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Week 247 |
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Week 249 |
Every week we will be starting a new Story Telling competition - with great prizes! The current prize is 2000 NP, plus a rare item!!! This is how it works...
We start a story and you have to write the next few paragraphs. We will select the best submissions every day and put it on the site, and then you have to write the next one, all the way until the story finishes. Got it? Well, submit your paragraphs below!
Story Two Hundred Forty-Eight Ends October 21
"Finally!!!" Jessie cried, tightly clutching the shiny golden Nerkmid in his paw. The Aisha gingerly took a peek at his precious prize, admiring the Nerkmid's brilliant sheen as it caught the sunlight. He had scrimped and saved for many months to achieve his goal of getting a rare, exotic food from the Alien Aisha Vending Machine. It had taken a lot of hard work and many sacrifices, but he had finally scraped up enough Neopoints to buy a normal golden Nerkmid.
Jessie ran through the bustle of Neopia Central until he reached the Vending Machine. He paused and looked up, gazing in awe at the colourful, flashing lights and various levers. How many times had he stood before this machine so wistfully? Now, at last, he stood before it with the necessary token. Gingerly, the Aisha brought up his Nerkmid and slipped it in...
Nothing happened.
Jessie waited nervously for a moment before giving the machine a little tap with his paw.
Still nothing.
Growing more impatient, he gave the machine a swift kick.
Nothing came out.
"Come on, please!" Jessie pleaded, gripping the machine with two paws and shaking it vigorously. His efforts were completely futile, though. The machine blinked at him unresponsively.
Groaning, the Aisha finally gave up and collapsed in a miserable heap, facing the inevitable truth – the machine had eaten his Nerkmid. The Nerkmid that he had worked so hard to earn. "Could this day get any worse?" he muttered to himself, burying his face in his paws.
"Oh, look!" squealed a high-pitched voice from somewhere near the front of the machine. "It gave me two items! In the few dozen times that I've used the machine, that's never happened!"...
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Author: is shaking fist at the vending machine
Date: 14th October
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..."Well, what did you get?" The second voice started out normal enough, if a bit hoarse, but rose to an excited squeak.
"A weird food -- I don't know what it is, I bet it's gourmet -- and an Ultimate Nerkmid! Look, it's got Aisha ears stamped on it!"
"Ooooh...."
"You're lucky," Jessie said loudly and rather bitterly. "I saved up for months, and it just took my Nerkmid and didn't give me ANYTHING."
There was silence. Then a scraping sound on the ground came closer to Jessie, and he peeked up from his hands to see a baby Hissi. "Did you pull all the levers?" she asked in a serious, businesslike way.
"...Huh?"
"What did you do after you put the Nerkmid in?"
"I just waited," he said uncertainly, not liking to admit he had kicked and shaken the machine. "Wasn't that right?"
The baby Hissi giggled. "Aw, come on. What do you think all the levers are for? I saw you come up while I was waiting for my big sister after I got my prizes. Here, nobody else has come yet, let me show you. I usually get something good this way. My name's Shush, by the way...."
"Shush?"
"Yeah, 'cause my sister says I'm too loud! Come on."
Jessie, feeling dazed, followed the obviously wealthy baby Hissi back to the vending machine and followed her directions as she bounced into the air, flapping her small wings, and pointed him with her tail to various levers. The lights blinked madly as he pulled, and with growing excitement he continued yanking levers and finally hauled upward on the last one. With a groan, the machine at last delivered an item....
...A bluehamberry burger. Jessie gazed at it in dismay. That was only worth a few Neopoints. Hardly worth all the months of scrimping and eating Tombola food.
"Aww, that's too bad," said Shush. "Well, maybe you'll have better luck next time."
"There won't BE a next time!" Jessie shouted. "It took me almost a year to save up for THIS one!"
"But it shouldn't be more than about 70,000 NP," Shush replied, bewildered.
"That's a lot to me." Jessie picked up his disgusting burger and walked off, depressed. "Stupid alien Aishas!" As he said this, not looking where he was going, he collided with someone and fell to the ground. His bluehamberry burger rolled in the dust.
"Well, excuse ME."
He looked up.
There was an alien Aisha standing over him, arms folded...
| Author: schefflera Date: 17th October |
..."Perchance did I hear you exclaiming that my entire race was, by your best judgement, stupid?" the alien Aisha inquired, quite matter-of-factly.
Jessie just stared in utter disbelief.
"And perchance did you pull lever four after lever three but before lever five?"
Jessie continued to stare.
"Might I suggest that you not pull those levers in the aforementioned order as it will dispense a worthless item ninty-nine-point-eight-four percent of the time."
Jessie couldn't believe his eyes. There was actually an alien Aisha standing over him, with four ears and a great big space suit. What was such an incredibly rare creature doing smack in the middle of Neopia Central?
"Wh-why-whe-huh?"
"I am terribly sorry," the alien Aisha replied with not a hint of a smile, "I do not speak whatever language it is that you are using in an attempt to communicate."
Jessie finally found his voice. "You're an alien Aisha!"
"Your grasp of that which is blatantly obvious is somewhat amusing," replied the alien Aisha and, for the first time since their meeting, the strange creature smiled. "You can call me Glarblarax or Glar for short. I am responsible for delivering Nerkmids to lucky Neopians all around the globe."
"Nice to meet you Glar. I'm sorry I said alien Aishas were stupid," Jessie began sheepishly. "I was just upset and--"
"Wooooooooooow!"
It was Shush who had spoken. Pushing around Jessie, who was still seated upon his posterior, she moved right up to the alien Aisha and gave it a gentle poke. "Wow, you're a real alien!" the baby Hissi exclaimed gleefully.
"Do all the common Neopian folk share this incredible ability of stating that which is obvious?" Glar muttered. Shush twisted up her face in a look that was part anger, part sadness. "I should be going... and quickly. I must empty the vending machine and begin delivering Nerkmids to lucky pets across Neopia. I have a great deal of work to do, and I must always be wary, for there are many who would try to steal my precious Nerkmids."
"I'll help you!" Jessie exclaimed, rising to his feet. "I have never been a very rich Neopian, but I am strong and loyal and could make your job easier--"
His voice trailed off again as the baby Hissi began to laugh, but her laughter died in an instant as the alien Aisha spoke.
"Perhaps you can..."
| Author: numbertwelve Date: 18th October |
...Jessie hopped from foot to foot in excitement as Glar stepped up to the brightly coloured front of the vending machine, pulling a long pink crowbar from his belt.
"Can I smash it open?!?" squealed Shush, flapping her tiny wings frenziedly.
Glar gave her a scathing look, then replied, "Do not be so ridiculous. The machine is a highly sophisticated piece of equipment, and it cannot be opened by simply hitting it with a large piece of metal. Even if it could, then you would hardly be in a position to do it; now get out of my way."
Shush's wings drooped miserably, and she slowly sank back down to the ground, curling up in a heap and sniffing dramatically. Glar, meanwhile, placed the pink bar on the grass and pressed a small golden button on the side of it. The bar sprang open, revealing a silver key no larger than a Mootix.
"This is what I will use to retrieve the precious Nerkmids" said Glar grandiloquently, "and if you will kindly keep your mouth shut while I am working, I would be most grateful."
Shush stuck her long, forked tongue out at the alien Aisha, but Jessie nodded fervently as he watched Glar toss the key into the air. He then closed his eyes, and the key began to glow bright green, rotating slightly and finally disappearing down the slot where the Nerkmids were usually placed. Suddenly, the machine sprang open, and Jessie and Shush scuttled eagerly forwards, expecting to see a treasure of Nerkmids beyond their wildest dreams. The sight that met them, however, was a great, gaping black void. The machine was empty, save for Jessie and Shush's two solitary Nerkmids.
"How can this be?" exclaimed Glar, his usually cool demeanor vanishing in an instant. "The Nerkmids... they're gone!!!"...
| Author: jederschrei Date: 18th October |
...Jessie, Shush and Glar all stared at the empty container, eyes wide and jaws dropped.
"This is an outrage!" cried Glar, picking up the lone two Nerkmids, looking at them in frustration. "This is impossible. No one but a designated collecting alien Aisha is permitted... or is skilled enough to open such a sophisticated machine such as this!"
Shush stepped past a sad looking Jessie to confront Glar. "I could always buy them back," she said confidently.
"No. You don't understand. If whoever stole these Nerkmids is selling them across Neopia, or worse is giving them away... I... I will be responsible, and my superiors will not tolerate this kind of a mishap... I will be dealt with most severely. Not to mention the value of Nerkmids could fluctuate wildly."
Shush pursed her lips, turning bright red in the face as she struggled not to burst out laughing.
"I don't think this is a laughing matter, Shush," said Jessie calmly, though worry for the alien Aisha was painted all over his face. "Glar, I want to help you find these thieves. I will search day and night by your side if I have to. You won’t be punished for something you didn't do."
Glar tore his gaze from the lone two Nerkmids to look as Jessie, whose paw was resting on his shoulder. Jessie thought he saw what looked like a hint of gratitude on Glar's face, although it was quickly dismissed with a determined frown. "Very well. We must make haste if we are to catch this criminal. I have a secret Nerkmid tracker in my ship. Follow me."
He began to stride off, and Jessie was about to follow when something grabbed him from behind. He turned to see Shush glaring at him.
"You aren't serious about helping that mean alien, are you?"
"Of course I am. Something really bad is going to happen if we don't get those Nerkmids back. Are you coming with us?"
"I don't know, this really looks like an Aisha matter..."
"Shush, please? We could use all the help we can get."
"Well, okay then. But I hope wherever this creature is taking us isn't dirty and smelly."
Jessie rolled his eyes and ran after Glar, who didn't even seem to notice he had fallen behind. Glar weaved through the streets, this way and that, holding some sort of beeping device in front of him. They soon left the comfort of Neopia Central and ventured out into a more wild area. Soon Jessie became lost, not recognising any of the shops surrounding them anymore.
"Not much further," Glar assured as he suddenly turned off the road through a thick bush.
Jessie followed straight after, and then Shush, a little more cautiously.
"Oh, this is not going to be fun," whined Shush as she saw her two friends already ankle deep in the swamp ahead. "Um, excuse me, but how am I expected to follow you through this filth!" No one seemed to listen, although Jessie hid a smirk that pushed its way onto his face.
Soon the three friends came to an end in their tracks. A large cliff face signed the end of their journey. Shush furiously tried to shake the swampy waters off her.
"Shush," Jessie said with a smile on his face, "you have wings."
Shush's face seemed to go vacant, a ghostly look taking over. She took a deep breath, about to scream when a thunderous rumbling shook them off their feet. They saw Glar leaning against the cliff face with both hands, head down. Puzzled, they continued to stare. Then, as if by magic, a small section from the base of the cliff began to glow. It slowly swung open, revealing itself to be a door, and even more amazingly, the cavern within. The three comrades entered...
| Author: rusty_shed Date: 19th October |
...and the door slammed behind them with a tremendous crack! that seemed to vibrate through the entire cavern. They could hear loose rocks skidding and sliding down the sides of the cliff in a sort of mini-avalanche.
Shush whimpered, and the noise echoed through the winding tunnels of rock in an amplified note of fear.
"Shush, shush!" whispered Jessie. "You're not making this any easier. Being trapped in a rock cavern is scary enough without the sound effects." He glanced around, noting lit torches placed sporadically along the tunnel before them. "At least it's not dark in here."
The baby Hissi trembled. "I d-don't like c-closed places!" she sputtered. "And if those rocks fell outside, then how are we going to get out?"
Glar gave her one of his frequent looks of disbelief. "Do you not realize, my oh-so-simple comrade, that anyone who entered before us would have been posed with the same difficulty? Clearly the door has not been used before. In addition, the presence of lit torches would indicate that there is a steady flow of oxygen to the flames; thus, another way out."
Shush stared at him blankly for a moment, then asked, "So we can get out of here after all?"
Glar turned without replying, muttering something about "thick-headed Neopians." He began to lead the way down the thin, winding cavern path.
They had only taken a few steps when Jessie stopped short. Shush pinwheeled her wings wildly to keep from running into him from behind. "What is it?" she asked.
The Aisha pointed to the ground with a paw, where something was glistening faintly in the light of the torches. "Look," he said. "Gold dust -- from Nerkmids!"
For the first time, Glar smiled warmly. "Good eyes, my fellow Aisha," he said. "Gold dust indeed. I believe we might just be on the right path..."
| Author: laurelinden Date: 19th October |
...After almost ten minutes of walking -- or, in Shush’s case, slithering -- down a seemingly endless corridor, the small Hissi came to a slow stop, pouting and looking dejectedly at the cold walls around her. “This stinks, Jessie!” she whined loudly. “We’ve been going this way forever, and we haven’t seen any Nerkmids at all! Are you sure that tracking thingie of yours isn’t broken?” she asked their companion, scrunching up her tiny snout in a frown.
Glar looked rather offended by this suggestion, and withdrew the beeping device from one of the many pockets in his space suit. “What, exactly, are you insinuating? Alien Aisha technology is the best in the known universe, and I daresay the best in the unknown universe as well! Ah, you see? We are quite close,” he added slightly huffily. Indeed, the gadget was beeping wildly as he swept it from side to side, the strangely-shaped buttons on its surface flashing in a myriad of coloured lights.
After peering at this display, Jessie nodded (although he had absolutely no idea what any of it signified) and smiled encouragingly at Shush. “Don’t worry, he knows what he’s talking about. I’m sure we’ll find what we’re looking for soon.”
The baby Hissi furrowed her scaly brows, but eventually gave a grudging bob of her head. “Fine, but on the way back, you’ve gotta let me ride on your shoulder. I'm tired!”
“All right, all right...”
Rolling his eyes at Jessie’s poor negotiating skills, Glar continued up the passage determinedly, consulting his tracking contraption every so often. The Nerkmids were undoubtedly close; in addition, the air in the tunnel smelled a great deal less stale in this area, and the torches were set out at more uniform intervals. They were approaching the end of the cavern, but where that would leave them was as yet an unanswered question.
* * * * *
“Aaah, sunlight, sunlight! Finally!”
Shush was the second to emerge from the cave, preceded by Glar; Jessie followed shortly after. All three of them found themselves momentarily blinded by the bright sunlight that filtered into-- ...where were they, anyway? Shielding his eyes with one paw, Jessie deduced after a moment that they weren’t actually out in the open, per se. Rather, they were situated at the bottom of what was apparently a deep basin or pit carved into the floor of a forest of some sort; the dirt sides were sheer, and wouldn’t facilitate climbing, despite the vines and vegetation protruding from many areas. The depression wasn’t a natural one, and had probably been dug out to provide a hiding place for something or other...
Which, in this case, was the immense pile of Nerkmids directly in the center of it.
Glar was the first to move toward the glimmering heap of gold, green, purple and blue. However, before he could reach it, or even speak, a high, cold laugh rang in the trio’s numerous ears, followed by the metallic clang of a set of iron bars slamming shut behind them -- and blocking their route out of the pit.
“Hee hee hee! Wow, I knew you were gullible, but I never expected you'd fall for such an obvious trap... It’s been a long time, Glarblarax!”...
| Author: _vespa Date: 20th October |
...Jessie whipped his head about wildly to catch sight of the villain. At first, all he could see was a large, silver needle-like ship parked in the shadow of the basin. Then, after careful observation, he saw the figure of an Alien Aisha whose yellow coat blended perfectly with the gilded Nerkmids.
Glar's face darkened. His eyes narrowed at the mysterious Aisha, and his paws clenched into fists.
"Indeed, the years since our parting have been many," he said in a cold, furious voice. "Yet it has not been long enough--"
"That's Farvin III!" Shush exclaimed, bouncing and fluttering her puny wings to get a better view. "I'd know him anywhere! He's the one who's never won the Gormball championship!" The Aisha felon, whose demeanor had been cheery, now scowled.
"I was robbed!" he said heatedly. "First Glarblarax, then that wretched Chia, and now that pathetic Fire Faerie!" He paused to compose himself. In his evident rage, Farvin had caused several of the precious Nerkmids to slide down the sparkling mound.
"But why did you have to steal the Nerkmids?" Jessie asked, his voice strained at the sight of the beautiful Nerkmids scraping against the ground. Farvin recovered his jovial nature.
"Oh, I couldn't care less about the Nerkmids! They were only a way to trap Glarblarax, the first person to ever beat me at Gormball!" He shuddered and leapt down from his hoard. "You see, I used to be a champion. Then I had to play HIM!" He pointed a trembling paw at Glar, "And I haven't won since!"
"Farvin has erroneously assumed that revenge upon me will put an end to his string of losses." Glar said stiffly. Shush nodded sympathetically.
"You've always been my favorite," she said eagerly. "Ember probably rigged the game!"
"Most certainly," Glar muttered. Farvin laughed.
"Thank you, little Hissi," Farvin said. He yawned and glanced at his bare wrist. "Would you look at the time? I've got a title to win, and training has already started. Since you love your Nerkmids so much, Glarblarax, I'll let you perish with them. It's a shame that you had to get these innocent, if a tad dull, Neopians involved. Their fate is on your head. Toodle-loo!"
With that, he threw a handful of Nerkmids at the stunned trio and dashed toward the ship. Jessie lunged at the Nerkmids and Shush cried out in fear as the metallic needle rose into the air.
"Don't!" Glar said miserably. "Nerkmids are indestructible. It is Farvin that we have to worry about."
"Um, this may seem like a silly question," Jessie said as he dusted himself off, "but what did Farvin mean by 'perish with them?'"
The ground shook slightly beneath their feet, and the sky suddenly went dark. Something was blocking the sun, and it wasn't Farvin's ship.
"I think we're about the find out..."
| Author: hajohngirl Date: 20th October |
...Suddenly a blinding light filled the entire pit, causing all three pets to close their eyes tightly. Glar was the first to open them, but at first all he could see was a fierce white glare. Then it was gone as suddenly as it had appeared, and Jessie and Shush opened their eyes and gasped along with Glar at the sight of the towering mass of metal which stood poised on the brink of the hole. The massive robot had a spherical body, which was supported by four slender legs like rigid tentacles. The large eye-like opening from which the light had come had dimmed to a deep blood red, and the three trapped Neopians automatically shrank back as two places on opposite sides of the sphere opened to reveal large and powerful cannons.
"Look out!" Jessie yelled, dodging just in time as the ground where he had just been standing was scattered by the impact of the largest gormball the Aisha had ever seen.
Shush let of a piercing scream, and Glar had an idea. "Shush!" he yelled, then leapt aside as the robot targeted him. "Shush, you have wings! Go get help!" The baby Hissi nodded, her eyes filled with terror, and streaked toward the sky.
Jessie could feel his paws trembling as he narrowly evaded being crushed by a third shot. "There's no way she'll get back in time!" he wailed, and Glar turned toward him, his face betraying his despair.
"I know. But at least she'll get out of here."
Jessie was startled by the alien Aisha's sudden concern for a common Neopian creature, but there were other things to worry about. "Glar, look out!" he screamed, and things seemed to go into slow motion. Glar glanced toward Jessie... the robot's cannons zeroed in on the alien Aisha... Jessie's petrified legs suddenly came to life... a gormball was plunging into the ground right where Glar had been standing, while the two Aishas crashed headlong into the pile of Nerkmids.
Jessie grimaced as he pulled himself free of the sharp-edged Nerkmids, wishing he didn't have to move but fearing that any moment he would be pounded into the ground. Then he had an idea. "Glar! Quick! Grab a Nerkmid!" he called, and Glar looked at him in bewilderment. "You said Nerkmids are indestructible! Can you say the same of those bars?" Jessie rolled to the side just in time to escape yet another shot, then pointed to the iron bars which blocked their escape.
A look of comprehension crossed Glar's face, but it was quickly replaced by uncertainty. "A Nerkmid could cut through them, but the robot would shoot me before I was nineteen point two percent finished!"
Jessie's face was stern with determination. "Not if I can help it," he said, picking up a Nerkmid and turning toward the seemingly unstoppable tool of destruction which towered over him. "Nerkmids are indestructible," he whispered. "Can I say the same of you?"...
| Author: sarahleeadvent Date: 21st October |
...With all of his might, he hurled the Nerkmid at the looming mass of glinting metal. Its starry form spun in a daze of points, grazing into the robot's metal coverings as if cutting cheese. The sliced metal sparked with severed cords, and with a terrible, thunderous groan, one of the many limbs crashed to the ground.
"Your attempt was successful!" cried the delighted Glar. "The robot has been 19.2% demolished!"
The Alien Aisha's prediction about the destructive power of the Nerkmid had been proved correct -- and it seemed as if his second prediction would come true as well.
The damaged robot turned toward Jessie, locking one of its remaining arms toward the pale-faced Aisha. A tremendous Gormball shifted into position on its launching pad as it calculated Jessie's position, and the angle at which to shoot its projectile to hit him.
"Glar!" gasped the Aisha, backing away. "Do something! Distract it -- quick!"
The alien Aisha obeyed. Hurling another Nerkmid at the monstrosity with perfect accuracy, he grazed off the very arm that had been targeting his comrade. "38.4% demolished!" he cried ecstatically.
"Enough of this," muttered Jessie. He grabbed two Nerkmids, hurling them at the robot. Two more arms fell, severed, as the giant machine attempted in vain to complete a launch.
"57.6!" announced Glar. "76.8!" Snatching up another Nerkmid from the pile, he spun it at the last arm. "96% demolished!"
"Make that one hundred," Jessie whispered, picking up his last Nerkmid. He threw it with all of his strength at the remaining body of the robot, which was swiveling and blinking its lights in confusion. The Nerkmid penetrated the metal coatings, exploding in a brilliant shower of fire and sparks.
The smoke cleared, and nothing remained besides a pile of smoldering shards and a much larger pile of Nerkmids.
"We did it," breathed Glar in relief. "And my Nerkmids are safe."
Jessie gave the alien Aisha a small smile. "Been hanging out with all of us 'thick-headed Neopians' too long?" he asked. "That statement seemed a bit obvious to me."
Glar clamped a paw over his mouth, looking alarmed, when a motion from the top of the basin caught his eye.
Jessie saw it too. "It's Shush!" he realized, as the figure waved down at them.
"Hey guys!" called the baby Hissi down to them. "I'm back -- with some help! My big sister is here, and some of our friends. We figured you might want some winged Neopets to give you and the Nerkmids a lift out of there."
"You know, Jessie," said Glar, as the Hissis took flight above them, "I am very grateful for what you and Shush did today. If you'd like, I will give you any Nerkmid you choose from this pile as a reward."
Jessie shook his head right away. "Thanks, Glar, but I've had quite enough of Nerkmids for a while. Next time, I'm putting my Neopoints in the bank."
The End
| Author: laurelinden Date: 21st October |
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