly.
“Do you like him?” Hilda asked.
“He’s perfect,” said David. “Thank you, Hilda… I don’t know what to say…”
“You don’t have to say anything,” Hilda assured him. “But what are you going to name him?”
David pondered this question for but a moment.
“Nigel,” David answered finally. “That’s a good name, don’t you think, boy?”
Nigel licked the side of David’s face, which David took as a “yes”. Hilda, Frida, and Louise all laughed. Johanna showed David’s mum the bag of woff chow she’d bought at the pet store, and explained that Nigel was more or less potty-trained. Woffs liked to go to the bathroom in water, and so domesticated woffs would usually find the toilet on their own. They just had to make sure Nigel didn’t confuse the toilet with the bathtub… or the sink.
David smiled and laughed as he played with his new pet. The woff led him on a merry chase around the house with the girls not far behind. It didn’t take long for Nigel to find the snack cupboard and pull out an unopened bag of Jorts in his mouth. After trying to open the bag by shaking it vigorously, David got the bag from him and opened it for him, offering the woff a handful of the salty snacks. Nigel gobbled them up and then begged for more, tugging on David’s sweater as his new master held the bag away from him.
In time, things settled down. Nigel wore himself out and found David’s bedroom, where he nestled himself among David’s stuffed animals on the bed. Lucas’s mum had taken him home to avoid another confrontation with David, while his Aunt Evelyn had stormed out angrily to return the homework planner her daughter had bought.
David sat in bed with his new pet, stroking his fur and looking happier than Hilda had ever seen him before… at least, not since the day they started dating.
“This is the best birthday present I’ve ever gotten,” said David.
“I’m glad you like him,” Hilda replied. At that moment, Twig leapt up on the bed and laid down next to Nigel, sniffing him cautiously before laying down next to him.
“Twig seems to like him, too,” David observed.
“Seems like it,” Frida agreed. “You know, I’ve been thinking about getting a pet for myself lately… since Hilda quit being my Familiar and all.”
“We could go back to that store tomorrow,” Hilda suggested. “I’m sure they’d have something for you.”
As the day came to a close, Hilda couldn’t help but feel proud of herself, knowing that she’d gotten the perfect gift for David. Something that was truly special, that he could hold onto forever, just like her and Twig.
Though the rest of David’s family would leave by nightfall, Hilda, Frida, and Louise stayed for a sleepover at David’s house. David unpacked the new Dirigible Fleet board game Johanna had bought for him, and the four friends passed the time trying to shoot down each other’s dirigibles and planes. Nigel eventually woke up and started begging for food, prompting David to fill up his new food bowl. At this point, David decided to take a break from the game and write in the diary Louise had bought him. Once Nigel had eaten his fill, he flew up and laid on David’s lap.
Hilda smiled up at her boyfriend and his new pet, even as Frida correctly guessed the position of her last dirigible, shooting it down and winning the game.
It gave Hilda so much joy to see that she’d made David happy on his special day. She hadn’t forgotten how David sacrificed his tips to buy her a Sonstansil gift for her mum over 2 years ago, and was glad to have finally returned the favor.
David closed his diary and locked it in the desk drawer, then re-joined his friends for a re-match of Dirigible Fleet.
“Happy Birthday, David,” said Louise.
“Thank you,” said David, putting his arm around Hilda. “All of you, really. You are the best friends I could ever ask for.”
Author’s Notes: Nigel the Woff is back! A few of my readers have asked if he would come back in my new Season 3 continuity, and I did want to bring him back… but I couldn’t just re-do my old fanfiction. It had to be something new. Well, here it is.
BTW, the incident with David’s cousin giving him a coin bank as a present is based on an experience I had when I was a kid. My uncle’s girlfriend bought me a coin bank for Christmas, but then my aunt (who I really liked) bought me this big LEGO Star Wars set, so I was playing with that all night and completely ignoring the coin back… and that miserable fucking harpy was giving me the stink eye the whole time, because I didn’t touch her gift once I got the LEGOs. Jesus Christ lady, I was only 10 years old.