The Wheel of Celebration

      Yesterday, a large Skeith had picked her up and spun her around after winning 25,000 Neopoints. Last week, a sickly Yellow Chia cried tears of joy as he ate the food he won from the wheel, and hundreds of others thanked her from the bottom of their hearts. It had taken her months to pick the best prizes for the wheel, so these moments really touched her and made all the effort worthwhile. It was truly the best job she could have ever asked for! From tomorrow, she was determined to convince her boss to let her open a special wheel for all of Neopia's holidays.

      Pandora took one last look at herself in the mirror before heading toward the door to start a new day. She turned the silver knob, but strangely it wouldn't move. No matter what she did, she couldn't open her front door. She walked to the back door, but this one wouldn't open as well! She also tried to open her windows to climb out of, yet they were all sealed shut. All she could see out of her windows was darkness, instead of her usual view of Neopia Central.

      “Don't panic!” She reassured herself as she sat on her starry couch and tried to think of a plan. Maybe someone was playing a prank on her, she thought sadly. Most Neopians had been overjoyed after spinning the wheel, but there were a few that weren't happy with their prizes. She never let that get her down, since she knew it was impossible to please everyone.

      Next, she tried sending a Neomail to her boss to send help, but strangely none of her devices would work.

      “This is fine,” she said out loud over and over again. It was definitely not fine, but she figured if she said it enough times she would start to believe it.

      As a last resort, she pulled out her tools from under her sink. She didn't want to break down a wall, but there was nothing else that could be done. She held her hammer over her head and brought it down as hard as she could on her living room wall. After a few minutes, the hole was almost large enough for her to fit through. She continued to hammer away, hoping to reach sunlight instead of the strange darkness reflected in her windows.

      After almost thirty minutes she put her hammer down and wiped the sweat from her brows. She looked back behind her and saw a tunnel that was far longer than it should have been. Her walls were definitely not this thick! Why wasn't she outside yet?!? She touched the walls of the tunnel and saw it was dirt, though strangely dark and grey. She always considered herself to be intelligent, but she could not think of anything that could explain what was going on.

      Before she could get all her thoughts in order, the sound of laughter shook her to her core. An eerie and dark atmosphere seemed to surround her, and soon the tunnel became pitch-black. She rubbed her eyes until the light returned, along with the image of a twisted Acara before her. Was she dreaming? Or had she gone mad from working too hard these last few weeks?

      The Acara's sickly green fur and twisted horns were unsightly, but her red eyes were oddly mesmerising. Pandora couldn't decide if the figure before her was hideous or uniquely beautiful.

      “Well, well, well. What do you think you are doing little Faellie?”

      Pandora wasn't sure how to answer this strange Neopet. However, she was certain that the figure before her was responsible for her current predicament.

      “I need to get out and start the Wheel of Celebration! Neopets are waiting for me!! It's the last day for their new favourite activity!!”

      The Acara's eyes suddenly grew dark after hearing the Faellie speak. “Oh, they are waiting for you? Cute little Faellie? Does it make you happy to know how loved you are? Neopians are fickle and greedy. They love you now, but once you have nothing to give them, they will forget all about you.”

      “So what if they forget about me? I'm not doing this for myself! I love bringing smiles to everyone!” Pandora truly meant every word she said.

      “Don't make me laugh! Do you think Neopians would still smile if you were a Mutant Petpet?! They like what is cute and shiny and simple. They don't care about what is on the inside.”

      “Why are you saying all this? Are you jealous of me?” Pandora regretted her words the instant she finished speaking. It suddenly hit her that she knew this Acara. It was Vira, the twisted and jealous fiend of Neopia. She couldn't remember all of the details, but she knew this creature loved to make others as miserable as she was.

      In an instant Vira pinned her to the wall of the tunnel and looked her straight in the eyes.

      “I am trying to teach Neopia a lesson. I am trying to spread the Grey and show Neopians the truth about their ugly hearts. Your little Wheel of Celebration is getting in the way of my plans.”

      Pandora was glad that Vira seemed to underestimate her. She opened her mouth and bit down as hard as she could on Vira's paw as she swung her hammer into the Acara's side.

      The little Faellie dropped to the ground as Vira slouched down in agony.

      “I don't know what's wrong with you, but I hope you find some joy. If you come to the Wheel of Celebration, I'll even give you an extra spin and some free gifts!” Pandora smiled widely before smashing her hammer onto Vira's foot.

      The villainous Acara gave her a glare before disappearing into a cloud of dark smoke.

      The words “You will regret this,” echoed in Pandora's ears as the tunnel and darkness faded away. She was now outside in Neopia Central, fully aware of all the eyes on her. She quickly muttered a greeting to the Neopians walking by, and felt the heat rise to her cheeks as she ran back inside her house. Thankfully all of the doors and windows would now open.

      She wanted to just sit and digest the events of the past hour, but there was no time. She ran to the Wheel of Celebration and found a long line of Neopians waiting.

      “Pandora! We were so worried about you! Is everything okay?”

      The Faellie brightened up after hearing the voices of her favorite patrons. Still, she couldn't help but feel a little sorry for Vira, even after she trapped her in her home. Vira just needed someone to treat her with kindness and respect. Of course, it wasn't kind of her to slam her hammer down on Vira's foot, but tough love was important, too!

      The final day went by in a blur, and soon Pandora was left all alone in front of the large structure. She waited until nightfall, just in case Vira came, but nothing happened. Slowly, she took down the decorations and disassembled the wheel, bidding it goodbye until next year.

      As she walked back home, she felt a dark presence following her. She knew someone was watching her from the shadows.

      Before she went inside her home, she left a box of presents and a note for Vira outside of her door. As she locked the door shut, she thought she heard footsteps and the sound of someone taking the present.

      It had been a long day, so she decided it was best not to check. She went straight to bed, full of ideas for new celebration activities in the future.

     The End.