Hope is the Thing With Feathers

Chapter 12

Blathers anxiously bobbed his feet up and down at the bus stop while Brewster waited beside him. The sun was beating down roughly on the pavement this afternoon, creating shimmering waves of heat. The sound of rolling tires and screeching brakes suddenly caught Blathers' attention. 

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see a familiar yellow bus approaching, and as it drew nearer, he recognized the red owl sitting near the window. Full of enthusiasm, Blathers began to gesticulate his wings rapidly, while Brewster gave a mere slight wave. The bus screeched to a halt, and as soon as Celeste descended down the bus steps, Blathers ran up to her and engulfed her in his wings.

"You're here!" he exclaimed.

"Stop being embarrassing," Celeste muttered, pushing him away. She took a breath and glanced around. "So this is Animal Village, huh?"

"We'll have to give you a full tour later," Brewster suggested.

"For now, let's head on over to the museum. I'll take your luggage," Blathers said, retrieving his sister's suitcase. 

They walked down the familiar dirt path to the museum, listening to the sound of cicadas chirp. Celeste was glancing left and right, getting a feel for the town, Blathers presumed. He had done the same when he had first moved to Animal Village. They stopped only briefly near the town hall, since Tortimer was standing outside for once rather than napping in his office.

"Is this our new astronomer?" Tortimer asked, inching forward with his cane to properly inspect Celeste.

"This is my sister, Celeste," Blathers said, introducing the two. "You'll have to visit the observatory later this evening. Celeste is going to point out the constellations to all the villagers."

"Well, if I don't fall asleep beforehand, I'll join," Tortimer guessed. "I think I've gotten enough sunlight to warm my aching limbs for now. It's back off to the office, I suppose."

As he left, Celeste eyed Blathers. "He's a bit mad, isn't he?"

"Just a bit," Blathers murmured as they continued their walk to the museum. Finally, they arrived at the white, columned building. Celeste eyed it with wonder and stepped inside.

"This is amazing, Blathers! I didn't expect it to be such a...museum," she admitted.

"Meaning?"

"Well, I thought it was a bit more run down," Celeste stated. Her beak twitched, and she shut her eyes. "What is that amazing smell?"

"The cafe," Brewster answered. "I'll whip you up a cup of coffee once Blathers is done showing you the observatory." With those words, the pigeon took off, leaving brother and sister alone to explore their new home together.

Blathers decided to leave the observatory for last and showed Celeste some of the other exhibits. She didn't seem as interested in the fossils or fish, and Blathers simply refused to enter the bug exhibit. That was something that Celeste would have to view on her own time.

"This place was a bit more run down when I first came here, but with all the donations and construction, I think it's turning into a pretty nice place," Blathers told his sister as they ascended the steps up to their final destination, the observatory.

"I'm proud of you," Celeste said quietly.

"Thanks," Blathers said. He cleared his throat, then stepped up into the small, circular room. The observatory was smaller than much rooms, but it had a large telescope, other stargazing equipment, a proper desk, and some bookshelves for Celeste to do her research.

"They just finished construction last week. I made sure to help with the designing to best suit your needs. How do you like it?" Blathers asked.

Celeste had grown very quiet. She approached the telescope slowly, running her wing gently over it. Finally, she turned to her brother with tears in her eyes. Blathers rarely saw Celeste cry, or he hadn't much since they were kids and she would take a tumble on the sidewalk running too fast. But Celeste was visibly weeping, albeit quietly.

"I love it," she said at last when she could compose herself. "This is all I've ever dreamed. It's so much better than the roof in the city. And to think all of this is mine?! You really are the best brother!" Celeste ran toward him, showering him in the hug that she had denied earlier.

"Now you're being embarrassing," Blathers murmured, hugging her back. "I'm sure the villagers will love to come up here and view the stars. Even down on the ground, without the telescope, the views are great. In winter, you can even view the aurora borealis."

"I'm getting more excited by the minute!" Celeste exclaimed.

"I know you want to stay up here for hours, but there is some more to see," Blathers said. 

He brought her up to their living quarters. Blathers had emptied his office so Celeste could have a proper room, while he moved his desk and books out into the living room. Celeste set down her things and took a quick glance, but her antsy movements made it evidently clear that she would rather be back in the observatory. Blathers was starting to wonder if he should just move her bed in there. He already seemed to sense she would fall asleep up there anyway.

The last stop was the cafe. True to his word, Brewster had prepared them two cups of piping hot coffee. Celeste sat with her brother at the booth, gushing about all the stars she planned to show off to the villagers tonight. Finally, she took a sip of coffee, and her eyes widened.

"This is really good!" Celeste exclaimed.

"Brewster makes the best cups of coffee," Blathers said. 

"Better yet, that cup is on the house. Employees get free drinks," Brewster said. "On Saturday, you need to stop by when K.K. is here. He'll play you some songs."

"Yes, he's really good!" Blathers exclaimed. "Oh and Celeste, did you know that I can identify fossils now? It was such a pain before, shipping it off to Farway Museum, but now I get to tell the villagers what their fossils are directly."

"Blathers hasn't stopped talking about this in weeks," Brewster said, laughing some. "Though I guess your arrival has made the topic come up less."

"I'm glad you two are getting along well here. I hope I can enjoy Animal Village as much as you two. I suppose if I'm homesick, the city is just a bus ride away, but anyway where I can see the stars feels like home."

"Celeste?" Blathers asked.

She turned to him, presumably awaiting another kind sentiment from him or perhaps a serious question, but instead, Blathers asked, "Since you're here and all...how would you like to be in charge of handling the bugs?"

Celeste let out a laugh. "Not a chance! I told you, Blathers. You're never going to get over this fear if you don't expose yourself to bugs."

"All bugs are disgusting vermin. Handling them has not changed a thing," Blathers complained, shuddering some at the thought of those beady eyes and many legs and  wings.

Celeste laughed once more, causing Blathers to leave the argument behind and smile. His best friend and sister had now joined him in Animal Village, and seeing the smile on Celeste's face, Blathers felt like she was truly going to enjoy her time in the small town.