975 - A Faerie Number

     “It’s so odd, I just kept seeing a combination of three numbers on those eggs,” Annalisa thought. The eggs that had cracked open were 9, 7, and 5. They cracked open over and over and over again as she was being chased.

     “I wonder what it means…” the Baby Lenny whispered to herself. While she wasn’t superstitious, she still couldn’t shake the feeling that those numbers meant something. Otherwise, why would they have been such a focal point of that nightmare?

     She shrugged it off and began her day.

     Annalisa worked at Plushie Palace in the Neopian Plaza. She helped the Cybunny shopkeeper restock the shelves with the newest arrivals and assisted any customers who needed help with their purchases. The Baby Lenny loved her job because she loved plushies. Her home was absolutely filled with them, from common Red Koi Plushies to super rare Fish Negg Plushies. Annalisa had been collecting them for as long as she could remember.

     “G’morning!” she sang to her manager, the Cybunny shopkeeper.

     “Hi, Annalisa. Morning to you too!” the shopkeeper said in return. “How was your New Year’s weekend?”

     “It was great, but I didn’t get much sleep.” Annalisa responded as she hung her jacket on a hook behind the counter.

     “Oh, too much celebrating?” the shopkeeper asked with a chuckle.

     “No, sadly. I fell asleep early most nights, but I kept having bad dreams,” the Baby Lenny said with a yawn as she looked at the digital clock behind the cash register. It read 9:00 am on the dot.

     “That’s no fun! Maybe it was something you ate before bed. If I eat sweets right before going to sleep, I have the wildest dreams!”

     “Maybe...” Annalisa said, still not convinced.

     “Hey, will you help stock the green plushies? We just got a shipment this morning and the shelf is looking a little bare.” The shopkeeper motioned to the stockroom door where Annalisa could see a stack of boxes.

     “I’m on it!” she said.

     “1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7…” she scribbled on her clipboard. “1, 2, 3, 4, 5.” Annalisa stocked 7 Green Quiggle Plushies and 5 Green Scorchio Plushies.

     “Huh, 9am… 7 Quiggles… 5 Scorchios,” she thought aloud. There was the number again - 975. She continued with her stock until the shelf was full, seeing the number sequence of 9, 7, and 5 over and over and over again. Just like in her nightmare.

     After the morning rush of customers had ended and Annalisa had finished stocking the shelves at record speed, she approached her manager.

     “All done!” the Baby Lenny announced proudly.

     “Wow. Already? You need to slow down, Annalisa! You’re going to tire yourself out. Stocking the entire store before lunch? That’s crazy!” the shopkeeper chided, bewildered. “You know, the faster you stock, the faster we sell out. We’ll be out of plushies before our next delivery!

     “I’m sorry! I just can’t help myself. You know that I love to work fast!” Annalisa blurted out, slightly embarrassed.

     “I’m just concerned about you. Not sleeping and running on fumes on top of working like crazy? That’s not sustainable.”

     The Cybunny shopkeeper was right. Annalisa didn’t want to get burned out doing what she loved. What would be the point in that?

     “I’m sorry. I think you’re right,” she sighed. “I’ll do my best to breathe during my next stock.”

     Annalisa paused and continued, “On another note, I wanted to ask you... Do you believe in faerie numbers?”

     “Faerie numbers? What are those?” the shopkeeper asked, intrigued.

     “Faerie numbers are just numbers that you see often that are said to have a deeper meaning,” the Baby Lenny explained.

     “Oh, almost like a lucky number that just pops up in day-to-day life?”

     “Yeah, exactly.”

     “Maybe you should ask someone who knows a bit more about them to find out.”

     “That’s a good idea, but I wouldn’t know who…” Annalisa chewed on her cheek, thinking of who could help.

     “There’s someone I know who could help you…”

     “Who?”

     “The Island Mystic.”

     ***

     Annalisa went home that night contemplating what her manager had told her. Working slower, taking time for herself… And contacting the Island Mystic. It was a new year and the month of Sleeping. Maybe it truly was time to do something for herself and to just breathe.

     She made arrangements to travel to Mystery Island that weekend.

     ***

     “This is insane,” Annalisa thought to herself as she stepped foot onto the sand. It was finally the weekend and she had actually followed through with her journey to Mystery Island. “I’m actually here.”

     She looked around to see Neopets playing volleyball and the Tiki Tack Tombola stand. In the distance, she could see the Island Arena and the Techo Mountain volcano still smouldering from its last eruption. While she was in awe of the dreamy beach scenery, the Baby Lenny slowly realized that she had no idea where the Island Mystic’s hut might be. She went up to the Tombola.

     “Excuse me, sir?” she asked the man at the stand. “Do you know how I can get to the Island Mystic?”

      “He’s on a separate island, all to himself. You’ll have to follow the shoreline to the ferry to sail to him,” the masked man answered.

     “Thank you!” Annalisa said as she ran off, still in her old habits of rushing around to get things done.

     “Hey! Make sure to come back here to try your luck before you leave!” the Tiki Tack Man shouted after her.

     The Baby Lenny walked the shoreline until she found the ferry just about to leave the dock in front of the Trading Post.

     “One ticket, please!” she said to the attendant, a jovial Blue Flotsam.

     “Pick any seat you’d like, m’lady,” he said, tipping his straw hat.

     Annalisa found a seat near the bow of the ferry and got lost in her thoughts.

     “What if the Island Mystic is scary? What if he’s mean? What if he thinks I’m crazy? What if being so fast-paced is what makes me successful?” These questions and more rattled in her brain the entire fifteen-minute ferry ride.

     As the Baby Lenny departed the boat, she could see the straw-roofed hut in the distance. She mustered up all the courage she could and knocked gingerly.

     Mysteriously, the thatched door swung open on its own…

     “H-hello?” Annalisa managed to squeak out.

     “Come in,” rang a low, sultry voice from inside the dark, expansive hut.

     The Baby Lenny inched her through the threshold, her heart beating in her chest.

     “Would you like your fortune told, little bird?” The Island Mystic came out from the shadows, scanning the Baby Lenny from head to toe.

     “No, no. I-I want to know about my faerie numbers,” she stammered. “My name is Annalisa and I keep seeing 975. Wh-what does that mean?”

     “Sit with me, little bird,” the mystical Kyrii cooed, motioning to two pillows on the dirt floor. Annalisa did as she was told and perched herself on a pillow.

     “Faerie numbers are messages from beyond. They advise you on what will bring your life peace and balance,” the Island Mystic began. Annalisa nodded fervently, suddenly filled with hope.

     “975 indicates that the faeries looking out for you are asking you to take life more slowly. They have noticed you are moving too fast for your own good. What you need is rest, relaxation, and time to breathe. This will allow you to give the right time and attention to the things that bring joy and passion to your life.”

      “Wow, the shopkeeper really was right,” Annalisa said.

     “Yes, she was,” the Island Mystic responded with a wink.

     “Thank you, Island Mystic.” The Baby Lenny felt a wave of relief wash over her as she stood up from her pillow.

     The Kyrii nodded and led Annalisa to the door.

     As she climbed the stairs to the ferry, her new mysticism rattled in her brain.

     “9, 7, 5… 9, 7, 5,” she chanted to herself. Annalisa inhaled the salty ocean air as deeply as she could, her muscles relaxing one by one as her lungs were stretched to full capacity.

     “If this is what it feels like to truly breathe, the Island Mystic and my faeries must be right,” she thought, gazing off into the Mystery Island sunset.

     The End.