How Hoban Got His Hat

      A young yellow Aisha stood at the base of a large apple tree. He spun a blue beret in his hands. It was obvious he was anxious.

     The head of a young pink Kougra peeked out from the thick branches.

     “Hey, you said you needed apples for pie.” She shrugged. The Aisha was getting impatient.

     “I meant the store, Linae,” he said.

     “Oh. Why didn’t you say that, Hoban?” answered the one called Linae. She pulled her head back into the tree. Apples started raining down on the Aisha named Hoban.

     “Linae!” he cried.

     Linae slid down the tree trunk. She landed next to her friend.

     “Yes?” she asked sweetly. Hoban just shook his head and rolled his eyes. Linae picked an apple from the ground. She wiped it on her faded shirt and bit into it. She made a face.

     "Ew ew ew!!" She spat the chewed food at the ground.

     “What?” asked an appalled Hoban.

     “There's a Skidget in my apple!!” She threw the fruit on the ground and glared at Hoban, who was happily grinning.

     "What're you so smiley about, Hoby?"

     "Nothing. It's just that only you, Linae could pick an apple out of a hundred with a worm inside."

     Linae rolled her eyes. "Gee, thanks."

     Hoban placed his beret on top of his messy silvery-blue hair. He positioned it again and again until he liked it. Linae rolled her eyes as she watched him.

     “Why do you wear that thing?” she asked with some astonishment in her voice. Hoban just looked at her.

     “Oh, do you have a suggestion how to keep my hair from blowing up? I'd love to hear it,” he blandly stated.

     “How ‘bout a comb?”

     “Tried it.”

     “Well,” Linae started, twirling a lock of her own short hair around her finger. “You could cut it off.”

     Hoban looked horrified. “C-cut it OFF? All of it?”

     Linae nodded. “Think of it, Hoban. How many Aishas have blue hair?”

     “It’s not blue!” snapped Hoban. “It’s silver.”

     “Silver, blue. Same difference. Come on, I’m hungry.” She started walking back towards town.

     Hoban stared at his friend. First they’re arguing about his hair and the next they’re going out to lunch. Hoban shook his head. He would never understand Linae.

     Blinking, he quickly caught up.

     Linae was a daredevil. Hoban was cautious. They were two different people, and yet, they were alike in every way. Their differences often got in the way. What to do today? Let’s go to the market to buy some apples for pie, suggested Hoban. But nooooo, Let’s pick them fresh from Old Crabby’s tree, says Linae. And one moment later, apples are raining down on Hoban.

     Linae ran up the porch steps to the house. She opened the door and went inside. Hoban followed. He liked their small home in Shenkuu. It was very cozy.

     “Let’s play Kou-Jong while we eat,” suggested Linae, grabbing the game. She set it up on the ground in the next room while Hoban prepared lunch. In the kitchen, he found a peculiar sight.

     “L-Lin?”

     “What is it, Hoban?”

     “Ummm.... Could you come see?”

     Linae sighed, rolled her eyes, but went to see what was disturbing her lunch.

     She found Hoban backed against the wall, staring horrified at a creature sitting on the table, eating a loaf of bread. The creature eyed the Aisha with a look that said, "Who is this guy?"

     “Aww! A Juma!”

     The fox-like petpet jumped into Linae’s arms. She started cooing and petting it. Hoban watched her, tapping his foot impatiently.

     “Yes, yes, it’s adorable. I get it,” he huffed.

     Linae looked at him with wide eyes. “Can I keep him? Pleeeeeeeease!!!”

     “Well...”

     “Pleeeeeease? Pretty please with a cherry on top?”

     Hoban sighed. “Fine. But––”

     “Yippee!”

     Linae took her new pet back to the Kou-Jong board. She cuddled and tickled it. Hoban continued to get lunch. He prepared out Mint Dumplings and Steaming Green Tea.

     “I want to go first!” he called, bringing the food.

     “Aww. Fine. Oh!” Linae said, brightening at Hoban’s choice of lunch.

     They started playing. Hoban went first, then Linae. The Juma watched in suspense, licking its paw in wonder. Hoban grinned as Linae struggled for a move. She glanced up at him. She smiled slyly and did an unexpected move.

     “What?”

     “Hah! In your face, Hoby!!”

     Hoban glared at Linae. His hands zoomed across the game board. Linae gasped.

     “Who’s laughing now, Linny?” he hissed.

     Linae bared her teeth. Her arms zipped across the game board.

     “Hah.”

     “Hey! No cheating!!”

     “I did NOT cheat!”

     They glared evilly at each other, ready to tear each other to shreds. Hoban raised his hands, and Linae went to battle mode.

     “RAAWWWRR!”

     Linae jumped on Hoban, wrestling him to the ground, yanking at his hair. The Juma scuttled out of the way quickly.

     Hoban pulled at Linae’s ears.

     “Oww!”

     The two rolled across the floor, knocking into the game, spilling the pieces everywhere.

     “Raahh!”

     “Give it up!”

     “Never!”

     Linae narrowed her eyes. She reached up, and started to tickle Hoban behind his long ears, knocking off the beret that miraculously managed to hold onto his head.

     “Stop––Hey! No, that tickles... ahh...”

     He glared at her. Hoban started to tickle Linae’s stomach.

     “Wha?! Hoban! That tickles! Get––off––heh heh!”

     A fistfight turned into a tickle fight––like always. They rolled into the table. The pot of tea fell, smashing against the floor. They froze, staring at the spilled tea.

     Hoban and Linae burst out laughing. The Juma cautiously returned, not sure what just happened. Linae rose first, still giggling. She helped Hoban up.

     “I never really liked that pot,” Hoban admitted, picking up the pieces.

     “Neither have I.”

     Hoban nodded to the little Juma, who began lapping up the spilled tea. “Named it yet?”

     “What? Oh. No.” She picked it up. “What shall I call you?”

     The Juma barked happily. Linae smiled.

     “How about Trouble?” suggested Hoban.

     Linae frowned. “No. Well, he witnessed our battle and lived. I’ll call you... Skirmish!”

     “Skirmish?” said Hoban. "What kind of name is that?" He thought for a moment. “Isn’t that another word for ‘fight’?”

     Linae nodded. “Exactly.”

     ***

     Hoban entered the living room, yawning. Linae was already dressed; she was playing with Skirmish.

     “M-Morning,” she greeted him, trying not to laugh.

     Hoban froze. “What’s so funny?”

     “Oh, nothing,” Linae said turning away, but Hoban pressed on,

     “What? Really!”

     Linae held up a mirror. The yellow face of Hoban stared back. His hair was a tangled silvery-blue mass. He yelped and jumped back. Linae giggled.

     “See?”

     “I’m not cutting it.”

     Hoban went back up stairs to his room. He dressed in his normal clothes, wetting his hair flat before putting on his beret. Hoban stopped by the hall window and looked at all of Shenkuu. People were already up and out.

     He spotted a red Nimmo named Orrin opening his shop. He spied Kentari polishing his pointy sword. And he saw a new shop. A blue Gnorbu entered it.

     “Beautiful, init?” Linae appeared at Hoban’s shoulder.

     “Hey Lin?”

     “Yeah?”

     “Who owns that new shop?” he asked, pointing.

     Linae squinted. “Dunno. Let’s go see!” And before he knew it, Hoban was being pulled down the stairs, and through the streets of Shenkuu, at 6:00:00 am, NST.

     The cold air bit at Hoban’s skin. He shivered. “C-Can we get some real coats later?”

     “S-Sure...”

     They entered the shop. It was filled with parts of boats; wheels, portholes, crates, rope, and maps. Hoban took a wooden compass of the shelf. He liked it. Might come in handy, he thought.

     “The most efficient compass on this side ‘o Neopia, aye,” boasted a voice. Hoban whirled around. A blue Gnorbu was smiling at him.

     “H-How much?” Hoban asked.

     “’T get ye out o’ my shop? 250, is all I ask.”

     Hoban handed him the money.

     “Thank y––”

     “Now scat!”

     Hoban grabbed Linae. They ran out of the shop.

     “Tuan is weird,” Linae said.

     “Tuan?”

     “Captain Tuan of the Cyodrake’s Gaze.”

     “Huh?”

     “The flying ship!”

     “Oh. Wait. There's a flying ship?"

     Linae rolled her eyes.

     They started back home, cutting through town. Linae passed a small shop. She backtracked and pulled Hoban in.

     It was stuffy and cramped. The store was filled with second hand clothing.

     "What are we doing here?" asked an irritable Hoban. "I thought we were going back home."

     Linae rummaged through the racks and shelves. "Well, you said you wanted new clothes, didn't you?"

     "Yeah, but--"

     The Kougra pulled a green coat off a rack.

     “Well?” she asked.

     Hoban inspected it.

     “I don’t know--”

     Linae tossed it to him, pulling out a maroon scarf and sweater. Hoban found a plaid bag the same color of the coat.

     “How ‘bout now?”

     “Yeah. I like them.”

     “I’ll buy it,” said Linae, taking the clothes.

     “Really?”

     “Yep.”

     Linae went off to search and shop and do who-knows-what while Hoban stood at the front of the store, staring at some hats. He came across a pointed hat in a glass case.

     It was green-and-maroon striped, like the clothes Linae bought. There was gold stitching around the hem. The hat even had a place for his second pair of ears; it was perfect. He examined every inch of it, entranced. There was a longing in his heart.

     “Ho-ban! Time to go!”

     Hoban yanked himself away and exited the store. He shivered outside. Where was Linae?

     As to answer his thoughts, Linae burst from inside.

     “Hi,” he said.

     “Hi!” She reached into the bag and took out a hat. THE hat.

     “What––?”

     “Will you stop wearing that silly beret now? The clerk says you look weird.”

     Hoban took off the beret and put on his new hat. Staring at the beret, a million thoughts flew through his head. Hoban shrugged and threw the beret over his shoulder.

     And that is how Hoban got his hat.

The End