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Part 8: Rainy Day Activities

The next day was cold and dark, but still oddly pleasant. The quiet, constant tapping of the rain against my house was delightful. My quiet peace was interrupted as I heard a knock on my door. I had been receiving many visitors lately, so I did not think anything of the person at my door.

I opened it. Wally looked at me. I looked at him. He quickly looked away and blinked before turning his attention back to me.

"Hello, neighbor! Would you care to bake with me? I have the most delicious food in the world here with me: apples!" Wally held up a basket of shiny red apples. I let him in, gently tapping him with a towel. He was sopping wet.

"What a wonderful surprise! I apologize for not expecting you! I was planning for a lonely day," I commented as I took the basket of apples and placed them on the kitchen counter.

"Oh, no worries! I believe this is the second time we have ever hung out, right?" He asked, his eyes closed and happy. I looked up, thinking.

"Why, yes. It's only our second time. I'm excited to bake! What shall we make?" I dragged over a chair for him as I grabbed various supplies and utensils. He looked at me sheepishly before looking down at the tablecloth.

"Actually... I heard your baking was excellent, and I wanted to try it, so....so I brought some apples in hopes you'd make me something," he admitted quietly. I laughed softly.

My neighbors were such shy people when it came to asking for things. I did understand where they were coming from, however. Sometimes, asking could come across as rude. This, however, was a completely reasonable request. I wrung my hands over the sink, turning to him cheerfully.

"Of course! I'll bake you a cake. I wonder, is there such a thing as an apple cake? Perhaps I'll call Frank and ask!" I dialed Frank on my telephone. When I answered, both Frank and Barnaby answered.

"Hello?" Frank greeted.

"Frank! I have a very important question! Are apple cakes real things?" I heard Barnaby laugh from behind Frank.

"Not that I've heard of..." I replied hesitantly. It was clear he feared the idea.

"There is such a thing as a meat head, though," Barnaby chuckled. I knew he wasn't insulting me, just making a pun.

"Oh, alright. Thank you!" I thanked the two. I turned back to Wally.

"Fear not! I shall bake you a delightfully apple-flavored cake. It will be marvelous!" I reassured the seemingly worried puppet. He sighed in relief when he heard my announcement and nodded.

For the next few hours, I baked while Wally talked. He told me all sorts of fascinating stories.

"One time, one of Sally's eyelids got stuck! It was so scary, but also entertaining," Wally explained to me. This particular story caught my attention. Suddenly, I paused for a moment. Sally was a reversible puppet. She had a moon side, and a sun side. She must have, I thought. I said nothing to Wally about my realization.

"Ta~da!" I showed off my cake. It was hard to explain how I had managed to make an apple cake, but it didn't matter. Wally was ecstatic. He reminded me of a slightly off-putting puppy in this moment.

"Where'd the apples go?!" He gasped, investigating a slice closely.

"They're in the cake," I stated. He looked up at me as if I had just told him I owned the universe.

"What? That's amazing!" He cried. I nodded, quite satisfied with my skills. It worried me slightly that he lacked object permanence. I said nothing of it, for it's rude to point out the shortcomings of others.

Before I knew it, he had blinked away my entire cake. I was happy he liked it so much.

"Would you be interested in doing some of my favorite rainy day activities? I'm awfully lonely today," I said plainly. The truth was that I was not at all lonely. I could sense Wally was, however, and it would be rude to show him out during a storm.

He perked up instantly. "Oh, I'd be delighted!" I smiled. He had picked up one of my favorite phrases. He really did pay attention to his friends well.

"Okay! Let us read," I said with a smile. Wally nodded eagerly. He chose a book from my shelf and read it quietly on the couch. He was lying on his stomach, resulting in him swinging his legs back and forth as he read his book contently.

I laid on the ground on my rug, reading a very thrilling book about a snail.

Hours passed, and we continued reading. Eventually, we both fell asleep while reading, listening to the soothing rain.