Part 2

As Rabadaba finished writing his story for the contest, he heard a muffled knock on the hut door. When he opened the door to see who it was, a small bear cub came tumbling through the door followed by her mother. "You're Heatherperk and Hannah right?" Rabadaba asked. 

"Yes we are." The mama bear replied as she tried to keep her cub from climbing up the bookcase. "I thought we would see if you were settled in yet and maybe show you around a bit. There are so many others here that are still dying to meet you."

"That sounds great!" Rabadaba responded. "Is there anywhere we can get something to drink? I've been so busy writing that I didn't even realize how parched my journey here made me." 

"I know just the place!" Heatherperk responded as they walked out the door together. They strolled down the path while Hannah toddled along in front of them, occasionally getting distracted by a flower or a passing ladybug. She was such a curious little cub, always exploring the world around her. 

After a short jaunt down the path, they arrived in front of the Creativepeople cafe, a quaint little cafe bustling with activity inside. "This is where everyone loves to hang out." Heatherperk explained as they walked through the door. Gesturing to a beautiful butterfly that was fluttering between the tables smiling and greeting all the patrons, she continued "that's Ladyisreal. She's the one who owns the cafe. Everyone around here just loves her. She's known for her artistic talent and her big heart. She would never hesitate to help any of us." 

Ladyisreal's smile was infectious and Rabadaba immediately could see why everyone loved hanging out in her cafe. He immediately felt accepted and glowed thinking about all the new friends he would soon have. He realized that he wasn't even feeling homesick at all. In fact, he already felt like this was his true home. 

As they sat down in a booth Ladyisreal brought them both a coffee along with a chocolate milk and coloring books for Hannah. "Welcome to the Creativepeople cafe. If you ever need anything just let me know. We're super busy right now, but I look forward to getting to know you much better, Rabadaba." Rabadaba blushed and thanked her for the coffee. Getting so much attention from such a beautiful butterfly had him feeling very shy. 

As Ladyisreal fluttered gracefully to the next table, Heatherperk waved to some of the other  patrons in the cafe. "There are so many great animals here today," she gushed to Rabadaba. "I want to tell you about all of them but I don't know where to begin."

In the corner of the cafe, water bubbled out of a rock fountain into a shimmering pool of water. A sleek silver fish bobbed up and down in the pool while he dabbed his fin in a palette of paint and swiped it across a canvas propped up next to the water. He was focusing so intensely and quietly on his painting that Rabadaba didn't even notice he was there until Heatherperk gestured to him. "Ladyisreal is so sweet that she put in the fountain just for him. VIA is one of the many incredible artists around here and she wanted to make sure he could be included too. He may seem kind of quiet and reserved at first but once you get to know him, he's one of the best friends you could ask for." 

Rabadaba watched VIA paint for a while. then turning to Heatherperk he asked,"do you know what he's painting?" "Oh I'm not sure yet." She replied, "I think he's starting a new set. His paintings span across several canvases so you never know what it is until he puts them all together and you can stand back to admire the masterpiece. That's one of the exciting things about watching him paint. You get to see the whole picture come together through several small parts at a time."

"Wow!" Rabadaba exclaimed, "I wish I could paint like that. I've never been very talented with a brush though. Maybe that's something else I can learn now that I'm here. I can't believe how much being on this planet has inspired me already." Heatherperk grinned "I know exactly what you mean. The animals here seem to have that affect on me as well."

A mother wolf and her two nearly grown Cubs walked by the table on their way out of the cafe. As they noticed the group at the table the stopped to quickly hug Heatherperk and Hannah while apologizing for not staying longer. They were in a hurry to get to a doctor's appointment but promised to visit later when they had the time. 

As the three exited the cafe, Heatherperk explained "that's Acrogodess and her kids AJ and Liv. She's one of my very best friends. Out of everyone here, I've known her the longest. She and her kids feel like family to me. She's been there for me for some of the happiest moments of my life as well as  some of the hardest moments of my life and I love her for that."

"Wow!" Rabadaba exclaimed, "I've never had a friend like that. Most of my friends back on earth were really more like acquaintances. I really feel like now that I'm here I might actually make some real friends. Everyone here seems amazing! I hope I get to know each and every one of them." 

As they finished their coffee, Hannah started rubbing her eyes and Heatherperk realized that it was getting dark outside. "I would love to keep showing you around but it's getting late and I need to get Hannah to bed. Do you want to meet here tomorrow and we can continue then?" They set up a time to meet in the morning and went their separate ways. 

Rabadaba headed back to his modest little hut giddy with excitement over all that had happened throughout the day and all the wonderful new animals he had met. As he laid down on his bed and started drifting to sleep, he couldn't help but wonder who he might meet the next day.