I pulled the dusty photo album from the shelf and opened
it to the first few pages, pictures of me as a kitten. I hadn't looked at these
recently, but I always enjoyed doing it.
I wasn't a normal Aisha. Sure, I had the four
ears, two stalks and two catlike ears; I had the tail; I had the fur-but wait.
The fur-it was different. My fur was dark pink except for my paws, which were
a lighter pink. Why was this, Omni had always wondered?
Not long after, I was painted faerie and lost
all trace of my previous fur oddity except for two pink rings around my back
paws.
I was a pink Aisha, the last one to ever be born.
There will never be another one again.
And, sadly, I never knew my family.
***
"Omni?" I called her from her room and she came into my bedroom, where I sat
on the bed, holding the photo I'd taken from the album. "I need to find the
pink Aishas. I need to. There's a part of me missing, and I'm not complete without
it. They'll have it, I know it. The answer."
"But..." she began, but she couldn't find the
words to tell me no. "But...how?" She finally asked.
"I'll ask someone-someone must know where they
live. I know I was the last to ever be born-I think, at least-but they can't
all of died out. I mean, pink Aisha's are the rarest species in Neopia."
"All right," she said finally, in a defeated
voice. "You may go."
"Thanks," I said as I squeezed her in a tight
hug, and started gathering a few things in a bag.
Three hours later I was standing outside in front
of my NeoHome, taking one last look at it before I went. "The pink Aishas are
waiting for me!" I told Tikano, who was standing in the doorway, sadly watching
me go. "I'll be back, Tika!" I called over my shoulder, as I sprinted down the
driveway and into the streets of Neopia.
I didn't know where I was going; all I knew was
that I must find the pink Aishas. The fact that sometime soon I might meet my
family was pumping my adrenaline, helping me run down the gravely road of Neopia
Central.
WHAM! I fell, face first, onto the road,
sitting up, I squinted out the gravel in my eyes, and brushed my hand across
he bleeding scars and winced. I couldn't make it back to the house; already
I was in too much pain.
I inched out of the centre of the road and leaned
up against the fence post that lined the side of the road. I shut my eyes in
pain, and just sat there, deciding what to do.
I jumped, startled, as I heard a scuffling in
front of me, and I opened my eyes. Standing in front of me was a majestic winged
Aisha with a feathery tail, dark gray and white fur, and a golden halo around
his left ear: Li-Sha.
"Hello, Polayo," he said, his deep voice penetrating
the peaceful silence. "I see that you've hurt yourself. As is my duty, I've
come to heal you. But...how did you hurt yourself? Why?"
I took a deep breath; amazed at the sight I was
seeing. Li-Sha was even more rarely seen than a clan of pink Aisha, which I
was going to find. Gulping down my nervousness, I began to talk.
"Yes, I have hurt myself," I said. "I was running
down the street and I tripped. But if you need to know why I was running..."
I trailed off, took another breath, and began again. "If you need to know why
I was running, I'll tell you. I'm on my way to find a clan of Aishas. But not
just any Aishas-the clan of the rare pink Aishas. I once was one myself, but
when I was painted faerie, I lost it," I pointed to the rings on my back paws.
"But I need to find out who my family is. I need to know, it's something I won't
be able to live not knowing. Except, I do have one problem," I felt my wounds
healing as I talked.
"And what is that?" asked Li-Sha as coolness
settled over my scrapes and bruises.
"I-I don't know where they live, or how to find
them."
"Ah-easily solved. When I'm done healing you,
you'll find yourself there. To come back, just say, 'I can stay no longer.'
Unfortunately, I can't simply tell you the location: there aren't many of them
left, you see, and revealing the locations-even to someone as trustworthy as
you-is a danger for their long-protected safety."
I felt the last ounce of pain drain from my body,
and I had just smiled at Li-Sha and thanked him when I felt myself being flatted,
squeezed, and going faster than anything in one, long millisecond before it
stopped and I landed at the bottom of a tall, grassy hill.
I shook my head to free myself from the daze
that method of travel had put me in, and then, suddenly, it hit me. I was where
the pink Aishas were!
I kept in my squeal of excitement as I scrambled
up the hill, and when I reached the top I found something I thought I would
never find.
A field of pink Aishas were laid out in front
of me, some of them visiting with the other pink Aishas, some of the playing
with their peers.
All I could do was stare. I was here! I was here!
I had made it!
It wasn't long before I saw a strong, leader-type
looking Aisha approached me. He nodded his had at me, and I did the same to
him.
"Who are you and why do you come?" He asked in
a deep voice,
"My name is Polayo," I said, as firmly and bravely
as I could. "I've because...well, it's a long story, but I've come because I
was once a pink Aisha. You can't tell it anymore, since I was painted faerie,
but I still have the blood. I came-I came to find my family."
The Aisha's face broke into a wide smile. "Polayo,
my child," he took my paw and shook it heartily. "Welcome back, dear, welcome
back."
I was puzzled. "Wait...what do you mean?" I asked
as I followed him through the crowds.
"I'll explain in a moment. I'm sure the rest
of us will be very happy to see you."
"Aishas!" He called out. "I'm sure you all remember
this young Aisha, and she's pleasured us with a visit. Cassandra's daughter,
Polayo, is here."
The Aishas erupted into applause, and I looked
around, completely bewildered.
"Apparently, she has no idea who Cassandra is.
Unfortunately, she is not here to explain.
"I will take Polayo to the hut, and explain it
to her as best I can. For now, continued what you were doing, and later we'll
have Polayo herself explain why she came."
I continued stepping along behind him, until
we reached a small wooden hut. The windows were cracked and dirt, and the white
walls of the hut were covered with marks of weather and time.
He opened the creaky drawer and we stepped into
the most crowded space I'd ever been in. Books and photo albums lined all of
the walls; bags and chairs were clustered in the middle. He picked his way carefully
over the mess and to one of the walls. He seemed to be searching for something.
"You stay right there, Polayo," he kept saying.
"I'll be over in a moment."
Finally, he found what he was looking for. "Aha!"
He exclaimed, and made his way over to me. He carried an old, molding photo
album, covered with pink fabric. Sewn into the front was the name Cassandra.
He flipped to a page where there was one, large yellowing photograph. It was
of an adult pink Aisha with the same design as me. A mini version of her was
perched on the older one's back, smiling as if she had no troubles in the world.
That's me, I thought. I didn't have any of my markings-my earrings or my star
tattoo-but I knew it was me. I couldn't miss that face anywhere.
"Your mother was Cassandra, one of the Aisha
who used to live here," he began. "She was much loved in this clan, always happy,
joyful, and bubbling with things to say. She was bold, beautiful, and wild.
There was never a dull moment with her.
"In October of 2001, she gave birth to you. The
tribe was looking forward to a Cassandra copy, someone to hold us in stitches
for another few generations. But then, the tragedy occurred-Cassandra got sick,
in mid-October, only two weeks after she'd had you. She was so sick, she could
barely stand up, and she had just enough strength to eat. An eerie silence settled
around all of, we were so scared of losing Cassandra and having to give you
away. Three days after she got sick, she went. When we found her, you were snuggled
next to her, asleep, and we were afraid you had gone with her. When we woke
you, you cried for days, and then we brought to the Create-A-Pet centre. We
couldn't keep you here. Your family isn't here for you to see, but your roots
are deep. You and your mother will always be remembered here."
I could see his eyes tearing up and he wiped
one away.
"Thank you for telling me," I said quietly. "I've
found the piece that was missing."
I stopped for a moment, wondering. "I'd appreciate
it if-wait, what was your name?"
"My name," he said, "is Cloud."
I nodded and began again. "I would appreciate
it, Cloud, if you would tell the rest of the Aishas why I came. Tell them that
I'll miss them dearly, although I don't remember any of them. Any of you may
come and visit me anytime. But, sadly," I took a deep breath, "I can stay no
longer."
I felt the same whipping sensation of the world
falling apart around me, and then, seconds later, I found myself back by the
fence, staring into the sunset.
I ran over the events of the day in my head,
but still I couldn't comprehend it all. My mother...my family...my old life...I
shook it out of my head for the moment, and smiled as I looked down at my hand,
which was still clutching the photo of Cassandra and I.
The photograph now hangs by my mirror, along
with photographs of me, Ev, Reggie, Tazz, Cali, Omni, and other of my closest
friends. Omni and Tika were glad to have me back, and when I told them about
what I'd learned, the comforted me. Silently, I still thank Li-Sha for helping
me find them and I still thank Cloud for helping me figure it out. Nothing's
the same anymore-some pets think they know who they are. I thought I did too.
Now, even though I've learned more, I'm even
less sure...
The End | 
