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The next day, we got another letter from Faeriegal, in
pretty much the same vein as the first. It was the same the next day, and the
next. After a week of being barraged with perfumed flowery epistles, Shell wrote
to her, telling her to at least knock off the chatspeak.
It didn’t help. They came, thicker and faster
than ever. Soon several were arriving every few hours, and they all said pretty
much the same thing. If it wasn’t about how great a friend Shell was, it was
about how pretty Rosabelle was, or how beautiful she had looked in the Beauty
Contest several months ago wearing her blue satin collar with a bell. Once in
a while, she even wrote telling Shell how pretty we were, and that she should
put us in the Beauty Contest.
“This is insane,” Florepa yelled one afternoon,
as six bright purple envelopes flopped out of the tube one after the other.
“I’m at my wit’s end!”
The fact that Shell didn’t reply much didn’t
seem to deter Faeriegal in the least. It was nearly a month after the guild
gathering that she announced her visit to us.
***
We all stood looking miserably at the letter in Shell’s hand.
“Well, I suppose we’d better get prepared,” our
owner sighed as she let the pink sheet flutter to the floor and trudged through
the doorway of her room.
“How many Faerie Cakes should I make,” Wen mused
aloud. “What do you think?”
“Get prepared, she says,” Florepa murmured, loud
enough for us all to hear.
“What are you on about?”
“We’ll get prepared, alright,” Flo added as if
he had not heard me. A grin was spreading over his muzzle.
“Get prepared?” Wen’s forehead crinkled comically.
“For Faeriegal? Yes, I was wondering whether I should make Faerie Cakes at all…”
“Not that kind o’ preparation, Wen,” Flo rejoined.
“I mean…if Shell’s not goin’ ta do it, I am. I can’t stand tha thought o’ her
‘n Rosabelle comin’ over day and night after today. I thought we’d all prepare…a
little surprise for her.”
“She won’t get hurt, will she?”
“’Course not, Su. Even though I wanted ta take
her ta the Tyrannian Plateau n’ drop ‘er off, I knew ya wouldn’t approve. We’ll
just… make things unpleasant.”
A thousand ideas burst in my head, all of them
swimming around in golden possibility. There were so many things we could do…
I could picture it now… Faeriegal shouting and raging at us while we tried our
level best not to laugh at her tantrum… storming out the door, never to be seen
again… no more perfumed letters with illegible handwriting… Shell would call
us her heroes and take us to the Golden Dubloon for-
“What did you have in mind, Flo?” Wen leaned
forward eagerly. Though he was normally skeptical of Florepa’s plans, or anyone
else’s for that matter, I could tell he was willing to try anything to be rid
of Faeriegal.
I shook my own head to clear it of the sparkling
images and edged closer to my brothers, who had grouped in a huddle on the floor.
“You’re sure it’s okay?” Su asked, turning to
me. She desperately wanted to see the backs of the odious pair, I knew, but
she equally desperately wanted it to be done without anyone getting hurt.
I patted her on the back. “Don’t worry, Sis,
it’s just some harmless fun. And if it gets Faeriegal and Rosabelle out of our
fur, then so much the better!”
My sister sighed. “Well, if you guys think it’s
alright…”
Even Tsunami lost her misgivings after Flo had
outlined his idea. In what seemed a Kadoatie’s tail-flicker, our plans were
laid and awaiting the girl and her pet.
“Do you know,” Florepa chuckled, “I actually
hope she doesn’t get lost on tha way.”
“I’m Heeee-re!”
The cry rang through the whole house. Flo rolled
his eyes.
Shell walked through to the entrance hall and
my ears caught the sound of the door opening.
“Oh,” Faeriegal said, somewhat disappointedly.
“This is where you live? I thought I might have come to the wrong house.”
Flo growled.
“The plan,” I hissed, trying to get him back
on track.
The Zafara shook himself. “Right, right, sorry,
I was forgettin’…wait ‘til she comes in TA the livin’ room…”
We all sprawled on the sandy floor, trying to
look as casual as was possible. Faeriegal and Shell were still talking as they
entered the living room, and I could hear the soft footfalls of Rosabelle.
“But…but…you don’t have anything. No carpet,
and no wallpaper! And why do you have a house made of bamboo?”
“I like to keep things simple. It’s just the
way I am. Nothing needed cluttering up the place. A sort of all natural, island
feel, you know? I mean, the sand and grass are a pretty nice carpet in themselves,
and the bamboo actually grows, did you know? Sometimes they all put out leaves
at once. It’s an alive sort of house.”
Faeriegal was plainly not impressed. “You can’t
like living here. Why don’t you come away, live in Neopia Central or Faerieland?
It’s so much more pleasant there… you could have electricity, and shopping trips
and… so many other things!”
“I like it here.” Shell’s voice was gentle but
firm. “I love living on Mystery Island. It’s a beautiful place… you can hear
yourself think. I’ve lived in Neopia Central for a while, and I much prefer
it here.”
Faeriegal was opening her mouth to start another
argument. I knew I had to act fast, and I cleared my throat loudly.
Faeriegal turned to look at me. “Oh, there’s
your pretty Gelert!” she exclaimed loudly. “Hello, Dancer!”
“It’s Dasher,” I said, smiling disarmingly at
her. Looking past her with one eye I saw Flo and Su scurrying out to the back
to join Wen, who was there already. I had to do my part now.
“Would you like to see our Neo Garden, Miss Faeriegal?”
I continued in bright, eager tones, turning back to her. “You could pick lots
of pretty flowers to put in your hair…and I’m sure you’d like that! You’re ever
so pretty, and the flowers would make you even more so! And some flowers for
Rosabelle would make her so nice for the Beauty Contest!”
Faeriegal bridled, Rosabelle smirked, and I knew
I had them. Giving myself a mental pat on the back, I looked past them again.
Florepa poked his head from the back door, and grinned at me, forming the thumbs-up
with his paw. I gave Faeriegal and Rosabelle another winning smile, and winked
at Shell, who was looking suspiciously at me. Ignoring her glance, I lowered
my upper body in a graceful bow, waving my tail.
“Come along then, Miss Faeriegal. It’s through
here.”
I sat beside the fairly small window that looked
out on the small patch of garden beside the house. Florepa and Tsunami were
on the other side of the ornamental bridge, in the middle of the Perfume Mallow
bed.
“Mmm… these smell so good,” Florepa exclaimed
loudly as he lifted several of the wide white blooms to his nose. Tsunami had
a blissful expression on her face - I sometimes think Su is only allergic to
scents that are artificial -- as she rolled in the blossoms with their soft
leaves. Flo looked up at the window as if catching sight of us for the first
time.
“Oh it’s you, Miss Faeriegal,” he called, his
large Zafara eyes wide. “Why don’t ya come and join us? These Mallows smell
so ex…ex…”
“Exquisite,” Su interrupted, sitting up and beaming
at us. “Come through the window, Miss Faeriegal, and Rosabelle.”
“The window!” Faeriegal seemed almost deterred.
“But-”
“You do want to join them don’t you?” I asked,
cocking my head on one side, batting my eyes in an innocently puzzled sort of
way. “I mean, unless you have no taste for Perfume Mallows… or Lazydels… or
Pebeanjays…”
“Well… alright. But how?”
“Here,” I said, lowering my body. “I’ll give
you a leg up. Rosabelle, why don’t you flutter out the window and pull her from
the outside?”
Faeriegal obligingly climbed onto my back while
Rosabelle flitted outside and extended her paws. The minute Faeriegal was halfway
out and had grasped Rosabelle, I heaved.
There was a scream, followed by a splat, from
outside. I pushed my head out of the window, not bothering to hide my laughter
this time.
In the Mallow patch, Florepa and Tsunami were
doubled up in mirth as well. I looked down at Faeriegal and Rosabelle, lying
sprawled in a tangled heap below the window. The enormous pan of Faerie Cake
batter Wen had made, and that we had strategically placed below the window,
was splattered all over them.
“What’s the mat… oh.” Shell had come racing round
from the back door, which was how we normally went out to the garden. “Oh dear,
are you two okay?”
“Okay!” Faeriegal screeched incredulously. She
stood up, glaring at Shell. “Look at me, I’m all covered in this… stuff! And
it’s your fault, all your fault! I can’t believe I thought you were my best
friend!”
Rosabelle was glowering at me.
“Shell’s not your best friend,” a low voice snarled.
Wen came prowling round the side of the house, looking more fearsome than I
have ever seen him look. I had to admit, for all his picky ways my brother knew
how to act. The Grarrl came to stand in front of Shell, frowning at Faeriegal
and Rosabelle. “Shell never was your best friend. And none of this was her idea,
it was all carefully thought out by us pets. Because we… don’t like people bugging
our owner…”
Wen opened his mouth lazily in a yawn, exposing
all of his gleaming, knifelike, white teeth, as long as one of Faeriegal’s hands.
Faeriegal gulped nervously, and she and Rosabelle turned and fled without another
word.
I let out a whoop of delight, and leapt out the
window over the sticky mess to put my paws up against my brother. Flo and Su
came dancing over from the Mallow patch. “We did it! We did it!”
“You scheming conspirators.” Shell was trying
to look severe, but she had a wide grin on her face that kept pushing that look
away. “You guys are absolutely incorrigible, do you know that?” Then she joined
the group hug. “But I’m glad you are. And doubly glad that you’re not my enemies!”
We all laughed at that. Then Wen looked at us
closely. “You know, you guys, I put some little Faerie Cakes in the oven anyway,
from the batter that was left over. They ought to be done by now. Why don’t
we all go and get them to celebrate?”
I barked happily, Flo grinned, and Su smiled.
Shell ruffled each of our coats. “A brilliant suggestion, Wen, as usual.”
The End
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