The bus ride was long and agonizingly stressful for Blathers. In the past week, he had packed up his apartment, said good-bye to Professor Cornelius at the university, threw his few things in some old luggage belonging to his parents, and left behind the city life he had once known.
Already, the tall skyscrapers and dazzling lights were being replaced by lush forests that sprouted newly green leaves with the spring season. Most of the other passengers had gotten off already at various towns, but Blathers trekked on to Animal Village, a half a day's journey away.
"Looks like we're pulling up to Animal Village," the bus driver said at the front.
As the bus traveled the roads leading down to the village, Blathers peered out the window, finding mostly untamed nature, speckled with houses and a few shops. This was certainly different than anything he had ever known.
The bus came to a halt at the one bus stop in town. Blathers grabbed his things, tipped the driver, and stepped out onto the cement stop. There were trees, ponds, and rocks scattered around him, but one building to his left, a large wooden building with a waving flag, caught his attention. He was told that this building was the town hall, and he was to report inside to talk to Mayor Tortimer.
Blathers took a deep breath. It was incredibly quiet in Animal Village compared to back at the city. He heard nothing save for the wind in the trees and the faint footsteps of some villagers in the distance.
With map in hand, Blathers entered the town hall, finding a charismatic young pelican sitting inside.
"You must be Blathers!" she exclaimed, leaning forward to grab his wing and shake it. "I'm Pelly! Nice to meet you!"
"You...you're not Mayor Tortimer, right?" Blathers asked.
Pelly chuckled. "No, no. Mayor Tortimer is in his office in the back. I'll bring you to him," she said. She ushered him back behind the counter and took him to an office situated in the back of the hall. Pelly gave a quick knock and swung the door open. Mayor Tortimer, an elderly tortoise, was lying back on his chair, sound asleep.
"Tortimer, sir!" Pelly exclaimed. "Do wake up! Your new curator is here."
The turtle gave a bit of a half-snort as he awoke. He fixed his glasses that had become tilted with sleep and reached for the cane near his desk. Slowly, the turtle stood and eyed Blathers.
"Ah, you must be Blathers! It is a pleasure to have you. Why don't I take you to the museum myself? We can go on a little tour, you and I," Tortimer suggested. "There's not much else to do around here. How exciting!"
Blathers was a bit unnerved by the somewhat incompetent mayor, and the fact that it seemed so desolate out in Animal Village, but he was excited to see the museum himself, so he agreed. He and Tortimer walked at a snail's pace through the village, with Tortimer stopping to point out every fruit tree and oddly shaped rock.
At last, they came to a large white building with heavy columns and bright spotlights that seemed to illuminate the building at night. It was breathtaking to behold, and Blathers could not believe it was all his.
Tortimer took his time unlocking the entrance doors, and when he turned the lights on, the building was littered in cobwebs and dust. Blathers coughed into his wing, wondering how such a ornate-looking building could appear so gloomy inside.
"You'll have to pardon the mess, but I suppose it will give you something to do! We've never had that good of a museum display, I am afraid, but we do have four prominent sections. Fossils, bugs, fish, and artwork," Tortimer explained. He pointed his cane to each designated hallway as he spoke.
"May I see the displays?" Blathers asked. He found himself already gravitating toward them without Tortimer's consent.
The elderly tortoise followed behind him. When Blathers walked into the first room, the fossil exhibit, he was afraid to find nothing inside of it, not even a crumb. The bases for the displays were all there, but there was nothing to see.
"I may have withheld a small bit of information from you," Tortimer said when Blathers turned to look at him. "You see, we are in need of donations to get this museum off its footing. Now that we have a full-time curator, our villagers will be more enthusiastic about donating, and it can hopefully become a place that the entire community can enjoy."
"Are there any ways I can help?" Blathers asked.
"Your job is to stay here full-time," Tortimer said, squashing Blathers' dreams of filling up the museum himself. "Let me show you to the living quarters in the attic."
After a quick tour of his minimal living space, Blathers put his belongings down and descended down the regal steps of the museum to take a tour of the town. Animal Village was even more boring than Blathers could comprehend.
The villagers were nice enough. They seemed excited at having a new place to explore, though Blathers had to remind each of them that the museum was in need of donations. He was introduced to one of the successful businessmen living on the island, Tom Nook, who ran quite a successful retail business. He also had the pleasure of meeting the Able Sisters, Sable and Mabel, who were kind and courteous, and, as Tortimer had said, had been living in the town since they were young. He was introduced to the town's guards, Cooper and Booker, as well the mailman Pete, and security worker, Resetti. He was also given a comprehensive list from Tortimer of the traveling salesman that liked to stop by.
It seemed like a lively community from Tortimer's words, but it did not quite feel such as lively as the city Blathers had grown up in.
For the first month, Blathers found himself terribly homesick. He spent much of his time cleaning up the museum so that it dazzled and sparkled, but only a few villagers were kind enough to bring in some donations, often leaving him alone with his own thoughts. With no more of Brewster's coffee supplied to him, Blathers often embarrassingly found himself falling asleep during the day.
The letters he wrote to his parents and Celeste were only words of optimism about the experience, and that he hoped they could visit one day (but not too soon, with the lack of donations and all).
Blathers sometimes went out and talked to the villagers. He joined Sable and Mabel for lunch one day and heard some quite nasty rumors about Tom Nook that Mabel claimed came from a broken heart. Either way, Blathers asked the two how they had managed to get their business off the ground, but a tailor shop and a museum were very different, he realized.
The museum was not enough to draw his visitors in, Blathers realized. He tried to think of what drew his interest in the city, and he realized it came down to the entertainment factor. Looking at a few measly specimens would not draw the common viewer in, and suddenly, he fetched an idea.
He wrote a few short words to Brewster, elaborating in more detail the disappointing nature of his job and a way in which he might be able to fix it. Expansion. Blathers sent the letter quickly and anxiously awaited for a response. It came only a day later.
Blathers, it read.
I am sorry to hear that Animal Village is not all that you expected it to be. I felt the same with my coffee shop when it first opened. I was a bit shocked to hear your proposal. Me? Open up a coffee shop, there?! I thought about it all yesterday and last night. Like you, I have never been far away from the city, but I realize that my love for coffee will stay with me wherever I go. I am considering this option, so long as you get approval from the mayor for expansion. It may not be the reopening I was hoping for, but I'd take a small coffee gig over working retail in the city any day.
I do have one small request if this is to happen. I have happened to meet a particularly talented dog in the city. He was sitting on some porch steps strumming the guitar one day when I ran into him. I tried to give him some spare bells for his entertainment, but he told me that he was a traveling musician who dedicated his life for his love of music. I told him when I opened another coffee shop, I would promise him a gig. It would be exciting if we were able to have some form of live entertainment in this coffee shop, too. I would love to be able to have this dog, whose name (I cannot tell if it is real or not) is K.K. Slider, come by some time to play.
Let me know your thoughts.
Take care,
Brewster.
Blathers immediately wrote up a response to his friend, agreeing with all his wishes. After sending the letter, he headed to town hall, asking Pelly to politely wake Tortimer. The tortoise still seemed to be angry at having his nap interrupted, but his eyes grew more open with interest as Blathers began to discuss with him the proposed island expansion.
"Interesting! I do like the idea! Of course, it will take some time with renovations and all that."
"Do I have your okay, then, sir?" Blathers asked. "I think this will encourage more visitors."
"Yes, I think this would be a good plan. I knew it was a good day when you arrived in Animal Village the first time. I can't wait to see what you continue to contribute!" Tortimer exclaimed. He lightly tapped Blathers with his cane and headed back to his office, presumably to continue his nap.
Grabbing a second sheet of paper, Blathers wrote to tell the good news to Brewster. Soon, they would be reunited once more.