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“Why, hello neighbor!” Wally said to the audience, putting down a newspaper he was reading, to turn his attention completely towards the viewer.
“How are you today?”
A pause.
“How lovely! I think I’m doing just swell! I do have a problem though,”
Wally frowns slightly.
“Today, Howdy is setting up a nice new spot in his shop! Its a place outside where you can go eat. Have you ever gone to a place like that?” He asks the viewer.
“Well, neighbor, my problem is…I don’t have anyone to go with! I don’t have a special friend to go with me because I love all my friends just the same…what do you do when you can’t decide something?”
“Ooh! That’s a great idea! Hm…I will have to think on it more though…”
The camera pans to Frank, holding a brightly colored letter in his hands, pacing slightly.
“Why did he deliver it to me personally? What’s so special about it- oh! Hello neighbor,” Frank seemed surprised.
Frank continues to pace, his hands fidgeting slightly.
“Eddie gave me a letter today, like usual, but he…he didn’t put it in the mailbox,”
For a second the puppet flashed multiple emotions; nervous, confused, maybe even a little scared.
“He gave it to me outright…that’s not like him, is it?”
Frank seemed worried about Eddie.
They stopped for a moment and began to sing a ditty.
“When somethings changed,
the world seems strange,
but it’s gonna be alright,
Just hold your head up,
Take a deep breath and-“
Frank takes a deep breath
“You’ll find your way in life,”
He finished the song with a slight smile, seemingly calmer.
“Thank you for teaching me that song, neighbor. If you see Wally before I do, be sure to tell him thanks,” he smiled at the viewer.
They looked back at the letter Eddie gave him.
He tapped it gently against his hand, thinking.
“Do you think I should open it?” He asked the viewer.
A pause.
“Okay, I’ll read it to you,”
Frank gently opens the letter, the nervousness creeping back into his expression.
“Dear Mr. Frankly,”
He began.
“I wanted to personally give you this letter on this lovely mornin’, cuz I wanted to ask you something,”
Frank seemed even more nervous now.
As he opened his mouth to speak again, their voice was replaced with Eddie’s.
“I’d heard about the new dining area outside of Howdy’s Place, and, well, I was wondering if you would be the special friend that went with me.
I know this is sudden, but I do hope you will be there.
8 o'clock, and if you’re a little late, thats ok, be nice to yourself, ok darlin? -Eddie”
Frank now wore a warm smile, putting the letter down on the table.
“You were right, neighbor! I only think I should’ve read that sooner,” they chuckled.
They rushed to his room and picked out a brand new sweater vest.
“I gotta get ready, neighbor!” Frank exclaimed, very happy.
The camera pans to Julie, getting her hair done.
“Now- hold still, Julie, I need to get this bobby pin in,”
“I’m trying!!”
“Well, hi there neighbor!” Eddie beamed, looking to the camera.
“Oh! Hi neighbor!!” Julie waved.
“Just gettin’ Julie ready for today, grand opening n’ all,” Eddie said, pinning parts of her hair.
“I usually do this myself Eddie, why are you doing it now?”
“Cuz you said you wanted to look fancy,”
“Mmm. I did say that, didn’t I?”
“Mmhm, now rock your head up and down, we need volume!”
Julie happily did so, giggling as her hair poofed up.
“What’s that neighbor? Frank read my letter?” Eddie looked to the camera with his eyes sparkling.
“What did he think?”
Pause.
Eddie blushed for a moment, chuckling.
“Aw shucks, a new sweater vest?”
“I think he was waiting for this!” Julie sang.
“Ohh hush Julie, don’t do an I told you so,”
“But I did! I knew they’d love the offer!”
“Yeah, yeah,”
“Oh, I forgot to ask my special friend today,” Julie sighed.
“I’m sorry to hear that darlin’, who was it you were gonna ask?” Eddie asked.
“Wally, but, I’m nervous,”
“Hey, we’re all friends here, I’m sure he’ll be delighted,”
“What about you neighbor? Do you have a special friend tonight?” Julie queried.
Pause.
“No? Oh well- its okay sweetheart, Howdy was gonna ask ya anyhow,” he winked.
“Eddie! That was a secret!”
“Ohh shoot you’re right…forget I said anything, neighbor,” Eddie smiled.
“You go get ready, I’ll drop by Wally’s!” Julie grinned, seemingly ready to go.
She dashed off to go find Wally.
“I suggest you stop by Howdy’s before 8 hits, and you should hurry, it’s 7:30!” Eddie exclaimed, putting his hands on his face to emphasize the tight schedule.
The camera goes just outside Howdy’s, almost bumping into Poppy and Sally.
“Woah neighbor! Slow down!” Poppy chuckled.
“You almost gave me a shiner!” Sally exclaimed, somehow still on her star-related puns.
“Are you here to check out the dining area too?” Poppy asked with a smile.
“That’s great! We’re just waiting on Barnaby to actually go and get our table,” Sally grinned.
“Y…you wanna talk to Howdy?” Sally asked, then dramatically gasped. “Is Howdy your special friend for the day?”
The sun and the rainbow partridge seemed happy to learn that.
“Well go on in!” Poppy encouraged.
The camera moved to in front of Howdy’s counter, the caterpillar wearing a huge grin.
“Well, hello neighbor!” He waved with one of his four hands.
“How can I help you?”
“Oh? You wanted to…my res…did Eddie tell you something he shouldn’t have?”
Pause.
“Ah well, the jig is up. I was hoping we could have a friendly chat over my hotdogs, they’re ‘specially good this time of day,”
“You would? I’m so happy to hear that!”
The screen fades, and opens back to Howdy’s Place, outside on the new dining area. The place is busy.
The camera is seated at a table across from Frank and Eddie.
“I-I just wanted to thank you for actually comin’ tonight I uh- I was nervous you wouldn’t,” Eddie said.
“Why wouldn’t I? I did my research earlier today, why wouldn’t I have time for my dear friend?”
“Hah- nice pun, and, well, I don’t know. I think I just…sometimes you get worked up over something that you shouldn’t have to,”
Frank nodded in agreement.
“I know that feeling. I still have to thank Wally for that song, but I think he’s busy,”
For a moment the camera pans to Wally who is unnervingly staring directly at the viewer.
It goes back to Frank and Eddie.
“Yea, I guess so!” Eddie giggled.
Frank looked to Eddie with a sort of admiration, a look that was returned.
“You’re truly somethin’ you know that Franky?” Eddie asked.
Frank merely chuckled and shook their head.
“No really- Franky listen,”
Frank stopped chuckling and looked at Eddie’s eyes.
“You’re really somethin’, Frank. You make delivering mail so much more fun,”
“I do?”
“I have a rather serious question,”
“Do you?”
“Do you…uhm…(ahem), do you know Dorothy?”
“…Doroth- yes! Yes I do!”
“Oh, we go way back!” Eddie exclaimed.
“I met her quite recently, such a doll aint she?”
“She sure is, Franky, she sure is,”
The camera stayed on them for a moment, as the two seemed more calm around each other. More sincere.
“Hey neighbor, I got us both some hotdogs!” The camera swished to Howdy, who handed the camera a hotdog.
“Sorry that took so long, Barnaby loves these things,” he chuckled.
“What do you think of the place?”
Pause.
“Boy, am I glad to hear that! I think I’ll keep this up and running for a while then,” Howdy grinned.
Time passes, signified by a brightly colored clock spinning quickly.
“Well neighbor, I’ll let ya go. Come back tomorrow wont you? We can’t stay too much longer now, sun’s going down,” Howdy said with a smile.
The camera seemingly stood up and turned back to Eddie and Frank, who now held hands across the table, talking to each other and genuinely seeming happy.
The two begin to walk to Frank’s home together, hand in hand.
“Well Neighbor, night a’cometh,” the camera panned to Wally as he said this.
“We gotta go!” Julie exclaimed.
“Goodbye, neighbor, and always remember;”
The both of them spoke
“You’re the absolute most, and we love you so very, very much,”
Wally waved to the camera
“Goodnight neighbor! Sleep well!”