The Vacation Fund

by chibiakki

"Chibi! Come quick! Something awful has happened!" The phone hung up before I got a chance to respond.

I sighed. My friend, known commonly in the area as Lil Brit, had called again, probably something to do with her new pet Kacheek, who she'd named Lady Fluffy-tail. Ever since getting that pet, she'd called me nonstop with questions about how to raise it, what to feed it, how to groom it . . . I swear, if I didn't have two pets of my own to take care of, I'd be raising Lady Fluffy-tail myself!

Still, even though her constant questions sometimes irritated me, I couldn't turn down a friend in need. Calling my pets, Cyber18 the Lupe and Pappara the Shoyru, we set off for Lil Brit's house. When we got there, we found the door unlocked, and so walked straight in. Lil Brit was in the living room, pacing back and forth, every so often glancing at a huddled mass in the corner. She looked up when she saw us all come in, and she ran straight over to me.

"Oh, Chibi, I'm so glad you came! I really need your help!"

I raised an eyebrow. "What with?"

She pointed at the shaking lump in the corner of the room, and I cautiously approached it. I was half afraid it was going to be some horrible mutant that had invaded Lil Brit's house, but it was no such thing. In fact, all it was was a very frightened yellow Poogle.

I looked back at Lil Brit and smiled. "What? Haven't you ever seen a Poogle before?"

She glared at me. "That's not the point!" she almost shouted. "That's Lady Fluffy-tail!"

I was confused. "But I thought Lady Fluffy-tail was a red Kacheek, not a yellow Poogle like this one." I reached over and patted the cowering Poogle, trying to calm it down a bit.

Lil Brit sat down on her couch and sighed. "She was. I was playing a game of Solitaire when I won a really cool Poogle toy afterwards. I was going to send it to you, because I know you collect stuffed animals, but I decided to let Lady Fluffy-tail play with it a bit first. She touched it, and then it turned her into this." She buried her face in her hands.

I thought for a second, and then I understood what had happened. Wanting to talk to Lil Brit alone, I turned to Cyber18 and Pappara. "Can you guys keep Lady Fluffy-tail busy for a while?" I asked them. "I need to talk with Lil Brit, and I think Lady Fluffy-tail needs to cheer up a bit." Understanding as always, they nodded, and went off in the corner to talk to the huddling now-Poogle.

Lil Brit got the hint and followed me outside, where we started to talk.

"The toy you won must have been a Magical toy," I explained. "I've heard of them. If your pet plays with one, it'll transform into the same kind of pet as the toy. That's why Lady Fluffy-tail is now a yellow Poogle."

"Is there any way to change her back?" asked my friend. "I tried taking her to the Healing Springs, but the Water Faerie said she couldn't heal something like that."

I shook my head. "No, you can't do that at the Healing Springs. There are Potions that can change what kind of pet you have, but they're usually expensive."

At that moment, a shadowy figure stepped out in front of us. His face was mostly hidden by a high-collared trench coat, but I got the impression that I should avoid him. I tried to steer Lil Brit aside, but he started to speak.

"Having some troubles with your pet, are you?" he asked in a thick deep voice. Lil Brit said nothing, and I narrowed my eyes. Where had I heard that voice before? "I have just the thing that can change your pet back into a Kacheek." He reached into his trench coat and pulled out a greenish Potion in a bottle. "It's a Kacheek Transmogrification Potion. Just let your pet drink it, and it'll be a Kacheek again soon." He thrust the bottle into Lil Brit's hands, then vanished back into the shadows before either of us could say anything.

Lil Brit's face lit up as she stared at the Potion she held. "I can't believe it! This is great! Now I can change Lady Fluffy-tail back into a Kacheek!" She turned and started to run home.

Now I knew where I'd heard that voice before. It was on the news on TV. The voice was of the same man who'd been handing out Potions that turned pets into mutants. It was Dr. Sloth!

I chased after Lil Brit at top speed, arriving back at her house just as she was about to get Lady Fluffy-tail to drink the foul-smelling Potion. "STOP!" I cried at the top of my lungs. Lil Brit looked up at me in shock, the bottle held tilted over the yellow Poogle. "Don't give her that Potion!"

"Why not?" she demanded. "Lady Fluffy-tail needs to become a Kacheek again."

I caught my breath, and started to talk. "That Potion was from Dr. Sloth. He's evil, haven't you heard? If you give that Potion to Lady Fluffy-tail, she'll turn into a mutant Kacheek, just like the ones that have been plaguing Neopia lately."

As the information registered, Lil Brit's face fell, and she burst into tears. "Then what am I going to do?" she cried, and Lady Fluffy-tail started cowering in the corner again. Cyber18 and Pappara once again fell about trying to cheer her up.

I patted Lil Brit's shoulder. "Just wait until tomorrow. I'll think of something."

***

I looked on the Shop Wizard that night for a Potion that can change Lady Fluffy-tail back into a red Kacheek. Sadly, the cheapest one I could find was almost 20,000 NP. I didn't have that kind of money on me! Unless....

I had been saving up all my spare money to send Cyber18 and Pappara to the Neolodge for two weeks while I went on vacation in the summer. I probably had about 19,000 in there right now, and it had taken me months to save up that kind of money. Did I really want to spend it?

Sighing, I accessed the bank threw my computer and withdrew all the money I'd saved up. It hurt to think how much I'd have to do to get that money back in order to sent my pets to the Neolodge, but I had a friend who needed me more than anything right now. Checking the address of the store that held the cheapest Red Kacheek Morphing Potion, and set out.

***

"Where did you get that?" exclaimed Lil Brit the next morning when I showed her the Red Kacheek Morphing Potion. I didn't answer. My thoughts kept flashing back to all that NP I'd spent buying that Potion. "Are you sure this one's safe?" she asked.

I nodded. "I made sure I bought the right thing. Cost me a bundle, but it's yours."

She grew skeptical. "How much, exactly?"

I decided to be honest. "18,000 NP."

Her eyes widened. "18,000?! Where did you get that kind of money?"

Sighing, I told her about the vacation fund that I'd spent on the potion, and tears sprang into her eyes. "Oh my gosh . . ." she mumbled. "I didn't want you to spend that kind of money on me . . ."

I grinned at her. "Forget about it. It was my choice, and I did what I wanted. Now, are you going to use that Potion on her or not?"

She swallowed, and gave the Potion to Lady Fluffy-tail to drink. There was a bright flash of light, and in place of a yellow Poogle, there stood a red Kacheek, the same red Kacheek I'd known ever since I met Lil Brit. She looked herself over, checking to make sure she had the same long and fluffy tail that she was so proud of and that had given her her name, and then ran over to me and hugged my legs in thanks for what I had done.

When I saw the tears in Lady Fluffy-tail's and Lil Brit's eyes, I knew I'd done the right thing.

The End