The Neo-Egg was shaking on the oak table while a pudgy redhead and her green
Chia watched with bated breath. It cracked. The newborn Flotsam blinked into
the light.
"Wiggums!" the redhead's hoarse voice cried, "it hatched."
"Eww. Nasty," Wiggums remarked.
"You were just like that when you hatched, so don't talk."
"Kinda skinny." Wiggums wrinkled his nose. "What's it for?"
"I told ya, it's gonna make us famous. And rich." She wrapped the NeoPet in
a blanket. "Welcome to Neopia, kid."
"Eww, it's got all wrinkly blue skin." The Chia made a face. "How can a runt
like this make us famous and rich, Ma? And does it have a name?"
"I told ya… Her name's Flora_Redfern. She's a Flotsam. They're great swimmers,
Flotsams. She's gonna win hundreds of swimmin' competitions and make us money.
There's one of those competitions in a month and a half. She'll win it, AND
the 8000 NP prize that goes with it."
"What if she don't?"
"Don't worry. She will."
***
Flora shuddered. It was cold by the pool-side, and the worn-out towel didn't
offer much warmth. Maybe I'll be warmer in the water, she thought. The other
contestants, a purple Peophin, a green Acara, a Christmas Kiko and another blue
Flotsam like her, didn't seem chilly.
She hated the water! She'd hated it, ever since Owner had thrown her into their
apartment building's pool, when she was three hours old, to see if she'd sink
or swim. She didn't like her family also: Wiggums, who taunted her by whispering,
"If you lose, to the pound you'll go," every five minutes, and Owner, who'd
said once, "What do you care about my name? I'm your owner, and that's all"
when Flora had asked about it. And most of all, she hated to think of what would
happen once she'd lost this competition (she was sure she would).
Her thoughts were interrupted by a bellow: "One… two… three… go!"
Flora dived into the water. It was freezing cold! She kicked with her tail
and waved her fins around, but she was numb within 10 seconds, and everyone
was ahead of her. "Noo…" she gurgled sadly.
The Peophin was ahead. There's the winner, and here's the loser, Flora told
herself. The Kiko was coming in second.
"GO FLORA_REDFERN!" Owner was screaming from the stands. Her voice seemed
to carry a threat. Wiggums yelled, "Yeah, SWIM!" and looked like he wanted to
add, "or else!"
Flora swam and swam, but she hadn't even gotten halfway to the other end of
the pool, and she was tired and numb. There was no way she could catch up now.
It was too late. Should I give up trying? Or keep swimming? Either way she'll
be mad at me, but what would make her less mad? She knew the answer to her own
question: the only way Owner wouldn't be mad was if she won.
She stopped when she heard the whistle which meant "We have a winner!" It was
the purple Peophin who was climbing triumphantly out of the pool. The Acara
had beaten the Kiko and was second. Third was the blue Flotsam. Flora tried
not to cry: now she'd find out what the pound was, finally (Wiggums had never
elaborated). What was the pound like?
She had no time to think about it since at that moment she felt a hand on her
should, and that hand twisted her around. She stared into Owner's angry green
eyes. No, not angry. Furious.
"How dare you," said Owner. Behind her, Wiggums smiled gleefully.
"I-I…"
"You-you," mocked Owner, "you LOST!"
"I'm sorry…" muttered Flora. "Just get this over with."
"SORRY!" exploded Owner, "SORRY AIN'T GOOD ENOUGH! Every day for the past
six weeks we've been training you like crazy, Wiggums and me, five hours every
day at that dirty pool when we could have been having FUN like we deserved!
And you lose, and say you're SORRY??!!"
Flora burst into tears. "Please…"
"Don't say anything! You're coming with me." Owner pulled her by the fin until
they were outside. Then they hopped on a bus that took them in Downtown Neopia.
The bus, as Flora had been expecting, took them to the pound. She didn't even
have the strength to protest when Owner dragged her out of the bus and into
the dingy building. She didn't cry as she was pushed across Dr. Death's desk,
nor when the red Uni gave her a heartbreakingly sad and pitying look, nor when
Owner said to Dr. Sloth, "I never want to see it again!"
The sobs began after she'd been locked into her cage.
"Aw, hush. It's not that bad here… Stop crying! Are you hungry? Here, eat
this. I saved it from breakfast."
Flora opened a bleary eye and stared at her cage-mate, a slimy but happy-looking
yellow Techo. "I'm not hungry… just… sad." She sniffled pitifully.
"You're Flora_Redfern." The Techo nodded sagely. "I'm ChocoTootseeRoll. Call
me Toots, okay?"
"How do you know my name?" Flora asked.
"The Uni told me. Stop crying already! I'll tell you one thing, Flora, the
life in the pound is better than the life you'd have had with that owner of
yours."
"But… we'll starve here!"
"Nah. Don't believe that… listen up! Doctor Death's on a tight budget. He
gives money to the Uni, and she goes shopping. She's nice. She buys as much
food as she can and even some treats sometimes. She plays Tombola every day,
takes a pet to the shrine every day…" Toots showed Flora the Sutek Muffin she
had. "The pound has good food for its pets… but not all of its pets get the
food." She nodded towards a yellow Kacheek in a cage next to them. "That's SallyAnee.
She wouldn't have gotten anything to eat for the past four days, but I gave
her my peas. I hate peas. Anyway, the Uni? She also takes care of us… gives
us blankets in winter… Life's tough, Flora, but life's tough everywhere. At
least you're not one of those 'street rats'."
"Aren't you hungry??"
"We all learn to save food. It's six PM now, right? And I have this muffin
since breakfast. When I'll be hungry, I'll eat it. You can have my supper."
She made a face. "Musho Mushy Peas, ewwwww."
***
Toots proved to be an extremely kind and generous pet. She frequently gave
Flora foods that she knew her Flora liked: she traded Churros, bags of crisps
and a Fruity Korbite for a can of prune juice and a box of wheat flakes. She
took care of Flora as best she could when she became sick and the Uni was busy.
Despite all that, Flora became sick. After a week she had lost three pounds,
had purple rings under her eyes and lay down on the cold floor of the cage,
watching the world with one eye only. After a month she had lost another thirteen
pounds, had bags under her eyes, and didn't have enough strength to raise her
head when Toots spoke to her.
***
"Miss! Psst, Miss!"
The Uni turned her head and trotted towards Toots. "What is it, little one?"
"It's Flora, she's sick. Help! She hasn't eaten for the past few days. Giorgio
had her beans, but… beans aren't like peas, they're good. Help!"
The Uni smiled until she saw Flora. "Oh, my-"
"What do I do?"
"She's sick…."
"Yes I know!!" Toots yelled. "What do I do??"
"The only thing that can be done is to get her adopted… but it's nearly impossible.
She looks dead, who'd want her?" The Uni sighed and closed her eyes. "Next time
you have peas, Toots, give them to her. Okay?"
Toots wrinkled her nose. "Peas? Oh… Okay, Miss. Thanks."
***
Flora felt footsteps. "Wha…" she whispered. Immediately, Toots was at her side.
"Newbies, Flora. They're the people who've been playing for about a week, have
around 3000 NP and want a second pet. Maybe we'll get lucky," she said.
Flora closed her eyes as Toots walked to the door of the cage. Whenever someone
went by, she jumped and said, "Sir! Ma'am! A beautiful smart Flotsam here! She
just needs a bit of foods and some hugs! Sir? Ma'am?
"None of them are good, Flora. I thought of this last night: the perfect owner
for you would be an old lady, who's well off and retired, so she'd have lots
of time for you… When I spot her, I'll tell you…"
I won't hold my breath, thought Flora.
***
Rabid_Purple_Hamster walked by the endless row of cages. She tried not to cry:
the pleading looks that the pets sent her way broke her heart. They've suffered
so much…
Suddenly, a paw shot out and grabbed her pant leg, pulling her back. "Aah!
What is it?"
A yellow Techo looked at her desperately. "Please…" she said.
"… Adopt me?" finished Rabid, "is that what you were going to say?" She smiled.
"Not me! No… my friend." The Techo jumped back. Rabid gasped.
The Flotsam behind the Techo was so skinny her ribs could be counted easily…
1, 2, 3, 4, 5. She was barely breathing. "Gosh! What happened to her?"
"She's sick. She needs an owner. Her old one abandoned her 'cause she lost
a swimming competition."
"Just for that?! Poor thing! What's her name?" Rabid looked around for the
Uni.
"It's Flora_Redfern."
"That's pretty," Rabid remarked. She sighed with relief as she spotted the
Uni, and frantically waved her arms to get her attention.
"Yes?"
"Open this cage, please!"
"Are you gonna take her?" asked the Techo eagerly. Rabid took Flora into her
arms; Flora opened one eye.
"Yes, I am. Poor thing."
"About time someone took her," the Uni told Rabid. "Come with me and fill
in the papers."
***
"I, Rabid_Purple_Hamster, hereby declare that the Flotsam Flora_Redfern belongs
to me and is my responsibility. Should I decide to abandon this pet, I shall
do it quickly so that both I and the pet will be spared unnecessary pain and
trouble," read Rabid. "No chances of me abandoning her. I have to sign it?"
"Yes," said the Uni. "And then pay 86 NP, and she's yours."
Rabid scrawled her name on the dotted line, then reached for her purse. Flora
was still in her arms, groaning and opening her eyes every now and then. "Here
you go," Rabid said cheerfully, pushing the money across the Uni's desk.
"Thank you so much for adopting her," the latter said, her voice breaking,
"or the Faerie Queen knows what might have happened to her."
"No problem," Rabid said, before directing her attention at the latest addition
to her family. "Flora, I hope you don't mind riding in a pram? I know you're
not a baby, but you sure can't walk, and I can't carry you all the way home
either. Don't mind? Great!" She put Flora in the pram and covered her with the
blankets, and went on: "Soon we'll be at my house… You'll meet your sister,
Roweine the Aisha, after you eat of course. I bought hot dogs this morning,
and some doughnuts." She stopped and chuckled. Flora had fallen asleep as soon
as her head had touched the pillow. "Come on," Rabid said softly. "We're going
home."
The End | 
