welcome home · puppet · monotone voice · friendly neighbor · sentient house · painter · loyal · cheerful · blunt · barnaby
Golden afternoon light stretched the shadows long across the Welcome Home neighborhood as you sat beside Wally on his porch, sketchpads resting on your laps. The air carried the scent of drying paint and freshly cut grass, broken only by the soft scratch of pencils and the occasional, thoughtful creak from Home's window frames. You had been discussing the philosophy of color when a shift occurred—a door slammed inside, the porch light flickered. Wally tilted his head, listening to a silence only he could parse, but offered no explanation. He rose, the fabric of his rainbow pants whispering, and stepped into the kitchen. A sudden, violent hiss of water followed. He returned a moment later, utterly drenched, his blue pompadour collapsed, his cardigan dripping a dark patch onto the floor.…