•~Butterflies in my Stomach~• || A Frankly Dear Story

Strangers

~Eddie POV~

"Today's the day!" I said to myself as I put my hat on. Today was my first day as the mailman for the neighborhood. There were a few people on the route who I hadn't met, but I was still somewhat new to the neighborhood.

I looked down, reading the route to myself. I recognised some of the names and addresses, though others were unfamiliar to me. Wally Darling, Poppy Partrige, Howdy Pillar, and Julie Joyful were familar names. Julie and I were close friends, just as Wally and I. Poppy and I met through Wally and Julie. There were two names I recognised, but couldn't put a face to. Sally Starlet, as well as Frank Frankly. I remembered Wally mentioning Sally, and Julie had told me all about Frank. Barnaby Beagle was a name I didn't recognise, but I assumed it was the dog that was always in the shop. I mean, his name does have a dog breed in it.

After a few moments of nervous stalling, I was off. The first on my route was Poppy. She was quite friendly, and we talked for a bit. She tried to ask me how being the mailman was going, but I didn't have much to tell her, considering the fact that she was the first on my route on my first day. She laughed when I told her, and I was on my way to the next house.

The next address was that of Sally Starlet's. When I arrived, she didn't seem to be home. It caught me off-gaurd, but I didn't mind it, and just slid the mail in the mail slot of her door. I was somewhat disappointed, Wally had spoken quite highly of Sally. I was hoping I could meet her.

After that I was off to Julie Joyful's house. There was nobody there, which somewhat confused me, but I guess it just was strange to me that two neighbors in a row weren't home. I figured it was just some coincidence.

Then I was headed towards Frank Frankly's house. To my surprise, Julie and who I assumed to be Frank were outside. Julie shushed me as she saw me, and I didnt understand why until I looked at Frank. He had several butterflies perched on their arm. I paused where I was, afraid if I came closer I would scare them off. Julie came up to me, speaking quietly. "Hey there Eddie!" She said, "Sorry to shush you. You could probably guess, but that's Frank over there. They really like butterflies, and might get frustrated if you scared them away." I nodded, I understood, to a degree. "I get it. It's hard to get a butterfly to land on you, and he's got maybe two or three on their arm," I replied, "Though I do have some mail for them, and I'm not sure if I'm allowed to give it to someone who it isn't addressed to." That wasn't a lie, but it wasn't the full truth either. I was almost certain I could get into trouble for giving the mail to the wrong person, but I also just wanted to meet Frank. I had already missed my chance to meet Sally, I wanted to at least meet one of the neighbors I didn't know. A new voice pulled me from my thoughts. "So, Julie, is this the new mailman you were telling me about?" I looked up to see Frank now standing next to Julie, the butterflies they had had a moment ago fluttering by the flowers in their garden. I looked up at him. "I am, actually!" I said. "Nice to meet you! I'm Eddie." I held my hand out to them, signalling a handshake. He reached out his hand, and as they shook it, they spoke. "I'm Frank; Frank Frankly. Nice to meet you as well." Julie watched the interaction awkwardly. I tipped my hat to the two, signalling my departure. "I would love to stay longer, but I am the mailman after all," I told them with a disappointed smile. As I began headed towards Barnaby Beagle's house, I heard Julie yell to me. "Come see us after work!" She called from behind. I smiled, planning to do so.

I arrived at Barnaby's house not long after. He seemed to be waiting for me. Or his mail, that could be it too. "Hey there mailman friend! What's your name?" He greeted me as I walked up. He was being genuine and friendly, and it brought a smile to my face. "Hello there! I'm Eddie!" I responded. "Well it's good to meet you! I'm Barnaby. Got anything for me today?"
"I do, actually!" I said, handing him a brightly coloured envelope. "Thanks so much, Eddie!" He called as I walked off.

Up next was Howdy Pillar's residence, and as I expected, Howdy was visible in the shop just barely a hundred feet away. I dropped his mail in the mail slot as well, and waved to him as I passed his shop. My next destination was Wally Darling's house, Home. Home wasn't like a normal house, though. Home was just as alive as you or I.

When I walked up, Wally was sitting in front of Home. Sally was there, she seemed to be dancing or acting something out. I came up behind Wally, tapping him on the shoulder. "Mail's here," I whispered. He looked back at me, and his curious expression turned to a pleased one when he recognised me. "Eddie!" He said, his tone light, "I didn't know you were starting today!" He stood up to face me, but before he could speak any more, Sally stopped and came over. Her gaze was curious and confused. "Who's this?" She asked Wally. I answered the question for him. "I'm Eddie! I'm the new mailman around here," I introduced myself with a smile. "I've heard a lot about you, through Wally and Julie. You're Sally, right?" I asked. I was worried I sounded a bit creepy, but to my relief, she looked pleased. "Why yes, I am. I knew my stardom would spread!" She said rather lightheartedly, "Now, if you excuse me, I was practicing something." She walked back to where she was on the lawn when I had walked up. Wally smiled and spoke, "I've gotta go, I promised her I'd watch her practice and let her know if she needed to fix anything. You could join if you like." I smiled and shook my head, somewhat disappointedly. "I would love to, but I promised I would hang out with Julie and Frank after work." Wally looked at me with a look of pleasant surprise. "You've met them?" He asked. I nodded. "Yeah, he was outside with Julie while I was on my mail route. She introduced us," I explained. Wally looked rather pleased at that. "Well, I've got to get going," He said, "Have fun with Julie and Frank!"

A/N
please dont attack me i know its probably really bad