Several Months Ago...
Maerianni grinned at her mum as she splashed around in the calm blue ocean.
Sand welled up in the toes with every step she took. Her older sister, SuperComet,
a Chia laughed as she stumbled around in the calm, mild waves of the ocean during
low tide. She picked Maerianni up off the sand and put her on her back. SuperComet
gave her a ride on her back, and then let her slip back into the water.
Maerianni Zafara grinned up at her older sister. She loved her more than her
favourite plushie! SuperComet returned her smile. SuperComet would do anything
for Maerianni.
Maraqua was the best place in the world! They moved here from Neopia Central.
SuperComet and her mum had moved here, and then Maerianni came along. They agreed
that they all loved this world a LOT!
It was a beautiful day. It was sunny, warm, and just beautiful! The perfect
day to spend on the surface of Maraqua, on the beach!
Maerianni's mum got up. She said, "hold on you two, it's almost lunch! Why
don't we have a picnic on the dock, I'll go get us some lunch from the shop!
Mr. Koi will probably have some great ideas on good Maraqua traditional food...
maybe even some Mint Ice Cream imported from Neopia Central?
"YEAH!!!!!!!" howled Maerianni, who was rather fond of Mint Ice Cream.
Their mother get them up on the dock. They played with their Yellow Bouncy
Ball and Pink Poogle Toy while their mother ran to the nearby food store to
get them some food for a beach picnic. SuperComet had given that toy to Maerianni
when she was born, so it was a very special item, with sentimental value, between
the two of them. It was extremely important to both of them! Suddenly, Maerianni's
ears picked something out of the air... she heard Maraquaians shouting!
Shortly, they saw a large ship leaving the coast on the other inlet of Maraqua...
"What was THAT all about?" SuperComet wondered aloud.
They heard more shouting from the ship, along with a shrill, terrified scream
from the land!
"Okay, something funny is going on!" Maerianni exclaimed. Suddenly, the wind
grew strong, and SuperComet had to grab her arm in order for her not to be blown
off the dock!
It started to rain. It was only a light shower at first, but then it grew
into a horrible storm. They could hear evil laughter from the ship, but before
their eyes, the ship disappeared. Lightning flashed before their eyes, and it
was raining so hard, so windy, that SuperComet and Maerianni could barely see
where they were going.
"We have to find mum!" SuperComet yelled.
"Say what?! I can't hear you!!!"
"WE HAVE TO FIND MUM!!!!!!!!" SuperComet bellowed.
"I hear you! But how!?" Maerianni yelled.
"Come on, just follow the dock..." SuperComet yelled back. Slipping and
sliding, the two of them tried to make their way back on to the mainland (main-water?)
of Maraqua. Half way across the dock, Maerianni yelled:
"Oh no! We forgot Pinkie Poogle!"
"It's too late now, Maerianni! It's too late! It will be dangerous to go back,
it probably got swept into the sea anyway... awww don't cry, don't cry, when
this storm wells down, we'll find it, I promise! Aww... well, okay, we'll go
get it!" SuperComet assured Maerianni. Like I said, she would do anything for
Maerianni.
SuperComet told Maerianni to stay put, and she carefully made her way down
the dock. She grabbed hold of the toy, then was slowly making her way back,
when, suddenly, she slipped! She went flying across the dock, the Poogle toy
still in her hand. She grabbed the end of the dock with her free hand. Her pretty
bracelet flew off her wrist, and got blown away.
"MAERIANNI! HELP ME!" she screamed. Maerianni clumsily made her way to the
end of the dock, her mind blank with fear. She grabbed her sister, and helped
her up. She saw sea weed and entire trees getting swept up on the other side
of Maraqua into some sort of hole in the sea...
"Maerianni. We have to get out of here! It's a WHIRLPOOL!" SuperComet screamed.
"Okay, okay, let's go!"
While carefully but quickly (and clumsily) trying to run across the slippery
dock, Maerianni said, "how do you know it is a whirlpool?"
"Believe me! Don't you read the Maraquaian Times!? The Queen has been harassed
by pirates several times before! Didn't you hear that screaming? I'll tell you,
those pirates cursed this world!"
"CURSED!!? SuperComet, are you sure!?!? PIRATES?!? What is all this!?" Maerianni
howled.
"Believe me," SuperComet said. And Maerianni nodded her head.
They raced across the final meters of the slippery dock, and ran into the
local Koi food store, where they found the clerk in some distress.
"Your mum went to look for you!" he cried. SuperComet blanched. She and
Maerianni hurtled back outside, looking for their mother. The shopkeeper poked
his head out an open window. "She's not nuts you know, she didn't actually go
IN to this storm, she thought you might have gotten shelter in the village!"
he shouted.
SuperComet and Maerianni ran towards the village, the pink Poogle toy in Maerianni's
hand.
They saw their mum at once.
"Thank Faerieland!" their mum exclaimed as she wrapped them all up in a big
hug. A shout was heard from nearby.
"Everybody come into the underground shelter, the whirlpool is coming this
way!".
They were now underwater, in the mainland of Maraqua. They had lived underwater
almost all their lives, and only went up to the surface to go to Neopia Central
or another city, or just to hang out at the coast like they had just now.
The current was very strong. The three had to cling to each other to make
it to the shelter. Everyone in the village was trying to cram into it. The Koi
shopkeeper who they had approached before was very kind. He was helping all
the Maraquaians into the shelter, before going in himself. The current was very
strong now.
He helped Maerianni in, then SuperComet, then their mum. They were the last
ones to get in. As he himself was about to climb in, the current changed- stronger
than they'd ever seen before. Before they could grab his fins, he had been swept
away... into the whirlpool, which was now only a few meters away!!
Maerianni made a few attempts to get him, but her sister held her back, tearfully.
"You can't help him now, Maeri. He's gone!" she said sadly. Her mother and
many other Maraquaians grabbed the door and closed it. Everyone appeared very
upset at the loss of the Maraquaian shop keeper. For as long as SuperComet could
remember, ever since she had moved to Maraqua, ever since Maerianni had been
born, he had been so kind to them, pointing them at the right direction, helping
them at his own cost. And now, they grieved, the loss of a very kind Maraquaian,
who helped them all in one way or another.
Cujo_89neo said to them, "I can't believe he's gone!". Cujo_89neo had been
very fond of him. The two of them had played hockey (a human sport, that concerns
the use of a stick and a cylinder shaped "puck" and two goals, in which the
purpose of the game was to use the L shaped sticks to push the puck into the
opponent's net) all the time, and Cujo_89neo who was very talented, was now
in a Neopian league for young NeoPets, all because of the shop keeper's training
and encouragement.
The current rattled the home above them. They heard a horrible tearing, and
had the feeling that the home above them had been ripped off the ground by the
whirlpool. Well, they were safe in the shelter below, weren't they? A basement
is a basement, they would be safe... right?
They heard a thundering BOOM, and before they knew it, the roof of the shelter
had been ripped off!
Before Maerianni's eyes, SuperComet was swept away. The last expression that
she saw on SuperComet's face was clearly an alarmed one. It was a strange one
too. SuperComet had sort of known none of them would survive, and therefore
had an expression that looked as if she wanted to tell Maerianni that she loved
her, one last time.
SuperComet felt herself being torn away from her family. She felt like she
was being ripped apart in the whirlpool. She closed her eyes, for the last time.
Maerianni's mum used her own body to hide Maerianni from the current. She
was sacrificing herself for her own daughter, and before she knew it, Maerianni's
mum was also swept away. Families, torn apart, because of one curse. One curse
by a pirate was all that was needed to turn a world upside down, and tear loved
ones apart forever.
Maerianni felt herself being dragged away. She clung to her Pink Poogle Toy,
and closed her eyes.
Weeks Later:
Maerianni woke up. Her whole body was sore... her neck was throbbing! Was
she dead?
No, she wasn't dead... the horrible reality came rushing back to her. Her
sister, being washed away, her mother, trying to rescue her.
She tried to sit up. It hurt. She tried to get up, but it hurt. She just bent
her head slightly, looking where she was going. Behind her was a violent, blue
sea. In front of her was an approaching coast line, most likely Neopia Central.
She closed her eyes... she would just let the current drag her... she saw something
pink and ragged next to her. What was it? She waited for it to drift next to
her. She picked it up. Her eyes filled with tears. It was her pink Poogle toy...
She set it on top of her, closed her eyes, and waited for herself to drift
to mainland.
***
Maerianni woke up. OUCH! What were they doing!? They were sticking needles
in her leg!
"Argh! Get away from me!" she shrieked.
"Ah, you're awake! Heavens we found you on the shore! Unfortunate business
this whole Maraqua thing! Now, you broke your leg, and you twisted your neck,
so kindly hold still, this is for your own good!"
Maerianni was aware of several doctors stripping her wet, ragged clothes off,
and was aware of them putting an oxygen mask over her face. She noticed she
was still holding her pink Poogle toy.
"Come on now, let that go... it's very dirty!" the nurse said kindly.
Maerianni shook her head, and the nurse nodded, understandingly and kindly.
"This will make you sleepy..." someone told her.
Before she knew it, Maerianni was asleep...
Maerianni woke up to see her broken leg suspended from the ceiling. She looked
for her pink Poogle toy... it was GONE!
She ripped off her oxygen mask, and tried to shout, but nothing came out.
She panicked. Where was her pink Poogle toy? It was gone!!? She suddenly felt
very sick... the last thing she had to remind her of her family! Where was it!?!
She HAD to find it... she retched, and found her voice in her now dry, parched
throat.
Maerianni screamed. She woke up... it was JUST a dream, just a dream... Her
pink Poogle toy was next to her, and the nurse next to her looked rather shocked.
The nurse looked down at her quite kindly. "My name is Dr. Westielovergurl...
are you okay?" she asked.
Maerianni nodded silently. There was a strange kind of bond between the two,
the understanding nurse and the orphaned Zafara. Maerianni, for some reason,
seemed to trust Dr. Westielovergurl. She began to tell her story, at least what
she remembered, about her sister, her mother, how her mother risked her life
for her, and more. She felt she had to trust SOMEONE, and she had no one left...
She was sad, but she was too sad to cry.
"You are one of the only survivors. Only a few have been lucky enough to be
able to escape, and find their way here. You are very lucky, to have gotten
away with only a broken leg!" the nurse said, softly.
Dr. Westielovergurl got up, and left the room, leaving Maerianni to be absorbed
in her own thoughts.
"Westielovergurl, who will take that Zafara in? I mean, her medical bills
are off the roof, and she is not accustomed to normal Neopian life, she is accustomed
to Maraquaian life, and she is bound to have psychological problems in the future,
I mean, watching Maraqua get destroyed is a hard experience!" another nurse
whispered to westielovergurl in a hushed voice.
Westielovergurl sighed. She herself was not wealthy. She already had three
Neopets! And often times, Julyanny, her niece, would come visit! How could she
afford to adopt another NeoPet? But really...
She suddenly found herself smiling. "Not to worry, I'll take her in!" she
said.
The other nurse stared at her, appalled. "Westie, you already have three pets,
and no offence, but are you sure you have the time!?".
"Yes. Don't worry. I know what I'm doing..."
Maerianni went to Westie's small NeoHome, where three other NeoPets already
lived: Ellyanni, a Faerie Aisha, CrystalAnnie, who was the lab ray pet, who
was currently a Green Meerca (but was originally a Desert Aisha), and SuperChampJr,
the eldest of the three, a blue Chia. Maerianni didn't talk much. Westie told
her other three to leave Maerianni alone, and to let her be, and that it would
take time for her to get over it, even YEARS maybe!
When Maerianni wanted to talk to Westie, Westie would listen, even when Maerianni
talked all through the night about what happened that horrible day when she
had been orphaned, but other times, when Maerianni didn't really want to say
anything, Westie let her be.
Current Day: Months Later
"Yo, Maerianni! Catch!" Ellyanni cried. She threw her smelly sock at
Maerianni. "EWWWWW!" Maerianni cried, but happily. She went into the laundry
basket, picked out a Jubjub T-shirt with tea stains all over it, and hurled
it at Ellyanni. Ellyanni ducked, and threw a wet handkerchief at Maerianni's
face.
"NASTY!" Maerianni shrieked, laughingly.
"Okay, you two, what's going on?" asked westielovergurl, laughingly. She
stared at the laundry room floor, and laughed. "Okay, you two, I don't know
if this is what you call doing the laundry, but I expect you two to be finished
by 3:30! Ellyanni, you have to go to Aeriantine's birthday party, and Maerianni,
you and Daerynt were planning to go to Faerieland together, right?"
Westie laughed, and left the room. She smiled to herself. She was proud of
herself. By being patient, and kind, and by listening but not asking questions,
and letting Maerianni take her time to recover, Maerianni had almost totally
gotten over it. Although, yes, Maerianni seriously missed her mum and sister,
she no longer was silent all day, but was able to also have fun. Westie didn't
want Maerianni to totally forget her mum or sister, not at all! That would be
wrong... but she was glad at Maerianni wasn't quite as sad, and was able to
laugh again.
As Westie made a late lunch, she heard the TV turn on. Ellyanni and Maerianni
had probably finished the laundry...
She was microwaving the left over 2/3 BBQ Sauce Omelette, when SuperChampJr
appeared at the door. "What's wrong?" Westie asked, when she saw SuperChampJr's
ashen face.
"You have to see this... I don't know, but... I can't explain..." she said.
Westie, who was rather anxious, followed SuperChampJr into the TV room, where
she found Maerianni watching the news, and Ellyanni and CrystalAnnie staring
anxiously at her. What was wrong? Westie looked at the TV screen.
"Good heavens!" Westie muttered under her breath.
According to the news, the whirlpool, after several months, had finally wound
down, and the sea was calm again, at Maraqua. Neopians were flocking there,
to see the damage done, and when Westie saw it, she felt her blood run cold.
The damage was incredible, the once proud city was now ruined. The glass on
windows had practically evaporated, and the AquaPets shop had actually been
torn off the ground and flipped over. The cameraman zoomed in on the AquaPets
shop, and they saw glass aquariums and tanks which once held Aqua Pet Pets smashed
all around. The cameraman showed the viewers the trees that had been ripped
off the Maraqua sea bottom, and showed all the things hanging off the tree branches.
And coincidentally, hanging to one tree branch was a bracelet. The cameraman
showed distinct interest in it, and zoomed in. It read, clearly: "SuperComet
Chia".
Westie looked at Maerianni's face. It was white, pale, but expressionless.
She already knew what Maerianni longed to do, so she immediately turned off
the TV, left the lunch to go cold on the kitchen table, and got everyone in
her car. Maerianni ran back in, grabbed her ragged pink Poogle toy, and came
back in the car, and they then drove to the coast, and they then, along with
many other people, got in a submarine, to go to Maraqua.
Maerianni looked at her pink Poogle toy, then saw a familiar face of someone
else sitting in the submarine...
"Oh my heck!" she cried. The Koi turned around! It was the shop keeper!
The shop keeper, who had been so kind to Maerianni, whom Maerianni assumed to
be a goner... he was alive! Bless the Faerie Queen, he was alive!
The Koi shopkeeper's eyes filled with tears, and he embraced Maerianni. Westie
sniffed, and wiped her eyes with her coat sleeve as she watched this happy reunion.
The Koi shopkeeper had also been wanting to go back to Maraqua to see if anything
could be found. Maerianni looked happier than she was than she had in months.
So many Neopians, from her past, whom she assumed to be dead, were alive, in
that very submarine going to Maraqua, and although she didn't know many of them,
she still felt strangely close to them, since they all had suffered the same
as her.
The submarine touched the bottom of the sea of Maraqua. They all got out.
The damage was worse than they had portrayed it on TV.
Maerianni led the way, and Westie, Ellyanni, SuperChampJr, CrystalAnnie all
followed her silently. She had known Maraqua very well, and although because
of the damage, she couldn't truly recognise Maraqua to truly be Maraqua, she
still could find her way easily. Quite soon, she had found the bracelet that
had once belonged to her beloved sister. She went to the shelter, the place
that she had last been with her mum and sister, before the whirlpool had ripped
them all apart. She asked Westie for a pen and paper, wrote something down,
and took the plushie out of her pocket. The paper said, "Forever In Loving Memory:
RIP" and she put down the bracelet and the plushie at the centre of the ruins
of the shelter.
The Koi shopkeeper, who had injured his leg, limped to Maerianni's side. He
put his fin on her shoulder, and he himself put down a bunch of pretty sea weeds
he had picked next to her plushie and note. Soon, many other people followed
suit. Maerianni sat down, and waited there, for the entire day, just watching
her plushie.
Westie waited for her, watching her sit there, silently, next to the Koi shop
keeper. A Flotsam sat next to her. He had been another shop keeper who was from
Maraqua. He was lucky to have survived!
One by one, the ex-Maraquaians stood up, and left, until Maerianni was the
only one sitting there. It was beginning to get get dark.
Westie went up to Maerianni, and gently told her it was time to go home.
Maerianni was about to leave, when she looked back at her little display she
had put up in memory of her deceased family. She began to cry, something she
had never been able to do since before the Maraqua whirlpool, and right away,
she felt much better, as if she were letting a huge burden off her chest. Still
sobbing, she followed Westie, Ellyanni, SuperChampJr, and CrystalAnnie back
to the waiting submarine, to go back to Neopia. The past Maraquaians, grieving
their loses, and the loss of their past wonderful proud world gave a final salute
to Maraqua.
The End | 
