The Attack of the Puffy, Angelic Babaas

Shuffling downstairs, Illusen fetched a glass of water and sat at her dinning room table. Her sparkling green hair lay somewhat matted on the top of her head and she still had sleep in her eyes, but she still looked as radiant as ever. She beamed to herself as she sipped her water and then stood to do a few tasks before the day could truly start. Illusen brushed her hair carefully so that it shone as it fell down her back. Using her Star Shaped Soap, she washed her face and hands in the bathroom sink. After applying a brush of Green Eyeshadow on the lids of her eyes and pulling on her green dress, she smiled once more. Now she was ready to have fun!

     Rushing downstairs, Illusen swung open the door to see if anything special had arrived during the night. Seeing a box in front of her door, she made a pleased exclamation, her emerald eyes bright. Today was her special day, of course - Illusen Day! She was looking forward to the occasional present from her faithful fans. This must be another one of the gifts that would continuously come pouring in throughout the day. It was a humble enough gift, merely a cardboard box with holes, wrapped with ratty newspaper. There was a card on top. Tossing it aside, she ripped the lid off the box... and gasped.

     Babaas!

     They were cuddled together in a nest of shredded newspaper, their plump, fluffy bodies curling into each other. They were identical from their delicate hooves to their chubby noses, looking like benign, puffy angels.

     Cooing with delight, she reached over to tickle one of the Babaas...

     “ACK!” Illusen screeched, falling backward with an alarmed look in her eyes. She cradled her injured finger, staring at the bite marks. They looked like they had been given to her by a Grarrl, not a fluffy cloud!

     Wary, she reached over for the card and read:

     Dear Illusen,

     It is with hope in my heart that you can take care of my darling angels, whom I cannot properly take care of again. I beg of you to find the compassion and pity within yourself to look upon two poor, starving Babaa brothers, and to take them in with you.

     There was no name, but a postscript:

     P.S: Their names are Montgomery and Moriarty. Montgomery is the one with the black hooves, and Moriarty is the one who’ll try to bite you when you reach down to fluff his fur.

     Illusen glared at the note, then her bitten finger. “That’s the last time I’m opening a present without reading the card first,” she muttered, then turned to look at the Babaas again. “Well, you guys must be thirsty. Let’s get you some water.” She tipped the box over gently and both Montgomery and Moriarty tumbled onto the floor. Without stopping to take in their new surroundings, the Babaas began to scurry around the glade, bumping into everything in sight.

     “No, no,” Illusen shrieked. “Stop that! If you are going to run around like that, you must go outside!” She opened the front door and proceeded to run around in a comical manner, trying to herd Montgomery and Moriarty out the door.

     “You little devils go and run outside!” she cried with frustration.

     Finally, after many minutes, Illusen sat, red faced and desperately trying to catch her breath, on the front step of her house, watching the two Babaas dart around outside.

     “Well, that’s better,” she said complacently. She examined the yard before her. A little picket fence separated her cherished plants from the outside world. One of Illusen’s favourite things to do was tend to her garden while taking in the beauty of Meridell.

     “I’ll be right back,” she called to the two hyper Babaas who seemed to be newly engaged in a game of tag.

     Illusen went inside and threw on her gardening dress and donned a pair of gardening gloves. She knew they weren’t entirely stylish, but they kept her fingernails in relatively good condition despite digging around in the dirt. Coming back outside, Illusen settled down in the green of her garden and started pulling the weeds out. It truly was a beautiful day in Meridell. The sun was shining high in the sky and was surrounded by piercing blue. White puffy clouds rolled by serenely overhead.

     As she worked, she heard a tiny sound coming from the other side of her garden. It was a mix between a twitter and a nibble and at first she ignored it, not wanting to break her contented concentration. After a few minutes, the noise doubled in volume and Illusen cocked her head to the side to see what was going on. What she saw made her eyes go wide and her mouth curl with fury.

     “What are you doing?” she shrieked as she rushed over. Both Montgomery and Moriarty had seemingly discovered her plants and were enjoying munching on the green leaves.

     “I worked so hard maintaining those plants! How dare you do such a thing?” Illusen cried as she surveyed the damage before her. The two precious Babaas had managed to eat through two plants, and were now happily chewing on a third.

     “Shoo, shoo!” Illusen shouted but the Babaas merely looked up at her, their twin beady black eyes gleaming. “Shoo, I say,” Illusen continued in exasperation. “These are not for you.” Illusen bent down and tried to pick up the two Babaas but recoiled quickly as bite marks appeared on a second finger.

     “I’VE HAD IT!” Illusen yelled. “I’VE HAD IT WITH YOUR BEHAVIOUR. YOU LITTLE BABAAS NEED TO STOP RIGHT NOW!”

     As Illusen paused to draw in a breath, she heard a chuckle behind her.

     “Oh, Illusen,” a silky voice began, “how can you be angry at these two precious little Babaa brothers?” Jhudora stood next to the picket fence, her beautiful purple hair moving in the slight breeze.

     “J-jhudora,” Illusen stammered. “You sent these little terrors to visit me?”

     Jhudora’s body shook with laughter as she struggled to reply. “I did indeed, Illusen, and my point has been proven. Even you, you the ‘perfect’ faerie, get angry.” Jhudora broke into a seamless stream of laughter once more.

     “Oh, Jhudora,” Illusen said with a chuckle, all anger dissipating. “Is that what you were trying to accomplish? Well, that’s so silly! It’s definitely not one of your better ideas.”

     Jhudora’s smirk faded from her face as she looked at Illusen. “What do you mean?” she sneered.

     “It’s fine to get angry, Jhudora!” Illusen explained. “Everyone gets angry. The important thing is to get angry at the action, not at the neopet,” she bent down and scooped up Montgomery and Moriarty carefully, “or even the silly petpets who have no self control.”

     Illusen handed the two Babaas to Jhudora and then turned to walk back into her glade. “Watch out for their teeth,” she said as she walked away. “They tend to bite.”

     Illusen smiled as she entered her home. Teaching Jhudora a lesson had made her day perfect and she still had hours of it left.

     “What should I do now?” she wondered and then smiled.

     Sitting down in a comfortable chair near the window, she gazed at the green grass that dotted the ground outside. “Yes,” she realized. “It sure is important to only get angry at the action. But it might be even more important to not let the anger ruin your day.” Illusen pulled out a book and began to read, the smile never leaving her lips.

The End