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George is lonely, and everyone can tell. Not only does he live alone in Britain, far away from his closest friends in the US. It has also been forever since he has had any form of a romantic partner.
Sapnap has tried to talk to him about it a few times but he usually backs off the topic quickly. Presumably, because George is easily aggravated by it. He doesn’t mean to. It’s just that he can’t find a solution to the problem, and no one else seems to be able to either. Moving was out of the question. George had lived in England his entire life, and it was a great comfort. Online dating? Not really his style. Going out somewhere and actually trying to make friends in the area? George had tried. It didn’t work. The closest he got was a few people interested in one-night stands.
The whole situation is starting to seem a little hopeless. That is until Sapnap brings something up during one of their calls. “Why not get yourself a blob?” he suggests. George straightens up just a bit in his chair. “A blob?” he asks. He had heard about the little things, seen people out with them on occasion, but he had never owned or really interacted with them himself. “I don’t really know much about them” he informs the other.
“Dude, I’ve heard that they’re pretty much just like-” Sapnap pauses, trying to find the right words “-small people. They’re smart. They just can’t talk. Wouldn’t that be perfect for you?”
George contemplates the suggestion. He’d prefer another person in his apartment, a friend, but a small creature wouldn’t be too bad. “I’ll think about it.”
Turns out that his words would become a lie, as he did not think about it. In fact, he completely forgot about it for the next few days, getting distracted by other things happening in his life. It wasn’t until he was walking back home from the grocery store one day, and his eyes landed on a pet shop that he remembered.
Ding goes the little bell above the door as he enters the building, a full plastic bag in one hand. His eyes scan the inside of the shop. He sees birds, bunnies, and rodents, racks and racks of pet care and play items, and a little away to the right of the door, a large cage where he sees white blobs playing around inside.
“Hello! Can I help you?” a voice sounds, bringing George’s attention to them. It’s a woman, seemingly working here. “Yeah. Uhh. I’m thinking of getting a blob” George says, eyes going back to the cage he had previously seen. “Oh, well that can surely be arranged!” she chirps, taking off the plastic gloves she had previously been wearing and throwing them in a bin as she walks past it, toward the blob cage. George follows, unsure what to do.
Once she reaches the cage, she turns to him. “Now, how much do you know about blobs?” she asks, hands on her hips. “Not much” George answers, a little embarrassed. He knows that it isn’t good to impulse buy pets, but he feels like this is one of those now or never moments. If he doesn’t do it now then he’ll start making excuses.
The woman doesn’t seem to mind, presumably used to this kind of thing. She goes on to ramble on about what they’re like and how to care for them. George catches most of it, but she goes pretty fast. It’s difficult to keep up with her talking when his thoughts are demanding attention, telling him that if he doesn’t leave now then he will be stuck with the responsibility of caring for a living thing for a long time. The blobs all staring at him from the cage does not help him focus either.
Eventually, she finishes. “You got all that, right?” George simply nods, like a liar, before the woman continues. “Okay, so now I guess all that’s left is for you to pick one of these little guys. Or let them pick you” she laughs. “Most of the time the blob picks the person.” She steps in front of the cage to open it. Once he sees all the blobs staring at him, no longer through bars, the reality of it sets in. He’s actually going to bring one of them home.
He nervously looks to the woman for guidance and she simply gestures to the cage. Not really knowing what else to do, he sits himself down on his knees to be closer to eye level with the little things. Most of them come right up to the opening of the cage, studying George. The woman laughs. “Woah, that’s rare. They all seem fairly interested in you, Mr. popular.” George flushes slightly, flattered in a way. But then he realizes one standing hunched over in the far corner. “Why isn’t that one coming?” he asks. The woman huffs through her nose. “That’s Dream. The little guy is sulking. He had to go to the vet because he wasn’t feeling too well yesterday, and it so happened that we had planned on giving them banana pudding that day as a little treat. He was furious when he found out that he was the only one to not get any.”
George’s eyes widen. He immediately reaches over to his plastic bag, sifting through it. His hand leaves the bag holding a transparent plastic box containing banana pudding, a little crushed on one side, but still edible. He had bought it on impulse while at the grocery store, never having seen or really heard of banana pudding before then. Wow, he really is doing a lot of things on impulse today, isn’t he?
“Uhm, Dream?” he hesitantly says, trying to get the attention of the little blob. The thing angrily turns its head in George’s direction. George motions to the box in his hands, trying to draw the blob’s attention to it. “Banana pudding” he explains.
Dream’s eyes immediately light up. He excitedly jumps toward the opening of the cage, pushing past the other blobs. Once he reaches the edge he stops, and George watches the blob look him over. It doesn’t take long before it gives itself a little satisfactory nod and then jumps straight at George. George is so startled that he almost drops the pudding.
Dream slides down into George’s lap and starts nuzzling into his abdomen. It makes George slightly embarrassed as he isn’t really used to any physical affection. “Looks like you’ve won the little guy over” the woman chuckles. George, not knowing what to say, only responds with a simple “yeah…” as he starts carefully putting away the banana pudding again.
This really is happening now. No turning back.