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Here the days are short and the fun is long!… that was the motto at least. Maybe it was? You’ve heard it from your fellow neighbors here and there…
“God dammit..” Wally Darling swears to himself as his priso- er… home creakes and aches.
“Why did you do this…?? I-… I just don’t- I don’t understand! What’s wrong? Why won’t you let me go?!” Wally screams, his hands pulling at his hair as he shakily retreats and curls up against the ground. He wished so deeply, so longingly, that he could see his friends- just get some time away at all even. Wally had fallen into insomniac episodes and would go day upon days without any proper rest.
“Creaaaak- slam! slam!- whoooosh” Home writhed on and on, eerily shutting and opening doors and letting in cold drafts of air.
“I don’t know!! I… I… don’t… I can’t..” Wally in all his frustration burst into tears sobbing with his head in his hands. He only wished to know why his own house shut him off from the society he had come to know.
‘BANG BANG BANG!’
“Wh- I’ll… I’ll go answer the door…” He drew in a deep shaky breath, getting up and walking to the door. On his way to the other side of the room he grabbed a random half empty hairspray can and fixed his messy hair.
“Wally?? Wally daaaarling! It’s us , your old pals! Remember us? We haven’t seen you in a bit so..”
Wally puts on a smile, it was easy enough considering his joy from Home allowing him to open the door. He turns the colorful knob, and is greeted by every single one of his neighbors.
“Hey guys! What’s up?”
“Wally! Don’t ‘what’s up’ us! You’ve been missing for two months… we’d thought you went on vacation or something- but Eddie saw you through your window when he was delivering your letters for the Guestbook.” Poppy exclaimed somberly, just as frazzled as ever no less.
“Oh… uhm, what- what was I doing when he saw me?”
“I saw you screaming and crying… your hair wasn’t even poofed and it looked like you hadn’t showered in weeks…” Eddie was looking away scratching his neck, everyone looked at Wally.The small man had never been seen without his usual perfect appearance, never allowing anyone to see his hair undone.
“Hahah, good one guys- I’m serious!”
“Wally…” Barnaby stepped closer to him, the whole group knowingly clearing a path for the only one who could talk sense into him.
“This isn’t a joke. No more clowning around. Tell me what’s wrong. Right. Now.”
“O-oh uhm… we- we have to go… it isn’t safe here, cmon…” Wally looks back at Home’s expectant eyes as he whispers, ignoring the uneasy feeling in his gut.
“Okay… whatever will make you better I guess…” Julie, ever sympathetic, notices Wally’s behavior as he was usually the one to hold hands and love people with touch- but now he was just about as far as possible from the group, flinching away the moment anyone’s footsteps got even an inch closer.
Wally led them all to the bugdega, once there he sat down on the stool provided by Howdy.
“So what is it that’s causing you to be so sad?” Sally said, jumping up on the cashier counter in sink with Frank.
“So.. uh- Fuck where do I start-“
“You just swore… you haven’t done that since we dyed your hair blonde for April Fools… This is serious I guess…”
“You think?! I guess?! Really?!”
“Hey, calm down.. maybe try this stress toy? It helps me relax when I’m frustrated!” Frank carefully hands Wally a small yellow stress ball with a smiley face on it. Unfortunately for the toy and Frank, it was squeezed so hard it popped.
“Oh… here, I uh, I have a memory foam one too!” A purple butterfly ball was then placed into his hand as Howdy vacuumed the remains of the original one.
“So… to start- I’ll just squeeze it out all at once- Home is locking me inside and hasn’t let me out and I’ve been going into insomnia-like episodes where I go days and days with little to no sleep at all!”
“…”
“…”
To be continued…