Invitations were brought all around to have a party before they would go back home after a big summer adventure with Winn-Dixie and Opal. They even came to the Dewberry boys to get it over with, and one of them seemed excited while the other didn't.
"Well, at least one of them is excited about the party." Amber said.
"I think he likes Opal." Annabelle added.
"Ooh~" Darla and Amber smirked playfully to that.
They soon saw Opal blushing, telling them one thing.
"Ooh!" The girls then giggled again.
"Guys!" Opal said to them once they walked off from the Dewberry boys.
'Yep, she totally likes one of the boys.' Darla thought to herself.
"Girls!" Opal pouted as the girls giggled to her.
"I think Dunlap likes you, Opal." Annabelle smiled innocently.
"Y-You really think he likes me?" Opal blushed.
"He doesn't pick on you as much as Stevie, and he even tells his brother to leave you alone sometimes." Annabelle reminded.
"That's true..." Opal replied thoughtfully.
"Plus he seemed excited to be invited to your party." Amber smiled.
"Yeah, I guess..." Opal rubbed her arm bashfully about Dunlap Dewberry as she seemed to like the boy back.
They soon came back to the trailer park to tell Daniel about the party.
"You're gonna come, right?" Opal asked her father hopefully.
"Yeah, I-I'll be there," Daniel replied as he sorted some laundry with a small smile. "Should be done with prayer group by then."
"That's great, sir." Darla smiled.
Patch soon saw an invitation being blown out through the window and he could already tell that was Heaven's work doing its magic. Opal even invited mean old Mr. Alfred.
"That was nice of you, Opal." Darla smiled.
"He shouldn't be left out." Opal smiled back.
Mr. Alfred took the invitation and took a look at it.
"You don't have to thank me. It was Winn-Dixie's idea," Opal told her dog. "Come on, Winn-Dixie."
Mr. Alfred looked to the dog as the dog was silent before following Opal on her bike, and he soon spoke up gently. "Little Miss? He don't howl so much anymore." he then said.
"He's not so lonely anymore." Opal smiled back to him.
"Yeah, he only howls when he's lonely." Amber smiled.
"It's a dog thing." Darla added.
Mr. Alfred gave a small gentle nod as he felt that he had misjudged Winn-Dixie. Patch was happy to know that everything was turning out for the better. The girls then began to get dressed and ready for the party.
Cherry was visiting the Dream Realm before she would meet the others at the party that night, and even saw that Princess Luna was smiling.
"Hey, Luna, I just wanted to check in on Opal's mother?" Cherry said.
"She's coming tonight, trust me." Princess Luna replied as she showed a bubble of Opal's mother driving on her way to Naomi, Florida, though she had a long drive ahead of her, but it was better than no drive at all.
They soon saw the invitation that had been blown by the wind, and where Opal's mother caught it once she saw it.
"Oh, so that's what Spot saw earlier." Cherry said to Princess Luna.
"Indeed." Princess Luna nodded her head.
Opal's mother soon opened the invitation and knew exactly where to go. It would still take a while for her to get to the party, but it would all be worth it in the end.
That night, the girls were all dressed up, and it was time for the party.
"Mr. Alfred, you're one of the first people here." Opal smiled to the man.
"Well, there's no sense in dilly-dallying, you know?" Mr. Alfred replied.
"That's true." Atticus said as he arrived next.
"Oh, Atticus, you look so handsome..." Darla smiled as she wore a cute sparkling purple dress with a matching hair bow. "Are you okay in those sleeves?"
"This is a suit Drell loaned me," Atticus replied. "He usually wore it to meetings in his office, so he let me borrow it for special occasions like parties and, as of this visit, church."
"Cool." Darla smiled.
"Plus it looks dumb on him." Atticus whispered to her.
"I HEARD THAT!" Drell's voice snapped from nowhere which only he, Darla, Patch, and Cherry could hear.
"You guys, don't ruin a perfectly good vacation!" Cherry begged as she soon walked over in a black dress with white spots on it with matching slide-on shoes as she looked cute when she was dressed up.
"Alright, alright." Atticus said.
Patch was seen looking outside, seeming to wait for someone to arrive. Opal soon introduced Mr. Alfred and Miss Franny and they seemed to become fast friends.
"I brung dog pictures for the theme of the party." Sweetie Pie said to her and the others.
"That's great." Darla smiled.
"Let me show you." Sweetie Pie told them as she led them down the path.
"Come on, Winn-Dixie." Opal called.
"Patch, here, boy!" Darla added.
"Coming!" Patch replied.
They soon found what looked like a gallery for Winn-Dixie as he made a lot of great things happen this summer for Opal.
"Oh, Sweetie Pie, that's beautiful." Amber smiled.
"Thank you." Sweetie Pie smiled back.
Patch smiled as this really was beautiful.
"Hey, guys." Amanda smiled.
"Hey, Amanda!" Opal and the girls smiled back.
They soon walked together through the Dump garden before going to see the woman.
"I'm so glad you could come." Opal said to Amanda.
"Thank you for inviting me." Amanda replied.
"Oh, thanks for comin'." Opal smiled.
Darla, Amber, and Annabelle just knew that Opal wouldn't lonely anymore when they would leave.
"Gloria, where are you?" Cherry called out.
"I'm comin', I'm comin'," Gloria's voice replied from inside. "I'm comin', baby girl. Don't rush me. Please don't rush me. I'm so nervous."
Cherry gave a small smile to Atticus about Gloria.
"What're you smiling at?" Atticus asked, giving a small smile as he hadn't seen a smile like this from her in a very long time.
"She's like Aunt Dorothy." Cherry smiled softly.
Atticus smiled back as he was happy that Cherry was smiling.
"I haven't done this in such a long time." Gloria said as she came out in a colorful dress.
"It's okay," Opal smiled as she helped the nearly blind woman. "You look beautiful."
"Well, thank you for my hair and my fingernails," Gloria smiled back. "And you look pretty, too. You wearin' that necklace I gave you?"
"Mm-hmm." Opal nodded.
"Oh, everything is so beautiful, Opal," Gloria replied. "I can see it. I can just see it."
Darla's brooch soon glowed again, and where this time, it wasn't a message from Serena as it was doing something to Gloria's eyes.
"Hi, Gloria." Amanda waved.
"Oh, Gloria, I'd like you to meet my new friend, Amanda." Opal introduced.
"Amanda. What a beautiful name," Gloria smiled to the older girl as her vision seemed to change. "I'm glad you came, and what a beautiful young lady you look like."
"Wait, Gloria, you said look like not sound like." Amber smiled.
Gloria soon realized Amber was right as Darla's brooch stopped glowing as it was able to give back Gloria's sight fully. "Hmm... I feel like I can see like how I used to when I was y'all's age..." The older woman smiled.
Annabelle soon magically made a flower appear in her hands without anyone seeing before she showed it to Gloria to see if her eye sight was like she use to when she was her and the girls age.
"Ooh... What's this?" Gloria smiled. "Is that flower for me, Annabelle?"
"Yeah," Annabelle nodded. "And looks like your eye sight is just like how it was when you were our age."
"I believe you're right..." Gloria smiled. "Oh, girls, this is the best night of my life."
The girls smiled back as they were able to help make that possible.
"And this is Miss Franny Block." Opal introduced the librarian to the other woman.
"Hello, Gloria. I've heard all about you," Miss Franny smiled as they shook hands. "I hope you're enjoying Gone with the Wind."
"Oh... Thank you." Gloria smiled back.
'They're becoming fast friends.' Darla thought to herself with a smile.
"And that's Mr. Alfred." Opal then introduced.
"Miss Gloria, I'm delighted to meet you." Mr. Alfred replied.
They soon heard squawking as another guest was coming over.
"Otis, you and Gertrude came." Darla smiled.
"I brought pickles." Otis replied.
"Oh! That's just exactly what we needed," Opal smiled to him. "They'll go perfectly with the egg salad sandwiches."
Gertrude soon flew off, looking very happy.
"Miss Franny, this is Otis." Opal introduced.
Otis was about to shake her hand, but almost dropped his pickle jar by accident. Luckily, Atticus helped with the pickle jar so then Otis could shake Miss Franny's hand.
"Heh, thanks, kid." Otis replied.
"No problem." Atticus smiled.
"It's a pleasure to shake your hand, Otis." Miss Franny said to the man.
"Thank you. I brought pickles." Otis replied.
"Yes, I see. It's nice." Miss Franny nodded.
Atticus soon put the pickle jar next to the sandwiches.
"Too bad my dad's not here, am I right?" Cherry replied.
"He'd probably eat them all." Atticus laughed to his best friend.
"Yeah, you're probably right about that." Cherry shrugged.
"Oh, and this is Gloria Dump." Opal introduced.
"I brought pickles for the party." Otis told Gloria.
"I'm glad you did," Gloria smiled. "I mean, wouldn't have been no party without pickles."
"That's right." Amber said.
"Now, I've been to several parties with no pickles," Mr. Alfred commented. "A-And not one of 'em was any fun."
Annabelle giggled as that was kind of a funny thing to say.
"Baby girl, what happened with the Dewberry boys?" Gloria asked Opal. "And where's the preacher?"
"Uh, I don't know," Opal shrugged. "Well, I told 'em what time we're startin'."
"They're probably running a little late." Amber said.
Winn-Dixie and Gertrude began to eat together.
"Look at that dog and look at that bird!" Sweetie Pie squealed with a giggle.
Some of the others laughed as it was kind of funny.
"Oh, no! Winn-Dixie! No, Winn-Dixie!" Opal told her dog who smiled innocently to her and the others. "Get down! Get down! Winn-Dixie, come on."
"Come on, Winn-Dixie, down." Patch chuckled slightly.
"Well, if we don't eat soon, there won't be any food left." Miss Franny told the other guests.
"I think you're right," Gloria replied. "Let's just hold hands and give thanks for this. Opal, give me your hand. Girls, y'all join hands with her."
Even though she wasn't religious, Cherry was a guest in this home, so she joined in the prayer to be respectful.
'Where are those three?' Atticus thought to himself.
"Winn-Dixie, sit." Opal told her dog.
"You too, Patch." Darla added to her brother's dog.
The two dogs then sat beside them.
"Dear Lord and Heavenly Father, we have egg salad sandwiches, we got Dump's punch, we got pickles, we got doggy pictures, and we have Littmus lozenges, but, more importantly, Dear Lord, we have good friends," Gloria began. "Dear Lord, we got good friends to share this warm summer night with us, and, for that, we're grateful. Teach us, dear Lord, to love one another. This we ask in Your name. Amen."
"Amen." Everyone else replied.
"Are we fixin' to eat now?" Sweetie Pie asked.
"I think we might want to eat inside." Otis suggested.
Patch began to sniff the air and could tell why Otis suggested that. Lightning flashed and thunder rumbled.
"Uh-oh." Cherry muttered as she feared the worst for Winn-Dixie.
Everyone began to panic as it started to rain on their party.
"Quick, everyone inside!" Atticus told the crowd.
Everyone soon rushed inside to be safe and dry as it rained outside.
"Oh, the sandwiches are all wet." Gloria frowned.
"Well, maybe we can still have some fun." Darla said.
"Yeah, Cherry always has fun on rainy days." Amber added.
"Opal, can I talk to you, please?" Otis asked.
"Oh, sure." Opal replied.
Patch became curious of what Otis wanted to talk to Opal about.
"Opal, you worked real hard. I... I brought this for you," Otis told the girl once they were alone and he brought out a red collar. "I figured you'd earned it."
"Oh! Thanks, Otis." Opal beamed.
"Dog! Dog! Dog!" Gertrude squawked from Otis's shoulder.
Once Patch heard Gertrude squawking that word, he began to sniff around for Winn-Dixie, hoping he ran inside when the storm hit.
"Sorry your last night in Naomi's a little spoiled." Amanda frowned to Darla, Amber, and Annabelle as they were going home tomorrow.
"It's alright, none of us could have known a storm would come." Darla said.
"Don't worry. I got them dog pictures," Sweetie Pie smiled. "I got 'em right here."
"Um, thank you, Sweetie Pie." Darla smiled back politely.
"Yeah, thanks." Amber added.
Patch soon came outside as Winn-Dixie made it in the house, fearing the worst as the other dog was scared to death of thunder. 'This may be a bit of a challenge.' Patch thought to himself.
"Winn-Dixie! Winn-Dixie!" Opal cried out as she rushed out in the rain after Patch.
The adults started to worry about her just as the Dewberry boys came to the party out of the rain.
"Opal, your guests are here!" Gloria told the young girl.
"I don't care!" Opal replied as she needed to find Winn-Dixie.
"Now, you come up here right this minute!" Gloria scolded as she didn't want Opal to get sick for running out in the rain. "Come right up here!"
Patch was soon seen coming back, and where he got Opal back in.
"Now, let me tell you somethin'!" Gloria scolded Opal for running out like that. "This is your party, and I want you to tell these boys how glad you are that they came."
"Thank you for comin' to my party," Opal told the boys. "It's just I got to find Winn-Dixie."
"Do you want me to help?" Dunlap offered.
Patch smiled as he nudged Opal slightly so she could give him her answer. Opal didn't say anything just then.
"Listen... Opal... You cannot hold onto anything that wants to go," Gloria said to the girl. "Do you understand what I'm sayin'? You just got to love it while you got it, and that's that."
"I just got to find him!" Opal replied before she went to go back out into the rain.
"Opal, wait 'til the rain stops!" Gloria called out, but it seemed to be useless. "Opal! Opal!"
"What is with that girl?" Cherry asked.
"She's determined to find her dog, Cherry," Atticus said. "You know I'd risk anything if Patch was in trouble."
"Well, yeah, but I thought that was because you were you." Cherry shrugged.
"We better go out and help her find Winn-Dixie." Darla said.
"That might be a good idea." Atticus replied.
"Well, I don't know if we'll find him, but I guess we can try," Cherry replied. "You girls better get some coats on though. I don't want you to get sick."
The girls soon got their coats on as they would be ready to help find Winn-Dixie.
"Thanks for understanding, Cherry." Atticus smiled.
"I guess, just make sure Opal gets that dog back," Cherry said, not sounding like she cared, but Atticus knew she did deep down. "He seems important to her."