Hope is the Thing With Feathers

Bonus Story: The Next Adventure

"But what about here?" Blathers wondered. "We spent so long building this museum."

Celeste nodded and smiled at him. "Yes, and you've done a great job, Blathers! But the exhibits are complete, and you and I both know that especially during the fall and winter, no one really visits. I think this could be a great opportunity for you. After all, there's got to be some new and interesting fossils on that island Tom Nook is talking about."

"You always know how to ruffle my feathers," Blathers complained. It was true. Just the thought of new flora and fauna, but the fossils especially, were enough to get him excited about the prospect of moving.

"But what about you?" Blathers asked.

"I don't think I'll be much help in building a new museum, but the archipelago does seem like a great place to travel. Just think about all the stars I can see out there!" Celeste exclaimed, seemingly lost in her own star-speckled fantasy.

"So...I would be going alone," Blathers realized.

"No, you won't be alone. The Able Sisters will be there, and I heard Isabelle talking all hushed with Tom when I got off the train this morning. She must be accompanying him too. Who knows who else will follow?"

"I wish Brewster could come," Blathers said, glancing down at his feet.

"You still haven't gotten ahold of him?" Celeste asked.

Blathers shook his head. "He wouldn't want to come anyway. He's retired after all. Already off on his next great adventure hunting for gyroids to add to his collection."

"Then, it's about time you set off your next adventure too," Celeste suggested.

Blathers glanced at her and slowly nodded. "I think...I think I will."

...

Tom Nook really hadn't been kidding when he'd said deserted island, Blathers realized. He'd gotten off the plane to find a sprawling island overgrown with bushes, trees, and weeds. There was not an inkling of development save for the Resident Services tent Tom had managed to erect before Blathers had arrived.

Blathers had found a small clearing to pitch up his own tent when he arrived. He sat inside, making notes in his journal under the glow of his gas lamp about the fish and bugs he had managed to procure from that day. While Animal Village had not been as populous as the city, it was strange how quiet and dark the island was, Blathers thought. Curiously, he stepped outside and glanced up at the sky. Just as he expected, it was glistening with stars. He hoped Celeste would visit soon, as he knew she would love the sight.

Suddenly, a star darted across the sky. Silently, Blathers wished that his new life on the island would be worthwhile.

Thankfully, after a few weeks living out of his tent, development began to take place, and as Blathers received more donations, Tom Nook revealed his plans to build a proper museum, this one more grand and elegant than the one in Animal Village. Already, Blathers was excited about the new specimens waiting to be added to his collection. He encouraged the islanders to bring him anything they could find - fish, fossils, and though he hated the vermin, bugs as well.

On especially starry nights, Celeste would visit. Blathers and his sister would sit on a bench outside of the museum's entrance and stare up at the meteor showers that were much more common on the island than they had been in Animal Village. Celeste's visits were never for long, but Blathers appreciated her presence all the same, and she always praised him on the new additions to the museum's collection every visit.