The Merry Go Round Revealed

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As soon as we set foot onto Roo Island, we instantly felt a sense of calmness come upon us, as we could hear the gentle waves crashing by the coast. The villagers greeted us politely and with welcome arms and though the slightly sinister presence of Count Von Roo was nearby the ride, the charm of Roo Island overwhelmed this greatly and we soon found ourselves in front of the well-known ride.

The ride, we noticed, was not so big, or glamorous, but its slightly miniature stature added to its distinctive feel of nostalgia which every Neopian adores. Each wooden Uni was carefully crafted, and each painted in their own special colour: airy and light cloud, radiant sunshine yellow, fresh and wild green, rich and lovely pink, and a mysterious deep shadow. Atop the Unis was a bright fuchsia pink roof, and atop this was a large wooden blue Blumaroo head on it, which I assume shows allegiance to King Roo, the king of the Island. It also had five well-polished golden poles, each with a red flag, fluttering proudly in the breeze.

The yellow Blumaroo operator of the ride, wearing a straw hat, red bow, and a striped vest rushed to us and with a warm smile, and proclaimed his memorable speech, ‘Roll Up! Roll Up! Enjoy a ride on Roo Island's world famous Merry Go Round! Sit atop a hand painted wooden Uni and relax as you spin round and round to beautiful Merry Go Round sounds. Just 50 NP a go. What are you waiting for?’

Instantly drawn in by the magic of the ride, Distantte hopped upon it excitedly and quickly, and the enchanting twinkle of music and the soft, nodding movement of the ride to the music’s rhythm left Distantte with a delightful beam.

To Distantte’s disappointment, when the ride finished, the Operator trotted up to Distantte, saying with his almost trademark smile, ‘I hope you enjoyed your ride, come again soon! The Roo Island Merry Go Round is always open for business. Why don't you try a night time spin? It really is quite lovely watching the stars as you whirl around.’

Distantte jumped off the ride, paid the Operator the 50 Neopoints, and requested the Operator to do an interview with us about his ride treasured by many. I told Distantte off for being so rash, but the Operator pondered for a moment, and agreed on the condition that it would not cause too much of an inconvenience to the other riders!

So now, Neopian Times reader, I present to you an exclusive interview with the Blumaroo Operator!

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Simplesmile: Many thanks again for agreeing to do this interview.

Blumaroo: My pleasure. I’d be more than happy to do this if this would attract more happy customers. And call me Merry - I think Blumaroo Operator is a bit too much of a mouthful to say all the time, and that is actually my name.

Distantte: Okay... Mr Merry. Is that okay? Well, I noticed that your name is similar to the ride’s name. Is there any connection there?

Merry: Actually, there is. Many Neopians who ride on the Merry Go Round address me as the ‘Blumaroo Operator’, and as I said earlier, I think it is sometimes a mouthful to say, so I adopted part of the name of the ride and thus my name is now ‘Merry’.

Simplesmile: Oh, I see. So can you tell us how the Merry Go Round was created?

Merry: Yes, I remember its beginnings like it was just yesterday. Well, when King Roo was younger, he was a very bored Blumaroo, and requested a fairground ride to be built for him and others to enjoy. Therefore, I suggested that the king would make a Merry Go Round, and he was so pleased by my idea that he asked me to look after it! That is why you can see his face on the top of the ride, as it is actually property of the king, just like everything else on the Island – well, maybe except for the resting place of Count Von Roo.

Simplesmile: Speaking of the count, is he one of your regular visitors?

Merry: [Laughs] Certainly not! When I do talk to him occasionally when he’s awake, and when I’m on a break from my operating duties at night, I do sometimes ask him to come to the Merry Go Round now and again, but he always replies with the same answer: 'I do not wish to involve myself in your trivial amusements!' And besides, he himself said he would scare everyone else off! He’s always such an interesting character.

Simplesmile: Are there any other well-known Neopians who visit the Merry Go Round, as it is situated on a place that attracts many tourists? With the exception of King Roo, as I know that King Roo goes often...

Merry: You’ll have to pay a visit and see!

Distantte: Why do you decide to charge 50 Neopoints for the ride, no more, no less?

Merry: Well, so it’s affordable for everyone! I want everyone to enjoy it.

Distantte: Good point, Mr Merry. Can you explain your choice of decorations and music for the ride? Is there any significance to it?

Merry: Well, I think everyone can appreciate the joyful music and actually, King Roo told me what he thought the Ride should look like – I know that’s not really obvious, even though there’s a massive figure of his head on the top of it!

Distantte: Now, can you explain why you keep recommending to Neopians why they should try the ride at night? Is there anything special about it?

Merry: Well, I definitely think so. Roo Island is just great during the day, but at night I think it feels even more special. Picture this: you’re sitting upon a bobbing Uni while listening to the soothing melody of the ride, which resembles a sweet lullaby. The cool night wind brushes against you. Everything seems so serene and you look at the night sky above. You can see Kreludor in the corner of your eye, glowing so brightly, and the blanket of sparkling stars accompanying it. You don’t have a care in the world! Isn’t that just a lovely thought? The night-time experience is just one of the things that make the ride unique.

Distantte: That sounds brilliant! Is there anything else that you think attracts so many visitors, Mr Merry?

Merry: That’s just an exaggeration – I do not think many visitors come daily. It’s usually rather quiet, but I’m perfectly fine with that (even though a few more visitors would be nice!) Anyway, I’m not really sure myself what attracts the visitors. Well, it is a very fun and relaxing ride to go on, it guarantees to cheer you up and many of the visitors say that they really feel the ‘magic’ of it.

Simplesmile: Do you know what is the ‘magic’, that they talk about, Merry?

Merry: To be honest, I have no clue! But I’ll tell you something: the most important thing that makes anybody is the Neopians that really appreciate the ride. Without them, the Merry Go Round would just be an empty place. So I hope that Neopians will visit!

Simplesmile: Thank you once again for doing this interview.

Merry: No, thank you, and especially the wonderful Neopian Times readers!

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To conclude, now that you’ve heard the Blumaroo Operator - or Merry, as he likes to call himself – why not visit the Merry Go Round when you have time? Not only will you bring a smile onto your Neopet’s face, but on Merry’s face too! It’s such a tranquil ride, but also very enjoyable too. I promise that you won’t regret it!