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Chapter Text

The bright sun blinded your eyes.

A gentle wind blew in your face.

The light hum of the city made you wake up. You wake up.

You wake up in a different place than you fell asleep yesterday.

What can I say, you don’t remember falling asleep yesterday at all. What happened yesterday? Your inner state shouted to you that not only one hour had passed since your last memory, but not one day! It might make your head hurt badly, but any sensation on the skin, any touch seems to have been diminished in sensation.

You were at a loss for a long time and convulsively felt yourself, pinched your skin, lying on the grass, but it was enough just to look at your hands to understand what was wrong. You have become a puppet. Not anyhow, but a plush toy, like from the children's TV shows that were played in your childhood. Sesame Street, The Muppets... You looked exactly like puppets. just as soft, colorful and plush.

Only the bright palette of your clothes will hurt you from the childhood cartoon. These bright rainbow striped pants have never been in your wardrobe, let alone a plaid sweater and shoes with a big toe, like clowns.

Were you in a panic? Oh shit, of course! Words couldn't describe your panic! Your memories are broken, you don't know where you are and what happened to you! The only thing that could calm you down was the thought that you were dreaming.

However, all hope was shattered into a strange reality when you tried to wake up, rub your eyes, or change your surroundings with the power of your mind. You strained your head with all your might, trying to change at least a little bit your environment, but all in vain.

You seem to be in a real nightmare. But even in a panic, you have not lost your rationality. Your position can no longer be changed, you have to adapt. Rising from the surprisingly soft grass, you looked around and found yourself right in front of a long path leading from the clearing to some city. It will be possible to learn more about the place where you are right now. With this idea, you raced down the trail as fast as you could.

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8 houses. Only 8 bright cute houses. You can't even call it a city - it's a small village.

And a strange atmosphere hung over the city. the streets were empty although there were some village sounds. Trying to find at least some living creatures, you stumble upon a previously unknown store with a loud "howdy's place" sign at the top.

When you open the door, you are horrified. Not only is the puppet just like you in front of you, but also in bright green colors, in colorful clothes and with several duplicated limbs. Your eyes were flowing from an excess of color ..After rubbing your doll eyes, you walk over to the counter.

- Good afternoon .. - you say in a quiet and timid voice.

The caterpillar, which had just arranged the bottles on the shelf behind the cash register, turned around and exclaimed.

- Hello! How can I help?

- Tell me please, where am I?. - your appearance was the most embarrassed of all, but the strange doll did not notice this.

- You're new here, I see! Welcome home! Would you like to buy something while you are here? Souvenirs, food, accessories... – The caterpillar has already begun to talk too much. You interrupt the chatter, unable to understand the cashier's words.

- Home? Oh no no no, I don't live here.. I need help right now..

– Don't worry, everyone is surprised for the first time how they got here! Look how small our city is, you will like it. We have the most culturally diverse city and the friendliest. Maybe you even want to stay! - The caterpillar vehemently avoided answering your question, and it gave you goosebumps. You didn't know a single person who could miss a cry for help..

- I need help .. Who is "the boss" in your city? Do you have police or a mayor? At least a doctor. Please.. - you began to beg the green tall doll to call at least someone. You clung to the wooden counter with all your might. You were stressed and the puppet kept smiling at you and ignoring your words.

Someone's puppet hand fell on your shoulder.

 - Oh, are you new in our city? You must be feeling lost!

Chapter Text

Turning around, you saw a yellow smiling puppet with blue twisted bangs. suddenly for yourself, you calmed down.

The appearance of this strange doll of some sort relieved you of stress and the smiling doll face made you feel nostalgic. This face.. It looks very familiar, but you can't figure out where you saw it..

The doll looked at you with peaceful closed eyes. “Howdy, can you get me some apples, please?” - The doll looked behind the green multi-armed caterpillar and he quickly went somewhere in the pantry. After that, the yellow doll turned back to you.

– My name is Wally Darlin. I'm friends with everyone here and I know every house perfectly, can I help you?

You nodded, but your last thought somehow quickly left your head. what did you want to find? don't remember anymore.. You didn't know why you agreed without hesitation, but this doll inspired amazing confidence. Such trust that his presence has taken over your brain. you could only stand with a blank face and look at the little puppet.

“Do you have any other friends here?” came his sweet, friendly voice. you shook your head, saying "no" like that.

– Then I'll be first! – Wally smiled sincerely at you and removed his hand. Howdy comes in a second later with a small basket.

– Here's your kilo of apples, Wally! Enjoy!

– Thanks, neighbor! Have a good day. - Yellow doll takes the basket and leaves the store. You rush after him.

As you exit Howdy's, you quickly ask.

– Why didn't you pay?

– Howdy is my friend, I don’t need to pay him. In your city, even friends pay each other?

– yes, if we come to work with them ..

– hmm. I'm beginning to wonder where my friend Frank came from. – Wally chuckled and took your hand.

you squeezed Wally's hand a little in your hand.

If it was any other person or doll, you probably would have pulled your hand back and moved away by now, but Wally was too charming in some ways .. And who is Frank - you have no idea.

At least you can't remember. Finally, Wally's first influence began to let go of you a little and you began to remember your situation.

– ..so .. where am I? What is this city and who lives here? Does anyone run your city? – You asked, looking around.

– How many questions for the first meeting.. You are at home my friend! Our city doesn't have a specific name, so we all just call it "home". We all live here and always have! And you don’t need to manage it, we are all friends here. Usually everything is fine here, there are no dissatisfied.

Wally was talking as he led you down the path to the house exactly opposite the shop. It must be said that this red house with charming shutters made you very scared when the eyes inside its windows began to move.. You silently stared into the big black eyes of the house your newfound friend was taking you to while fear thickened in you.

You suddenly stop right at the door to the house and Wally hovered with you.

–.. Is this your house?

– Yes, friend. Is there something wrong? – The puppet looked at you in puzzlement.

– something is spinning in the windows, like pupils .. What is it? This is not the case with other houses...

At that moment, the house looked reproachfully at the questioner, which made you squeeze the plush friend's hand even tighter. Wally stroked your hand with his other hand, hanging the basket in the crook of his elbow for now.

– Those are their eyes, you guessed it. don't be afraid! The house doesn't mind you coming in.

–.. Does the house mind?.. Is this a metaphor?.. – All of a sudden there is noise for you. The front door creaked open of its own accord, and moving eyes slammed the shutters.

–No kidding, neighbor! see? The house doesn’t mind! – the yellow doll said with incredible calmness and led you inside..

Chapter Text

The door closed on its own again.

Now you were standing in the middle of a strange house. It seemed very strange that time around so quickly moves.

Quite a bit of time has passed from the moment of your awakening, but you are already standing in the middle of an unfamiliar house, into which an unfamiliar guy brought you.

Things got even weirder and more confusing when you realized that the house only looks scary from the outside. The inside of the house turned out to be very nice and pleasant, although a bit artificial.

You immediately find yourself in the living room. Here is a nice checkered sofa, here is a striped armchair, here is a fireplace. There was a nice glass table next to you at the front door. There was a shiny, untouched apple on the table.

Huh, not as bad as it could be. You expected the house to be like in your worst nightmares.. You know, like in liminal spaces or backrooms. Looking around the house around you, you still saw eyes in the windows. Wide black pupils ran from one side to the other, but they did not stare at you. It seems that the house cannot look inside itself, and this calmed you down.

Also, you heard a slight hum inside the house. Deep low frequency noise. As a background, it was hard to see, but it was constant. Like breathing.. Wally quickly disappeared from your eyes behind one of the doors. Presumably he went to the kitchen. You heard a long and drawn-out creak. Let the house not see you with its eyes, but it can speak to you. And this creak was a direct invitation to his rooms. Damn it, you'd be lying if you said you weren't scared of LIVING HOUSE!

– Home is very beautiful .. - you said quietly.

In fact, you don't think this house is that beautiful, but you felt that if you didn't say a good word about this strange building, you might get killed inadvertently.

Fortunately, the house accepted the compliment and creaked the floorboards for a long time. Wally chuckled softly from the kitchen.

- I'm glad you made friends.. Would you like some tea, neighbor? I understand you wanted a tour of our city, but I'd like to get to know you better! – Wally peered out the kitchen door. His large swirling bangs seemed larger than his face, because only his head was visible through the door. You thought it looked funny enough and chuckled.

– Hmm. Do you have green tea?

–Of course neighbor! 

after that there was a click from the stove.

While your friend is making tea, you decide to take a quick look around the house. You have a choice of where to go:

You could look through the door opposite you, climb up the nearby stairs or go down them to the basement.

In the basement, of course, you did not even think to go. That thought alone made you shake your head in rejection. The basement seemed too scary and mysterious place for the first visit.

You wanted to enter the room in front of you, but the stairs seemed too tempting. You could not imagine what is on the 2nd floor. Bedroom? Attic? Workshop? You did not even know about the construction of the second floor, because from the outside the house did not look big ..

Quiet as a mouse, you walk up the stairs and up to the second floor. And this place turns out to be all of the above. There was a small corridor with a round window. The corridor itself was of the same pleasant warm colors as the living room, but There were a couple of doors in the hallway and a small storage area for junk or old stuff at the end.

The doors were perfectly clean and smooth, with a slight sheen, but one was different. This door was closest to you. It was ajar and featured the red name "Wally" and a smiling face.

The house invited you to visit Wally's room, obviously. You're not sure if Wally himself was happy to have a stranger come into his room, but it would be just wonderful.

You did not know how long you would spend in this terrible dream and when you would wake up. It would be a great time to get to know Wally Darling better.

.. You quietly peered into the open room, afraid to go inside. You looked around the whole room and were surprised by this strange cleanliness.

You expected some kind of demonism here, but there was a small room for a small puppet. Medium size bed, a couple of nightstands, wardrobe This room was so good and decent that it seemed fake. There were some toys, notebooks and other things lying under the bed. It was very sweet, but you started to wonder about the age of your new friend. The room was quite austere in appearance, but the children's toys were under the bed.. How old is Wally?..

The door swayed back and forth. The home was trying to invite you in, obviously, but it made you feel more tense. Why is Home trying so hard to push you into Wally's room? It is not right..

You backed away from the door. The door was frozen in place. You slowly reach for the door opposite, but you hear a voice from the first floor.

- Tea is ready, neighbor! - You freeze in place too.  You look at the door handle to an unknown room. You sigh and run down the stairs as soon as possible.

- Thanks a lot.. – You thanked Wally with a slightly strained smile as you approached the kitchen door. The kitchen was incredibly small. Almost the entire area of the room is occupied by a stove, a refrigerator, a pair of countertops and wall cabinets. It is a real miracle that a small table fits here.The kitchen was charming light colors and it was illuminated by the light from the window.

By the way, Wally was already standing at the table with a sweet smile. He was pouring green tea into cute little cups. Such a calm scene again rolled over you that strange feeling of euphoria. Your brain has begun to melt again, looking at this cute puppet.

- sit down, please! Do you need sugar? –Wally asked, looking up at you.

– .. Oh, no, thanks. I prefer unsweetened tea. – You walked over to the table and sat down.

- Was there anything interesting in my room? Wally sat down next to you and picked up his cup. - oh .. the house tried to lead me into your room, but I never dared to go there without your permission ..

– Hehe, that's so kind of you. – Do not worry about it. If the house doesn't mind, then so do I! - how calmly this doll relates to the violation of personal space.

– ..may I ask you a slightly impolite question?– You asked softly, looking into your own tea.

– Of course friend! I am open to any questions!

–.. May I know your age? How old are you, when is your birthday, etc..– In response, you heard silence.

– Hehe, you are soo silly! I'm the same as you! We're all about the same age here, it's just that some are more serious and some are more childish!

– How would you describe yourself? Are you serious or childish?

– Both, darling! - You blushed after such treatment. “And you?” Wally asked.

– Me what?

– how would you describe yourself?

Suddenly for yourself, you also thought.

–.. I didn’t think about it before.. You know, I’m rather serious, but I would really like to be a child again.

– I remember the time when I was a child! I was cute, you know? I was also very lazy and slow, hehe. – Wally closed his eyes, smiling.

That knocked a laugh out of you and you looked up at Wally again. You... You definitely think your new friend is very nice. You struggled with this thought, but to no avail.

- And, to be honest, I don’t know what I was like in my childhood .. It was so long ago that I don’t remember anything from it ..

–Hmm, that's a problem. Do you have a children's album? - Your friend looked at you with puzzled eyes. You scratched the back of your head, looking equally puzzled.

– Oh, exactly. I have an album of childhood photos, but.. It's in my house.– you again remembered where you are now and your stomach twisted. Wally quickly learned that you didn't feel good about that thought. He put the cup on the table and put his hand on your shoulder.

– You don't know when you're coming home, am I right?– you nodded.

– And you have nowhere to stay now? – You nodded again. Wally.. Continued to smile, as if nothing had happened.

– Do you want to stay with me for a while? We can arrange a sleepover together! – Wally tell cheerfully.

–.. And the house will not mind?- The kitchen door creaked.

- Of course not! – the puppet boy exclaimed happily.

Chapter Text

You are still sitting next to Wally in the kitchen. The sun was slowly setting and the kitchen was covered with a bright orange light. You didn't know what to think. You looked at your puppet friend and did not believed your eyes.

Is this nightmare becoming a sweet dream? You were glad about it, but you remain anxious. You really felt bad inside. Friendly Wally was still a stranger to you, albeit a very pleasant one. You don't even know why he calms you so much. He seemed very familiar to you. So close to your heart and dear…

The puppet friend looked at you and smiled.

– aha! You blinked! I won! – Wally smiled even more. You didn't know that Wally and you were playing peepers all this time, but you decided not to ruin the illusion of the game. You smiled at your friend.

–You're too good peepers, I can't beat you! Are you cheating? - you mocked, not looking away from Wally.

- no way! I always play fair! I'm just very trained! The puppet boy stared at the tea. You just blink and Wally's tea disappears.. This, of course, raises a lot of questions. The first question is "how". On the other hand, you are in a magical puppet world of dreams with living houses and anthropomorphic caterpillars.. You just stared at the empty cup in surprise.

– Where did your tea go? - in my stomach, of course .. Why? 

–But Wally, you're a puppet! Do you even have a stomach?- you asked pretty cheerfully. Wally suddenly turned gloomy and looked at you with very. Very. Very strange blank look. This question was clearly unwanted.

You.. Uh.. You tried to change the subject.

- apparently, the tea is so good that it disappears before our eyes .. Ahem. Wally, since I temporarily live with you, where can I sleep?

- Sleep anywhere you want! Or you can don’t sleep at all! You know, neighbor, you can do anything at sleepovers. – Wally just beamed with happiness at the thought of sleepover. This strange gloominess suddenly just disappeared from his eyes.

- but still .. Where and in what can I sleep? – Hmmmm.. Well, I have a blanket. Pajamas.. Oh, I can't give you clothes. Firstly, I have only one pajama, and I also need to sleep in something. Secondly, my clothes will be too small for you .. - Wally looked away from you for the first time in a long time, thinking.

Suddenly you were visited by anxiety when he stopped looking at you. You did not notice at all that this puppet boy was staring at you all this time and did not blink ..

- Oh! Idea! - Wally raised his forefinger and stuck his eyes on you again.- You wanted to go around the town, right? Maybe you want to go to the neighbors and ask about clothes? You see, I am the smallest resident of the "Neighborhood" .. The neighbors will definitely give bigger clothes! –

 Yeah .. Compared to Wally, you were a real giant. Until he was over 3 feet tall, you were about 5. Well... at least until you turned into a puppet. You smiled and nodded. You still have the uneasy feeling of being trapped in this puppet world, but the idea of spending the night in your own dream seemed fun. You stood up from your chair, pushing your empty cup away from you.

- decided. Darling, we have to go around the neighbors. - you cheerfully answer and take away the dirty dishes in the sink. Wally chuckled at your little pun.

______________________________________________

Wally left the house with you.

Holding you with one hand, he waved goodbye to Home. Home shook the door and slammed shut. You're surprisingly used to Wally holding your hand. His tactility, although it seemed intimidating, you liked it.

- let's visit the house of my dear friend Barnaby? He lives in that dog house! – Wally pointed at the big blue dog house. You easily noticed this house, because the kitchen windows looked right at it. This house was very close and it was about 10 steps to reach it.

Suddenly, an image of a blue clown dog flashed through your head. This image left your mind as quickly as it entered, but it made you think very deeply. This kind of deja vu can't happen out of the blue, right? Apparently, your subconscious has decided to play on your old memories that you have long forgotten about.

....

You nodded to Wally. The plush boy smiled and quickly led you to the indicated place. In a couple of seconds you are already. stood at the door and knocked on it. This door was a full head bigger than your stuffed friend, and every paint smudge and dog paw print on the walls was half your height. Strangely enough, the house itself was exactly the same size as "Home".

A large door creaks open and the entity crawls out of the darkness.. It's..  Just a big dog in a rainbow vest. That's what you remember. Are you sure you saw this dog in your childhood. This dog could not be seen on the shelves, and you did not see the series on TV with him on Saturday, but you are sure that your mother had a big toy of this animal. The beagle opens its arms and hugs Wally close to you. You step back in fear. If you had a human spine in you right now, you're sure it would break right now just from the sight of such hugs. Wally folded in half in Barnaby's arms like in cartoons.

And the yellow guy, by the way, liked these hugs. He responded with great pleasure to his friend's embrace.

– Wally! You haven't visited me in such a long time!!

– I was here last night, friend! "I haven't seen you all day!" Well, how can this happen? 

–Barnaby put his friend on the ground and rested his hands on his hips. Wally scratched the back of his head shyly and arched his eyebrows guiltily. 

–you know, a new neighbor has moved into our town! I was busy with him .. - then the dog drew attention to you.

– hmm. Indeed. What's your name, new neighbor? - The blue dog leans towards you, looking down straight into your face. You are a little frightened, but affably wave your hand to a new acquaintance.

You tell him your name and hear loud laughter in response ..

– What a funny name you have, neighbor. Didn't think to go to work in my circus with this? -

Wow. It was STUNNINGLY HARMFUL. WHAT IS FUNNY TO HIM?? On the other hand... Are dogs taught manners? You are already in a strange situation to react adequately to this, so you simply ignore his offer. Suddenly, the big dog opens his arms and hugs you tightly too. Luckily, he doesn't hug you as tightly as Wally, but just enough so that you can feel his insides.. Speaking of internals! Barnaby is incredibly soft! Just like in your childhood .. There is definitely a lot of synthetic winterizer or cotton wool inside it. You loved it.. You briefly hug Barnaby and quickly let go of each other. “Ahem .. Actually, Wally and I came on business .. I don’t have any things at all and I need something to sleep in ..” you mumbled awkwardly. Wally took your hand again and interrupted. Do you have spare pajamas? You see, our neighbor is not a small one!– Barnaby listens attentively to his friend and nods thoughtfully.

– hmmmm.. I have one in stock. I will bring it now! - the dog disappears into a dark booth and literally a minute later returns with a large nightgown. Barnaby opens it and throws it on you. ... You almost drown in this suit.

- This one is too big!! – you shout through the many folds of fabric that cover your face. Wally and the Beagle laugh and quickly help get this nightmare out of you. “I see I'm a little bigger than our new neighbor. Beagle chuckled, folding the thing in his hands.

– Phew.. Whom shall we go to then?.. – you ask, looking at Wally. Wally frowns and scratches the back of his head, but the smile never fades from his face. A moment later another thought hits his head and he raises his index finger up.

- You can go to Julie! Julie Joyful! She loves to dress up and sews beautiful clothes herself. Can she sew something for you?

- Now you frowned. - tailoring takes more than one day, even according to ready-made patterns. And now it's evening, she won't make it in time ..

- Wally is a little upset at the thought. What about Frank? You mentioned this friend..

– you ask. Hmm, and this guy seems to be the most rational in the whole city, although it is hinted that he is a miser..

- these are not the last inhabitants of the city! Who else? Maybe Julie has ready-made clothes?

- Yes, of course, but Julie is shorter than me.. Her clothes will be too small for you even more than mine.. There is also Poppy and Sally. Poppy does not wear clothes, but Sally does not sleep at night, so talking to her about pajamas is useless ..

– You said that you are the smallest neighbor. - you pointed out with displeasure.

Wally averted his eyes. - Well .. I forgot about Julie's height.

– uhh.. so, what about Sally? She went to your sleepovers, right?

– She goes in stage costumes and plays little skits for us.

–.. It's cute, but the lack of pajamas is frustrating. What about Howdy? He has a store, and there are clothes for sure?

- so he has a grocery store, they hardly sell clothes there .. - Wally drooped.

Barnaby Beagle caught the discussion. He stood silently and looked at the two of you. “.. Well, you know, if my pajamas are tied up like a dressing gown, it will be quite normal.” Beagle intervened in the dialogue. Wally and you looked at the blue dog with curiosity.

- oh my friends, it's getting dark too fast. Take it and go to sleep! – complains the Beagle, handing you a folded square of cloth.

"Sleep? But the sun has only just gone into the sunset!" you think, but you discover only the twilight around you. Hmm, in this dream such short days ..

You roll the received clothes into a roll and stick it under your armpit. Wally grabs your free hand again and gently squeezes your hand in his. You were really frightened by such attention from the puppet, but nothing serious can happen to you in a dream.

You went with Wally back home.

Chapter Text

You cannot believe that the moon came so quickly to the place of the sun.

 Wally was already in his cute striped pajamas with a red bathrobe thrown over them. He stood in the middle of the kitchen and looked into the fridge with a thoughtful look.

 You were standing not far from him in a large blue striped pajama shirt that belonged to Barnaby. You buttoned it up and tied it with the ribbon you found at the waist.. so.. you looked quite good, despite the fact that the sleeves of the shirt were too long for you. Although .. You solved the problem of the length of the sleeves by simply rolling them up to the elbow. You were definitely comfortable in your new pajamas, although you feel extremely uncomfortable in someone else's house.

 Someone else's house, someone else's clothes and your body also seems to be someone else's ..

 Although this is not the worst nightmare, as you thought before, but this dream is definitely very strange and nasty.

 When you wake up, be sure to write a long Twitter thread about this sugary madness.

 Suddenly, Wally snapped you out of your thoughts. He called you by name and asked "Are you hungry?"

To your own surprise, you did not want to eat at all. Usually in dreams, even in the absence of appetite, you are happy to try imaginary food, but now .. You didn’t want anything.

 – I don’t really want to eat.. And you? Are you hungry? -

 Your yellow friend thought again.

 – I'm not sure. I just wish I had something to do with my hands.

 - Hmm. Well, then should we get to know each other better? Home showed me only a small part of its rooms and I know nothing about you. You yourself wanted to get to know me a little better.. –

 Wally's eyes sparkled.

 – did Home show you the workshop?– Wally asked inspiredly, looking at you with his ink puddles instead of eyes.

 You shook your head.

 Wally let out a happy squeak as he grabbed your hand and walked towards the stairs. Your little yellow friend was glowing with anticipation of long monologues.

 Of course, you were glad of his emotionality. You have already accepted that your little friend was so cheerful.

 You did not have time to blink an eye, as you were on the familiar second floor. The view has not changed a bit after a couple of hours of your absence. Only Wally's door was closed, and the next door opened instead.

 It was the one that you so aspired to last time turned out to be a simple workshop? To be honest, you didn't expect this.

 You were hoping to find something scary behind a closed room. After all, can't Wally be so nice to people he meets just like that? There must be some hidden stuff behind it! Secret motives! Maybe he has terrible plans for you and you will not get out of the town alive!

But this room is just a workshop.

  Stepping inside, you find only a disastrous mess of canvases, papers, tubes of paint, cans of solvent, and easels of various shapes and sizes.

  All these things were thrown on the floor and in the corners of the room, which made the floor almost invisible.

  There was a terrible and loud door creak.

  You didn't know exactly what that creak meant, but you assumed that Home was just as unhappy with Wally's mess.

  You, too, were quite confused by such a mess. Wally went ahead of you while you remained standing at the door.

  - look, neighbor! look!” the puppet shouted enthusiastically, picking up one picture after another from the floor.

  The pictures were strikingly different from each other. Some canvases felt like they were painted by a two-year-old child. Very simple, silhouette doodles. They depicted all the inhabitants of the town.

   You looked at these pictures with interest. To your own surprise, you recognized the dolls on paper. Here's Barnaby, here's Poppy. Here is a gloomy Frank and a cheerful Julie. Each person in the drawings was signed. It was.. Curious.

Also, Wally slipped you large oil canvases.

  These paintings were an abstraction of spirals and circles. All these paintings were very bright and colorful. They were perfect smooth spirals, in which the eyes sank

  You looked at them with a strange pleasure, although you are not a fan of abstraction.

  However, what caught your eye most of all was a series of avant-garde and surreal paintings. They were still-lifes.

  LUXURIOUS STILL-LIFES

  No, you are well acquainted with art and have seen many different painted compositions. Different objects, different colors, different lighting..

  But what you saw before your eyes was indescribable.

  Are you sure that if you translate this picture into b/w, it will simply disappear. Still lifes of simple figures, cut off on the edge but painted in the most delicate colors of all possible.

  You stretched out your hands to a canvas with a thick stretcher. You carefully took one of the still lifes in your hands, not taking your eyes off them.

You heard a soft smile from the side.

 – You should have seen your face now. -

  Wally laughed at you, but you couldn't say anything at that moment. You couldn't believe you were seeing pastel colors. Your eyes seem to have just received the strongest soothing effect after all this time in a colorful world full of toxic bright hues.

  This canvas seemed to be made of cotton candy and melted in your hands.

  Your brain really does blow your mind sometimes. You have never seen such an aerial picture in reality. Only your brain could generate it, and it amazed you the most.

  “Wally, this is just.. This is just amazing.. I don’t understand how you can combine so many different styles in yourself..” you moaned in an undertone, tearing your eyes away from the picture with difficulty.

  Wally seemed to expect such a reaction. He just giggled embarrassedly, smiling at you.

  - You flatter me, neighbor! – the little guy chirped with a goofy grin. - But I'm glad that there are connoisseurs of my work! The rest of the neighbors do not understand what is the peculiarity of my style. They are not yet able to appreciate my talent. -

It seemed so unusual on Wally's part. To describe his talent with such enthusiasm.. He must have really big self-importance. You didn't point this out to your plush friend, but you took note.

   – if you want, you can take this picture for yourself! I will be glad if one of my admirers has a piece of me in his house.

   – But now I live here with you.

 – Even better, neighbor! When we build you your own home, you can choose a few more masterpieces for yourself!

   You first laughed at Wally's words, and then you were asked by a previously unknown tremor.

   "When we build you your own home"

  – I don't think it's necessary to build a house for me. I won't be here for long!

   – you so only think! Our neighbourhood is too addictive!– Wally just laughed. You were not in the mood for jokes. These words caused more trembling and deep, nasty fear in you. You smiled tightly.

   - Well! Let's see! As fate says, so be it! - you joked, leaving no clear protest.

   Wally gently reached out to his painting and took it from your hands to put it on the windowsill.

   - Dear neighbor, what are you good at? - the yellow friend asks with a smile, looking with his deep black eyes straight into your soul ..

   You looked down at the floor and scratched the back of your head.

   “I.. Well.. Uh.. I have many different hobbies, but I don’t bring any to a decent level..” you answered, being a little uncomfortable.

   “I write stories and cook mostly.” Wally jumped up to you at the same second and took both of your hands in his.

   “You're cooking!” Wally exclaimed with delight. - What do you like to cook the most? – the puppet asked as it led you further and further away from the workshop.

   - well, I'm more of a confectioner .. I like to cook different pastries. Cakes, pretzels, buns… you said reluctantly as you walked down the stairs with Wally. - but the best dish on my list is pilaf .. - you said even more quietly. This dish has never been a pastry in your eyes, but it is the only hearty dish that you adored and cooked with pleasure.

   Wally raised one eyebrow even (though he doesn't have any..)

- pilaf? I heard about many dishes, but I hear about plov for the first time. - Wally said with surprise and curiosity, stopping with you on the first floor. You even felt a little embarrassed, because this is not the national food of your people. You love the culture of the East, but you are far from an orientalist and do not live in Turkey.

  - nothing special. You know, this dish does not require special attention.. - You were taken aback, but Wally insisted.

  - I'm interested in trying it, whatever it is!

  - it's too dense food for a night snack. Yes, and a lot of things you have to buy at Howdy's. Do you now have rice, chicken, spices, a supply of various vegetables, and so on?” Wally shook his head.

  - there are only apples, butter and a little flour. your yellow friend said.

  You tried to yank your hands out of the hands of the puppet, but he didn't let you go.

  – oh.. Shall we make apple rolls now? I know one very simple recipe, you should like it. And we'll leave the pilaf for lunch tomorrow, okay? - you smiled at Wally and he finally let go of your hands.

  He sparkled with delight! He jumped, he waved his arms and made a quiet happy squeak.

  “Will you teach me how to cook all this?” Wally asked. You nodded and left for the kitchen.