A week before Christmas, seven days until that fateful
night where Scorchie Claus makes his way to every NeoHome across Neopia, the
one day every Neopet looks forward too. The day they all know they'll be getting
those plushies and Usukis, well...almost all.
Jacuna the Kyrii sat in front of the Christmas
tree in the NeoHome of blueberry13579, though she had no idea it was called
a Christmas tree, in fact, the little Kyrii had no idea what Christmas was,
she was just trying to figure out why there was a tree in her new home, and
why she was wearing this weird hat.
"I don't like her," Cumulo said flatly, arms
crossed and a smug pout on his face.
"Your just upset that she got a Christmas hat
and you didn't," Natt teased, smiling widely in the face of her brother's Triffin.
"Am not!" Cumulo yelled, eyeing the red, green,
and white hat Natt was wearing. Natt continued to smile, and it widened as Cumulo
burst into tears.
"Okay!" the Triffin wailed, "I feel excluded,
not wanted, aban-"
"Shut up Cumulo," Blue said, pulling Oputuk
hat off the chomby's head and tugging it over Cumulo's head...and face. "I didn't
get you, or any of the petpets a hat because they didn't come in petpet
sizes," Blue stated as Cumulo struggled to pull the oversized hat from his head.
"Besides, your red, we'll just stick a few holly bells and christmas decorations
on you and you'll make the perfect christmas tree." Blue smiled, at Cumulo as
he yanked the hat from his head.
"No thanks," he grumbled, batting the white ball,
which dangled from Blue's hat and into his face. "I like my fur the way it is."
"Good," Blue said, "Now, I'm going shopping,"
she announced, standing straight, "Talmox and Natt are coming."
"That means they're shopping for us," Cumulo
whispered, nudging Oputuk's leg. "Cumulo, your 27 inches tall, you can't whisper
and get away with it," Blue said, shaking her head, "Now I want the both of
you to watch J.C.-"
"Who's that?" Cumulo interrupted. Oputuk smacked
Cumulo across the head with his tail, causing the triffin to face plant into
the floor.
"She's talking about Jacuna, you knacker!" Oputuk
hissed.
"Why does she get a nickname?" Cumulo asked,
rubbing the back of his head, "I want one!" Cumulo protested, the pout returning
to his lips.
"How about 'A.T.'?" Blue suggested as she pulled
on her jacket and scarf.
"What does that stand for?" Cumulo asked.
"Annoying Triffin!" Talmox called as he ran out
the door, laughing hysterically along with Natt.
"Good guess Tal," Blue said, smiling as she closed
the door behind her.
Jacuna watched Blue, Talmox, and Natt leave,
laughing at one of their many jokes. She sighed heavily, blowing her annoying
bangs out of her eyes, only to have them fall back. "Do you think I'll ever
fit in Gloin?" She asked her Gremble, which stood next to her, also in deep
thought as he stared at the tree. Gloin looked at her thoughtfully. "Ger-ge-gumble-blu-erk,"
he mumbled and squeaked. "Yeah, I know they gave me a nickname, but they seem
really odd, I mean, they put trees in their Neohome and put funny looking decorations
on them."
Jacuna looked back at the Christmas tree, thinking
about how pretty it was, but how it didn't seem to fit in, just like how she
felt.
Oputuk looked at his new sister as she spoke
softly with her petpet and glanced continually at the Christmas tree they had
picked out from "Merry Mynci's Christmas Trees". Oputuk smiled at the
name, but then turned his attention back to J.C. Though the Kyrii was older
then his younger brother Talmox, she appeared shy and innocent, as though she
didn't know much about what was going on around her. Unlike Talmox, who could
crack an insult at the drop of neopoint. Though Oputuk barely knew this new
addition to his family, he felt that she was an intelligent and fun little neopet,
he just had to bring that out.
"So what should we do then?" Cumulo asked, breaking
the silence between the two. Oputuk, who had been staring at Jacuna, now turned
his attention to Cumulo.
"I think we should talk to J.C.," Oputuk said,
the cotton ball on his christmas hat swaying as he smiled.
Cumulo frowned at the suggestion and looked at
the floor. "I think she likes being alone Oputuk, let's go play Cobralls and
Ladders." Cumulo turned to leave, but was stopped by one of Oputuk's huge feet.
"It's Christmas Cumulo, at least pretend to be
merry," Oputuk smiled and walked towards his little sister. Cumulo sighed and
rolled his eyes, trudging along after Oputuk.
Oputuk sat down next to his sister and she looked
up at him as he stared at their Christmas tree, which was about his height when
he was seated.
"So do you like our tree Jay?" Oputuk asked,
looking down into the Kyrii's big brown eyes. J.C. stared at him for a moment,
before looking back at the tree, "It's pretty," she stated softly, "But I don't
understand why it's here."
She looked back to her brother, who raised his
eyebrows at the statement.
Oputuk looked back at the tree before speaking
again, "Well, you see, around this time every year, family's all over Neopia
decorate their homes with pretty lights and decorations for a holiday called
Christmas," Oputuk started, looking out the window at the softly falling snow
against the dark, star filled sky.
"Why do we celebrate this holiday?" J.C. asked,
pulling her mumbling Gremble into her lap.
Oputuk though for a moment before answering,
"Honestly Jay, I don't really know," he answered truthfully, looking at the
star which sat on the top of the tree, "But we can ask Blue when she gets home."
"I know why we celebrate this holiday," Cumulo
stated, squeezing his way through the two neopets.
Oputuk rolled his eyes and spoke, "Why Cumulo?"
he asked. Cumulo cleared his throat and began smartly, "We celebrate this holiday
we call Christmas so Neopets all over Neopia can get presents!"
Cumulo's face lit up at the mention of presents.
Oputuk sighed heavily and swatted Cumulo over the head with a candy cane which
was hanging from the Christmas tree. J.C. laughed lightly and her Gremble chuckled
oddly. "Don't listen to anything Cumulo says Jay, he's knows dung about Neopia
and what goes on in it." Oputuk shoved the dazed triffin behind them.
"As visions of sugar plum chias danced in their
heads!" Cumulo drawled before passing out. J.C. giggled again and smiled at
her brother.
Oputuk was happy to see his little sister smiling,
even if it was at Cumulo acting stupid. "I guess I could give you the meaning
of Christmas in our family," Oputuk suggested, looking thoughtfully at the holly
wreath which hung in the center of the window. "What we do basically, is first,
we decorate our whole home with a bunch of colorful lights and decorations.
Then, we go out and get one of these trees you see in front of you," Oputuk
indicated the bright tree.
"Does it come all pretty and bright?" Jacuna
asked, squeezing her Gremble. Oputuk smiled, "No, it just comes green with those
pointy needles on it, and sometimes the odd Miamouse."
J.C. laughed loudly and smiled at her brother.
"When we get it home, I usually get the job of standing it up in it's stand,"
Oputuk nodded to the abominable snowball tree skirt, "Then we all decorate it
with pretty decorations, some of them even home made," Oputuk stood and took
a messy, but colorful decoration from near the top of the tree. "I made this
one to remember my first Christmas," Oputuk said, handing the decoration to
J.C. The Kyrii examined the decoration. It was several different colors, messily
painted on a piece of paper and stuck to a plastic ball. A picture of a young
cloud chomby sat in the middle. "That was me when I was really young," Oputuk
said, taking the ornament from his sister and hanging it back on the tree. "I
like it," she said, hugging her Gremble again.
"So after that's done," Oputuk said, sitting
down again. "We...." Oputuk continued on to tell his sister about last years
incident and Cumulo's "Snow
Daze". How they always got to eat a nice turkey dinner on the 25th of
the Month of Giving, and how they always bought presents for one another. "But
I guess the true meaning of Christmas is spending time with your family and
getting to know them better. Well, that's what I've always thought was special."
Oputuk finished and looked down at his sister. She was looking once again at
the Christmas tree, deep in thought.
Jacuna now felt she had a better understanding
of this whole Christmas thing and why there was a tree in their home. She also
felt warm and fuzzy inside, she couldn't explain it, but she felt happy that
she had such a great family to spend such a special holiday with, and that was
all she wanted for Christmas.
"Thank you Oputuk, I understand why everything
looks so pretty and bright now. And why there's a tree inside," she added, smiling.
Oputuk laughed and looked back at the tree.
"Yes Oputuk, very inspiring speech," Cumulo said
from behind them, giving a slow clap.
"Oh, be quiet Cumulo," Oputuk said, shaking his
head.
"I don't really have presents for anyone," J.C.
began, playing with her Gremble's hair as he gurgled happily.
"That's okay Jay, we're just happy to have you
around," Oputuk said, getting to his feet and yawning.
"But I have one that you might like Cumulo,"
J.C. said, setting her Gremble on the ground and standing up.
The Kyrii walked over to the little Triffin and
took her Christmas hat off and placed it on his head. Surprisingly, the hat
fit perfectly and sparkled lightly in the glow of the bright lights.
"Happy Christmas Cumulo, I hope you like it,"
J.C. said, patting Cumulo lightly on his new hat. Cumulo's lower lip trembled
fiercely, as he tryed to suppress his tears.
But he couldn't and broke down. "I love Christmas!
And I love Kyrii!" he cried, grabbing onto J.C.'s leg.
The Kyrii looked confused and looked to Oputuk
for help, "Maybe it's another one of those Dazes," Oputuk shrugged and they
both laughed until they wer in tears.
And on that night, in the warm and bright Neohome,
the meaning of Christmas was taught to one little Kyrii, who would forever be
thankful for her family, even if they were a little odd.
The End | 
