Reasons You Should Outgrow Your Toys

     "I got it!!!" her mom shouted.

     "The avatar?!" Marie Anne inquired enthusiastically.

     "Yup!" Her mom smiled. Summer just got a whole lot better!

     ~***~

     Boxes filled the cloud-walled neohome. Marie Anne already piled all her toys in her toy box and placed her favorite books on top of it. It felt a lot like moving, like when her family moved from Terror Mountain to Faerieland, but it happened all without any traveling. Her new desk her mom had purchased was now filled to the brim with many brand-new special school supplies, including some old ones. Her new Beauty Bed seemed to burst with pinkness, while a Cloud Pillow Set lay at the foot of her bed as a bed for Suli. Other things in her room also included some Pretty Daisy Pot Plants on her old, beaten up Long Tiger Drawers with some scattered shirts and pants on top. Her mom put the other furniture that was in the Safety Deposit Box around the house and all the leftovers – like some rotten shoes and such – were sold in her mom’s shop.

     Now new toys sparkled in Marie Anne’s big beautiful blue eyes. She hugged Gruff, her old falling apart Blue Cybunny Plushie that she had had ever since she was adopted from the pound. The sun shone a bit through her Faerieland Style Windows, and she smiled at it, and it seemed to smile back. She hurried over to her Ultranova Lamp and turned it on. It gave off a gorgeous purple light. She quickly grabbed her Fuzzy Notebook and a Water Faerie Pencil from her desk and ran over to her toy box. She quickly said hello to Suli and then pulled a Korbat Sticky Hand out. She examined it, then flipped to the first page of her notebook and jotted down a note or two. Marie Anne liked to “catalogue” things, as this was her favorite pastime.

     “Marie Anne?”

     “What, Mom?”

     “When did you get up?” her mom asked with one eyebrow raised.

     “I don’t know, Mom. I still haven’t unpacked everything; my clock might still be in there,” Marie Anne told her.

     “I bet you’re really hungry, right?”

     Her stomach gave out a loud growl. Marie Anne then nodded. “Yes, Mom. I’ve been cataloguing all my toys.”

     “Sure is a habit, that’s for sure.” Her mom scratched her head. “Well, we have a lot of neopoints again, so I brought you your favorite expensive cereal.” She handed Marie Anne a bowl of Neocrunch Cereal.

     “NEOCRUNCH!?”

     “Yes, Marie Anne, Neocrunch.” Her mom smiled sweetly. “With all the neopoints I’m making, we’ll soon get an Ultimate Riches! bank account.” With that, her mom winked and left.

     Marie Anne strolled over to her old snowglobe collection (while gobbling spoonfuls of Neocrunch) with many cool new additions. Her old Luxury Dark and Earth Faerie Snowglobe and her Kacheek Snowglobe were a bit dusty, but nothing a little dusting couldn't fix. She sent her bowl down and picked Suli up and placed him by the Kacheek Snowglobe. There was a new snowglobe that had pointy-looking vines covering it, and a mean looking faerie glared at her menacingly. A red gem shone on the base. Marie Anne thought this was quaint and cute, and she picked it up and shook it. When she set it down, immediately the faerie’s eyes started to glow red, the globe shook, and dark purple clouds circled the room. Marie Anne grabbed Suli instantly and huddled in what seemed to be a corner, as she couldn’t tell because her room was covered in the evil clouds. A dark shadow rose up from the snowglobe.

     “Who shook me?!” the figure asked angrily as it rose up from the globe.

     “I believe I did, Miss Faerie!” Marie Anne whimpered. She could hardly speak, her throat felt as if it was clogged up with a cork off of a bottle of Neocola. She managed to ask, “Who are you?” She hugged Suli extra tight.

     “I’m the Darkest Faerie, obviously, can’t you tell?!” the faerie stated. “You should be punished. Your garden out there shall wilt.” She pointed outside of the Faerieland Style Window. “If you disturb me again, filthy neopet, then the consequences shall be worse!” In an instant, she vanished. Marie Anne burst into tears. Her mother must have heard all this, as she rushed in as soon as possible.

     “Honey? Honey, what’s wrong?” her mom asked soothingly as she ran in and then knelt by Marie Anne’s side.

     “Oh Mom, oh Mom, it was terrible! I shook that new snowglobe and a mean faerie came out and ruined your garden out there!”

     “That was supposed to be sold in the shop. It’s a Darkest Faerie Snowglobe. Must’ve gotten mixed in with your other ones, and don’t worry, Marie Anne,” she whispered, “I was going to have a bonfire tonight and throw all the kelp we have in it. You sure saved me a trip!”

     ~***~

     Everything was unpacked, and Marie Anne moved on to cataloguing her new and old plushies and Suli sat next to her, examining a few. She then pulled out a Robot Moehog Plushie, found a switch on it, and turned it on. It made a mean growling sound, and then it started to charge at Suli.

     “No!!” Marie Anne screamed. “Stop!”

     Out of nowhere, a Doglefox jumped on the plushie and tore it to pieces.

     “Good boy, Rex!” a red Lupe stated in the doorway. “I don’t want to see my little sis complaining about her ‘dearly departed cardboard petpet’ that can easily be taped.”

     “Mike!” she yelled. “Thank you so much!” She hugged her muscular brother.

     “No prob. No problem at all.”

     ~***~

     Marie Anne soon began cataloguing more toys but being more cautious. She examined the Usuki dolls and sets for some time and did NOT shake them or turn on any tiny switch. She made sure, just in case, by holding up dangerous-looking toys by grabbing them and holding them above her head with two long sticks, and making sure they wouldn’t do anything strange or out of the ordinary. She soon came to a Blue Kiko Squeeze toy. “This will be a really great bath toy!” With that, she squeaked it a few times.

     “Ack!” she yelled as a sweet-smelling blue cloud started to swirl around her toes. A red blur zoomed past Marie Anne, and the cloud disappeared. She looked down at her paws. Where did it go? she thought to herself.

     “Uh-oh,” a familiar voice wailed. Marie Anne turned around and saw the blue cloud engulf her brother. She saw his red fur turn into blue blubber, his big yellow eyes became blue, and his strong, muscular arms and legs became wimpy and frail hands. His tail was gone, and a band-aid appeared on his head, with one small, slim black hair on top.

     “Oh, Mike!” she cried. “Why’d you do that? Thank you so much!” Marie Anne gave him a big Ona hug.

     “Well, I wouldn’t want my little sis crying over her ‘ugly body’. And hey, look on the bright side. You’re not a ‘hideous’ Kiko, and I’m a limited edition pet! Woo-hoo! And... um... hey, do you want that Kiko toy? It would just cause this episode again.”

     “You can keep it, Mike – out of sight and out of mind! And also... would you like the rest of my toys?”

     “What, have you ‘outgrown’ them?”

     “No... I think I’ve had way too much happening today – my toys are going to kill me in a week if I still have them! Take them – take them all! I don’t want to be ‘punished’ again, have Suli nearly torn to shreds again, or almost turn into a disgusting Kiko!”

     “Are you SURE?”

     “Yes, I’m quite sure, Mike!” Marie Anne blushed.

     ~***~

     “Mike! What happened to you? Why are you taking all of your sister’s toys? Does she know this? Tell me the truth or you’re grounded, mister!”

     “Mom!” Marie Anne ran out of the room with a small box.

     “Long story short – Marie Anne almost turned into a Kiko, Suli was almost ripped in two, etc, etc, and here I am-” the Kiko turned, “-as a Kiko!”

     “You don’t need to explain anymore, Mike and Marie Anne,” their mother said. “You have explained PLENTY.”

     Michael and Marie Anne looked at each other and giggled. Summer had gone from worse to great to bad and now to pleasant. Never again would a faerie snowglobe punish Marie Anne, a plushie try to tear Suli to pieces, or an innocent-looking squeaky toy change Marie Anne’s elegant form. Thanks, Mike, she thought. Thanks a lot.

The End