Kauvara's Magic Camp

Hi, my name is Frenchie and I am a happy Island Quiggle. I have always been interested in Magic Weapons and Potions, getting my hands on any books related to them that my mom could afford. I did get some basic weapons and potions once, when Mommy sent me to the Battledome for my first time, but then she decided I needed more training before going back, and potions and weapons went to my sister Grositha, because she is much stronger than me. My mom even promised me a Magic for Beginners for Christmas; I can’t wait to get my hands on that one.

     This year, Mom had a surprise for me. After school finished for the summer, she sent me to Magic Camp for the summer. This was going the best summer ever! Kauvara’s Magic Camp is located on Roo Island, because there are lots of easily available ingredients there, so Mom took me there herself, while her friend Tessa watched over my brothers and sisters.

     The first day I got there, I felt really clumsy and shy. I didn’t know anybody there, and I was a bit shy about the fact that I seemed to know more about potions than the others because of the books I read... After the first day, though, I met Tounuka, a very funny Korbat. We quickly started working together and helping each other in our exercises. And during the first week, he made a huge mistake in one of his potions and got transformed in a mushroom! Fortunately for him, this effect lasted only a few hours and then wore off. But he sure looked funny as a mushroom with hands, wings, ears and a Korbat tail!

     The first week, we started off easy, making basic healing potions and elixirs. I didn’t have any problem at all with those, thanks to all the books I read about it. And then it started to get more complicated. The second week, we started working on more complex potions, like the Slippery Floor potion. These take a lot of concentration and time to create. Some of them need to ferment for 3 days before the final ingredients can be added! But enough about the potions; we cannot reveal Kauvara’s secrets. That is one of the conditions of being a student here.

     Kauvara also invited a fellow named Roxton A. Colchester to teach us how to find our way in the woods. She says this is really important, because we could get easily lost sometimes, especially in the Haunted Woods region. Anyway, we spent an afternoon trying to get lost on Roo Island, and pretending to find our way back. After supper, Mr. Colchester sat us around a campfire and told us scary stories. He is a very funny person, especially when he tells his stories about giant Petpetpets.

     Then Kauvara took us to Meri Acres Farm to look for different berries. We learned which ones to pick, when they are ready to be picked for the different potions we learned to create so far. I really liked that part! Tounuka and I ate as much berries as we picked. But when supper came, we couldn’t eat a bite, and we were both sick later that night. So no more eating tons of berries when it's time to work! While we were there, Kauvara told us to be on the look out for a special berry that is usually only seen in Darigan: the Spiked Dariberry. She said that if we were really, really lucky, we just might find some in a remote corner somewhere. So a few of us decided to explore some woods that were close to the farm in the hopes to find some, and we did! There was one plant under some old trees, and there were only a dozen berries on the plant. But you should have seen the look on Kauvara’s face when we brought them to her. It was worth all the scratches we got while roaming around in the woods.

     After the visit at the farm, we also explored Roo Island to learn more about berries. After learning about the berries and different other possible ingredients, Kauvara let us explore the Island and have fun. I went to play Dice-A-Roo. I didn’t win the jackpot, but I won a few neopoints and some food. And then, as night was falling and the stars were coming out, a few of us went for a merry-go-round ride. It is amazing to see the night sky when you are riding.

     We also spent a day at Kiko Lake to pick up some special ingredients, and to take a break from camp. Allita, Kauvara’s sister, was in charge of us for the day. She is really funny and not as serious as her sister, unless it comes to berry picking. After we finished our work, Allita decided to stay for the day. So we played around in the water and went for a glass bottom boat ride, which was absolutely great! And I bought a rock stick as a souvenir for my mom, and some candies for me with the money I won at Roo Island. :D

     After all that running around on Neopia, our potions had fermented enough, and we had picked our last ingredients on our journey, so we were ready to go finish them. I successfully created 3 different potions this week; I am so proud of myself! Tounuka missed one of his potions, and was very sad about it. But Kauvara assured us that the success of our first potions didn’t mean anything, and that only patience, perseverance and hard work would ensure our success.

     In the coming week, we should be learning how to make something different: a snowball wand! I don’t think Kauvara will let us do anything like an evil snowball wand so soon, though. Most of us are pretty sure we’ll work on a wet snowball wand, and others think we’ll start with a poison snowball wand. But I don’t care which one, as long as we create one. It will be very different from working on potions.

     We have a friend here that comes from Altador. Her dad is a Janitor in a place called the Hall of Heroes and has taken an interest in astronomy. Lasulen says she likes astronomy better than potions, so she learned everything she could from him. We went out late after supper and spent a few hours just learning the constellations. I didn’t know ANY of them! This was really fun and now I can’t see the stars the same way ever again. I hope she comes back next year; she is a great friend to be around.

     That is when I heard about this rumor... It is said that Kauvara will choose the heir for her shop from all the Neopets that participate regularly at her camp. Whoever is the best student, and learns the most from all her teachings, year after year, would be the one to replace her when she retires. I better ask Mom to let me come back every summer and be a good student! Maybe one day I’ll even learn how to create Kauvara’s own Potion!

     Soon, we will be going back home for a week, for some vacation! I can’t wait to see my friends from school. I haven’t even had time to play with them since school finished.

The End