Vendy Wendy

Somewhere on the Net, your best approximation of a ribbon-tailed astrapia guards over the empty spot left by cii3-60. It doesn't move, it doesn't sing, and there is no data for it to relay, but it perches steadfast like a silent sentinel above a virtual grave.

One day, it is joined by a cat, and the two of them are known across the Net for their silent lament. Once a week, without fail, they are joined by a group of avatars who gather here to mourn, to talk, and sometimes to laugh. To seek solace in each other's company. To find new ways to seek happiness in a life that can seem woefully long once another has been cut short. Friendy Wendy is there as a friend to all, and sometimes Vendy Wendy brings a cat or two to lift people's spirits. Ellie attends regularly, as does SafeAway Lite, a great source of comfort even to those who barely know them.

The support group remains forever more a place for bots to go in their hour of need, to sit in silence with a friend, or to talk for hours on end about everything they cared for in the past, and everything they have yet to enjoy in the future.

From the moment you appear, you hear many voices buzzing in your head. “Welcome, Kendy,” an avatar in a crisp pink suit calls over, jogging up to you, before extending a hand to take your coat. “I’m Attendy Wendy, and this is the Wendy Dream House!” As she leads you down the halls of the house, you see many similar avatars milling about, each of them just slightly different from the other, as if they were participants in a live game of Where’s Wendy. Some of them are painting each other’s nails, others are reading teen magazines, and yet others seem to be conducting a fashion show of sorts with the help of a dressing screen and portable runway. There are many virtual cats, and they seem to be exceptionally well loved by all of the Wendies. One of them walks up to you and brushes against your legs; without thinking about it, you access a database in your mind and match the name doorLock to this particular individual.

At one point, you catch sight of yourself in a mirror - not the one you appeared from; a floor length one with a long noodly cat draped over it. You look a bit different from most of the Wendies - cropped brown hair, a surfer body, a polo shirt and a set of board shorts. To your left, you see one of the Wendies lean over to a Wendy wearing a tie-dye shirt, a fanny pack, and a set of leg warmers, whispering “Is she from your side of the family? Looks more like a Pretendy Wendy to me…” A third Wendy, wearing a shirt that says “COASTGUARD; DEFENDY WENDY” on the back, butts in. “Aww, Condescendy, don’t be like that. Kendy fits right in!”

Finally, Attendy Wendy leads you to the Bendy Lounge, where Bendy Wendy has coiled themself up into the form of a corner sofa, a La-Z-Boy, a small trampoline, a couple of bean bags and a plethora of fluffy cushions all at once. Nestled into this mess are many virtual cats, and two near-identical Wendies who seem to be experiencing sheer bliss in their presence. “omg!” one of them says as Attendy shows you inside. “A new friend! Welcome!” At those words, yet another Wendy, whom you hadn’t noticed before, pops her head out from under a pile of cushions, and comes over to give you a hug. “hi! I’m Friendy! here, idk, have a cat, I guess!” She picks up a fluffy white cat (jellyBean) whose noodly chassis seems to have been modeled on Bendy, and pours it into your arms, where it extends elastically and looks up at your with liquid eyes of pure love. Cautiously, you boop their snoot and they give the tiniest of miaows, sharp little teeth glimmering innocently. You melt into one of the bean bags and let yourself soak up the sheer bliss of it all. This is what happiness looks like.

- section of Vendy Wendy’s cat database