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Julie was known to write letters often, for about any reason. Invitations, pen-pals, & news were spread throughout the neighborhood with their pens & paper. (& outside the neighborhood, including Julie’s family.) No one minded the messy calligraphy they wrote with either, for they’d written so much over time they could easily decipher their bad grammar & made-up words. They exchanged play plots with Sally, baking recipes with Poppy, butterfly hunting spots with Frank, origami instructions with Eddie, Sale pitches with Howdy, Joke proposals with Barnaby, & robbery schemes with Wally. It was entirely fun for their, & relaxing to hear themself write by candlelight in the midst of the night. There was not a single thing wrong with what Julie sent their neighbors. But they realized there was a problem with who they wrote to. Or who they didn’t.
Julie had come to the realization that they wrote letters constantly to every neighbor of Home except Home herself. How cruel of Julie! To ostracize someone without a clue was seemingly the worst case of bullying Julie could do. To completely forget someone’s existence, when they saw each other every day; It made Julie’s eyes water with the inhumane thought. They couldn’t cry now though, they had better get started on a letter, enough time has already passed! As quick as the thought came Julie wiped their eyes & began running around their house like a mad monster, dashing down the hallway, past the kitchen & wherever not to collect their ingredients for the most immense apology they’d ever write.
Eventually, Julie found the best synonyms for her letter, & read it over just to make sure they were happy with it.
“Dear Home,
“I send my deepest apologies for not sending you any mail! I’ve realized how cruel my actions are to forget about you so easily. You’re the heart of the neighborhood & you take care of Wally. You have such responsibilities that would crush me. I hope that your responsibilities aren’t your hardship. If you wanna talk about it (Or anything at all) write me back! Sincerely, Julie/Julius Joyful”
Satisfied with the letter, they wet the adhesive & closed it shut. They went to their filing cabinet, which was actually just filled with silly stamps. Julie chose a green & purple one, decored with flowers & vines. Afterward, they began leaving their office & house. They grabbed an umbrella for the sprinkling showers & sent themselves out the door to the post office. The walk was pleasant & unbothered, & bypassing Home they sent her a wink while hinting & waving to the letter in their hand, careful to keep it dry.
With no problems, Julie made it to the post office mail collection. Eddie was gathering the colorful writings into his bag to bring inside to the backroom for sorting. At the sight of him, they sped up to a skip. How silly! Eddie forgot an umbrella! When they evening crossed paths, Julie held their umbrella above Eddie & his amassed envelopes. With the sudden water contact removed, Eddie looked above himself to face the cause only to be greeted with Julie's happy grin. He returned the expression & greeted her. “Why hello Mx. Joyful!” Finished emptying the mailbox, Eddie returned to his feet. (With his new height, Julie had to remove the umbrella from above him.) Eddie dipped his hat to be polite. “What’re you doin’ out & about in this weather?” Julie returned the favor by forwarding their head toward the ground & bringing it back to Eddie’s kind gaze. “I had a letter for the post office, but can I trust this directly to you since you’re here?” Eddie bellowed a hearty chuckle underneath the spring shower. “As long as I’m the mailman, you can trust me with all & any envelopes, Mx. Joyful.” He took the letter offered by Julie’s hand. “I’d better get out of this weather now. I suggest you do the same.” He flashed his smile, added the letter to his bag, & turned to the post office. As he walked away, he could hear the crunch of gravel from Julie’s feet returning home.
Eddie entered the post office’s back room & carefully unpiled the letters from his bag. He did his job, sorting through the letters & adding them to a specific neighbor’s box to be delivered tomorrow. It was a peaceful process & the slow pitter-pattering outside added to the mellow mood. The task was almost finished before Eddie’s hand picked up the last letter. It was the one received directly from Julie. Eddie went to read the recipient’s address &- Oh. Abnormal. But nevertheless, she’s a neighbor. Eddie left the letter briefly on his desk so he could reach into the cabinet across the room. He had to reach far back but he eventually found what he was looking for. On the front of the plastic box, Eddie added a sticker & wrote on it “Home :).” He smiled to himself as he sat back in the chair, added Julie’s letter to the box, & added the box to the row of neighbors.
- - - -
Wally had just finished her hair when he heard a knock on the door. Perfect timing. He made her way downstairs & opened the door to find the mailman on the otherside. “Good Morning Mr. Darling!” Eddie was rummaging through his bag while Wally patiently waited. “Good morning to you as well, Mr. Dear. How’s this morning’s mail run treating you?” Wally inquired. Eddie pulled out Wally’s letters & handed them to her. “Oh just dandy for such a day. I do have a question for you though.” Wally perked an eyebrow at Eddie whilst looking at who wrote to him. (Mostly Barnaby & Poppy today.) “Well let’s hear it neighbor.” Wally set the letters in her back pocket & brought his piercing gaze to Eddie’s eyes. The sudden eye contact surprised Eddie, but at how long they’d known each other it shouldn’t have. Eddie dodged it by looking through his purse again & pulling out another envelope. “Home doesn’t have a letterbox. What should I do with her letter?” Wally blinked his eyes slowly. A letter? For Home? Unusual, but not uninvited. “Oh. Just hand it to me. I’ll ask her what she wants to do with it.”
With the letter placed, Eddie took his leave. Wally looked back down at the letter, & then towards Home’s window/eye. “Look who got a letter today.” Home creaked a cabinet door. “Me?” She questioned. Wally’s eyes held excitement for her friend. “Well I’ve got mine right here, so this one’s gotta be for you!” He beamed. Home gleefully waved the kitchen cabinets about in excitement. She never got letters! How exciting! Wally smiled brightly at her actions, glad she didn’t resent the mail. “Would you like me to read it to you, or would you rather read on your own? Perhaps later if you’d like.” Home squealed about in anticipation. “I’d like to read it now, please. Would you mind helping me write a reply?” She questioned Wally. In reply to Home, Wally took to his mini office beneath the staircase. Home followed her through sentience. Wally added his letters to a drawer before sitting in the rolly chair in front of the desk, Home’s letter in hand. She grabbed the paper-knife from the desk & almost brought it to the letter. “Would you rather me use my hand or the knife, Home?” Home rolled Wally’s chair slightly away from the knife. “Alright, but my hands won’t do the prettiest work.” Home seemed content with that, as no signs of protest could be seen after that. Wally returned the knife to its place & began ripping the envelope to reach the letter inside. “Would you like me to read it to you, or do you want to read it yourself?” Home gestured to the door with a creak. So, Wally left & went to the living room, where she held the piece of paper up to Home’s view. “Let me know when you’re done reading, alright?” Then, some moments later something clicked repeatedly before coming to an abrupt stop.
Wally & Home then took some time to write back to Julie. It was enticing for them! Home had never written a letter before, never having reason to, so Wally had to give her a few pointers. Wally insisted that Home use a comma or exclamation mark or change some vowels to the capitalized version, but Home trusted that she had an idea of what she was doing. (Of which she did not.) But eventually, they both had created a reply to Julie. Wally left for the daily hot dog with Barnaby & promised Home to add their letter to the collection box. With that, Home went dormant for the day, newfound happiness found in them for letter writing. A warmth that made their slumber all the more relaxing.