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Prologue:
Once upon a time there was a sorcerer. He was a very
powerful sorcerer, but not the most friendly. He was very aloof, and never talked
to people. He never told anyone his name, and it is still unknown today. He
was paranoid and trusted no one. He always thought someone was out to get him,
and was made fun of quite a bit by the village's children for that. They would
sneak up behind him and shout rude words or phrases. He would jump around, ash
white. Then, realizing their mischief, he would brandish his old knobby wooden
cane at them and holler at the little scoundrels as they ran off giggling.
No one knows quite what made the old man snap.
Many suspect the children finally got to him. Some believe that it was just
old age, and it was bound to happen no matter how cruel the children were to
him (this was mostly the children's defensive parents who would rather keel
over dead than admit that their children had done something wrong). Either way
the story is told, he snapped, went crazy, lost it… however you wish to say
it.
You see, the village where he lived in had strict
laws against sorcery. The villagers were afraid of magic; they were angry they
couldn't do it, and terrified of what it could do to them. This, perhaps, was
one of the reasons the old sorcerer was so tormented. Anyway, these laws ordered
that no magic was to be used in the village with the exception of an emergency.
(They were always open to help if needed. If there was a drought they would
call on him to conjure water, but, if he wasn't needed, they prosecuted him
for his abilities.) The old wizard despised these laws; how was he to practice
his sorcery if he couldn't do it unless they needed it? It was unjust.
Well, like I said he snapped. One day, a few
village boys got bored and decided to fall back on their old sport: teasing
the sorcerer. They snuck up behind him like they always did (the sorcerer was
partially deaf, and couldn't here behind him well, which made him even more
paranoid), and then shouted a very rude word in his ear. Like always, the old
wizard jumped around, cursing. Like always, he realized it was the boys up to
their malicious tricks again. But, unlike always, he retaliated. Shouting a
few 'nonsense words' as the villagers called them, he wielded his cane (which
turned out to be much more than an old cane), and the boys were thrown backward
a few feet and landed face first in the grass. None of the boys were badly hurt,
just a little bruised and shaken, but by the stories they told, you would think
he attempted murder.
Of course, the villagers were furious (especially
the parents of the "injured" children), and the case was brought to the village
council immediately. While the old wizard had not actually hurt the children,
("He did too! Look at this bruise!") he had broken the Decree Against
Unnecessary Sorcery, and was to be punished. The villagers were to scared
of him to do anything too drastic, such as hang, and they saw no point in locking
him away in jail, as he could easily magic his way out, so they banished him
away to the countryside and prohibited him to ever set foot in the village again.
Distressed and enraged, the old wizard fled,
and vowed never to let another villager come near him. He built a fortress far,
far away from the village, and put loads of charms and curses around it to keep
them away. Every so often news of a new attempt to keep people away was heard
of, such as the enchanted forest he added, supposedly filled with beasts and
menaces.
It wasn't until one day, when the villagers
had thought they had seen the last of the pesky sorcerer, that rumor came that
someone had been to see the old wizard. They had gotten past his forest, and
other charms and curses, and made their way up to the castle to make him pay
for having powers they did not. It was a silly thing to do; the person was never
heard from again.
Apparently, this idiot who went after the sorcerer
was a valued member of the village, supposedly a council member. Enraged that
he was gone, an angry mob with lit torches and pitchforks headed for the fortress.
It took them a few days to get there, and when they were weary from the travel,
the village's men told tales of what they would do to that blasted sorcerer
when they found him. Reminders of what happened to the children and the council
member were flying about and angered the villagers even more. An endless pep-rally
seemed to be going on, and no one seemed to be able to or wanted to stop it.
Rumors of what they would have to overcome to get to the castle were often discussed
and frightened many people. None turned back however.
Finally, they made their way to the fortress.
But, when they got there, all they saw was barren land. Well, not completely
barren; in the center of where the fortress used to be, was a golden book. Engraved
upon the cover were the words "Scapeeay romfay hetay nchantedeay orestfay."
No one knew what this mean, but they were certain that the book was magic.
"Don't touch it!" screeched someone to
a boy who was about to pick it up. They left it there to be covered with the
dust and sand that time brought upon it. Eventually, the village grew to be
much more than a tiny village in medieval times. Eventually, it became a community
of over a million people from all over the world. This village became to be
known as "Neopia." And eventually, though it took many, many thousands
of years, the old sorcerer and his book were forgotten.
Part 1: The Beginning.
"Muuuum, we're bored!" whined Arrisee, a young split Aisha. Arri was
a chipper little Aisha, but hated to be bored. She also hated not getting her
way. And she certainly wasn't getting her way now. Arri had her friend Rhiannii,
a pretty little disco Aisha over, and neither of them could think of anything
to do. They had gone to Arri's owner Chloe for ideas.
"Arri, I'm busy!" Chloe said angrily as the
little Aisha tugged on her sleeve.
"But mum... "
"Arri, I have a deadline for The Neopian Times
due by tomorrow. I've got a lot on my plate!" she cried frantically, typing.
"I wish I had a lot on my plate," grumbled
Rhia rubbing her stomach, "I'm starving!"
"Why don't you two... go for a walk?" suggested
Chloe turning back to her computer. Arri knew they wouldn't be getting anymore
help out of her, so she and Rhia went outside to the backyard.
"Well," muttered Arri irritably, "that was absolutely
no help."
But Rhia wasn't listening. She was looking at
something on the ground. "What's that?" she asked inquisitively. A golden book,
dirty and dulled book was half buried into the dirt.
Arri had no idea what it was. She had never
seen it before in her life. "I'm not sure," she shrugged, "let's have a look!"
She grabbed the book out of the dirty and wiped off the cover with her shirt.
"Oooh! It says something!" She rubbed the cover a little bit more with her shirt.
After a few minutes rubbing, with a little help from good old elbow grease,
she could read the title. Well, sort of.
"What does that say?" asked Rhia, squinting
her eyes.
"Scapeeay romfay hetay nchantedeay orestfa,"
Arri read. "Oh, that's helpful!" she said sarcastically. She sunk back disappointed.
"Hang on!" cried Rhia grabbing the book excitedly.
"That's Pig Latin! Hold up, gimme a second . . ." She stared at it for a second
or two, chewing her tongue. Then, "Aha! Escape from the Enchanted Forest!"
"Oooh! Good job Rhia! Here, lemme see it," Arri
took the book and opened it to the first page. On it was a beautiful illustration
of two Aishas, split and disco, talking to a girl who looked remarkably like
Chloe.
"Weird," Rhia said in a hushed voice looking
very fixated at the picture, "that looks just like me!"
"And me," Arri commented. Then she shut the
book and said: "Maybe we shouldn't . . . ." Her voice trailed off. "It looks
like it could be dangerous."
"Nah, what harm could an old book do? Just read
it, and if it sounds dangerous, we'll close it and forget about it." She nodded
as if this settled the matter.
Arri ran her fingers over the engraved cover.
Then, slowly, she opened it again and read:
You and your friend are extremely bored.
You go to ask your mum for advice, but she, being busy, is unable to help. The
only suggestion she gives is lame: "Why don't you go for a walk?"
At this Arri paused, biting her tongue. "Odd,"
she muttered, "very -- odd."
"Go on! Keep reading!"
"Desperate for something to do, you agree
to take a picnic somewhere on your walk. Your friend suggests the forest down
by her house. You agree. You walk through the forest and follow the trail for
about an hour. Your backpacks, filled with sandwiches, are beginning to feel
dreadfully heavy, and you are tired. Suddenly, you see a clearing. Should you...
A) Stop and rest.
B) Continue forward."
"Lets stop and rest," said Rhia panting, "I'm
exhausted!"
"Why? We've just been standing here!" exclaimed
Arri. Rhia certainly looked tired. "Alright, we'll stop and rest." No sooner
did she say it the book began to glow brighter and rapidly flipping through
the pages. It felt like a tornado was going around them.
"What's going on?!" shrieked Rhia.
"I don't know!" cried Arri, struggling to hold
on to the book. Suddenly, the wind stopped and the book fell on flat on the
floor, open. It seemed to be sucking in everything around them! As hard as they
tried, the two Aishas couldn't stop themselves from being sucked into the book.
It shut with a snap, and the two girls were gone.
To be continued...
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