Tilly's Traveling Treasures

     Lightning arced across yet another gloomy Neovian night sky as Luce and Chansey raced through the sudden downpour in a rush to find shelter.

     “Over there!” cried the frantic Kacheek named Luce.

     “Over here! Come on!” The Cybunny named Chansey took hold of her friend’s hand as they moved around muddy puddles towards the Forgotten Graveyard. Luce shuddered.

     The Forgotten Graveyard was spooky and quite eerie — and entirely forgotten to citizens outside of their little city called Neovia. It was where old games went to retire when something new became the next coolest thing (Virtual Reality, anyone?). But the graveyard is remembered to this day by those who were brave enough to remain in Neovia after the curse of the city was broken. Afterwards, the hidden city gained fame and went on to become one of the best tourist attractions — coming in at second just below Kiko Lake’s Boat Tour according to a Neopian-wide poll — in all of Neopia for its uniqueness that was as haunting as the Haunted Woods themselves. Always shrouded in fog and mystery, Neovia was also the most interesting.

     Especially to our Chansey.

     Chansey’s dad had gotten a promotion as editor-in-chief at the Neovian Printing Press when she was just a baby Cybunny. It was an offer they couldn’t turn down, they’d needed the extra Neopoints that it would provide them with their new daughter. They soon made the move from bright and sunny Neopia to dark and stormy Neovia. While her father worked at the press, her mother had stayed home to care for baby Chansey until one day a travelling caravan rolled through, promising fortunes beyond one’s wildest dreams. With her parents both away on business as she got older, she spent most of her time alone until one day befriending the other new pet at school, her now best friend, Luce. Luce and Chansey had bonded quickly over their favourite bands and comics.

     Including Spyder-Man.

     Spyder-Man was the name of the six-legged, four-eyed Petpet given to Luce on her last birthday. While a Spyder, Luce thought that naming him after one of her favourite comic book heroes was the world’s greatest thing — and the cleverest. Chansey agreed.

     Since then Chansey had been asking her dad if they could get a Spyder, too, and always the answer was no. They didn’t have the Neopoints to care for a Spyder.

     But Chansey was stubborn and tried again that morning.

     “What about a Poppit?” she’d suggested at breakfast, sliding a tattered copy of the Shop Wizard catalogue across the table.

     Her father had slid it back without looking at it. “We can’t afford a Petpet right now,” he’d said, taking a bite of his spooky doughnut as he read from last week’s Haunted Woods Reader. A speck of its orange icing dripped onto the catalogue that now rested between them.

     Feeling deflated but not yet defeated, Chansey had let the subject drop. She would find another way. She would just have to wait for the opportunity to present itself — and seize it.

     Chansey felt elated now as she led Luce out of the Forgotten Graveyard and towards Prigpants & Swolthy, Tailors with an idea. “Luce — you’re my best friend, right?”

     “You got ye’self another o’ those big ideas, din’t ye, Chansey?” Luce huffed in her Tyrannian accent, already disapproving.

     The Cybunny’s ears perked up in excitement as they passed Prigpants & Swolthy, Tailors.

     “Wai—wai—wait jus’ a Tyrannian min’it.” Chansey ignored her as Luce tried to pull her back, rain falling into her eyes. “Ye din’t mean to ask them, do ye? Ye heard the rumour about that lit’tle ol’ Gelert who never came back out.”

     Chansey turned around to give her best friend The Look — paws on hips, ears perked, eyebrows raised. “Are you afraid?”

     “Of ye dad? No.”

     A muddy puddle splash splash splashed in time to Chansey’s impatient foot tapping. She knew that her friend took a while to get to the point.

     “Of them ol’ scary traveling gypsies?” Luce finally stammered out. “As scaredy as that brainy tree that gives quests.” She shuddered again. “It even talks,” she whisper-shouted.

     Chansey took her hand again and continued to lead her past Prigpants & Swolthy, Tailors and on until it seemed like all of Neovia was behind them. Luce knew she couldn’t back out and her friend knew it, too. They stopped when they reached the threshold of the woods. “I don’t see ‘em.” Chansey heard the relief in the tone.

     “We’re not looking for them,” she said. “We’re looking for them.” To emphasise her meaning, Chansey pointed ahead towards a gilded caravan that stood out in the darkness of the woods where a small campfire could be seen glowing brightly.

     Luce stuttered. At a loss for words.

     “What are the chances that the very thing I was hoping for just this morning shows up in the same night?” said Chansey, her eyes alight with wonder.

     “I—”

     “Would you young travellers be interested in seeing your futures?” questioned an elaborately dressed Cybunny who emerged from the back of the caravan. She wore a long, flowing skirt and long-sleeved blouse with a variety of jewellery.

     Chansey nodded enthusiastically.

     And then, as Chansey gazed into the crystal ball that Tilly held out, she was transported away from present-day Neovia into the future.

      ~ ~ ~

      “What did you see?”

     The young Cybunny blinked and looked up at Tilly with happiness as she joyfully said, “I saw my family together again — and they got me a Babaa!”

     “Which is just the very thing I can help you with.”

     “Huh?” inquired Luce.

     The older Cybunny smiled genuinely as she motioned to them. “Kindly follow me, if you will.” And without waiting for them to follow, she returned to the caravan and opened the doors before disappearing inside.

     Chansey was preparing to follow before she felt her friend tugging on her jacket. “I din’t trust it, Chansey, we should go now since she isn’t lookin’ our way. I got a bad feelin’ about this. Remember the ol’ Gelert.” She knew that Luce was probably right, but what if this particular traveling gypsy was the real thing?

     She gently shook off Luce and followed the other Cybunny into the back of the caravan under Luce’s defeated gaze.

      ~ ~ ~

      What they saw stopped them short.

     Inside the caravan was lit by a single bulb above, and they could see that it looked to be a little store for cures, basic necessities and everything you could ever need from A to Z. Except nothing had a price tag on it. There weren’t any signs to explain how much NP any of the items cost, if they were for sell at all. No one else seemed to be around either.

     “Welcome to Tilly’s Traveling Treasures!” the Cybunny proudly exclaimed at last. “I seemed to have forgotten my manners; I’m sorry. I’m Tilly, by the way.”

     Looking silly with looks of awe on their faces the gypsy laughed. It was like the tinkling of bells.

     “Every time they see my little shop,” she chuckled. “A fortune-teller can’t just live on one job.”

     Chansey thought she’d heard something. “What was that?”

     Ba baaaa. Ba baaaa.

     Tilly’s eyes glittered under the light as she nodded her head towards the back. “See for yourself.”

     Ba baaaa. Ba baaa.

     Pushing past her friend to the far back of the caravan shop, she followed the sound until she stopped in front of a box covered with a blanket. “Right here.”

     “Go ahead,” Tilly insisted.

     Chansey lifted the blanket to see that what she’d mistaken as a box, was a box with a live Petpet peeking out of the top, bouncing around for attention.

     “Ba baaa!”

     Luce rushed up behind Chansey in amazement. “No! Way! Jus’ like you were hopin' for this morning!” She watched as Chansey picked up the little Petpet and pet its head with care.

     “This little guy was waiting just for you,” Tilly said with another glimmer in her eyes. “What is his name?”

     “My father would never let me keep him,” Chansey started. But Tilly interrupted her.

     Tilly offered a knowing look. “Maybe he’s changed his mind. What is his name?” she asked again with that same glimmer.

     “Treasure,” she said without hesitation. “His name is Treasure.”

      ~ ~ ~

      The next morning Chansey’s father walked in to the kitchen with a copy of the Haunted Woods Reader and grabbed a spooky donut from the table as the rain continued to pound against their window.

     “Morning, Chansey.”

     “Ba baaa!”

     “Mhm.” He sat across from Chansey without another word as he took another bite of his breakfast.

     She wanted to know how long it would take for him to notice the Babaa that wandered over to him to sneak a nibble of his donut.

     “Ba baaa!” Treasure cried.

     Finally her dad put down his paper and looked up. “Chansey.”

     “Yes?”

     “Is that a Babaa?”

     “Yes?”

     “Did you leave the window open again?”

     “Yes?” she fibbed.

     Her dad sighed. “You know that we don’t have the NP right now for a petpet. How much did it cost?”

     “Free! Can I please keep him? Please?” Chansey whined. “I’ll take care of him!”

     But he wasn’t convinced. “Where did you get him?” he asked as he caved and pet the Babaa, anyway. “He is kind of cute.”

     Should she tell him it was from a traveling gypsy?

     “Uh…”

     “Chansey.”

     Treasure bumped his head against the paper until it slid off to the floor. “Ba baaa!” he intoned proudly.

     She sighed. “Me and Luce got caught in the storm last night as we left Spooky PetPets when we came across a traveling merchant.”

     “You aren’t to supposed to be looking at petpets when we—”

     “—don’t have the NP.”

     “What’s the traveling merchant called?” he inquired next.

     Chansey hesitated. “Tilly’s Traveling Treasures,” she reluctantly admitted. “But she was really nice. She gave me Treasure.”

     “She gave you treasure?” he exclaimed worriedly. “She gave you Dubloons?”

     “No! She gave me Treasure.”

     “She gave you Dubloons.”

     “Treasure,” she tried again. She reached down and picked up the Babaa. “That’s his name. Treasure.”

     “Ba baaa!” the little petpet agreed.

     A moment went by when neither of them spoke. They just finished their breakfasts in silence as the thunder boomed outside their window. It was her father who finally broke the quiet.

     “Chansey.”

     “Dad?”

     He looked down, pretending to read the Haunted Woods Reader but his eyes weren’t moving across the pages. “You see… this particular traveling caravan… It’s the same one that your mother left for.”

     “You’re afraid I’ll leave home to become a traveling gypsy like mom?”

     “Well…”

     She wanted to cheer him up, so she told him what she had seen in Tilly’s crystal ball. “Mom’s coming home soon. I’ve seen it. Tilly showed me.”

     “Tilly?”

     “That’s the name of the traveling merchant: Tilly. She’s really nice.”

     “So about this Treasure,” he said to change the subject as he seemed to be looking at something far away. “You promise to take care of him?”

     “Yes!” Chansey cried with hope.

     “Alright, then,” he sighed as he leaned back in his chair and watched Treasure escape her arms to finish off his spooky donut. “Welcome to your new home, Treasure.”

      ~ ~ ~

      Later that night there was a knock knock knock.

     “Coming!” yawned the gentleman Cybunny as he put on his Neovian Printing Press slippers before heading into the main room.

     Knock knock knock.

     He opened the door, rubbing his eyes. “Yes?”

     The mysterious visitor fidgeted in place, keeping their head down. “I was riding by when the wheel on my… ride fell off. Would you happen to have a spare in this town?”

     “Uh…”

     “Who is it?” asked Chansey, who shuffled up from behind in her pyjamas.

     “I think old Mr. Miller down the road might have a spare, if you’d like to ask him. He should be home from vacationing at The Lodge in Neopia Central.”

     “Thank you kindly,” the mysterious visitor replied before looking up at Chansey’s voice. “Chansey!"

     “You two know each other?” her father questioned as he looked between his daughter and the stranger.

     The mysterious visitor pulled back the hood that had been hiding their face until now. “We should,” they said.

     “Tilly!” cried Chansey who ran up to hug the older Cybunny.

     “Tilly.” The gentleman Cybunny said her name as if he’d just seen Edna leave her tower.

     Tilly was beaming as she took in the scene around her, returning the young Cybunny’s hug. “May I come in?”

     Without responding he just stepped back to let her in, still looking on with awe and something akin to hope. It felt like a reunion to Chansey as she watched this unusual interaction. “He let me keep Treasure!” she exclaimed.

     Tilly smiled. “Told you so.”

     “Tilly,” he said again.

     “Winston.”

     It was Chansey’s turn to ask. “You two know each other?”

     Tilly and her father looked at each other as together they said, “We do.”

     “How?”

     Tilly knelt down as she smiled on Chansey. “I’m your mother.”

     “Mom?” whispered Chansey.

     Tilly smiled through tears as she nodded.

     “Mom! Mom’s home!” Chansey cried as she hugged her again.

     Tilly smiled even wider.

     “So that’s how you knew so much about me and what I wanted!” Chansey said excitedly.

     Winston questioned Tilly with his eyes. “To stay?”

     “To stay,” she repeated.

     Chansey danced around with Treasure as the little Babaa hopped around her feet. They kept on until they were both out of breath and collapsed on the sofa. “Do you know what this means?”

     Winston laughed as he watched his two favorite Cybunnies in the world. “I think I do.”

     “Treasure brought us together again!” cried Chansey as she picked up the little petpet and they danced around some more. “You’re truly magical, Treasure!”

      Chansey knew deep down that she could not have wished for anything better than this.

     It was the happiest ending that ever was, in a gloomy city called Neovia.

     The End.