The Game is Gormball

      "I don't know. Why does recess have to be so boring?" he asked dully. Ember, the little fire faerie, Zargrold, a "cool" blue Grundo, Ursula, a girly Usul, and Kevin, a skinny, rather geeky Korbat, all agreed.

      Kevin began to hover in the air. "Ember?" Kevin asked, breaking the silence. "I'm not being nosy or anything, but, why don't you have other faerie friends?" The six year old faerie's face looked flushed.

      "What?" she asked caught off guard. She scratched her chin with her long, delicate nails and thought for a moment. "I don't know. I guess they are just silly girls. Laughing, giggling, learning spells. One day they'll all get jammed into a little bottle and sold to bless pets." Ember sighed, seeing her fate before her eyes. "I wish I wasn't a faerie. I want to have potential in life, like you three."

      Zargrold, Ursula, and Kevin burst out laughing. "Potential?" asked Ursula, rolling her eyes. "We don't have potential. We're just little kids."

      "So?" sighed Ember, a hint of jealousy in her voice. "Your destinies don't lead to small glass bottles where you are trapped until some rich Neopian buys you. Then you have to bless their wretched pet, be released, and do the same thing again." The fire faerie floated through the air, her head hanging.

      Brian ran after her and tugged on her skirt. "Ember," he began, grasping her arm and pulling her to the ground. "You don't have to follow the destiny that every other faerie does. You're Ember. You're different."

      Ember did not meet her friend's gaze. "What do you want to do?" she insisted. "This is recess. Come up with something or I'll go play with all those stupid faeries without futures."

      Brain didn't reply. Sadly, the faerie turned away, hanging her head. Without looking, she accidentally bumped into something. She looked up and muttered, "Sorry."

      An earth faerie with brown hair and bright hazel eyes snickered. Two faeries were at her side, a light faerie and an air faerie. "Poor little Ember," she teased. "She has no friends and has to hang out with the other dorky rejects. Let's pity her, girls."

      "Aw, Zoey is right. Let's pity!" replied the air faerie, twirling her hair and laughing. Ember stared at her. Neither of Zoey's pals had any mind of their own. It was Zoey this, Zoey that.

      "At least I don't need losers like Lena and Rena to trail around me like robots," hissed Ember in return. She pointed her long fingernail at the light faerie and then the air faerie, and then turned back to Zoey. "Besides, all of you are losers and will live the rest of your lives in a tiny bottle! You'll be bought and sold and bless pets every day! I'll have it better than you! And Brian, Zargrold, Ursula, and Kevin are more important than your little buddies."

      Lena, Rena, and Zoey stared blankly. "Uh," muttered Zoey, trying to think of a comeback. "Girls… we're out of here!" The three faeries fluttered off, giggling, muttering, and gossiping. Angry, Ember turned and walked off to class, which was about to begin.

     --

      The next day at recess was not much better than the previous. Ember and her friends sat in the grass, twiddling their thumbs. "There has to be something we can do," muttered Kevin as he flapped his wings. Suddenly, a smile spread across Ember's face.

      "I have an idea," she said, fluttering up and vanishing. Her friends watched and waited, waited for her to return.

      Soon she did return, with something in her hands. It was a blue see-through ball that seemed to be made of water. She threw it the air and caught in her hands, and giggled. "This, my friends," Ember began, balancing the ball on her fingers, "is a Gormball."

      "Is a what?" asked Ursula, scratching her Usul head and raising her brow. "What's a Gormball?"

      "That ball!" retorted Brian, pointing to the water ball in his friend's arms.

      "Never mind that, mind the game I've invented!" Ember's eyes glowed and she huddled her friends closer. In a hushed whisper, she mumbled, "The game is Gormball."

      "What?" inquired Ursula, again. Ember glared and was silent for a moment, where the only thing the four could hear was the flapping of Kevin's wings.

      "We stand in a circle," she began, standing back, as the four got in an oval-diamond shape. "I hold the ball for 2-5 seconds, and then toss it to someone else." The faerie quickly passed it to Zargrold, he caught it abruptly.

      The Grundo poked at the ball and it popped, drenching him in water. Ember burst into a fit of giggles. She shook her head melodiously, her red hair shaking for side to side. Her young, childish giggle echoed.

      Out of her arms shot a flame of light. She gestured with her hands and mumbled some words, and another ball appeared. "That's the catch," she added, tossing the ball to Brian. "Last one left wins!"

      The Scorchio tossed to Ursula, then Kevin, then back to Ember. She whisked it back to Kevin, and it exploded in his face. "This is what I call a game," he declared, wiping away the water from his eyes.

     --

      "What are you playing?" Zoey asked, tossing her hair. Ember, Brain, Zargrold, Ursula, and Kevin had been playing Ember's new game every day at recess, and her Earth faerie rival had noticed that she wasn't moping around anymore.

      Ember smiled. The Gormball had just exploded on Ursula. "Gormball," she said in her friendly tone. "Want to play? It's easy and fun."

      Lena and Rena wrinkled their noses. "Zoey?" they asked. "Should we?"

      Zoey didn't seem to know how to answer. "How do you play?" she asked. "And why I she wet?" The young earth faerie pointed her finger at Ursula, who was smiling as she shook off the water.

      "Oh, you'll see," Ember said, as Zoey, Lena, and Rena joined their circle.

      Zargrold started with the Gormball, and threw it to Ursula. She threw it to Brian, then he threw it to Kevin, and then it went to Ember. The faerie caught it lightly and threw it as hard as she could at Rena.

      The light faerie caught the Gormball and fell back onto the ground. Rena dug her nails into the ball and it popped, soaking her from head to toe. Her blond hair covered her face messily. Zoey and Lena zipped to her.

      "Rena!" yelled Lena. "Rena!"

      As the faeries comforted Rena, Ember quickly made four more Gormballs and tossed them to her friends. They nodded, understanding, as she made one for herself. Ember winked.

      Brain, Zargrold, Kevin, Ursula, and Ember all threw their Gormballs at the three faeries. Zoey's were wide open with horror, her beautiful hair wet and tangled.

      "Ember! You little freak!" spat Zoey furiously. Ember began to form another Gormball, but she didn't have time to throw it. Zoey, Lena, and Rena were zipping through the sky and away. The fire faerie giggled as she began to make another Gormball.

      "Who wants to start?" she asked casually. She smiled as she passed the ball to Brian to start and began to play again.

      Little did she know she would become one of the most famous faeries in history and that she had created a popular Neopian game, and that she would never be stuffed into a bottle for a single day of her life.

The End