The Magical Raincoat

Jealousy

"Afternoon, Howdy. You look nice today, do something different with your hair?" Poppy asked, talking in superspeed to take the attention off of the fact she was later than normal. Howdy, however, didn't seem to mind.

He chuckled, "No, I didn't. Sure was some nasty rain a minute ago, though. Could flatten anyone of the smaller beings out in a minute."

"Rain? What rain? I didn't see any rain!" Poppy continued, wincing when her voice came out cracked. "Are ya sure it was raining?"

Howdy's gaze strayed out the window, oblivious as could be. "Pretty sure, Pops. Grass is all dewy, and the path is a puddle-riddled wreck. Glad I brought my stock in this morning or it'd be ruined!" He looked back to Poppy with a gentle smile. "Sure look like you were out in it, your feathers are dripping all over my clean counter. Why are ya lying, Pops?"

Poppy sighed, her head drooping while her eyes looked up at Howdy pathetically. "Forgive me. I've just been a bit spooked by this magical item Julie and Wally found, is all."

"Magic?" Howdy's body rose to his full height and he crossed his arms, one hand stroking his chin with interest. "What kinda magic?"

"Oh, it's this wonderful raincoat. Julie put it on and it made the rain start from nothin'! Real wonderful, I tell ya." Poppy's mood went up, and then right back down as she explained more, "But then she started getting all up and antsy and the rain got a little too strong for me, oh, feathers..."

Her wings went up to cover her face as she lied on Howdy's counter, and he patted her head feathers down. "That's all right, Poppy. You know how those kids are. I hope they try to learn how that thing works before going and playing with it, though."

Howdy's gaze returned to the window, spotting Julie, Sally and Wally walking on the path nearby. A pink raincoat was slung over Julie's arm as she danced around and smiled, talking to Sally all the while, while Wally looked into the shop and waved.

"I think they're coming this way. Would you like me to ask them to apologise for spooking you?" Howdy watched the smaller bunch of neighbours approach.

"Oh, feathers, no!" Poppy stood up to her height, now, head feathers puffing up and reaching the ceiling. "I don't want to upset their fun..."

"It's no good fun if it scares you, Pops. Here, you go grab your baking goods, they're on the house." Howdy rounded the counter and handed Poppy a basket, letting her go on her way as the bell above the door alerted the store of three little neighbours. "Howdy, fellas!"

"Howdy, Howdy!"

"Afternoon, Howdy," Julie and Wally said in unison, the taller of the two giggling uncontrollably. "Hey, Howdy, look what I've got!"

Julie held up the pink material by the shoulders and put it within Howdy's reach. "Go on, take it! I want to see how it changes!"

"Changes?" Howdy asked, an eyebrow rising to his hat. "What do you mean, jellybean?"

Sally took a handful of candy from a jar on the counter and stuffed it in her mouth. "It changes depending on who it's in possession of," she spoke with her mouth full, then swallowed, as if she couldn't have done that before. "For me, it turned all blue with clouds on it and the sleeves were see-through AND it had holes for my rays--I could use it real well for some new shows I'm thinking up!"

"IF I let you borrow it for your shows, that is," Julie huffed. "I've seen how some of your costumes get ruined!"

The star of the neighbourhood pouted, shining brightly and declaring loudly, "I'd be REAL careful! Promise!"

"All right, all right. Can you promise me you'll stop fighting if I take the jacket for a minute?" Howdy sighed in exasperation.

Two loud cheers (and a squawk of indignation from further in the store) and the coat was in Howdy's hands.

For a moment, nothing happened, but then...

"Ooh! It's turning all orange and stripey!" Julie sang and spun around, her hands unable to be still at her sides. Two extra arms extended off of the sides of the coat and the praise at the magic only grew louder.

"How does it know?" Sally asked, receiving a shrug from the man whom she had addressed it to before adding a half-hearted mumble of, "Well, it came from your attic."

"This is pretty fantastic," Howdy praised, turning the jacket over in his hands.

It was just about knee height, and would go comfortably over all four of his arms if he were to try it on. Half orange with yellow stripes, and half dark blue with lighter ones, with the extra sleeves being the same but on opposite sides. The entire hood was yellow, following a yellow ribbing and fasteners down the front.

"Isn't it?!"

"You can have it back now, Julie, but can you promise me one more thing?"

"Anything, Howdy!"

Howdy leaned down to Julie's height and whispered. "I'd like you to apologise to Poppy sometime for giving her a bit of a fright with that rain you made earlier."

He handed the coat back as Julie nodded enthusiastically to what was being asked of her. She walked further into the store, hoping not to catch Poppy off guard, and started talking to her, leaving her friends at the front with Howdy.

"Now," Howdy started, "I'm a little bit curious about this coat, Wally."

Wally looked up from where he was watching Julie through the shelves. "Me?"

"We told ya all we know! Julie just put it on and *poof!* it was raining!" Sally said, ever the dramatic. "Can't say I don't wish I had my own, though."

"Ah. Do I sense a hint of jealousy from you, Sally?"

Sally's face started to go even brighter. "N-no! Just don't think it's fair that Julie's the only one who gets a magical raincoat!"

"Home is a strange place. If one of them could appear, who's to say more can't over time?" Wally gave his usual grin.

"My apology has been accepted with an open heart!" Julie exclaimed, skipping back over to the group. "Say, want to get out of here and try it out some more?"

Howdy looked between the three and smiled. "Just be careful."