The Plight of a Pirate Who Sought a Pawkeet

      A young Pirate Draik wished to buy a Petpet of his own at the Little Nippers Petpet Shop. He intended to bring the creature along with him to the Deckball Tournament which he and his friends were participating in. That way, the Petpet would be able to score points for his team.

      He walked into the store. Once he was inside, the Shopkeeper greeted him with a smile. "Are ye lookin' fer anything specific?" he asked.

      "No," replied the Draik. He gazed at the curious creatures, admiring their amazing appearances. He decided that he wanted to buy a Pawkeet, but he did not have the 55 Dubloons which were required as payment. "I'll have to save up," he told the Shopkeeper. "G'bye!"

      A few hours later, the Draik arrived at the ship to practice playing Deckball with his friends. The group had registered for a tournament, so they were meeting up to practice. His pals greeted him with enthusiasm. "G'afternoon!" exclaimed one of them, a Pirate Eyrie. "Let's play."

      The Neopets coached their Petpets, teaching them how to score goals. Two Petpets played at once while the others waited. Eventually, it was the Draik's turn to coach his "Petpet"... or so his friends thought. The Eyrie turned to the Draik. "Hey," she began, "where's yer Petpet?"

      "I... don't have one," he frowned.

      "No Petpet?! I thought that ye were going to buy one! The Little Nippers shop can be found nearby."

      "I went there, but I couldn't afford the one which I wanted."

      The Eyrie sighed. "Borrow mine fer now," she told him.

      Her Petpet was an attractive, muscular Mirgle. The Draik enjoyed coaching the creature, which showed signs of great progress as the day went on. Eventually, the sun lowered its gaze, so it was time for the friends to return to their respective homes. "G'bye!" exclaimed the Draik, waving at his pals as he left the ship.

      The next day, the Draik arrived at his workplace, which was the Golden Dubloon. He planned to save up his salary until he had enough money to buy the Pawkeet. However, the pay was horrible, so he wasn't sure if he would be able to earn 55 Dubloons in time for the tournament. Nevertheless, he knew that it wouldn't hurt to try.

      He stood at the counter, ringing up purchases. He rolled his eyes while staring at the obnoxious customers. They were rudely blurting out demands at the waitress, who was just a kid. He was surprised to see that she was handling the situation very well. He would've gotten angry and screamed at the clients.

      Just then, a Royalgirl Aisha walked up to the counter. She was wearing sunglasses and carrying a white cane. "Hi," she greeted the Draik. "The food was exceptional! I wish that the meals were this wonderful back home."

      "I'm glad that ye enjoyed the food," he answered. "Where are ye from?"

      "Meridell," she told him. "The waitress told me that I owe ten Dubloons." She held up a shiny golden coin. "This coin is worth 100 Dubloons, right? It's all that I have with me right now."

      "That's correct. I'll give ye change."

      Just then, the Draik had a horrible, sneaky idea. He knew that the Aisha couldn't see. Therefore, he could give her a single Dubloon as change, and she wouldn't know. Then he could keep the rest of the money, excluding the ten Dubloons which he had to give to the store. With the 89 stolen Dubloons, he would instantly have enough money to buy the Pawkeet!

      "Here is ye change, ma'am," he smiled, handing her a One Dubloon Coin.

      "Are you kidding me?!" blurted out a voice angrily.

      Then he noticed that one of the other customers, a Stealthy Draik, was intensely glaring at him. "I can't believe this!" she exclaimed. "You're actually trying to cheat a customer who can't see? You're a rotten piece of garbage!"

      "What is going on?" asked the Aisha.

      "He handed you a One Dubloon Coin," replied the enraged customer. "He was going to keep the rest."

      "Whaaaaaaaat?! That's not fair!"

      "Of course it isn't! Where is the manager?"

      Then the Stealthy Draik noticed that the waitress had curiously approached the scene. "What's wrong?" she asked.

      "Could you please go get the manager?" requested the furious client.

      "Sure thing." A moment later, the manager, a handsome Pirate Lupe, walked over to the counter. "G'afternoon, ma'am," he greeted the Stealthy Draik. "How may I help you?"

      She gestured to the Pirate Draik. "This awful employee just tried to cheat one of the customers!" she told the Lupe. Then she explained the event.

      The manager glared at the employee. "Is this true?" he asked.

      "No way!" he scowled. "She's lying!"

      "I saw it too," stated another customer.

      "Me three," another one told the Lupe.

      He frowned grumpily. "All of these customers have no reason to lie," he glowered. "You're fired! Punch out, collect your belongings, and leave!"

      The Pirate Draik reluctantly left, the weight of fury and sorrow in his steps. A moment after he had walked out the door, he noticed that the Stealthy Draik had followed him outside. "You got your way," he snapped, "so leave me alone."

      Just then, the whole world turned into a pitch-black abyss. "My name is Maldice," she began, "and I do not tolerate any acts of wrongdoing in my presence. Your actions today were nothing short of despicable. Therefore, I have placed a curse on you. You will live your life for a while without any ability to see, just like your victim. Let us see how you like it."

      "Whaaaaaaaat?! That's not fair! Give me my vision back!"

      "That trick you played today wasn't fair in the slightest. Therefore, you will live in a world of perpetual darkness."

      "But... C'mon! I'm sorry! Just let me see again!" cried the Pirate Draik. However, there was no reply.

      That night, the Pirate Draik sobbed himself to sleep. He had been stumbling around his house all day, knocking into furniture and other objects. He had even crashed into a table, breaking the vase that was sitting on top of it. All of a sudden, he regretted the trick that he played on the Aisha.

      The next day, he had to meet up with his friends. They were playing in the first round of the Deckball Tournament. He arrived, then stumbled toward his friends. "G'morning!" exclaimed the Pirate Eyrie. "Y'ready for this?"

      "I think so," answered the Draik. He knew that he could rely on the Petpet to do all of the work.

      "Did ye buy yerself a Petpet?" she asked.

      "Not yet."

      She sighed. "Borrow me Mirgle," she told him.

      The Draik stood there helplessly as the Mirgle put in a great effort. The game was nearly over when the Draik announced, "I'm parched! I'm going to get meself a glass of water."

      "Suit yerself," replied the Eyrie.

      The Draik retrieved some water and walked back toward his teammates. The time was almost up, and the opponents were winning by a single goal. The Mirgle had one last chance to score and prevent a disappointing loss. The Draik, unable to see, accidentally stumbled into the middle of the field and blocked the Mirgle's shot. The game was over, and the Draik's team had lost.

      He turned to face his furious teammates. "WHAT WAS THAT?!" shouted the Eyrie. "Ye cost us the game! Watch where yer going next time!"

      The other teammates began to spew angry insults. "We've been eliminated from the tournament," one of them fumed, "and it's ALL YER FAULT! Get out of here!"

      The Draik quickly dashed out the door. He began to walk home, the weight of sorrow in his steps. As he despondently dragged himself along the shore, he tripped over a buried object.

      "Ouch!" he yelped. Then he brushed the sand off of it. It seemed to be a treasure chest. He tried to open it, and he was surprised to find that it was unlocked. He felt the contents and realized that he had found a giant stockpile of Dubloons! His heart raced with joy. With this unexpected loot, he was finally able to buy the Pawkeet! At that moment, he realized that it was entirely possible and much more satisfying to obtain money without engaging in theft or any other form of dishonesty.

      Just then, he heard a voice. "This is Maldice. I see that you have realized that dishonesty is a horrid folly. I must ask you this, young Pirate: Have you learned your lesson?"

      "Yes, ma'am! I promise that I will no longer steal."

      "Very well. You may have your vision back." Just then, the Draik's surroundings came into view. Grinning with excitement, he rushed over to Maldice and hugged her. "Thank you! It is so wonderful to see again. I realize now that I am very fortunate."

      "Yes, you are. What are you going to spend the Dubloons on?"

      "A Petpet from the Little Nippers Shop."

      "Great! Enjoy it." Then Maldice teleported away.

      Instead of going straight home, the Draik walked over to the shop and purchased his Pawkeet. He named it "Lucky" and quickly befriended it. He spent many happy days with his attractive bird, enjoying its companionship. It had become a wonderful pal, and it had also taught him a valuable lesson.

      The End.