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Neopia's Fill in the Blank News Source | 28th day of Running, Yr 26
The Neopian Times Week 25 > Short Stories > The Case of the Sleepy Cheese

The Case of the Sleepy Cheese

by tooleys_girl

It had been a long time. Much too long, the Faerie Grundo thought while he read the latest issue of The Neopian Times. Ah, to relax with a good read and an endless supply of nachos was just what he needed. Could it possibly get any better than this? Granted, he loved playing just as much as the next NeoPet but sometimes he liked to take a vacation from the land of Neopia. Sometimes it just felt good to wander the land of Baldore. Baldore Land. Yeah... a world full of books, comfy places to rest, and yes, nachos. Lots of deliciously cheesy, crunchy goodness. With a contented smile, Baldore sunk into his bed and drifted... drifted... drifted into his imagination and onto the terrain of his own far away dreamscape.

***

"Penny!" the Shadow Shoyru growled, "Stop that!"

"But I can't help it!" the Fiery Meerca responded with a giggle, "It's so much fun, Nikki! Bouncing is great! It's so good for you and it makes you so happy! You can do it, too!"

Nikki narrowed her eyes at the Meerca. "For the love of your owner, Penny. Cut it out. You're making the Pharmacist dizzy." To further her point, she waved a threatening wing, "And if you know what's good for YOU..." she trailed off, knowing the rest of her message would get across.

Penny let out a deep sigh, stopped her bouncing and lowered her eyes. Kicking an invisible pebble, she murmured, "You're no fun, Nikki. Gotta do this and we gotta do that. I'm gonna go over to Baldore's after we get this done. He'll play with me."

"You can do whatever you want." Nikki shrugged her shoulders, "You can leave now, if you want. I just happen to think that saving Frogacious is a little bit more important than goofing around right now."

"I wanna help!!" cried Penny.

"Good," Nikki stated, pleased to have the Meerca's cooperation. "Now let's get this over with."

The odd pair paid for the NeoWart medication then went on their way. The Pharmacist stared blankly out the shop window for a few minutes after they left. It would take him the rest of the day to clean up the mess the little Meerca had made. Oh well, the Starry Techo thought, someday I'll grow into a Gigantic Tiger King. He smiled to himself. Squaring his shoulders, he prepared himself to let out the biggest roar there ever was. This was the moment. The window would shake and the ground with rumble. Tiiggrraa opened his mouth and set free the thunder of the jungle!

"...Grah!!?"

Herm. Oh well. Someday. He would keep practising. But for now, the grumbling in his tummy was loudest call of the wild. Deciding to clean the pharmacy up after lunch, he reached into his lunch box, wondering what llacey packed for him today. "Ooo. Nachos. I like nachos," he said out loud to himself. "And a rainbow doughnut!" Life was good and so were the nachos. In fact, they were so yummy, Tiiggrraa thought he would ask for them everyday! Everyday, he thought. When I'm a Tiger King, it's going to take a lot of Neopoints to feed me! He giggled to himself. Yah. When I'm Tiger King, I'll be the Champion of the Battledome. The fans will clap and all of Neopia will bow as I walk by. Of course, I won't let the fame get to my head. Oh, no... no. I will help feed the poor and my owner can rescue as many abandoned pets as she wants. They could all stay in my palace. My Palace. Tiiaaggrra continued to dream, drifting further and further into a fantasy that took him past a huge set of doors, between walls as high as you could see, and onto a tiger striped throne...

***

"Okay. Remember. Frogacious is very sick. He's not going to want a big mess to clean up after he gets better, so..." Nikki paused, letting the energetic Meerca finish the details.

"Sooooooooooooooooooo... I'll be good," Penny finished.

Nikki smiled as she knocked on Frogacious' door. She was pleased with the helpfulness of her friend.

"Hmm... No answer." Penny noted after about a minute had passed. "Maybe he's sleeping."

Agreeing with a nod, Nikki turned the knob and entered the house quietly.

Zipping past her, the Meerca darted around, "Frogacious??!" She called out, "Froooooooogyyyyyyy!! It's Penny and Nikki! Come get your medicine! We got it for you! Frogaaaaaaaaaaaliiiiiiiiiiiiiiciiiiiiiious!"

"Shhh!" Nikki sounded, covering Penny's mouth with a her dark Shoyru wing. "Don't wake him..."

Penny nodded silently and the two moved together through the house. Finding a trail of nachos, the followed it into the Red Nimmo's room.

"Awwww..." Penny cooed. "He looks so happy and peaceful. Isn't that the cutest thing you ever saw?"

Frogacious, bandaged and broken out with NeoWarts, lied still on the bed. Poor Nimmo, Nikki thought. Looking closer, something disturbed her about the blissful smile on his face. Odd. She'd had other friends who caught NeoWarts and she'd never seen any of them sleep peacefully.

"It must feel so good for him to sleep right now..." Penny continued in a whisper. "And there's nachos all over the place. The poor thing. Probably didn't even know he was dropping them..."

Again, Nikki turned this over in her mind. Okay. Something is really weird here. Frog's owner, Songahmstar, didn't feed him nachos. Frog was in training before he got sick. Training means a strict diet from the Health Food Store. But then, Baldore knew Frogacious was sick and "everyone" knows that Baldore thinks that nachos can cure anything...

"Let's go to Baldore's now!" Penny exclaimed, trying her best to be quiet.

"My thoughts exactly," the Shoyru replied. "We'll leave the medicine here on his night stand for when he wakes up."

"YAY! You're so brilliant, Nikki! While you're writing the note, I'll pick up these nachos for Frog and ah... uhm..." Penny petted her belly, "And dispose of them properly."

"No, Penny." With a frown, Nikki shook her head, focused on one task. "Let's go."

"Oh please? Just one? Oh pleeeeeeeeeeeease?" Penny pleaded. "I promise to not bounce around for the rest of day."

"Fine." The Shoyru conceded with a breath. "But tuck it away for later."

"Yay!" Penny squealed with joy, snatching a nacho and quickly hiding it away for later. The Meerca was so happy. This was the most delicious treat she had seen in her whole life. Her eyes gleamed and the incredible urge to bounce off the six surfaces filled her entire body!

"Don't even think about it!" Two eyes stared at the Meerca, reminding her of her promise. "Okay! Okay." Penny submitted, sighed and followed after her friend to Baldore's.

***

Once again, the two found themselves knocking at a door that wasn't met by an answer.

"I guess everyone is taking a nap today!" Penny giggled.

Nikki fell silent. No smiles. No telling the Meerca to be quiet. She was blank for a few moments. Even the 'Rebel with an Attitude' look had disappeared from her face.

Concerned, Pennny asked, "Nikki, you okay?"

"Yeah..." Nikki replied with a distant tone. "I'm just..." she started, then shook her head to clear her mind. "Why isn't Baldore answering his door?"

"Well, he's probably relaxing. He likes to do that sometimes," Penny answered. "As a matter of fact, you should, too. You're looking pretty rough around the edges."

Nikki simply shook her head. "No. I'm going to check on him." Compelled to push on the door, she stepped inside. Baldore was a light sleeper. There were many nights that Nikki couldn't sleep. No matter the hour, Baldore always answered and opened his door to her. Lots of times, he would stay up all night just to read her to sleep.

As they entered, the Meerca let out a bored sigh. "Maybe he's not home."

Again, Nikki shook her head. Moving about the house, she stepped on many nachos, each making a sharp crunch. "No. Those nachos are fresh, Penny. He's here."

"Well," Penny started, "That "is" kind of strange, I guess." I guess, Penny thought to herself. This whole thing wasn't much fun. She wondered what Narkelk and Zanzifar were doing right then. Penny looked at the clock above Baldore's bookcase. 2:00. They'd be playing hopscotch right about now.

Penny watched as Nikki disappeared from view. Reaching into her secret hidey place, she took out her nacho. "Yummy," she whispered to it. "I'm so glad I found you." Opening her mouth, the cheesy, toasty triangle flooded her senses and while contemplating her first bite, she rummaged in her pocket, doing a quick mental count. Six. She could always get more later if she wanted. After all, they were giving them away for free at the Apothecary. The Haunted Woods were scary but the only thing better than playing was eating. And hey, you couldn't beat the price.

Giggling, Penny popped the nacho in her mouth. As she was chewing, she wondered what kind of games the Hunted Woods NeoPets played. She bet they would like her pumpkin costume. Wow. She wondered why she never thought of that before. There was a whole forest full of new NeoPets to play with. She would have to teach them all how to bounce, of course They would be so happy to have her. The smiles on their ghoulish little faces drew Penny in. She heard them giggling and saw them bouncing from one gnarled to tree to another. "Penny! Penny! Over here!" She heard, "Vlaad wants to learn how to play Leap Quiggle!" For miles, all the Meerca could see were happy Neopians. She beamed with joy. This was the most fun she'd had all day...

***

"Baldore..." Nikki shook the Faerie Grundo's bed, trying to wake him from that same blissful sleep she'd found Frogacious in. "Baldore! Please, open your eyes," she pleaded. The only sound in the room was dead silence. Scared, Nikki put her ear to his chest. His breathing was steady and his heart beat strong. On his stomach, she noticed a copy of The Neopian Times that rose and fell with his breaths. Noticing a red circle on the paper, she reached for it. Nachos flew from it's folds and littered the floor. Nikki let out a low growl. "I never want to see another nacho again."

Taking a calming breath, she unfolded the cheese encrusted paper and read within the circle:

-----
! FREE NACHOS!
It's so hard to get ahead in Neopia.
Do you spend most of your time feeding and caring for abandoned pets?
Does your purse squeak every time you open it to feed the poor on yet another holiday?
Have you bought something from a shop and then find out that the only way to sell it in your own is to mark it at half of what you paid for it?
We at the Apothecary understand.
We, too, have shared these same experiences.
We, too, have suffered from the exhaustion of Neopian living.
So, escape to the Apothecary.
We're located just inside the Hunted Woods.
Nothing takes away your cares like a free batch of nachos.
Celebrate the New Year and the approach of Valentine's Day.
Celebrate you.
Come to the Apothecary and get your free nachos today.

-----

Looking closer at the cheese on the Times, she noticed that the yellow substance was dotted with red specks. It kind of reminded her of cayenne pepper. "Hmm..." Nikki's first muted thought drew her eyes to Baldore and without a second thought, the Shoyru took flight. Swooping out of the room, she saw Penny sleeping peacefully on Baldore's sofa.

She paused at the Meerca's side to whisper. "Don't you worry, Penny. I'm going to get to the bottom of this and get you out of there."

With a growl, Nikki flew out the door and swept up into the air.

Someone or something was going to get it.

***

"They're free," the shopkeeper of the Apothecary stressed to a Fire Lupe.

"I didn't come down here for nachos." The Lupe explained, "I've been working too hard on getting stronger and faster. I'm not going to slow myself down with a bunch of that stuff." After a brief pause, she continued, trying very hard to keep patience in her tone. "Now, I'll give you 200 Neopoints for that Green Healthshroom, if you please."

The shopkeeper, a strange looking mushroom creature, sighed and shook his head. "I paid much more than 200 Neopoints for that. How about 800 Neopoints?"

While the Lupe thought, the shopkeeper continued talking. "You know, that's the problem with Neopians these days. You give everything away for free but you take nothing in return. They always wander around and worry about this or that. Don't you think it would be just as easy to kick back, let they're worries fade away, and take just a few moments for themselves?"

After no response from the Lupe, the shopkeeper chuckled to himself. "Why, I bet you barely have enough times to play games anymore. The way I see it is that you have to live in the moment, ya know? Training will always be there. It's not going anywhere. It's going to take you months, years, and probably the rest of your life."

Sliding the nachos across the counter, the mushroom creature sighed. "It's your time, of course And I'm just here to help bring a bit of joy into some Neopians life. They're right there if you want them. If you don't eat them, you can save them for later or give them to a friend."

Looking down on the nachos, the Lupe shrugged. "I guess I'll take them. They're free, right?"

"Exactly!" The shopkeeper exclaimed. "And if you still want to buy that Healthshroom, I'll throw in a glass rose." Waggling his brows, he leaned into the Lupe. "Give it to your sweet heart for Valentines, eh?"

The Lupe laughed. "I don't have a sweetheart."

"Aw. That's too bad." He wiggled his brows again. "A cute little Fire Lupe like you..."

She cringed, taking a step back. "Uhm. I'll give you 400 for it."

The shopkeeper replied, "500."

"525"

"550"

"540," The Lupe offered at last.

"Deal. 540." The shopkeeper agreed just before looking up to see his newest customer walk through the door.

"Alanna! Don't!" The latest arrival yelled. Flying across the room, the creature, cloaked in shadow, kicked the nachos from counter.

Gently, the shopkeeper addressed the Shoyru over head, "Madame," he said, "Please, settle down. There are plenty of nachos to go around. You don't have to scare the customers." His mushroom head motioned to the Lupe.

"That customer," the Shoyru stressed, "Happens to be my friend. I've lost three friends today and I'm not about to let another one go."

Confused, the Lupe looked up at the Shoyru, "Nikki?" She asked, questions written all over her face.

"Alanna Shadow Spawn," Nikki called the Lupe to attention by pronouncing her full name. "Nothing I've said before is as important as what I'm about to say." Seeing that she had her friend's full focus, Nikki pointed at the shopkeeper. "This freaky, little mushroom man is trying to poison all of Neopia."

The shopkeeper shrugged, obviously hearing worse before. "I'm not trying to do anything. I'm simply offering them something that is free. I'm doing this because there are some things in this world that you shouldn't have to buy. The biggest one them, Madame, happens to be happiness." He looked to the friends and they seemed to be listening, so he continued. "What I'm giving, free of charge, is a look into a world where there's only fulfilment. There's no poverty, no need, nor is there any disease. This is a gift of peace." Smiling as only mushroom men can, he focused in on Nikki. "You look as though you could use my gift for yourself, Shoyru..."

"The only thing I need right now is for my friend's to wake up and their lives to go back to normal." Untouched by the shopkeepers persuasive attempts, Nikki caught Alanna's eyes. At that moment, each understood what they had to do.

In a flash of fire and shadow, the two descended on the shopkeeper. Dust, a rainbow of mushrooms, and triangular nachos flew through the air. Seconds seemed like hours to the mushroom man and as soon as it started, it ended. Nikki and Alanna thoroughly mashed the Apothecarist Strangeoid.

***

"Whoa," laughed one of the Space Station guards. "He sure got it bad, didn't he?"

"No doubt..." laughed another as he peered into the glass jar. "Cream of Mushroom Soup, anyone?"

"Ew!" exclaimed the first, " I wouldn't eat that if the Giant Omelette dried up and I'd been starving for a week."

The second agreed, "True that, brother. Let's bring him over to Grundo's Cafe. I'm sure he can fit this guy into the House Special, somehow."

***

"I'd eat a nacho if I thought for a second it bring you back and bouncing again."

Nikki sighed, placing a glass rose into Penny's lifeless hands. She took a moment to say her silent good-bye, remembering all the adventures and play times they'd both shared. What a happy little Meerca she was.

The wingfull of glass flowers were getting heavy for the Shoyru and she had many other friends to say farewell to. Nikki stood up and made her way toward where Baldore slept.

"YAY! That was great fun!" A blur of colour bounced from the walls, to the floor, the ceiling, and then back to the floor. "I wish you came Nikki!"

Nikki's mouth dropped and her glass roses almost followed as she tried to steady herself. Nikki stared at the Meerca in disbelief. It took a few moments for it to click in but when it did, Nikki lunged toward Penny and drew her friend toward her. "Oh, Penny! I was so worried that you'd never come back! Where did you go?"

"Well." Penny began, more than happy to tell of her dream. "I started off by playing jump rope and then I played hide-n-seek. You can't imagine all of the NeoPets!" With glee, the Meerca giggled. "And then I saw this beautiful glass rose up in a tree. So, I thought to myself, 'Penny, what's that rose doing up there?' I was so brave! I ran and I ran and I ran and jumped the biggest jump I've ever jumped. And THEN..."

Nikki interrupted, "Wait! That's it! It's the roses!"

"Huh?" Penny wrinkled her nose.

"The roses. The glass roses. The shopkeeper was giving them away, too..." Nikki explained.

"Uhm... okaaaaaaaaaaaaay," replied the Meerca. Oh no, she said to herself. The smile faded from her face. She knew what was going to happen next.

"Let's go!" Nikki urged. "Let's get this over with."

The Meerca whined, "But I just woke up. I wanna play."

"You can do whatever you want but I'm going to go save them." On a mission, Nikki darted toward Baldore's room.

"I wanna help!" Penny cried. "Can we go do something after this?"

"Yes," the Shoyru sighed. "But only if you're..."

"Good?" interjected the friend.

"Right," confirmed the other. "Let's go."

The End

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