My Dear Amelia

      It has been quite some time since I saw you last. Why, I remember you as just a small Abominable Snowball, your head and body barely formed. Of course, my Faerie Peo body was but a tiny little curl, similar to that atop a baby Usul’s head. We have known each other for so long. Yes, so long indeed. And to always have someone with you, by your side, then suddenly have them gone? It is an agony that no civil person should suffer.

     Oh, Amelia, how I miss you. I am not sure what has come to you – I can only imagine the worst. Why, I can recall the final day we were together as perfectly as the moment when it happened. The two of us were in Terror Mountain, outside of Tarla’s shop and a few meters away from your neohome. The two of us, supervised by our pets, of course, were playing childish games. You were Hannah, the explorer of the snowdrifts, and I the evil Bringer. We followed the plotline of Hannah and the Ice Caves exactly; every battle and every discovery the same as those in your storybook. I remember at the beginning, putting a curse on you – we used a snowball as our pets would not allow us to play with magic – which left you looking like you had grown a second head. On top of your snowball-body was not one but two mounds of snow: one your head and one the snowball. I had to try my hardest not to laugh as I was supposed to be evil, but it was in vain. I could not help myself but to laugh. And so we did, chuckling until we could not remember what it was we found so funny. Then, upon remembrance, we began in a whole new fit of laughter. Why, Amelia, that was what I found so enjoyable and precious about our friendship. We always knew how to have a good time and there was never a dull moment.

     But then, the next day you were gone. And for the next week I neither heard nor saw of you. Time went by and I lost track of when I had last seen my friend, Amelia. One day I went to my pet, Angel. In an attempt to ask her where you had gone, I formed the same words I would have used with you. But she did not understand. I tried again, enunciating and speaking in an articulate, forceful tone. But Angel nodded at me, and stroked my back. I was upset and confused now, and began to fire bubbles out my mouth. She merely laughed. I did everything I could – wriggling my tail, shouting, “Bloop! Bloop!” and even biting Angel on her nose! She did not understand a single signal I gave.

     I took a sheet of paper and “borrowed” Angel’s Air Faerie Pen. I began to list out everything I had heard you speaking of: things that you liked, that your owner liked, and rituals between the two of you. But there were too many. We had been friends for so long that my list was no more than a giant, mess of scribbles.

     That night, the twelfth of the Month of Gathering, I snuck out of the window of our neohome. Landing on the soft, dewy grass, I began to roam around, attempting to look for you. Alas, I could not even make it out of my own backyard before Angel found me and brought me back.

     The days went by and I could not remember what it was that made life with you so exciting. I am ashamed, let me tell you, that for a moment I could not even remember your face.

     The Day of Giving came and your owner came by for a visit with Angel. They sat in velvet chairs – one blue and one purple to be exact. Sipping a cup of Hot Borovan, they began to talk as I listened from the carpet. At first they were talking about topics that did not interest me in the least bit. About how the Neopian economy was sinking and how inflation was getting out of control; about their conflicting views of Tarla. (Angel believed Tarla was doing her best to help and she was helpful, though your pet believed that she just made things worse) They conversed about stocks, a long trip taken by your pet to Meridell, and then... petpets?

     Upon the first mention of our kind, I began to listen closer. Upon recognition of a familiar name, I gasped. I had realized that they were talking about you. My dear Amelia, they spoke of things I could not begin to understand. There was something mentioned about an avatar... eating... dumping cold water... a monster?

     I imagined reasons, answers to all of my questions. Perhaps you were gone because there was a new Skeith in the family. After all, Skeiths are quite monstrous (he might have threatened to eat you) and the ‘Feed Me’ avatar is obtained through eating. Or, possibly you were off playing Feed Florg for the avatar, I was not sure which of my many solutions were correct, – or none at all - though I could not help myself but to image a gruesome ending to your lovely life.

     After that, they moved on. Since then, I have not heard a word about you. I know, however, that you are out there, somewhere. I know that you are thinking of me the same way I am thinking of you. But that is for a reason. Everything is for a reason. The reason for us, our friendship, is that we have something special. Somehow, there is something that keeps me connected to you and you to me. Somehow, there is something that keeps us together even during times of sorrow and dismay. Somehow, there is something that keeps me loving you no matter what happens in either of our lives.

     You see, Amelia, others could not appreciate you the way that I do. They see you as merely a cheap petpet, given to pets as a replacement, while more expensive petpets are bought. They see you as a one-thousand neopoint piece of detritus. But they do not know of your inside – it is as pure as my own. No petpet should be judged by how they look on the outside. Sure, I may sell for three hundred thousand or so neopoints more than you, but does that affect our friendship? As I hope you can tell by this letter, no it does not. Never should a bias affect which petpet is given to which pet. Just as no bias should affect who wins the Random Contest, who gets a high score in a flash game, or who is published in the Neopian Times, no bias should affect two petpets with an everlasting friendship.

     My dear Amelia, I swear by Fyora’s own name that I will find you. I will uncover the mysteries of your past to come sweep you up in my faerie wings. The two of us will be happy until the sun ceases to shine. For we will be together. Forever.

     Love,

     Gracie