"Happy Birthday, Ginny! I got you just what you asked for."

"Really?!" the young Moehog exclaimed, "Thanks mum, you're the best!" she said while tearing off the colourful wrapping paper and beginning to open the box. "I can't believe I'm finally going to have my very own plushie Poogle plushi-"

Ginny's voice cut off mid-sentence, as her eyes came to rest on the contents of her gift. Carefully, she reached in and picked up the plushie.

"What's wrong, sweetie? You don't look happy with your new toy." her mother said.

"Um, are you sure this is a plushie Poogle plushie?" the little Moehog asked.

"Of course!" her mother said, "What else would it be?"

"Well," Ginny replied, "It just looks kinda... funny."

"That's IT, young lady," her mother said, now irritated. "I think you've had too much cake and sugar today! You are forgetting your manners� I paid good money for that!"

Ginny shrank back. She hadn't meant to sound ungrateful, but to be honest, the new plushie kinda gave her the creeps... "Sorry, mum."

"Well, I think it is time for bed anyways," her mother said curtly. "Go wash up."

Half an hour later, tucked into her comfortable bed, Ginny's mother came in to wish her goodnight. "Oh yes, you forgot this downstairs," she said, plopping the plushie on Ginny's dresser by the window.

"Uhh, thanks mum," Ginny said, resisting the urge to duck under her covers.

"Goodnight, sweetheart," her mother said as she turned off the lights and closed the door.

Ginny continued to stare into the darkness towards the plushie sitting on her dresser. The moonlight illuminated it slightly. Trying to convince herself it was only her imagination, and that a plushie couldn't possibly be evil, she rolled over and tried to sleep.

Only moments after she'd turned her back, Ginny could have sworn she heard something move near the window. Instinctually freezing, she turned her head as slowly as she could to look towards her dresser...

Ginny's eyes widened in horror as she screamed.

Her mother hurried into the room, then grabbed her child. "Ginny, Ginny! What's the matter Ginny? What's wrong?" she asked in a soothing tone.

"THE PLUSHIE!" Ginny screamed.

"What about the plushie, honey?"

"The plushie, it moved by itself! You put it on the dresser, then left... and that's when I heard a sound. Now, when I look at the dresser, it's not there anymore!" Ginny hollered as she pointed towards the pink dresser in the corner.

"What's this?" her mother muttered as she got up and looked at the dresser. Suddenly, she laughed.

"What's so funny?" the Moehog asked skeptically.

"Oh Ginny, you're so foolish!" her mother cried while bending down to pick up the evil-looking Poogle plushie. "The plushie merely fell to the floor! Now I really think you ate to much cake tonight!"

"But--"

"No 'buts' Ginny! I know this has been a big night for you, but you really need to control your imagination. Good night, my dear... how about if, the next time you think your toys are coming alive, just be brave and let your mother get some rest." She then placed the plushie on the bed and left the room.

Ginny stared at the plushie stubbornly, then stuck her tongue out at it.

"Now my mum thinks I'm a liar thanks to you!" she spat while lifting the little thing up.

It continued to smile at her with pointed teeth, which she quickly touched with her hoof to make sure they were just plastic.

"You're not so scary," she lied. "All you are is a stupid plushie. A stupid, very ugly plushie!" Ginny gave the Poogle plushie one last mean look, then chucked it at the wall.

She was expecting a squeak when it impacted, or maybe a soft thump. However, she was not expecting...

...Nothing. There was no sound at all. Ginny swallowed as her paw looked for the light switch. Once she'd found it, the lights came on. The plushie wasn't where she had thrown it. In fact, it was nowhere to be seen. It was as if it had simply.... vanished. The Moehog got out of bed and carefully walked towards her dresser, taking her flashlight out of the upper drawer.

"Where are you..." she mumbled while pointing the flashlight under her bed. There was nothing. Checking under her drawer, Ginny saw that it wasn't there, either.

Maybe it really has vanished? she thought. Hmm, that would probably be too good to be true. she conceded, then gave her room one last thorough look. Unable to find the plushie anywhere, she crawled back into bed.

Again her paw looked for the light switch, but just as she was about to press it she hesitated. "Maybe I'd better keep the lights on," she whispered softly under her breath... then suddenly she heard something. Grabbing her flashlight, Ginny swiftly looked around her, but saw nothing.

"Who's there?" Ginny asked; although she'd tried to sound brave, her voice had failed to cooperate. She simply listened for a few seconds, but there were no more sounds. She pulled the blankets a little higher.

There's nothing here... she told herself. It's just a plushie! That's when she thought that she'd seen something move near the window. "What was that?" she whispered, then heard even more noise. It sounded as if something was tapping against that same window.

Quickly, she took her flashlight and turned it on. Ginny laughed nervously when she saw what had been making the sound: it was a branch, from the tree next to her house. It had been a windy night.

That would explain the shadow I saw moving, too... she thought. Had it even looked like a branch? A little bit, maybe. She nervously licked her lips, and laid there for a while, but the shadow of the branch kept distracting her.

"That's it." she mumbled, then got out of bed again and closed her curtains. Ginny turned around; her pillow had moved... or had it? She wasn't sure.

"Nah, now I'm just imagining things..." she said while walking back towards her bed. "Or am I?" She went back to bed and pulled the blankets all the way over her head. She lay there for several hours but there were no more strange sounds except for the branch tapping against the window, and eventually she fell asleep.

When Ginny woke up, she carefully moved the blankets back a little bit, to find that it was now morning. She looked around, but saw nothing unusual. There was no sign of the plushie, either.

"Was it a dream?" She didn't think it was. The curtains were now open, and she didn't remember closing the curtains last night. There was something in the room that made her feel her feel uncomfortable; she then realised what it was.

"The lights are out! Did I turn them off before I went to sleep?" She couldn't remember. Her door was slightly open. Ginny got out of bed and left her room... the door to her mother's room was also open.

Oh no! Maybe that's where the plushie went last night. Ginny thought. But... what would it want with my mother? She walked towards the door and, upon carefully opening it a bit further, looked inside to see...

With the mystery solved, Ginny headed towards the kitchen. Mom always said that growing Moehogs needed their strength, and boy did she ever! She couldn't wait to see what her mother had made her for breakfast; she was really hoping for faerie toast with butter, or maybe a pink sprinkle donut. Her mom had been trying to get her to eat a box of wheat flakes for weeks!

As she walked into the kitchen, though, she saw that there was nothing ready for her on the table! Ginny was upset... obviously, her mom was still annoyed with her over the plushie. Usually, breakfast was already sitting out for her when she got up. Ginny stepped onto the tile floor, her hooves clopping eerily as she crossed the small kitchen. Where was was her mother, anyway?

"Mom?" she called out, but there was no answer. What if the plushie got her?!? Ginny thought; she was starting to get worried.

From the kitchen she went to the living room, but her mom wasn't there, either. Ginny made a full circle of the house, going from the living room to the hallway, checking the closet, the guest room, her room, and her mom's room AGAIN. Still, there was no sign of her mom... or the plushie.

Ginny's mind was racing; where could her mother have gone? Maybe, just maybe, she had gone to the store? Yes, that might be it. There'd been nothing suitable for breakfast, so her mom had gone out to Neopia Central to get something. However, if that had been the case, then why hadn't she left a note?

The young Moehog was very distraught. She'd never been left alone. It was kind of nice, though... imagine all of the things she could do. There was her mother's stash of treats, with the pumpkin cookies, pyramicakes, sherbet lemon Chia pops, and white chocolate--oh, what was she thinking?! It wasn't good that her mom was gone, it was scary! She couldn't shake the feeling that that stupid, scary, and CLEARLY evil plushie had something to do with it all.

Suddenly, the creak of a door opening broke through her thoughts...

...As her mother entered the room; she was carrying several bags in her arms.

"Oh, good! You're up..." Ginny's mom said.

"Goodness, you nearly scared me to death! You didn't leave a note or anything... where were you?!?" the frightened Moehog asked.

Her mother explained, "I did leave a note!" her mother explained. "Didn't you see it?" Ginny was extremely puzzled. She hadn't seen a note anywhere... suddenly, frightening thoughts returned to her head.

What if the plushie had taken over her mind? I mean, I searched the house, and I couldn't find the plushie, and I never found a note... she thought.

"I left it on the counter in the kitchen." her mother explained.

Ginny could've sworn that she'd looked there. Together they walked into the kitchen. There, Ginny saw something that she hadn't seen before--it was the evil plushie, on top of a small yellow note. "That wasn't there before!!! Honestly, mom... I didn't see it..." Ginny said. She turned toward her mother, hoping she would believe her.

"My goodness Ginny, it was in plain sight..." her mother told her. "I left it next to your plushie which, incidentally, I found at the foot of my bed this morning, silly kid. Have you been sleepwalking again?"

A shiver ran up Ginny's spine...

Ginny nodded and, with a heavy heart, took the plushie with her. As soon as she got to her room, Ginny chucked the plushie at the wall.

"I know you were behind the note-napping," she said to the limp plushie. "Don't play games with me!"

Ginny left the room to wash up, but kept an eye on the plushie until it was out of her sight. As Ginny washed, she let the recent events rack her mind. It just had to be the work of the plushie... nothing else could explain it.

Suddenly, Ginny got an idea.

I'll get rid of the plushie! Ginny thought. "Then, all my troubles will be gone!"

Ginny ran back to her room and prepared to do the deed, but what she saw once she got there shocked her, and almost made her faint.

Ginny's bed was torn up... lamps lay broken on the floor, and feathers from her shredded pillow floated in the air.

Ginny's knees buckled as she searched her room for the plushie, but was unable to find it anywhere. Ginny's eyes filled with tears. She was incredibly frightened.

Suddenly, a blood-curdling shriek from downstairs rang through the air. Ginny gasped... the plushie! It must have had her mother in its evil clutches!

Ginny ran downstairs as fast as she could, stumbling into the kitchen to see...

...her mother, nursing a cut finger. Right beside her, still resting on the counter, was the plushie.

The young Moehog's mother looked up from the stove. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you dear, I just nicked my finger while cutting up some--are you ok, dear? You look terrible!" When Ginny didn't answer, she continued, "It must be all that sugar from last night! I think you need a nap, to sleep it all off."

All the while, Ginny stood, staring with wide eyes at the plushie. Finally, tearing her eyes from the menacing object, she looked pleadingly up at her mother. "Mo-mo-mom?" she gulped, casting another terrified glance at the plushie. "I... I really, really don't li--"

"Oh, that's enough already!" her mother burst in. "If you don't like that toy I got you, we'll return it, for goodness sakes!"

Ginny, although not very happy that her mother was irritated with her, sighed with relief. She wouldn't have to deal with the plushie anymore! She ran over and hugged her mother. "Thank you, Mum!" she cried.

The Moehog's mother was, indeed, very confused. Never before had her daughter begged her to return a new toy. Hugging Ginny tightly, she said, "We can go right now, if you really want to."

They both turned around to pick up the plushie from the counter, but it wasn't there anymore...

"NOW do you believe me?!" Ginny cried, "That plushie is evil, and it wants to hurt us!"

Ginny's mother shook her head. "No, no dear, there must be a plausible explanation." She looked at her daughter with a worried expression on her face. "I--"

At that point, the lights in the house began to flicker on and off. Ginny shrieked with fright and jumped into her mother's arms. She was shivering uncontrollably as her mother tried to calm her down.

"Giiiiiiinnnnnyyyyy..."

The eerie voice echoed through the house, sending chills down both Ginny and her mother's spines. Its speaker was nowhere in sight. Before she could answer, it called again. "Giiiiiinnnnyyyy! You hurt my feelings, Ginny."

The Moehog climbed out of her mother's arms. She took a deep breath and tried to ignore the flashing light. "W-what do you mean?" she answered.

Once again, the voice seemingly came out of nowhere. "You hurt me. You called me stupid and ugly. I only wanted to be your friend..."

"Ginny, come here!" the Moehog's mother called, "We must get out of here!"

However, Ginny ignored her mother's words. "W-who are you?"

The light flickered off, and didn't come back on. "Why, Ginny... don't you recognize me?" A shadow appeared in the doorway. Ginny shuddered. "I am your friend, your birthday present." The lights turned on once again. Standing in the doorway was none other Ginny's Poogle plushie, grinning fiercely. Ginny's mother gasped as the plushie took a menacing step towards the two...

..."No!" Ginny cried. "That's not true!" She backed away from the plushie. "You're trying to trick us!"

"Nnooo," the plushie said, shaking its head slowly. "It is no trick. Will you not be my friend, just because of the way I look?"

Ginny's mother breathed heavily. "What is going on, Ginny?" she asked. "Wh-Why is that th-thing talking?" With that, she fainted on a chair.

Ginny continued to stare at the plushie. It stared back through its evil-looking red eyes. However... did it really look that evil? For a moment, Ginny saw a touch of sadness in the plushie's face.

"All of the other plushies get packed as presents, given to a child, and loved very, very much... but not me." The Poogle plushie looked down at the ground almost longingly. "Everyone seemed to stay away from me..."

Ginny suddenly began to feel his sorrow, but then she remembered. "Why did you tear up my room?" she asked, puzzled.

The plushie sighed. "Ohh, I'm sorry about that," it said sadly. "But, I was afraid you were thinking of hurting me, so I got scared and tried to hide in your room, but I made such a terrible mess in my panic, I then ran downstairs and tried to act innocent. I hid the note, because I thought you might need someone to comfort you and you would come to me... I guess that was a little stupid, though."

Ginny was now seeing the plushie's view. "I-I'm so sorry," she said uneasily." B-but maybe you're not so bad, after all."

The plushie Poogle lifted its head and looked her straight in the eyes, smiling. Ginny smiled back.

The young Moehog clattered down the stairs to the kitchen. Ginny emerged with the plushie Poogle plushie riding on her back. She galloped to the table and hopped onto a chair. She set the plushie on the table, too.

"Ginny, dear," her mother said, sighing at her daughter as she set down a plate of faerie pancakes. "How many times have I told you? Your plushie cannot sit at the table!"

"MSP, Mom!" Ginny said, correcting her. "Malevolent Sentient Poogle plushie!" MSP grinned and jumped into Ginny's lap. Ginny's mom gave her a puzzled look. "He suggested it," she said, pointing at MSP and giggling. MSP smiled again and dug into the pancakes.

"Hey, leave some for me!"

The End