Going Home

by Muas

It may be hard to believe, but it does rain in Neopia. I can attest to that, since right now I'm running through these awful pelting drops just to price a few measly omelettes, with the help of the Shop Wizard.

The Shop Wizard is a few miles away, but my owner has figured that it will only take me a few minutes to get there, being so quick on the wings and all. He outfitted me with a shawl, a very light shawl with no hood, and told me to be careful - then he sent me out into this horrible mess. How am I supposed to see where I am going? I'm wondering right now; as I run, I decide that I can't stand this, and I'm going to take a Uni Taxi if it's the last thing I do.

I dig in the pockets of the shawl for some NP - he always forgets a few; I find 12, just enough for a two-mile ride and a tip.

Whistling in the dark and pounding rain, I summon an angel-white Uni bearing a saddle that says Uni Taxis, Inc. - for all your travel needs. Her name is Heddi, she says as I get on; I remark that my owner's name is Iddeh, which is her name backward. Remarkable coincidence.

On the way, we don't talk much, as I am concentrating on keeping these omelettes from slipping out of the shawl's pocket, and Heddi is trying to navigate her way through the ash-colored world that, just a few hours ago, was a bright and shining, happy, optimistic land.

"Here you are," she says, smiling brightly, and I get off, giving her a six-NP tip. Three NP more than my owner has taught me, but for this ride, a doubling of a tip is the least I could do.

The Shop Wizard's tent was long ago outfitted with rain-proof fabric; it's blowing, whipping darkly in the wind, but there's no danger of it blowing away and leaving the Jubjub all alone. Shoving my front hands in my pockets and wrapping my shining red wings around me, I head for the Wizard's blue and yellow tent. Nobody is in line, thankfully, since no other owner is crazy enough to send his or her pet out at a time like this, but the Wizard is still inside, lighting a candle and peering into the darkness, waiting for just one customer so he can have company, if only for a little while.

I am his company now, I see. His face lights up adorably when he spots me moving towards the rain, but soon it turns to concern as he hustles me inside to the warmth of his tent. "You must be freezing, little Shoyru," he says to me softly.

"I am," I reply. "My owner wishes to price some of these omelettes."

He takes the warm bundles from me and looks at each one. "A tomato; a sausage; a black olive; and a green pepper," he says. "Wait, make that two green peppers. Let's see." He closes his eyes for a moment, and when he opens them, he knows the prices of each. "Tomato - cheapest is 20; sausage - cheapest is 15; black olive - cheapest is 25; green peppers, cheapest is 30."

"So I should tell him to sell for 15, 10, 20, and 25 respectively?" I ask, uncertain.

"Yes, you might be able to squeak by with 28 for the green peppers."

"Oh. Well, thanks," I say, shaking his hand and inhaling one last whiff of the Wizard's beautifully scented tent. "Nice visiting you."

Now I must face that wind again, and the hail and stinging droplets; I have used all my NP on the first Uni Taxi, I realise.

Thinking of fighting my way through three miles of unrelenting storm makes me break down and cry. I cannot understand why Iddeh would want me doing this; nor why he wants me fighting my friends in the Battledome or risking my life hunting down captured faeries. My other friends have owners who spend NP on them, like Neopia is supposed to be; they can do what they want to do and their owners wouldn't dare think of endangering them.

No one can hear my pitiful sobs in the wind. I guess I’m grateful for that, but it also means no one will help.

I decide to spend the night under the shade of the welcoming Money Tree. That’s where all pets go when they can’t get home or won’t go home.

I find a spot in one of the tree’s branches, enclosing my Shoyru wings about me and trying to drift off into sleep.

My dream is one I’ve had many times before. It’s not actually a dream; it’s a memory, as real as life, from a few days after I was born.

My first owner, Jakelyn, is playing with me. She always did what she could to help me, and genuinely cared, but she was so poor that she couldn’t do much. But right now we are blissfully happy, just as if we were rich, because we have each other.

Flash forward six weeks, and Jake is sobbing, crying, hugging me; telling me she’ll come back for me, she’s just too poor right now; finally letting the adoption people take me away.

The dream stops there, but my life didn’t. I heard Jake won the lottery, and the day after, she sent me a note telling me she was coming on Friday, along with a new sister for me, a blue Shoyru, named AllyOop. But my current owner adopted me before then, and forced me to come with him. I’d tried to blot out my happiness with Jake because I would just get depressed that I could be with somebody who loved me, but this dream kept coming back…

I am jerked awake by the sound of some brash human, yelling, "Whoever wants it, come an’ get it!"

What does he have? I wonder, peering through the branches. It has stopped raining, but the tree is still wet.

He’s holding up a pink Poogle, who is sobbing; six scooters; two red bicycles; and a bag full of money.

"I’m selling my account," he shouts into the wind. "You’ll get a limited-edition Poogle, six scooters, two bikes, and 200,000 NP!"

The poor Poogle, I think. I should do something.

Before any humans can claim these prizes, I swoop down and say, "I will take it all."

"You?" the man laughs. "You’re a pet!"

"So?" I ask.

He grins. "Fine, then. Take it. But you’ll have to take care of this whiny brat." He sets the Poogle on the ground, and she immediately wraps me in a hug.

"Thank you, thank you," she keeps repeating. "Thank you so much."

He drops the goodies on the ground, and I scoop all of the NP up. In the next half-hour, I donate three of the scooters and one of the bicycles, and 50,000 NP in 200-NP installments.

The Poogle sticks close by, asking me what I’m going to do with her. Her name is Delli, she informs me.

Iddeh has four pets already - me, a Cybunny, and two other Poogles. They all ignore me, but they’re his pets nevertheless. He’d never take a fifth.

After the half-hour, I’ve decided. I set a bike up so Delli can ride it, bought a big bag and put the scooters and remaining 150,000 NP in it, and put the bag on my back. I feel like the human’s gift-giver, Santa Claus, but I’m not very embarrassed. I can still fly, fortunately, and lift myself up into the air.

We fly off in the direction of Faerieland - Jakelyn’s note was addressed from there. 1239 W. Cloud Avenue, Faerieland. Dearest Infiniti, I have amassed 50,000 NP from jackpots in games and many savings. This can only grow over time, not recede, so I feel optimistic. I’ve adopted another pet, AllyOop, so when I come to get you on Friday, you’ll have a lil' sister!

We find her almost immediately. There’s a Shoyru with her, AllyOop, my sister. We make introductions, and I show her my prizes. "Wow," she says, "that means that we will have over 500,000 NP! If, of course, both of you are willing to live with us."

I grin and nod. It looks like you can go home after all.

The End