Smiles for All

      She put on her new winter clothes and wrapped her starry scarf tightly around her neck before heading out on an exciting adventure as Reina's new assistant!

      Since the Advent Calendar's popularity continued to grow each year, it was hard for Reina to conduct everything on her own. Pandora was the perfect Neopian to work as her assistant since she had just successfully run a popular month-long event. Also, her dream was to one day host an event as well-known and loved as the Advent Calendar.

      She decided to take an early morning Eyrie flight over to Terror Mountain, an exciting and terrifying new experience for her. She gripped onto the strong Eyrie as tight as she could and hoped she wouldn't fall down.

      “Oh! I knew I recognised you! Pandora, right? The Faellie from the Celebration Wheel!!!”

      The Eyrie happily smiled back at her, making Pandora even more nervous than before.

      “Yes, that's me!” She tried to sound cheerful, but she couldn't hide the fear in her voice. She heard the Eyrie laugh as it turned back toward the skies.

      “Don't worry! This must be your first time, I guess. I'm an experienced flyer! Never had anyone fall down... except that one time...”

      Pandora tried to forget the last part of that sentence as she held on for dear life. Thankfully, a sudden drop in temperature meant they were near.

      She took a deep breath and gathered the courage to look at her surroundings. An enormous mountain towered before her, and sparkling white snow danced all around. It was absolutely... freezing! Of course, it was beautiful, but it was hard to admire the scenery when she felt this cold.

      “Well, here we are! Also, don't worry about the payment! I really enjoyed your wheel last month, so the trip is on me! Enjoy your stay, Pandora!!” The cheerful Eyrie bowed deeply before disappearing into the snowy sky.

      Pandora picked up her luggage with her frozen paw and tried to think of warm thoughts as she made her way over to the Advent Calendar. Along the way she stopped by Wintery Petpets to see if they had any clothes in her size. She jumped with joy when she found mittens and earmuffs small enough for her. The kind Bruce shopkeeper recognized her as well and offered a cup of hot chocolate by the fire.

      “I am so excited to see you again! I stopped by your wheel last month and won an Anniversary Paint Brush!” The Bruce excitedly ran to the back of his shop and brought the Paint Brush out for her to see.

      It warmed Pandora's heart to hear stories like this, and it made all the hard work worth it. When her heart and body felt warm enough, she continued on her way. As the Advent Calendar came into view, she was shocked to already see a long line of Neopians waiting outside.

      “Excuse me! I need to get in! I'm Reina's new assistant!”

      The Neopian at the front of the line took one look at her and scowled. “Oh, sure you are! And I'm the mayor of Terror Mountain! Wait in line like everyone else!”

      Pandora couldn't believe how rude he was, but she tried not to let it bother her. He's just too excited for the event, she told herself as she walked to a window at the side of the building and knocked hard.

      Reina looked up at the sound and cried out happily when she locked eyes with the little Faellie. She ran over to the window and unlocked the latch before helping Pandora inside.

      “Pandora! It's so good to meet you! Let's talk after the day is over, okay?”

      Reina then handed her Christmas clothes and a sheet detailing everything she needed to do.

      “If you have any questions I'll be over here! Sorry for the mad rush! I'll be opening doors in twenty minutes!!

      Pandora changed into her outfit and started putting the remaining presents into gift boxes. When she finished, she smiled as wide as she could and welcomed the first customers to the Advent Calendar!

      “Hi! Happy holidays! Here is today's gift!” Pandora expected the Neopian to smile back, but instead, he stared at her with a look of intense hatred. When she realised it was the rude Neopian from before, she apologised for bothering him earlier (even though deep down she thought he was the one who needed to say sorry).

      After a tense and awkward few moments, the angry customer finally spoke.

      “So it is you... You're that Faellie from the Celebration Wheel! I spun every day and never landed on the stamp! I wanted that stamp! I bet it was impossible to get it! You're a scammer! I'm reporting you to the Defenders!” The angry Neopian threw the Advent Calendar gift in her face and knocked over a table before storming out.

      “Okay, okay! Everyone one moment! Step back outside, give us five minutes.” Without hesitation, Reina escorted the waiting customers back outside and locked the doors.

      “Pandora! Are you okay? I'm so sorry! Most customers are great... and then there are a few like that. Can you continue on? It's okay if you want to take a break or even just start tomorrow!”

      Pandora shook her head and wiped the tears from her eyes. She knew Reina needed the help, and she wasn't going to let her down.

      “I'm fine! Really! I can do it!” She pushed her feelings aside for the moment and focused on the task at hand. Soon, she really didn't feel bad at all, since she had no time to feel anything. She kept her brightest smile on and made sure to be cheerful for each customer. The day went by in a blur of gifts and smiles, and when the final customer left the shop she collapsed down onto the ground and cried.

      “I'm sorry Reina! I hope I was okay for today! You know what that Neopian said wasn't true! I'm not a scammer! I made the wheel so everyone could be happy! And the prizes it landed on were random! I had no control over that! Some Neopians were lucky, and some weren't!”

      Reina patted Pandora on the head and let her sob on her shoulder. When the tears finally subsided, she got up and prepared two cups of hot chocolate for the both of them.

      “Pandora, you were great today! Don't worry about that! And trust me - of all the Neopians around I completely understand your feelings. When I first started the Advent Calendar, I had so many unfair complaints! Like someone threatened to burn the building down because the gift of the day wasn't what they wanted. Even if you are perfect there will always be someone who complains. Their complaints are really about them, not you. Remember that! Some Neopians are so used to misery that happiness just seems annoying to them!”

      Pandora looked at Reina with deep admiration. “Thank you for the kind words. You're right... I've only encountered nice customers so far, so that Neopian was a real surprise...”

      Reina looked her in the eyes and smiled.

      “I don't mean this in a negative way, but you will definitely come across more Neopians like that. Focus on the good customers and have confidence in yourself! I stopped by your wheel last month and it was amazing! You have a bright future!”

      Pandora finished her cup of hot chocolate and laughed. “Reina, I came here to help you, yet it seems like you're the one helping me! I promise to work hard this month!”

      “We're here to help each other! That's what the month of Celebrating is all about! And here! This is your gift for today!”

      Pandora and Reina spent the night happily munching on holiday cookies and more hot chocolate. The next day she got up, ready to spread smiles around Neopia. As the month came to a close, she was exhausted, but still full of motivation.

     She was ready to spread smiles into the new year!

     The End.