*You approach an empty-looking one-room house in Faerieland. You attempt to
knock, but your fist just squishes right into the door. Shrugging, you enter.
A white Aisha is laying on her back, gazing up at the ceiling in deep thought.
She turns to you.*
"Oh, hi! Didn't see you come in. So you came to hear the story of the glass
roses, huh? I bet someone sent you. Yeah, everyone wants to hear it these days.
I should record it and save myself a lot of breath. But, I should stop carrying
on now. My name is Tyrnyp. That's pronounced "turnip". I realize it's a strange
name, but I've tried to ignore that aspect. As you can see, I'm wearing slightly
different things. One is my turnip charm. It's shaped like a turnip, and look
here—this is a "T" in the colors red, yellow, and blue. Another
is my wings. I might have gotten a Faerie paint brush, but I prefer to be different
and have these silvery-outlined wings. I also take pride in my bright blue eyes…
but that's really it. I'd better tell you the story.
A while back in the month of Awakening, when the frost was only starting to
lift from the grass, I was lying here in this exact spot on the floor. "Man,"
I said. "Jitterro certainly is money-grubbing. She buys me only this one-room
house with no bed, chairs, desk, or items of amusement. What a cash hog!" I
straightened up and pawed at a bug on the floor. There was suddenly the sound
of a certain Bloopuf appendage squishing into the door.
Hang on. I bet you're wondering what a Bloopuf is. Jitterro is one. She's
sort of a fluffy blue ball, with big oval eyes and a tiny mouth. That's all
you need to know, besides the fact that she's…well, unique. Anyway, I walked
over to the door and opened it. There stood Jitterro, hovering on her riding
star, Twinkling Nimbus. "Come on, Tyrn," she called. I stepped carefully onto
the star. My wings cannot fly me very quickly, so I had to ride the star. We
flew downwards to the Lost Desert. After giving the Fruit Machine a spin and
visiting Coltzan, we headed to Mystery Island.
"Jitterro," I asked her, "didn't you used to have a bunch of glass roses?"
"Yes," she replied, "but I sold them."
"Why in the world would you do that?! They're so rare now, and I'd do anything
for a bundle. They look like crystals!"
"Tyrn, you're always coveting things. You really need to take some time to
enjoy what you have, rather than want other things. You have a beautiful Faerieland
cloud house--"
"It's only got one room and a carpet."
"A wonderful Floud--"
"You're not the one who bought it!"
"At least 100,000 NP--"
"It took almost a year to reach that amount! At this rate, we could afford
a fire and ice blade when you're 25, and by then it may not be there anymore!"
"For goodness sake, Tyrnyp! You're worse than I am! Is there anything you
can't find a negative part for?"
I couldn't think of anything. Jitterro sighed in exasperation. "One day, Tyrnyp.
One day, you will find something. And then I hope you won't spend your time
complaining."
A month later, spring had sprung, and rains had too. It was now constantly
raining in Neopia. I spent days in Jitterro's home gazing out the window. I
love the sound of rain pattering against the glass.
Glass… that's how it all began.
Jitterro came in one night, pointing excitedly at a paper. It was time for
the annual ritual of worship on Mystery Island. She was ecstatic about it, and
I don't know why, but maybe it's because of her love of the place. She told
me to find some pieces of glass. I obeyed, so I went around Neopia, picking
up shards of the stuff gingerly. I came home with a bucket of glass and several
cuts. I watched and put antibiotics on the cuts while Jitterro melted the glass
shards.
She shaped the molten glass into a beautiful bird, then handed it to me. "Please
take this to Mystery Island. I've got some chores, so I'll get there in an hour
or so. Go on now."
Grumbling, I headed to the Isle. Several people and pets were there, already
paying respects to this Pango character. I had only seen his powers once, when
Jitterro let him mix up a cup of hot borovan. Silly Bloopuf. She's always marveling
over cooking recipes. I set the glass bird on a stand and waited.
"BOO!"
After jumping up about 4 feet in the air, I turned to see Jitterro's brother's
pet, Razeranova. He was a very mean red Gelert. Obviously pleased at my jump
of surprise, he began to poke me in a very aggravating way. "Dad says I can
do anything I want to you," he laughed, still poking. "It's because you're just
a girl!"
I angrily smacked his paw away. "He's not your dad, just your owner! He doesn't
look anything like you, and you don't look anything like him! Why do you call
him your dad? And I really hate it when you call me 'just a-"
I never quite got to finishing my sentence. Razer had grabbed the glass bird
and was now playing around with it. "Stop it!" I yelled. Jitterro will have
a fit if you-"
CRASH.
Razer dropped the bird, and it shattered right away. Suddenly overcome with
hot anger and cold fear, I gave the Gelert a hard slap, causing his face to
go even redder than usual. He ran off, crying loud, pathetic baby tears. But
I had no time to yell something to him. Horrified, I bent over the broken bird.
I desperately shoveled the pieces together, hoping that by some miracle, they
would reassemble before Jitterro came... but no avail. Realizing that the bird
was permanently damaged, and that Jitterro would surely eat me for breakfast,
I began to sob. Several pets turned around and curiously looked at me. They
were all holding unbroken gifts; wooden animals, necklaces with semi-precious
stones, large, hand-painted masks. Tears blurring my vision, I ran into the
Tiki-Tack shop. Suddenly getting an idea, I bought the most colorful pot available
and scooped the glass in. Knowing how pathetic this idea was and how silly I
would look, I nevertheless brushed away my tears hastily and got in line. Jitterro
had arrived.
"Here I am! Where's the bird, Tyrn?"
"Er…"
"You didn't lose it, did you?" She suddenly looked worried.
"No… not really."
"What do you mean, 'not really'? What happened?"
"Oh, Jitterro, it was all Razer's fault! He came and broke it!"
"Oh no."
"It's true! And I know you're going to be furious, and that you'll eat me
for breakfast now, and I'm SORRY!"
Jitterro looked very sad and a little frustrated, but she smiled. "I forgive
you, Tyrn. Anyways, the glass is colorful and really pretty. You should give
it to Pango. He might like it."
"Really?"
"Yes!"
"You're not mad?"
"Oh, maybe a bit, but it doesn't matter."
I gave her a hug, then proceeded in line. Unfortunately, Razer was in front
of me, carrying an immense carved mask with painted scenes. He jeered at me
and compared the size of my glass-filled pot to the giant mask. When I reached
the altar, I placed the pot on and bowed. It all happened so fast; Something
kicked me in the rear, then there was a smash and people yelling. When I looked
up, the line was in chaos. The pot had been broken by Razer, who kept laughing
his head off. Glass was sprinkling all over the grassy island. The Cooking Pot
and the Sacrifice Statue were both rattling. I was terrified. Had I angered
Pango? I immediately burst into tears. I began yelling to the sky, "Everything
is just ruined! Nothing ever goes right in my life! First Jitterro's bird broke,
and now this! I hate everything!"
What happened next was incredible.
The entire island glowed. The Cooking Pot glowed, the Statue glowed, and the
grass glowed. And then…
Beautiful glass buds sprouted up, which, in turn, became marvelous Glass Roses.
Everyone except Razer cheered and began picking as many roses as they could,
filling baskets and baskets of them. It turned out that Pango had caused every
glass shard to become a Glass Rose Seed. It seemed to have been triggered by
my complaining.
So after that, I realized that not everything turns out for the worst or has
a bad side. I felt better about life and what I had. Now I don't long constantly
for the life of a millionaire's pet, or stand in front of shop windows, marveling
at toys and rare items. You could say that I've learned a lot about the material
parts of life. Now, who wants to come with me to see the Hidden Tower? | 
