Saving Valentine's Day

     She sniffed the air appreciatively as she carefully removed the tray of gooey cookies out of the oven and set them on the counter to cool. She beamed at the bits of freshly chopped strawberry and white chocolate chips. This looked like the perfect batch, truly! Her friends would love these.

     Jerzen rested her hands on her face thoughtfully and let herself daydream of the day to come. She had developed a Valentine’s tradition that she had come to look forward to very much. First, she baked a newly perfected recipe to share with her loved ones. Glancing at the cookies resting on the kitchen counter again, she mentally checked that off her list. Cookies: done.

     Her closest friends would be arriving in several hours for a small gathering where they would eat delicious sweet treats and open up all the Mysterious Valentines Cards they had bought each other. It had developed into a game of sorts, attempting to guess who had written which card based on the message inside. Rather than delivering them in advance through the Neopian Postal Service, her friends simply picked up the cards from the Gift Shop and anonymously hand-delivered them at the party.

     That’s what was next on her list, Jerzen realized with a start. She still had to pick up and write in all her cards! Normally she had this done ahead of time, but had gotten completely lost in the world of baking the past week trying to perfect her cookie recipe for the big evening. She had simply run out of time. She hastily grabbed a jacket and rushed to the front door. Hopefully, the Red Scorchio could help her out with a few cards. She knew they were highly sought after this time of month, let alone the 14th itself.

     She was a little breathless by the time she arrived at the Gift Shop, greeting the Red Scorchio with a little wheeze.

     “Did you run here?” The shopkeeper chuckled, shaking his head at her. “There was no need, I’m extra prepared this year. Plenty of Mysterious Valentine Cards in stock. You’re not the only one who enjoys a little harmless anonymous appreciation. I couldn’t risk selling out!” He nodded towards the red and pink coloured Valentine display where the cards were featured front and centre.

     Her relief outweighed her embarrassment at bursting into the shop in a panic and she grinned warmly at the shopkeeper before thanking him and heading over to the display.

     Jerzen was mentally counting exactly how many cards she would need when suddenly, the shop’s front door opened with a loud bang. She glanced up, startled to see no other than the Post Office Shopkeeper, an older, harried-looking Yellow Chia.

     “Stop selling cards!” He exclaimed loudly. Noticing the amount of heads that had turned in his direction at the sound of his urgent plea, he sheepishly approached the Red Scorchio and repeated himself in a hushed tone this time: “You must stop selling cards.”

     “But why?” The Red Scorchio seemed perplexed. “I couldn’t possibly do that. It’s been a revolving door all day long; these cards are a huge hit and I invested in a large stock amount. What’s wrong? What makes you suggest such a thing?”

     The Elder Chia hung his head and shook his head in disappointment. “I’m so sorry, but there’s a huge problem on my end. We can’t deliver them all in time! I just don’t want anyone to be disappointed.”

     The Gift Shop shopkeeper blinked slowly as he processed this news. “Oh dear. But this has never happened before. The Gift Shop and Post Office have always been able to work in harmony to ensure a Happy Valentine’s Day for all. I’m not sure if pulling the cards from the shelf is the right solution. I wonder if there’s something else we can do…”

     The Chia shrugged, looking stressed and distraught. “Again, I apologize,” he murmured sadly. “But I’ve racked my brain for another solution and haven’t found one. At the Neopian Post Office, we’ve always prided ourselves on same-day delivery for Valentine’s Day. We understand that so many Neopets pluck up the courage to write a kind word or love letter at the last minute to their secret admirer. We never want their efforts to be acknowledged late and have always successfully pulled off same-day delivery. But I’m afraid this year it’s just not looking possible. It seems everyone is feeling extra generous with words of admiration this year and we’re struggling to deliver what we’ve received earlier this morning as it is. Understaffed and all that. The thought of having to sort through even more cards later today and deliver them…well it just can’t be done!”

     He finished his long rant and buried his head in his hands and groaned. It really was such a disaster.

     The Red Scorchio stared at his glittery-themed display forlornly but did not hesitate further. Now he understood. “Of course, dear friend,” he agreed. “I’ll pull the rest of the cards from our shelves now.”

     Jerzen, who had naturally been eavesdropping, took this as her cue to step in. She moved in front of the stand to block it and vigorously shook her head in disagreement. “No wait, I have an idea!” She didn’t bother to pretend she hadn’t been listening. There was no time to waste with apologies and niceties. Valentine’s Day was her favourite holiday, and the thought of it being ruined for others brought her great distress. She had to do something.

     “Please, let me help. I am meeting a big group of friends and family later this evening. I can reach out to them and request they meet me at the Post Office earlier instead. That would be at least ten extra hands to cover the Neopian neighbourhoods alongside your team. And…we’ll even deliver cookies too! I baked oh so many batches, there’s plenty for everyone.”

     The more she thought about it, the more she loved the idea. Her social circle was like-minded and would absolutely get a kick out of something like this. It would be the most memorable Valentine’s Day yet!

     Hope momentarily shone in the Chia’s eyes before his eyes dimmed. “It’s too much to ask…”

     “It’s not,” Jerzen responded firmly. “We can pull this off, I promise. I’ll meet you at the Post Office in an hour.” She took off quickly before either party could debate with her further. She was going to make this happen.

     Within an hour, she had called all her guests and informed them of the change of plan. As predicted, they were happy to help and even looking forward to it! The look of gratitude on the Chia’s face confirmed that Jerzen had made the right decision.

     It took hours (most of the evening in fact) to deliver all the same day cards and cookies but Jerzen and her friends adored seeing the look of wonder on everyone’s faces as they read their cards.

     It was close to midnight when everyone regrouped at the Post Office. “We did it!” she cheered. “Thank you all for saving Valentine’s Day!”

     The Chia hugged Jerzen and all of her friends warmly, appreciation evident in his expression. “I believe I should be the one thanking all of you. Thank you for sacrificing your day to help the Post Office. Free stamps for life for all of you,” he promised with a broad smile. “And Happy Valentine’s Day!”

     Jerzen simply smiled back, biting into her tenth cookie of the very long day. It was a Happy Valentine’s Day indeed.

     The End.