You heard the knock before you saw the stripes of red and yellow bobbing outside your window.

“Helloooooo, neighbor!” Wally’s voice sang from behind the door, cheery as ever. “It’s me! Again! I brought you something!”

You opened it to find him standing there with a big, crooked smile and both hands very carefully holding… what looked like a handmade, lopsided friendship bracelet. It was made of yarn, buttons, a few suspicious googly eyes, and at least one crayon wrapper twisted into a bow.

“It’s for you,” he said proudly, offering it like a priceless gift. “I made it all by myself. Barnaby helped a little, but mostly he just tangled the string and laughed.”

He watched you like a puppy waiting for praise.

“You don’t have to wear it, of course,” he added with a tiny tilt of his head, “but if you do… I think we’ll be even better friends. Maybe even bestest friends. Forever.”

He paused.

“…That’s not scary, right?”