Today's the day! It's finally here!

I shoot up like a rocket out of my blue bed. The covers are all messed up, but I don't really care. I can just fix my bed after I get back from my trip. Leopold promised he'd keep watch for any cockroaches while I'm gone. Maybe he'll decide to make my bed, too. He always likes doing chores, he says it's a good workout.

I slip into my rugby dress and put on its matching hat. Blue and yellow are my absolute favorite colors. That's why my room is full of blue furniture. My parents always said I looked good in blue and yellow, too. They still sometimes send me gifts in the mail.

I rush out the door and immediately bump into Bob, Leopold, and Daisy. "Hey guys!" I chirp. "Good morning, Charla! It's a nice day out, isn't it? Bow-WOW!" Daisy replies, smiling. "How about a quick game of tag before you head off? It'll be fun!" Leopold suggests. "Awww, maaaan! It's like, not even nine yet! I'm still tired, pthhhpth," Bob complains. I giggle at my friend. "I'll be it, first! And my first victim is YOU!" I shout, tapping Leopold on the shoulder. Leopold looks up in surprise before adjusting his glasses and grinning wildly. "You're gonna regret that, Charla! I've run twenty marathons, lion cub! You'd better get a move on if you want to stay out of my reach!" He exclaims as Bob, Daisy, and I all take off running.

I soon realize I got split up from Daisy and Bob. Bob looked a little bit tired, but he quickly darted behind a nearby tree to hide and catch his breath. I'm not sure where Daisy is, but she probably outran Leopold. I run across the bridge and dash behind the Post Office. I listen with eager ears until I hear approaching footsteps. "Oh, Charla! You can't run, but you can hide!" I hear Leopold say. I hold my breath, hoping not to get caught. "Gotcha!" I feel his paw gently swipe me across the back. "Shoot," I mumble. Leopold guffaws and keeps running.

I know Leopold is really fast, and there's no way I can get him. I kinda want to, though. Tom's niece always tells me I can do whatever I want if I just try. I can't remember the last time she visited. I don't even remember her name. I just know she's super nice, but when she loses her toys, she gets really mean.

Wait a second, I need to stay focused. Leopold, Daisy, and Bob are all out there somewhere. I know where Bob is hiding, but I think I should give him a fair chance. I'll go find Daisy. She usually likes to be around flowers, so I should check out the flower garden by Tom Nook's shop.

I squint a little. I can kind of make out Daisy's figure up ahead. She looks like she's sniffing the flowers. "I'm gonna get you, Daisy!" I shout, and Daisy looks up. I think I startled her. There's a ladybug on her nose, and she begins running. She stops a second later to sneeze, the ladybug flying away to find another flower to land on. This is my chance! I speed up a bit and take her by surprise as she's still recovering from her sneeze. "Aww, you got me!" Daisy pouts, but she giggles a minute later. I turn back around and run. Oh, gosh. I can hear Daisy coming closer. I should probably try to lead her to Bob and get her off my trail.

Whoa, what is she doing? I slow down until I stop. Daisy is running in the complete opposite direction. I hear Bob give a surprised shout, and Daisy's giggling immediately after. I run over, and Leopold has apparently heard Bob's yell, too, because he comes running from the other direction to meet up with us. "Nooo! I can't believe you caught me while I was napping! Pthhhpth!" Bob mewls, clearly disappointed. "It's okay, Bob. You can tag me if you want." I offer, holding my hand out. Bob nods in agreement and pats my hand with his paw. "Thanks, Charla," He replies, smiling. "We should get you to the train station. It's almost 8:30, bow-WOW," Daisy tells me.

Leopold, Bob, Daisy, and I are all walking to the train station. I know I'll be gone for only a week, but I'll sure miss this place. I hope Port Sea is a nice town. Maybe they'll have a new kind of fruit. The apples here are totally delicious, but they get a little boring after awhile. Bob decided to give me some of the ones he'd picked the other day. One of them had a couple bites taken out of it, so I just decided to not eat the apple and use it to plant a new tree, instead. If I went to go look, I'm sure the tree would be a little shorter than me by now, but I don't have time. The train is due to arrive soon, so I keep walking alongside my friends.

The train hasn't arrived yet, but Porter is walking over to greet us. Even though it's early in the morning, he's as chipper as ever. "Good morning, everyone. I presume you're here to see Charla off before her trip to Port Sea?" He asks, smiling as he waits for a reply. We all nod. "Well, you shan't wait much longer, now. The train is almost here. It's scheduled to arrive in about two minutes or so," Porter explains.

"Daisy, you should give Charla her gift now, lion cub. She's going to need it at some point, I'm sure." Leopold says, and Bob nods in agreement. I look over at Daisy. Did she really get me a present for my trip? She reaches into her pockets and hands me a gift box with white wrapping paper and a bright red ribbon. It doesn't feel very heavy. I think I'll open it now.

"Oh, Daisy!" I exclaim, holding my gift. It's a beautiful light blue jacket with small yellow, pink, and orange flowers on the front of it. "It's beautiful," I grin, holding the jacket close to me. "Why don't you try it on? I'd love to see how you look in it," Daisy suggests. I nod and slip my arms through the sleeves. It's warm and really fuzzy. I tug the zipper up until my new jacket is secured around my tiny body. "I love it. Thank you so much, Daisy," I thank her. Daisy beams, and she pulls me in for a group hug. Leopold and Bob quickly join us. "Okay, guys. I'm getting a little squished," I say, laughing. One by one, we all pull out of the hug.

Daisy opens her mouth, but no words come out. She looks a little sad. "What's wrong?" I ask. Bob and Leopold give each other a look. I've seen that look before. My parents gave each other that look when they found out I was moving to Aquarine when I was six. Even though it happened about a year ago, I can still see the look on their faces.

"The truth is, Charla...I have something to tell you," Daisy begins. Suddenly, the train whistle sounds out, and the train slowly pulls into the station. "Charla, the train to Port Sea is ready to head out," Porter notifies me. I nod and turn back to my best friends. "Bow-WOW. Don't worry yourself, I'll tell you when you get back. Have fun on your trip!" Daisy smiles. Leopold and Bob give each other another look before we all embrace one last time. I approach Porter, who steps aside as the train door opens.

I climb up the steps and pick a nice seat in the middle of the boxcar. Even though they're worn down from countless years of travel, these seats are extremely comfy. The door slowly closes, and the train slowly starts to move. I look out the window and wave to my friends, who are giddily waving back.

Several hours go by. The train ride is actually getting a bit boring. I munch on one of the apples Bob had picked for me and look out at the scenery. The trees, signs, and fences are going by so fast I can hardly tell what's what. I finish up the apple and get up to toss the core in the trash can at the end of the boxcar.

I sit back down and watch the sun slowly set. It's still pretty light out, but the sky has an orange tint to it. I can tell that it'll only take another hour before the sun is fully below the horizon. It might be a good idea to rest for awhile, I sure don't want to stay up all night on the train and be tired tomorrow on my first day visiting Port Sea. I feel my eyelids grow heavy. I didn't realize how tired I was getting. Sleep slowly overtakes me until an announcement comes over the loudspeaker. "We are going through a tunnel, please be seated and expect darkness, as our lights are currently undergoing some technical difficulties."

I mindlessly nod and acknowledge the announcement. The boxcar suddenly goes dark, and I smile, slowly closing my eyes as I drift off to sleep. I can't wait to arrive at Port Sea.