Perry and Terrence returned to the center of Gluum after a while. Daly looked relieved to see Perry's grave expression.

"He's not leaving?" He asked.

"No." Perry said.

"I wanted to." Terrence said. "But it seemed like it would mess too much with the real world."

"You must want to take someone up." Now that he knew Terrence was still remaining in Gluum, Daly seemed to take pity on Perry again.

"I guess I'll just go up alone." Perry said. "If you're sure you don't want to leave Gluum."

"Certain. I'm sticking here." Daly said.

Bucky spun around in a circle and barked.

"I have to show you my house." Terrence said. "You'll love it."

Perry didn't answer.

Terrence tried to put his arm around Perry's shoulder, but after many failed attempts, he settled for standing close to him. "Follow me."

Perry followed him. They walked by many shops filled with ghosts talking and laughing. One ghost, who looked slightly like a raptor, turned and waved at them as they passed. A giant floating baby head spun around and around in front of a restroom.

"We have no idea where that came from." Terrence said. "In here."

He led Perry inside of what looked like a falling-apart garden shed. The inside didn't look any better, but tons of pictures lined the walls. Objects sat on a single table in the middle of the room.

"Memories." Terrence said. "People keep their memories in their homes. I think you'll like a lot of them."

Perry walked over to the table and picked up a leaf. "Is this…?"

Terrence nodded and smiled.

Perry smiled back. "You were the first one to tell me that there were more than ten leaves on a tree."

"And you told me you ate one once."

"And this snowball? For that time when we were wondering how snow just left?"

"Yes. But what it really reminds me of is how much I missed you. I miss having my friend right beside me, blowing on the snow and trying to question it in as many different ways as possible.

Perry froze. He was staring at a photograph on the wall.

Terrence followed his gaze. "Oh. Yes. That one. That one has the place of honor on my wall."

Perry swallowed. He felt like a huge watermelon had decided to move into his throat and throw a party in there for all of its watermelon friends.

"The last time we ever saw each other."

"Yeah."

It was a picture of Perry and Terrence sitting in a pile of leaves. Terrence had fashioned a crown out of a few of them. Perry was laughing.

Perry felt his eyes water as he remembered.

Terrence jumped into the leaf pile, then popped up again. "Come on! Jump in. It's fun, I promise!"

Perry hesitated. "I don't know. Doesn't it hurt?"

"Heck no. Try it."

Perry ran and jumped. He landed on top of Terrence and bounced backward into the leaf pile. He started to laugh.

"Well, it hurts NOW." Terrence said, but he was laughing too. He picked up a handful of leaves and tossed them in the air. "Come to me, my leafy friends!"

"I was thinking." Perry said. "We should go into business together."

"Crime-fighting? Or leaf-throwing?"

"I don't know. I don't really care. I just know that I don't ever want to lose you as a friend. Even when we're all old and cranky, I still want to be connected to you somehow."

"Even as we are fighting over our false teeth and chasing each other with canes, I promise you, I will always be your friend." Terrence said. He put his arm around Perry and hugged him.

"Cookies." Perry said.

"Cookies?"
"We'll go into the cookie business. We'll create a huge cookie restaurant called Cookie Ruler. And we'll sell them by the millions."

"And eat them by the millions."

"If you seriously eat millions of cookies in one sitting, I'll crown you king of the cookieness."

Terrence stuck some leaves in his feathers so he looked like he was wearing a crown. "Hail me! The amazing ruler of Cookietopia!"

Perry cracked up.

"Perry!" It was Phineas, calling for his pet. "Perry, where are you? It's suppertime."

Perry frowned. "I have to go." He said.

"I'll see you tomorrow." Terrence said.

Perry nodded. He stood up and brushed bits of dry leaves out of his fur. "Tomorrow. Okay." He bounded toward Phineas, giving Terrence a wink goodbye.

Terrence gave a wave and a smile.

"Are you okay, Perry?" Terrence asked.

Perry hadn't realized he'd started crying. Terrence tried to comfort him, but he still was unable to make any physical contact.

"Here." Terrence handed him a tissue. Perry blew his nose.

"Oops." Perry looked at the tissue. "You took that from your table. I blew my nose on a sentimental tissue. I'm sorry."

"No, no. Don't worry about it." Terrence folded the tissue up and used the clean side to wipe Perry's eyes. "It was from this one time when I stole a tissue from a produce man. Calm down."

Perry sat down on the crooked floor and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry. It's just… when you died… it was really hard on me."

"I understand." Terrence said, sitting down next to him. "I was worried when I came to Gluum. I didn't know how you would take it. I still can't believe after all these years, I finally get a chance to talk to you."

"I was really upset when I heard you died… and then when I heard you'd been murdered, I lost it…"

Terrence frowned for a second, as though he hadn't expected Perry to say that at all.

"...I have to admit, being killed by someone who took care of me for three years wasn't the way I wanted to go. But I'm okay. I want you to know that."

Perry sniffled. "I really miss having you around. You were my best friend."

"I still am your best friend." Terrence said. "I always will be. You take up half the photos on my memory wall. You know what the rest of photos are of? Cow butts, grass and horse legs. Just stuff I saw when I was being mindless. And if there's one thing I miss the most from being alive, it's you."

A ghost man entered the room. He had on very hip clothes. "Terrence, dude! There's like, a totally radical party at Wayne's pad tonight!"

"Oookay. See you there."

"Like, word!" The ghost man left.

"The other thing I miss is a door that locks." Terrence said.

Perry laughed.

Terrence and Perry stared at the fireworks. They blasted into the sky, creating pictures of skulls and random ghosts.

"Oooohhh. Ahhhhh." Said the ghosts, enchanted by the creepy event.

"I don't think I would ever want to stay down here." Perry said.

"Some people don't." Terrence said. "But I had a different life than you did. To me, darkness and dampness gives me a feeling of security."

"I'm glad you have a real home now."

"My home will always be here, but my heart will always be with you." Terrence said.

A firework exploded again. This time it was a picture of Daly's face.

"That's a pretty one." Daly said loudly.

Perry turned to Terrence in alarm. "I'm waking up."

"How do you know?" Terrence asked.

"I can tell. I'm waking up. I feel like I still have so much to tell you."
"I do as well. But Perry, I need to tell you something-"

"Did he say he was waking up?" A scruffy dog asked.

"He's a visitor." Terrence explained.

The dog clutched onto Perry's leg. It scared Perry a little. "I thought people here couldn't touch me!"

"He's waking up, too." Terrence said.

"What does that mean?"

"I'd tell you, but I have to tell you something more important first."

"I'll miss you!"

"I'll miss you too. But Perry, don't let…"

But Gluum faded away, and the last thing Perry saw of it was Bucky, wandering aimlessly away from the fireworks show.

"Agent P?" Monogram said. "Are you awake now?"

Perry tried to make out the blur that was standing over him.

"Agent P?"
Perry could kind of see Monogram's face. He squinted.

"Your surgery went well." Monogram said. "You should be good to go in a couple of days."

"Didja feel anything?" Devon asked. Devon and Pinky were sitting next to Perry's bed.

Perry shook his head. "No. I'm really tired, Dev. But I saw Terrence. He's all happy and good in the land of Gluum."

"Huh?"

"He's a little groggy from the stuff they gave him." Pinky whispered. "He probably has no idea what he's saying."

"I know what I'm saying." Perry insisted. "I saw him. And the old family pet Phineas used to have, Bucky."

"Terrence and Bucky." Pinky repeated. "Both of them were in the land of gloom?"

"Yep."

Pinky covered Perry up with his bedsheets. "You probably should get some rest. You're still a little weak."

"I know what I'm saying, Pinky."
"Shh. Get some sleep."

A dog burst through the door of the room. Perry recognized him as the dog who had clutched onto his leg back in Gluum.

"Jack?" Dana said. "Where have you been?"

"I was dead." Jack said. "But I was brought up by a visitor."

"You came back to life for me?" Dana said happily. "Oh, Jack! I'm so glad to see you again!"

"You too, girlfriend!"

He hugged her.

"Ow." Dana said. "Watch the cast."

"Sorry."

"Oranges and peaches… on my grocery list." Perry mumbled. Maybe Pinky was right. He had no idea why he was talking about fruit.

"Maybe he's hungry. Should we get him some oranges?" Devon asked Pinky.

"We can't feed him. He can't eat or drink for twenty-four hours after surgery. Maybe we can go shopping for him."

"Oh, sure. You believe that I have oranges and peaches on my grocery list, but you DON'T believe that I talked to my dead friend?"

"He's so dazed." Pinky said. "Poor thing."

Perry couldn't think of a retort. "Hap… hap… hop. Bunnies hop."

"Poor thing. Has no idea what he's saying." Devon patted him on the head. "Don't worry, Perry. We won't leave your side for a second."

Monogram peeked through the door. "Guess what? The hospital buffet just opened! There's tacos!"

"TACOS!" Pinky and Devon jumped up and ran out the door.

"Yes. You guys are loyal friends." Perry muttered. "Kangaroos and ice cream."