A Piece of the Sky

     I soon was out of the city part of Neopia Central, where huge buildings towered high into the sky, into the residential area, where one and two story homes were dwarfed compared to the huge buildings, which were now far in the distance.

     The first home I passed was a two story one, painted blue with green shutters on the six windows facing the sidewalk I walked on and the street next to the sidewalk for bicycles, three windows on the first story and three on the second. I knew it was rude to spy on people, but this house had an air of excitement and I couldn't help but go take a little peak into the windows to see the inside of the house.

     I was mildly surprised to find the first window I peaked into showing a normal living room. It had a blue carpet and wood walls, with a green couch and two green chairs facing each other. A Harris, snow Slorg, and two Mallards slept soundly on the couch, all four of them curled together. I was about to move on to the next window when a purple Shoyru peaked her head out of the window. She looked right through me; I am invisible after all. She then ran away from the window. I had a feeling she was running for the front door, and so I went to meet her there.

     The door opened to reveal the Shoyru, and then it closed again as she stepped outside. I saw her close her eyes and lift her chin, as if letting the cool morning breeze carry her away. I accidentally stepped on a leaf and it crackled, breaking the trance.

     "What was that?" the Shoyru asked. She searched around with her eyes and head for a moment, before shrugging and murmuring to herself, "Must've been a Mootix or something."

     The Shoyru's wings started flapping. She raised her arms toward the sky and stared at it, as if longing for it to catch her and take her in. She took flight, a flight more beautiful than the paintings I saw in rich peoples' homes. Her wings, arms, and legs all seemed to be synchronized, making it look as if she was swimming through the sky. I was so transfixed in watching the beautiful dance I almost forgot I wanted to follow her. I quickly took off from the ground, ashamed at how ungraceful my flying was, even if nobody could see it.

     It was not too hard to catch up to the girl; she was not flying fast and was obviously not in a hurry to get anywhere.

     "UJ is having fun!" she screamed, laughing in sheer joy.

     Even to this day I'm not sure why she said that in third person, but at least I learned something about this creature then, her name was UJ.

     UJ flew and I followed her for what seemed like hours, but could have been little more than twenty minutes. She glanced worriedly at the sky that was filling with beautiful colors as the sun rose and made a quick landing, one that was ugly compared to her beautiful flight, but I knew if she wasn't in a hurry to get somewhere it would have been just as wonderful as the rest of her flight. Once the Shoyru hit the ground, she immediately ran to the door of her home. As she ran inside, closing the door behind her. I made plans to be back here at the same time tomorrow, to take flight with UJ once again.

     *****

     The sky was still black when I ventured out that morning, the next day after I flew with the purple Shoyru. Usually I didn't go out until it was turning gray, but today I wanted to walk slowly and think.

     When I got to UJ's house the sky was its dark shade of gray it usually was at this time of morning. I ran up to the windows and peaked into the one revealing the living room. The four petpets, the Harris, snow Slorg, and two Mallards were lying on the couch just like yesterday, and nothing else stirred in the sleeping home. That is, until UJ peaked her head out the window and, like the day before, looked straight through me. The rituals of the previous day followed. UJ ran outside, closed her eyes and lifted her chin, reached her arms out to the sky, and then she was flying. I flapped my wings and followed.

     Today we seemed to just be going in circles. Even though yesterday we were soaring high and then dipping low, this was fun also and UJ still looked like she was dancing doing it. After a while I was only watching UJ out of the corner of my eye and basically just in my own dreamland. It was a good thing I wasn't too far indulged in my dreams because UJ had stopped flying and I just barely stopped myself from running into her, which would have given me away.

     Now out of my own world, I saw what made UJ stop. I could see the bottom of a purple cloud that was slowly descending in front of UJ. There was only one person, or faerie, I could think of that would be on a purple cloud: Queen Fyora.

     And when the cloud was nearly in front of us I could see that was who it was, looking radiant, even though she did look a bit sleepy. She smiled at us, well UJ, when she was eye level.

     "UJ, I have been watching you fly every morning for a long time now, and I have noticed something," began Fyora.

     "Noticed what, my queen?" UJ asked.

     "I noticed you have a certain grace with flying, a grace not all pets that were blessed with wings have. Your flight almost looks like a dance."

     UJ was now grinning broadly, obviously happy at being complimented by such a high being.

     "There is a gift I want to give you because of this wonder, but there is a price for the gift. I want you to take a guess at what the gift is, ok? What I am going to give you will make your skin blue with a cloud pattern on top."

     "That's easy: a cloud paint brush!"

     Fyora nodded. "It will give you the pattern of a cloud paint brush, but it is not one itself. Before I reveal the gift to you, I'll tell you the price to keep this wonder. You must teach other pets how to fly."

     UJ gasped. "But, Queen Fyora, how can I teach pets without wings how to fly?"

     Fyora chuckled and said, "I mean pets with wings who just don't know how to fly. I know you can do it, UJ."

     There was a pause for a few minutes before UJ said, "So what's my present?"

     "Ususkigirl01, on behalf of all the faeries and all the pets' lives you will change, I give you a piece of the sky to wear forever."

     There was a huge flash and the world went black for a moment. UJ gave a stifled scream. Then the world came back and UJ had clouds enveloping her whole body. She glanced at her arms for a moment and then her stomach, before looking at Fyora and grinning broadly.

     "Thank you so much, Queen!" UJ shouted.

     Fyora also smiled. "Your very welcome, UJ. Now, you better get back home. Your owner is going to wake up soon and will wonder where you are."

     The cloud started moving away as UJ dived for the ground. I stayed in the air, watching the speck that was now UJ. She had something to hold onto forever, to show forever.

     She had a piece of the sky.

The End