Some cookies are necessary to make this site and our content available to you. Other Cookies enable us to analyse and measure audience and traffic to the site. Cookies are also used by us, advertisers, ad-tech providers and others to develop and serve ads that are more relevant to your interests. To consent to the use of Cookies and proceed to the site, click Accept below. If you wish to withdraw consent later you will find a link in the footer Cookie Choices. For more information: Privacy Policy.
Storytelling Competition - (click for the map) | (printer friendly version)

If you have any questions about the competition then read our awesome FAQ!


Week 591
You are on Week 592
Week 593

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 Five Hundred Ninety Two Ends Friday, February 8

Fritz wiped some dust from his glasses with one of his wings. The tiny pieces of metal on the work bench in front of him looked even smaller through his dusty glasses. Fritz was one of Neopia's best clock repairmen. He always joked that he was "just a simple Lenny with a love for the complex." Some clocks housed thousands of parts, yet he always found a way to take them apart and put them back together. He enjoyed the challenge.

His repair shop was located in his basement. It was his favorite place in the world. The walls were covered in clocks of all styles and ages. Pendant lights hung from the ceiling, transforming Fritz's dark and damp basement into a bright work space. He did his best to keep the dust away. Clocks were Fritz's chosen career and his biggest hobby, maybe even his only hobby. He kept to himself and spent most of his time in his basement. The customers he served were his closest friends. He stared at the pieces of iron and brass in front of him. This puzzle was beginning to take shape...

A loud banging noise coming from upstairs caused Fritz to jump, bumping his work table in the process and scattering all the tiny clock pieces. He looked at the multitude of clocks on the wall. Who would be banging on his door at this hour?

"I suppose these pieces won't pick themselves up," he mumbled to himself.

Fritz picked up the scattered clock parts and continued changing the pieces around, looking for matches and the right fit. He looked up. Three hours had passed since he'd started working. He looked back at the clock innards, then up at the clocks on the wall again. None of the hands were moving. Before he could wrap his mind around the frozen clocks, the banging noise started again. This time, it sounded as though someone was tapping rapidly on glass.

Fritz sprung from his seat, careful not to disrupt the clock parts. "Who is it?" he huffed as he lumbered up the stairs...

Author: blessed_faerie
Date: Feb 4th
..."Just a humble Acara looking to buy a watch," a demure voice called. Its sound was a stunning contrast to the brash knock she'd delivered before to the old, worn door.

"The door's open," Fritz shouted, closing the oh-so-heavy basement hatch. A sepia Acara poked her head into the shop, a gold earring clipped to one of her furry ears and a pair of thick glasses resting peacefully upon the end of her nose.

"Fritz, I believe?" she asked in a soft tone, shifting her weight onto a different paw and pushing her glasses up closer to her face.

"Guilty as charged," the Lenny chuckled, extending a wing and grinning a besotted smile. The sienna Acara shook the Lenny's wing firmly and smiled back.

"Calliope Persephone. Charmed. May I see what you have to offer?"

"Well, I mostly do repairs, but over here is where I keep my own personal collection," Fritz declared, stepping back and gesturing forward as the Acara gingerly traipsed deeper into the shop.

Calliope took a pocket watch with a gold Hissi wound tightly around the edge in her palm, running her thumb over the fine glass lovingly.

"How much for the Hissi pocket watch?" she called, ears perking up and mouth twitching into a small grin.

"1,000 Neopoints," Fritz responded. To pass the time, he skimmed through a shelf of books while Calliope continued to browse his many clocks and watches.

With an anguished sigh, the Acara set down the pocket watch and walked to the next timepiece that caught her eye.

Among the many baubles and bangles that gleamed in the light were a tall grandfather clock with Koi circling the center, a silly-looking Quiggle watch, and an alarm clock with a Korbat perched happily on the top.

Finally, as Calliope was planning to leave with no watch whatsoever, something shone brightly in the corner of her eye. It was yet another pocket watch, this one with a Ruki on the cover. The Ruki had sapphires for eyes, and dark obsidian for its strong claws.

Calliope pressed the pocket watch into her palm and galloped to the counter.

"How much?" she asked, giggling earnestly, her hopes higher than an air faerie's cloud.

"For you, only 950 NP," Fritz answered with a haughty look.

"How about 935?" Calliope haggled, quirking an eyebrow and swinging the leather sack of exactly 935 Neopoints she had around her finger.

"Sold. Let me just wind it for you..." he said, his voice trailing off as he tentatively popped the back off with a trained hand and a special key.

Stuffed in the back of the watch was a tattered slip of paper. Fritz and Calliope gasped as it floated out of the back and unrolled, as if controlled by the most improbable magic. Scrawled upon it in charcoal was a strange message in an ancient language rarely heard of...

Author: poofypeachy
Date: Feb 4th
...Calliope quickly snatched it up to look the paper over, but for her life she could not read the symbols. She turned it over and looked at an intricately-drawn depiction of the watch that the paper had fallen out of and a much larger clock that bore a striking resemblance to it.

"Well, look at that," Fritz said curiously. "It looks like you got a bonus." He eyed the paper as Calliope sighed and gave up on reading it. Though he hated to admit it, he had no idea how he had missed the scroll in the watch when he'd bought it. Personally, as a rule in fact, he inspected every clock, watch, and timekeeper he carried, fixed, and sold, so how could he have missed the scroll? "May I see it?" he asked, feeling a bit impatient.

Calliope nodded, then said, "I suppose so. I can't make heads or tails of it myself."

Fritz smiled as he eagerly accepted the paper from her and looked it over himself. He leaned his head back and adjusted his glasses to better focus on the old, worn-out letters, but he was not only interested in that: his keen puzzle-solving eyes also noted that the paper was obviously too long, even when rolled, to simply fit in the watch's keyhole, and yet it wasn't folded and bunched up. "It's as though it slipped through the keyhole magically," he said under his breath.

"Pardon?" Calliope asked. "I'm sorry, Mr. Fritz, but can I have the watch? You can keep the paper; it doesn't mean anything to me."

Fritz shut his mouth and nodded, still befuddled by the case of the mysterious little scroll. He knew he would figure it out if he kept thinking, or found a clue, but for now he really did have to tend to his customer. Quickly, he wound up the watch and held it up to his ear. The sound of the little gears inside and the ticking on the hands was as appealing to him as pie. Fritz smiled and handed it back to the young Acara.

Calliope turned the watch back and forth, watching the light play on the polished surfaces. "I've been looking for a new watch for quite some time. This is just my style."

"I'm glad to help," he said, proud to see her admiring his work. She thanked him and began to leave as Fritz looked back to the scoll on his counter.

As he reached for it, and as Calliope reached the door, all of the clocks in the shop, basement, and apartment above began to chime wildy. "What?!?" Fritz shouted, startled by the sound. The bells, gongs, chimes, and whistles were louder than they had ever been, as if to desperately catch his attention.

Startled, Calliope looked at the time on her new watch to see that it was still twenty-six minutes 'til the next hour. "Why are they all chiming? Is the time set wrong?"

"I should say not!" Fritz huffed, taking offense. "Perhaps--"

Before he could continue on, however, the scroll unraveled between his hands and lifted into the air, drifting a few inches toward Fritz and then suddenly fluttering into Calliope's face, clinging to her nose as though it had been glued there. "What is the meaning of this?!?" she screeched, trying desperately to peel it off. The clocks began to chime once more as she managed to detach it from her face and then look it over once more. "This is eerie!" she barked at Fritz, as if to blame him.

This is auspicious, he said to himself. "What kind of puzzle have I found?"

"What are you talking about?"

Fritz hurried around the counter to look at the paper once more, snatching it from Calliope's hand and glaring at the words. "There's something here... I just wish I knew what this said!"

Calliope looked around, feeling like a foreigner. This shop had suddenly become like another world, and she was painfully out of place. Even so, she was growing curious; this might be the beginning to some kind of new adventure, she believed. "I-I might know someone who can read it... I mean, if it's really that important. It's not a big deal to me," she lied. "If you want... I mean, I could take you to him."

Fritz nodded excitedly. "Take me there!" he said with a grand smile on his face. His heart was racing as he rolled the scroll back up and placed it in a satchel of small tools that he then slung over his shoulder.

Calliope also tried to hide her mounting excitement. "All this for a mere 935 Neopoints," she whispered to herself. She opened the door and led Fritz out, wondering what they would find...

Author: outside_inside
Date: Feb 5th
...The air was cool and breezes swirled leaves off the street as they walked outside. While Fritz and Calliope walked along the cobblestone streets, the Acara anxiously tried to think of what to do now that she has lied to Fritz.

"So, what's the name of this fine translator who is going to help us?" Fritz asked calmly, adjusting the strap of his satchel.

"Oh, that's simple! It's, umm..." she mumbled, trailing off. Calliope tried to think of a name, until she stumbled upon the name of an old friend she hasn't seen in ages. It was the best she could come up with.

"It's Charles! Yes, indeed! His name is Charles!" she exclaimed half-nervously, trying not to look suspicious.

"Okay, then." Fritz replied, nodding. "Where does Charles live?"

"He lives just around that corner, at the end of the street!" she blurted, pointing to the corner of the neighborhood.

Fritz excitedly picked up the pace, eager to meet their "translator." Calliope tried to keep up as she thought what to do next. She panted tiredly as she hobbled next to Fritz, for she didn't have the strength she had when she was younger.

Soon enough, they found themselves at the door of Charles's house. It was a tall house, with the wooden exterior rotting and some of the windows cracked. The lawn was dry and limp, and the bushes were completely bare of leaves. The rickety wooden board stairs led to the porch, which had a rocking chair by the door. The door was wooden as well, and had a golden doorknob engraved with Charles's initial, "C."

"Let me knock," Calliope offered, walking up the stairs. She made a fist with her paw and knocked on the door, but there was no answer. She knocked again. Still no answer.

"Maybe he isn't home, Calliope," Fritz finally said impatiently, after Calliope frantically knocked for the hundredth time. "I guess our mystery should wait until tomorrow..." As he spoke, he tightened his grip on the satchel, fearing that this scroll would somehow cause a ruckus when he went back to his shop.

"But... but..." Calliope said, frantically thinking what to do. Thoughts in her head were zipping back and forth like little breezes in a storm. She quickly began to convince herself that this "adventure" had to end now.

Then, just as Calliope was about to turn around to go back to Fritz, the golden doorknob turned and clicked, and the door slowly opened to reveal...

Author: roxy1042
Date: Feb 5th
...a shadow Ruki. The ominous expression he held was rather off-putting to Fritz at first. Noticing Calliope, his expression neither brightened nor darkened. It remained just the same.

"What brings you here?" the Ruki said in a quiet, and almost hoarse, voice. It almost sounded like he had not said anything for a long time, but Fritz couldn't be too sure.

Calliope quickly cleared her throat, then said, "I... uhh, we, were hoping that you would be capable of translating something for me and this Lenny, here." The sepia Acara was half tempted to cross her fingers behind her back for good luck.

The Ruki's expression now darkened slightly. "This long, without so much as a simple 'hello,' and you come to me for a favor?"

"I am sorry," Calliope said, glancing at her new watch to transfer her eyes to something else. "I was busy, so I figured you were busy... I was just hoping you could help."

Fritz, rather confused by the situation and feeling as though he were in an awkward position, distracted himself by looking in his bag for the scroll.

Charles sighed, then asked, "Do you have any idea what it is?"

"Well, no," Calliope replied. "I haven't the foggiest notion, actually."

"It possesses some sort of magic," Fritz said, lifting his head to make eye contact with the Ruki.

"Magic? What do you mean magic?" Charles asked, eyes narrowing every so slightly. Perhaps he doubted the Lenny.

"The scroll was in the watch. There was no way that it could get in the watch without being crinkled in some way. Furthermore, I look through, check over, and fix every single clock or watch I own before putting them up on my walls or on display. There is no possible way for that scroll -- obviously being much too long in the first place -- to simply slip into the watch without some kind of magic to help it to do so," Fritz replied, grasping the scroll in his bag.

The Ruki thought over the Lenny's words, briefly looked at Calliope, and then slowly opened his door a bit more, as if to keep the suspense. "Come inside," he said simply and walked in himself. "Also, shut the door while you're at it."

The Lenny and Acara walked inside, greeted by a rather strange decor. Featuring a colour scheme of black and a deep purple, it would look almost royal if there was a bit of fixing. The floors creaked, the carpet they were walking on was wrinkled and faded with time, and the wallpaper on the walls was peeling down in its gloomy droopiness. The weirdest thing was that it suited Charles rather well, in Fritz's opinion.

They soon came to a room that resembled a small library, and then to an old, slightly cluttered desk.

"May I see this scroll that you both spoke of?" Charles asked, clearing a space on his desk.

Fritz carefully removed the scroll from his bag and handed it to the Ruki. He felt the need to use some caution after what happened before he and Calliope had left to come here.

Charles carefully unrolled it, placed it on his desk, and began examining the scroll's intricate symbols. Calliope had started anxiously shifting from foot to foot, hoping he was actually capable of translating it.

"What do you think?" she blurted in both excitement and concern. She couldn't take the suspense.

"I think...

Author: dustinismine
Date: Feb 6th
…Before Charles could complete his thought, however, an enormous grandfather clock in the corner of the room began chiming out the hour. It didn't just chime; it gonged and crashed like a cymbal shop full of Myncies. As it rang out again and again, the three clasped their hands over their ears and bent low, as though being physically assaulted by the ancient-looking timekeeper.

When it had finished, Fritz couldn't help but blurt out, "Imagine, in a place as rundown as this is that an old relic like that would actually work." As soon as he had said the words, he knew that they could be misconstrued as rude, but the clock aficionado in his heart had marvelled at the miracle. He looked sidelong at the cranky old Ruki and was surprised to see him smile.

"You might appreciate having a look inside at its works, Fritz," Charles said in his hoarse and dusty voice.

Cheerfully, the Lenny nodded and said, "Indeed, I would." He scrambled to the corner of the room and used his wing to dust the webs and motes from the glass face of the tall clock. With mounting professional curiosity, Fritz opened the long, wooden door on the front of the case and was shocked to find it... empty. It contained no pendulums, no gears, no springs, and most curiously of all, no bells or chimes or gongs or... anything. Nothing that could have caused that Neopia-shattering cacophony.

The stunned silence of the room was broken by a clicking noise that seemed to come from Calliope's pocket. With a trembling hand, the Acara withdrew her new watch, her eyes widening as she regarded it. The sapphire eyes of the watch case's engraved Ruki shone brightly, casting the room in an ethereal hue. Its obsidian claws were moving, clicking and scratching along the watch's cover, as though trying to open itself up. Horrified, Calliope stuck her hand straight out and dropped the watch, not wanting those terrible claws to come into contact with her hands.

Charles dove and snatched the watch out of the air before it landed on his faded rug. "What were you thinking?" he snapped. "This is the most fascinating artefact I believe I have ever seen!" The Ruki carried the watch over to his desk, turning it over and over in his hands, and as he sat down, he suddenly froze. "Come here you two, you must see this."

Calliope and Fritz exchanged hesitant glances before joining the Ruki at his desk. There, they could see that the blue glow of the sapphire eyes were having a strange effect on the magic scroll's intricate symbols. They saw that...

Author: mamasimios
Date: Feb 6th
...the symbols were slowly morphing into Neopian words. The sapphire eyes dimmed, and the Neopets realized that they could now read the words on the scroll. Charles picked it up slowly, squinting in the low light. "It says, 'To find the time, you must remember. What is broken can yet be fixed. What is fixed can yet be broken. The larger one holds the...'" Charles stopped. He turned the scroll over. "That's all it says! The end must be missing."

Calliope was crestfallen. They had finally translated the scroll, and now the end of it was gone. She threw up her paws in frustration. "What is that supposed to mean, and what happened to the end?!?"

Fritz rubbed his beak, thinking. "Could I see that?" he asked. Taking the scroll from Charles, he read it several more times. He then turned it over, staring at the back. "That's it!" he exclaimed suddenly.

"Look at the picture again." Calliope and Charles crowded around him, squinting at the back of the scroll. "See? Here's a picture of the watch that the scroll fell out of. It's below this large clock, which looks like the same workmanship."

"Oh, so that must be the 'larger one' that holds something!" Charles said.

"Okay... but how do we find it?" Calliope asked, still frustrated.

"I'm trying to remember where I bought this watch," Fritz said slowly. He stood very still for a few moments, thinking, and then he remembered. "That's right! An old Elephante came to my shop a few months back, and insisted on selling it to me. She had some sort of heavy accent, maybe Qasalan... I can't believe I forgot! Come to think of it, she did seem rather mysterious, what with that black cloak..."

Calliope couldn't believe it. "You mean you had a mysterious stranger come sell you a magical watch, and you didn't even remember?"

Fritz shrugged. "What can I say? I notice watches and clocks more than Neopets."

Charles spoke up in his quiet, raspy voice. "I think I know the Elephante you're talking about. She lives not far from here, but I don't think she'll want to talk to you. She's not very... social."

"Well, we have to give it a try!" Calliope insisted. The three Neopets left the house, making their way through town. Finally, they arrived at the mysterious stranger's abode, which loomed above them ominously.

"It almost looks like Lord Darigan's castle," Calliope whispered. Suddenly, they were startled by...

Author: ilhs11
Date: Feb 7th
...a large bell atop the castle's spire, which began chiming out of control. The ringing was deafening, and would easily echo for miles around. Fritz exchanged a glance with Calliope as the ringing ceased.

"My shop, Charles's house... now this?" Fritz remarked. "Why do things keep chiming around you?"

"Me?" Calliope gasped, affronted. "If anything, I would suggest that the watch is to blame."

"It sat in my shop quite happily with no ill effects before you arrived," Fritz pointed out.

"Be quiet, you two!" Charles snapped as they grew closer.

The front door of the castle had been thrown open a few moments earlier, the occupant clearly disturbed by the noise of the bell atop the tower.

It was the Elephante Fritz remembered from the shop, a black cloak covering much of her features.

"What do you want, Charles?" she rasped. "I thought I told you never to darken my door again?"

"Sorry, Beatrice," Charles said, instinctively taking a step back so that he was standing slightly behind the others. "They wanted to talk to you."

"To me?" Beatrice asked, turning her attention to Fritz.

"You probably don't remember me, but a few months ago you sold me this," Fritz said, gesturing to the watch in Calliope's hand.

Beatrice's eyes immediately went wide with horror.

"No!" she gasped. "I thought I was rid of that forever! Why would you bring that back to me? It could undo everything!"

"This little thing?" Calliope asked.

However, in her hand, the engraved Ruki began to...

Author: herdygerdy
Date: Feb 7th
...shiver as a small chime inside began to ring. Calliope held it out by its chain while the eyes started glowing brighter and brighter. Again the bell atop the old manor began to ring out and, far away in the town center, the bell atop the court house could be heard echoing over the hills, even though it was miles away. "Closer..." a hiss said from inside the watch.

Startled, Calliope dropped it and screamed sharply. This time, Charles was not close enough to catch the timepiece and it fell to the ground -- where suddenly it stopped, only an inch above the cobblestones, and began to rise back into the air. The trio stepped back, nervous as the bells and chimes continued to batter their ears and the watch flew back toward Calliope. She threw up her hands to protect herself and the watch found its way into her fingers, forcing her to hold onto it.

"Take that away from here!" Beatrice ordered as the bells slowly began to calm down once more.

"F-Fritz," Calliope stammered. "I don't want this watch anymore! You like it, so take it back! I don't need the Neopoints either, s-so you can have those as well!"

As she shoved it back into Fritz's wings, the bells began to ring out a third time in protest as the voice hissed out, "Take me closer!" It pulled itself away from Fritz and back into Calliope's hands. "What is this thing?!?" she asked.

Fritz's feathery brow furrowed as he looked back to the old house. The cloaked Beatrice was hurrying down toward them, and though all they could see was her lower face, they could tell she was angry from the terrible scowl she gave them. Her cape billowed as she walked and she was quite the intimidating figure, but then again, so was Charles. This time, he bravely stood between Beatrice and the others, and though he was afraid, he asked, "Why did you sell Fritz this watch?" His voice wasn't as strong as he'd hoped it would sound, however.

"To be rid of it, once and for all! Just listen to this noise! Do you think this is a happy sound? This is the sound of that watch's power! Take it far away!" She place her cloaked hand on Charles's shoulder. Under her power, he lifted into the air and immediately pushed away, as though a gust of wind had caught him. Charles landed in a bush several feet away, dazed and tangled in the branches that were coming to life to hold him back.

"You!" Beatrice growled at Fritz and Calliope. "You promised to sell it, to send it far away!"

Fritz leaned over Calliope, as if to protect her from the rampaging Elephante. "I recall no such thing! I hardly remember you at all... but you knew there was something fishy about this watch. Why didn't you send it away yourself?"

Beatrice fumed, saying, "Because that is not the way the curse works. The curse that was on me, and now the curse that is on this Acara. Now, go away from here before the watch grows stronger, and before that watch unravels everything I have done to stop it from destroying time!"

Disheveled, Fritz could feel her anger growing. "D-destroy time?!?" he huffed."W-well, what's that supposed to mean? You can't destroy time!"

"You can, if you have power over it..." she snarled. "What is broken can yet be fixed. What is fixed can yet be broken. Was that not the warning I placed inside the watch?"

Calliope looked at her watch in awe.

"So, it was you who wrote it?" Fritz scoffed.

"Of course!" she barked. "Who else could? Not my former apprentice, that is for certain," she said, motioning toward Charles, who was now crawling out of the bushes. "I see you finally managed to take control of the plants," she huffed at him. "You always were a slow learner."

"Wait," Fritz said, "but what does that riddle mean?"

"It means that the curse on the watch has nearly come true once before, but I stopped it. What is broken can yet be fixed... I repaired time with my own magic. But what is fixed can yet be broken," she repeated, "if you don't get rid of that watch."

Charles stepped between her and his friends a second time and put his hands up defensively as they began to glow a strange purple color. "You can really do magic?"

"A little," he admitted hoarsely. "I never finished my training..."

Beatrice laughed at him and then turned back to Fritz as the Lenny asked, "What does the larger one hold? The larger clock from the scroll you put into the watch?"

"Are you blind?" she scoffed. "Or can you not read?"

"It wasn't legible," Charles said, "whatever else you wrote there, it was gone when we saw the scroll."

Beatrice thrust her hand out. "Give it to me," she said, and Fritz quickly produced the small paper. Beatrice took one look at it haughtily. "Of course... it seems the watch was trying to fool you into seeking out its older brother. This larger clock," she said quietly, "holds the secret to destroying time and bringing back its master."

Calliope shivered, then asked, "Who is its master?"

"No one I want to meet," Beatrice said gravely, "and certainly no one Charles could ever protect you from," she said, making fun of his weaker magic. "If these two pieces ever came together, then there would be no more time. Everything would stop and be absorbed into the clock, giving energy to its master. What he would do with such power, I can only guess. I warn you, though, that it took more than my power alone to stop him the last time he nearly returned, and my friends who were helping me lost all of their power. This is far too dangerous for the likes of you three."

With that, Beatrice waved her hands in front of her and a steel fence began to rise through cracks in the ground. "Begone!" she cried.

Calliope clutched the watch and began to back away. She had wanted adventure, but this was getting to be too much! "I have to get rid of this!" she squeeked.

Charles hurried to her side. "I told you she wouldn't want to speak with you," he said. "We need to go away from here... now that we know what we're dealing with."

"Quite a sour end to that puzzle," Fritz said bitterly. He had been ready for a real game, but like Calliope, he knew that he was getting in over his head. Magic was not his strength.

"Calliope, do you know any reason why that watch might be attracted to you?" Charles asked quickly as they began to walk away from the house.

"No. How could I know? I just wanted something nice to replace the watch that I lost when I traveled to Roo Island on holiday. How could I have known--"

Suddenly, the watch began to grow heavier. She stumbled and felt as though she were being weighed to the ground. "It's acting funny again!" she yelped. "What do I do?!?"

The bells all across the city then began to ring. The watch wasn't ready to give up on its mission to bring back its master. Charles clasped his hands around Calliope's and she saw his hands began to glow once more. "I can try to calm it down, but it's going wild!" he insisted.

In her hands, Calliope could feel the watch shifting, as though it were opening up. "Fritz! I really don't want this watch anymore!" she sqealed.

"No!" came a sudden scream from across the lane, shocking the trio, who looked back. Beatrice had fallen over as a massive object appeared in her doorway.

"Is that the other clock?!?" Fritz gawked.

Charles threw his arms around Calliope, picking her up and beginning to run as...

Author: outside_inside
Date: Feb 8th
...all the clocks suddenly ceased their chiming.

Charles paused and glanced at the clock Calliope held. It was now calm -- the calm before the storm.

The Ruki looked first toward Fritz; he then shifted his gaze in the direction that the Lenny was staring. Calliope did likewise.

The large clock -- a towering grandfather whose amazing appearance and undoubtedly elaborate mechanisms made Fritz shiver with curiosity -- now stood where Beatrice had, its face possessing an animated Ruki identical to the one on the pocket watch. The Elephante now sat on the ground, her head bowed and eyes closed, in what appeared to be some form of silent meditation.

Suddenly, her head rose. "He is here," she uttered in defeat as the other three quickly spun around.

There stood another caped Elephante.

Beatrice attempted to secure the grandfather clock with a forcefield, and then she approached, hopping nimbly over her fence.

"Ah," this new Elephante announced as she advanced, "Beatrice, my sister in time, it's nice to see you kept my clocks after my original defeat."

"I tried to be rid of them -- but no, you and your curses kept returning them to me."

"Oh, dear Beatrice," the master of time responded in a soft yet factual tone, "it's a compliment. The clocks naturally prey on those who have the power to destroy them."

Calliope's eyes widened.

Charles observed the Acara, and coupled it with the master's statement. His mind raced.

The master continued. "The clocks are close enough in proximity, and I have regained enough of my former power, to allow my return. Soon, the two shall touch, and I shall inherit authority over universal time. Only then shall I control this world, the last, and the next." A deranged smile formed on his lips.

Fritz saw Charles glancing at Calliope, and realized that the Ruki was formulating a plan. He decided, then, to attempt to stall this master -- the fate of the universe may depend on it.

"I'd doubt that," the Lenny argued casually as he faced the Elephante.

The master frowned. "Why ever would you, foolish one?"

"I've been fascinated with timepieces ever since I was a sprightly young lad. I observed that pocket watch very closely and saw nothing special about it in particular." Fritz was, of course, lying -- he wouldn't have bought it if it couldn't pique his interest.

Beatrice just stared at the Lenny. Can he actually defeat him with words? she thought, and then she quickly cast the idea out of her head and replaced it. No, he's a goner.

The master's eyes lit up with fiery passion. "Nothing special? Nothing special?" He shook his head disapprovingly. "My dear boy, the timepiece is an artifact possessed by magic!" He then got defensive. "Child, you don't know the meaning of the word 'special.'"

The master Elephante then glanced around. "Speaking of which, where is the little brother?"

Charles, by now, had created his plan. He could only hope, for the sake of Beatrice, himself, and the now-defeated members of the "Keepers of Time," that it would work. Glancing at Calliope to make sure she still held the watch, he initiated the scheme. His hands glowed their characteristic purple.

"Hey, what's that?" the master inquired, almost frightened, as he observed the Ruki's glowing claws and the immediate transfer of energy between them and the adjacent Acara.

Suddenly, Calliope surged with power. While the amount she received from Charles was minute, she somehow managed to multiply the magic and become a force even Beatrice would be afraid of -- just as the clock had more or less predicted.

The watch she held glowed a characteristic bright blue, and she began to take on a swirling periwinkle hue.

Though confused at first, Calliope quickly realized her new-found power. "Master of time," she declared in a deep and ominous voice. "I have your 'little brother.' Beatrice has your 'older brother.' Give in to our demands, or we will team up and destroy one of them -- considering they are both vital to your plans of universal annihilation, to destroy one clock would have practically the same effect as destroying you." She wasn't entirely sure where the words had emanated from, but they sounded articulate and apocalyptic -- a perfect combination to incite fear in the enemy.

Charles smirked. "And," he added, his knowledge of the clocks and their powers immense due to his studies with Beatrice, "you know as well as I do that they can only be destroyed in your presence. So, be gone."

Suddenly, the master ran up and grabbed Fritz's -- the only non-magical member of his four-Neopet opposition -- neck. "If you destroy one of my clocks, I'll end the life of this Lenny."

"If we destroy one of these clocks," Beatrice replied mischievously, "you'll lose your power, and we'd long since have taken you out before you harmed that Lenny in any manner." The Elephante scanned Calliope. "The two of us together are far more powerful than the individuals who fought you last time. Give up."

The master let go of Fritz.

Beatrice and Calliope raised their glowing hands, ready to attack. Each shot out a burst of energy that sent him tumbling to the ground.

He was weak, very weak, but managed to clamber to his feet. Anger clouded his vision, and he cast his arms in the air as though to attack all of four of his enemies... and then he disappeared.

The pocket watch stopped glowing, as did the Acara. Calliope smiled.

Fritz and Charles came running up and hugged her. Then, they hugged Beatrice.

"You two did it! You drove the master of time away!" Fritz proclaimed excitedly. He then frowned. "If you two had the power to destroy a watch and be rid of him forever, why didn't you?"

"Because," Beatrice replied, almost grinning, "I wasn't sure if your friend had the power or not. It looked as though she might have, and I managed to convince the master of it. If she did not and we had tried, then he would've seen her weaknesses and no longer been so threatened." She turned and faced Calliope. "Acara--"

"Calliope," Calliope interrupted.

Beatrice stared at her, irritated.

The Acara managed an awkward smile. "Er... hello?" She stuck her paw out to shake.

The Elephante gingerly accepted it; she was not one for formal introductions. "Alright, Calliope," Beatrice continued. "Regardless, you have an ability to wield magic at a level barely inferior to my own, and you are a mere novice. I wish you to join the ancient council, the 'Keepers of Time,' and train under me -- together, at your magical peak, we can defeat the master once and for all."

Calliope smiled. Wasn't she looking for adventure? This seemed like a good enough place to engage in it... "Er... why not? This could be fun!" she said with a grin.

"And you, Charles," Beatrice snapped. She then softened. "Thank you for bringing her to me."

Charles smiled and nodded in response.

The Elephante then turned toward Fritz. "I'd ask you to take the little brother, but he'd only find his way back here again, somehow."

Fritz smiled.

He and Charles waved to the pair as they entered Beatrice's abode. Calliope smiled and waved back.

After the large wooden doors shut tight, Charles and Fritz turned away. "Hey," Fritz started, "you should let me come over to your place sometime, so you can tell me how that grandfather clock of yours works."

"Through magic," the Ruki replied curtly.

"Oh."

Charles smiled. "That's... not to say I don't know my way around even the most precise chronometer."

Fritz grinned. He supposed that Charles would become one of his closest friends... all for only 935 NP.

The End

Author: rielcz
Date: Feb 8th



Quick Jump

Week 1Week 2Week 3Week 4Week 5Week 6
Week 7Week 8Week 9Week 10Week 11Week 12
Week 13Week 14Week 15Week 16Week 17Week 18
Week 19Week 20Week 21Week 22Week 23Week 24
Week 25Week 26Week 27Week 28Week 29Week 30
Week 31Week 32Week 33Week 34Week 35Week 36
Week 37Week 38Week 39Week 40Week 41Week 42
Week 43Week 44Week 45Week 46Week 47Week 48
Week 49Week 50Week 51Week 52Week 53Week 54
Week 55Week 56Week 57Week 58Week 59Week 60
Week 61Week 62Week 63Week 64Week 65Week 66
Week 67Week 68Week 69Week 70Week 71Week 72
Week 73Week 74Week 75Week 76Week 77Week 78
Week 79Week 80Week 81Week 82Week 83Week 84
Week 85Week 86Week 87Week 88Week 89Week 90
Week 91Week 92Week 93Week 94Week 95Week 96
Week 97Week 98Week 99Week 100Week 101Week 102
Week 103Week 104Week 105Week 106Week 107Week 108
Week 109Week 110Week 111Week 112Week 113Week 114
Week 115Week 116Week 117Week 118Week 119Week 120
Week 121Week 122Week 123Week 124Week 125Week 126
Week 127Week 128Week 129Week 130Week 131Week 132
Week 133Week 134Week 135Week 136Week 137Week 138
Week 139Week 140Week 141Week 142Week 143Week 144
Week 145Week 146Week 147Week 148Week 149Week 150
Week 151Week 152Week 153Week 154Week 155Week 156
Week 157Week 158Week 159Week 160Week 161Week 162
Week 163Week 164Week 165Week 166Week 167Week 168
Week 169Week 170Week 171Week 172Week 173Week 174
Week 175Week 176Week 177Week 178Week 179Week 180
Week 181Week 182Week 183Week 184Week 185Week 186
Week 187Week 188Week 189Week 190Week 191Week 192
Week 193Week 194Week 195Week 196Week 197Week 198
Week 199Week 200Week 201Week 202Week 203Week 204
Week 205Week 206Week 207Week 208Week 209Week 210
Week 211Week 212Week 213Week 214Week 215Week 216
Week 217Week 218Week 219Week 220Week 221Week 222
Week 223Week 224Week 225Week 226Week 227Week 228
Week 229Week 230Week 231Week 232Week 233Week 234
Week 235Week 236Week 237Week 238Week 239Week 240
Week 241Week 242Week 243Week 244Week 245Week 246
Week 247Week 248Week 249Week 250Week 251Week 252
Week 253Week 254Week 255Week 256Week 257Week 258
Week 259Week 260Week 261Week 262Week 263Week 264
Week 265Week 266Week 267Week 268Week 269Week 270
Week 271Week 272Week 273Week 274Week 275Week 276
Week 277Week 278Week 279Week 280Week 281Week 282
Week 283Week 284Week 285Week 286Week 287Week 288
Week 289Week 290Week 291Week 292Week 293Week 294
Week 295Week 296Week 297Week 298Week 299Week 300
Week 301Week 302Week 303Week 304Week 305Week 306
Week 307Week 308Week 309Week 310Week 311Week 312
Week 313Week 314Week 315Week 316Week 317Week 318
Week 319Week 320Week 321Week 322Week 323Week 324
Week 325Week 326Week 327Week 328Week 329Week 330
Week 331Week 332Week 333Week 334Week 335Week 336
Week 337Week 338Week 339Week 340Week 341Week 342
Week 343Week 344Week 345Week 346Week 347Week 348
Week 349Week 350Week 351Week 352Week 353Week 354
Week 355Week 356Week 357Week 358Week 359Week 360
Week 361Week 362Week 363Week 364Week 365Week 366
Week 367Week 368Week 369Week 370Week 371Week 372
Week 373Week 374Week 375Week 376Week 377Week 378
Week 379Week 380Week 381Week 382Week 383Week 384
Week 385Week 386Week 387Week 388Week 389Week 390
Week 391Week 392Week 393Week 394Week 395Week 396
Week 397Week 398Week 399Week 400Week 401Week 402
Week 403Week 404Week 405Week 406Week 407Week 408
Week 409Week 410Week 411Week 412Week 413Week 414
Week 415Week 416Week 417Week 418Week 419Week 420
Week 421Week 422Week 423Week 424Week 425Week 426
Week 427Week 428Week 429Week 430Week 431Week 432
Week 433Week 434Week 435Week 436Week 437Week 438
Week 439Week 440Week 441Week 442Week 443Week 444
Week 445Week 446Week 447Week 448Week 449Week 450
Week 451Week 452Week 453Week 454Week 455Week 456
Week 457Week 458Week 459Week 460Week 461Week 462
Week 463Week 464Week 465Week 466Week 467Week 468
Week 469Week 470Week 471Week 472Week 473Week 474
Week 475Week 476Week 477Week 478Week 479Week 480
Week 481Week 482Week 483Week 484Week 485Week 486
Week 487Week 488Week 489Week 490Week 491Week 492
Week 493Week 494Week 495Week 496Week 497Week 498
Week 499Week 500Week 501Week 502Week 503Week 504
Week 505Week 506Week 507Week 508Week 509Week 510
Week 511Week 512Week 513Week 514Week 515Week 516
Week 517Week 518Week 519Week 520Week 521Week 522
Week 523Week 524Week 525Week 526Week 527Week 528
Week 529Week 530Week 531Week 532Week 533Week 534
Week 535Week 536Week 537Week 538Week 539Week 540
Week 541Week 542Week 543Week 544Week 545Week 546
Week 547Week 548Week 549Week 550Week 551Week 552
Week 553Week 554Week 555Week 556Week 557Week 558
Week 559Week 560Week 561Week 562Week 563Week 564
Week 565Week 566Week 567Week 568Week 569Week 570
Week 571Week 572Week 573Week 574Week 575Week 576
Week 577Week 578Week 579Week 580Week 581Week 582
Week 583Week 584Week 585Week 586Week 587Week 588
Week 589Week 590Week 591Week 592Week 593Week 594
Week 595Week 596Week 597Week 598Week 599Week 600
Week 601Week 602Week 603Week 604Week 605Week 606
Week 607Week 608Week 609Week 610Week 611Week 612
Week 613Week 614Week 615Week 616Week 617Week 618
Week 619Week 620Week 621Week 622Week 623Week 624
Week 625Week 626Week 627Week 628Week 629Week 630
Week 631Week 632Week 633Week 634Week 635Week 636
Week 637Week 638Week 639Week 640Week 641Week 642
Week 643Week 644Week 645Week 646Week 647Week 648
Week 649Week 650Week 651Week 652Week 653Week 654
Week 655Week 656Week 657Week 658Week 659Week 660
Week 661Week 662Week 663Week 664Week 665Week 666
Week 667Week 668Week 669Week 670Week 671Week 672
Week 673Week 674Week 675Week 676Week 677Week 678
Week 679Week 680Week 681Week 682Week 683Week 684
Week 685Week 686Week 687Week 688Week 689Week 690
Week 691Week 692Week 693Week 694Week 695Week 696
Week 697Week 698Week 699Week 700Week 701Week 702
Week 703Week 704Week 705Week 706Week 707Week 708
Week 709Week 710Week 711Week 712Week 713Week 714
Week 715Week 716Week 717Week 718Week 719Week 720
Week 721Week 722Week 723Week 724Week 725Week 726
Week 727Week 728Week 729Week 730Week 731Week 732
Week 733Week 734Week 735Week 736Week 737Week 738
Week 739Week 740Week 741Week 742Week 743Week 744
Week 745Week 746Week 747Week 748Week 749Week 750
Week 751Week 752Week 753Week 754Week 755Week 756
Week 757Week 758Week 759Week 760Week 761Week 762
Week 763Week 764Week 765Week 766Week 767Week 768
Week 769Week 770Week 771Week 772Week 773Week 774
Week 775Week 776Week 777Week 778Week 779Week 780
Week 781Week 782Week 783Week 784Week 785Week 786
Week 787Week 788Week 789Week 790Week 791Week 792
Week 793Week 794Week 795Week 796Week 797Week 798
Week 799Week 800Week 801Week 802Week 803Week 804
Week 805Week 806Week 807Week 808Week 809Week 810
Week 811Week 812Week 813Week 814Week 815Week 816
Week 817Week 818Week 819Week 820Week 821Week 822
Week 823Week 824Week 825Week 826Week 827Week 828
Week 829Week 830Week 831Week 832Week 833Week 834
Week 835Week 836Week 837Week 838Week 839Week 840
Week 841Week 842Week 843Week 844Week 845Week 846
Week 847Week 848Week 849Week 850Week 851Week 852
Week 853Week 854Week 855Week 856Week 857Week 858
Week 859Week 860Week 861Week 862Week 863Week 864
Week 865Week 866Week 867Week 868Week 869Week 870
Week 871Week 872Week 873Week 874Week 875Week 876
Week 877Week 878Week 879Week 880Week 881Week 882
Week 883Week 884Week 885Week 886Week 887Week 888
Week 889Week 890Week 891Week 892Week 893Week 894
Week 895Week 896Week 897Week 898Week 899Week 900
Week 901Week 902Week 903Week 904Week 905Week 906
Week 907Week 908Week 909Week 910Week 911Week 912
Week 913Week 914Week 915Week 916Week 917Week 918
Week 919Week 920Week 921Week 922Week 923Week 924
Week 925Week 926Week 927Week 928Week 929Week 930
Week 931Week 932Week 933Week 934Week 935Week 936
Week 937Week 938Week 939Week 940Week 941Week 942
Week 943Week 944Week 945Week 946Week 947Week 948
Week 949Week 950Week 951Week 952Week 953Week 954
Week 955Week 956Week 957Week 958Week 959Week 960
Week 961     


IMPORTANT - SUBMISSION POLICY! By uploading or otherwise submitting any materials to Neopets, you (and your parents) are automatically granting us permission to use those materials for free in any manner we can think of forever throughout the universe. These materials must be created ONLY by the person submitting them - you cannot submit someone else's work. Also, if you're under age 18, ALWAYS check with your parents before you submit anything to us!