Open Hearts, Closed Eyes

      "First item of discussion," the club's leader, Kingsly, a young cloud Gnorbu said, "meepit abuse."

      A fury of "boos" rang through the club's tree house.

      "Those people don't belong in Neopia!" Janet, a bright, young Wocky yelled.

      "Next item of discussion," Kingsly said, "Meepit vs. Feepit."

      The club members yelled shouts and cheers. "Go meepit!" "That feepit has no right to pick on the meepit!" "Boo!"

      An elderly Pteri yelled in her sweet, gentle voice, "Ugly heathen feepits!"

      A young Lupe yelled in his gruff, loud voice, "Feepits are kind of cute!"

      "THE BRIG!" a Skeith shouted.

      An Acara and a Kacheek grabbed the green Lupe (whose name was Swipey) and threw him into a pit outside the tree house.

      Swipey looked around the dusty hole deep in the ground. The top was very high up; he could never climb it.

      "Why are you here?" a figure in the shadows asked.

      "I... don't know," Swipey said quietly.

      The figure came into the light. It was a rainbow Gnorbu. "I'm here because I said meepits were too small."

      "I'm here because," a dirty-looking red Meerca said, "I said that meepits were cruel. There aren't even bathtubs down here."

      "Ol' Danny's been down here three years," a Kougra said. "I was thrown in here yesterday."

      "I'm Rain," the rainbow Gnorbu said.

      "I'm Danny," the Meerca said.

      The royal Kougra stood on his back legs and tilted his head back proudly. "I'm Sir Treebok Yingle."

      "Why do those guys like meepits so much?" Swipey asked. "When I joined the club I thought we would quietly discuss tips on caring for pet meepits."

      Rain laughed aloud. "Yeah right!"

      "We should get them back!" Danny yelled.

      "Revenge!" Sir Treebok Yingle shouted.

      "How?" Rain asked.

      It suddenly was quiet.

      "Can any of you fly?" Swipey asked.

      All the arms and paws pointed to a cluster of darkness and shadows.

      "Freddy can," Rain said.

      A Tyrannian Pteri came into the open. "I can't. I'm too scared."

      "Then let's climb out!" Danny yelled.

      "Yeah!" Rain yelled.

      "Yay!" Swipey shouted.

      "Can I use the bathroom first?" Sir Treebok Yingle asked shyly.

      "B- bathroom?" Swipey asked.

      Freddy nodded to a corner of the hole.

      Swipey nodded knowingly and then almost vomited.

***

      "Higher!" Rain yelled.

      Swipey and Danny were throwing Rain up into the air. The last try he had almost reached the edge of the pit.

      "Higher!"

      "Any higher and you'd be in Faerieland," Danny remarked, laughing.

      "Anyone else think Fyora's pretty?" Sir Treebok asked.

      Freddy laughed half-heartedly. He was hiding in the shadows, feeling bad because he couldn't fly.

      Two years earlier, Freddy's home had caught fire. He tried to fly into the house to save his roommate. But a strong wind had captured Freddy's wings. He didn't reach the house in time. Freddy hadn't flown since. He was the most discouraged Pteri in Neopia!

      "Come help!" Rain yelled to Freddy.

      "No."

      Swipey noticed Freddy. He excused himself and went to sit by Freddy.

      "Go away," Freddy hissed.

      "You want to help, don't you?"

      "Yes!" Freddy said. "Yes! I can't, though!"

      "Why not?"

      Freddy needed to vent, so he told Swipey the story.

      "And that's why I don't fly," Freddy finished.

      "Would your friend want you to be like this?" Swipey asked.

      "No." Freddy knew where the conversation was going. "I'm just scared."

      "If one of them," Swipey motioned to Danny, Rain and Treebok, "were in danger, would you help?"

      "No flying."

      "Yes," Swipey said firmly.

      "I couldn't help," Freddy sighed.

      "Who says?" Swipey demanded.

      "Me."

      Swipey looked up at the light coming from the hole's opening, an expression of kindness glued to his face. He looked at Freddy with the same expression.

      Freddy started crying. "I couldn't help them!"

      "Yes, you could."

      "No."

      Swipey grabbed Freddy gently and said, "Your mind tells you what to do, your heart doesn't, but it's right."

      "What does that mean?"

      "It means," Swipey started, "that you can hear your mind, 'I can't fly', but you can't hear your heart as well 'I can.'"

      "But my heart is still right."

      Swipey smiled. "Exactly."

      "I can fly." Freddy jumped into the air and started hovering. "I can't." He fell.

      Rain, Danny and Sir Treebok walked up. "Did you just fly?" Rain asked.

      "I can't." Freddy ran away to a secluded corner of the hole.

      "Issues," Sir Treebok said gruffly.

      "More than that," Swipey said. His heart felt ripped in half. His mind felt destroyed. His whole body felt alone.

      "What's wrong with you?" Danny asked, staring at Swipey's pale face.

      Swipey started stuttering. "N-n-n-never m-m-in-n-nd."

      Rain wiped a tear from Swipey's wet-from-tears-and-sweat face. "Did he tell you about the fire?"

      Swipey nodded.

      "Oh," Danny said.

***

      Later, Swipey was talking to Freddy again.

      "You can fly." Swipey nodded.

      "No, I can't."

      "You can."

      "Maybe. I guess. I'll try." Freddy hovered again. "You fly too."

      "I can't," Swipey laughed.

      "What if your heart says you can?" Freddy wondered.

      "Even then..."

      "Try," Freddy ordered.

      Swipey smiled stupidly and then jumped up. "Nothing."

      "Close your eyes. Open your heart. Fly."

      Swipey obeyed. "Nothing, again."

      "Open as wide as possible. Open heart," Freddy said, smiling. "You helped me, so I help you."

      Swipey closed his eyes and imagined himself flying. He tried to "open" his heart. He felt himself lift up off the ground. "What the..."

      "Oh, my feepit!" Rain yelled. "A flyin' Lupe?"

      Danny screamed, "Sacred Cybunnies!"

      "Don't swear," Sir Treebok hissed. "But it still is amazing."

      Swipey and Freddy flew up into the afternoon sunshine. They played and giggled together.

      "Hello, help us," Sir Treebok yelled from the hole.

      The two flyers flew down and Swipey grabbed Rain and flew him up. Freddy grabbed Danny. "I'll be back for you," Freddy yelled to Sir Treebok.

      After everyone was up on land, Rain yelled, "Let's get the Meepit Lovers!"

      "Revenge?" Freddy asked.

      "Yep," Danny said, smiling.

      "But-" Swipey started.

      "They did to us." Sir Treebok's face was red with fury.

      "What does your heart say?" Freddy asked.

      "My brain is saying 'get the Kiko-chimps'."

      "Swear word," Treebok scolded.

      "Heart." Swipey smiled.

      "My heart says no, but my mind-"

      "Listen," Swipey ordered.

      Everyone closed their eyes and opened their hearts.

      "Maybe not," Danny said.

      "We'd just be descending to their level," Rain said

      "Exactly," Freddy said, smiling secretly at Swipey.

      The five friends strolled down the road to Swipey's house to have a wonderful afternoon snack of fried beans and melted butter.

      When they got there they all sat at the table. "You have weird food tastes," Rain laughed.

      "What does your heart say?" Danny joked.

      "Well, I don't know. But my stomach says "stomach ache alert'."

The End