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The sun was slowly starting to set as Lily and lndustrious
made their way down a rocky trail in the back-roads of Neopia. lndustrious was
singing '99 Bottles of Neocola on the Wall' and was currently on number seventy-one.
Clumsilily, the mutant Lupe, had tied her bandana over her ears, trying to focus
on getting to the campground before dark.
The tone-deaf owner and her Lupe, Clumsilily
were bound for a small campground near Kiko Lake. Their little excursion had
been planned for months now and the two had finally gotten a chance to go.
lndustrious carried the tent and sleeping bags,
while Lily carried the supplies, such as canned goods and fresh clothing.
Lily pulled the backpack straps a little higher
on her shoulders and picked up the pace slightly.
lndustrious continued to belt out the tune, making
her way down to zero bottles of Neocola on the wall. (And for those of you keeping
track, she's on Fifty-two.)
The ground ceased sloping and the trees became
denser, indicating their entrance into a forest. Lily smiled. Finally!
she thought. We're here!
lndustrious stopped singing and walking when
Lily stopped. "Here already?" she asked, allowing the backpack to slide off
her shoulders and drop to the nettle-covered floor.
"Thank goodness!" muttered Clumsilily, gently
lowering her pack to the ground as well. "We don't have time to make a fire,
so let's just get the tents up and get some rest. We can continue on to Kiko
Lake tomorrow." Lily instructed as she pulled the bandana from her head.
lndustrious nodded and pulled out the Instant
Tent box. She smiled as she pulled the cord and a large canvas tent popped up
in front of them.
"Perfect!" lndustrious cheered as she flung her
pack inside.
Lily smiled thankfully. Lndustrious couldn't
sing in her sleep.
An hour later, the two had set up their sleeping
bags and had settled into them, ready for sleep to consume them.
*Midnight, When Both Are Asleep…*
The sky was already a deep indigo, but it soon became a stormy slate as clouds
began to appear. A small rumble began to build and rain began to fall steadily
on the camp…
*Morning*
Lily sat quietly in the tent, unaware of the storm that had hit during the
night. She scribbled quietly in a journal.
Day Two.
lndustrious is still asleep. I believe it's about Eight-o-clock. Maybe earlier.
I should probably be out collecting kindling and a few logs so we can make breakfast.
We are to head out for Kiko Lake after breakfast. It's a fifteen-mile hike,
so we should be there by… about two-o-clock. Maybe earlier if we're lucky… ~Lily.
Lily quietly snapped the journal shut and stuck
it in her pack. She pulled the flap of the tent back and raised her nose to
smell the fresh air. Clumsilily stepped outside.
*GLOSH!*
Lily's foot sunk deep into the mud.
"Oh no!" Lily cried aloud. Lndustrious stirred
inside the tent. "We'll never be able to reach Kiko Lake in this kind of condition!
She gazed out about herself. The forest floor
was carved with craters of where other creatures had stepped. Some holes were
filled with water from the night's storm. There was a small trickle of water
passing the tent, a few leaves rushed down with the steady current.
Lily pulled herself back inside the tent and
collapsed onto her bottom, her face staring blankly at the tent flap.
lndustrious was sitting up, wiping groggily at
her eyes. "What's going on?" she asked, yawning.
"You don't want to know," Lily said bluntly,
falling back down onto the sleeping bag, covering her eyes with her paws. "Let's
just say there'll be no Kiko Lake today, or tomorrow," she explained.
lndustrious furrowed her brow and got onto her
hands and knees. She poked her head outside and gasped. "We won't even be able
to get home!" she pointed out.
Lily groaned miserably. "Now what will we do?!"
she moaned.
lndustrious smiled and opened her mouth wide.
"Ooooooooh… Ninety-nine bottles of Neocola on the wall! Ninety-nine bottles
of Neocola! You take one down, pass it around! Ninety-eight bottles of Neocola
on the wall!!" lndustrious sang.
"AUUUUUGHHH!!!!!!!!" Lily screeched, pulling
the sleeping bag tightly around herself.
lndustrious laughed stopped signing. "Do you
have any brighter ideas?" she asked, pulling at Lily's sleeping blanket.
Lily unrolled herself and glared over at her
owner. "As a matter of fact, I do," she announced.
"Well?" lndustrious asked, shrugging her shoulders.
"Know any good ghost stories?" Lily asked, squirming
into her sleeping bag.
Lndustrious smiled and cleared her throat.
"It was a dark, stormy night…" she began.
"Aww, they ALWAYS start that way!" Lily complained.
"Shush!" lndustrious hissed. "ANYWAY!" she continued.
"It was a dark, stormy night, and the wind was
howling, tossing the trees about and ripping the shingles off roofs. A small
blue Lupe sat quietly in his Neohome, alone, reading a book. The fire crackled
in his fire place, and then…." Lndustrious paused, "the lights went out! All
except the fire… The little Lupe screamed and dropped his book. And then… the
fire slowly started to dim… slowly… slowly… it went out," Lndustrious whispered.
Outside, the storm had picked up, and the win
howled, shaking the trees. The bark creaked and moaned and made eerie noises.
Lndustrious stopped for a moment and looked around the tent, as if she could
see the trees outside.
She cleared her throat and continued. "Now the
little Lupe was all alone and in the dark… He didn't know what to do! Then,
he heard the floorboards above him creak… creeeeak… creeeak… creeeak…" lndustrious
mimicked a creaking noise. "The little Lupe began to shiver… someone… or something…
was upstairs!"
Rain began to fall steadily outside, pattering
softly on the tent.
"It was getting closer… now, the Lupe could hear
it on the stairs… Thud…. Thud… Thud…" lndustrious whispered. "Now he was REALLY
scared. All was silent for a minute. Then, the Lupe heard a soft scuttling sound…
then silence again. It seemed to be an hour before the Lupe heard the next sound.
But when he heard it, he'd wished that it would have been longer…" lndustrious
paused dramatically.
"C'mon!" Lily pleaded, prodding at lndustrious'
sleeping bag. "Do continue!"
lndustrious glared at Lily but continued. "It
was the sound of heavy breathing…." she whispered, her eyes getting wider. "The
little Lupe didn't dare turn around to see what was behind him… then all of
a sudden…."
Everything seemed silent for a minute. Lndustrious
paused, gazing wide-eyed at Lily, Lily curled up in her sleeping bag stared
back at lndustrious. And outside, the wind and rain seemed to pause too, as
if waiting to hear the rest of the story.
lndustrious reached out quickly and grabbed Lily.
"IT GRABBED HIM!" she yelled, cackling hideously.
Lily screamed in terror and was shaking from
lndustrious' interactive story.
Lndustrious leaned back and let go of Lily. "The
end," she said simply, chuckling.
"That was awful," Lily sneered. "I wasn't scared
once," she lied.
"Riiight," Lndustrious laughed, casually examining
her nails.
"Like that would ever happen!" Lily laughed.
"It could!" lndustrious insisted.
All of a sudden the winds picked up again and
shook the tent violently. Both Lily and lndustrious screamed, lunging at each
other and hugging each other tight.
Out of nowhere, a booming voice yelled, "GOTCHA!
Mwah ha ha ha ha ha!"
The End
…Or… is it?
Note From The Author: I know this wasn't my best story, but it was raining
outside when I wrote it and I wanted to have a little fictional fun! So I hope
you enjoyed my little tale of Lily and I! Feel free to Neomail me with any questions,
comments, or constructive criticisms.
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