The Last Bowl of Soup: Part Two

by Littlestarfaerie

As we landed plaster scattered in all directions. "Carrie? Carrie? Are you okay? Carrie!" There was no answer. It was now I wished we could afford a phone. I went to the well and got some water from it. Carrie was soon awake. "Aaaaaooaawopppo,"she spluttered. "Where am I?" I told her. "Oh yes..." she said with a sinking feeling. Soon she was up and telling orders like a general about to go into battle.

"Frellielle, you go get the longest rope there is from the shed."

I did so and she began to tie large knots into it. Then, she carefully fastened it to a strong spike of plaster.

"Frellielle," she said." Let's go out." So we left the old cottage and proceeded down the old railway line. We were soon in town again and she went towards the bank and produced twenty five Neopoints. Then, firmly grasping my hand, she went to the Neomail.

"Hello Miss Carrie," the man sat the counter said, blushing. The young man who works at the Neomail office has always had a thing for her. But Carrie had no time for flirting today. She handed the man a large brown envelope and briskly licked a stamp and said, "Miss Lixea, New Forest Apartments."

Then Carrie paid him for the stamp. She went outside, posted it and we were on our way in no time. Next, we popped by the money tree, but were not favoured. Sadly, we went to the wizard to see if prices were cheap, but again, luck was not on our side.

"Um.. Carrie I'm kind of ... hungry."

At this, Carrie looked at me with loving, worried eyes and said, "Frellielle, you look starving! Why didn't you say so?" At this I became so overwhelmed I couldn't keep talking. "Because.. Because..."

"You were scared what I might say?"

"Mmmm," came my croak of reply.

Carrie stopped walking and sat down at a bench by the book store. "Frellielle. We are poor, no doubt about it, but it should never, and I mean never come to this. I love you and would never want anything to happen to you. You are my special little guy and nothing, not Neopoints, nor soup will ever change that."

And she hugged me tight. I knew that she loved me and my yellowish fur glowed. We walked home in silence and when we got home I had an idea.

"Carrie!" I cried excitedly.

"Huh?"

"How much money do we have?"

Carrie frowned, deep in thought. "About, twenty five Neopoints," she said glumly.

"Then let's go to the games room and have a shot!" I said, for it was now or never.

Carrie agreed, and so the next day, we took the bus to the games room and had to hope that we would be lucky. We were holding the crisp Neonote depicting a shield with the Faerie Queen on it. It was raining Aishas and Poogles. "Great. Just peachy," Carrie muttered, "Rain Rain RAIN!" I didn't mind though. I felt free as I splashed in the puddles in my patched grey raincoat. The games room was in the emporium, a big marble building in which there were game of every kind. Carrie and I entered and I felt as though every eye in the place was on two, solitary figures--us.

Carrie's blonde hair was neatly plaited a fixed in a coil, and her grey rainmac jacket, like mine. I was frantically trying to flatten my fur, which didn't seem to go down today and we felt pretty freakish among the grand ladies and their pedigree Aishas and Cybunnies. "What we want are the games that require skill, not luck," she said, pointing to a sign that said: TO THE SKILLS

We escaped the eyes and went up a staircase with ancient Neopians on murals around the sides. "Look at that one!" I yelled. There, was a young boy identifying cartoon characters. I've seen cartoons before. When Carrie and I were wealthy she rented them from the video store. Carrie thought it was a great game as it required no money, but you could win lots of it, the sign said. This was it. Our last resort for money. Carrie clicked to begin, and the game started.

To be continued...