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Home has never had a neighbor that would stay inside for long. The first puppet to call him Home got too scared the moment he started to move. They left that day never to be seen again.
The next neighbor he tried staying still for, but got too excited, scaring the puppet family into moving away.
Puppet after puppets came, they said they liked him, they said he was their new home. But everytime he expressed himself they ran.
Home was just tired of seeing a constant 'for sale' sign in their front lawn. If only they knew how to act like the other homes around the neighborhood. If only he was like the other houses. Quiet, non moving, non speaking.
Why was he the only one who was alive?
Then something changed.
The sun rose, waking Home. It opened up its blinds to see a moving van parked in the driveway.
That was strange, how did no one hear the van pull up? Though it was quite smaller than the other vans they had seen. Most of the puppets come packed with things from their last homes. But this van, it couldn't be carrying any furniture, or other things to make him a home.
Did the puppet already go inside? No Home would of knotest his front door being opened. Had the puppet slept in the van?
The answer to his question came quickly when a yellow head with blue hair popped up. The puppet rubbed his eyes tieredly, before opening up the vans door and stepping out.
The puppet was small, smaller than the other residence. Even Julie, who was only 5'0, was taller than this puppet. No wonder the van was small. A small van for a small puppet.
Home watched the back of the moving truck open on both sides, before the small puppet hoisted a few boxes over to the front of the door. But I didn't try to go inside just yet. Instead placing the boxes next to the well kept bushes.
The puppet walked back over to the van, getting out a few more boxes that they placed near the door.
By this time the sun had risen over Barnaby's home. The dog opened up his window, smelling the fresh air. Before having to do a double take at the house in the middle.
Normally Home had no one coming in and out. While the other residences kept Home looking nice and clean on the outside, Home was able to clean inside itself without help.
So seeing boxes on the grass and a moving van was quite interesting. They don't get neighbors that much anymore. Home can be a bit too exciting, and can't help but express it in the only way a living home can.
Barnaby quickly took off his sleep wear, and put on his normal clothes before rushing out his own house.
Getting to Home he was met with his new neighbor struggling to get a chair out. Barnaby couldn't help but smile. Always willing to help out a new neighbor even if they won't stay long.
"Well hi stranger." He said startling the poor puppet into turning around, with wide wild eyes.
"Sorry to startle you. Really didn't mean too. I'm Barnaby B. Beagle. Neighborhood jokester, though I won't pull any pranks on you if you dislike that."
Barnaby watched the once wild eyes return to 'normal' their eyelids drooping to make them look more calm, and a smile replaced their opened mouth shock.
The small puppet turned around. Being inside the truck, made them almost the same height as Barnaby, but still short. Barnaby did his best not to reach forward and grab the puppet.
"Wally, Wally Darling. It's nice to meet you Barnaby. I hope we can be good friends." The soft monotone voice of the puppet had the dog heads spinning. It was quite nice to listen too, and Barnaby hoped that Wally would be staying for more than a week.
"Well as my first act as your new best friend, let me help you carry some things into Home." Barnaby reached forward, about to help pick up the chair before pausing.
If he wanted Wally to stay he couldn't give away that Home was alive. "The Home. Let me help you get these things into the home." Barnaby tried to save himself. Grabbing the chair In one arm, and carrying it to the front door, opening it, and giving a small quiet apology for not letting the house open its own door.
Wally stood there in shock. Why was the blue dog all of a sudden skittish, with a small shrug, Wally went back into the van to pull out the Couch, as well as the small portable table, his Lyra, fabric, and his easel.
Barnaby took no time to come back to the van. Helping Wally carry the rest of the things inside.
Once everything was inside Barnaby couldn't help but stay and help Wally move the furniture around, and help unpack the boxes. Through some of those boxes Wally took straight to the basement. Something Barnaby wouldn't try and pry.
By the time the boxes were emptied and all of its contents put to Wally's liking the rest of the neighborhood was waking up, and most of them were looking at Home, and the moving van.
Poppy, Frank, and Eddie being the oldest residents that saw the first running neighbor. Howdy and Barnaby came next, seeing the last three run out, while Sally and Julie had only seen the last residence run out. So they were all very surprised to see a moving van outside of Home.
"Do you think they'll stay?" Poppy asked the frowning man that was Frank. Who had his arms crossed, looking at the closed door of Home.
"We'd be lucky if they stayed for more than a week." Howdy stated in a hopeful manner. Making the other puppets nod in agreement.
The door to Home opened, revealing their new neighbor standing off to the side of Barnaby as he opened the door. The big blue dog walked outside. Before noticing the others had joined.
"Ah, looks like everyone is here. Sorry, we don't get new neighbors that often. But I promise you we are all very kind. Barnaby said to the other puppet who came out.
He does a small nod to the others. Before smiling. "Hello. I'm Wally Darling. It's nice to meet you all." Before the yellow puppet could ever look over the entire residence, Julie was in his space, but not touching him as she said. "You're staying right? Please tell me you will be staying with us!"
The girl was pulled back by Poppy, who gave a squawked out Sorry. Pulling her away to give her and Sally the rundown.
"Sorry about her." Eddie said, fidgeting with his postal hat before putting it back firmly on his head. "Julie is a bit new and loves making friends."
Wally couldn't help but give a light chuckle, saying how alright it was. "I do hope I can stay, this Is the farthest town the map showed, and I don't really have anywhere else to go really."
The others made no comment on Wallys answer, knowing he'll tell them in time.
"Well then welcome to the neighborhood. We'll gladly give you a tour around our small town." Howdy insisted, making all of the others nod at the idea.
Wally looked like he was thinking it over before nodding himself, letting the other puppets take him around.
A week. It has been a week since Wally had shown up. And a Week Home has been silent. But knowing itself it will slip up. And all they could hope for was that Wally was the one not to be scared by a living home.
The yellow Puppet was sitting on a stool they had bought from Howdy's, making it a perfect height for Wally to see what he was panting. He was inside Home and looking out the window.
Panting it and what was outside. Home tried its hardest to stay still, to not move its eyes around to see how Wally was doing.
With a sigh Wally stretched. Putting his Paintbrush down and walking into the kitchen to get something to eat. This was the chance Home needed.
Home blinds closed, making him now being inside his own self, he looked at the painting and couldn't help but. Creak the floor boards, and Bang doors in excitement. It looked really good, especially with its own 'eye' being the centerpiece.
A loud gasp made its way to Home. Causing the moving floorboards to stop in mid creak, and the door to pause.
There Wally stood, in the doorframe of the kitchen, a warmed up plate of lasagna rested in his hands as he stared at everything, before his eyes snapped forward to the window.
Home panicked and moved back to look outside, giving a way that yes, he had moved.
Before Home could really calm itself the front door swung open. Home waited to see the blur of yellow, and blue run out of them, perhaps screaming or just silent.
What the house did not expect was for Wally to walk calmly out, and stand in front of him, looking into both of his 'eyes'. Home tried not to shake, but they did move their eyes so that they could not see Wally. Earning another gasp that was certainly a 'I didn't just imagine it' gasp.
"You're alive!" The monotone voice becomes animated. Home just waited for the running feet, or the scared scream before fainting.
But instead all he got was a happy little squeal. Turning to face the puppet once again, Home was met with a big smile spread across Wally's face.
"If I had known you were alive sooner I would have been talking to you!" Wally walked right back up to the house, placing a hand under one of the window frames.
"I've never had a talking house before, this will be exciting. Now I must learn all about you. I've been a bad friend and not letting you speak your own mind. But I am here now to listen to you."
Home couldn't help the creaks that sounded more like a sniffle, of trying not to cry, as Wally leaned on it.
Finally, a permanent resident of Home.