Harmless Wishes: Part Four

      "When I said adventure, this wasn't exactly what I had in mind…" Yannagiba whispered through chattering teeth.

      Nadashikoh gave him a pained look. "And, you noticed that only NOW?" she whispered, infuriated.

      "Wal? What's yer decision?" the Krawk asked impatiently. "If ye dun answer in ten seconds, I'll be da one to decide fer ye!"

      "Um…w-walk the plank?" Nadashikoh told him weakly with a wounded smile.

      "Ye shall walk da plank, as ye wish!" the captain hollered.

      At the sound of his booming voice, the four pets shuddered and clung to each other protectively.

      "You and your big mouth!" Yannagiba growled looking coldly at his sister.

      "Would you rather he hang us instead?" Nadashikoh shot back. "Besides, it was your big mouth that got us into this mess. Remember?"

      Brother and sister eyed each other cruelly.

      "Uh, you guys?" Chi said softly. "This is no time for arguing. We need a plan."

      As they talked, some of the pirates approached them and began tying their paws behind their backs roughly. One of them was a Lupe with dark fur. He eyed Chi hungrily, almost as if he wanted to gobble him up.

      I don't like the way that Lupe is looking at me, the Aubergine Chia thought. Sweat poured down his fruity face. His heart drummed inside his chest. The Lupe smiled at him. A famished smile. Chi gulped.

      Yuki, on the other hand, didn't look as spooked as the others. He only appeared to be noncommittal, just like he always did. If they weren't really in danger, he would have been enjoying every moment of the harsh treatment. It was just like his old days before the pound.

      Yannagiba and Nadashikoh continued to gaze at each other, sparks almost (but not quite) flying visibly between them.

      "Humph," the Gelert mumbled. "It's not my fault…it's not my fault." He repeated the statement again and again, trying to convince himself.

      "It's Yannagiba's fault…it's all his fault," the Faerie Aisha mumbled nastily. She repeated the words in her brother's ear.

      "HEY, stop that!" the Gelert snarled. "You keep your comments to yourself…"

      "Here we are, almost at the jaws of death, and all you guys can do is bicker!" Chi said with a sigh. "Newsflash! We're about to walk the plank now. Any plans?"

      Yannagiba and Nadashikoh immediately stopped squabbling.

      "That's better. So, what do we do now?" the Chia asked both of them earnestly.

      The four pets looked at each other. Silence.

      "I don't know," Yannagiba replied with a groan.

      "'Nuff chitchat, scalawags!" the Krawk captain said. He forced the pets to form a straight line. "Time to walk da plank!" he commenced with a wave of his hook.

     The pirates cheered. The Krawk poked the hook gently into Yannagiba's tied paws. "Ye go first," the captain said with another of his exploding laughs.

     Yannagiba just stood there, paralyzed. He was terribly afraid of the blue waters. What if there was a sea monster below? As soon as his paws touched the water, he would be eaten by whatever hideous creature lurked there. Worse than that thought was when he imagined his brothers and sister devoured by it, too. Was there a way out of this? As he thought these repulsive thoughts, he happened to glance upon his two paws planted firmly on the ground.

     Am I imagining this or am I really seeing some grains of wishdust on my paw? he reflected staring at the shining glittery substance on one of his paws.

     "Cap'n, I would like to request that da Chia be cooked alive instead," the Lupe (the one who wanted to gobble up Chi) told the Krawk.

     The captain seemed to think it over. As he did so, Chi shivered involuntarily.

     I wonder which is worse…being cooked and eaten by a Lupe pirate or swallowed alive by a sea monster? the Chia thought wildly. Oh, what am I thinking?

     Suddenly, Yannagiba let out a yell:

     "I wish the four of us were back in my room, safe and sound!"

     He lifted one of his paws (that served as his feet) to his mouth, took a deep breath, and released it. As the minute grains flew into the air and vanished, the same mist of golden glitter engulfed Yannagiba and his siblings. And POOF! They were gone.

     The pirates stared, slack-jawed, at the place where the four pets once were.

     "What in Neopia wus dat?" the Krawk captain said to no one in particular.

**********

     Chi kissed Yannagiba's bedspread repeatedly.

     "I'm so glad we're safe!!! I'm really, REALLY glad I wasn't eaten by that Lupe," he exclaimed.

     Nadashikoh's lower lip trembled. In no time, she burst into relieved tears.

     "Waaaaahhhhhhh!!!!"

     Yannagiba said, "Ssssshhhh!"

     His warning came a mite too late. In a matter of seconds, Belle rushed into the room.

     "What happened? What's wrong?" she asked wiping away her Aisha's tears. She hugged Nadashikoh tightly. "It's alright, Ashi, it's alright…"

     Yannagiba, Yuki, and Chi didn't speak. They just looked at their owner silently. Nadashikoh stopped sniveling at once.

     "Nothing's wrong," she said softly. "Um…I was just…" The Aisha struggled to think of an excuse. "I was just so touched because Yannagiba replaced the cloud Aisha pillow he destroyed the other day." She said this while giving her brother a fond look and an appreciative smile.

     "Oh," Belle said shortly. She looked a tiny bit skeptical. "Is that so?"

     "Uh, yeah!" Yannagiba agreed heartily. He pushed the pillow he wished for a while ago into Belle's hands. "See?"

     The girl scrutinized the pillow doubtfully. She looked at them. Worry was evident in her dark brown eyes.

     "Something is definitely up," she said with concern. "Okay, I know you're keeping something from me but I won't ask you what it is. Feel free to tell me whenever you're ready." She turned around to leave. "Oh, and…lunch is ready."

     As soon as Belle was a safe distance away, Yannagiba let out a sigh of relief.

     "Great acting, Nadashikoh," he complimented with a smile.

     The Aisha sniffed. "I just didn't think it would be right to worry Belle with our…not-so-great adventure."

     "I don't know," Chi said uncomfortably. "Shouldn't we tell her what we're involved with, at least?"

     Yannagiba ignored the question. He cupped the spilled wishdust in his paws and transferred it into the bottle.

     "At least, now we know that having adventures using the wishdust is too perilous. Better to play it safe next time," he explained while closing the bottle tightly.

     "It was fun," Yuki the Kacheek said quietly. "Sort of."

     "I wouldn't have minded it so much if there was no ravenous Lupe pirate present. I almost became Lupe food!" Chi told them. "But, then, the feeling of exhilaration I got - now, that's irreplaceable!"

     "Fun?" Nadashikoh asked incredulously. "You call that fun? We were nearly eaten by an unknown sea creature!!!" She glared at Yuki pointedly. Then, she gave Chi a funny look. "And, a feeling of exhilaration?!? EXHILARATION! More like, AGITATION. My heart almost exploded because of all that happened!"

     "Alright, already!" Yannagiba said with a frown. "We'll make safe wishes next time. Let's forget about the wishdust for now and grab a bite to eat."

     "You're just saying that because you know this is all your fault!" Nadashikoh said accusatorily.

     "Hey, let's not begin the fight all over again," Chi said, worry filling his voice. He wasn't really a fan of sibling rivalry.

     "I think I got the message already, Nadashikoh," Yannagiba replied quietly.

     "Good," Nadashikoh said, "because I wouldn't know what do if you didn't."

     "Now, let's all stay calm and do as Yannagiba said," Chi continued, trying to sound like a peacemaker. "Forget about the wishdust and grab a bite to eat."

     "Oh, don't worry yourself. I won't cause any more trouble," Nadashikoh said offhandedly.

     The four Neopets trooped into the dining room. They were all determinedly trying not to think about the wishdust.

      "Let's eat," Yannagiba said grimly. He chomped on his food with passion. He opened his mouth wide and began shoving more food into it.

      Nadashikoh's eyes narrowed into slits. She picked up her fork and speared some omelette. Then, she ate it like a proper lady Neopet. She sneaked a peek at her brothers.

      Yuki stared at his plate and blinked. Then, he started to eat his food. Very slowly. Just like he always did. He hoped Belle wouldn't notice how weird the others were acting.

      Chi glared at his food and wondered what the entire gunk was. Oh, who cared, anyway? He took a bite and swallowed. Bite and swallow. Bite and swallow.

     "You guys are never this quiet," Belle commented. "What's wrong?" She stared at her pets who were eating the food laid before them with gloomy expressions on their faces.

      "Uh, nothing," Yannagiba replied in a falsely cheerful voice. He was struggling not to tell their owner about everything that had happened.

      "Smile, at least," the dark-haired girl said softly looking at them through brown eyes. "You look as if someone had died." She laughed weakly.

      "Something like that," Nadashikoh muttered under her breath shooting her Gelert brother a harsh glance.

      Belle, still unconvinced, glanced back and forth at her Gelert and Aisha. Both of them were gesturing at each other wildly, baring teeth and claws. She gave a somewhat exhausted sigh before shrugging helplessly. "Whatever it is, be careful, all of you…"

      All four of them stopped what they were doing and looked at Belle apprehensively, wondering if she really didn't know anything.

      "What?" she asked confusedly.

To be continued...