Two Friends

Chapter 3

  For a few days I had nightmares. Vivid dreams of my worst fears coming true, or something I desired finally happening but causing me to grieve when I woke the next morning. I had an incredibly evocative dream that my lost cat came home and cuddled with me on my bed like he used to. When I awoke the next day and found that he wasn't there, it hurt even worse than the day I lost him.
  Chucky tended to me as an unexpected wave of psychosis took hold. For days everything felt so surreal.
  One morning, my mom came into the living room where I sat with Chucky cradled close.
  "Hey, (Y/n), I think there's a bird making a nest in my fern plant. Every time I walk out the door, a bird flies from the plant," she told me.
  "Really?" I was suddenly interested. Anything involving animals was my forte.
  I went outside with Chucky trailing close behind. When I reached the plant, I gently moved aside the leaves to see five little eggs clustered in a tightly woven nest.
  "Aww, there are eggs in there!" I marveled.
  "Can I see?" Chucky waddled to my side.
  "Yeah," I smiled and picked him up, holding him above the plant so that he could see.
  As Chucky examined the eggs, I heard an alarm call from somewhere over my head. Looking up, I saw a small bird circling above us.
  "Uh-oh, that's the mama bird!" I quickly sprinted back to the door, kneeling down and setting Chucky beside me.
  The bird swooped down and hopped into the bunch of leaves. Only the top of her head was visible as she rummaged about the nest, then settled down on top of the eggs.
  I put an arm around Chucky. "Can you believe that? There's a family of birds living in our fern plant," I chuckled softly.
  He grinned up at me. "Are the eggs gonna hatch into baby birds?"
  "Mhm. In a few weeks they'll hatch."

  "(Y/n), I made you a present!" Chucky tapped my leg.
  I turned from my conversation with my mom to see him holding up a piece of paper with the two of us drawn on it. We were locked in a tight hug, and the words "best friends" were written at the top.
  I felt my heart nearly melt just like every time he gave me one of his precious gifts.
  "Oh, Chucky, that's so good," I took the paper from him and gushed over it. My mom snorted in amusement.
  I laughed and picked the doll up, hugging him tight. I kissed the top of his head.
  "Thank you, buddy. Thank you so much. I love it," I murmured, my nose buried into his hair.
  We ate dinner and later said our good nights. With Chucky in one arm and the picture in the other, I headed downstairs.
  I taped the picture to the wall alongside the many others he had made for me in the past.
  "There we go," I said as I smoothed down the last piece of tape. "Now I can look at it everyday."
  Chucky smiled bashfully up at me. I chuckled and knelt down to ruffle his hair.
  "Can we play?" he asked.
  "Sure, hun. I'm not really tired anyway," I replied. "What do you wanna play?"
He thought for a moment. "Can we play hide and seek?"
"Yeah, of course," I smiled warmly. "You wanna hide first while I count?"
He nodded excitedly. I covered my face with my hands and began to count. I heard the whirring of his servos grow fainter as he scurried away.
Finally, I removed my hands. "Ready or not, here I come!" I called.
Standing and looking around a bit, I made my way out of my room and into the rest of the basement. I checked behind counters and under tables first. With no luck, I went to where a few curtains draped the windows. Almost immediately I saw a pair of two little red shoes poking out from underneath. Crouching down, I ripped back the curtain.
"You found me!" Chucky giggled.
I snickered. "Okay, now it's my turn to hide."
Chucky covered his eyes as I got up and slipped back into my room. I climbed on top of my bed and flattened myself, peering cautiously over the edge.
After a few moments, Chucky trudged into the room. He looked around as he slowly made his way closer to the bed. Once he was close enough, I sprang up.
"Boo!" I shouted.
He whipped around in surprise, then smiled from ear to ear when he saw me. I laughed at his quick change in mood. He adored me just as much as I adored him.
"C'mere, dork," I chuckled, leaning over the side of the bed with my arms outstretched. He happily waddled over, and I lifted him up and into my arms.
For a few moments we laughed together as I cuddled him like a baby, peppering his face in small kisses.
"You're too cute! I can't take it," I snorted.
Having heard the commotion, Ollie, who was curled up at the foot of the bed, looked up and glared at me through slitted eyes.
"Oops, sorry for waking you up, Ollie," I called softly. Seemingly satisfied, she lay her head on her paws again and closed her eyes.
Turning back to Chucky, I gave him a squeeze.
"Y'know you're my best friend, right?" I said, resting my cheek on his head.
He nodded, still smiling.
I chuckled to myself. "You are. And you always will be. I'm so thankful to have you as a best friend. You make me so happy."
"That's what b-best friends are supposed to do!" he chirped.
"I know," I replied, still chuckling as I brushed some hair out of his face.
I closed my eyes for a while, expecting to fall asleep. But I wasn't tired just yet.
I opened my eyes. "Hey, do you wanna read a book?" I asked Chucky.
He lit up at the prospect. "Sure! I'd love to read a book with my best buddy!"
I pulled up my childhood favorite book, 'Stellaluna', on my phone since the actual book was at my dads. The book was about a baby bat that lost her mother, spending the entirety of the book trying to find her until the end where the two were eventually reunited.
I read the book to Chucky, finding myself in a state of calming nostalgia as I reread the words my dad would read to me each night before bed so many years ago.
"But we're friends, and that's a fact," I read the final sentence. "The end."
"I liked that book," Chucky grinned.
"I'm glad you did," I smiled. After reading for a while, I finally began to grow sleepy. Yawning, I hugged Chucky to my chest once more. He felt warm and comforting curled up against me.
"Goodnight, (Y/n)," he whispered.
"Goodnight, sweetheart," I murmured back, face nestled into his hair. I felt more at peace than I had in a few days.