Tales From Elysian Fields: The Plot Hole

     ———

     The autumn air is near freezing, but Lucy, a young Lenny, does not choose to cry about it; unlike her inflexible neighbours, she has a more reasonable complaint: this is her first official evening in Brightvale, and already, she hates it.

     "Oh, but look on the bright side!" Auntie Genna says to Lucy with all puns intended. "Think of the friends you will make!"

     "Brightvale is home to some astounding intellects, Lucy," Uncle Grosvenor adds. "Only a few, though. Like yourself, I prefer the hive of commerce that is Neopia Central, but I, myself, attended Brightvale University before I went into economics at—"

     "Don't bore the poor girl to death, brother!" Genna interrupts, laughing. "That isn't why we came here."

     "Ah, you're right." Grosvenor feels around his neck absentmindedly, then looks around at his cousin's estate. "Where's Meredith, Lucy? Where's your mummy at?"

     "Talking to the Neomail carrier, probably," Lucy tells them, then sighs. "He claims he was a medic in some war, but I don't know. She's always with him — the Strange Techo Doctor. I don't like him, Uncle Grosvenor. I don't like him one bit."

     "Chin up," Genna replies, putting a wing around Lucy. "Your mother is lonely, as it is, and this is a new country for the both of you. She needs some friends, you know, and you should want some play mates, as well. I think I even spotted a playground on the way over here!"

     "What you saw was a cemetery," Grosvenor remarks with a frown. He then opens his timepiece, examines it, and puts it away. "In any event, we really must get going. I would hate to get lost in a place like—"

     Genna glares at him. He stops himself. She rolls her eyes and bends down to hug Lucy.

     "Good-bye, little one," Genna says to her. "Settling into a new home is never easy, but give it enough time, and you will start to find more and more to appreciate. Besides, you have Rufus!"

     As if on cue, a black Spardel runs over to them from somewhere in the mansion, barks happily at Grosvenor, then proceeds to run around him.

     "Yes, it's good to see you, too, Dufus." He pauses. "Rufus. I mean — oh, never mind." He starts walking towards the double doors. "Come along, sister."

     "We left a blender and some money on the dining room table for your mother," Genna notes.

     "And quite a sum, at that," Grosvenor finishes.

     Genna waves her final good-bye to Lucy, leaves the foyer with Grosvenor, and shuts the door behind them.

     Lucy shakes her head, reaches down to scratch behind Rufus's ear, and then begins the exercise of wandering throughout the labyrinth of a manor her mother had bought for cheap (and already furnished, one might add) after their previous house had burned to the ground while they were out vacationing.

     Eventually, Lucy finds herself in a large ballroom with wooden floors, a golden chandelier, and a grand piano in a nook surrounded by stained-glass windows. She hates this room the most; it's composed of everything she doesn't like in regards to home furnishing. She misses her family's more modern Neohome on the outskirts of Neopia Central — the one with the lamps instead of candles, posters instead of tapestries, and a swimming pool instead of a lousy river behind the massive property.

     "Fools live in places like this," Lucy says aloud. "At least, that's what Uncle Grosvenor says. Only fools live in Brightvale, and they hide behind books so people think otherwise. But we're smarter than that, aren't we, Rufus? I'm not going to be a fool like them."

     Rufus barks his approval. Lucy smiles.

     She makes her way to the piano bench where Genna has left some books of supposed interested, with titles such as Advanced Learning, Cartography for Beginners, Wise Quotations, and Brightvale Architecture ("Green, frilly turrets? Check. Lots of flags? Double check."), among others.

     "What a bunch of—" Lucy struggles to remember the word Uncle Grosvenor had used. "—snorklewash. Yeah, what a bunch of—"

     Rufus barks from behind her. She turns away from the bench and follows the floor to a sizable, floating, black hole in the middle of the ballroom.

     Lucy carefully moves towards the thing. It doesn't appear dangerous; in fact, it doesn't appear to be doing anything at all. The hole just hovers there, silently, in the middle of the ballroom, causing no damage and inflicting no harm.

     Curious, Lucy goes back to the bench and picks up her copy of Advanced Learning. From there, she squints one eye, aims, and lunges the book at the hole.

     It goes through. Nothing surprising there. Rufus stops barking and looks up at Lucy quizzically.

     "I don't know what it is," Lucy affirms, "and I don't know where it leads to. But anywhere else is better than this place, right?"

     Rufus doesn't reply.

     She slides the rest of the books off of the bench — startling Rufus — and pushes it over to the hole. She climbs up, peers into it, sees nothing, and looks to the whining Spardel.

     "Oh, hush," she says. "Just stay here and wait for me, all right?"

     And with that, she puts in one leg at a time, sits at the edge of the hole, then falls in, never once considering how in Neopia she is to get out again.

     ———

     You've just been introduced to a large mansion in the knowledgeable country of Brightvale, and within that mansion, Lucy, a little Lenny unfamiliar with not only this place, but the current circumstance. This circumstance is a portal to another realm, and within that realm, a nightmare fit for someone of Lucy's age. Can there be a happy ending? That depends on when you choose to look away, as this black hole leads to none other than the heart of Elysian Fields.

     ———

     Lucy finds herself pressed against a cobblestone road. She gets up, brushes off her dress, and looks around. She is in a strange marketplace, with oddly-shaped buildings and flora that seems to grow all over. She notes two other interesting observations: the roads are all deserted, and everything around her is covered in polka dots.

     She reaches over a ledge to touch some blooming flowers, which appear to have a naturally occurring polka dot pattern to match the shops. Propped up against a particularly thick vine is the Advanced Learning book, which Lucy picks up and hurls over, watching it land in the water below with a plop!

     Farther up the way is a tree with green, spotted leaves, and hanging from a low branch, a festive, polka dot swing set. Lucy walks over to it, sits down, and proceeds to sway.

     "This looks like a fun swing to be on!" a voice exclaims. Lucy turns her head to see a spotted Gelert wearing a jacket and a polka dot scarf; turquoise, polka dot trousers; red and green polka dot tights and shoes; fingerless, polka dot gloves; polka dot sunglasses; and carrying a bright and speckled parasol. "I bet you're having real fun!"

     "I would be, if I were her!" a speckled Gelert says from beside the other. She is wearing a polka dot bandana; a red, polka dot shirt and skirt; red, polka dot tights; green, polka dot shoes; speckled, green bracers on her arms; polka dot paint on her face; and she, too, is carrying a parasol — though hers is red with white polka dots.

     "Who — who are you?" Lucy asks them both. "What is this place?"

     "She has manners!" the spotted one replies. "Many don't. This is good! This is good!"

     "Oh, yes, I really, really like this one," the speckled one affirms. "How pretty, too!"

     "Um, thanks," Lucy replies. She doesn't know what to think of these two, and if they try anything suspicious, she plans on running away as fast as her little legs will carry her.

     "Right, right, so sorry," the spotted one continues. "My name is Spot."

     "And I am Speck," says the speckled one.

     "No, I'm Speck," says Spot.

     "But you just said you were Spot," says Speck.

     "Did not."

     "Did, too!"

     "Speck!"

     "Spot!"

     "Speck!"

     "Spot!"

     "Fine," the spotted Gelert allows. "This time, you can be Speck, and I'll be Spot."

     "Your cooperation with this matter is greatly appreciated," the speckled one replies. They both turn to Lucy. "And what do they call you?"

     "Lucy," she answers. "I'm from Brightvale... sort of."

     "Never heard of it," Spot tells her. "Sounds boring. Why do they need a 'veil,' anyway? What do they have to hide?"

     "And why is it so bright?" Speck asks, then dismisses the thought. "It's no matter. Come with us! That swing doesn't look so fun, anymore."

     "I'm good, thanks," Lucy replies, though her swinging has noticeably slowed down since these two polka-dotted figures arrived.

     "Suit yourself," Spot says. He and Speck hold their parasols up high, twirl them in the air momentarily, and walk together down the street, leaving Lucy alone, confused, and to be honest, a bit scared.

     "Wait!" Lucy calls out. They stop and turn around, and she gets up off the swing. "What's there to do here? Why is everything covered in—?"

     "Don't mean to interrupt," Spot interjects, "but if you're going to hang out with us, you can't be wearing that outfit."

     "It's true," Speck says. "Let's try this one store over there. They're sure to have something!"

     The three walk down some steps and continue their journey farther into the marketplace. Spot suggests a blue, polka-dotted building with orange shingles — there is no one inside, although the place is filled with all sorts of spotted and speckled clothing to try. They enter without hesitation, so Lucy follows, too.

     "See anything you like?" Spot asks, and Lucy does; there are many things she likes. She ends up choosing a polka dot tutu with tights and shoes, which Speck pays for by leaving strange, golden coins on the counter by the front.

     "You look so beautiful!" she tells Lucy. "But you still need this."

     Speck hands her a polka dot parasol. Lucy takes it with unease.

     "What's this for?" she asks.

     And just like that, polka dot clouds appear overheard, and with them comes a shower of magenta, sunglow, and turquoise-coloured polka dots. Lucy laughs at the ridiculousness of it all.

     "Tag, you're it!" Spot says to Speck after touching her arm, then runs off even farther into the marketplace.

     "Not if I have anything to do with it!" she shouts after him, then tags Lucy's back. "You're it!"

     They run around the shops — in between and left and right — giggling all the while sticking their tongues out to taste the flavoured dots falling from the sky.

     Spot runs inside a bigger building than the rest, and Speck and Lucy follow him. This is no ordinary living space, however; this is a castle, and they find themselves in a large room that has also been decorated similarly to the exterior. They pass a polka dot sofa and arm chair, a spotted table, and speckled curtains before reaching a grand, polka dot throne in the center.

     "Seems suitable for a polka dot queen," Spot notes. "Go up and sit on it, Lucy!"

     "I think you mean, your highness," Speck corrects him, smiling and performing a curtsy.

     Lucy walks over to the throne and looks it over; it's enormous and covered in violet and golden orbs. She obeys and sits down in the regal chair, and already, she feels relaxed.

     "What would her highness like to eat?" Speck asks Lucy.

     "Hmmm... a hot dog!" she exclaims, thinking of times spent with her friends at Hubert's Hot Dogs in Neopia Central, then laughs. "Just kidding. I'll have whatever—"

     "Spotted, speckled, or polka dotted?" Spot offers, producing a platter of all three. It is only now when Lucy realizes neither of the Gelerts have mentioned these words before this point, but she shrugs it off and continues to laugh at the sheer randomness.

     "Wrinkles may show experience," Speck begins, "but speckles show enlightenment!"

     "I've heard someone say that before," Lucy notes. "At least, I think I have."

     "You've heard everything at one point or another," Spot replies, "just arranged differently, yah?"

     She chooses the speckled hot dog and eats it in no more than four bites. It fills her up instantly.

     "I bet you're thirsty," Speck says, then produces a clear bottle of green and purple liquid. "This should do the trick."

     "Drink up, m'lady!" Spot says, grinning.

     Lucy does so without a second thought, and only after does she regret it — Did he say "m'lady" or "malady?" It was the only thing in this land not covered in dots, and while she should have taken that as an obvious warning sign, it's too late for her now. The room starts spinning, the polka dots start swirling, and Lucy stumbles off of the throne and into the streets, bumping into objects this way and that.

     As she collapses, Lucy looks up and sees that the entire marketplace has caught on fire. The flames grow high and voices without bodies scream as Spot, Speck, and the Strange Techo Doctor — all of whom she trusted to some degree — stand above her, staring downwards, ignoring her own pleas of desperation.

     ~

     The moon is full tonight, and Lucy is back inside the mansion's ballroom. She's relieved, yet still a tad unsettled, and not only because of what she assumed to be an awful dream — the hole is gone, yes, but so is the piano, and cobwebs line the edges of the room.

     She staggers into the foyer. The front doors are open, and fallen leaves have made their way inside. The tapestries and all other antique decorations have disappeared, and Lucy surmises that the manor has been looted.

     "Rufus?" Lucy calls out to no response. "Rufuuuus?" She waits. "Mommy? Mommy, where are you?"

     Lucy continues her wandering outside the house and all the way to the front of the property. Weeds grow between the stones in the walkway, and vines now cover the mansion's walls and windows.

     The wind picks up. Lucy keeps moving forward.

     She continues until she is on the main road, and from there, to the cemetery Auntie Genna had mistaken for a park. This is much different than a regular graveyard, unfortunately; this is a Petpet cemetery, and all its tombs are fresh. One in particular stands out to Lucy, and she begins to cry as she reads its inscription.

     RUFUS, THE BLACK SPARDEL

     BLESSED ARE THE PATIENT

     "No," Lucy says to herself. "No, no, no... Everything is wrong!" She breaks down and falls to her knees. "Wake up wake up wake up wake up..."

     ~

     The only light in the room comes from the fireplace as the Strange Techo Doctor begins his work on the Lenny. Much time has passed, and while he has grown tired of running his cons, he's not about to give up on this last one just yet. Not with Meredith in the room.

     "How is she doing?" she asks, standing above him with her wings crossed as he rubs a minor healing ointment on the little one's forehead. "Is everything...?"

     "She's fine, yah," he answers. "Bit of blurred vision, that's all. I blame meself. We shouldn't've been playin' in the river like that."

     The Spardel continues to bark from outside. The Techo has to restrain himself from getting up and teaching it a thing or two about proper manners. It's always barked at him. Why does it always bark at him?

     "As if she hasn't been through enough," Meredith continues. "First the fire, then the move, and now this." She sighs. "Her father was in the house at the time. Did you know that?"

     "I saw the article in the Times," the Techo affirms. He's being modest, of course; he did much more than merely read about it. "Stock market analyst, yah?"

     "Yes. He was about to make a major prediction — said it would make us millions. The only catch was that it would ruin a few businesses, which was problematic, to say the least. That said, he had a lot of enemies, and even now, the Neoforce isn't exactly positive who burned it down. He left us with a lot to live off of, sure, but still..." She wipes a tear away. "There are some things in this world you can't replace." She looks to Lucy. "Some things money can't buy."

     The fire crackles in the background. The light begins to dim.

     "Well, anyway," the Techo says, "I'll just give her this finely ground bean powder next. Along with that and this amber cream, she should be good to—"

     Meredith wraps her wings around the Techo and embraces him. He's never been the sentimental type, as a certain Chomby in Tyrannia might say, but he allows this single action; it's strictly business, after all.

     "Thank you, Barold," she says, smiling. "Thank you for everything."

     "But of course," he replies smoothly. "And like I've said to Lucy, please, call me Barry."

     ———

     Let this be the closing narration: Should you come across a seemingly magical land of polka dots, balloons, sweets, or other youthful thoughts, know that there is an underlying message behind the gimmicks. It's not always apparent, and it's not always pleasant, but neither is reality. So close your eyes and open them again. Are you there, in that place of spots and specks? We leave it up to you... in Elysian Fields.

The End

For the readers. Thank you.