>>30207489Tikbalang didn’t have to wait as long this time. It was only several days before Plum Pudding came back with a cart full of more materials. He came, and bowed at the front porch before he walked up the steps. Tikbalang opened the door for him before he could knock, and he bowed his head as he entered.
“Good day to you Tikbalang. I hope it finds you as well as you can be. I don’t know how spirits are supposed to feel, I must admit, but I do wish you the best,” Plum Pudding said.
“I am… as well as can be expected,” Tikbalang responded.
At the breeze of her voice, he laughed in a good-natured way, smiling from ear to ear. “I have good news, Tikbalang! I have met a mare.” Plum Pudding pulled out supplies and piled them into the house as he talked. “Well, I met her last year before winter began, but I’m going to ask her to marry me. I think she’ll say yes. I’m going to propose in the orchard when the blossoms come in. You’ll wish me luck, won’t you?”
Tikbalang smiled. “Of course. I wish you the best of luck.”
He laughed and performed a little jig after dropping a pile of lumber. “Thank you Tikbalang. I’ll let you know how it goes.”
Plum Pudding began his work in earnest and didn’t talk much for the rest of the day. He was focused and driven, and in love. His mind was elsewhere, but his hooves were sturdy. He went through the house and replaced more of the wood, sanded out lumps, scoured stones and counters, and tore up sections that were beyond hope. By the end of the day, Tikbalang’s house was missing a lot of sections, but she realized it was necessary to replace them if she wanted her house to be as it once must have been.
