Time Tourists

      “Shrieky!” called a white Grundo as he ran toward her. “Guess what?”

      “IQ, did you finish rebuilding your neohome in nonflammable material this time?” she guessed.

      “No, but that experiment would have worked if you hadn’t stopped me,” he replied. “Anyway, look at my newest invention,” he said as he revealed a blue slorg calculator.

      “Someone else has already invented it,” Shrieky commented.

      “I have modified it,” said IQ proudly. “It will allow us to travel through time. Imagine what we can learn about history. I think we should test it.”

      “Time travel sounds dangerous, but I can’t pass up an opportunity like this,” she replied. “It is just like a book that I read last week.”

      “Great! Now first we have to head toward the Lost Desert,” he said as he climbed onto her back.

      “Why?”

      “I want to see what Sakhmet was like before it was discovered by the rest of Neopia.”

      With IQ on her back, Shrieky flew toward the Lost Desert and Sakhmet. It took only a couple of hours for her to cross the Endless Plains and the Haunted Woods. Soon the two pets were approaching the city.

      “Wait, Shrieky!” warned IQ, “land a safe distance away. When we go back in time we don’t want to draw attention by appearing out of thin air.”

      “Okay,” she agreed as she landed on the soft sand. “How does it work?”

      “First you turn it on. Next you type the number of the month. Then you add it to the day and the year. After that you press the equal sign,” he said as he pressed the final button.

      Immediately, the calculator glowed bright blue. Then the two pets felt as if something was pulling them backward and saw a dazzling swirl of rainbow colors. The sensation was soon over as suddenly as it began.

      “Did it work?” asked Shrieky.

      “Only one way to find out,” replied IQ as he walked toward Sakhmet.

      Soon the two neopets entered the city. Sakhmet hadn’t changed much over the years. The only differences were that it was less crowded and there was not an owner in sight.

      “I think this might have been a waste of time,” remarked Shrieky.

      “We have to explore more of the city.”

      Suddenly a young sandy colored Lupe ran into the two pets. “Sorry,” he apologized as he hid behind a nearby barrel. “You didn’t see me.”

      Several Elephante guards were running through the street. “Did you two see a young Lupe?”

      “No,” answered IQ.

      “If you see him, let us know,” said one of the guards as they continued their search.

     A couple of minutes later the Lupe edged out of hiding. “Thank you.”

     “Did you steal something?” asked Shrieky skeptically.

     “No,” he replied. “My parents hired them to watch me, but I find them annoying and overprotective. You two don’t look like you are from here. I could show you around.”

     “That sounds like a good idea. My name is IQ, and the Eyrie is Shrieky.”

     “You can call me Colt,” said the Lupe.

     Colt showed them the best stands in the market place. IQ bought a couple of ancient scrolls and Shrieky purchased a pair of golden earrings. He also introduced them to several games including Geos and Scarab 21. By late afternoon the trio had settled down and was enjoying some juicy ummagines.

     “This has been a great day,” remarked Shrieky.

     “This was the best day of my life,” agreed Colt.

     “It is time to come home, Prince Coltzan,” said a gruff voice from behind them. The trio turned their heads toward the voice and saw a dozen Elephante guards. “Your parents will be very angry.”

     “You are King Coltzan the Third!” shouted IQ in surprise.

     “Prince Coltzan,” the Lupe corrected grimly. “These two neopets protected me and I would like them to stay the night at the palace.”

     “We will see your parents and see what they think,” said the head guard. The guards escorted the trio to the palace and into the throne room. At the end of the room sat two desert neopets, a Lupe and a Wocky.

     “Son, leaving the grounds is not safe,” scolded the Lupe.

     “Father, I was bored and I didn’t have any friends, until now,” replied Colt as he grinned at Shrieky and IQ.

     “Who are your new friends?” asked the wocky who was clearly his mother.

     “This is Shrieky and IQ. They are travelers from a distant land and I was wondering if they could stay the night.”

     “Very well,” answered the King. “Ardin,” he said as he pointed to a Ruki servant, “will show you to your rooms. Dinner is at six.”

     Soon the two neopets settled into their lavish rooms. In no time at all, they joined the royal family for dinner. It was a feast like no other. They ate every kind of food that could be found in the Lost Desert from grackle bugs to tchea fruit. Later they went to bed and enjoyed a good night's sleep.

     “Wake up!” demanded a guard.

     “Why?” questioned Shrieky.

     “It is urgent,” replied the guard as he escorted them back to the throne room.

     “Our son is missing,” said the Queen.

     “Did he run away?” asked IQ.

     “No, we found a ransom note,” replied the King. “I am sorry, but we need you to leave the palace so we can conduct a proper search. However, do not leave the city.”

     Soon the two neopets were back in the Sakhmet market. “We should find a deserted alley so we can go back home,” said IQ.

     “What?” demanded Shrieky. “Colt is our friend. We have to help him!”

     “We can not risk altering history.”

     “I do not care!”

     “We do not even know where to start looking.”

     “Perhaps I can help you,” suggested a new voice.

     “Who are you?” asked IQ.

     Suddenly, a tan colored Kyrii stepped out of the shadows. “My name is Wessle,” he replied. “Living on the bad side of town, I hear things.”

     “How do we know that we can trust you?” asked Shrieky.

     “The royal family does a lot for the poor. I want to make sure that nothing happens to their heir.”

     “Bring us to the kidnappers,” said IQ.

     Wessle soon led them through the streets of Sakhmet to a less crowded street. “This is it,” he said, pointing to a house on their right. “The kidnappers are a desert Scorchio named Ekig and a Ruki servant called Ardin.”

     “We met that Ruki yesterday,” growled Shrieky.

     “Be quiet,” instructed Wessle as he picked the door’s lock. Soon the three neopets were tiptoeing into the house and up the stairs.

     “Don’t worry, my little prince,” taunted Ekig. “We will return you to your home after your parents give us thirty million neopoints.”

     “Shrieky and I will distract them,” whispered IQ. “Wessle, can you untie the prince and get him out of here?”

     “Easy,” replied Wessle.

     “Ardin, I think you will lose your job at the palace,” remarked Shrieky as she charged at him. Ardin was caught by surprise and was hurled into the wall. Ekig quickly spat fireballs toward Shrieky. She quickly dodged it, even though some of the fur on her shoulder got burned. Then IQ jumped out of hiding and onto Ekig’s back. The Scorchio couldn’t handle the extra weight and fell to the ground with a loud thud. Ardin then yanked IQ off of Ekig and threw him at Shrieky. Ekig got up and the two kidnappers advanced toward the two pets.

     Suddenly a red blast of light hit Ardin and Ekig and then a pair of sticky hands grabbed them. Shrieky and IQ turned to see Colt holding a red gem and Wessle holding the other sides of the sticky hands. Wessle quickly tied Ardin and Ekig together on the floor. “I invented this gem,” explained Colt. “It might be weak, but it is also small and portable. Thank you for rescuing me.”

     “No problem,” replied IQ, “and this is Wessle. He helped us find you.”

     “Nice to meet you, Wessle. When we return to the palace I will tell the guards where to find these kidnappers. Wessle, I would like you to come with us.”

     “Thank you, Prince Coltzan,” said Wessle.

     “You can call me Colt.”

     “Colt, I am sorry, but IQ and I have to head back home,” said Shrieky sadly.

     “Wessle and I will walk with you to the city gates,” he replied. Soon the four pets were at the edge of Sakhmet. “Please visit again sometime.”

     “We will,” promised IQ as he climbed onto Shrieky’s back. Then Shrieky flew up into the sky and away form Sakhmet. When they were a safe distance away IQ activated the calculator and they arrived back at the present. However, both pets would return to the past frequently to visit their good friend.

The End