The Mysterious Aisha Sorceress

The Mysterious Aisha Sorceress; she once was a normal Aisha--an Aisha named Melora. That, however, was some twenty years ago...

***

      Living life as a normal Aisha was peaceful for young Melora; albeit boring. She got bored often. She had to have tried every kind of sport and hobby that ever existed in Neopia--from cheese rolling to gormball, volley ball to deckball; from collecting seashells, stamps, and Usuki dolls to tracking down those illusive Faerie plushies.

      The trophies stood on her shelves, not dusted or glanced at for months; the dolls and plushies were thrown in her closet. Up in the attic the shells were lost somewhere; and the albums of stamps--well, apparently they all but disappeared: Melora's interest in all of them gone the moment after she acquired them.

      There didn't seem to be anything in all of Neopia that Melora found fun or interesting for too long. What was it that she wanted?

      One day, dark and cloudy, while hard at work in Melora's mundane job as a waitress (at the Old Coffee Shoppe), an old crone of a hag came staggering into the cafe. It had been raining out and she was soaked to the bone. The aging Zafara (at least she looked like a Zafara; it was hard to tell for the hooded cloak she wore) just stood there at the front door; sputtering from the cold, shaking off as many raindrops as she could. Icy water flew everywhere, sprinkling the customers and making puddles on the tiled floor. That act in itself prevented any opportunity to get any of the cafe guests or workers to feel remorse for her. But the hag didn't care. She wobbled over to a table and her stony voice asked for something warm to eat and drink.

      No one dared oblige her. She had to be a witch, and no one wished to get that close to her. Well... except Melora.

      Melora was the only one that felt sorry for the old woman. (Maybe it was because the Little Witch Usuki doll was her favorite; when she had been collecting them that is.) The Aisha fixed her hot chocolate; cooked up a warm meal; and brought her dry clothes from the backroom.

      The hag smiled faintly at Melora. "Thank you ever so much, miss. You are so kind." She thought a moment, sizing Melora up. She then said suddenly, "I am inclined to reward you. Yes." She nodded.

      Melora shook her head immediately. "Oh, no, please ma'am, I don't need to be rewarded," she insisted. "It's my job to serve the customers, regardless of who they are."

      The Zafara snorted a laugh. "Come now, do you not wish to escape this simple life of yours? Do you not wish for adventure?"

      Melora was taken aback. How did this old woman, whom she had never met till tonight, know the secret part of her heart?

      "Heh, I knew it," the hag went on. She took something out of a dirty pouch. "Take this, my dear Melora, and good luck on your coming adventures." She got up and headed for the exit.

      "But wait," Melora said. "Who are you? Where do you come from? And how do you know my name?" She kept asking question after question. But what really mystified Melora the most was how the old woman knew her name. She hadn't worn her name tag that day; it was still on the kitchen table where she left it on accident, in a hurry to get to work.

      The green Zafara turned around. From under her cloak's hood (which was suddenly dry) her eyes glowed red; and when she spoke, she sounded far too young for an old hag: "The Haunted Woods. Come visit me some time, huh, Melora?" She then vanished in the rain and darkness.

      Not knowing what to do or say, Melora looked down at the gift in her hand. It was a red jeweled necklace, its main ruby swirling with a mysterious power.

      Melora shrugged her shoulders and put the talisman on.

***

      From then on, Melora, the blue Aisha, began to change. Her fur became dark purple, her brown eyes the color of garnets--wings grew out of her back; Darigan-style wings. And she realized that she could do magic--powerful magic. She became known as Melora the Enchantress; her kindness in helping others was soon known around Neopia. Neopets flocked to her in curing illinesses, for advice, magical items, and to fight their battles.

      At first, Melora loved the attention, and she loved to aid those in need even more: There was Old Granny Beth, who couldn't leave her house anymore for her legs were weak now. Melora healed those right up. And then there was Little Millie; she had such awful allergies and could never play outside when Spring came. With Melora's new-found magic, Millie's allergies were history.

      Many offered to pay Melora for her services, and after a while she had to accept--people would hide neopoints in gift baskets, or right out on Melora's doorstep! She donated most of the neopoints to the Orphanage, so the young ones there could more quickly find better homes to live in.

      However, Melora the Enchantress found it hard to live in her quaint, small cottage in Neopia Central. (It was hardly the place to meet with kings and princesses.) So Melora used the extra money to build a grand neohome in Uni Meadows; a small mansion. Though for some reason, in that remote location, the Aisha received more quests and requests than she had in Neopia Central. Perhaps it was the lure of the mysterious Uni Meadows.

      From her new home, Melora continued to have fun and prosper with her extraordinary powers; even when she had foreboding nightmares at night where her magic would overtake her--and make her into a monster. But those were just dreams. Melora had heard two twin baby Aishas, from Maraqua, could tell the future by dreams, but that was silly; dreams were dreams, nothing more.

      However, something was happening to Melora the Enchantress that she wasn't aware of until it consumed her completely: she was getting tired of everyone coming to her for help. Couldn't they do anything for themselves? Melora never had a moment's peace to herself. Was she getting bored again? Or could it be that she hadn't truly found what she desired?

      "Sigh... is this what I really wanted in life?" Melora asked herself one day, after receiving a 'Thank You' note for getting rid of a warlord. (She was never thanked in person anymore, thank yous were sent to her by Weewoo.) "Just two years ago I was Melora the Aisha. I had genuine friends, and it was a serene existence. Now...? I've abruptly become some genie, granting endless wishes of strangers--how many? I've lost count." She went to a mirror and stared at her reflection. "This is not me. This is not what I wanted. What I had always wished for was freedom. I had it once, and now I have lost it."

      Melora decided to make the biggest decision of her life. She threw her name away, left home, and went in search of the old, green Zafara; making the lonely roads of the Haunted Woods her home. She had to give the charmed necklace back, she knew throwing it away would not solve her problems.

      Eighteen years later she has yet to find the witch, so she is still searching. You might come across her, the Mysterious Aisha Sorceress, on your travels. But beware, she's a little bitter--immense power is a lonely, sorrowful path...

The End

Thank you for reading my story.