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Part 33: Goodbye, Neighbor (Alternate Continuation)

I woke up in my brightly painted house. It was a rainy, stormy day. The scent of petrichor hung in the air.

I got up. I wanted to dust my windowsills, but the humidity in the air made the dust cling onto every surface. I saved my plans of cleaning for another day, perhaps one that was bright and blue.

A series of sharp raps came from my door. I opened it happily.

"Good morning, neighbors!" I greeted. As I looked at the two neighbors on my porch, I couldn't help but feel like I knew them.

"Hello.." Wally said hesitantly. Wait-- Wally? How did I know his name?

(Wally and Howdy watched you in quiet dismay. Whatever Wally had done seemed to have worked, but this wasn't the original you. This was someone else...

Still, they were desperate to try and jog your memory.)

"Remember good ol' Howdy, here?" Wally said with a sad chuckle as he tugged at the apron of the puppet who was much taller than him.

"Oh! You work at that bodega over there, correct?" I raised a brow and looked up at the green caterpillar. He sniffed and wiped his eye with the sleeve of his sweater.

"Yes. That is correct," he answered flatly. I gave him a thumbs up.

(Wally and Howdy were beginning to feel rather disturbed. Sure, it was lovely having you back, but what they had to do to bring you back was unspeakable, shameful, even. They hoped you'd never ask about that.

As you make small talk, Wally spotted his untouched gift box on your pillow. He could see it because you had left the bedroom door open.

His heart skipped a beat. Maybe there was a chance you would remember him after seeing the ring? He wasn't sure. He looked over at Howdy.

Howdy was still devastated. No matter how hard he tried, he felt a pang of sadness eating away at his heart. You would probably never remember him, but that was okay. At least he got to know you for a while before the incident.)

"You built me a box to nap in, didn't you?" I squinted at him, trying my best to remember. His antennas perked up as his eyes lit up.

"Yes! I also gave you a kis-" Howdy stopped himself, glancing down at Wally.

(Wally already knew what Howdy was going to say. It didn't bother him, though. His friends had the right to do what they wanted, not what he wanted.

Still, he felt a little sad. Oh, well.)

"Oh, that's right," I hummed. Despite remembering most of my memories with Howdy, I couldn't recall any with the short, yellow puppet with fabulous blue hair and pretty,sleepy eyes. "Well, goodbye, neighbors. I am in desperate need for sleep."

I left and entered my bedroom. Sitting there on my pillow was an adorable little gift box. It had a small tag. The tag stated that the gift was from Wally.

I opened it. It was a silver ring with apple silhouettes engraved into the band. The ring was adorned with a bright red ruby. It certainly made sense for someone who liked apples as much as Wally to gift me something as peculiar as this.

However, as I turned the ring around in my hand, I noticed another engraving on the inside of the ring, just under the gem. I read it. It said, "Love, Wally".

(Howdy sat on his stool back in his bodega, staring down at a glass of water just as he had before. This time, you weren't with him. He felt horrible.

"How reckless of them to just.. do that," Howdy muttered to himself. He could hardly believe it. Luckily, you were a simple puppet. Howdy didn't quite understand how you were alive, but he was afraid to find out.

"Still, I can't be mad at them. They just wanted that horrible house gone," Howdy sighed. He wiped some tears away again. He felt foolish for crying in his bodega, all alone.

He felt foolish for letting you die like that. Why hadn't he grabbed you when he and Wally got the chance? Why had he forgotten? These thoughts ate away at him. He was positive he couldn't face you anymore.

Howdy slammed his fists against the table. "Dammit," he huffed. He wasn't angry at them, however his body language may have looked.

He propped his head up on his arms, thinking. Did they actually have to die? Was it their own foolishness? He waved the thoughts away. He wasn't angry at them. No, he felt guilty and scared. They should have hated him for leaving them behind, but they had greeted him with a warm smile despite not recognizing him. Had he failed? Howdy wasn't sure. All he knew was that he didn't deserve another chance.

No. He had ruined it by being selfish and only saving himself.. but on the other hand, there was almost no time for him to consider saving them. He had assumed that they were still thinking clearly.

"Urgh, I need to stop thinking about that," Howdy said to himself as his voice trembled. He really did need to stop. The more he thought about it, the more he wanted to die.

Howdy definitely needed someone to walk in and do something goofy. He wasn't feeling like himself, honestly. He was grateful that he wasn't Wally, however. Wally was probably trying to occupy himself so much that he had no time for thoughts. )

I carefully put the ring on my finger. I couldn't remember why I had been given such a gift, or even what it meant, but I appreciated it. It was truly lovely.

A few hours later, I walked outside. The rain felt so cooling on my skin. I couldn't remember why, but I felt like I had been dealing with heat and smoke just a few days ago. I shrugged. It was probably nothing.

I sat in the middle of the path, the rain soaking me. It felt so relieving, like all my worries were being flooded out of me. For some reason, this felt oddly familiar. I almost expected someone carrying an umbrella to arrive and bring me back to a warm shop.

To my surprise, someone holding an umbrella did appear. It was that cute, shy caterpillar from before. I believed his name was Howdy.

"How are you, my dear? You'll get a cold if you stay out here for long," he smiled. He held the umbrella over me and crouched beside me. I looked over at him curiously. What had I done to deserve such kindness?

"Really? Thank you for coming out here, then," I beamed.

(Howdy felt his heart flutter again. Even though he was practically a stranger to you now, you had still managed to show him some type of kindness. He still adored you, although he knew he'd have to keep it to himself for a while again. Perhaps this time he would keep his feelings tucked away in the pocket of his apron.

He sighed quietly to himself.)

"May I carry you to someplace warmer? I would be quite sad if you ended up sick," Howdy chuckled weakly.

(He had referenced Poppy again unwillingly. It felt completely unreal to him still; his most prized customer, gone. At least he had you.)

"Of course!"

Howdy smiled at my answer and scooped me up. He gently placed me on his shoulder and began the slow walk to his bodega, the umbrella still held over me.