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Part 12: Separation

Two days later, I woke up to knocking on my door. It was Wally. I was  a bit surprised, to say the least.

"Wally?" I asked, rubbing my eyes. I had just woken up. Wally held his hands behind his back.

"Mo---Poppy. Poppy is still sick," he said quietly. I was going to tease him about calling her mom again, but he seemed so solemn in this moment. I didn't want to tease him when he was being so serious.

"What? It's been days!" I exclaimed. I was genuinely shocked. She had been sick for five days now.

"I don't know what to do..." Wally responded. His eyes were glossy. I knew he wanted to cry, but he couldn't. That wasn't something Wally did.

"She'll be fine! She just needs a tad but more rest and medicine," I promised him. I was sure Poppy would recover. She always did. Wally said nothing, only nodding. I knew he doubted me.

"....Right. Yes. She'll get better," he muttered to himself quietly. I felt so hopeless. How could I help? We had tried everything. Everyone in The Nighborhood was watching her. Everyone was trying to help.

"How about we go for a walk? Fresh air will do you some good."

We walked for a while, saying nothing. As we walked past my house, I made the mistake of stealing a glance at the forest. Wally must have noticed. He squeezed my hand harder when I did it. It startled me and turned to face him.

"What are you looking at, neighbor?" Wally asked. His voice was so flat and plain. There was no hint of playfulness hidden in his tone.

"Oh. This is a bit embarrassing to admit, but I lost a letter in there! I was reading it, but the wind came and blew it away. I haven't been able to stop thinking about it since," I lied. I hid my face with my hands to emphasize my point. Yes, it was wrong to lie.. but perhaps I should have been morally gray from the start. The playful, happy glint in Wally's eyes returned.

"Oh! Is that so? I'll retrieve it for you, dear!" Wally took a step towards the forest. I grabbed his arm with my hands.

"No! Wally, it's fine! We aren't allowed in, remember?" I reminded him. He looked at me thoughtfully.

"You're right. How could I have forgotten?" He placed a hand on his neck nervously. "Her condition is getting to me..." he whispered to himself. I looked down at my shoes. He was so worried about Poppy.

"Let's go visit Poppy! Nothing like an unexpected visit to heal all ailments," I cheered. Wally nodded. I followed him quietly. We made it to Poppy's barn.

"Poppy?" I called out into the dark barn. I heard someone cough.

"Yes, yes... I'm here, my dears.." she answered weakly. Wally quickly turned on a closet light, shutting the door slightly so we could see better. He ran over to Poppy, holding her wing in both of his hands.

"What's going on?" he asked. His voice trembled wearily. All I could do was watch.

"I'm not sure, darling. You'll be alright..." she mumbled. She looked so tired.

"Poppy, has this ever happened before?" I asked, trying to mask the urgency in my voice.

"Before..? Oh.. no... never," she answered slowly and sleepily. Her eyelids fluttered for a moment as she struggled to stay awake. I left her side so she could be alone with Wally. I knew Wally had something to say.

"Mom.... are you going to...?" Wally whispered softly. Poppy looked at him with her usual soft, gentle gaze.

"Oh, dear Wally.. you needn't worry now. Go... go enjoy your day... the day must be beautiful today. Do not spare it just to stay here with me. It's not healthy to stay cooped up." Poppy closed her eyes. She was visibly sleepy. "I'll stay here and sleep...."

Wally inhaled shakily. "I'll enjoy it for the both of us," he said confidently. With that said, he left her side and exited the barn.

"Wally, what would you like to do? Poppy is right. Today is beautiful~!" I sang. I did a quick twirl to really get my point across.

"I would like to...hang out with Barnaby, if you do not mind..."

I threw my hands up. "Not at all! It's good to see friends! I'm going to go hang out with Sally. I'll pick you up and walk you home later, alright?" I worried about leaving him alone. I knew he'd make his way back to Poppy after seeing Barnaby.

I knocked on Sally's door. She opened it.

"Helloooooo neeeeiiiighboooor!" Sally sang. She took my hands and we twirled.

"Sally! I'm terribly sorry if I've said anything that was upsetting!" I hugged her. She hugged me back.

"Upsetting? Not at all!" She beamed.

"Forgive me for saying such a thing, but you always seem uncomfortable when I'm near..."

Sally looked at me. "I'm so sorry. It's just that... Wally doesn't want anyone to...know."

"Know? About what?" I stared at her blankly. What was there to know about?

"I don't think I can really say, but-" she paused, looking down at my pocket. I followed her gaze, a cold chill running down my back as I realized the fabric was visible. "What's that?" Sally asked. Her voice sounded afraid.

"I found it in the forest," I whispered. Sally looked sick. She took a few wobbly steps back, her hands covering her mouth.

"No! No! No! You cant-! You'll be-.." she quieted down, trying to collect herself. She finally inhaled, looking at me again. "Do you know why you all aren't allowed outside?

I paused. "No? Is it because it's dark, and the darkness increases the risk of us getting hurt?"

"No... I..." Sally swallowed. She didn't want to say whatever was troubling her.

"You what, Sally?" I asked.

"It's getting dark. You should head home!" she smiled. I looked out her window. It was probably closing in on curfew.

"Would you mind a sleepover? It'd be great fun for us!" I smiled softly. Sally's hands fell to her sides. She looked defeated.

"I wish I could. I really do." She looked down at her shoes. "It's not safe. You must go now."

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Author's Note:
I've been having so much fun posting! I enjoy writing and then publishing these chapters. I hope you all have enjoyed the story so far! I have big plans coming up, which also means possibly longer chapters, with multiple chapters being released per day. Of course, this is not final yet, but I'm working on it. :)
Thank you!
<3