The Interview

     "Bloppyditto, why are you so fast?" I say, running up to him and catching up. My name is Cynthia, and I'm the owner of Bloppyditto. Today, after many years, we have possibly found the bakery where the so-called "Birthday Aisha" lives. She has been showing up for Bloppyditto's birthdays for years, but never told me where she lived, always dodging the subject.

     We've been to almost every land imaginable. I've explored through the scorching heat of Moltara, the bitter cold of Terror Mountain, and the spookiness of the Haunted Woods. We did experience new and fun things, though - like the beauty of Faerieland and Shenkuu's tea, for example.

     "Come on! Open it! Open it!" Bloppyditto cuts me off my thoughts - it's a shame, too, since I was truly considering moving to the joyous and colorful Roo Island. They have fun games there. I glance over at Bloppyditto and see sweat forming on his forehead - he can be so hyperactive that it scares me sometimes.

     "Bloppyditto, you can't just open someone else's door. You have to knock." I demonstrate, my fist meeting the mahogany wood. We wait and wait, until the doorknob finally turns.

     "What?!" I can see that Sweete has recognized us, and she's stunned, indeed. "How did you guys get here?"

     "We explored every corner of Neopia. And to think that it was right here in-"

     "Shh! Don't say the name of this place. What do you want?" Sweete casually leans against the doorway, though I can see she's a little nervous. "I can bake a batch of cupcakes for a few thousand neopoints, if that interests you."

     "Actually, we're not here for that." Bloppyditto is finally standing still. "We just wanted an interview. And maybe a free red velvet cupcake, since you've only always made chocolate for my birthdays."

     Sweete sighs. "Fine. But there better not be somebody following you. I can't afford to give out free treats left and right!"

     So we go inside the bakery, which smells like freshly-baked cookies. Bloppyditto sees a Plumpy on the ground and pokes it - it hisses and runs away into a different room. I remind Bloppyditto to mind his manners after Sweete shoots him a hostile look.

     "Alright. First question," I begin, settling into a chair with a cup of milk. A plate of cookies rests on a small table. "How come you don't make your bakery known to the public?"

     "I told you already. I only make free treats for special occasions, and those occasions are birthdays." Sweete slumps in her chair, bored.

     "Well, can't you make it like a 'real' bakery? A store?"

     Sweete considers this. "I could, but then the line would be millions of miles long. I can't bake that fast, and I don't have enough ingredients for so many treats."

     "Confident in your skills, are you?" I think I hear Sweete whispering about how she should use magic to bake instead of doing it manually every time, but I choose to ignore it.

     "Bloppyditto, are you writing this down?" I gasp when I look over and see him tottering on top of a stool, reaching for a vase of roses. Miraculously, he manages to grab a rose instead of knocking the vase down. I'm horrified as he takes a petal and puts it in his mouth.

     "Don't worry - those are roses made out of icing. Edible," Sweete says, noticing my worry. "Very sweet with the chance of cavities, but edible."

     "Er, anyway... next question." I take the pencil and notepad from Bloppyditto as he munches on another petal. "How do you remember all of these birthdays?"

     Sweete shrugs. "I just do."

     No further comment. I decide to ask another question. "Um, what were you before you were deemed the Birthday Aisha? Did you have your magical wand then?"

     "I was just a regular old baby Aisha, of course. I went to preschool and played with the building blocks. I have to say that I was quite smart for my age." She thinks. "I did have the same wand, but as a toy. I guess it gained some powers one day."

     "Nice, nice." I scribble Sweete's answers down quickly, just in case she changes her mind and refuses to tell anything else. "Do you enjoy your job?"

     "Hey... where'd that little Aisha go? Bloppy or something?" Sweete peers over my shoulder, ignoring my question. I turn and see chocolate footprints on the floor, as well as a trail of soft pretzel crumbs. They lead into the room the Plumpy ran into.

     "Oh, no." Sweete follows the trail, and I run after her.

     The room we enter is smaller and cozier than the one we were in before. Luckily, the light purple carpet seems to be unstained. There's another open door, which looks like a huge bar of chocolate, that's open. Sweete enters the room, and I do too, and what I step into is amazing.

     The place is huge, and sweet scents clash with each other, almost nauseating. The room is both wide and tall, and treats galore line the walls - frosted cupcakes, chewy chocolate chip cookies, and even lovely petite fours. In the corner, I see Bloppyditto, munching away on a doughnut. The Plumpy we saw earlier is beside him, purring and vying for a bite.

     "No one... touches... my FOOD!!" I look over and practically see Sweete with clenched teeth and drool running out of her mouth, but what I really see is a shaking Aisha that looks like a maniac.

     Bloppyditto, probably echoing my thoughts, makes a run for it. He drops the doughnut and the Plumpy devours it. Bloppyditto whizzes right out of the door, and I see Sweete turning around. Now it's my turn to run.

     I bolt to the exit and immediately get to the front door, and am thankful Sweete has very stubby legs, that're bad for running. But that means Bloppyditto is bad with running, too. I stand on tiptoe and peer out the window, and I don't see him on the grass or running away into the distance. Instead, he's missing. Without thinking, I run to another room and accidentally stumble onto him. We see an exit chute, perhaps where the trash goes, but we didn't care at that point. As the door behind us opens, we jump in and slide down, more terrified of Sweete's wrath than the descent to darkness.

     "What luck," I say to myself, as Bloppyditto screams. We're sliding down at a rapid pace.

     Finally, we emerge into sunlight. Relieved, I climb out of the dumpster can, and catch Bloppyditto as he jumps off. I know it's time to run again when Sweete's voice gets louder and closer.

     "It's a good thing I'm the best runner there is," I say, carrying Bloppyditto and sprinting away. Thank goodness I wasn't wearing any fancy shoes today. I look back and see Sweete at the entrance, jumping up and down. "She'll never catch up to us."

     "But doesn't she know where our house is? She's been appearing for my birthdays, after all." Bloppyditto sounds genuinely worried.

     So, a few months later, Sweete doesn't show up when it's Bloppyditto's birthday. Instead, a wrapped gift arrives at our doorstep, and I'm pretty sure it's from her (since the note attached said 'I had to do my job'). In it is a red velvet cupcake that we never received at the interview.

     "Mmm. It was so worth it," Bloppyditto says, licking the frosting off of his lips.

     I sigh, but manage a smile. Baby Aishas - the Birthday Aisha included - are just so silly, aren't they?

The End