The Chokato Table

     Arya turned the door knob to their house. It was locked. She pulled out a key from her backpack and unlocked the door. She walked over to the table and picked up the note.

     I'm going to be home late tonight. There is some omelette and jelly in cabinet. Don't forget to do your home work and don't stay up to see me. I'll see you tomorrow.

     Love,

     Ray

     Arya sighed. Ray was working late on her birthday. Again. For the past few years, Ray had worked on her birthday. And tonight she was staying at work late. An idea started to form in Arya's mind. If Ray isn't going to be home until late tonight, that leaves me with plenty of time to get her something for her birthday! She finished her homework in record time and ate the omelette and jelly as she walked out the door.

     Holding the bag that held all of her money, Arya walked around Neopia Central. She looked in many shops. She everything she saw was either too expensive or not right for Ray. She moved onto the shops owned by normal people. There was one shop, thrust into a dark corner by the larger buildings surrounding it, that caught her eyes. She moved through the crowd and walked into the shop.

     It was dark in the shop and it took Arya a few seconds for her eyes to adjust to the dimness. The shop had dark green walls with a dark blue trimming and a wooden floor that creaked as she stepped onto the different panels. A few chokato lamps were placed on the tops of the shelves. A wooden counter was at the end of room. Who ever owns this shop must love Chokatos. In a room behind the counter an argument could be heard.

     "We shouldn't sell it. Take it off of the shelf."

     "NO! It would bring us lots of money!"

     "And make our owner sad?"

     "She said we could sell it!"

     "Even if she did, it would sti- Oh. Some one's here." A blue Shoyru and a blue Mynci walked out of the room.

     "Welcome to our shop of random things!" the Mynci said.

     "Take your time in looking," the Shoyru said. Arya nodded and started looking around the shop. A chokato table stood in the corner of the room. Ray had always wanted a chokato table. Arya didn't see a price tag for it but asked anyway.

     "Is this for sale?" she asked pointing to it. The Shoyru nodded. "There isn't a price for it. How much does it cost?"

     "Ummmm… Let me check," the Shoyru said and pulled out a worn book with Chokatos drawn all over it. She turned the pages and ran her finger down each one of them. After a few minutes her finger stopped. "80,000 neopoints." All of Arya's hopes crashed to the ground. She didn't have anything close to that!

     "Thanks," she mumbled and walked out of the shop.

     It was getting dark when Arya sat on a bench in the park a few hours later. She had played as many games as she could but didn't even have 3,000 neopoints, let alone 70,000. It looked like it was going to be another birthday without a gift. She sighed, got up and walked over to the Soup Kitchen. After she was full she walked over to the park again and sat down at the base of a large tree. After a few seconds, something hit the top of her head. It bounced from there to the ground. Whatever it was, it was gold. She walked over to where it lay and picked it up. It was in the shape of a carrot, had a green stem that was alive and yet, the carrot part of it was made of gold. She turned it over in her hands. Hadn't the Neopian Times had a notice for a missing golden carrot? Yes it had. And it said to bring it to the Fyora right away. But how in Neopia was Arya supposed to get there and back by the time Ray got home? Knowing that she wasn't going to be able to do that, she ran home and wrote a quick note to Ray.

     I don't know when I'm going to be home. I found the golden carrot that was missing and I have to give it to Fyora. Happy birthday!

     Love,

     Arya

     She packed some spare food, her neopoints, a book, her key and the carrot into her backpack and ran out the door, locking it behind her. She was barely in time to catch the ride to Faerie City, but some how made it. She sat next to the Shoyru and Mynci that she had met at the store. They didn't recognize her but argued about if they should sell whatever it was. They resolved the argument as Faerieland came in sight by saying they would ask their owner. Arya wondered that if she had a sibling they would fight like that.

     Faerie City was confusing and busy for so late at night. Faeries flew around and people talked with each other. Arya tried many times to ask how to get to the large building that could only be the home of the Faerie Queen, but every time no one heard her. She looked down at her watch. Ray should be home by now, Arya thought. She tried asking for directions but every time she was ignored. Defeated and tired, she spotted a park and sat down on a bench. The people started to disappear and Arya realized that she was stuck in Faerie City without anywhere to sleep for the night. She had just started to cry when the Shoyru and Mynci walked up to her with someone who Arya guessed was their owner.

     "Why are you crying?" the owner asked.

     "Because I'm stuck here and it's my owner's birthday but I don't have a gift for her and she lives in Neopia Central and I can't find my way to the castle to give Fyora the golden carrot that was missing that I found," Arya sobbed.

     "Why don't you stay with us for the night? And tomorrow morning I'll take you to Fyora," the owner said.

     "O-okay," Arya said with a sniff. She followed them home and slept in the best bed she had ever seen. She learned that the owner's name was Machi, the Shoyru's name was Chelsea and the Mynci's name was Aadraa. Machi neomailed Arya's owner and told her that everything was okay and that Arya was safe. Ray said that she would come up to Faerie City and meet them before they went to see the Faerie Queen.

     The next morning Arya, Chelsea, Aadraa and Machi stood in the park, waiting for Ray. Then Arya spotted her. Ray ran up Arya and gave her a hug. They laughed and hugged each other again. Ray turned to Machi. "Thank you very much for letting Arya stay at your house and helping her."

     Machi smiled. "It was nothing. Do you know how to get to Fyora's castle?" Ray shook her head. "Then I'll show you. Follow me." They walked through the crowded streets of Faerie City and soon came to a large gate. Neopets and their owners milled about inside the gates. Arya realized that they were all in line to talk with Fyora. She got in line and waved good bye to Machi, Chelsea and Aadraa.

     It was just past noon when they were next in line to see Fyora. They stood at the doors of the room where Fyora sat on her throne. Arya became suddenly nervous, even though Ray was with her. She was going to see the Faerie Queen in person! The people who were in there walked out and Arya walked in.

     At the end of the room, Fyora sat on her throne. "How may I help you?" she asked in a musical voice.

     "I-I came here be-because I f-found the golden carrot," Arya barely managed to stammer. Fyora started.

     "You found it? Where?" she asked.

     "I-it fell on my head when I sat under a tree in a park in Neopia Central."

     Fyora laughed. "Don't worry; I'm not laughing at you. I'm laughing because it was probably one of the Dark Faeries giving me trouble. I never realized that it could be one of them. Do you have it with you?"

     Arya pulled it out of her backpack and handed it to her. Fyora inspected it and smiled. "This is it. At seven in the evening, can you come here again so I can reward you?" Ray said that they could and they left.

      It was exactly seven when the Queen called them in. "What do you want as a reward? I'll give you any one thing," she told Arya. Arya looked at Ray and said with a smile, "A chokato table. For Ray because it was her 20th birthday yesterday." Fyora smiled and had one of the faeries get her a chokato table.

     After that day, Arya became very good at one thing: finding what others had lost and returning whatever it was.

The End