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Neopia's Fill in the Blank News Source | 29th day of Running, Yr 26
The Neopian Times Week 131 > Short Stories > Funny Face

Funny Face

by charmedhorses

In a small brick Neohome on the outskirts of Neopia, a baby Uni by the name of Indipsi finished breakfast with her owner, Charmedhorses.

     "Any tests today?" Charmed asked, taking a sip of mocha.

     "No," Indipsi replied. "No tests, but we have a guest speaker coming to talk to us. Apparently she was one of the very first Earth faeries. I guess that means she's pretty old, huh?"

     "Indi!" Charmedhorses exclaimed. "That certainly does not! That's no way for a Uni as pretty as yourself to talk. Faeries are very kind beings; we shouldn't speak poorly of them."

     Indipsi scrunched her lips up and rolled her eyes at her owner. "I'm not pretty," she said defiantly.

     "Of course not. You're an ugly, mutated beast," Charmedhorses joked. "Is that better?"

     The Uni shrugged. "Maybe. Anyway, I have to get to Neoschool." She slurped up the remaining milk in her bowl of cereal and got up to set her dishes on the counter. "See you later, then."

     "Hold on just a minute," Charmed said, getting up to say good-bye. "You really ought to be more careful. You make those funny faces and one of these days it just might stick." She patted Indipsi's shoulder. "Now go have a good day at school."

     "Thanks," Indipsi said. She quickly hugged her owner, then headed out the door and toward the awaiting day of Neoschool.

     "What does Charmed know about making faces, anyway?" Indi grumbled as she went. "She never makes faces."

     By the time Indipsi got to school her back pack was full of books and weighed down on her back like a bag of bricks. Not to mention the thin film of sweat coating her body. But while the location of their Neohome made for an excruciating walk, she wouldn't choose to move for the world. There was nothing like waking up to the songs of Pawkeets and the scent of apples ripe on the tree. So what if sometimes she was a little--

     Brrrrrrrrriiiiiiiinnnnnnnggggg!

     "Oh, Peadackles!" Indipsi exclaimed, sprinting the rest of the way to her class.

     When she arrived the other students were already seated, pulling out their books for the day.

     "I'm not late. Honest," Indi said persuasively as she rushed through the door of her classroom. "What you thought was the bell really wasn't. You must have imagined it. Brriinngg!" she mimicked, dropping her bag and taking her seat. "Now that was the bell."

     "How nice of you to join us," Indipsi's teacher, Miss Hickle, said. "Now, Indi, you know you're one of my top scholars, but I cannot allow this tardiness to continue. Please see me after class."

     Indipsi hung her head, avoiding eye contact with the blue Poogle.

     "Now," Miss Hickle said, addressing the class. "Take out your copy of the Neopian Encyclopedia. Today we will be studying…"

     "Psst," a green Kougra beside Indipsi whispered. "Not such a good goody now are we?"

     Indi glared and stuck her tongue out at him.

     The Kougra sickered.

     "Ahem," Miss Hickle cleared her throat and eyed the pair before going on. "As I was saying…"

     Indipsi tossed her head and readied her pencil. It was going to be a long day and she had to make the best of it.

**********

"Okay, back to class!" Miss Hickle hollered to her students from the classroom door. Lunch break was over and the Neopets gradually made their way in, spirits dampened as they quit playing and returned to class. Lunches were gulped down, Gelerts were chased around the playground, and chatter was turned to whispers before the pets settled back down in their seats.

     Indipsi was not the first, but not to the last to return, for although she was a hard worker she was in no great rush to get back to class. And she had to admit that she was pretty interested in hearing what the visiting faerie had to say.

     Once the class was back together Miss Hickle stood before them and began to introduce their guest. "I'm sure you've all been anxious to hear from our visitor…"

     The students groaned all at once.

     Miss Hickle went on. "It's my pleasure to introduce Viola the Earth Faerie."

     From behind the blue Poogle a petite, winged figure appeared. "Hello, there," Viola said softly.

     The class was silent, staring at the creature.

     "Let me guess, you were expecting some old, gray-haired, broken-winged… thing, weren't you?" she said and chuckled. "I'm not that old. Now, does anyone have a question for me?"

     "Oh, me!" Indi exclaimed, her hoof shooting to the air.

     "Yes?" Viola asked in amusement, turning with the rest of the class to see the exuberant baby Uni.

     Indipsi blushed. "Well, I was just wondering…What are your responsibilities as a faerie?"

     "That's a very good question," Viola said.

     "That's a very good question," Cush, the green Kougra beside Indi, mimicked. "Teacher's Neopet."

     "I am not!" Indipsi retorted loudly, interrupting Viola who was answering the very question that Indi had just asked.

     Viola looked startled and Indipsi said, "Sorry."

     Although she appeared slightly taken aback, the Earth Faerie continued her explanation and Indipsi kept her eyes looking forward, determined not to peer back at the Kougra beside her who was surely making evil eyes at her.

     Finally she could resist no longer. One always wants to see what they shouldn't. When Indipsi heard the Kougra whisper at her once more her head snapped up. Ears laid back she said, "What, Cush?"

     "Goody two hooves," the Kougra lured.

     "Stop it!" Indipsi said, her patience cracking. In her heated state the Uni curled her upper lip, crossed her eyes, and pinned her ears back at the pest beside her. However, much to her surprise, her expression would not go back to normal and try as she might, she couldn't move it. The funny face remained.

     Indipsi's eyes grew wide and she slouched in her desk, shadowing her face with her hooves. Beside her she heard Cush snicker.

     "Are you alright?" Viola asked from the front of the classroom.

     Indipsi jumped in her seat. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine."

     "Then why are you making that face?" the faerie asked, eying her peculiarly.

     "Indi," Miss Hickle said warning. "Cut it out."

     "I can't," Indipsi muttered, her hoof muffling her voice.

     "Indipsi," Miss Hickle said strongly, "you had better straighten up or I'm going to have to talk to you outside."

     The Uni tried to adjust her frozen features but they simply would not move.

     "Fine," Miss Hickle said. "Outside."

     "But," Indipsi blubbered, her lip still rolled back and making it difficult to talk.

     "Outside," Miss Hickle repeated, walking out of the room and waiting for Indi.

     The Uni hung her head and followed the teacher outside, her tail drooped limply.

     Once they were out of earshot of the classroom Miss Hickle turned to Indipsi and asked, "Now what has gotten into you?"

     "Ih wath Cuth," Indi said, her voice accented by the irregular placement of her upper lip.

     "Oh, drop it already," Miss Hickle said in annoyance.

     "I can'th," the Uni said. "My fayth ith thtuck."

     "Fine. You can just wait out here for Charmed to come and get you after school," Miss Hickle instructed, unsympathetic to Indipsi's situation.

     Glumly, Indipsi lay on the grass and tried to pass the time as she waited for her owner.

**********

"You have some explaining to do, young lady," Charmedhorses said from behind Indipsi.

     The Uni started to her hooves, awakened from the half-asleep state she had been in.

     "What do you have to say for yourself?"

     "Oo er ight," Indipsi said.

     "Huh?" Charmedhorses said, obviously surprised. "Miss Hickle told me you were misbehaving, but what's wrong with your voice?"

     "It wath all Cuth's fault," Indipsi said. "He wath being a Thnorkle tho I made a fayth at him. Now ith's thtuck."

     Charmed chuckled. "Okay, I believe you, but let's get going. I think I have just the remedy."

**********

"I'm not eating that," Indipsi said shortly.

     Charmedhorses, who held a lemon slice in her hand for Indipsi to suck frowned. "Come on, Indi! Don't you want your face to be back to normal?"

     "Not ifth I hath to eat that."

     "Arg!" Charmed said in frustration. "I know it'll work. Believe me."

     "How do you know?" Indipsi questioned.

     "I had my own little incident…"Charmed trailed.

     "What?" Indipsi said loudly. "Talk louder."

     "My face got stuck one time, too," Charmedhorses said.

     Indipsi burst out laughing.

     "Very funny," Charmed said. "Sucking a lemon straightened my face right out, though. So will you eat it?"

     "Only ith you tell me what happened," Indi bargained, curiosity sparkling in her chocolaty eyes.

     "After," Charmedhorses said. "Now here you go." She held out the lemon slice.

     Indi grumbled but took the fruit and placed it in her mouth. As she sucked it dry her face began to pucker. She squinted and winced until there was nothing left but the rind.

     "Uggg," Indipsi said, spitting the peel out on the kitchen counter.

     Charmed beamed. "You look great."

     Indi held up a hoof and felt her face, which was relaxed and back to normal. "Yeah, thanks. Now how did your face get stuck?" she asked.

     Charmedhorses laughed. "Well, I wasn't making faces at the cute Kougra next to me, but…" she began.

     Indipsi rolled her eyes at Charmed's joke and listened eagerly to her owner's tale. Some things just ran in the family, but hopefully bad jokes wasn't one of them.

THE END

Author's Note: Thank you so much for reading my story! This one is especially special in that it stars my very own Uni, Indipsi and, well, me! But, I must say that the me portrayed in the story and the me in real life aren't exactly the same. It's hard writing about yourself. (I do tell jokes that don't always make sense, though. But at least I get them even if my friends don't.) Anyway, I'd love to hear what you thought of the story! Feel free to Neomail me!

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