My Unexpected Visit to the Maraquan Ruins

     Maraqua is a delightful place to live. The water is clear and blue, the colours are so bright! Greens, purples, oranges, corals – it's a magical place and the perfect home for a Neopet like me, who loved the sea.

     I enjoyed chasing bubbles and schools of fish. Sometimes my family and I would go out to the Kelp restaurant for a treat. My sibling Neopets and I would play hide and seek in the coral and sea grasses on quiet days, the sun streaming through the water and creating beautiful, mesmerizing patterns on ourselves and the sands of the sea floor.

     I loved Maraqua. My life was peaceful.

     Until one day, about three months ago.

     My family had been returning to our Maraquan Neohome after a particularly delicious meal at Kelp, dining on bright green drinks, colourful salads, steaming star pie dishes, and ice cream. Happy and full to bursting, we were swimming home when a Maraquan Acara approached us.

     “Have you heard?” He asked, excitedly.

     “What is it?” My sister, the Maraquan Blumaroo, asked.

     “A storm is coming! They say it’s a once-in-a-decade event… best prepare your Neohome! It arrives tonight!”

     The Acara swam away to inform others, while we looked at each other, worried.

     “Do you think it’s true, that a storm is coming?” I asked my sister as we swam home.

     We reached our Neohome and my brother, the Maraquan Gelert, spoke up.

     “True or not, we best prepare. Stay inside, I will batten down our home.”

     Myself and my Neopet siblings spent the rest of the night inside, preparing food and blankets in case the Acara’s story was true. We found some board games in one of our Neohome closets and took those out as well, to pass the time in case we needed to spend a day or two inside. It was best to be safe, right?

     That night, the seas were still calm. I looked out the window of our Neohome which looked out over Maraqua. The lights of waterproof lanterns on buildings and homes fluttered peacefully. Schools of fish lazily made their way from place to place, and moonlight streamed through the soft waves above.

     Was the story false? There must not be any storm coming after all. I went to bed, then, dreaming of peaceful nights and family time.

     ---

     I awoke suddenly, a howling, screaming sound echoing from my windows.

     My brother came into the room, rousing each of my siblings. “Wake up! The storm is here!”

     I jumped up, helping my siblings and guiding them into our living room. The sea was angry. Swells of waves were seen passing by our windows, sea grass being uprooted and swirling in dark waves, periodically blocking our view of the chaotic scene.

     “What should we do?” I asked, hugging my sister, the Maraquan Bruce, who was the youngest and who looked worried and scared.

     “We need to keep our lanterns burning, and watch our home for damage,” my brother said. “I will go check on our neighbour. You stay here.”

     Our neighbour was an elderly and kindly Maraquan Draik who had been living in Maraqua since its founding, people said. Whether that was just a legend or not, I’m not sure. We often checked on him and visited him for card games or meals. My brother pushed the front door of our home open, struggling against the strong seas, and closed the door. I gathered my siblings together and we huddled under some blankets. I made us some tea and tried to keep their spirits up.

     Suddenly, I heard a crash from another room. I swam hurriedly to the source of the noise. It was a window in our bathroom which had cracked open, and a large rock now laying on the bathroom floor. Debris was flowing in, clouding my view, and scratching against my shell. I closed the door to the bathroom and swam full speed to the living room.

     “We need to go,” I said, trying to stay calm and steady. “I’m going to bring you to our neighbour’s home. It’s stronger than ours. Let’s go, okay?” I smiled and ushered my siblings through the living room, struggling to force open the front door. It almost ripped from its hinges when it opened. We stared out at the scene. The seas rolled and churned. The view was dark from debris and most of the lanterns on buildings had gone out. It would be hard to find our way.

     I took my sibling’s paws and guided them slowly to our neighbour, who lived across a wide field and up a hill. We pushed through the waves and huddled close to each other for support. It took us so long that I thought perhaps we had lost our way – but then I heard my brother's voice, yelling loudly against the roaring wind and waves.

     “This way!” He called, guiding my siblings into my neighbour’s home. He ushered one in, then the next, and finally my youngest sister. He reached for my paw, but just then, a particularly strong gust of waves and debris came at me. I yelled, and he did too, as it flung me backwards.

     I rolled, flew, and churned together with the waves as it guided me away … away … down and farther away from my family. As the distance grew, so too did the darkness. Down … down … until I came to land on soft, calm sand below a tall cliff. The bottom of a crevice, perhaps? Tired and in a state of shock, I lay my head down and closed my eyes.

     ---

     I awoke to a gentling nudging on my arm. I opened my eyes slowly, struggling in the darkness of early dawn.

     But then as my vision cleared, I saw before me a Maraquan Chia. It looked at me quizzically, poking my paw gently. “Hello, visitor?”

     “He… hello,” I said, struggling to a seated position. “Where am I?”

     “Why, you’re in the Maraquan Ruins.” He said, bouncing a little on the spot.

     “The Maraquan Ruins?” I gasped, my eyes wide. You see, us Maraquans had always heard stories about the Ruins, that we should never venture to that dark, desolate, haunted space lest we perhaps never make it home! We heard stories it was filled with legendary creatures and vicious monsters, guarding the Ruins.

     But, this Chia seemed… rather friendly?

     “I’m from Maraqua. The city,” I said, rubbing at my tired eyes. “The storm blew me away from my family.”

     “Oh!” The Chia said, bouncing again, “We must get you home! Come, follow me.”

     I did so, swimming cautiously behind her, peering out around me. The Ruins didn’t seem overly dark or mysterious from here. There was an eerie green glow, to be sure, but I didn’t hear any monstrous roars or see any tentacles from creatures reaching out to grab my paw and drag me to the depths. Instead, I saw Neopets going about their business, repairing homes and cleaning up debris undoubtedly from the storm.

     “Is the storm over?” I asked the Chia.

     “Indeed, you must have been asleep for hours! It was a vicious storm, but a short one. It hit Maraqua the hardest,” she said, bouncing ahead of me, “but we were relatively sheltered down here. Just a bit of damage, but we are resilient.”

     I nodded, then stood at attention, “Wait, Maraqua was hard hit? I need to get back! My family is there!” I cried.

     The Chia bounced along, glancing back at me, “We’re on our way! There is a path that leads directly to Maraqua, you see. Not many Maraquans come this way, but it’s there for when we want to visit each other.”

     We arrived at the path. It was dark and lined by seagrass and stiff rocks on both sides. “Is this safe?” I asked, a little worried.

     “Of course!” The Chia said, bouncing. “The Maraquan Ruins are a safe place, you see, despite the image we have among Maraquans from the city. No one will harm you on your way. Thanks for visiting!” She cried chipperly, then turned and bounced back to the glowing green light of the Ruins.

     I looked ahead of me again, gulping. Well, it was now or never…

     ---

     The journey by pathway must have taken me at least an hour. I had to traverse debris and tall sea grass in parts, following the glowing blue rocks of the path below to guide me. Finally, a view of colourful houses and glowing lanterns came into view. I was back in Maraqua! Damaged houses and buildings abounded, but the Neopets I came across seemed relatively unscathed. I glided quietly along the streets, toward my neighbour’s Neohome.

     “You’re back!” A high-pitched yell came, as I approached the building. My sister, unhurt and in high spirits, swam quickly toward me. My other siblings followed, enveloping me in a right hug. “Thank goodness!”

     I nodded, “I’m back alright! I came from the Maraquan Ruins!”

     They gasped, their expressions turning worried again. “The Ruins? How scary! Are you alright?” They asked, guiding me into the warm glow of the home.

     “The Ruins? Oh, they’re not scary at all! You see, I met a friend there…”

     My voice died out as we piled into the home and the door closed.

     I would spend the next few months dispelling rumours of the Ruins to those who asked me about my harrowing journey during the storm. You see, my unexpected visit to the Maraquan Ruins was not bad at all! Sometimes, we just need to visit a place for ourselves and make friends there, to understand what it’s really like!

     The End.