Farewell?

by sunraygirl

I sat at the breakfast table, serving my pets their usual morning omelette. I had three pets, a female Peophin named Sunwater, a male Moehog named KewlKnight, and a female Gelert named Glerte. We had very little money, but my pets refused to eat at the soup kitchen. Their pride kept them from it, and, I'll admit, some of mine. But everyday I went to the Giant Omelette in Tyrannia and snatched a piece of it. My pets ate the omelette piece, because they said it wasn't charity.

Anyway, back to my story.

"Mmmmm! Sausage!" Sunwater squealed. "Yummy!"

Kewlknight winced. "Meat?" He was a vegetarian. After carefully removing the bits of sausage, he wolfed down his piece.

Glerte ate her omelette piece in silence. "What's wrong, hon?" I asked her.

She looked up at me and asked bluntly, "How many Neopoints do we have?"

Genuinely surprised, I answered honestly, "About 1000. Why?"

"Just asking," Glerte murmured, going back to her omelette.

As my pets ate, my mind trailed off. My parents were making me get off NeoPets because they thought I was obsessed. Should I leave my pets in my account in case I can sneak on? No, too cruel. They'll starve from hunger and loneliness. Right then, I made a decision. My thoughts were abruptly disrupted by Sunwater's voice.

"So, what are we doing today, Mama?"

I smiled. "We're having fun today."

All my pets looked up at me. "What kind?" they asked in unison.

"We're going to spend 760 NP."

All of them cheered. "Yay! Party day! Hooray!"

"What for, Mama?" Glerte yelled. "What's the celebration for?"

I patted her head. "Never you mind. Let's just concentrate on having fun today. All right?"

She nodded. "Sure!"

"OK, how about we go to an Amusement Park first?" I questioned. Screaming joyously, my pets ran off to the very first amusement park they saw. "Mama, over here!" they cried.

Laughing, I ran over to them. This would be a memorable day.

Hours later, my pets were ready to eat.

"What's for dinner?" Kewlknight questioned. "I'm starving!"

His sisters nodded eagerly. "Us too!"

"OK Since we're going to have fun today, I'm going to treat you guys. Stay at home 'til I come back."

I went out, and came back a few minutes later. My arms were loaded with three bags.

"Ooooo!" My pets each grabbed the bag with their name on it.

Sunwater opened hers first. "Yay! A turkey dinner, spicy wings, a bitten red apple, and a lemon Chia pop for dessert!"

Kewlknight gasped as he opened his. "An organic carrot, organic red apple, a Scabu and a cactus leaf!"

Glerte squealed in delight. "A joint of ham, turkey dinner, a red apple, and a holiday slush for afterwards! Thanks a bunch, Mama!"

While my pets munched on their food, I wondered how I could break the bad news to them.

"You know," I said slowly. "I have exactly 240 NP left. Does anyone know what I could do with that money, without leaving any spares?"

My pets pondered this question.

"You could donate it," said kewlknight slowly.

"Yes, but that's not what I was thinking of."

Sunwater, who was extremely good at math, murmured, "You could disown all of us."

Glerte and Kewlknight were shocked.

"She would never do that!" Glerte cried. "What a horrid idea!"

"I agree!" exclaimed a furious Kewlknight. "She loves us too much!"

I sighed. "Dears, I love you all very much. But my parents are making me leave NeoPets, and I think the best thing to do is put you all in the pound so you all can get a terrific owner who will love you. It will be better than dying in my account."

"I knew it," Sunwater whispered sadly. "I came out of the pound only to be put back in again."

"We all were at the pound," Kewlknight pointed out. He was trying to hide his tears, but wasn't succeeding. "I had hoped I would never see that place again."

Glerte was in hysterics. "YOU HATE ME!!!" she screamed. "YOU HATE US! YOU'RE LYING!" She burst into tears.

"Oh, no. Not at all," I tried to hug her, but she pushed away. "I HATE YOU! GET AWAY FROM ME, CREEP!!!"

It was all I could do from bursting into tears myself. "Listen, you guys. I love you very, very much. But I have to do this. Wouldn't you guys love to live in a big, nice house and be fed and played with every day? It will be much better than starving with me."

Glerte ran to her room and slammed the door shut. Kewlknight sat down in my lap. Sunwater lay down next to me.

I sighed again, a long release, and started to stroke them. "Tomorrow," I murmured. "Tomorrow you will all leave me."

***

Tomorrow came all too soon. I fought to hold back my tears. My pets musn't see me like this. I called them all downstairs. "Today you will all leave me," I said. "You will have a better life."

I hugged Kewlknight and Sunwater. When I reached for Glerte, she pulled away. "Why are you hugging me good-bye?" She asked harshly, squaring her shoulders.

I braced myself for her cruel words.

"I'm staying here."

I stared at her, shocked. "What?"

"I'm staying here," she repeated. "You can't make me go! There's no way I'm leaving you. I don't care if I starve. I can take it!" She faced me boldly.

I looked at her for a long time. "Okay," I said finally. "You can stay."

I turned to the other two. "I can go to the pound," Sunwater whispered. Kewlknight nodded. "Someone may need me."

I sighed and took out 160 Neopoints "Okay, you three. Let's visit the pound."

The trip there was the longest I have ever taken in my life. It seemed to take forever, but we finally made it.

I handed 160 Neopoints to Dr_Death. "Here's 160 for these two." I pointed to Kewlknight and Sunwater. "Just hang on a minute."

I pulled them away for a second. "Be good pets for your new owner, okay? And be nice to your new brothers and sisters." I hugged them tightly. "I'll never forget you two." Tears streamed down my face and theirs. "C'mon."

I put them both in the same cage. "Good-bye. I love you." I slowly closed the cage. Sunwater sobbed openly. So did Kewlknight. I knew it was hard for them.

"I'll love you forever," I whispered.

The End

Author's Note: This is a true story. I'm back on NeoPets, and Glerte is still with me. Kewlknight and Sunwater have found loving homes. I'll never forget my experience, and I hope I never have to be in that situation again. Thanks for reading my story!