Beautiful Dreamer

🧡

Wally Darling stood in the doorway of Cassie's house and gave her a very warm smile.

"Hello neighbor. Would you like to join me for a walk this morning?"

He spoke in a hazy sort of way, like he had all the time in the world. Cassie found herself blushing under his amorous gaze.

"You bet! I'm so excited to meet everyone!" She took his arm as he held it out to her and pulled the door closed behind her. They strolled down the lane together towards the center of town.
"Everything is so beautiful here!" Cassie began to admire the rows of apple and oak trees that seemed to stretch on and on, turning into a large forest that framed the town. All the houses and the few shops were brightly painted radiant colors of the rainbow.

"Yes, we really do try to keep the magic up in our little town." Wally spoke with a slow cadence. "I thought we might head over to the town square, everyone is setting up for a lovely picnic. It would be a great chance to introduce our newest addition."

Cassie let out a small giggle as Wally flashed a  sweet smile her way. She leaned into his arm. He felt so comfortable to her, like she had known him all her life. He placed his free hand on her arm wrapped around his. She couldn't help but notice how fuzzy her mind got just by his touch. As they made their way towards the middle of town and it's citizens, to any onlookers they seemed quite smitten with each other.

Ring......ring........ring............

Cassie jerked her head up and looked around. She was sure she had heard the faint ringing of a phone. 'Impossible' she thought to herself, 'how could a phone be all the way out here?'

"Everything alright, Cassie dear?"

She turned to face Wally and opened her mouth to ask him if he had heard anything, when she was interrupted by a bright peach colored dress wrapping around her in a tight hug. All she could see was taffeta and tulle.

"HELLO NEW FRIEND!!!" A light and cheery voice came from the fabric.

"Hello?" Cassie felt herself hug the figure back, out of curiosity. After a second, the hug was broken off and an adorable blonde haired monster stood in front of her.

"Cassie, I would like you to meet Julie Joyful. She is the best hopscotch player in town!" Wally placed a hand on Julie's shoulder.

"It's nice to meet you Julie!" Cassie reached out for Julie's hand, to which the latter took almost instantly.

"I just know we'll get to be the best of friends!" Julie shook her hand with such excitement, Cassie was sure her hand would pop right off.
A few seconds later, Cassie and Wally were joined by the rest of the neighbors of the town: a grumpy looking fellow named Frank Frankly who greeted her with a slightly judgmental grunt; the local postman, Eddie Dear, gave her a welcoming smile and a little blue envelope that held note inside; Howdy Pillar was the only shop keeper in town and had four long arms that took turns shaking Cassie's hand; Sally Starlet was a sunny individual with a literal sun for a head; a giant rainbow bird called Poppy Partridge; and a large dog in a rainbow polka dot vest named Barnaby B. Beagle.

The rest of the day felt like a colorful blur. Cassie seemed to fit right in with everyone. They all enjoyed strawberry cream filled cupcakes that Julie had brought and fresh squeezed lemonade from Howdy's shop. Their laughter filled the evening air as the sun began to set. Time seemed to pass quickly as Cassie listened to her new friends tell their stories of joy and happiness from when they came to the neighborhood. She seemed to feel such an ease and it made her smile warmly.

As she looked around at everyone, she realized she was the smallest of the group. Wally seemed to be shorter than almost everyone else, except for Judy to which he was eye level with in height. But to Cassie, Wally was at least a foot taller than her, making her feel like such a mouse compared to the others. This observation made her feel a little more sensitive about herself. But she pushed the thought aside as Wally walked over to her and offered his hand.

"Shall we say good night? It is starting to get dark."

Cassie took his hand and looked around. Barnaby was giving hugs to everyone as they all said their goodbyes. The quaint lampposts were turning on with warm glowing lights around the town. As Wally and Cassie waved goodbye to their friends, the two turned to walk back to Cassie's house.

"They are all so wonderful, Wally! This place is just unbelievable!" Cassie did a sweet twirl in excitement. Wally, who placed his hands in his pockets, smiled at her through hooded eyes.

"I'm so glad you had such a lovely time. I enjoyed watching you with the neighbors. You make such a beautiful addition to the town."

They reached Cassie's little home just as the last lamppost came on. Wally, in true gentlemen form, took her hand and placed a soft kiss on the back of it. She let out a sweet giggle as they said good night to each other. Wally turned away and headed back into town. Cassie went inside and closed the door behind her. She leaned against the door as she reminisced about the evening. That's when she remembered that Eddie had given her a letter.

Cassie fumbled through the pockets of her dress until she pulled out the little blue envelope. She searched her house for a letter opener but all she could find was a butter knife. The knife cut a pretty jagged line through the top of the envelope due to lack of sharpness. She put the knife down on a table as she pulled out the letter. Unfolding it, an unsettling feeling crept over her. Her cheery smile slowly turned into a worried frown as she read the bright red letters on the paper.

HE   IS   WATCHING.......