Amy and Kate trudged across the Endless Plains. Kate
moaned as her aching paws hit the ground again and again. The merciless sun
beat down on the two pets, and there wasn't a cloud in sight.
"Amy," Kate groaned. "Why did I agree to this?
We have been walking for days now and still have not reached the end. That is
why this is called the Endless Plains. If there were one, they would have called
it the 'Really Really Long Plain'. But no, it is called the Endless Plains.
We should just turn around and go back home."
Amy gazed at her older, Gelert sister. "People
do tend to exaggerate you know. There is an end. There has to be. If there wasn't
one, the plain would cover all of Neopia."
"Besides," the red Zafara added. "If you would just
let me scout ahead, we might have found it by now. It's not my fault that you
don't want to be left alone."
Kate sighed and shook her green head. "Okay,
we'll keep walking, but if we don't find anything today, I'm heading back tomorrow.
And you have to come with me."
Amy rolled her eyes. Her sister's arguing and
complaining seemed as endless as the very plain upon which they walked. "Fine,
but I just know that we'll find the end."
"So Amy,' began Kate, cheered by winning the
argument as much as with the thought of turning around. "What do you want
to find at the end? I wouldn't mind finding a beach with cool water to play
in."
Amy thought for a minute. "A jungle would be
nice. It would have lots of shade."
Kate gave an exasperated sigh. "I'll never understand
you Amy. A jungle wouldn't be an end. You would just want to keep walking through
it instead."
It wasn't more than 15 minutes later that the
two pets saw a hill up ahead.
"Look Amy," gasped Kate. "Maybe the end is on
the other side!"
Unable to contain their excitement, the two race
towards the hill. When they reached the top, each was awestruck by the magnificent
sight she beheld.
***
"Look Amy," cried Kate, as she gazed down at the beach below her. The blue
waves sparkled like diamonds as they hit the sand. She turned to her right and
saw a sandy path going down between the rocks and to the water.
"Shall we go get a closer look," Kate asked her
sister earnestly.
"Sure."
Kate dashed down the path and to the water.
She laughed with joy as a wave crashed near her paws. They weren't even sore
now. Kate proceeded to race down the beach, dodging in and out of the waves
and continuing to laugh. To her delight, she could hear Amy doing the same behind
her. Amy usually hated the ocean (something about her fur), and Kate had expected
her to insist on leaving.
Oh well, thought Kate. As they say,
'Don't look a gift petpet in the mouth…'
***
A shocked Amy gazed at the jungle before her. "Wow," she said to
her sister. "I didn't think that we would actually find one. Let's go see it
up close!"
Amy started towards the trees, hoping that if
Kate didn't have time to protest, she would just follow. When she reached the
edge, she looked to her left and saw a path winding through the vegetation.
"Look Kate," she cried with glee. "It's a path.
Maybe it leads to somewhere. Well, of course it has to lead to somewhere, but
maybe it will lead to some lost civilization or something. Shall we follow it?"
Amy turned around just in time to see Kate nod
her head. She couldn't help but to feel slightly suspicious.
"What's the catch?"
"There isn't one," Kate replied calmly. "I just
want to explore."
I don't really believe that, thought Amy.
But I guess I better get going before she changes her mind.
***
You know Kate," said Amy. "I find it rather surprising that we have been walking
for 30 minutes, and you have not complained once."
"There is nothing to complain about."
Amy sighed, annoyed by how agreeable her sister
was being. "I don't feel thirsty or anything, but I wouldn't mind finding some
water. A brook would be nice. A brook with nice, clear water we could drink.
Having not drunken anything for three hours, I just feel like we should. We're
probably so thirsty that we don't even know it."
Amy had not walked more than a few steps further,
when she heard a splash. She gawked in amazement at the brook that bubbled at
her feet. The water was cool and clear, and the rocks were so smooth and clean.
A bit further down some of the delightful liquid pooled at a group of large
stones.
Amy made her way down to the still water. It
looked just as wonderful as the brook! She cupped some water in her paws and
gulped it down. That's odd, she thought. It almost tastes like Neocola.
Must be my imagination.
After drinking her fill, Amy gazed at her reflection
in the water.
It's almost like a mirror, but I've never
had a mirror this clear before. The color of my fur is so vivid, and every strand
of it is in the right place. You would think that after all that walking I would
be a mess. Oh, my necklace matches my red fur perfectly!
Amy fingered the fine silver chain that hung
around her neck, and then held the heart-shaped charm in her paw. The metal
was cool to touch.
Yes, it's so... wait a minute! This is the
necklace I tried on in that store about a month ago. I wanted it, but it was
too expensive. I never actually bought it!
Instantly the charm disappeared, leaving nothing
but air in Amy's paw. Amy stared at her reflection, frightened by what she had
seen. Ever since she had tried that necklace on, she had imagined it on herself
while looking in the mirror. This time, however, she was sure she had been wearing
it. She had not only seen it but had also touched it. The cool feel of the metal
still lingered on her paws.
Something is wrong here. Something is really,
seriously wrong here. The necklace, the water, the sister who doesn't complain,
even this very jungle is wrong. It's all too…perfect. I want to get out of here!
Only a few seconds had passed when a bright light
hit Amy. She squinted and shaded her eyes, only to gasp at what she saw. Just
a few feet in front of her was an opening in the jungle, and beyond it was the
Endless Plains. Amy backed up in fear, and then the opening was gone.
How did that happen? The opening just appeared
and then disappeared. When I wanted to get out of the jungle, the opening appeared.
When I was scared and wanted the opening to disappear, it did. Every thing must
change to what I want. Let's see…I want the opening to be there again.
Once again, Amy was blinded by sunlight.
Now disappear.
The light dimmed, and all that could be seen
was jungle. Amy turned to look at the green Gelert behind her.
"It's okay, Amy. It really is me."
Amy backed away from the image of her sister,
and it instantly disappeared. Yeah, right. I wanted you to say that. Okay,
so I want to get out, but how? How will I know the difference between what is
real and what is not? How could I…I know! I want to see reality.
In another instant change, the jungle was gone,
and Amy found herself in a stone maze. The gray walls were about twice as high
as she was and completely smooth, leaving no way for Amy to climb them. The
paths, however, were wide, allowing for free movement between the sides
I was right! There is an end to the Endless
Plains, but where is Kate?
Kate appeared in front of her.
"No!"
The green Gelert disappeared, and Amy shivered,
unnerved by the illusions that came and went in so suddenly.
Where is the real Kate? I want her
to be here with me or even me there with her.
Amy stood there expectantly, waiting for the
real Kate to appear. She spent the next minute agonizing and hoping, but to
no avail. Kate was nowhere to be found.
"Where is she?" Amy sobbed, wiping her teary
eyes with her paws. "Where is she? Is it all in my head? Can the physical be
unchanged? Can I at least see my sister?"
The wall beside Amy started to shimmer, and a
faint picture was visible. As she gazed at it, the picture became clearer and
clearer. It was of Kate. The Gelert was racing through another part of the stone
maze, laughing with glee.
A blank expression crossed Amy's face as she
tried to figure out what was making her sister so happy. Then it hit her: Kate
wasn't seeing the stone walls of the maze but something else.
"What is Kate seeing?" asked the Zafara aloud.
In the picture Kate continued to run and laugh,
but instead of running through a stone maze she was dashing down a sandy beach,
taunting the crashing waves. However, it was the soaking wet, red Zafara who
was running behind Kate, also laughing, that caught Amy's eye. Her heart skipped
a beat as she recognized the pet.
That's me! But…but it can't be me. I'm here.
It must be an illusion or something. Why can't Kate see that it's not me? I
would never get myself all wet with that nasty, salty seawater.
"I want Kate to see reality," Amy proclaimed.
Once again the Zafara waited in eager anticipation,
staring at the picture. Once again the Zafara was disappointed. As Kate laughed
her heart out on the beach, Amy's heart broke.
"I can only change things with me, only the non-physical
and only with me," whispered Amy under her breath before breaking out into hysterical
sobs. "Kate is happy. Why can't I be? I just want to be happy. I just want to
forget…"
***
Amy the red Zafara walked gracefully down the halls of her manor. She had just
finished a six-course meal and was now off to bed. Once in the bedroom, Amy
gazed at her reflection in a large, oval mirror that hung on the wall. She admired
the vivid color of her own fur, the shine in her own eyes, and the silver necklace
with a heart-shaped charm that dangled from her neck.
Amy fingered the charm, admiring the way it looked
on her. The metal was cool to the touch.
Yes, thought Amy. It looks wonderful
on me.
She was walking away from the mirror, when something
stopped her. She came back and examined the mirror again. This time her eyes
were drawn to the image of a green Gelert, stretched out in a full run, that
was painted all along the frame.
The Zafara's brow furrowed in concentration as
she continued to stare at the paintings. Hmm…I think…I think those Gelerts
would look much better red.
In the blink of an eye, the color had changed.
Amy nodded to herself. Oh, yes. That is much better. Red always has been
my favorite color.
Without a second thought, the Zafara walked over
to her canopy bed. The red curtains enveloped her as she began another night
of restful sleep.
***
In the darkest corner of the second floor of the Lenny Library, there is a
book. It is an old book, and its graying cover has no markings on it, not even
a title. One would never guess from the massive volume of paper in its bindings
that it only contains a single paragraph:
"It is said that at the end of the Endless Plains,
there lies a forgotten world. When and how it came into being are unknown. Who
inhabited it cannot be told. All that can be found on it is that it is a place
where pets can live happily ever after. After all, ignorance is bliss."
The End
Author's Note: If your pets have gone off to wander the Endless Plains and
have yet to come back, you now know where they probably are. I wouldn't bother
trying to get them back, though. They are very happy there. Living in unrestrained
bliss…
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