Finding Forever Home

A faint September light shines gently over the Burrowgatory as Azuca arrives at the post office to sort out the packages to be delivered today. When she got inside the building, a lone pet carrier was waiting for her. She drops her satchel on the nearest table before inching closer to the carrer. The bun quietly peers inside and discovers a phloof snuggled against its own tail. Azuca makes coo coo noises as the imp perks up happily after sensing her presence. 

“Heya, girl, how long have you been here?” Azuca checks out the information label on the side of the carrier and furrows her eyebrows when she sees that it was supposed to be delivered to its owner last night.   

The phloof watches her as she retrieves a snack from her bag and chirps gratefully when she inserts the food into the carrier. While imp is busy with its tasty snack, Azuca sorts out other packages and logs the delivery information to her computer. Once the items are all packed up securely in her truck, she dials the Imporium’s number to confirm the imp’s delivery as she heads inside the office. 

Azuca hears a faint ruckus in the phone’s background as Hutch answers her call, “Hello?”

“Good morning, Hutch! This is Azuca from the post office. I just wanted to confirm this phloof’s delivery to 696 Sinset Drive. It was supposed to be delivered last night but it says here that we weren’t able to contact the owner. Should I attempt another delivery?” She holds her phone on one hand as she drops down the pet carrier to play with the phloof.

On the other end of the call, Hutch retrieves a folder of yesterday’s adoption papers from his file cabinet to confirm the address and delivery status, “Uhh hi! Yes, this adoption was processed and paid for already. You may proceed with its delivery. Thank you so much!”

“Oh, okay! Thanks. Have a great day!” Azuca mentally maps out her route for the day efficiently and resolves to tackle the farthest addresses first and deliver the imp last.

“Great! You too!” Hutch ends the call as Azuca pets the phloof for a little bit.

The imp whimpers a little as Azuca reluctantly gets up to pack the pet carrier onto her truck, “I’m sorry but playtime is over. You have to go home to your new family now.” 

Once outside, she presses her car key to unlock the door and places the carrier on the passenger seat. Azuca’s heart was wrenched into two as the phloof peers at her sadly. In response, she gently pats the carrier and says, “It’ll be okay! I’m sure you’ll love your new home.”

The engine rumbles to life underneath them when Azuca turns her key in the ignition. She eased the truck gently out of the parking lot to officially start her workday. The imp patiently waited in its crate as they passed by a couple of addresses before they arrived at the imp owner’s address.

“It’ll be okay,” Azuca tells the imp before she reaches for the pet carrier. The imp let out a whimper as it didn’t seem too eager to join its new owner after last night’s disappointment.

Azuca rang the doorbell and waited for the owner. She also sent a notification ahead to let them know of her arrival. As she watches the phloof shuffle uneasily inside its carrier, she has decided to press the doorbell again after enough time has passed.

The door swung open as a smart-looking bun peered outside, “Yes? May I help you?”

“Hi, I’m Azuca from the post office and I’m here to drop off this phloof. Are you Eris by any chance?” She peers at the bun expectantly as he eyes the carrier in her hand.

“I’m sorry but there are no Eris here,” A crease on the bun’s forehead appeared as he gazed at Azuca apologetically, “We’ve been getting a lot of absurd prank deliveries from this Eris guy and I don’t know how he managed to get a phloof from the Imporium this time. It’s gone too far!”

Once again, Azuca’s heart felt like it was gripped in a tight vice as the imp beside her made a dejected noise, “Oh, okay. I’m so sorry for the trouble. I’ll contact Hutch to remedy the situation.” The bun nodded at her and apologized again before closing the door slowly. 

She dials Hutch’s number again while she loads the carrier back onto the truck. Azuca was about to hop inside when the imp caretaker picked up the phone on the first ring, “Hello?” 

“Hi, Hutch. It’s me again, Azuca from the post office. So listen, uhh, I’m at the address right now and apparently this Eris owner doesn’t exist?” Words almost fail Azuca as she tries to explain the situation to the bun, “I can return the phloof at the Imporium right away as I’m finished with my work day…”

Hutch apologizes profusely and agrees to the imp’s return, “I’m so sorry! I don’t know how that happened. The adoption was paid for already and we require strict validation before processing the papers. If it’s not too much trouble, I’ll be glad to wait for you here.”

“No worries, we’re on our way. We should be there in fifteen minutes. Thanks, Hutch!” Azuca opens the truck door before stumbling inside to start the car. The phloof sniffs through the crate happily as it bounces inside. 

The owner of the Imporium met them out front when they pulled up in the driveway. When they got out, Hutch smiles at Azuca apologetically, “I’m sorry to meet you under this circumstance. We’ve been getting a lot of owner applications since last month, that one must’ve slipped past. Please come in and have some refreshments, you must be tired after all the trouble!” 

As he reaches for the pet carrier in her hand, Azuca reassures Hutch that it was no trouble and that she is truly glad to help out the poor imp before handing it over. Seeing the interior of the Imporium reminded Azuca of that time she almost adopted a pet during a tumultuous time in her life. She didn’t follow through after she realized she had to take care of herself first before taking on the responsibility to care for another.

Her musings were disrupted when Hutch opened the pet carrier and the phloof and shook its fluffy fur before hopping over to Azuca. Hutch asked for her preferred drink to which she replied, “Iced tea would be nice, thank you.” As soon as the bun leaves the room to fetch a pitcher of cold steeped tea, Azuca’s eyes are drawn to the imp nuzzling against her leg. Her heart loosens

When Hutch returns, iced tea in hand, she knew her mind was already made up, “So, what happens to her now?” Azuca nods towards the imp by her feet.

“She will stay here and I’ll take care of her until a new owner adopts her.”

 “Is there a chance I could adopt her?” Azuca leaves the question hanging. Silence.

Hutch smiles widely at her, “Of course! The phloof seems to have taken a liking to you, so that’s a good sign,” Hutch hands her a glass before stopping behind a counter and rummaging with some papers. Azuca shifts closer to the bun after he places a pen and clipboard in front of her, “Here, you can fill this out and you can take her home!”

“Really?”

“Yeah, her adoption was already paid for. I’m sure this Eris fiend wouldn’t mind donating to find this poor imp a new home that will cherish and love her,” He smiles playfully.

Azuca turns to the phloof, “What do you say? Should I take you home?” The imp inclines her head to the side as if agreeing. The bun laughs before picking up the pen and filling out the necessary information.

“This is good iced tea, by the way.” 

“Only the best!”

Once done with the paperwork, Hutch hands her the pet carrier, “you can take this home as well, just in case you need it.” Azuca expresses her gratitude before saying her farewells. The bun waves at them enthusiastically before turning over the sign at the door to ‘Closed’.

Azuca helps the phloof onto the passenger seat before skipping over to the driver’s side. They sped through the road, excited to get home and start their new lives together. When they arrive at the apartment, the phloof immediately explores the nooks and crannies of her new home. 

Surprise takes over as she rushes to scoop the imp into her arms after it tries to eat a dust bunny. She mentally made a note to clean the apartment tomorrow as the imp snuggles further into her. She took a detour to her bookcase to look for the imp training manual she bought a few years ago.

“Maybe I’ll call you Dusty,” Azuca snickers while the imp peers at her with sleepy eyes.

A bone-deep exhaustion settles over Azuca as they snuggle further on the couch, caressing the phloof’s soft fur. She reads through the manual with half-lidded eyes, occasionally yawning every three pages before dozing off to sleep.  Outside the window, soft hues of twilight dusks over the Burrowgatory, a glowing sign of hope and peace.