Best Friends Forever[]
Ever since I have moved into Crimbolt City, life has been quite good! I’ve gotten a stable job as a daycare employee. I get to take care of children, and get paid. Mostly the first one. It’s always been my dream to assist the youth. If you’d have told me back on the Mountain, that I, Diane, would be working at my dream job in Crimbolt City of all places, I would’ve called you crazy. But that’s the thing about fate. Sometimes.. It is pretty crazy.
I recall my previous life on the Mountain. It was rather swell. I moved over after hearing the rumors of how amazing the honey was. And, after that, I just kind of.. Stuck around, I guess. I remember living in the Coconut Forest for a while. Until, one day, as I was harvesting sunflowers from the sunflower fields.. I noticed something.. Peculiar. Far off in the distance.
It wasn’t a Bear, nor a Bee. But a human. Now, others have seen them before. But I hadn’t. Humans are few and far between. And so, curious, I took a closer look at them. They seemed to be rather upset. They held up a sign that said.. Basically they needed help with Honeymaking. Now, much like Bears, humans were not gifted with the ability to make Honey on their own. I had heard others chatter about it; every once in a while, a new human would turn up and ask various Bees to live in their hive. From our own decisions, of course.
I’ll admit, I wasn’t thinking entirely out of the good of my heart whenever I decided to join their Hive. Sure, I felt bad for them, but I mainly wanted a free place to stay. The Coconut Forest was nice, but.. I was going to need somewhere more.. Sophisticated. So I joined. And everything just kind of.. Started after that. It didn’t start out easy, of course. There was maybe.. One, maybe two Bees. But as they progressed, the more and more Bees that wanted to join their Hive. And it was long after that that Riley arrived. And, following him years later, was Pouchy.
Speaking of which.. I have children of my own. Caramel and Fozz. It wasn’t that long ago I remember taking them in. It was a cold night, I remember. On the Mountain, I mean. Cold and rainy. I was asleep, but was suddenly awoken by faint cries. I rushed out of my Hive Slot, oblivious to the rain. And that’s when I saw both of them. They were sitting in a box. It seemed rather poorly crafted, though that might have just been from the rain. They were huddled together. Now, I couldn’t have just sat by as these poor children were freezing. And so, I took them back with me. I sat and tucked them in my bed, until I was able to find a more suitable place for them to sleep.
And that’s how the days went. I slept on the floor for a while, I remember. But.. you know.. With the situation, I was more than happy to do that for them. Of course, not long after, that got me thinking about a more.. Permanent home for the two. If I was going to take care of these two, then I would have to, reluctantly, leave my Honeymaking life behind. And so, I said my goodbyes and left the Hive for good. It was a good part of my life, but a temporary one. And it now seems as if the other portion of my life is beginning.
But the children.. Oh, they’re a handful sometimes. You’ve got your quiet ones and then you have your practical jokers who throw macaroni around when they’re supposed to be making necklaces. But, you know.. You learn how to manage it all, as you ease into the job. And, most certainly, the pros outweigh the cons. A young one smiling is worth a thousand cereal crumbs.
“Miss Diane!” The young bee paused, looking around frantically. “MISS DIANE!!!!” She yelled out. Diane flew over to her swiftly, looking down at the small Baby Bee with care. “Yes, Appledrop, what is it? Do you need help with something?” Appledrop began to cry, wailing on the floor. “Buster took toy! Being mean!” Diane picked up Appledropi, sighing. “Alright, Appledrop We’ll go get it from him. Nicely. Always be nice.”
The two flew over to Buster. He was holding the toy train tightly, playing with it noisily. “Buster?” He kept playing, growing louder, obnoxiously. “Buster. I heard that you stole a toy from Appledrop. Would you please share with her? Sharing is caring!” Buster turned over to her, sticking out his tongue in defiance. “And what if don’t want to? Buster like toy! HAHHAH!”
“Well, I know you do, but Appledrop likes it too. Why don’t you both take turns with the train?” Buster shook his head, scowling. “NO! Toy only for Buster! Appledrop will mess it up!” Diane spoke up softly. “Buster. I can promise you that Apple will not mess anything up. She is very kind and caring. So please give her back the toy. I will ask you nicely.”
“FINE… OKAY.. Buster will give it to you.. But you need have it back by..” He looked at his wings for a moment as his gaze went blank. “..Soon!” Diane smiled as she gently took the train out of Buster’s wings, handing it to Appledrop. Before long, they both began playing with the toy and were laughing joyously.
You know.. Things like that happen quite often. Children are very.. Insistent on personal possessions in their younger years. It’s one of the few things they can control in their young years; in the times we depend on our parents for our every decision. Especially if they are raised without siblings. I suppose this difference in households leads to arguments like this. Funny how some things can start! But you know.. Sometimes, whenever I see things like this, it reminds me of someone Or.. Someone-s to be exact.
I still recall their names. Not to mention, I saw them somewhat recently. Well, it was a couple years ago, but.. I knew them for so long, it always feels recent to me. They were working at a ticket shop in Crimbolt City, last I remember. I could only wonder where they’ve ended up by now.. Their names were Pouchy and Riley. Riley was the first I knew. And Pouchy showed up not too long after. Oh, they were the best of friends.. I really hope they still are. I know they still are.
They were inseparable. But it wasn’t always like that, from what I remember. Oh, I remember it so firmly. Pouchy had showed up on the Mountain, you know, with his iconic Pouch he still seemed to be wearing. I was busy. Back in my old place, I mean. I was living with my friend Beekeeper, and in their Hive for the longest time. Gathering honey, collecting pollen. It was nice. We were like a team, all of us. And so, I asked my other child at the time, Riley, to assist him in getting welcomed to his new home.
Riley, or Spectacles--As Pouchy calls him--was.. Well, he was interesting. He was great, but he had interesting traits to him. I recall whenever he first came to the Mountain as well. He didn’t have much. He was wearing a.. Belt-Bag, if you could call it that with how dilapidated it looked. His eyes were.. Rather puffy at the time. I recall Science Bear saying he was no more than five years old. Very intelligent for his age, but.. He was scared, I remember. Very scared. Of me, well and everybody else, but it truly mattered he feared me. Now.. I’ll be honest.. Call it a bit of pride, but I.. wasn’t exactly used to the idea of others being scared of me. Much less such a little Bee.
It took us a while, a long while.. But we eventually seemed to break the ice. I recall him flinching whenever I lifted up my wings to grab something. After a while I found out that ‘something’ was anything. He was always watching what I was doing, as though fearing every action I took. But.. After a while.. He started to act like a normal kid again. A kid with a lot of nervousness, especially around crowds, sure, but a normal kid nonetheless. The first years went by very well. I always let him stay behind while me and the others collected pollen and all that jazz. Of course, it seemed to be a very important part of our lives, but.. Compared to many others, as I had seen in the past, Honeymaking isn’t an essential tool. At least, not anymore.
He never seemed.. Interested in any of it. Instead, he always stayed back at the Hive, doodling and coloring to his heart's content. One day, I bought him a diary on my way home from Honey-Making. Me and Beekeeper went and bought it for him. We were always such good friends. Though, I recall them being a bit.. Strange. They’d sleep upright, walk very stiff, among various other things. But we were all a good team. And, with the new advent of the Translators, they could understand us as well!
..Riley was very happy with the diary. I remember him writing in it every day. I never checked. It wasn’t in my business to snoop around. Obviously, at times it made me worry. But.. I really felt.. Out of place to be doing something like that. Wherever his real parents were, I.. Never really found out. Though, with all the flinching and shaking.. I can’t imagine he had a good home life. Aside from that..
I left Pouchy and Riley to their own devices. Well, mostly. I gave Riley a neatly written list with a variety of places to go. Pretty much every place on the Mountain, excluding a certain one. You know, I was pretty proud of it. And with that list placed into his wings, I was off for the day, collecting honey and helping my friends out.
“A-Alright, so um.. What’s your name?” Pouchy grinned, striking a confident pose. “The name’s Pouchy! Don’t wear it out!” Riley smiled lightly, his expression going indifferent again. “..P-Pouchy.. Um.. Okay.. Well, my name’s Riley.”
Pouchy’s eyes widened as he flew around him, bouncing across the ground. “Riley? Really? Well gosh, man! I thought you’d have another name! Something cooler.. Like..” He looked up at him, his eyes narrowing before returning to normal. “..Spectacles! See, it really fits you!” Riley looked at Pouchy with confused, narrowed eyes. “..T-That’s the name of what type of glasses I have. I f-fail to see how that fits me in any way.”
“Well you just said it yourself! You’re wearing the glasses, so why not name yourself after them?” Riley began flying according to the list as Pouchy followed behind him. “I h-have enough self respect to not name myself after objects. N-No offense to you, of course.” Pouchy grinned enthusiastically. “None taken!”
“Hm.. Well, alright!” He paused as he continued to fly in front of Riley, beaming widely. “Sooo, where are we going first? I gotta see everything!” He slightly spit whenever he spoke, causing Riley to shake his glasses annoyedly. “We’re going to Sunflower F-Fields first, Pouchy.”
“Woah! Sunflowers?? I’ve only seen like.. Five thousand of them! On my journey here, of course!” Riley narrowed his eyes as he looked up from the list, adjusting his glasses. “..I-Is that sarcasm..?” Pouchy shook his head, grinning. “Nope! But, I guess it's an estimate.. I don’t actually remember how many there were.. I think I got distracted with something.. As usual, haha!” Riley watched him intricately as he moved around, speaking bombastically.
“..I-I can see that.. Um, well, we’re almost here.” Pouchy’s eyes sparkled as he looked ahead at nothing in particular. “WOAH!! It already looks so cool!!” Riley sighed. “P-Pouchy, there is nothing there. Y-You are looking at nothing.” Pouchy rubbed the side of his head, laughing. “Oh.. Sorry, man! I thought I was supposed to be looking for something!”
“N-No. Not for a little while longer, at least.” Pouchy placed his wing on his face as the two made their way over the rocky terrain of the Mountain. “So, Riley, what do you like to do for fun? Personally, I like to go on adventures and.. Sometimes I collect things! So what about you? Flying? Sports? Eating paper?”
Riley froze for a moment, his eyes widening before he shook himself. “..U-Um.. Well, I kind of like to draw.. S-Sometimes write.. M-Mainly just about stuff here.. It’s.. Pretty inspirational if you l-look at it in certain ways..” Pouchy’s eyes shimmered with joy. “WOAH! That’s awesome, man! You definitely have to show me some drawings whenever we get back home!”
Riley looked down, his expression growing slightly awkward. “..Y-Yeah, maybe..” He paused, looking up from the list as the two now found themselves standing in the vast field of Sunflowers. Pouchy’s eyes widened incredulously as he looked at the boundless pasture of golden-petaled flowers. “W-Well, um.. We’re here now, so.. I guess you can continue your celebration..” Riley added as Pouchy flew into the fields, rolling around through the soft flowers.
“This is awesome, man!” Riley’s face quivered slightly. “..U-Um.. We should probably get back to the tour..” Pouchy continued rolling in the flowers, laughing happily. Riley spoke up, glaring. “P-Pouchy! We need to get back to the tour.” Pouchy sighed dramatically. “Oh come on! We don’t have to just yet! C’mon, enjoy the flowers for a moment!”
“N-No. I was asked to take you for a tour a-and I’m going to deliver on that request.” Riley looked at Pouchy with slightly furrowed brows. Pouchy sighed, bounding out of the Sunflowers while laughing. “Fine, man! You know, you need to learn how to live a little!”
Riley narrowed his eyes suspiciously. “I’m living right n-now, Pouchy.” Pouchy shook his head as they flew through the vast field of golden flowers. “No, like..” Pouchy picked up a sunflower, stuffing it into his Pouch. “Like you just need to.. Let go a little bit! Life isn’t just all lists and stuff!” Pouchy’s eyes widened in amazement as he watched the petals fly off into the bright blue sky.
Riley looked down, speaking quieter. “Y-Your life may not be just that, but mine is. W-We have to keep everything in order. If we don’t, everything will crumble.” Pouchy nodded, running his wing against the soft golden petals with a slight ruffle. “Well, yeah! But.. That doesn’t mean you have to be like that all the time! Sometimes you can just.. Enjoy the moment!”
“You seem.. Really.. Stressed out..” Pouchy looked at Riley with a sympathetic gaze. “I’m.. I-I’m not stressed out! I’m just.. Responsible..” Pouchy smirked sarcastically. “Well you don’t always have to be responsible, y’know! Sometimes we just have to.. Go with the flow! Have a little fun sometimes!”
Riley looked down, his gaze going blank for a moment. “L-Let’s just.. Get back to the tour.” Pouchy slightly frowned, flying in front of Riley. “Well, okay, but.. I’m here if ya’ need me!” Riley nodded hastily, looking away from Pouchy and back to the list.
“N-Next up is the Dandelion Field. B-Be careful, though.. There’s.. A l-lot of things in the air. I-If you have allergies, anyway..” Pouchy shook his head exuberantly. “Nope! No allergies at all!” Riley laughed slightly, before pausing. “W-Well good.”
Soon enough, the two arrived at the Dandelion Field. It was smaller than the vast pasture of the Sunflower Field, but still a thousand times larger than the two small Bees. “This is awesome!” Pouchy looked on with a jovial expression, watching in awe as the dandelion seeds floated around carelessly. “I-It’s cool, I guess..” Riley sniffled lightly. “T-Though, we should probably get to the other destinations..”
Riley closed his eyes as he sneezed. While he sneezed, Pouchy managed to snatch his pen and drew various patterns and swirls on his paper. Riley opened his eyes. “W-What..? Pouchy?” Pouchy stared at him. “What did I do?” Riley narrowed his eyes sharply, looking at Pouchy and then back at the list. “N-Nevermind..”
The tour continued as usual, with the two arguing and bickering, though now with a more clear focus on Riley. The fields were all rather grand, however, some felt more so than others. With a sudden halt, Riley pulled Pouchy back as he saw the large stalks of bamboo in the distance.
“P-Pouchy. We can’t go there. That’s where Panda lives.” Pouchy laughed. “And you’re acting like I even know who that is! Let’s go, man! It looks fun!” Riley shook his head, narrowing his eyes as he pulled Pouchy back. “N-No. Diane asked us specifically n-not to go into there. There's far too many things. D-Dangerous things.”
“Oh come on! There’s danger everywhere, that doesn’t mean there’s a problem going somewhere new!” Riley narrowed his eyes. “Y-Yes it d-does! Who knows w-what could happen to us if we don’t go where the list specifically tells us to go!”
“Oh please, Riley, you act as if everything is out there to kill us!” Riley took a stance. “B-Because it is!” Pouchy shook his head in denial. “No, it’s not! Y’know, I’m not really liking this list too much! It’s, like, making you kinda bossy!”
“W-Well maybe I am! A-At least it’s keeping us sa-” Riley lowered his wing as annoyance crept onto his face like a slithering snake. “W-We just went into the Bamboo Forest while arguing, didn’t we.” Riley sighed annoyedly. “T-That’s just great! N-Now we’re going to have to go right back to the place we entered from! A-And..”
“Oh calm down! As I said, we’re all safe!” Pouchy stopped for a moment. “Almost felt like I was gonna get cut off from my sentence there, haha! See, Riley? We’re all sa-” Pouchy stopped as he felt something behind his back. “Riley, are you trying to prank me?”
“..W-Why would I ever prank you?” Pouchy shrugged dismissively, smirking. “Dunno! Just.. feels like you’d try to spook me to get out of this Bamboo Forest, and..-” He looked behind him as he saw a rather large ladybug towering over him, fangs outstretched. “Oh, hey miss! How are you doing today? We’re doing rather well!”
Riley narrowed his eyes annoyedly. “P-Pouchy, who the heck are you talking t..” Riley’s blood went cold as he swiftly reached onto Pouchy, hoisting the both of themselves into the air. “Hey! What the heck, man? I was just gonna talk to her!” Riley shook his head in a frenzy. “Y-You can’t.. Talk to them, Pouchy! T-They’re dangerous..”
“Yeah, and how? She didn’t even try to attack m-” The Ladybug lunged at the two from the ground, dropping back down with a thud as it began climbing up the Bamboo stalks effortlessly. “Hey, miss! That’s not how you’re supposed to hug-” Riley looked at Pouchy with terrified eyes. “POUCHY! Can y-you take this seriously for five seconds?! THIS THING W-WANTS TO KILL US..!”
“Well jeez, man, you didn’t need to be so blunt!” Pouchy turned back, sticking out his tongue to the Ladybug as the two slammed into the ground, landing in the Spider Field with a loud thud. Riley looked down, breathing heavily. “D-Don’t.. ever do that again, Pouchy. EVER.” Pouchy rubbed his head shamefully. “Sorry, man.. I’ve.. just.. Never seen something like that before..”
Riley fell back onto the ground, looking at the sun through the now colored over paper of the list and scowling. “W-Well.. W-Well not everything in the world is this.. T-This perfect little paradise, okay?! Sometimes.. S-Sometimes there’s evil things in it, a-and..” Riley leaned down into the white flowers, taking a sigh. “J-Just be more careful, will you?”
“Yeah.. Sorry.. I didn’t mean to um.. Get us into that whole.. Situation..” Riley grumbled. “I k-know you didn’t. But.. let’s just get back t-to the tour, okay?” He forced himself upwards as he grabbed onto the list roughly. “W-We’re going to the Strawberry Field next.”
“Awesome!” Riley stifled a laugh, keeping a serious demeanor. “Y-Yeah. Awesome. Let’s try n-not to get any evil monsters' attention this time.” He took off flying as Pouchy flew behind him, grinning enthusiastically.
Within a rather short amount of time, the two reached the Strawberry Field. A very large pasture filled with bright red flowers and sizable red berries greeted them, punctuated perfectly by the light blue and cotton-cloud filled sky. Pouchy looked on at the red flowers, his eyes widening incredulously. He threw himself onto the ground, rolling around in the soft red petals. “This is awesome!” Riley looked down at Pouchy. “Don’t you want to hang around a little? Look how pretty the flowers are!”
“..W-We should probably get going.” Pouchy turned back to Riley, dusting the red petals off of his fur. “But why? We just got here, man!” Pouchy paused, ruffling through the leaves as he held up a Strawberry victoriously, throwing it into his mouth and speaking with it full. ”Don’tcha wanna eat? I know I’m so hungry I could eat a house!”
Riley pushed up his glasses, furrowing his brows angrily. “FINE! I-if I sit down c-can we PLEASE just g-get back to the tour afterwards? W-We shouldn’t be going on this wild goose chase! W-We should be following the plan. J-Just like Diane said..” He snapped rudely. Pouchy nodded and took his wing and sat him down on the soft flower-covered ground, handing him a Strawberry. “Well.. I don’t want you to do it just to make me happy.. Just take a little break, will you? Let yourself relax a little!” He took a bite of another strawberry, chewing as he spoke. “It’s not good for your heart, y’know!” Riley looked down, sitting down on the ground as he popped a Strawberry into his mouth, chewing and swallowing before speaking up as he furrowed his brows lightly. “..D-Diane tells me the same things. But it’s just.. I-It’s just hard sometimes, you know? T-The worlds just.. J-Just so dangerous. You.. Never know what you’re getting into. So I just wish.. I just w-wish that you’d follow the list. So we don’t have to deal with a-anything unexpected. A-At least then we know what we’re getting into”
Pouchy grinned, eating another Strawberry. “You know? That’s kinda what makes it so fun! For me, at least. You never know what every day is going to bring! So you wake up, and you’re happy because anything could happen!” Riley looked down, his eyes narrowing against the tender red petals dotted against the green grass. “T-That’s.. A different w-way to look at it, I guess. I’ve.. never r-really.. Thought of it like that before.”
“Well you should,” Pouchy ate another Strawberry. “Otherwise life’s gonna be prett-y boring, y’know! You gotta.. You gotta do things, man! You like to draw, right? Well why not draw something different! Something new! Go to a new place, sketch that out!” Riley gazed into the blue sky as his gaze shifted down to the Strawberries dotted around. “I g-guess you’re right.. But it’s just so.. R-Risky.. you saw what happened w-when we tried to go somewhere new..”
Pouchy grinned exuberantly, the wind slightly ruffling his fur as he spoke. “And.. as scary as it was.. It was honestly kinda.. exhilarating! It’s something new! Sometimes, if you wanna have a good reward.. You gotta take some risks, man! I’ll tell you what,” He paused, looking for the right words. “Getting here on my own wasn’t easy! But.. After it’s all said and done.. It becomes more about the fun you had!” Riley nodded discreetly, his eyes furrowing in confusion afterwards. “B-But what about the danger? The risks? The fear? T-The anxiety?”
“Well, you know.. You’re gonna feel that, yeah! But.. The more times you try to focus on the negatives, the less you see the positives,” He paused, looking upwards. “And when you do that, well, you’re gonna be feeling even worse! So.. It’s just better to look at the good parts! There’s always good in every situation! And if there isn’t currently, then.. Well, it’s gonna show up sooner or later!” Riley pushed up his glasses, smiling gently. “H-Hey.. That’s.. T-That’s right.. Y-Yeah.. I agree, I guess..” Pouchy crossed his wings and grinned complacently.
“Y-You know, um.. I’ve never had a fresh Strawberry before..” Riley pushed up his glasses, eyeing the large Strawberries with the silky clouds laid out perfectly in the background. “Wait, really?” Riley nodded, a bit embarrassed. “I’ll um.. Y-You won’t laugh at me, will you?” Pouchy shook his head, grinning. “W-Well.. I haven’t actually.. B-Been to most of these fields before. E-Ever since I’ve been here, I’ve.. sort of just.. Stayed i-inside. This is actually my first time, like, um.. G-Going places..”
“Oh.. Well jeez, man! That sounds awful! You gotta get out more, see the world! There’s so much cool things to see! Like,” He ate another strawberry as he lifted up his wings to orchestrate as he spoke. “Just what you’ve shown me so far is awesome! Seems more than worth the risk of going out!” Riley laughed heartfeltly, adjusting his glasses. “Y-You know, you’re.. N-Not so bad, Pouchy..”
Pouchy smiled softly. “And you’re super cool yourself!” Riley smiled as he leaned back on the soft petals, looking up at the wispy clouds moving across the bright cyan sky. “Y-You are too, actually.. I’m.. S-Sorry I acted rude earlier. I-I’m.. just.. n-not used to this sort of thing.” Pouchy fell down on the flowers next to him, grinning. “And I’m sorry I got us in that mess earlier..”
“W-We all make mistakes.. B-But I guess it’s alright now..” Riley dug around in the leaves beside him for a moment, holding up a strawberry as he eyed it carefully. “M-My mom used to sometimes b-buy me and my siblings strawberries. T-They were always canned, though. It’s.. n-nice to have something so.. Fresh, for a change..” Pouchy laughed, his laugh turning into a sorrowful expression as he paused before speaking up. “Mine always made me Mushroom Soup.. You know.. She could cook a darn good one! It’d knock those glasses right off your face if you had a taste! ..If you could have a taste.” He looked down for a moment before regaining his smile.
“W-What do you mean if I could? W-Why can’t I?” Pouchy rubbed the fur on top of his head as he exhaled. “Well, I’d love you to, but.. She um.. Isn’t really, here anymore to.. Y’know.. Make it, haha..” Riley sat up and looked at Pouchy. “O-Oh gosh.. I’m sorry.. That.. T-That must be horrible..”
“Oh, it’s all good! ..She was the best,” He looked up at the sky, smiling sentimentally. “What about your parents? Do you ever, like.. Miss them?” Riley looked down, scowling lightly before concealing it with a sad expression. “O-Oh, um.. Yeah, a lot, haha..” Pouchy looked away as he lifted up a red flower, not noticing Riley’s jittering eyes. “Yeah, I can understand that, man..”
“Did your parents like flowers?” Riley scowled slightly, turning his head down as a shadow broke across it. “Oh.. Did they.. like anything?” Riley shook his head uncomfortably. “W-What about yours?”
He showed Riley the red flower. “Y’know, I liked Sunflowers the most. But.. It was always my mom’s dream to see a red flower.” He laughed tenderly, “Not, like.. a specific kind, but.. Just in general! She always told me she would have a garden full of them! Roses, Poppy’s.. everything! But especially Poppy’s.. Kinda funny, actually.. ‘Cause her name was Rose!” Pouchy laughed softly, his grin faltering.
“If it isn’t obvious.. She really liked the color red! Well, and pink..” He paused, smiling softly as he rubbed his head, the fur ruffling. “My dad would always farm mushrooms. They were, well.. The only thing we could really like.. Grow. But they were nice! And.. On her birthday, he’d always bring back a lot of red mushrooms. It wasn’t the same, Y’know.. But it was from somebody who cared. I think that’s why she liked them so much!”
“O-oh. That’s.. t-that’s sweet of him..” Riley looked down. Riley took a deep breath, speaking again. “W-Well.. That was.. Nice. I g-guess I’m sort of.. Glad we stopped, haha..” Pouchy looked at him and smiled softly. “W-We ought to be going, though. T-The sun will be setting soon. Diane and the others w-will be back at the Hive.”
And so, Pouchy and Riley made their way across the various fields, beginning to talk noticeably more. Riley began to tell Pouchy facts about the various fields, recounting them all with astounding detail. However, they soon approached the last field; a place meticulously and purposefully added to the back of the list for Riley himself.
The two arrived in the Pumpkin Patch; a sweet, fall scented breeze blowing through the air and carrying multicolored leaves within it. “Woah! How does it even, like.. Do that? Isn’t it.. Summer?” Riley pushed up his glasses, smiling as he sat down. “I-It’s something a-about this field in particular.. Um.. N-Nobody’s ever quite understood it.. B-But..” He looked at Pouchy, then back to the various plump pumpkins dotting the landscape. “..A-After what we talked about today, maybe.. M-Maybe we don’t have to. Maybe we don’t h-have to know all the answers. Maybe it’s fine t-to have a little mystery. Endearing, e-even.”
“Yeah! And then we can make up our own stories!” Riley laughed lightly. “Y-Yeah.. Y-You know, um.. I’ve.. Always liked the Pumpkin Patch.” Pouchy looked back at him, raising an eyebrow. “Oh that’s cool! But, like, why, exactly? Is it the color? The flowers?”
Riley looked down, rubbing his wing and smiling vaguely. “W-Well, it.. I-It reminds me of Halloween. I’ve.. A-Always loved Halloween.” He paused, breathing heavily. “I-It.. It reminds me whenever I was l-little. All of my siblings u-used to wear costumes. I-It was the one time of year where we could dress up. P-Pretend, that maybe, somehow, some way, we were different. To be like.. A n-normal famil..” He stopped, covering up the last part as he pointed to a pumpkin.
Pouchy flew over to it, looking over it with sparkling eyes. “This is super cool! But.. What were you saying back there? Being different?” Riley’s stance stiffened as he rubbed his head. “D-Don’t.. Don’t worry about that, okay..? I m-meant, like.. Being an angel, or being a dragon.. T-Things I could never be, haha!”
Pouchy smiled embarrassedly. “Oh, sorry, man! I thought you.. I thought you meant something.. Else.. Well, you can be anything you feel, y’know! Nobody’s here to stop you!” Riley smiled for a moment as it faded to a frown, looking down at the ground with a tinge of bitterness. “(I wish she could have said that.)” Pouchy looked up at the now slightly fading sky, the clouds beginning to have beautiful orange and pink reflections shone across them. “That’s what my mom always told me! Y’know, we.. We didn’t have much, but she always thought we’d get something more! One day. One day, I remember her saying.. And look at us now! I’m on a place as cool as this, with a Bee as cool as you!” Riley snapped out of his trance at Pouchy’s words. “J-Jeez.. Thanks.. N-Nobody’s ever, um.. T-Told me that..”
“Oh, really? Well now somebody has! Say..” He scanned the large Mountain, looking for particular spots. “We really should watch the sunset!” Riley looked down at the list, crossing off the “Pumpkin Patch” as he eyed Pouchy’s various doodles on the paper. He paused for a moment, hesitant. “..I g-guess we should, yeah..”
“Wait, really? You.. You really want to go?” Pouchy turned back to Riley, his eyes widened incredulously. Riley looked at him, smiling as he tucked the list into his belt bag. “U-Um.. Yeah.. Is that going to b-be a problem?” Pouchy grinned as he flew over to Riley ecstatically. “Oh, no of course not! C’mon! We gotta hurry, it’ll be any second now!” He held out his wing as Riley grabbed it, the two taking off into the ethereal evening air, orangish light reflecting onto their soft fur, accenting it with immense yet natural precision.
With a swift dash, Pouchy and Riley were soon seated on the top of the Mountain; the clouds swirling around the two, as if to showcase the height above the ground. Before the both of their gaze, stood a breathtaking view; the sun shining brilliantly against the now much smaller shaded silhouette of the Mountain.
They sat atop a large golden bear head, outfitted with a nozzle akin to that of a bottle of honey, presumably placed there by the only others to climb to this portion of the Mountain. Pouchy leaned back, grinning. “Y’know, I think we had a pretty productive day!” He looked over to Riley. “And.. look! You even got to see the top of the Mountain!”
“H-Haha.. Y-Yeah..” Pouchy looked over at Riley, raising an eyebrow. “You okay? Looks like something is eating at ya’, man..” Riley’s eyes widened nervously. “O-Oh! U-Um.. no.” He went silent for a moment before reluctantly deciding to speak up. “..W-We.. are friends now, right?”
Pouchy looked at him, grinning. “Yeah! Of course, man! Best friends, maybe?” Riley smiled, looking down at the Mountain. “Y-Yeah. Best friends.”
The two sat silently for a moment, the sun setting across the horizon with a glimmer of ethereal light across the entirety of the Mountain, shining through their eyes. Pouchy looked onwards. “Y’know.. some day.. I want to go on an adventure! A real adventure, I mean.. See the world! Meet people! This Mountain’s cool and all, but..” He looked at Riley, then back to Beekeepers Hive, barely silhouetted in the distance. “I have a feeling that after a while, it’ll.. be boring, y’know?”
Riley looked down, smiling as he nodded. “Would you.. ever want to go with me if I went on.. that kinda adventure?” Riley paused for a moment in contemplation. “N-Not normally, but..” He stopped. “M-Maybe, if it’s with you.. Then.. M-Maybe I’d be willing to give it a try. Just this once.”
Pouchy’s eyes sparkled as he bounded up and down cheerfully, a grin breaking across his fluffy-furred face. “Wait, REALLY?” Pouchy caught his breath, retaining his grin. “You’d REALLY go on an adventure like that with me??” Riley nodded, pushing up his glasses.
“N-No promises I wouldn’t be scared, but.. If it’s like what I’m seeing r-right now at the end of it all..” He smiled sentimentally, looking at Pouchy and then at the heavenly circling clouds beneath the two. “T-Then maybe it’d all be worth all that t-trouble.”
“Well darn, Specks! I’d never thought you-“ He stopped, rubbing his fur shamefully. “Oh. Sorry, man.. I forgot about the nickname..” Riley shook his head reassuringly. “..Y-You know, um..” Riley smiled softly. “I a-actually kind of like it. It suits me.”
“But you said- you said it was stupid..” Riley looked down. “W-Well, it is kinda silly, yeah.. But.. if it’s from my best f-friend, then.. I still like it regardless.” Pouchy’s eyes sparkled like the stars in a midnight sky. “Awesome.. I mean, uh, thanks, man!”
Riley and Pouchy smiled at each other before looking down at the Mountain. “There’s still so much to see! I can’t help but feel we’ve only seen the tiniest bit of what it has to offer..” Riley nodded. “I g-guess we’ll find out together, huh?” Pouchy nodded. “Yeah, we will, Specks!”
Soon enough, the two arrived back at the Hive, both giggling at how they had escaped Diane’s gaze. Diane flew over to them, eyeing them both intricately. “Oh! There you two are. I suppose you slipped by my gaze..” Pouchy giggled slyly. “Yep! We were here all along!” Diane smiled warmly. “Well then, how was your day together?”
Spectacles pushed up his glasses, smiling. “I-It was awesome! M-Me and Pouchy both had a lot of fun!” Diane laughed. “Well that’s certainly something I’m surprised to hear.. Little Riley, having fun.. With a new friend, too!” Pouchy grinned.
“Well alright. You two better be getting to bed now. Pouchy, have I shown you your Hive Slot yet?” Pouchy shook his head, speaking excitedly. “No, you haven’t!” Diane chuckled sentimentally, lifting up her wing as Pouchy began following her. “Oh, I see. Well then, come along, Pouchy. I am certain you’ll love it!”
Eventually, Diane led Pouchy to a rather quaint waxy-coated room which had a bed, a small table, and a desk with a lamp. “I know it is not much, but.. I want you to decorate it. Make it your own little space. Your own little world, if you will!” Pouchy flew onto the bed, giggling and hopping on the bed. “Oh it’s awesome, Diane! Awesomely cool!” Diane smiled hopefully, flying to the doorway. “Well then. I will let you get accustomed to it on your own time. But.. If you need me.. Just holler and I will be there as fast as I can.” Pouchy gave her a thumbs up, his antennas buzzing. “Right on, Miss Diane!”
Diane turned back from the two as she heard them both speaking in their Hive Slots, speaking softly to herself. “(I bet they think they are quite sneaky, getting here at the last second. But oh, it’s best to not spoil their fun. Let them think they’ve outsmarted me.)” She laughed to herself as she smirked, looking at their Hive Slots. “(I’m glad that Riley has a friend. Truly, truly.. They both deserved some company.)”
And that was what I remembered. I have no idea of their adventure, but.. Even without context, I’ll be truly honest, I was surprised at how they bonded. Not to speak ill of him, but Riley was never.. The most social Bee in the world. The kind they speak of to be ‘introverts’, as what they told me in my classes. But, you know, sometimes those are how the best friendships are forged. Opposites attract, is what they say, at least.
As for me.. I’m doing just fine for myself. After I get settled.. I’ll have to think of the next chapter of my life. You know, it is nice taking care of the children, but a part of me wishes to share that joy with somebody else. Maybe one day. Hopefully whoever I meet, whenever it does happen, he can be a better parent than.. My own father. I wouldn’t wish that fate on anybody. ..I can say that I love my children regardless of who they turn out to be.
But you know.. Sometimes I wonder where they ended up. Not worry; I am confident in their abilities. Especially with that.. New friend they seemed to have made. What was his name? Oh yes, Brad. Now he was a gentleman. He seems like a lovely role model for Pouchy and Riley. Better than.. Who I had. I just.. Wonder how they’re doing, after it all. Maybe I’ll see them again one day. Maybe one day, Diane. But if I don’t.. I know for a fact that wherever they are, they’re happy.