The Lizark's Tale

     You make it to the cage and look down. You gasp in awe as you see what is in the hole. There in the hole's bottom are strange native Petpets in all shapes and sizes. Some have fur, others have scales. But what really catches your attention is a mysterious, small, lizard-like creature sitting miserably in a dark corner. It wears a red loincloth and has a gold necklace. And most of all, the Lizark wears a large white skull mask with red markings covering the Petpet's unknown face. It's a Lizark! you think.

     Well, you know what? That's me. That miserable, mysterious little Lizark is me.

     To be honest, I wasn't always like this. And neither was Geraptiku. Everything was perfect as it should be... at least until it came. I'll tell you the it is what caused my village to crumble. I'll you about it right... about... NOW.

      Five years ago...

     Geraptiku was better years ago than it is today. The sun used to shine all day long when night rested on the rest of Mystery Island, some locals say. It was a nice, clean, peaceful little village that sat upon the heart of the jungle. You would see many villagers such as Techos or Kougras smiling and chatting to the tourists. My master, who was the main chief of the village, was the most sacred one of them all. He was a proud Techo chief who always stood proud and tall.

     I, on the other hand, was his royal Petpet. Master said that I was his one and only pride and joy, and I thought the same. And since I was the royal pet, I was treated with extremely responsible care. Whenever I growled, one or two of the villagers would take their Petpets for a play date. My best friend was a Mimbi, who was always jumpy from day to night.

     Whenever I squealed, the royal servants rushed from the kitchen to my royal bed with plates and bowls of food. Master said I needed a balanced diet every day or else I'd be as blobby as a Blobikins. To show you what I mean, I'll show you my usual meals:

     For Breakfast; Mashed Woo Woo Grub, a mug of Kau Kau Farm Milk, and Neocrunch Cereal.

     For Lunch; Coconut Milk, mealworms, and crackers.

     For Dinner; Crab meat and fish and for dessert... Coconut Milk Ice cream smothered with strawberry jam!

     Mmmmm! And each course filled me up every time. But all together, however, made Master made me run a few laps around the large chief hut. Finally, whenever I whimpered, Master carried me in his arms all day long. I was very happy each and every single day of the year. Until, the day of the it came...

     It was a dark, stormy, night and the thunder roared loudly. The winds beneath the clouds cried sharply, "Let us in! Let us in!"

     This storm wasn't like any other one. Mystery Island's usual storms were like calm winds and light rain, but this one was different. The wind was so harsh the trees were bending on their sides, and the rain poured down so hard that it pounded small holes upon the mud ground. Lightning started to crack and bang upon the land.

     Geraptiku is where the storm mostly struck. The wind toppled over the huts, including the Master's hut. I was shivering and whimpering as Master held me close. He yelled orders to the servants and villagers began to quickly evacuate the land. I tried to stay brave and remain in my place. But when a tree pummeled over, I flipped. Master tried to escape the clutches of it. The reason I call it "it" is that Master and the villagers were shouting to one another, "It is coming!"

     I began to growl at it, as if to say, "Go away, it! Get away from my people, especially Master!"

     But it was so loud, he didn't listen. He slashed giant rings of lightning upon the grounds of my village and roared. I trembled deep into Master's arms, trying to block out the storm. Master looked worried. Very worried. He looked at the torn up village in woe, then he looked at me. He mumbled something under his breath. It sounded like, "I must do what is right..."

     Suddenly, Master bent down and released me!

     I gasped fearfully. I tried to go up in Master's arms again, but he refused. I growled, but no Mimbi came. I squealed, but no servants with food came. I whimpered, but Master never carried me. Instead, he ran, so I gasped in surprise and ran after him. But my short legs and flat feet couldn't keep up. And as I ran, a blackish cloud began to arrive upon the land. I stopped in my tracks. The cloud suddenly rushed to Master, who stopped, too. Master closed his eyes, stepped into the black cloud... and disappeared!

     That's when it hit me. The cloud was IT! IT had taken my Master for himself! By the time I guessed, the it cloud lunged after me. I ran again, faster this time. As tears ran down my skull mask, I mourned about what was taken from me and will never return.

     Anyway, I rushed from remain to remain, looking for somewhere to hide. Finally, I found a large hole created by the pounding rain. I wanted to go somewhere else... until I looked in the hole. There were abandoned Geraptiku native Petpets sitting on the leafy hole ground. Every pet was there, including my Mimbi friend, who sadly sat in a pile of mud.

     I couldn't go in at first, but then I thought about the Petpets. Most of them were my friends, and some of them were Lizarks like me. Who will watch them and care for them? Who will protect them from dangers like it? I must do what is right, like Master.

     First, I collected branches of bamboo. Then, I tied them into a big cage-cover top for the hole's roof. Finally, I carried the cage top and jumped in the hole with it, putting the cage top upon the hole. So now, for years I had waited here, trying to find my way.

     Soon, the hole was found and turned into a Petpet Shop. One by one, native Petpets were given homes. I tried to find a home, too. But so far, it's not working.

     And before I go, if you see a Lizark with tear stains on his skull mask, give him a cookie or something. I bet he'd really like some.

The End