English IV (High School Senior English)

11 May 2000

The light ticking of a clock could be heard in the distance with the occasional burst of clicking and tapping. The features of Casey's gentle face could barely be made out in the dark. Only a soft and constant glow from her computer illuminated her darkened room. Her fingers rapidly tapped over the keys and clicked at the mouse. Her solemn expression seemed to be set in stone as her eyes darted from point to point on her computer screen. The clicking slowly stopped and a smile spread across her face. She clicked her mouse once more before leaning back into her chair. After a momentary pause, she stood up and walked slowly in the darkto the kitchen, the cool wind blowing in through the window. She closed her eyes and let the icy chill run through her body. Her smile remained firmly planted across her lips. After a glass of water, she returned to her computer. Sitting down she clicked her mouse to refresh the computer.

"I got a Jelly Chia Plushie!" She said in a gleeful whisper. The dead of night gave her no response, but she did not seem to notice, "I got a Jelly Chia Plushie! I got a Jelly Chia Plushie!" She giggled as she clicked her mouse, moving the 1.5 million-neopoint item into her gallery of "All Things Wiggly." Casey made her way to her shop front to admire her gallery, which was now complete. She giggled again as she scrolled up and down through her shop. Casey had spent nearly two years completing her gallery after someone had managed to take her original account from her with a nearly 20 million neopoints value to her account, she had been forced to rebuild from nothing, and had finally succeeded.

Moving her cursor, she clicked the guild icon and began looking for a guild to join. She had barely clicked a green icon with a blue Lupe on it when her computer suddenly turned off. She looked at her clock, which was also blank. She sat in complete and total darkness, silently willing the electricity back on. Casey quickly stood up, her chair clattered to the ground, she twirled around, not sure where she was anymore. "My room." She said aloud. Before she had time to think anything else, a gust of wind blew into her. She winced shortly as the blast stung her eyes. When she moved her hand away from her face, Casey was shocked at the sight before her.

The gentle wind blew against the Endless Plains, the soft grass bending at the whim of the breeze. As soft gusts blew through the trees, the streams of air carried Nixie, the water faerie swiftly to her destination. Stopping in a nearby lake, a tired and injured Lupe sat on the lake's soft bank. Half in the water, the poor Neopet whined and pleaded for someone to help him, alas, no passerby had the strength to help the defenseless Neopet. Word of the hurt Lupe spread quickly through the Endless Plains, as all its residences were eager to help the stranger, but none knew how. Word finally reached the Uber Water Faerie, and she sent Nixie to aid the fallen Lupe.

The tiny faerie was no larger than the Lupe's snout. "Please, help me." He said, "My name is Thomas, I was injured a few days ago while walking home, I stopped for a drink, and fell in, I'm to weak to get out." He said as Thomas struggled to maintain his grip on the soft bank, which had slowly eroded as he struggled to maintain his hold.

Nixie looked urgently to Thomas, "Once you manage to get out, you must visit the Healing Springs." She said softly, her voice softer and smoother than even the finest silk. Holding up her hand, she pressed her tiny hand to the Lupe's forehead, a soft blue light engulfed the scared Neopet. Blinded from the sudden light, Thomas closed his eyes, upon opening them Nixie had vanished, "Where did you go?" He called. As the muddy bank began to give way under him, he struggled to hold fast. With one quick jump, he bound out of the water. Standing firmly on his four legs, he looked back at the now muddy water.

Casey stared in disbelief. "I'm going nuts." She whispered as she moved her gaze away from the Lupe. Not far off in the distance, Casey could see Neopia Central and the Marketplace. She slowly began walking towards the familiar looking buildings. She looked up at the sky to see a small grey and red ball floating deep in space. Turning in a circle as she walked, Casey spotted at least a dozen Neopets, many in the familiar colors she knew a Neopet could be born with, and only a few in groovy unusual colors. A Disco Elephant and a Rainbow Cybunny passed her and Casey could not help but stare. She soon came across streets and streets of stores, "Adam and Donna sure make this place look smaller." She mumbled as she looked from building to building. Dozens of Neopets made their way in and out of stores, identical except for their contents, indoor decorations, and large gold plaque at the top of each door. "silvercharm_666_" she read aloud, "My Little Petpets." Casey smiled as she remembered having seen the user in the chat rooms. Walking down the street Casey began reading the owners' names and the names of the stores. Finally, she came upon one that looked all to familiar, "This must be my shop," She said as she entered. A familiar Aisha stood behind the counter talking to customers and cleaning up, "Huh, who knew?" She asked, before turning to the shelves. Rows and rows of jelly items and "all things wiggly" lined the shelves. Casey picked up her coveted Jelly Chia Plushie from the shelf. "Ma'am!" A loud voice boomed, "I'm sorry, but as the sign says, you may NOT touch!" Casey turned as the Aisha took the plushie from her and pointed to the sign, "Yeah, that's MY sign." Casey said, "This is MY shop." The Aisha laughed softy, "Now don't you wish?" She said with a grin, "Now get out scammer." The Aisha took the plushie with her and turned from Casey.

"I am officially going insane." Casey declared as she left the shop. Turning to a Miamouse who was staring at her, "I really didn't realize how tacky that background looks till I saw it as a wallpaper." She sighed before sitting down on the steps. The Miamouse smiled and climbed into her lap. "I FINALLY finish my gallery and now I've gone crazy. I'm probably in a loony bin as I speak." The Miamouse hopped off her lap as Casey stood up. Not knowing where to go, Casey began wandering around the marketplace. The tiny Miamouse followed her closely. Casey was shocked and saddened as many Neopets sat outside stores, dressed in rags and clearly starving, begging for handouts; while in the same group sat very well fed Neopets, obviously groomed, and some even painted, were also begging for handouts. Of course, there was the occasional thief who took it upon him or her to lie and do whatever means needed to score a free meal or some neopoints.

Hours or perhaps days passed, Casey could not really tell. There was no way for her to actually know what time or day it was. She had somehow made her way out of Neopia Central and into a dark and dank wood. "The haunted woods I presume." She said to no one in particular. Before she had time to say anything else equally sarcastic, a sickly looking Zafara approached her, "I'm searching for the missing ingredients for my latest spell... eheheheh. If you find them for me, I will reward you with a treat. Interested? Glowing Spell of Kiko Stretching. I need you to go and hunt for the missing spell ingredients for me...if you do it; I'll reward you with something special." Casey nearly burst out laughing, "No thanks Edna, your quests are a rip off." She told the black-cloaked Neopet.

"Serves you right for getting stuck here." Edna said with a cackle. "You'd better get used to Spooky food, you'll probably never find your way out of the Haunted Woods; let alone out of Neopia!" Edna cackled again as she disappeared. Casey looked around the darkened woods. A wave of emotion overcame her; she suddenly had no idea what she was going to do.

As tears began to stream down her cheeks, Casey saw a small fluttering speck next to her face. It was the same Faerie she had seen earlier, "You need help young Human?" The faerie asked her. Casey smiled softly as she wiped her tears away, "Help? Yes, more now than ever." She told Nixie, "I was at my computer, and before I knew it, I was HERE. I thought Neopia was just make-believe." Nixie smiled at Casey, "Dear girl, it is. But you." The faerie pointed to Casey, "You and the millions of others who believe so strongly in us, you who spend most waking moments to tend to your pets and to shop and earn neopoints. It is all of those people who make Neopia into the real world that you see before you. You are what makes me real, and what makes Edna real. You believe so firmly that the world of Neopia exists, be it only inside of your mind, or in your computer, that you make us as real as you are." Nixie's wings began to slow in flutter, "But when you return home, you must remember, Neopia will always be there tomorrow, new things will come and go, but as long as you are kind, thoughtful and generous, you will never be harmed." As Nixie;s final words were uttered, a blast of blue light engulfed Casey and she shielded her eyes. When her vision finally steadied, she found herself sitting at her computer desk, the screen amply awaiting her return. Casey rubbed her head, wondering if she had been dreaming the whole time.

Using her mouse, Casey made her way to the Bank and withdrew a sizable amount of neopoints. Before she had a second thought, she began donating bags of 5000 neopoints to the Money Tree, removed a few items from her gallery, and gave them to random people on the chat boards. Casey smiled as she watched Neomail after Neomail of thankful Neopians neomail her.

Casey eventually graduated high school, and college, and introduced her children to the website of Neopets; however, by this time in 2050, Neopets.com no longer existed. Instead, children of all ages (and even adults) were treated to a very big surprise. Neopets had become a fully interactive Theme Park. Complete with worlds, games, shops, prizes, and most importantly (to Casey at least) galleries! Children used play money (never costing their parents ANYTHING) to build their own shops. No one knows exactly how the Theme Park manages to run on no income; but Casey suspects the theme park ran completely on the belief of it's visitors, as Nixie had once told her.

Years passed and Casey soon forgot about the day she had spent in Neopia. The memory of the faerie named Nixie faded as night into day. Casey's only thoughts of that night were of a tiny stuffed Miamouse doll which sits on her computer desk, reminding Casey to be kind, thoughtful and most of all, generous to all, no matter how crooked or annoying the seemed, Casey knew she was lucky to have all that she did.