Leave Room for the Impossible:Part Three

     "I told you Poogle five was where it was at!"

     Eliss laughed, holding a bag of faerie popcorn that she was sharing with Anna. It tasted more buttery and delicious than any popcorn they had ever eaten in Tyrannia. Eliss was pretty sure that popcorn was made of rocks.

     They had just gotten back from Poogle Racing. Anna had bet her Neopoints on Poogle one, sure he would win. It was a close race with a lot of cheering and screaming, but ultimately, the unlikely underdog had won.

     Before Poogle Racing, they had eaten breakfast from the faerie foods store. They had eaten the fluffiest of faerie pancakes; they were so light and tasty it was like eating a cloud. Eliss just couldn't understand how everything tasted so good here. It must have been magic.

      Anna scowled and then laughed.

     "I had only heard good things," Anna said. "I thought for sure one would win, he's a longtime favorite. But oh well. Where do you want to go next?"

     Eliss reflected on their day so far. They had eaten breakfast from the faerie foods store. They had splashed around in the Healing Springs, coming out of it feeling better and healthier than they ever had before. They had browsed the Hidden Tower, gazing wistfully at incredible artifacts they would never be able to afford. They'd even taken a faerie personality quiz, which Eliss wasn't happy about. They tried to tell her she was a dark faerie – hmmph!

     There was just one more place she really, really needed to see.

     "Well," Eliss said, looking down at the ground shyly. "There is one place here I've always wanted to go. You might think it's silly."

     "No I won't! Tell me!"

     "I have always wanted to go to the Faerieland Library," Eliss admitted. "I know it seems like just a library, but there isn't. There's books there that you can't find anywhere else in the world, books about faeries and magic and forgotten mysteries and legends of the world. I really want to see it."

     Anna listened between mouthfuls of popcorn, smiling. "I don't think that's silly at all. We should go!"

     With that, they went to the Faerieland library. The library was an enormous building with tall, seemingly endless ceilings. Books of every size, shape and color proudly lined the walls, each book containing some secret magic that rubbed off on the reader.

     "Hello there, welcome to Faerieland library!"

     The voice came from none other than the library faerie herself. Of course, Eliss knew all about her. She was one of the smartest faeries in Neopia. She knew anything about everything, and spent each morning creating a crossword puzzle for any Neopian who stopped by. They were difficult to solve, but offered great rewards to anybody who could.

     "Hi!" Anna said cheerfully. "This is Eliss, and I'm Anna. We are here exploring the city for the day. It's always been her dream to visit the city."

     "Anna…" Eliss said, feeling a little embarrassed.

     The library faerie's brown eyes lit up behind her glasses. She fluttered over to them excitedly with her lavender wings. Eliss noticed she had a pencil in her hair and a book in one hand still. She could just barely make out the title – How to Write a Faerie Tale.

     "Well, that's just wonderful! And don't be embarrassed," she added, noticing Eliss had turned redder than usual. "Many Neopets dream of coming to Faerieland, you're not alone. I mean, it really is magical here."

     "Do you ever get tired of being in the same place?" Eliss blurted out. Anna gave her a warning look that said that was inappropriate, Eliss. It was a look she had seen many, many times.

     The library faerie looked at her quizzically. Eliss rushed on, "It's just, I came from Tyrannia. And it's so…boring there. I lived there my whole life. I thought if I lived in Faerieland, I'd never want to live anywhere else. Is it true?"

     "Tyrannia, you said?" asked the library faerie. Eliss nodded. "I love Tyrannia! I have visited many times!"

     "But…why?" Eliss asked. "It's so boring there! Everything is grey and sad and there's nothing to do and there's so much mud and it rains so much…" she trailed off at the faerie's expression, and Anna's, who looked rather hurt.

     "I don't find Tyrannia boring at all," the faerie said, rather slowly. "When I went, I had an amazing time going to a concert. It was this blue Chomby, and he had these adorable little fungus balls with giant hair that danced around him. Gosh, what was the name of that band…"

     "Chomby and the Fungus Balls," Anna and Eliss said in unison.

     Eliss had always thought the fungus balls were kind of annoying, and she had seen that concert so many times. But now that she heard another perspective, she thought Yeah, maybe those are pretty cute.

     "Oh right, duh," the faerie said, chuckling at herself. "But after that concert I had the most interesting food. They have a giant omelet that you can take from whenever you want. And it's some of the best omelets I've ever had in my life! I can't believe it's just there for anybody to try. I've never seen anything like it my entire life."

     Yeah, that actually is kind of cool, now that I think about it like that, Eliss thought.

     "And they have the most delightful little Petpets, unlike any I have seen around here. Curious little creatures with spikes on their backs, and pet rocks! Can you imagine anywhere else in the world where you can get a rock for a pet?"

     Eliss thought of the last time she tried to own a Petpet. She had gotten a nasty bite from a Reptillior and had given up after that. She hadn't thought that maybe other petpets wouldn't be as bad.

     The library faerie was still talking. "Eliss, let me tell you. I've been all around the globe. I've seen everything there is to see. And nowhere in this entire globe is boring. Every place you go has something special you take with you forever."

     Eliss started to feel a bit ashamed of herself. She had been so focused on getting out, she didn't realize how special her home truly was.

     The faerie seemed to know what was on her mind.

     "We all need an escape from the ordinary sometimes, and that's ok," said the faerie. "Life is all about exploring and experiencing, and you want as much of that as you can. But at the end of the day, home should truly be where your heart is."

     Suddenly, Eliss was overcome with emotion, and wanted nothing more than to be home. She wanted to go home to the furniture store she hated. She wanted to go see Jazzmosis for the millionth time. She wanted to go spin the wheel of mediocrity and win a mediocre prize. Suddenly, everything about home was pulling her in, instead of drawing her away.

     Anna smiled at her Neopet, knowing exactly what was on her mind. "Hey Eliss, I know you've had an amazing time here. But how about we go home?"

     "I couldn't agree more," Eliss said. She turned to the library faerie. "Thank you," she said.

     "Not a problem," said the faerie. "Oh, and here, I have a souvenir for you."

     The faerie fluttered back to her desk, digging through here drawers. Eliss and Anna watched curiously. Finally, the faerie reappeared, holding a purple book with the title Faerie Folk. She handed it to Eliss.

     "It's my favorite book from our library," she explained. "It has stories about all different types of faeries who have such different lives, but they are all connected to each other. I think you'll love it."

     Eliss was touched. "Thank you, I'll treasure it forever," she said. And she knew she would.

     Anna held out her hand to Eliss, the magical book that would take them home in one hand. "Are you ready to go home?" she asked. Eliss nodded.

     With that, and a familiar flash of blinding light, they were home. Eliss looked at her surroundings with a newfound interest and admiration. The same buildings that used to look boring now looked classic. The same mud and bogs that used to look gross now picturesque.

     And around her, she saw the memories of her life. She saw the old fallen tree that rested over the bog, where her and her friends used to try and balance to walk across. She saw the Petpet store, where she first fell in love with an adorable Acko that wouldn't leave her side. She saw the Tyrannian food store where her friend once dared her to try Grarrl Saliva Soup.

     Around her was her entire life, she realized. This wasn't boring. She wasn't trapped. She never was. This whole time, she had been exactly where she needed to be. It just took being somewhere else for a while to realize that.

     She turned to Anna. "It sure is good to be home."

     The End.