The Story of the Hidden Tower

      "Why nanny, if the tower is so grand and beholds the beautiful queen, should it be hidden at all?” Asked the tired little royal kougra as she held onto the silk sheets.

      Sitting next to her most commonly known as nanny to Mila, was a faerie kougra nearing 3,240 days of age.

      “Well,” she started stroking Mila’s fur, “the tower is grand, and it is beautiful, but if it was not hidden Mila, thieves like Dr. Sloth, Meuka or the Jelly Chia could put their hands on the tower’s precious items and do whatever they would like with them.”

      As nanny finished her sentence lightning struck making a white light outline the details of the dark room. Mila cringed slightly, and so had her petpet Fuzz, the plushie buzzer.

      “You mean someone could steal items from the tower?” She innocently asked. Her beautiful eyes were wide and because their home was located in Faerieland, she could see the now sleeping town from her window.

      For a long time she pondered at the thought, not believing someone could possibly steal from the magnificent tower where Fyora worked so hard with the other faeries to forge and create all the weapons and items.

      “Was the hidden tower always hidden?” Nanny stayed silent.

      Mila’s sudden interest in the hidden tower had starter a few days earlier, when a young light faerie asked her to get her an Uzarro trading card and as a reward she would grant her a level. Mila had gladly accepted the quest and had hurried off to nanny afterwards to ask her about her native land—faerieland and how it came to be. She had wanted to know all about the faeries, where they lived and the different types of faeries. But the hidden tower was what had attracted Mila’s attention the most because it was so mysterious and rumours about it had been circulating Neoschool.

      “I am old Mi, but not THAT old!” Nanny had simply replied with a light chuckle. “From what I remember, it always has been that way, and only the knowledgeable or the true and honest citizens can figure out where it is.” Saying this, nanny took her paw and gently put it over Mila’s heart. “You see, one day you’ll listen to your heart and it will lead you the way”. Nanny simply smiled and to her turn, she looked out over faerieland too.

      “I can recall an incident, however, of an evil creature that had once been a good citizen, turn into what he is today and try to steal the magnificent tower’s items.”

      Leaning up against her pillows, and bringing her silky Uni-patterned covers up to her neck, she slowly asked nanny to please go on.

      “Well, when I was about your age and I went to Neoschool as well, there was a Neopet no one had ever seen before. He didn’t have the shape or the color any of us had seen ever before as well. No resemblance with a Chomby, Kau, Jetsam or even a Kougra.” Nanny had put her hands in her lap and had stopped looking at Mila. Instead, her head veered to the left where the large windows were open and a faerie-scented wind came gushing in. “He was very blue, as a matter of fact, he was only blue. But the weirdest thing Mi, was that he did not have feet.” Nanny had fluffed up her wings recalling the incident as if it had occurred yesterday.

      “What? But that’s impossible Nan!” Mila scratched her head and replaced her crown.

      “Yes, I understand, but he wasn’t normal—like I’ve mentioned before. Perhaps that’s why he turned evil… he was the only one of his race. He had extremely red eyes…” “Red like a tomato?” Mila asked squirming in her bed. With a chuckled, Nanny continued on,

      “no, redder! He had huge teeth as well…”

      “Oh Nanny, please don’t tell me this is a joke and you’re telling the story of the three moehog’s and the big bad lupe…”

      “Of course not dear, let me finish and ask questions after I have finished. Anyways, sometime in the month of relaxing, some fellow Neopets had started losing their clothing…pants to be precise! It was a rather odd period because we couldn’t dare ask or figure out who it was… but the culprit quickly appeared… he was blue and his name turned out to be, the Pant Devil.”

      “Oh no! I know who he is! He stole my can of peas just the other day!” Mila screamed out.

      “Yes, he now does that. But before, when he was good of course, he had found the way to get to the hidden tower…that wasn’t hidden as much as it is today but that’s another point. When Fyora found out he had tried to sneak out some of the valuables without paying what was due, she banned him from the tower and forbade him to ever come near Faerieland again, let alone the tower. Many people believe that it was then he started becoming evil, as Faerieland had been his home for as long as we can remember. Today however, the sneak awaits around, lurking in the shadows for a good neopian to come out with their hands full of the tower’s delightful treasures and when the time is good, he pounces on them taking everything he can.”

      By now, the stars were as bright as they could get in Faerieland, making a light glow over its shops and homes. A few Faeries were tweaking their shops, making them prettier and shining up the streets.

      “Why can’t we stop him… the Pant Devil I mean?” Mila silently asked to her grandmother, in visible shock.

      “Well, we don’t know when he’ll strike again. The only possible person that could know is himself… and I’m pretty sure a Weewoo would know but they’re as rare if not rarer than the Pant Devil himself.”

      “Oh… well then, I want to be able to catch him one day for what he did to kind Neopians! But what about the faeries? Can’t they try to stop him?”

      Nanny was enjoying Mila’s enthusiasm, it reminded her of herself when she was younger and first saw the Pant Devil strike.

      “Well Mi, that’s why the hidden tower is hidden, and that’s most likely why it’ll stay hidden forever. You know, the Pant Devil isn’t the only one that is evil in Neopia, and he certainly isn’t the last one. Although I personally believe it is he that first attacked it, others have contributed to help him---or themselves as well.”

      Smiling at Mila and tucking her in, nanny looked outside the windows one last time and slowly closed the shutters. Beside Mila’s bed was a bamboo shelf, and nanny slowly laid an object atop of it.

      “Good night, Mi. Don’t let the p3’s bite!” Nanny had closed the door.

      “Night night,” Mi had said letting out a loud yawn that almost started sounding like a roar.

      As she turned over to her side, looking at the top of the shelf was a very shiny object that Mila was glad to have: a pant devil attractor of her own. Although she was falling asleep, she quickly put it around her neck; afraid he might come back and steal her can of peas…or worst, a pair of her pants.

      The End