Lost in... Jelly World?

     And I'm here to prove them wrong.

     My name is originally sky5444. You can call me Skylar. This is the story about how I discovered that Jelly World is not just a fable.

     You see, I got into a fight with my owner one day. The details are hazy, but I wrote it down somewhere. Perhaps I'll share it with you another time.

     Anyway, it was an awful fight. She told me how irresponsible and selfish I am. I told her that if she cared so much about us, she should actually feed us every once in a while. It just got worse after that. I think I really let my anger get away with me. Like I said before, the details are hazy, but I know that my owner was hurt at my words. I was hurt too. Finally, I couldn't take it anymore. I ran away from home.

     That night, very late, I stuffed a few pairs of warm clothes, a toothbrush, and a blanket into a backpack and set off. I didn't know where I was going and I didn't care. I just had to be away from home.

     I somehow managed to survive the first night on my own. I barely fought in the Battledome, but I have good abilities. They are mostly from Faerie Quests or Coltzan's Shrine or something, because my owner was too cheap to buy Codestones or Dubloons for Training School.

     As I left my Neohome in Faerieland and began my journey, I heard all kinds of weird noises. I heard scratching, howling, and breaking twigs. I think I even saw movement once or twice, dark shadows creeping in the mist. I didn't know what kinds of things could be out there. But still, nothing came to challenge me.

     The rolling fog was so thick, anything could have been right in front of me without my noticing. I tripped over a log and hit my forehead, hard. I stood up and brushed myself off, but everything I could see suddenly became slightly fractured. Blurred Vision. Curses! We have a large stash of cures in the front cupboard of our Neohome, but I never thought to bring medicine. I was just going to have to deal with it.

     Wait, I thought, the Healing Springs! Surely the Water Faerie could cure my disease! But then I realized I may have been traveling longer than I had thought. I might have to go a long way to get back to that part of Faerieland. Looking at my surroundings, it occurred to me that I might not even be in Faerieland anymore. I looked harder, trying to decide where I was. That was no good. You couldn't see anything through this fog! I decided the safest thing to do was to try and get some rest. I would decide what to do in the morning.

     I chose a comfortable spot near some trees and covered myself with the blanket I had packed. I rubbed over my fur, trying to warm myself despite the cool blast of wind that had started to blow. Eventually, I managed to close my eyes and fall asleep.

     The next few days were a blur. All I remember was waking up the next morning in a forest and beginning to travel overland. I made my way from place to place, stopping to pick fruits from trees or bushes. I slept only when it was necessary, and never more than a few hours. Too risky. I traveled at night many times, yet nothing bothered me. But after picking a few Red Chiaberries from a bush in Meridell one day, I stumbled upon something familiar. There, in the distance, was Neopia Central.

     I squealed with joy. I knew this place! My owner had taken me here a few times to get some things from the Money Tree. The Money Tree! Of course! Maybe I could find some decent food there!

     I ran as fast as I could and watched as Neopia Central looked closer and closer. Panting hard, I burst through some bushes and found myself right next to the Food Shop. Looking at the Giant Hamburger made my stomach rumble. I made a dash for the Money Tree, but to my disappointment there were many other pets there, all waiting for a chance to grab some rare items. Suddenly the air shimmered, and something appeared. A Fresh Fruit Surprise Omelette! I ran as hard as I could to reach the treat first, when out of nowhere a Meerca shoved me to the ground and grabbed the omelette.

     He and his Blumaroo friend laughed as they walked away, waving the omelette around.

     I was angry, as angry as I was days ago when I had that fight with butterfly7672, my owner. She made that name when she was six years old, and now she hates it. She has us call her either Sophia, or Flyer. My anger clouded away and grew into sadness. I realized I almost... missed my owner and my sisters. I hope they weren't worried about me.

     "Hey! Get UP!" While I was lost in my thoughts, I hadn't noticed that I was still on the floor, blocking the tree. Angry Neopets were looking down at me. I hastily got up and brushed myself off. Moving out of the way, Neopets shoved me behind them until I was lost in the crowd. I couldn't even see the tree anymore. With a sigh, I left.

     Still hungry, I wandered around, wondering where I could get a meal. I stumbled into the Marketplace hoping I could find maybe a sandwich or something on the ground. Then I saw it. The Soup Faerie! I could get a free meal from there! I waited impatiently until the line subdued. Then I walked up to the stand The Soup Faerie greeted me.

     "Hello! Welcome to the Soup Kitchen! Would you like some-"

     She suddenly stopped.

     "Oh dear! You definitely have more than 3,000 NP! Remember, I know how much is in your bank account, and your shop till!"

     "What?" I replied, confused. "You must be mistaken. I'm broke."

     I put my hands in my pockets. Nothing.

     "Hmm..." The Soup Faerie pondered. "But you're one of butterfly7672's pets, aren't you?"

     I nodded slowly. It was scary how she knew these things.

     "Well I know for a fact that she has at least 100,000 NP in her bank account. Not exactly rich, but not at all poor!" She glanced at my matted brown hair and filthy clothes. "But my, you don't look like a pet with 100,000 NP. What have you been up to?"

     "It's a long story." I mumbled in reply. "But please, I'm very hungry. Do you think you can make any exceptions?" I looked at her pleadingly.

     She simply shook her head sadly. I'm sorry dear, but if a pet's owner has more than 3,000 NP, I can't give them anything."

     I was about to protest, but someone nudged me impatiently from behind. With a start, I realized that I'd been holding up the line. I sighed and left.

     I was hungry, tired, and homesick but I managed to continue. I walked past the Neopian Pharmacy and realized that I still had Blurred Vision. I'd gotten so used that I hadn't even thought about it. I thought about going inside to see if they had the cure, but I remembered that I had no money. So I trudged on absentmindedly, thinking of home, and whether I'd ever see it again.

     Before I knew it, I was staring at some unfamiliar buildings. The air smelt strongly of... Jelly?

     That's it, I thought. I'm so tired and so hungry that I'm starting to hallucinate about food. I've been traveling for too long. I need rest.

     I lay down on the squishy floor and immediately fell asleep. I dreamt of food.

     Several hours later I opened my eyes, and my somewhat fractured vision comes into focus. How long had I slept for? I didn't know.

     Slightly dizzy, I sit up. Yellow splotches dance in my eyes. Wait... those weren't splotches. They were huge. They were... buildings. The smell of jelly still hung in the air. By now, I hope you can guess where I found myself. There, right in front of me, was the legendary Jelly World.

     I've heard stories about this place, I've heard pets laughing at others who claimed it was real. I, however, always had believed it. Despite my owner and sisters telling me it's "codswallop," I always felt it was real. And now, right in front of me, was my proof.

     I wandered around in awe, taking in everything I see. Suddenly, I hear a voice calling out. "Come get your Free Jelly here! That's right: Free Jelly!" I ran toward the voice.

     I was led toward a huge Jelly, bigger than all the buildings. A Jelly Skeith was standing next to it, a kind expression on his face. I walked toward him slowly.

     "Umm... hi..." I said awkwardly.

     He laughed. "Well, hello! Come for some Free Jelly?" He dug a giant paw in and brought it out with a Lemon Jelly in his hand. "Enjoy! Remember, only one helping per day!"

     I took the Lemon Jelly, stammering my thanks. Walking away, I gobbled the Jelly up. It wasn't enough. I was still hungry. I ran back to the Skeith.

     "More, please," I said, out of breath.

     He frowned. "More? I thought I made myself clear. Only one helping per day!"

     "Please!" I said. I tried to get around him, but he caught me and pushed me away.

     "No!" he said. "You must stick by the rules! Come back tomorrow!"

     But I was still going for it. I jumped up, trying to reach the Jelly myself, but he swatted me away.

     "No more for you!" he yelled trying to keep me away. "You are now banned from this land. Now begone!"

     He waved his hand, and everything suddenly disappeared.

     I groaned and sat myself up. Where was I? Looking around, the surroundings seemed so familiar I thought I must be imagining them. I pinched myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming. Nope. My surroundings may seem fake but the pain sure doesn't. Rubbing my arm, I slowly rose to my feet.

     Suddenly, my owner and three sisters rushed out of the house.

     "Skylar!" they all cried.

     "Are you okay?" My owner ran over and gave me a hug, which startled me, though pleasantly.

     "We woke up this morning and we couldn't find you! We were worried sick all day! You've been gone for hours!"

     Hours? As far as I know, I've been gone for at least a week.

     My sister Milly suddenly spoke up. "We were about to give up looking for you when I looked outside and saw you lying down on the porch. We checked outside earlier, so we would've seen you! Where were you the whole time?"

     "I..." I had to be careful what I said. "I took a walk and wandered around for a bit. I only just got back." It wasn't exactly the truth, but it wasn't a lie either.

     "You should've told us or at least left a note!" My owner's voice suddenly became very stern. But then her expression softened. "But either way, I'm glad you're okay."

     We all went inside and I immediately checked the clock. About 1:30 PM. That wasn't right. When I had met the Jelly Keeper, it had been evening, around 6:00 PM. I also checked our NeoCalendar, which my owner insisted to update daily. August 18. But I had left at maybe 11:00 on August 17. That means, if things were running normally, I had left last night, went away for about 7 days, and came back a few hours after I had left. It sounded like some kind of riddle, but one that didn't have an answer.

     Let's see, I had woken up about half an hour ago on the front porch. Was it possible that I really had left the house last night, went for a walk, then fell asleep outside my house and dreamed the whole thing? It seemed like the most likely option.

     I opened the door to my room and lay on my bed, trying to clear my head. I couldn't believe it was really a dream. What had just happened felt so real, but, then again, most dreams did.

     Still in a daze, I changed my clothes (which were pretty clean, despite how filthy they had been in the dream) and brushed my hair.

     I was about to wash my old clothes when something caught my eye. There, on the shirt, was some sort of stain. I looked closer and sniffed it. Lemon. Lemon Jelly. I grinned.

The End