Seamstress Cybunny: Part Two

     "Do you wish to accompany the Wocky to the hospital?" a doctor asked. I hesitated for a moment.

     "I guess," I replied and exited the shop to the cold snow. The old Wocky was looking worse than when she fell a few minutes earlier. I predicted that Shai had Achy Head, which caused her to become unconscious, but I wasn't sure.

     When we arrived, I had to wait because the doctors thought that it was infectious. I walked around and waited for the news. A doctor eventually appeared and nodded at me. Shai was going to be all right after all.

     "She will have to recover for a month in bed, but she'll be fine otherwise," he explained to me. The doctor was a green Gelert and had been working at the hospital for years. I sighed with relief.

     "When can I see her?" I asked.

     "You can see her now. She's in the last door to the left," the Gelert replied and pointed to the hallway. I nodded and slowly hopped to Shai's room. The Wocky was still unconscious, but was looking better than ever. She woke up a bit after I entered the room.

     "I'm sorry, Sakura," Shai coughed heavily. "You will have to run the store on your own for the first three and a half weeks."

     "I don't mind at all! I'd be glad to do so!" I replied with a smile.

     "Will you be all right though? I'll teach you how to work with the register and things. You will have to finish the clothes, however," the Wocky coughed again.

     "I'll be fine, Shai! Really!" I smiled. However, I had more things to worry about - whether Shai's condition would worsen or not. I grabbed a piece of paper and pen to write down what to make for the clothing shop. Then, I presented it to the old Wocky. She nodded in agreement, and I was sent away so that Shai could have some rest.

     The next day, I prepared the needle so that I could start stitching. Shai's Outfitters was to open in another day and I had made a lot of progress. There was only one more item to stitch - a gown. I looked over at the sketch of what the gown was supposed to look like. The cabinet was filled with many colors of silk still, so I hopped over and started working. By the time sunset came, the evening mail arrived.

     I looked through the piles of letters. At the bottom, a letter was addressed to me. I opened it carefully and started reading. The handwriting was very familiar.

     Sakura,

     I'm afraid to say that I will have to be in the hospital for the entire month. An elderly Neopet such as myself still needs plenty of rest. The doctors will take care of me here, so get those clothes done! I will see you in a month, dear.

     Sincerely,

     Shai

     I was shocked as ever - running a shop by oneself for an entire MONTH? This was crazy enough as it is! It was getting late, so I finished the gown and went upstairs to bed. Everything was pretty much ready, except another letter had arrived.

     I opened it carefully to see if it was another bill. As it turned out, the handwriting was more familiar than the last.

     My dear Sakura,

     The major sandstorm in the Lost Desert has subsided. I will be returning home to the village at the end of this month. I apologize for not being able to communicate with you in some way. Finding enough paper is a very difficult and impossible job.

     Stay strong, and I will see you later!

     Love,

     Mom

     I became speechless after I read my mother's letter - her neat and smooth handwriting. Relieved as ever, I reread the letter for two hours.

     After finished with the letter, I realized what time it was. "I better get going!" I said to myself as I quickly ate breakfast and started displaying the clothing. There were many pieces on hangers to display around the shop. I hopped as fast as I could in order to finish in time.

     By the time the shop opened for the day, I was already worn out. The store looked like as if it was a high-class place to visit and purchase goods. There were probably around five customers and they didn't ask many questions. Fortunately for me, the day went by as fast as last night when reading my mother's letter.

     However, four minutes before the shop was supposed to close, two Cybunnies approached me. I recognized them immediately. They were my twin sisters - Colleen and Colette.

     "Where have you been?" Colette asked, sounding snobby as usual. Colleen giggled and went around the counter. Her smile was no positive one.

     "Yeah, where were you? We've been looking all over the village!" she sneered. I didn't know how to react, even though I was supposedly smarter than those two.

     "Seamstress Cybunny, Seamstress Cybunny!" Colette chanted as she danced around the displays of outfits with Colleen. If I didn't do something quick, the displays would be destroyed. The twins' moves were THAT powerful. Colleen and Colette started kicking the displays around as if it was a birthday party that did not go their way.

     "Stop it right now!" I shouted so loud that you could hear all over the shop. The two sisters ignored me and continued their destruction. I continued to shout at them to stop, but they continued to disobey. At this rate I would have to spend all night fixing everything. Without Shai around, what was I supposed to do?

     I started to growl and wrote the Chia Police. In this village, they were the kindest of police officers around Terror Mountain no matter what was occurring.

     The reply arrived five minutes later, saying that they were on their way. The officer mentioned in the letter that he would send six Chias to the shop within a few minutes. Relieved, I turned around and suddenly gasped.

     I couldn't believe my eyes. The twins stopped dancing and the shop was a complete mess. At this rate, I could have said that Colleen and Colette were thieves.

     "Oh dear, oh dear. The shop's a complete mess!" Colette giggled. Colleen nodded and knocked over the last oval display standing with her paw.

     "Clean this up right now, missy!" she commanded me. "The owner will be here in a few minutes!"

     I knew that was incorrect because Shai was still having treatment. So I grinned and simply replied, "I'm the owner of this shop."

     Colette looked at me with a puzzled face. "What do you mean you're the owner of Shai's Outfitters?" she asked with curiosity. Colleen nodded slowly in agreement with her twin sister.

     "I'm the owner."

     "Yes, but how?"

     "Why do you want to know?"

     The conversation stopped when the Chia officers cautiously opened the door and surrounded Colleen and Colette. An officer came around the counter to see if I was okay.

     "Will you be all right, Miss Sakura?" the officer asked as he placed a hanger on top of the counter. I nodded my head slowly and two officers, who had tightly tied up the twins with rope, approached the wood counter.

     "What crime would you like to charge these two with, miss?" they asked. In this village, based on what you saw, you could tell the police what crime the thief (or thieves, as the case may be) had committed. I thought about what crime to charge them. They were pretty harsh on me and I could tell by their faces that they were going to have a complimentary dress.

     "These two were going to steal a few dresses in this shop," I stated. The other three officers that were investigating the scene nodded. Colleen and Colette had exchanged looks. They knew what they were going to face. Stealing stuff was a high crime in the village, especially in one that's peaceful and serene.

     "Take them away to the dungeon," the officer closest to me commanded. Five of the officers left the store and headed toward the dungeon of the village. I sighed with relief at the fact that I wasn't going to see my sisters for a long while - perhaps never again. The remaining officer asked to use the last of the paper and I nodded slowly. Tonight was going to be the longest night I've dealt with in the shop.

     After the officer left, it was very late at night. I was too tired and worn out after the fight with Colleen and Colette, but it was good to know that I had finally won the battle. The lights were turned off as I dragged myself up the stairs to bed. It was decided by me that I would close the shop for most of the day tomorrow to clean up the displays and outfits.

     The next morning, I prepared myself to sweep the floors and place the oval displays back in the usual places. However when I got downstairs, I saw that the shop was spotless. None of the dresses were taken. What had happened last night? Did I clean the shop in my sleep? I opened the door to pick up the day's issue of Neopian Times, when a crowd was out in front of me.

     "The seamstress has awakened! Seamstress Cybunny is awake!" a villager exclaimed and the village started to chant. I blinked for a moment. The entire village was right in front of my eyes!

     "Seamstress Cybunny. Seamstress Cybunny Sakura!" the crowd chanted with happiness as one familiar Cybunny walked toward the door. It was my mother! I became speechless with my mouth opened wide. I placed the Neopian Times on the porch and ran out to see the one Cybunny I knew most.

     "You're back from the Lost Desert!" I hugged my mother. Her rosy cheeks were as pink as a strawberry milkshake. She was yellow like my sisters and myself and presented me with a special gift.

     "My dear Sakura, I have brought this for you from the Fruit Machine." She smiled and gave me a wrapped gift. Curious, I carefully unwrapped the paper. It was something that I had wanted ever since I was born - a Pink Paint Brush.

     "Mom, this is…" I hugged her again. She told me to sit down and took the brush. As I was being painted, I thought about Shai, her treatments, and her health. Was she well?

     "I'm done!" my mother exclaimed. The villagers all cheered with excitement as a Yurble lent me her mirror. I was the Cybunny of my dreams, with my lighter pink eyes matching my darker pink fur. I smiled with excitement as my eyes searched through the crowds to find the Neopet that helped me through some of the tough and difficult times.

     That very Neopet walked toward me with her wrinkled smile. She looked back to normal, but in case if she wasn't, I waited until she finished walking.

     "Shai? Are you feeling better?" I asked with worry and concern.

     "I'm much better, child. The treatments helped me recover faster than an ordinary elderly Neopet." She nodded and turned to the villagers. "I'm grateful to all of you for cleaning up the shop last night after Sakura's twin siblings."

     So that's what happened last night! I dashed over in the snow and hugged her. Shai's Outfitters would be open for regular hours. The crowds of villagers left, feeling the sensation of me being painted. My mother went back home to the house Colleen, Colette, and I used to live in. She seemed sad during our conversation after arriving home safely, but I kept talking in a positive tone.

     Shai continued sewing and displaying new fashionable outfits, while I continued selling and assisting. The old Wocky taught me how to make plushies. After practicing and selling them, Shai's Outfitters became the talk of the village. After all the years I've lived with snobby sisters, I finally found my specialization.

The End