𝐇𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐨 N̶e̶i̶g̶h̶b̶o̶r 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 - Wally Darling X Reader

Rainy Day Shenanigans

💛Chapter Eleven💛

Finally, You arrived at Poppy's barn after many detours, all which seemed to lead You right back to Wally's Home. By this time, the rain seemed to be pouring even harder, pressing down against your thin umbrella, bending it down and making it smaller and smaller. You knocked, shivering as chilly wet droplets began to slam against You. The door opened and a huge bird poked her red head out which had a floppy mohawk of rainbow feathers.

"Oh! Hello, new neighbor! Come in, come in, you'll catch a cold!" The bird immediately opened the door and ushered You inside, slamming the door shut once You were inside. You closed your wet umbrella on the mat, shaking it ever so slightly, and looking up at the red bird. She was covered in puffs of rainbow feathers everywhere except her belly, wings, and legs and wore a colorful scarf rimmed with white lace. She wore a kind, motherly expression and was fidgeting her wings together, nervously. "I'm Poppy." She blurted. "Howdy's told me so much about you!"

"It's nice to meet you, Poppy." You replied with a smile, pushing formalities out of the way. "So, Howdy is still here?" You ask, perking up a little with a huge smile.

"Of course, dear, Howdy's in the kitchen, helping with tea. Why, only someone as brave as you would've gone through this storm!" Poppy shivered a little and motioned for You to follow her as she walked into her kitchen.

'More like desperate.' You thought, smile dropping. 'Or insane.' You followed her into the kitchen, where Howdy was chopping up carrots and celery with his multitude of hands. "Howdy!" The huge caterpillar stopped cutting, turned, and smiled widely.

"Hello, new neighbor!" He responded, looking very pleased to see You. "You came all the way through the rain just to see us?" Before You could respond, Howdy wrapped You in a warm and loving hug. "I'm so glad you made it here safely, new neighbor." Then, after a moment of two, he let go and motioned to his work. "Me and Poppy are making Noodle soup. Would you like to help us?"

"Yes and I need to talk to you about something." You say, suddenly breathless from the bone crushing hug Howdy just gave.

"You can talk over food." Poppy rubbed your shoulders with her wings. "You've had a long journey. Please, sit down in the front room and cuddle up with some blankets!" Her voice was soft and warm, full of fondness for someone she'd just met. It was honestly so beautiful that someone could be that caring and kind to a stranger. The whole town was full of people like that and it was beyond bewildering.

"But-" You began to protest but Poppy was already leading You to the front room.

"No excuses, please! I insist!" Poppy led You through the front hall to the front room which opposed the kitchen. She sat You down on a frumpy pink couch with small darker pink, blue, and yellow flowers adorning the fabric. The couch claimed You as You sunk in further into the cushions. Poppy put a knitted blanket with an orange, green, and purple design on You and tucked You in before calling to Howdy, voice fading as she hurried away. "Howdy, can you put the carrots and...?"

With nothing left to do- and not wanting to trample all over Poppy and her hospitality- You sat there and looked around. In front of You was a decorative stone fireplace. The fireplace mantle had several crafts that seemed to have been given to Poppy by the other neighbors. You spotted three butterflies in a picture frame, a card with stickers, glitter, and pom poms galore, a paper chain with different colored paper loops, and in the middle of it all was a painting on Poppy herself. On both sides of the fireplace there were wooden shelves bolted to the wall that were filled with books, board games, knitting supplies, and blankets. The floor was wooden and looked as if it had been smoothed over many times. There was a rug on the floor with a round coffee table on top. There were mismatched cushions all over the floor and You noticed that almost everything was childproofed in the most dramatic ways possible. The rug seemed firmly rooted on the ground, the shelves were organized in boxes and bolted to the walls, and there was a fireplace screen despite the fireplace being fake.