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“Dear Alice,

I hope you’re doing alright. It really sucks that we had to part on such an awkward note, if awkward is even the right word for it. I can’t apologise enough for letting you down. From the bottom of my heart, I’m truly, truly sorry. I wish I had said it to your face before leaving, but to be honest I was too embarrassed to say anything, which is now something I’ll have to live with.

You told me that I was the only animal who was ever nice to you, but I don’t think that’s true at all. Place is full of folks who love and care about you! They may not say it out loud and, let’s be honest, a lot of them have funny ways of showing it, but it’s true. You are loved, Alice. I’m sorry that it's not in the way you wanted but that doesn’t mean you should give up. Please don’t give up the search for what you really want out of life. And who knows? Maybe we’ll see each other again one day. I sure hope we do.

I’m rooting for you!
Simon.”

I reread Simon’s letter over and over again after it first arrived in my post box. I’m not even sure why. The days following his departure, I felt a very certain type of hollow. The letter was kind of like closure for me - for us. I hate to admit to it, but a lot of what I felt towards Simon started fading away in his absence. I felt as if I had been duped; swooned by the first guy who didn’t treat me with total apathy, so I moved on as if my feelings were just an act. But then I began hating myself for even feeling that way. I’ve been shown kindness before, multiple times in this very town, in fact. So why did I forget all of that? What happened to me?

I suppose that’s what happens when you spend all day with your own thoughts, so I decided to at least take my sulking to The Roost for a change of scenery and some relaxing music. Still, I carried that stupid letter with me. That stupidly well written and heartfelt apology.

I shoved it into the pocket of my peacoat as soon as I heard the door opening behind me. I hoped that whoever had just entered would be the sort to leave me alone.

“Hey, Alice!” said the mayor as he strutted inside. So much for peace and quiet, I remember thinking, but I definitely needed something to distract me so his appearance was a blessing in disguise.

“Mr Mayor,” I nodded. He was wearing a blue flannel shirt that Simon had let him claim from a time capsule he had buried. To be honest, it made the mayor look the best he ever had with it on. A lot better than that dorky sweater vest he wears for work, at least. “Are you here on shift?” I asked.

“Nah,” he replied, “tis my day off. I’m just here for a drink. …It is my day off, right Brewster?”

The pigeon nodded.

The mayor sat across from me at the table and burnt his tongue on his coffee. “I forget how hot he brews these things…” he grumbled. “So, how’s things with you?”

“Fine,” I said, which might have been true. “I’m just sorta… bored, that’s all.”

“Well, maybe you should start leaving your house more often,” the mayor teasingly suggested. “You could hit Club LOL or go collecting seashells or something. Maybe you could meet someone.”

“Meet someone?” I asked incredulously. It’s like he knew.

“Yeah, y’know, like a guy,” he said. “Or a girl. Are you about guys or girls? I just always assume that–”

“I’m not really about anyone right now,” I answered, bluntly. “I’ve just got to work on myself, for as long as I’m here.”

“And how long is that?” the mayor asked, taking trepid sips of his mocha. “Are you… staying, by any chance?”

“You know, if I was going to leave, mayor,” I told him, “then don’t you think I would have done it by now?”

“You’re staying!” he cheered. “Nice! That actually makes me really happy! So, what convinced you to not move out in the end? Was it the public works projects? Any of the events? Um… whatever benefits the beautiful town ordinance gave us? I know you were really vouching for that one way back when, and I’m not saying that it was a terrible ordinance by any means, but with how it affected the flow of bells…”

Normally I would have stopped him from prattling on for so long, but his genuine excitement over me not choosing to leave really caught me off guard. Simon was right, and my stupid, cynical brain simply couldn’t comprehend that someone might enjoy my company until it was staring me in the face.

“It wasn’t any of that stuff,” I said after the mayor had finally lost his breath.

“Then what?” he asked after waiting for a follow up.

I shrugged. “I dunno. I just decided to stay.”

“Oh.” The mayor seemed to slump in his seat. “Well… cool, I guess.”

“Hm? What were you hoping for?”

“I dunno. That you went on an epic soul searching journey of the mind and realised what it truly means to be a koala in a dress?”

I chortled. “You speak weirder than anyone I have ever met.”

“Well, I’m only human,” he smiled, whatever that means.

“How are you doing, anyway?” I asked. “Feeling okay after Simon left?”

“Oh yeah,” he said with a wave of his hand, “I’m better than good. The town’s getting back on track, my secretary’s not a nervous wreck anymore, I got a cool shirt, my favourite neighbour isn’t leaving… and…” He leaned back in his chair with a cocky grin on his face. “...I’m seeing someone!”

I couldn’t have stared at him more blankly.
“You?”

He nodded, slowly.

“...seriously?”

“Mhmm.”

“You’re not, like, joking?”

“Of course I’m not joking!” he said, already losing grip of his confidence. “What? Is it that unbelievable that somebody has an interest in me?”

It was, but I was mostly left shaken by the cosmic irony of the situation. If there’s a God, he is cruel and he hates me.

“No, no,” I shook my head, “It’s just… who? No wait! I think I know…”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah… Yeah, I think I know who she is. The writing’s been on the wall with you two. Everyone says so.”

“It’s true,” he sighed, happily, “me and her have been set in stone since the day I arrived. She’s always had my back, always been encouraging… always been a source of light in my darkest hours.”

“You should probably work on your poetry before you try any out on her,” I said - though the thought did cross my mind that he confessed his love through verse, which made me shudder.

“She likes my jokes!” he proudly stated, “and that’s good enough for me.”

“Well, I’m happy for you,” I said to him. I think I meant it, though I won’t pretend I wasn’t equally just as envious about the whole thing. “Are you two gonna be able to balance your work life and romantic life okay?”

“Oh sure,” he said flippantly. “We’re just taking it as it comes. In fact, she’ll be here any moment now that it's her lunch break.”

“Yeah,” I said, “I bet she’s busy most of the time, huh?”

“I guess,” he shrugged, “but she’s got her sisters to watch the shop while she’s out, so it’s no biggie really.”

I blinked. “Sisters?” I asked. “But I thought she only has a…”

The door opened, prompting the mayor to stand from his seat.
“There she is!” he exclaimed, his arms wide. “My favourite blue hedgehog!”

I spun around to see Mabel Able standing there, smiling with her huge rosy cheeks.

“Hi-!” she waved and skipped over to the mayor to give him a hug. “Sorry I’m late! I had to help Sable with the new sewing machine. Again.”

“She’ll get the hang of it,” the mayor assured her while I watched the two of them, slightly dumbfounded. How did THIS even happen!?

“Oh, hello Alice!” Mabel smiled once she had noticed me. “Almost didn’t see ya there!”

“Hello to you too,” I replied. “I see you and the mayor are… close?”

Mabel giggled. “Yeah, I guess so! Can’t have my sisters having all the fun now, can I?”

“She keeps saying this,” the mayor added, “but she won’t tell me who Sable is seeing!”

“Because it’s so obvious,” Mabel teased, “and once you find out, you’ll have such a funny look on your face!”

“Why’s it gotta be a secret!?” her shaven ape of a boyfriend asked, and by now they were too sucked into their own conversation to acknowledge me any further.

“It really isn’t much of a secret, you!” she said and put her hand on his shoulder, “unlike the sorta things you’ve been saying to me after work~”

“You mean the stuff about the fishing tax?”

“I think I’ll head out,” I said, not caring if they heard me or not.

Weird.
Weird, weird, weird!

I stuck my hands in the pockets of my coat as I trundled home and felt the partially crumpled letter from Simon stuffed inside. I wondered if there was a lesson to be learned from seeing the mayor and Mabel becoming a thing…

…but to save myself the trouble, I decided that there wasn’t and went home to make lunch.

~Author’s Notes~
Believe me when I tell you that I went back and forth on whether or not to hook Mabel and the Mayor up throughout the course of this entire season. I made sure to foreshadow it with the odd line of flirtatious dialogue just in case I went ahead with it, but since I went through the trouble to do so I thought “why not lmao” and gave future me something to try and make something good out of next season. Have fun with that, future cookie boy!

All in all this was another toughie to write. I know how I want Alice to feel but I struggle to make sure her situation isn’t too depressing. In any case, there’s only one more episode for this season, so I’ll see you all then.

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Description

“Dear Alice,

I hope you’re doing alright. It really sucks that we had to part on such an awkward note, if awkward is even the right word for it. I can’t apologise enough for letting you down. From the bottom of my heart, I’m truly, truly sorry. I wish I had said it to your face before leaving, but to be honest I was too embarrassed to say anything, which is now something I’ll have to live with.

You told me that I was the only animal who was ever nice to you, but I don’t think that’s true at all. Place is full of folks who love and care about you! They may not say it out loud and, let’s be honest, a lot of them have funny ways of showing it, but it’s true. You are loved, Alice. I’m sorry that it's not in the way you wanted but that doesn’t mean you should give up. Please don’t give up the search for what you really want out of life. And who knows? Maybe we’ll see each other again one day. I sure hope we do.

I’m rooting for you!
Simon.”

I reread Simon’s letter over and over again after it first arrived in my post box. I’m not even sure why. The days following his departure, I felt a very certain type of hollow. The letter was kind of like closure for me - for us. I hate to admit to it, but a lot of what I felt towards Simon started fading away in his absence. I felt as if I had been duped; swooned by the first guy who didn’t treat me with total apathy, so I moved on as if my feelings were just an act. But then I began hating myself for even feeling that way. I’ve been shown kindness before, multiple times in this very town, in fact. So why did I forget all of that? What happened to me?

I suppose that’s what happens when you spend all day with your own thoughts, so I decided to at least take my sulking to The Roost for a change of scenery and some relaxing music. Still, I carried that stupid letter with me. That stupidly well written and heartfelt apology.

I shoved it into the pocket of my peacoat as soon as I heard the door opening behind me. I hoped that whoever had just entered would be the sort to leave me alone.

“Hey, Alice!” said the mayor as he strutted inside. So much for peace and quiet, I remember thinking, but I definitely needed something to distract me so his appearance was a blessing in disguise.

“Mr Mayor,” I nodded. He was wearing a blue flannel shirt that Simon had let him claim from a time capsule he had buried. To be honest, it made the mayor look the best he ever had with it on. A lot better than that dorky sweater vest he wears for work, at least. “Are you here on shift?” I asked.

“Nah,” he replied, “tis my day off. I’m just here for a drink. …It is my day off, right Brewster?”

The pigeon nodded.

The mayor sat across from me at the table and burnt his tongue on his coffee. “I forget how hot he brews these things…” he grumbled. “So, how’s things with you?”

“Fine,” I said, which might have been true. “I’m just sorta… bored, that’s all.”

“Well, maybe you should start leaving your house more often,” the mayor teasingly suggested. “You could hit Club LOL or go collecting seashells or something. Maybe you could meet someone.”

“Meet someone?” I asked incredulously. It’s like he knew.

“Yeah, y’know, like a guy,” he said. “Or a girl. Are you about guys or girls? I just always assume that–”

“I’m not really about anyone right now,” I answered, bluntly. “I’ve just got to work on myself, for as long as I’m here.”

“And how long is that?” the mayor asked, taking trepid sips of his mocha. “Are you… staying, by any chance?”

“You know, if I was going to leave, mayor,” I told him, “then don’t you think I would have done it by now?”

“You’re staying!” he cheered. “Nice! That actually makes me really happy! So, what convinced you to not move out in the end? Was it the public works projects? Any of the events? Um… whatever benefits the beautiful town ordinance gave us? I know you were really vouching for that one way back when, and I’m not saying that it was a terrible ordinance by any means, but with how it affected the flow of bells…”

Normally I would have stopped him from prattling on for so long, but his genuine excitement over me not choosing to leave really caught me off guard. Simon was right, and my stupid, cynical brain simply couldn’t comprehend that someone might enjoy my company until it was staring me in the face.

“It wasn’t any of that stuff,” I said after the mayor had finally lost his breath.

“Then what?” he asked after waiting for a follow up.

I shrugged. “I dunno. I just decided to stay.”

“Oh.” The mayor seemed to slump in his seat. “Well… cool, I guess.”

“Hm? What were you hoping for?”

“I dunno. That you went on an epic soul searching journey of the mind and realised what it truly means to be a koala in a dress?”

I chortled. “You speak weirder than anyone I have ever met.”

“Well, I’m only human,” he smiled, whatever that means.

“How are you doing, anyway?” I asked. “Feeling okay after Simon left?”

“Oh yeah,” he said with a wave of his hand, “I’m better than good. The town’s getting back on track, my secretary’s not a nervous wreck anymore, I got a cool shirt, my favourite neighbour isn’t leaving… and…” He leaned back in his chair with a cocky grin on his face. “...I’m seeing someone!”

I couldn’t have stared at him more blankly.
“You?”

He nodded, slowly.

“...seriously?”

“Mhmm.”

“You’re not, like, joking?”

“Of course I’m not joking!” he said, already losing grip of his confidence. “What? Is it that unbelievable that somebody has an interest in me?”

It was, but I was mostly left shaken by the cosmic irony of the situation. If there’s a God, he is cruel and he hates me.

“No, no,” I shook my head, “It’s just… who? No wait! I think I know…”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah… Yeah, I think I know who she is. The writing’s been on the wall with you two. Everyone says so.”

“It’s true,” he sighed, happily, “me and her have been set in stone since the day I arrived. She’s always had my back, always been encouraging… always been a source of light in my darkest hours.”

“You should probably work on your poetry before you try any out on her,” I said - though the thought did cross my mind that he confessed his love through verse, which made me shudder.

“She likes my jokes!” he proudly stated, “and that’s good enough for me.”

“Well, I’m happy for you,” I said to him. I think I meant it, though I won’t pretend I wasn’t equally just as envious about the whole thing. “Are you two gonna be able to balance your work life and romantic life okay?”

“Oh sure,” he said flippantly. “We’re just taking it as it comes. In fact, she’ll be here any moment now that it's her lunch break.”

“Yeah,” I said, “I bet she’s busy most of the time, huh?”

“I guess,” he shrugged, “but she’s got her sisters to watch the shop while she’s out, so it’s no biggie really.”

I blinked. “Sisters?” I asked. “But I thought she only has a…”

The door opened, prompting the mayor to stand from his seat.
“There she is!” he exclaimed, his arms wide. “My favourite blue hedgehog!”

I spun around to see Mabel Able standing there, smiling with her huge rosy cheeks.

“Hi-!” she waved and skipped over to the mayor to give him a hug. “Sorry I’m late! I had to help Sable with the new sewing machine. Again.”

“She’ll get the hang of it,” the mayor assured her while I watched the two of them, slightly dumbfounded. How did THIS even happen!?

“Oh, hello Alice!” Mabel smiled once she had noticed me. “Almost didn’t see ya there!”

“Hello to you too,” I replied. “I see you and the mayor are… close?”

Mabel giggled. “Yeah, I guess so! Can’t have my sisters having all the fun now, can I?”

“She keeps saying this,” the mayor added, “but she won’t tell me who Sable is seeing!”

“Because it’s so obvious,” Mabel teased, “and once you find out, you’ll have such a funny look on your face!”

“Why’s it gotta be a secret!?” her shaven ape of a boyfriend asked, and by now they were too sucked into their own conversation to acknowledge me any further.

“It really isn’t much of a secret, you!” she said and put her hand on his shoulder, “unlike the sorta things you’ve been saying to me after work~”

“You mean the stuff about the fishing tax?”

“I think I’ll head out,” I said, not caring if they heard me or not.

Weird.
Weird, weird, weird!

I stuck my hands in the pockets of my coat as I trundled home and felt the partially crumpled letter from Simon stuffed inside. I wondered if there was a lesson to be learned from seeing the mayor and Mabel becoming a thing…

…but to save myself the trouble, I decided that there wasn’t and went home to make lunch.

~Author’s Notes~
Believe me when I tell you that I went back and forth on whether or not to hook Mabel and the Mayor up throughout the course of this entire season. I made sure to foreshadow it with the odd line of flirtatious dialogue just in case I went ahead with it, but since I went through the trouble to do so I thought “why not lmao” and gave future me something to try and make something good out of next season. Have fun with that, future cookie boy!

All in all this was another toughie to write. I know how I want Alice to feel but I struggle to make sure her situation isn’t too depressing. In any case, there’s only one more episode for this season, so I’ll see you all then.

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