"Good morning, Apple Sauce."
Benson yawned while pouring himself fresh coffee. Another day, another park meeting coming up. Same old. Yet after those 3 years in space, this felt oddly comforting now. Though he'd often feel a heart ache, standing in front of the park mansion, and no longer finding Pops sitting on the steps among his employees.
About to sink in his thoughts, Benson jumped up at the sudden ring coming from the doorbell.
"Special delivery for Mr. Dunwoody?" the courier questioned. A sleek stork-woman held out a clipboard towards Benson. He certainly didn't remember having ordered anything recently.
A large package was shoved through the doorway. His eyes caught the postcard stuck on top of the box.
"Mordecai and Rigby, huh?", a careful smile of surprise appeared on Benson's face.
He swiftly dug through the many packing peanuts, but his smile graduately turned to a frown as he pulled out one item after the other.
"Diapers? … Baby wipes?… Whatever this thing is?!" he growled, holding up something he may have seen Muscle Man wearing before, to carry Rigby around.
"What kind of stunt are they pulling this time?! Shouldn't they have long grown out of this bu-.. what's this then?", before an expletive escaped his lips, his eyes were drawn to a brightly glowing object, hidden among the packing peanuts in a small crib.
The contents of the tiny vessel sparkled as if filled with stars. 100% genuine stardust. Open carefully, was read on the capsule.
"Open carefully?", Benson wondered, twisting both halves. "But what am I supposed to do with-.."
He rubbed the so-called stardust carefully between two fingers; it felt smooth and powder-like to touch.
Suddenly, the mysterious substance started reacting fiercely. Caught off guard, Benson froze as a radiant cloud emerged and seemed to shapeshift in his hands.
He could only let out a terrified whimper, extending his arms as far as he could and averting his eyes from the almost blinding glow.
When he looked again, he found a tiny gumball machine baby in his hands, slowly opening its eyes and gently yawning. Its body more of a short cone-shape, magenta colored and a matching "cap" with what seemed to be a little bow on top. It let out a cheerful coo as it locked eyes with Benson's.
Benson however, could only stare and stutter. After a few awkward seconds he slowly lowered the small creature to the floor, placing it on its back. It happily kicked its tiny stilt-legs in the air, cooing at the mortified gumball machine.
Backing away slowly, Benson found his way out the door, then bolted down the stairs and into the street.
The names of Mordecai and Rigby could be heard within a half-mile radius.
