Still thwarting Sloth's mind control... Circulation: 102,975,150 Issue: 203 | 12th day of Hiding, Y7
Home | Archives Articles | Editorial | Short Stories | Comics | New Series | Continued Series
 

His Home: Lost but Found - Part Two


by shadih_temporary

--------

Shock was the only thing that could fill Narwin at that moment; it ran deep and painfully through every part of the small Kiko. His home was now a tourist joint; it was only a matter of time before the other Kikos in the lake discovered this too. None of them received the same shock he did; they didn't get a hotdog to the head.

      It took the other Kikos a while to notice that Narwin was already up, and it was his mother, Evella, that first noticed him among the confusion of the now crowded shore. The blue Kiko swam hastily over.

      "Narwin, what's going on?" Evella asked her son. She looked very flustered, which was unusual for her.

      "I don't know, Mum," Narwin said softly, viewing the surrounding scene with continuing dislike. Evella continued floating with Narwin, not really sure of what to do about it. Kikos aren't very good with such legal trivialities, so it never occurred to them that they could kick them off of their land. In fact they didn't even consider it their land; they just happened to live there.

      It wasn't until Hailey, a middle-aged faerie Kiko, came out, that things began to be sorted out.

      "We cannot let these deranged tourists take over our land just like that!" Hailey spoke to the Kikos that began to gather around her at the top of the lake. "This lake belongs to us Kikos, and no one else! Whinikkyfarin Lake is OURS!"

      A few Kikos left, but most everyone stayed. Hailey, Narwin and Evella began to comb the sands, telling the tourists that the land and the lake was the Kikos', and that they had better leave. By the end of the day, the three of them were dry, hot and sweaty, and the crowds had mostly disappeared. Everyone took a quick swim before discussing the day's events, as tourists had occupied the water most of the day there wasn't much room for the natives.

      Soon, a crowd of miffed Kikos bobbed up and down in the water. Streaks of gold and red danced across the tranquil waters, small pieces of trash bobbed up and down in the once crystal clear lake. A couple Kikos had taken to attempting to pick it up and throw it away, but where one was thrown on shore, another one popped up.

      Soon, pets gave up and Hailey soon called everyone to the center of the lake.

     Kikos bobbed up and down in the lake; some looked very distraught but others, like Hailey, had a devious gleam in their eyes. After the required reciting of the Kiko pledge, to always protect and help their lake, the session began. It started off as a question, where Narwin told what he had seen. A few Kikos grumbled about how unfair it was that the tourists just invaded. No one had any idea what had prompted the sudden storm of visitors. It was Hailey's words that disturbed Narwin the most. He was only an adolescent Kiko, but even he was smart enough to sense that something odd was going on.

      "We should use the opportunities that Neopia presents us with," Hailey stated. "There is nothing more important for us to show example to young Narwin and all the other young Kikos that we can't use this disaster to our advantage. We must lead by example and the only way to lead is to use this to our benefit. Let me lead you into this new era."

      Half of the group roared into a loud cheer, splashing around happily, completely unaware of the trash that bobbed up and down around them. The other half of the village looked around warily. Narwin was in neither. He looked around at the trash and wondered why they weren't talking about that.

      What does an opportunity have to do with this? He thought.

      This looked like one big mess, and by talking about silly abstract things, the Kikos were only putting off dealing with it. He mused on Hailey's mentioning of him, as if he were a Baby Neopet. Narwin felt something, something he had never felt before. He realized that he felt manipulated.

     ***

      Days, weeks, months went by. Hailey and the other Kikos of Whinikkyfarin Lake never did anything to rid their home of the devious tourists. And because of this, they suffered.

      Hundreds of pets came to the lake each and every day. Trash began to pile up at the bottom of the lake and sort of create a blanket that veiled the top of the lake. In some areas, Kikos had to be evacuated from their homes as quickly as possible. You see, the waters had slowly developed a brownish tint. Soon enough, the water was so murky and black that nothing could strive in that area.

      Many Kikos lost things near and dear to them. Narwin was lucky enough to live in a home far from the murky side of the lake.

      And possibly the worst thing that could ever happen to Whinikkyfarin Lake most certainly did happen. Over time, the natural coral bed that stretched itself throughout the bottom of the lake had been… destroyed. Factors for this happening included a severe increase in the amount of trash in the lake, and tourists that would swim down to the coral bed and mess with it.

      Narwin was heartbroken.

      One day, after a month of tourism in the lake had gone by, Hailey and Evella approached Narwin in the family room of his small sanctuary of a Neohome. Hailey looked extremely angry and Evella looked quite worried. Narwin thought they were upset about the coral bed that had recently been completely washed away.

      But he was wrong.

      "Narwin," Hailey started.

      Narwin lifted his head to show he was listening.

      "Your mother and I discovered something that you will find quite shocking," Hailey told Narwin. "Follow me, and you shall see."

      Hailey and Evella turned and exited the kitchen with Narwin tagging alongside the two Kikos. The three swam out of Narwin's home and headed for a house with a blue exterior not too far away.

      When they reached the Neohome, Hailey pushed open the door and motioned for Evella and Narwin to enter. They did, and Hailey shut the door behind them. They floated into the kitchen of the Neohome. A small wooden table stood in the center of the kitchen. Four wooden chairs surrounded the table, and a rather old issue of the Neopian Times sat in the middle of the table.

      "Sit," Hailey told Narwin.

      He did. Hailey and Narwin sat at opposite ends of the circular table as Evella stood and watched. Hailey reached out and grabbed the newspaper. She pushed it, and it slid across the table until it was directly in front of Narwin. Narwin arched an eyebrow.

      "What is this?" Narwin asked Hailey.

      "A newspaper," Hailey said, "Open up to the page that I have bookmarked for you, please."

      Narwin unfolded the Neopian Times and flipped to the fifth page, where a pink bookmark had been stuck. It was an article titled 'Whinikkyfarin Lake: Lake of the Glistening Waters'.

      "Read it," Hailey ordered Narwin, "Aloud."

      Narwin shrugged as he started reading the article from the top:

      WHINIKKYFARIN LAKE - Good day, all! This is Morwena Tuesday, and I have come to bring you information on a lake I just stumbled into about an hour or so ago on this fine day in the Month of Eating. You see, I was walking around an area I hadn't visited before. It was raining (and I don't like the rain), so I was about to leave. That's when I heard someone cry out. I rounded a corner to find a BEAUTIFUL lake. Even with the skies grey and rain pouring down before me, the lake was probably one of the most beautiful things I had ever seen. A young fire Kiko was the being who had cried out earlier before, but it wasn't a cry of distress. The Kiko was playing in the large, rolling waves of the lake, having nonstop fun! I just had to write about this lake! So, now, I will begin telling you all about the lake. And since I'm feeling nice, I'll tell you how to find it!

      "I underlined the important parts with a pencil," Hailey told Narwin.

      Narwin simply stared at the article.

      Hailey moved towards Narwin and snatched the newspaper out of his hands. She shot a rather nasty look at him.

      "YOU are the cause for these tourists," Hailey said, glaring at Narwin, with Evella simply shaking her head in shame in the background.

      "How do you know that fire Kiko mentioned in the article is me?! How?!" Narwin stood up, allowing his chair to tip over and slam against the linoleum floor of the kitchen.

      "Your colour does not matter, Narwin!" Hailey snapped. "In a time like this, we have no need to pay attention to what you look like on the outside. It is you who plays in the lake at night! The beauty of Whinikkyfarin Lake at night draws your attention! You can't resist it! And above everything else, you are the ONLY Kiko who plays in the lake at night!"

      Narwin couldn't say anything. He could only stare into the cold eyes of the faerie Kiko, who, too, had stepped out of her chair. Evella couldn't bear to listen to her son getting yelled at. The blue Kiko swam out of Hailey's house, homeward bound and weeping softly.

      "Maybe it was me," Narwin finally spoke. "Maybe I did all this. But do you think I would have gone and done this on purpose? Huh, Hailey? Do you? You know good and well that I'm practically in love with this huge lake. I've lived here my whole life. It's not like I'd go up to some Neopian Times reporter and give her the exact coordinates to our lake so we could get billions of tourists a year! Never! How was I supposed to know that by playing in lake at night I would attract so much attention? I didn't know! Honest! And I take this opportunity to apologize. Hailey… I'm sorry. I didn't know this would happen. If I were you, I'd be just as mad if something like this happened. I don't blame you for being so angry. But, please… you must understand! This isn't my fault! It's not!"

      Hailey's eyes darted around the room. She searched for something to say to Narwin, but failed. Instead, Hailey snatched the Neopian Times off of the kitchen table and bolted out of the kitchen.

      Narwin sighed to himself and lifted up the chair he had knocked over. The fire Kiko sat down in the chair and thought long and hard about what had just happened.

      Maybe Hailey was right, he thought. Maybe I did destroy Whinikkyfarin Lake.

     ***

      Word of Narwin causing this plague of tourists to befall the lake quickly spread among the many inhabitants. All over the lake, Kikos began to distrust Narwin. Whenever they would see him, they would turn their heads in shame and swiftly get as far away as possible from him.

      What hurt Narwin the most because of this was that he lost his friends. Even his so-called "best friends" had taken to believing that Narwin caused Whinikkyfarin Lake to be engulfed by tourists.

      And then there was Evella. Narwin's mother began to lose trust in her own son.

      It hurt. Everything did. Narwin gradually began to believe the rumor of him causing this whole mess. He felt so bad all the time. Narwin began to feel that he didn't deserve the trust of his friends or his mother. He had destroyed their home, after all. Narwin even wished he had never existed sometimes. He thought that if he never had existed, Morwena would have never discovered the lake. And everyone would be happy.

      Overtime, more and more of Whinikkyfarin Lake's Kikos switched over to the dark side. They joined the many Kikos who believed that tourism would most certainly benefit the lake. Even Hailey and Evella thought there was no hope for the lake. It had been destroyed, and there was nothing they could do about it. And if they got more tourists, they would get more Neopoints than they had ever dreamed of.

      Money, Narwin thought one day. In the end, it all comes down to money.

      After several months, Narwin was the only Kiko left in the whole of Whinikkyfarin Lake who thought that the tourists would most certainly not benefit the lake. They would destroy it. He could not do anything to stop the Kikos who approved of the tourists on his own. But he would never join them. Ever.

      Whinikkyfarin Lake had always been the name of the wondrous lake that Narwin strived in. But, in order to attract more tourists, the other Kikos changed the name.

      Narwin tried his best to protest against the changing of the name. He had grown so fond to the originality of the lake's name. Unfortunately, since the small fire Kiko was fighting on his own, he lost. Badly. The name chosen for his lake still haunts Narwin sometimes.

      Kiko Lake. The blandness of the name sometimes made Narwin wish he was the only pet left in Neopia. Then, no one could stop him from keeping the name of the lake as Whinikkyfarin Lake. And there would be no trash in the water. There would be no uninhabited parts of the lake. There would be no annoying tourists. Whinikkyfarin Lake would be as beautiful as it always had been. And it would be all his.

      But that day would never come. The name of the lake was now Kiko Lake. And there was nothing he could do about it.

      The new name of the lake was very successful. Pets from all over Neopia would come to see the glory of the lake. Most of them hadn't seen Kikos too often, seeing as how they were indeed limited edition pets. Children were mostly attracted to the lake. And that right there caused tons and tons of more damage to the lake.

     ***

      Exactly one year had passed since the public first discovered Whinikkyfarin Lake. The plan the Kikos who approved of the tourists derived had backfired on them. Nothing could live in the lake anymore. It was far too polluted.

      This struck Narwin as unbelievable. He wanted to wake up from this nightmare so badly. He wanted his home back.

      And that Kiko got it back.

      Each and every day for the next four months, Narwin would return from his bland home in Neopia Central he had to live in for the time being to visit Kiko Lake. He spent hours in his small sailboat, ripping trash out of the lake and cleaning the water as good as he could. In the end, it all paid off. The lake became clean enough to the point where you could see down to the bottom. You could see the once inhabited Neohomes. You could see what was left of the large coral bed. You could see the sandy floor, the abandoned schools, and the attractive gardens. You could see everything.

      For the first time in his life, Narwin had done something worthwhile without the help of another. He made Kiko Lake beautiful once again. But it wasn't as beautiful as it was before the tourists arrived. It would never be as beautiful.

      Word got out that Kiko Lake was livable, again. The Kikos that once lived there returned to the lake. They begged Narwin, who had achieved legal ownership over the lake, to let them live there. They told him how much they missed their home, and how stupid they were to think tourists were a good thing. They begged, they pleaded, and they cried.

      And what did Narwin tell them?

      "No."

      It was such a simple yet powerful statement. With that one word, hundreds of pets had their hopes and dreams crushed. They were heartbroken, just as Narwin was a year ago as he watched his lake fall to pieces.

      To this day, Kiko Lake is still visited by tourists. Yet no one is allowed to step into the waters of the lake. The most they could do was take a Glass Bottom Boat Tour, hosted none other than by Narwin himself.

      The Kiko had certainly fixed up the lake and now owned it, but he wanted to be able to see the lake, too. So he developed the Glass Bottom Boat Tour, which allows tourists to ride across Kiko Lake and see deep down into the lake through the glass floor of the boat. And as the pets would ride through the lake, Narwin would tell his exciting story of how Kiko Lake came to be. Each and every pet would lean forward in their seats and stare wide-eyed at Narwin with much interest as he told his tale.

      One day, Narwin was getting ready to give his last Glass Bottom Boat Tour of the day when a purple Lupe in a green hood stepped onto the boat and sat down in an empty seat. Narwin immediately recognized the Lupe. He had seen her picture in the Neopian Times the day Hailey showed him the article that led to the destruction of Whinikkyfarin Lake.

      Narwin approached the Lupe.

      "Excuse me, ma'am?" Narwin spoke to the Lupe.

      The Purple Lupe looked up at Narwin and smiled. "Yes sir?"

      "You wouldn't happen to be Morwena Tuesday, would you?" Narwin questioned the Lupe.

      "Erm… yes, that would be me," the Lupe replied, a little confused.

      "Do you remember me?"

      "I beg your pardon? I don't believe we've had the pleasure of meeting. This is my first tour of the lake."

      Narwin smiled. He then let out a slight yelp that was exactly like the yelp Morwena heard that led to her discovery of Whinikkyfarin Lake. The Lupe's jaw practically dropped to the floor and stayed there.

      "You! You're the fire Kiko who led me to this lake!" Morwena cried.

      The other pets on the boat raised a few eyebrows at Narwin and Morwena.

      "Yes, I am. Narwin's the name."

      Narwin stuck out his arm, offering a shake of the hand to Morwena. Morwena kindly shook his hand, and then burst into tears.

      "Mr. Narwin, I am so sorry!" she cried. "I had no clue that my article about this lake would lead to such chaos! You must forgive me! Please!"

      "Hey, don't cry," Narwin comforted the Lupe. "I know what it's like to be blamed for something that you did do, but on accident. Please, don't cry. I was never mad at you. It's mostly my fault anyway."

      Morwena sniffled. "You're really not angry with me?"

      "Not at all," Narwin grinned. "If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be able to have this whole entire lake to myself. All my life, I've dreamed of owning this lake. And now I do. I would just be another Kiko living in Whinikkyfarin Lake if you wouldn't have come along."

      Morwena smiled. Narwin smiled right back, and then spun around to face the other pets.

      "All right, let's start the tour!"

      Narwin untied the glass bottom boat from the dock, and off they sailed.

      As the boat waded through the lake towards the red-orange setting sun in the far distance, Narwin began his story of how Kiko Lake came to be.

      The fire Kiko inhaled deeply, and then began. "There is a time for everything: for pain, for joy. Today is the time of reconstruction, but to first learn about today we must know about yesterday and there is only one way to learn about yesterday, and that is through the words of the past. These words begin something like this…"

The End

 
Search the Neopian Times




Other Episodes


» His Home: Lost but Found - Part One



Week 203 Related Links


Other Stories


---------

The Misadventures of Konig
It's a lovely day for a kite...

Story by liger_zero3123

by beaslays


---------

Ancient Neopia: Part Four
"Is this my end? No way!" Hero said to himself. "I can survive…"

by articuno_neo



Submit your stories, articles, and comics using the new submission form.