The Perfect Gift

by hylio

Mochaen the purple Peophin was wandering through Neopia Central, wondering what kind of gift he could give to his wonderful owner, hylio, since it was nearing her birthday soon. He loved his owner so much, she had rescued him from the pound, given him a pet, and painted him, and loved him much more than his old owner ever could have loved him.

So what gift could he possibly give that would truly convey how much he loved her?

He didn't know, so he wandered around aimlessly for a little more time. Finally he decided to ask some of the shop owners what they thought he could get her.

First he went to the toy shop, since his owner bought him and his siblings many gifts from there. He walked in and a little bell rang, startling him, since he had never been there before. The red Lupe owner of the store came bustling to the front of the shop and smiled a fake smile at him.

"How may I help you?" she asked.

Still a little startled from the shrill ringing of the bell, Mochaen nodded and said,"I am looking for the perfect gift for my owner. Perhaps you know her?" The store owner nodded, and replied, "I might. Describe her," but looked as if she could care less.

"Well, she's quite tall, has long brown hair and green eyes, comes here often, like to haggle, usually really quiet," Mochaen described. The store owner Lupe thought for a moment and replied," I don't think I can remember anyone like that around here. Now are you going to buy anything?" Mochaen shook his head and left quickly. It was obvious she wouldn't help him.

He then walked over to the magic shop, one of the other places his owner stopped at often. He opened the door this time, expecting a little bell to ring, but nothing happened this time. With a little sigh of relief, he stepped inside. Upon his stepping inside, a little burst of fireworks lit up the room. He nearly fainted!

Kauvara then rushed in, also coming from the back of the shop, and helping Mochaen rise after he fell but didn't quite faint.

"Can I help you?" she asked, chuckling softly to herself as she watched Mochaen support himself by leaning against the wall.

"I've been searching for the perfect gift for my owner, and I was wondering if you might be able to help me. She stops here often, you might know her?" Mochaen replied, still a little dizzy.

"I probably remember her, I never forget a face. Describe her," Kauvara said, more good natured than the toy shop owner and smiling sincerely.

" Well, she's pretty tall, she has long brown hair and green eyes, she comes here a lot, she likes to haggle"-here Kauvara chuckled again- "she's really quiet, kind of shy"-and here he added something he hadn't said before-"and she kind of blends into the shadows," Mochaen replied.

Kauvara thought a moment, and she remembered back to a time, about a month ago, a girl looking and acting exactly as Mochaen described, when the restock crowds rushed in, just as she was grabbing a light Faerie from a high shelf, someone pushed her and took the Faerie from her hands for himself. Kauvara remembered wanting to shout at the customer to give back the girl her Faerie but by then the girl had already gone out of the shop. Kauvara shook her head and the reverie disappeared from her mind, but she still could remember the look on that girl's face, she looked friendless and rejected, and Kauvara had a feeling she didn't really feel that way because she had lost the light Faerie "Tell me, does your owner have many Neofriends?" Kauvara asked. Mochaen thought for a bit.

"Yes, quite a few, but only one she keeps a regular correspondence with," Mochaen replied, wondering what Kauvara was getting at.

"Have you ever thought she might want something such as..........friendship as a gift?" Kauvara suggested. Mochaen looked thoughtful.

"Hey, I think that would be a great gift! But how could I give her a gift like friendship?" he asked.

"Well....."-Kauvara stopped to think for a moment-"...why not throw a surprise birthday party for her and invite all of the people on her Neofriends list?" Kauvara suggested," I could help you and her other pets organize it." Mochaen grinned.

"Great! I love it! Can we start sending invitations today?" Mochaen said excitedly.

"Okay, I'll just close up the shop early today," Kauvara said, putting a closed sign up just as the restock rush people came bounding to the store. She motioned to Mochaen to follow her and they left, going out the back door.

"Now, where do you live?" Kauvara asked.

"Just follow me," Mochaen said, beginning the short trek to his family's tiny cottage. In moments they had reached the cottage. Luckily, Mochaen's owner was not home. Mochaen let Kauvara in and they went to the small living room, where Malathar15, PEACHY1991, and Songello, her other pets, were lounging on the couch, sprawled on the floor, and watching TV Mochaen said 'Hello' to them and led Kauvara to the kitchen, where he quickly typed in the password on the little laptop computer sitting on the counter and brought up the list of his owner, hylio's, Neofriends. Kauvara let out a slow whistle.

"That's a pretty long list...and you say only one of them keeps up a steady correspondence with your owner?" Kauvara said. Mochaen nodded.

"Yep," he said.

"Okay, I suppose we should send a Neomail to everyone on the list telling them who the party is for, when, and why to come," Mochaen mused.

"Yes, I think that should do it," Kauvara replied," I will compose the message and send it to all her Neofriends." Mochaen handed the little laptop to Kauvara, who then began the message with 'Dear Friends' and ended it with 'Yours sincerely, Kauvara & Mochaen.'

Just about then, Malathar15, PEACHY1991, and Songello wandered in.

"What are you guys doing?" Malathar asked Mochaen.

"Well, we are planning a surprise birthday party for hylio......"began Mochaen. Then he went on and told them all about their idea.

"Can we help?" asked Songello excitedly.

"Of course," Kauvara replied. And so was the afternoon spent by the four pets and Kauvara.

At the Birthday Party on March 18th....

Mochaen couldn't help but grin as he and his owner hylio walked up the path to their cottage. It was the day of his owner's party, and they were going to it now after a few hours at Neopia Central. Mochaen couldn't wait to see the look on his owner's face as he opened the door and flipped the light switch on...........

"SURPRISE!!!!!!!" everyone said in unison, jumping off from behind furniture and other rooms in the cottage. Hylio was speechless.

"Oh my......well......what can I say? Who arranged this?" hylio asked, looking around. Mochaen tugged on her shirt sleeve.

"It was me, Malathar, Peachy, Songello, and Kauvara," Mochaen said, smiling up at his owner's face. Hylio leaned down to the ground and hugged all four of her pets and even Kauvara, tears of happiness streaming down her face.

The party was a success. Hylio became much better friends with all the people on her Neofriends list, and as a result now isn't so quiet. Mochaen and her other pets are all really happy for her, and so is Kauvara.

The moral of this story is: The best gift you can give is the gift of friendship.

The End

Author's note: This story isn't the least bit true, I just used myself and my pets, and Kauvara, as characters for the story.