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I looked out the window and smiled at all the pets playing
in the street. It was such a nice day. It was my Kyrii's birthday so I wanted
to do something special for him but I couldn't quite think of anything just yet.
I pondered by the window.
He doesn't like Chias, I thought. So
that's out of the picture. He doesn't like Plushies, so that's gone. What does
he like?
Just then, Nekowako walked into the front room.
"Adrian, guess what day it is today?" the skunk
Kyrii asked me in a casual tone.
"Well, let me see," I said, toying with the
Kyrii. "Today is... Spellsteel's dentist appointment."
"Wrong," Neko said, scowling at my not-so-funny
joke. "Something having to do with me?"
I laughed, stood up, and stretched. "I know,
I know, it's your birthday," I said finally.
Neko grinned for a second then asked, "So, what'd
you get me?"
"Well, I can't tell you that or it wouldn't
be a surprise, now would it?" I walked out of the room and into the kitchen
but Neko followed me.
"Come on, I really want to know," Neko nagged
as he leaped into a chair by the table.
"No, Neko, you're just going to have to find
out later."
Neko scowled and wandered off into another room.
Relieved that I'd finally got rid of him, I walked outside and down to Neopia
Central.
I was amazed at how many people and their pets
were on the High Street. There must have been at least five hundred beings just
on the one street. There were humans and pets and even their pet pets! I struggled
to get through one particular mob in front of the Toy Shop.
Must be restock time, I thought to myself as
I pushed my way through. But I was wrong. Right in the middle of the mob, a
cloaked figure pulled a baby Cybunny out of a black top hat. Great, a magic
show, I thought. I was about to leave when the cloaked figure caught my
eye. I couldn't quite tell what species of Neopet it was but it seemed to hold
me there right in my spot for a few seconds. I reconsidered leaving and watched
with interest. As the figure rolled two dice, I caught a glimpse of its hands.
A Blumaroo! This was getting very interesting indeed. The mysterious Blumaroo
rolled five dice that looked like the ones from Dice-A-Roo. I couldn't believe
what I saw! All of the dice landed on 'Proceed To The Next Die' and the Silver
Die had landed on the Jackpot!
"Hey, how'd you do that?" I asked the Blumaroo,
still astonished at the luck it had.
"Magic," came the voice from beneath the hood.
"I don't believe in magic," I scoffed. "There's
no such thing. Everything is luck."
"There's where you are wrong, child," the Blumaroo
said back. "Magic is all around us even though we cannot see it. It aids us
when we are in trouble and it keeps us out of harm's way. If there was no magic,
there would be no life."
I was about to make a rude remark but then I
had an idea. "Hey, do you think you could do that trick again?" I asked. "You
see, my Kyrii's birthday is today and I don't know what to get him. He doesn't
like anything except his Snowbunny and Dice-A-Roo."
"I do not do private shows," the Blumaroo retorted.
I was taken aback by this comment. "What?" I
exclaimed. "But why? You could make so much money, your tricks are so amazing!"
"I told you, I don't do private shows," the
Blumaroo said again. "Magic is not to be bought or sold."
"Fine," I said angrily and I turned on my heel
and marched into the Toy Shop. I looked around in the shop for a while but nothing
I saw I thought Neko would like. While I was in the shop, I reflected on what
the Blumaroo had said. "Magic is not to be bought or sold." What was that supposed
to mean? I cleared the thoughts from my mind and walked back out of the store.
I wanted to say sorry to the Blumaroo for being so mean but he was no where
in sight. I sighed unhappily and wandered back home.
"I'm home!" I called from the hall when I got
in. Pera Pera, my split Aisha launched himself at me from the doorway to his
room, almost knocking me over.
"Neko, he says that you don't give him present
cause you is too lazy!" Pera exclaimed in his odd accent.
I scowled at the thought of the pessimistic
Nekowako giving wrong messages to my innocent little Aisha. "No Pera, Neko's
wrong. It's just that I don't know what he likes. It's very hard to buy stuff
for Neko. He seems to only like Dice-A-Roo and that little Snowbunny of his."
I put Pera down onto the ground and went searching for Neko to tell him the
bad news.
Just as I found him sulking in his room, and
I was about to tell him that there would be no presents this year, the doorbell
rang.
"I get it!" I heard Pera Pera yell from the
hall. I trotted to the door to see who it was and to my surprise, it was the
hooded Blumaroo from the market earlier that day!
"Oh, hi," I said, kind of confused. "I just
wanted to say that I'm sorry for what I said today in the market. I didn't mean
to be that rude."
"No, no, it is OK," the Blumaroo answered. "I
said that magic will help one in a time of trouble and it seems like for you,
it is one of those times. I will show your friend my magic."
My face lit up at those words. "Wow, really?
Thanks so much, I'll go get Neko now!" I couldn't stop my happiness. Neko was
going to get a present after all! "Nekowako, someone's here to see you!" I yelled
down the hall.
Neko came slowly down the hall, still upset,
I was sure. "Who?" he asked sadly but when he saw the cloaked Blumaroo, his
curiosity took over and he trotted the rest of the way.
"Who are you?" he asked, quite confused at why
this Blumaroo had asked for him. The Blumaroo pulled a Dice-A-Roo die from a
pouch on his belt and rolled it across the floor. Just like I expected, an 'Advance
To The Next Die' came up. He rolled the other three normal dice and they all
followed suit. Then, the grand finale. He pulled out the Silver Die, the largest
of the five and rolled it with great skill across the floor. Neko's eyes went
wide as the die landed on Jackpot.
"Wow!" the Kyrii exclaimed. "How'd you ever
do that?"
"Magic, young pup," came the reply once again.
"Magic."
Neko was grinning from ear to ear at this point.
"Wow, that was so cool! I want to learn how to do that! Then I could win at
Dice-A-Roo every time!" Neko yelped excitedly.
The cloaked Blumaroo flashed a smile and handed
the five dice to Neko. "Here, I want you to have these. They are blessed with
magic. May you always have good luck in Dice-A-Roo."
Neko's eyes went wide again and his jaw dropped.
"You really mean it?" he asked, astonished.
The Blumaroo nodded his little blue head.
"Wow, amazing," Neko exclaimed.
"But be warned," the Blumaroo said. "Only use
the dice when you have to. Otherwise, they will act as normal everyday dice."
Neko nodded his head in agreement and grinned
some more.
As the Blumaroo turned to leave, I caught his
eye and mouthed, "Thank you". He nodded and Neko jumped into my arms.
"Thanks, Adrian, this is the greatest birthday
present ever!"
The End
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