Harmless Wishes: Part Two

      "I-it works!" Yannagiba stammered.

      "Of course," the Wocky replied in a matter-of-fact voice. "Well? Would you like to buy a bottle?"

      The Gelert thought of what he could do with one whole bottle of wishdust.

      Oh boy! I could have everything I want for free. I'll wish for an endless supply of food and Neopoints for my family. I know! I'll grant my siblings' wishes. I remember Nadashikoh said something about wanting a Lost Desert paint brush and Chi mentioned something about a new type of garden seed and Yuki…I'll buy him some…stuff. Oh, and I'll give Belle EVERYTHING she wants too, Yannagiba reflected with enthusiasm.

      "How much?" he asked, knowing for sure that its value probably reached astronomical proportions.

      "One hundred and fifty Neopoints," the Wocky answered with a confident smile.

      The Gelert was about to yell "Sold!" when he thought better of it.

      "Why's the price so low?" he asked the shopkeeper guardedly.

      "This is my last bottle. If you don't want it, leave," she replied sharply.

      "Your last bottle? You didn't keep any for yourself?" Yannagiba insisted still looking skeptical.

      "Of course, I kept some for myself. I am no fool!" the Wocky said angrily.

      "Oh," the Gelert said. "Still, this wishdust is precious! Why's the price so low?"

      "I want to help my fellow Neopians. If I price this highly, only the rich would be able to afford it. A hundred and fifty Neopoints is a fair price for ordinary citizens like you," she explained exasperated.

      "That sounds reasonable," Yannagiba said thoughtfully.

      "Will you buy it?" the Wocky asked earnestly.

      "Well," the Gelert began, "how many bottles of wishdust have you sold exactly?"

      "Three," the shopkeeper said carefully, not looking directly at him.

      However, Yannagiba was unaware of the Wocky's little lie. He wasn't looking at her. He was staring at the ceiling.

      If I buy a bottle, I'll be one of the only four Neopets who own wishdust in all of Neopia. Oh, five, I guess…counting this Wocky. Hmm…that would be pretty nice, he thought. His chest swelled with pride.

      "Alright," he said, at last. "I'll buy your last bottle."

      He handed her a hundred and fifty NPs. The Wocky gave him the bottle of golden wishdust with a small smile of satisfaction.

      "Do you have a piece of rope there somewhere?" Yannagiba asked the shopkeeper.

      "Why don't you wish for one?" she told him gently.

      "Oh, right! I forgot," he said eagerly. "I wish I had a long and strong piece of rope…"

     He blew. The wishdust worked like a charm. Yannagiba tied the rope around the bottle with three firm knots. Then, he hung the bottle on his body and bounded out of the tent in a flash.

     "Thanks for the wishdust!" he exclaimed.

     Inside the strange tent, the scarf-clad Wocky smiled wickedly. She opened her mouth and let out an evil cackle. In moments, the tent and all its contents disappeared without anyone noticing it was gone.

**********

      Yannagiba sprinted to the National Neopian Bank as fast as his legs could carry him. He couldn't wait to show this wonderful magic to his family. A smug smile emerged on his face. He especially couldn't wait to tell Nadashikoh, his pesky little sister.

     Just a few minutes later, the Gelert reached his destination. Chi was already there, sitting on one of the benches. Two brown paper bags lay beside him. Yannagiba knew that these contained gardening tools and supplies. His brother loved gardening as much as he himself loved eating. The Gelert approached the Chia with a grin.

     "Hey there, little bro!" Yannagiba greeted sitting beside Chi (on the side where there were no shopping bags, mind you).

     "Hello, Yannagiba," the Chia joyfully replied. "I see you bought a bottle of sand but where's your new Frisbee?"

     "Frisbee?" the Gelert echoed anxiously. In his excitement, he had forgotten to take the Frisbee he wished for with him. Then, he remembered the bottle of wishdust tied around him. "Oh, don't worry about that. I have the Frisbee."

     "You do?" Chi asked looking around for it. "Where?"

     "Right here," Yannagiba replied with an arrogant pat of the bottle. He placed some wishdust on his paw and blew. "I wish I had a brand new blue Frisbee."

     Chi's eyes bulged as a blue Frisbee materialized on his brother's paw.

     "Did I just see what I thought I saw?" he asked quietly.

     "Yup. This stuff in my bottle is magical," the Gelert enlightened him. "It's called wishdust. It makes wishes come true."

     "I guess it does, doesn't it?" the Chia said releasing a shaky breath.

     "Want a turn?" Yannagiba offered gallantly.

     "No, thanks," Chi answered nervously. "Uh, I don't really have anything to wish for right now."

     "Suit yourself. You can make a wish later!" Yannagiba told him.

     Just then, Belle and the rest of the Neopets arrived. Each of them clutched numerous shopping bags. Everyone had had a fine time bargain hunting at the shops.

     "Well, Yannagiba. You only bought a blue Frisbee and nothing else?" Nadashikoh asked surprised. She raised her eyebrows.

     "Yup," the Gelert replied holding back the information concerning the wishdust.

     Chi gave him an uncomfortable look.

     "We'll tell them later," Yannagiba whispered in his ear.

     "What's that bottle you got there?" the Faerie Aisha asked looking at the bottle of wishdust.

     "It's a bottle of sand. Isn't it obvious?" the Gelert scoffed.

     Belle smiled at him and stifled a giggle.

     "I see you saved some of your allowance. You only bought two items. Everyone purchased a few bags," she told him ruefully. "I've got your favourite snacks right here." Belle patted one of the grocery bags she was holding. "So…why did you buy a bottle of sand?"

     "I'll hold a few of those for you," Yannagiba offered quickly to evade the question. He took two of their owner's bags. "I don't have that much to carry, anyway."

     "Thanks," Belle replied giving him a strange look and then, a grateful smile.

     "No problem, Belle," Yannagiba said with pleasure. He tried to look as innocent as possible.

     They trotted home. All of them were quite exhausted. Nadashikoh still managed to spread out her wings and fly but only part of the way. After that, she strolled along with the others, stopping from time to time to rest. Shopping had exhausted all of them. By the time they reached their Neohome, it was almost time for lunch.

     "I'll go and fix our food," Belle announced as she entered the kitchen.

     "Okay," her pets replied in unison. They retreated to their rooms.

     Chi approached Yannagiba clutching his brown paper bags.

     "Uh, when are we going to tell them?" he asked the Gelert.

     "How about…now?" Yannagiba told him excitedly. "We'll hold a meeting at my room. Let's call the others." He walked towards Nadashikoh's closed door.

     "Um…don't you think we should let Belle know first?" the Chia asked timidly.

     "Of course not! I thought about it carefully," the Gelert said. "You see, Belle's likely to panic. She might tell us the wishdust is dangerous stuff and that we should return it to the shop where I bought it." He eyed his brother triumphantly.

     Chi frowned and thought it over.

     "You have a point there," he said slowly, "but I still think Belle has a right to know all about this."

     "Don't worry, Chi, we'll tell her. Just not now, okay?" Yannagiba told him. "We'll tell her…when the time's right. Come on, I'll ask Nadashikoh to come to the meeting. You go and notify Yuki."

     "Well…" the Chia began heavily, "alright. As long as you're not just trying to con me. " He stared into his brother's eyes and tried his best to look gruff.

     Yannagiba gave him a tense smile and took a deep breath. "We'll tell her. I promise."

     "Okay," Chi said resignedly. "If you say so."

     "Now, go," the Gelert replied and ushered his brother in the other direction.

     When Chi was quite a distance away, Yannagiba breathed a sigh of relief and knocked on Nadashikoh's door.

**********

     While Belle was still preparing their lunch, the four Neopets assembled in Yannagiba's room. Yuki was sprawled on the floor tracing the pattern of the carpet with one paw. Nadashikoh, who was sitting imperiously on one of Yannagiba's pillows near the door, looked extremely bored. Yannagiba and Chi looked at each other. Both of them were sitting on the Gelert's bed. The bottle of wishdust lay in front of them.

     "We called you here because I have important news," Yannagiba said urgently.

     Yuki chose that moment to stare at the ceiling. Nadashikoh sighed and eyed the door with feigned interest.

     "I can make your wishes come true!" Yannagiba said in a hushed tone.

     Yuki and Nadashikoh both focused on him with rapt attention.

To be continued...