Swirlyhorn: An Unusual Home by apparent |  |
I would never imagine myself sitting here, in a warm room,
on a computer, typing up my story of how I came to be. Well, not the story of
my existence, just how I wound up where I am. As you may already know from reading
the title of this story, my name is Swirlyhorn, and I'm a rather old Uni. I was
just recently adopted and introduced into this wonderful family belonging to my
owner, apparent. However, I sometimes wonder what I'd be doing if I were still
living where I was in the past. I suppose my story begins somewhere along the
lines when my first owner created me. It was some 705 days ago, and being only
a youngster, I was completely unaware of my surroundings. Like most humans that
play in Neopia today, my owner loved me very much. I was often taken out on shopping
sprees to purchase whatever I wanted, although it was her that picked everything
out for me.
When I was about a week old, I can recall my
owner's very words, "I'm tired of this site, Swirlyhorn. It's time for you to
go to a new home." I couldn't believe what I was hearing! For I was only a week
old, a helpless little Uni who was now going to be placed within a rumor-circulated
Pound where hundreds of others resided. At first, I made the judgement that
I did not want to go anywhere except stay where I currently lived. It was paradise
being the only Neopet, however, my thoughts on that soon changed. The days leading
up to my abandoning were slow and dull. I simply took in as many memories into
my mind of what my home was like, so when I was to leave, I'd be able to recall
upon it easily.
Then, the day that I was introduced into the
building that would soon change my whole life, I said my last goodbye to my
owner. We knelt outside of the steel doors that lead inside of the popular shelter,
my front hooves gripped between her knobby hands. For a moment she did not speak
to me, and I could notice tears swelling up within her light brown eyes. While
trying to fight off what it is that she truly felt, my owner finally said, "I
will miss you, Swirlyhorn. Be a brave Neopet while I'm gone." A quivery smile
formed on her lips as she stood up and we advanced inside. The air was hinted
with a bit of mustiness here and there, and I noticed long, seemingly never
ending rows of iron doors, each labeled with a number. I fell into an interested
daydream, capturing every element of the Neopian Pound. There were assistants
helping owners to the various cages and adopted pets walking out with their
new owners. I noticed a janitor sweeping the tiled floor with a rather large
broom in one of his paws. I gulped as I felt one of Dr. Death's chilly, yellow
paws on my shoulder. "C'mon Swirlyhorn, you'll be in room 100302." As he led
me to my vacant cell, I turned around and noticed that my previous owner had
already left. I was on my own now.
My first few days in the pound were probably
the worst, only because I missed my home so much and I was not used to living
in that cell, of course. But things quickly began to lighten up a bit for me.
I found it enjoyable to ask the Neopets around me where they'd come from, what
their old home was like, how long they'd been in the Pound. Some received the
impression that I was insane for actually enjoying my time there in cell number
100302, but after some time I was known for trying to start conversation and
cheering Neopets up. I once met a Uni like myself whom I became really close
friends with. I cannot recall her name, and I don't think it's that important,
but she was such a nice Neopet. I think that's why she was adopted so soon.
Anyway, time passed REALLY quickly that way; it was probably some 400 days I
continued with that routine. Sadly, I noticed I was the only one who seemed
to stay there that long without being looked at. One afternoon, Dr. Death himself
came to my cell with my small portion of food for the day. I gratefully accepted
it from him, and while eating it; he said to me with hesitation, "You've been
here for quite some time, Swirlyhorn. We've decided to move you to the non-visible
area."
I gulped and then looked towards the famous
pound worker, and then asked, "Non-visible? Does that mean that no one will
be able to see me?" The gray eyebrows on his forehead wrinkled with thought,
and I could have sworn a comfortable smile tugged at the ends of his crackly
lips. I suppose Dr. Death didn't realize that each of us Neopets were different;
I wasn't like everyone else inside of the pound. "Unfortunately so. You've been
here your whole life, and we need this cell for a new Meerca that just bounced
in. I'm sorry, but please, follow me."
He withdrew a ring of keys from his white pocket
and quickly unlocked my door. Just as when I was little, he used one of his
paws upon my shoulder to lead me to a floor downstairs in the basement, a floor
I never knew existed. It was pretty dark down there, and I noticed that right
away. I also came to notice that all of the Neopets down there were pretty old.
As we walked past, paw-on-shoulder, I saw wrinkly Kikos, depressed Kougras and
sleepy Pteris. "This is awful!" I shrieked with fright towards Dr. Death as
he led me into my new cell, which I would be sharing with a rather large Grarrl.
"Why are you doing this to us?"
"I'm sorry," he said, and locked the door. As
he walked back the way we entered, hisses and growls were aimed his way. I watched
solemnly. I first wanted to boo him down too, but then I thought about it some.
With a smile I turned to face the plump Grarrl sitting on the bench of the cell,
a few yards behind me. "Dr. Death isn't really that bad," I began to explain,
and sat my rump on the cold floor. A few coughs and grunts were heard from the
cells around me, obviously the others thought different.
An old brown Meerca with knitting needles looked
at me and said, "What's wrong with you, Uni! That old buzzers got you hypnotized,
that's what. How could you not think he's evil?" A purple Peophin in the cell
on the other side of me seemed frightened by my declaration, too.
"He put us ALL in here, just because of our age.
We're going to rot in here until we die." A large murmur of conversation erupted
on the floor, and finally I released an exasperated sigh.
"Alright then, since this place is so horrible,
let's just bust outta here and go live on our own."
"I hear ya!" A Pteri chirped down the hall.
However, the old Meerca was the only one who immediately caught my point.
"But we haven't any Neopoints, and in our society
today, you can get anywhere without 'em. Besides, someone would be sure to notice
a whole bunch of shaggy Neopets wanderin' around mindlessly."
"Exactly," I replied, looking around at the
cells around me. Everyone was listening now, and unfortunately I was not much
of a speaker. "Why live in gloom and act as if the world is over just because
we're in here? It's up to us to make this place - our home - better then it
is now. If you're acting all grumpy like here, it's no wonder we weren't adopted
up there on those first floors." I paused, having no idea what it was I was
talking about, but everyone seemed to listen. "Look, we can't just underestimate
Dr. Death like that, I mean, don't we get upset when owners come in here and
underestimate us? That's exactly why we're down here in the first place. I'm
one of you whose probably been here their whole life, and I say, even if I'm
on my own, I'm going to cheer you all up."
The brown Meerca smiled. "Not bad. I could use
a new friendship here and there."
And so I set out to work. Every morning, I'd
make sure everyone received their fair share of food, and helped the older Neopets
out of their stalls to use the bathroom. Once I even managed to "borrow" Dr.
Death's keys and switch everyone around so they shared a stall with a Neopet
they could relate to. I enjoyed it, actually. Every so often a pet less owner
or one that wanted a new addition to his or her family would type in someone's
name into the search bar, and then we'd be one "non-visible" Neopet less. Also
during my time in the Pound, I came to a conclusion that I thought Dr. Death
was no so evil after all. Besides, a lot of rumors circulate his character,
and if I were a part of a rumor I' be even angrier then he seemed.
Soon everyone came to appreciate my help, which
I didn't mind, really, because it was so much better then sitting in the corner
of a dark cell. One day changed that all, though. I noticed a human accompanied
with a Kougra typing in a name into the search bar while I was helping Mira
(the brown Meerca) with her sewing. The security guard opened the transparent
door and led her over towards me. I gasped as he opened the door, almost with
fright, as Mira smiled and placed a paw next to my ear. The security Chia grunted
and took me by the paw and led me to my short owner, next to the Kougra while
smiled at me. "There ya go, Swirlyhorn. Your new home."
I didn't manage to say anything, but followed
obediently. All of my old friends waved back towards me as I slowly headed towards
the 'EXIT' door. I finally collected myself and waved a hoof back. Mira stood
on her small feet, waving one of her blue sewing needles. Although a few moments
later we exited the door, I knew I wasn't going home. No… Because if home is
where the heart is, then I truly know mine.
The End
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