Colton and the Hidden Korbat

      If I were a Korbat, I would feel truly flattered. However, would it not bother you to be seen only as an entertainment and not a living being?

      The vast sky is full of noble stars, which make up mighty constellations. For beauty is not only who we are, but what we make and partake in.

      Take the time to count the stars and notice them. Take the time to see the Korbat hidden in the sky. Ask yourself; who is this mysterious Korbat?

      I know this Korbat, he is just like us.

      Milo, the Eventide Korbat, comes home from his job. He doesn’t move swiftly, he moves clumsily. He doesn’t love his features, they appear too large up close. No one says “hello” to him on the roads or in the sky. He doesn’t feel smart and he doesn’t get much sleep.

      Milo is just like everybody else.

      He sits down at the table with his best friend, who just so happens to be waiting for him.

      “Coffee?” Colton asks.

      Milo looks up at his roommate and nods solemnly.

      “I think it’s time you get a night job.” The worried Uni states matter-of-factly, as he pours the saviour of sleepy Korbats into a cup.

      “I already told you, there are barely any night jobs as it is. They’re probably already taken by other Korbats anyway.”

      Colton looks upward, as if all of life’s answers were written on the ceiling.

      “Tell you what, my day off is tomorrow. I’ll look around for a job then. It’s not healthy for a nocturnal Neopet such as yourself to be tiring yourself out in the burning sunlight every day.”

      “Thank you, I really appreciate it.”

      Milo was too tired to argue. He shuffled his feet to his bed and jumped in.

      The next morning, Colton trots off to fulfil his promise.

      He remembered reading a flyer for the Soup Kitchen, which stated they were open to hungry Neopets and others 24/7.

      Colton arrives and isn’t surprised to find The Soup Faerie stirring soup, as per usual.

      “Hello, Colton,” She says. The elegant faerie addresses everyone by their name, without falter. Perhaps she keeps a neat little list in the corner of her mind.

      “I need your help. Do you have any overnight job openings for my roommate?”

      “Milo? I don’t know, Colton. Neopoints are tight lately. We usually rely on donations and such.” The Soup Faerie states with a sympathetic voice.

      Colton frowns and uses his pretty-please face to try and persuade (and exploit) the kind-hearted faerie. She sighs.

      “Tell you what, if you can get a steady flow of donations, I’ll offer him a job.”

      “Thank you! You won’t regret it.”

      “I know I won’t,” She says with a smile.

      On the way out of The Soup Kitchen, Colton notices the Neopets waiting out the door and sitting inside. There are so many, and Colton hopes for them. He hopes it gets better. He hopes they at least have a roof over their heads, other than The Soup Kitchen’s.

      Colton visits The Money Tree as his location for donations. He sees an energetic, yet old-looking tree that appears to be dancing in place. It looks kind of silly, but Colton can’t help but smile at its excitement. He wonders why it’s so excited. Is he excited to give out items and money? Is he excited to see all the Neopets and faeries thank him? Or is he just excited for life?

      Colton has pulled together a handmade sign that reads:

      “Donate today for the poor, sick, and hungry.”

      He admires his work and holds up the sign in front of The Money Tree. Colton has left a decent-sized tin bucket to collect Neopoints in. The marker he used for the sign stained his hooves red. Since his coat is blue, he half-expected to turn purple. Unfortunately, that is not how physics works.

      Colton is mourning over his unchanged colour when an old Cybunny waddles up to him.

      “Well, aren’t you a kind young colt?” she says in a stereotypical old-lady voice.

      She takes out a bag of 5,000 Neopoints and shakily adds it to the bucket.

      “Thank you, Ma’am.”

      “Of course, sweetie. Now you be good, you hear?” The Cybunny walks away in a little shuffle, without waiting for a response.

      Colton feels a twinge of guilt, knowing that he’s only doing this for his friend’s employment. Maybe he should do it more often. Community service and volunteer work would certainly benefit others.

      By the end of the day, he was able to scrounge up 10,000 neopoints, including the sweet Cybunny’s donation. People aren’t keen on donating these days, and Colton realizes this. Nevertheless, he continues to work the next day, and the day after that, until he’s able to drop 100,000 Neopoints on The Soup Faerie’s counter.

      “I’m impressed,” she says, “I’ll get your friend his job. Just call him over and we’ll discuss the details.”

      Colton is pleased with himself. All his hard work paid off. He was done.

      Yet, he still saw himself collecting donations and pouring soup for the hungry.

      “I can’t believe you did all that work for me,” Milo thanks Colton with a smiling voice.

      “It was no problem, really.”

      “I bet,” Milo says sarcastically.

      “You know, I’ve been thinking...”

      “Yeah?” asks Milo.

      “Why don’t people donate as much as they should? Don’t they remember what it was like to be poor?”

      “I bet some of them were never poor. And some of them can’t afford to donate. And some of them don’t really remember the rough times.”

      Colton understands this, but can’t help how things seem so unfair, and not just the unequal economic standpoints.

      “Do you think if we all worked towards the common good, Neopia would be a better place?” inquires Colton.

      “I think so. I mean, it’s hard to tell. It’s not like any of us can see into the future.”

      “Or can we?” Colton jokes.

      They sit there for a bit, marinating in their thoughts.

      “Coffee?” Colton asks.

      “No, thanks,” says Milo, “I don’t need it anymore, thanks to you,” he smiles.

      Colton smiles back, and feels lucky to have a kind and grateful friend.

      Colton and Milo enjoy their lives together, exploring and helping others and discovering themselves. They visit various mountain tops and oceans and forests. But most importantly, they help others do this as well.

      And to think, all of these events might not have been possible if it were not for that little old lady, who just so happened to make Colton realise what he hadn’t before.

      Everyone is connected for the greater good. At least this is what Colton believes. And what other thing is more important than our beliefs? Without our beliefs, there would be no good in the world, for we would not believe in good.

      Colton strives to make Neopia better, one gallop at a time.

     The End.