No More Contraptions

     Suddenly, Leon shrieked, "I got it! I finally got it!"

     He ran into the living room and grabbed Einstein out of his luxury castle petpet bed. They raced to the bedroom, slapped the Keep Out sign on the door and slammed it shut.

     "We did it! We did it! We finally have our very own lab ray!" shouted Einstein.

     They cleared the room making preparations to test their newest creation. Leon and Einstein instantly ran into a problem; they needed a guinea pig. Which shouldn’t be a problem. They lived with twelve other pets!

     "Hmmm, who can we trick into testing this out?" asked Leon.

     They thought and thought and thought.

     After about half an hour, Einstein blurted out, "Girlie!"

     If you knew Girlie, than you'd know that would never happen. Even though she was a Mutant Draik, she thought she was the most beautiful Neopet ever. Plus, she required them to play dress up with her before even starting negotiations.

     "Nah, keep thinking..." advised Leon.

     Leon was well aware what playing dress up would do to a reputation if seen by friends. So they thought and thought for another hour. They finally arrived at the perfect victim... *cough*... I mean, test subject.

     "Gil, hehe, will try anything!" stated Einstein with enthusiasm.

     Gil was a fun loving, carefree Gelert who loves adventures. Of course, he would be the perfect choice. So, off they went to convince poor little Gil to try their contraption.

     "No way! What if I turn into a Lupe? That would be horrible," shrieked Gil. He had a point. Gelerts and Lupes didn't exactly get along.

     "No, I promise you won't get turned into a Lupe! Our lab ray only does color changes," stated Leon. He knew it was a lie, but they needed Gil. There was no way Leon would test it on himself. What if he turned into a Lupe? His friends would never let him live it down. Gil fidgeted nervously as Leon talked. Leon explained that he’d already tested his machine on some friends and spouted other such lies. Of course, Gil didn’t believe him.

     “Sorry, guys, but I was just leaving. I told you last week about my trip to Mystery Island. Remember? I begged you to go, but you didn't want to,” replied Gil. He figured that Leon wouldn’t let up until he won. This way, at least, Gil might get something out of the deal. Gil didn’t really think their pile of junk would work anyway. Meanwhile, Leon and Einstein were huddled in a corner discussing the situation. After several minutes, they finally, hesitantly, made an agreement. Gil was to try the ray. If he did, Leon and Einstein would go on Gil's trip with him.

     "Follow me, my good sir," Einstein said ever so politely. They lead Gil into their bedroom. Einstein took his usual position at Leon's side.

     "Now stand right on that square," instructed Leon. Gil stepped inside the little red square that was taped onto the floor. He closed his eyes and tried to imagine he was on Mystery Island. He could hear the waves crashing. He could feel the sand in between his paws. He was on Mystery Island for a few short moments. All of a sudden, he was brought back to reality by Einstein and Leon's shrieks.

     "It worked! It really worked! We're going to be billionaires!" Leon shouted with joy, while Einstein bounced all over the room.

     Gil opened his eyes, shook his head, and ran as hard as he could. Fearing he had been turned into a dastardly Lupe, he rushed into the bathroom to make sure he was still a Gelert.

     "Eeeekkk!!!" Gil screamed louder than a teenage girl at a Wocky Til You Drop concert. Leon and Einstein rushed into the bathroom.

     "What's wrong?" They didn't understand all the commotion. Gil was going hysterical. He was yelling and jumping all over the bathroom. He even knocked over Girlie’s beloved Superstar Shampoo.

     "I'm a reindog because of you," Gil shrieked. "I can't believe you two made a lab ray that actually works!" Gil couldn't believe it. They actually did something right for a change. In the past, he had made fun of Leon and Einstein for being goof offs. In fact, everyone made fun of them. They were always messing up, breaking things, and getting into trouble.

     Gil couldn’t believe it. His lifelong dream was to be painted Christmas. He had begged everyday for a Christmas paintbrush. "I've waited my whole life to be painted Christmas, and thanks to you two, it's finally happened!" Gil couldn't thank them enough. He was in eternal debt to them. Leon and Einstein had found a guinea pig for all future contraptions.

     Leon wanted his turn with the lab ray. It was only right, of course, that he got painted, too. He built the ray after all. Leon instructed Einstein on how to operate the levers and buttons on the ray. After Einstein was confident he knew how it worked, it was time to proceed. Leon stepped into the square and squeezed his eyes shut. He wished to be turned Electric. He wanted to be the fastest Gelert ever. He thought a new paint job might help. Leon opened his eyes as soon as he heard the zap. Leon ran as fast as he could into the bathroom and looked in the mirror. He gasped in horror. Leon couldn’t believe what he was seeing! He had turned into a Lupe! Hanging his head in disappointment, he went back into the bedroom. Gil and Einstein couldn't hold in their laughter. He had lied to Gil, and look what it got him. The only thing worse for a Gelert would to have been turned into a Wocky.

     Gil couldn’t help but to taunt, "I thought it only changed colors?!" Frustrated, Leon went over to the machine.

     He asked, “Einstein, what did you do?” Einstein showed him exactly what levers he pulled and buttons he pushed.

     Leon sadly remarked, “Ugh, I knew it was too good to be true.” After a few moments of thinking about the recent events, he looked up at Gil. A rage of fury consumed him. Leon walked to the side of the ray and picked up his Mighty Robo-Hammer. He raised the hammer high above his head and smashed the lab ray to bits! "Now it doesn't change colors either," he declared. Leon stomped out of the room.

     He had put his heart and soul into the ray. It repaid him by changing him into his rival. Gil and Einstein tried everything to make Leon feel better. They promised to save money to buy a Gelert morphing potion. Leon knew they’d never be able to save up that much money. They threw him a big party and invited all his friends. They even bought him a spiffy new Lupe moon charm and a cuddly Lupe plushie. Nothing seemed to help Leon. He sat in his room staring out the window for days.

     One day, his owner was helping out at the pound and saw a lonely Lupe named Lightning. She couldn’t help but feel for him. After much consideration, she adopted the Lupe. It took a couple of days, but Leon started talking to Lightning. Leon, Einstein, and Lightning became best friends. Now they are inseparable. Leon is proud to be a Lupe. Gil is proud to have a Lupe for a brother and no longer despises them. Still devastated by the disastrous lab ray, Leon hasn’t built a contraption since.

The End