Welcome Home!

Part 26: Supernova

I talked with Wally for a few more minutes after that. I eventually fell asleep. When I woke up, Wally had hung up, or perhaps I had. I didn't remember.

I was going to spend my day with Sally. It was time for her date. I skipped over to her house and knocked. No response. I knocked again.

"Sally? Sally, dear! Are you awake? Are you sick? Should I bring something?" I tried peeking into the window. Barnaby stood beside me.

"Whatcha up to, sport? Gonna hang out with miss Sally?" Barnaby chuckled as he placed a gentle paw on my shoulder. "You can go a'ead and open the door. Sally has a belief that openin' door is a waste o' time. Pretty funny if ya ask me. Course, I don' actually want ya to ask me."

I smiled and waved goodbye at Barnaby as he left. I opened Sally's door, albeit it felt rude and improper.

Her house was dark. She was sprawled out on her floor, stuffing sticking to every corner of her household. I felt my breathing become shaky and uneven.

"S-Sally, dear?" I croaked. I ran over to her and lifted her limp body up slightly. Her eyes looked dull and matte. Still, I could see her breathing. It was shallow, but she was alive.

"I'll be back, okay?! Wally will know what to do!" I dashed out of her house. I hoped Wally would help. He seemed to be an expert at things related to injury... especially things involving stuffing.

I found Wally leaving Home. He had a bouquet and a gift in his hands. When he saw me running over to him, he whispered something to Home and hid the items.

I grabbed one of his hands. I knew it was improper, hut I had no choice, really.

"Wally! Oh, Wally, darling! I need your help!" I cried. Wally looked at me with a deep concern, a rather sad glint in his eyes.

"What's going on?"

"Sally!" I exclaimed. I continued holding his hand as I led him to Sally's house. Wally looked into the house. He let out a tired sigh.

"Oh, this. I didn't expect it to happen so soon," he mumbled, a hand over his mouth as he looked at her limp body. Wally scooped her up in his arms. She was much taller than him, but he was carrying her like one does with a bride, so her height didn't matter.

"Is she going to be okay?" I looked at Sally.

"I said she'd explode sometime, didn't I?" Wally sighed. He began carrying her out of the house.

"Where are you going..?" I sniffed. Wally smiled at me gently.

"Would you like me to fix her up?" he asked quietly.

"Yes, please!" I said frantically. Wally nodded.

"Alright. I'd rather you not be around for this next part..  Would you mind cleaning up all of that stuffing? Actually, forget I asked. It's probably a disturbing request."

I was speechless. I still needed time to process, but I was grateful to him for taking care of Sally. I fell to my knees and continued watching as Wally carried Sally over to Barnaby's house.

I remained there for half an hour more. Eventually, rain began to fall. I was soaking wet, but I couldn't bring myself to move, for what was my grief compared to Sally's?

It was getting darker now. I heard footsteps behind me. Suddenly, a shadow crossed over me. I looked up and behind me. It was Howdy. He smiled at me gently.

"What are you doing out here, dear?" Howdy said with a gentle chuckle. My gaze was dull and tired.
Apparently, that was all he needed to know. He sighed and crouched down beside me.

"..I'll sit out here with you for as long as you need, okay? It's not.. erm.... proper to leave a neighbor out alone in the rain, right..?" Howdy said hesitantly. He wanted to sound certain, but he was pretty new to hanging out with friends outside of his bodega.

"Thanks, Howdy..." I gave him a weak smile and continued staring at Barnaby's house. Howdy patted my head happily.

"Anytime!" Howdy smiled. He sat down next to me as he held the umbrella over my head. I remembered Barnaby's question. Who, or even what, made me happy? I looked over at Howdy. Was he the one who made me happy? I wasn't sure. I felt neutral most of the time.

"You can go back to your bodega if you'd like... I'm just.. going to sit here a little longer."

Howdy said nothing, only continuing to sit with me in a calm silence as rain continued falling.

He eventually stood up and picked me up. "You're going to catch a cold sitting out here in the cold. You can check on whoever it is you need to later, okay? For now, at least sit in the bodega and warm up."

The bodega was certainly warm. I sat in the pillow box, stating out the large window of the shop. Howdy was sitting way back over at his counter, looking over at me occasionally.

"So... Would you mind telling me who you're so concerned about today?"

"Sally.. she wasn't doing very well when I saw her," I sighed. Howdy sighed with me.

"Is Wally taking care of her?"

"Yes. I called him over to help with her.." I replied. Howdy exhaled.

"Don't worry. We'll all watch her. Speaking of which, j think we need to watch you more." Howdy began freaking out as soon as he said that.

"Not-- not like in a creepy way!! I just meant we all need to make sure we're keeping you happy, too!" Howdy stumbled over his words. I chuckled.

"Thanks," I commented flatly. I didn't know what to do. Today was supposed to be all about Sally and me, but now it was just sad. I stood up.

"I'm going to go walk around for a bit, Howdy. I won't stay outside for too long, I promise." I began walking out the door. Howdy seemed worried about me, but I was too worried about Sally. I carefully made my way back over to Sally's house. Wally was inside cleaning the stuffing up. He turned as soon as he heard me approach.

"I'm sorry you had to see that, neighbor," Wally whispered as he pulled me into a tight hug. This time, it was I who went limp. Wally sunk to the ground with me, still holding me. "Sally is okay, though. She's recovering at Barnaby's house... so.. so don't worry yourself sick, okay?"

"I won't, Wally..." I mumbled as I rested my head on his shoulder. I was lucky to have such caring friends. Wally nodded. After that, we said nothing more. We sat in silence in Sally's dimly lit house for a few more hours.

"Yeah. Of course," Wally said with a slight smile. I sighed again. I had been sighing a lot, but it was really all I could do.

Eventually, I left her house. I spent the rest of the day in my house. I only had a few lamps turned on. I was frightened that we'd lose Sally, too.

As I flopped on my couch, I quietly wished that someone would visit me right before curfew. All I needed was a friend at this moment in time.