The Summer of Sparrow and Dream

Chapter 9

They got to Molly's house. Several times she opened her mouth to speak, but closed it again. She never stopped smiling the whole drive.
Her house was a bright, canary yellow, with creamy white shutters and a rounded front door the same color. On the inside, to your left was a polished staircase, to your right a coat stand, and in front of you was a wide room with puffy couches, a coffee table with a bowl of half eaten popcorn on top, and a flat screen tv.
She finally talked. "Bathroom's down the hall, kitchen is through that door, and the guest bedroom is upstairs." She was energetically stabbing her finger in all directions, and hit Dream many times in the face, chest, and stomach. "Oh, and I don't know what to do with you..." Molly added, looking at Sparrow. "Maybe get a bird cage?"
Sparrow looked aghast. "No! Don't even suggest it!"
"Well, where do you normally sleep?"
"Usually on a perch, or in a nest if I have time."
"Well, tonight you can sleep on the lamp next to Dream's bed," she pointed another finger towards Dream, (hitting him squarely in the jaw,) "but in a couple days I can make something like a..." She used her hands to make small whirly motions. "A kind of human made nest?" Dream smiled. He loved Molly for not taking a talking bird too hard. Regrettably, he could see why his father would cheat on Kaitlyn for her.
Sparrow chirped in delight. "Yeah, okay!"
"Awesome! By the way," she added. "How can you talk?"
Dream smacked his forehead. How could he not have asked that?
"I was experimented as a chick." She fluffed her feathers in embarrassment. "This kind of bird," she gestured to herself. "Doesn't actually exist. A group of scientists did stuff to my feathers, beak, and legs. Right before I fell asleep that one day," she was talking to Dream now. "I heard you ask why my name wasn't anything better. My name is Sparrow because sparrows are really uncreative, so my mom just named me this because she couldn't think of anything else. My sister is Spar, my brother is Row, so naturally I got the whole name.
"Anyway, then I could talk after a bunch of tests." But Molly wasn't listening. She was staring at Dream.
"What did she mean, fell asleep that one day?"
Dream's eyes widened. "Oh yeah... Well, me and Sparrow have that..."
"You have that disease???"
"Well, yes, but as long as we're touching each other, we don't fall asleep." Molly bit her lip.
"You don't have to, but could you... Show me?"
Dream gulped. "Yes." He walked over to her couch, sat down, and looked up at Molly. "I am going to give you Sparrow, and once I fall asleep, wake me up immediately. You just have to have us make contact. Ready?" Sparrow nodded. Molly nodded. Dream was sweating now. "Okay, let's just get this over with." He put Sparrow in Molly's hands, and instantly felt drowsy. His face turned numb. Almost three seconds later though, he came back. Molly's eyes watered.
"Oh my god," she said, laughing. "This is scary and amazing." Dream smiled.
"Is it bedtime yet? I'm actually kind of tired."
"Sure. We can forget the whole nest thing until you peeps are cured, okay? Snuggle up tonight. Until then," she smiled. "You know where the bed is."