Morale

     5/25

      At the end of the day, all I wanted was happiness. All the long-fought battles, hard-hitting struggles, long-lasting friendships, and heart-warming attempts—all for the pursuit of contention. Every war is fought to find peace, settle disputes, declare relations. Determine who the foe is, determine who the friend is. Then, trust the friend only as much as you trust the foe; only trust yourself. Keep the allies close, and the enemies even closer, and I'll never be disappointed again.

      Once you become king of a land, aspire to rule the world. There are two kinds of kings: the Grumpy Old King, and his brother. Which one will I become? You'll learn soon enough. But to all those aspiring out there, remember to choose carefully. You may always regret your decision, but you may never recant it. At least once you start walking. Stay committed, or else it would've all been for nothing. It won't matter anymore. Walk the walk and talk the talk to deceive everyone. All's fair in this world; you get what you get, but determine your gift before you get it.

      Don't lose the game. There's only two days left, grit your teeth until the end. Actions don't speak louder than words; they share equal evaluation. You may get a bad hand in the beginning, but you must learn to draw better cards in order to win; you must win.

     ________________________________________________________

      You sit on the floor as usual, waiting for the world to change. It isn't happening, as usual, and you feel resigned. Your owner has been inactive for seven months and 17 days, and you know she's never coming back. The longest she's ever left you alone was for a month at most, and she made sure to treat you at the movies to apologize for the wait.

      You can't help but feel faint, blue; you innately recognize this feeling as being the second step towards independence, growing up. You always yearned and dreamed for it when you were young, but now you wish it never existed. What happened? No matter how many times you ask, no one answers.

      The first step was finding a place to go, after she left. But where can you go? What can you do? Your friend was nice enough to help with this one, and snuck you into the Neolodge for free. She works there, and you're grateful for her. Empathy is a pretty strong emotion, you realized.

      All you do nowadays is daydream and write in your diary. Both actions were your favorite pastimes since you were young, and you can't let them go. You still enjoy doing both of them; imagination, you believe, is the greatest tool Neopets can have. They fuel the world, and allow you to aspire to reach great heights, from getting the highest score in Kass Basher, to the positive pressure of receiving a quest from the Fountain Faerie. Your mind loves the feeling of being free, but your heart hates it.

      It recently became easier to daydream with your eyes opened, instead of closed, because that went out of fashion last year. Still, the majority of the population enjoys to doze off and let their minds wander, but you prefer to watch everything, in case something happens. Someone returns.

      The one thing that's been plaguing your mind for the past few months is a very interesting question, one that requires a lot of thinking and planning, so you think and plan all day long, until your friend brings you in some food from the buffet. This system has been going on for around five months now, and the portions have been getting bigger each week. You refused to eat at first, because you needed to go out and search for your best friend everyday. What if she had gotten hurt? Lost? Trapped? You didn't have time to eat; only time to think and look.

      How would you rule the world? To make it better? To devote all resources to one purpose? For personal gain? You weren't exactly sure, but you had some ideas.

      What would it be called? Meridell? Brightvale? No—Amoracity (pronounced 'uh-mohr-uh-sit-ee'), because two-word nations went out of style last year. In it, everyone would be healthy, bloated, and loved. You would be the nicest ruler ever known to the Neopet subjects. Like the King of Brightvale, you'd have a fancy palace, like the King of Meridell, you'd have a comfy throne, and like the King of Altador, you'd be surrounded by friends. Life would be great.

      Amorators (as they would be called) would live with ease; they would help each other during ordeals and localized crop failures, and mediators would settle the minor disputes that would occur. Food would be plentiful; enough for everyone to share. All the Amorators would be required to grow some food in the slightest, just in case. The agriculture would be diverse and bright, so Amoracity would have to stretch into several different climates. But that would be okay—you would accept all that would be willing to join.

      Everyone would be safe from crime, and there would be no need to lock doors. Specialized doctors and nurses would be omnipresent, ready to help you through physical and emotional struggles.

      Games would be played everyday, and you would be the one smiling and congratulating all the high-spirited players. Competition would exist, but you would encourage everyone to find their special talent. All would be for fun and Neopoints, and hopefully, no one would get upset. You wouldn't have to be friends with everyone, but you would at least be required to respect the inevitable differences.

      Every Friday with enjoyable weather (ideally 83 degrees Fahrenheit, cloudy with a bit of wind), a community-wide game of Kacheek-Seek would commence to all those that would want to participate. Seekers would shift every game, and no one would be left out by nature.

      The only trouble you could possibly envision with your fail-proof plan was finding a place to settle everything and everyone, from houses and stores to your castle and gardens. You could always find an uninhibited island off the coast of Mystery Island, but that would just be a cop-out. After all, that would be filled with the ideal temperature all year-long, with crisp autumns and beautifully colored leaves to hot summer days spent on the beach. But that would just be a cop-out. If you want your plan to succeed, you must take the appropriate measures. There would be enough Neopets around Neopia to help you in your quest. All you would have to do is—

      Like all imaginations, Amoracity and its foundations crumble with the rumble of your stomach. You blink several times, and realize that your friend is standing by the door, with a plateful of food in her hand. You get up with an eerie smile on your face, and walk over to her. You thank her for the food, and being a great friend. On the wall by the door, right above the light switch, hangs a calendar. The date 30 is circled several times with bright crimson ink. Today is the 18th, and the beginning of the greatest experience in your life, you decide at that moment.

      Because fate and destiny isn't only up to the stars; you just need to know what the stars have in store for you. Then, plan accordingly. As she turns around to close the door and leave the suddenly bright room, you stop her. Putting your foot in between the door and frame hurts, but you need her help once again. You owe her a million, but you're pretty sure you can grant that to her in return in the near future.

      She looks up at you in confusion, her eyes curious about your inquiry or comment. You gently guide her back into the room and sit her down on the wooden chair drawn out from under the table.

      "Help me, please?"

The End