A Trip to Roo Island

by 3curlyfries

Hugo410 was a smart little Blumaroo who desperately wanted to go to Roo Island. He wasn’t sure if his owner would let him go, though it wasn’t that they didn’t have enough money, but he just wasn’t sure. “Do you think 3curlyfries would let me to go Roo Island? I never meet any Blumaroos here, ” he asked of his friend Ariel310.

“Alone?” asked Ariel310, a shy Uni, doubtfully.

“Yeah, Alone.” Hugo410 responded, maybe a little defensively.

“I don’t think so, Hugo410.” Ariel310 told him. “It's probably not safe, anyway. Someone would have to go with you.”

But Hugo410 didn’t WANT anyone to go with him. “Hey, uh, 3curlyfries?” he asked his owner, one day, while she was reading the Neopian times.

“Umm-hmm?”

“Um, what have you heard about Roo Island?”

“I don’t know much about it,” she murmured. “Look in the Neopedia.”

Uggh, thought Hugo410.

The Neopedia was a big, dusty book that sat in the library. He went to the library the next day with Ariel310... it was good not to let the younger NeoPets not know about this-and opened the Neopedia to Roo Island.

“A twice daily ferry service-and 30 NP!” Ariel310 didn’t know how much Neopoints her owner, 3curlyfries, had and it was almost the biggest amount of money she had seen in her life, except for when she was shopping.

“Where are you going to get 30 NP, Hugo410?” But he didn’t answer. “Look!” he crowed.

“The ruler is King Roo-”

“I already knew that.” Ariel310 said smugly. “And there is the Dice-A-Roo tournament, and Blumaria, and-”

“Count von Roo!” cried Ariel310. “Remember the stories?”

Oh, no. Hugo410 had forgotten the stories about Count von Roo. Once, when 3curlyfries had let Hugo410, Ariel310, Bangles210, and Thimble110 go to a hotel, the four had encountered a few, older NeoPets-a green Shoyru, Blue Blumaroo, and a Red Poogle, who were from Roo Island. They had told them stories of the mean and scary Count von Roo.

“Oh, come on,” Hugo410 scoffed. “You can’t trust NeoPets like that. They were just trying to scare us.”

“But it even has a story about him in here,” Ariel310 persisted.

Hugo410 read the short story. “I don’t care.” His tone was stubborn. “I’ll be careful.”

“OK, but just where are you going to get enough money?”

“I don’t know...” he thought for a second. “I know! We can go to the bank and tell the owner that we need to withdraw 3curlyfries’ money. I was there with her one day and she put in 50 Neopoints! That’ll be enough to go to Roo Island, come back, and eat.”

“You can’t steal her money!” gasped Ariel310. “That’s for dire emergencies!”

Hugo410 knew it wasn’t right, but he was determined to get to Roo Island. He marched out the door, and Ariel310 had no choice but to follow. He was walking toward the bank, and Ariel310 followed. She watched through the bank windows. The owner looked doubtful.

“Are you sure 3curlyfries told you to withdraw this? Why couldn’t she come herself?”

“Our sister, Thimble110, is sick,” Hugo410 lied. “She needs to stay home with her for now, and sent me out to get 50 NP to buy a Healing Potion with.”

“OK,” the owner took out 50 NP and handed it to Hugo410.

***

It was the big day. Hugo410 was really going to Roo Island! He boarded the small ferry and eagerly handed the ticket-taker 30 NP.

“Next ferry leaves back to Neopia at 3:00 PM.” the ticket-taker said in a bored voice. Hugo410 watched Neopia drift away as the ferry started to move. The only other NeoPets were a few Blumaroos, and two twin Moehogs. The ferry stopped. Hugo410 bounded off. It was almost exactly as he had pictured it. He began to walk on a path, narrowly missing a trade caravan . He had thought about this all night and decided he must see, first, King Roos’ Palace. He sprung there, on his tail.

“Wow!” he wanted someone to see. “Look at that Blumaroo!” but no one did. But look at all the Blumaroos! He had never seen so many before! He saw little Blumaroos and big Blumaroos, green and red and blue and yellow Blumaroos! And there was Roo Palace. . . he looked up at it, it in all its’ glory, and...

A big Blumaroo had come up to him. “Are you Hugo410?” he asked in a deep voice.

“Yeah.” Hugo410 felt nervous, suddenly.

“Follow me,” motioned the Blumaroo, and he walked through the gates of the palace. Hugo410 had to follow. And he found himself in front of the King!

“Hello,” said the King.

“Hello,” said Hugo410. “Um, sire.”

“Little Hugo410,” said the King. “Do you know what a telephone is?”

“Yes.”

“Your owner, 3curlyfries, contacted me on it,” the King told Hugo410.

Hugo410 gasped.

“She knew you had been asking about Roo Island. When she saw 50 NP gone from her account, she knew something was wrong.”

“I...I just wanted to come for a day,” Hugo410 faltered.

“But, did you know she was planning to take you, as a surprise?”

Hugo410 gasped again.

“Here, Hugo410,” the King gave Hugo410 10 NP. “Go home.”

Dejected, and having only stayed for an hour, Hugo410 paid the 30 NP fare. A ferry was being sent on special order of the King. When he got back, Hugo410 found 3curlyfries, Thimble110, Bangles210, and Ariel310 there, at the ferry port.

“Hugo410, that was an awful thing to do!” scolded 3curlyfries. “I can’t believe you’d sneak off like that. What an example to set for your siblings.”

“I wasn’t sneaking off,” Hugo410 defended himself. “You wouldn’t have let me.”

“We were all going to go next week,” 3curlyfries told him. “But now, you’ll be staying home.”

“What?” cried Hugo410, aghast.

“And Ariel310-” 3curlyfries turned to the Uni. “You won’t be going either. You should have told me your brother was doing something so unsafe.”

“UNSAFE?” yelped Ariel310.

“Count von Roo could have eaten you guys!” 3curlyfries was very angry, Hugo410 could tell. "You should have read about the place before you traveled there by yourself."

The End