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Branston the Eyrie sprayed his fur with cologne as he
combed it. His suit sparkled with magnificence. Branston felt like a king. He
was a king- king of the dance floor.
Branston was known for his swift feet and his
cool moves. He was going out again to the night club and he would show off his
moves to everyone. He like how it felt when he started dancing, and then, before
he knew it, he would be in the spotlight, with everyone else watching. Branston
grinned.
Outside, he crossed a street and headed towards
the club. There was a dancing competition there tonight. The sky was dark already
and stars could be seen. On the sidewalk, it was as if the lamposts on the side
created a lot of spotlights. Branston started to play a game. Every time he
passed under a shining light, he would strike a different pose. One spotlight,
"Yeah!" then the other, "Kapow!" Little did he know, he was being watched.
As Branston continued his game, he noticed that
under a lampost, where a 'spotlight' was, a deep grey mist swirled like a miniature
tornado. Curiousity guided him to it.
Right in front of him, the mist took form of
a Lupe. "The ghost Lupe!" Branston realized.
"Yes," the Ghost Lupe said, "See, I'm hungry,
and if you can just spare a little Neopoints... please? I'm desperate. I've
been going around and healing random pets all day..." His eyes were tired and
bloodshot.
"No, I don't have any. Leave me alone or I'll
be late for the club." Branston pushed passed him and his pockets jingled with
his Neopoints in them, proving his statement wrong.
"Please... I hear your Neopoints... I only need
a few!" "Leave me alone!" Branston yelled and started walking quicker.
"Please!" Branston heard the Ghost Lupe behind
him.
"I said NO! Buzz off!" Branston said.
Branston didn't hear the Ghost Lupe muttering.
"Curse you, Branston," the Ghost Lupe muttered, "Curse you."
Once Branston got to the club, he hurried inside.
"Hiya!" his friend Rebob the Kougra greeted him, "The competition's about to
start! Did you enter?"
***
"You bet, Rebob! And I'm going to win, too!" Branston said confidently.
The speaker came on. "Will tonight's competitors
for the weekly dancing competition come to the dance floor, please!" it boomed.
"That's my cue!" said Branston, and strode towards
the center of the club where the dance floor was located.
"Welcome, everybody, to tonight's dancing competition!"
a Chia announcer said. "We have a special guest tonight, also. Sitting up there,"
the Chia motioned towards the upper floor where there were tables that were
visible from below, "is Mr. Bepie. Mr. Bepie might make a music video with tonight's
winner. The winner will be paid one million Neopoints for his job in the video!"
The crowd applauded as Mr. Bepie, a Pteri, waved from above.
Branston was wide-eyed. "I've got to win," he
told himself.
"Well, let's get this show on the road!" the
announcer said. "Tonight's competitors are defending champion, Branston the
Eyrie, and newcomer Truce the Bruce! Truce, we will start with you first."
Truce looked nervous as he made his way to the
middle of the floor. He looked across the room at the DJ and nodded, giving
the DJ his cue to start the music. The beat of the song, 'A Skeith's Lunch is
a Must' started and Truce started tapping his foot.
It turned out Truce was very experienced. He
twirled with ease at the part where the song goes, 'A Skeith's lunch is a must-
and some other chips down, another drink chugged- a Skeith's lunch is a must!'
and Truce did the moonwalk at the part where it goes, "Are you hungry, are you
satiated? I'd like it if you wouldn't eat!' At the end of Truce's performance,
the audience went wild, and for the first time in his career, Branston the Eyrie
felt intimidated- but only for a second.
"Woo!" the announcer yelled, "Now let's bring
on the defending champion, Branston the Eyrie!"
"Alright!" Rebob hooted along with the others
as his friend made his way through the crowd towards the sparkling dance floor.
Branston was going to dance to 'Neopian Night Neo-flu'. As he concentrated,
he drained the crowd's cheers from his ears and outlined all his steps in his
head. If he won this competition, it could mean big Neopoints. His concentrated
thoughts were interrupted as his music started to play. "What the?" he said,
"This isn't supposed to be happening! Not yet!" He glared at the Gelert DJ who
was continuing the off-cue music. Sweating, Branston glanced up at Mr. Bepie
who cocked his head at him. Branston was forced to start dancing.
Before he knew it, he was dancing horribly and
he was tripping over his own feet. "Ack!" he cried. He staggered forward and
fell to the ground. Most of the audience laughed. The DJ still had the music
playing. Furiously humiliated, Branston made his way over to the DJ, grabbed
him by the color and yelled, "STOP THE MUSIC YOU CRAZY DIMWIT!"
The DJ slammed the stop button and gulped at
Branston's gaze. "I'm s-s-s-orry sir! I couldn't help it! Some-Something was
controlling..."
Branston turned away and ran toward the exit,
out onto the dark streets. He was halfway home when Rebob the Kougra caught
up to him.
"What was that?" asked Rebob.
"I don't know! It's never happened before! Leave
me alone for now..." and with that, Branston ran faster and then into his home.
***
The next day, Branston sat up in bed. Once the previous nights events poured
into his head, though, he groaned and fell back onto his pillow. How could he
face the public now?
He went down the stairs without doing his mane
and hair. He usually always filled his hair with gel and mousse.
Downstairs, he turned on the television and fell
back on the couch.
"Branston, lord of the dance floor, lost a dancing
competition to a rookie, surprising all spectators," said a news caster, "In
other news, we go to random event specialist, Rossy Koi. Rossy?"
"Thank you, Gus. Yesterday night, the Ghost
Lupe was seen healing some pets around the area where Branston the Eyrie, now
named Branston the Klutz, screwed up on the dance floor."
"Klutz?" Branston groaned. He got up and went
to his kitchen where he poured himself some cereal as Rossy Koi's announcements
repeated in his head; mainly the word 'klutz.'
"Oh... uh-oh... oh no...," Branston started
to say as other words repeated in his head: 'The Ghost Lupe'.
Branston put on his jacket and ran out of the
house into his front yard, yelling, "Ghost Lupe! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Please!
I'll give you your Neopoints! Just give me my talent back! I know you made me
and the DJ screw up yesterday! Oh plea-ea-ease!"
And the Ghost Lupe appeared on the lawn. "Hm?
You didn't aid me when I needed your time," he said.
"I said I was sorry for that. Please!" Branston
pleaded.
People passing on the street stared at Branston
and the Ghost Lupe. "Eh… I'll have to think about it." The Ghost Lupe said,
and vanished.
Branston went back into his home and cried. He
wanted his talent back. He wanted to dance! Branston wiped the tears off his
face and went upstairs to his room where he decided he would spend the rest
of his day.
Before getting into bed, though, Branston's leg
started to wiggle. His wings started beating the air. And his feet started tapping
the ground. "It's coming back!" he said to himself.
***
And indeed, Branston's talent did come back.
"Branston has proven he's not so much of a 'klutz'
after all- yesterday night he used his power to clear the dance floor and create
some well-enjoyed entertainment," the newscaster reported on televisions across
Neopia, "'It's all thanks to the Ghost Lupe,' Branston comments, 'That Lupe
is one cool guy.'"
The End
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