One Scary Night - retold by Oira

     Rain poured down heavily onto the grounds, leaving puddles everywhere in the Haunted Woods as a Baby Kougra named Oira stood in front of The Haunted Cave with his Meepit, Iora and Breebly, Rai. Oira held a Rainbow Umbrella in his left paw and a Battle Torch in his right. On his back, was a Kaia Backpack full of the items he needed for the night. Oira heard crash of thunder and saw a flash of lightening, and a cold gust of wind swept through the air, making the three of them cold.

     “Here we are, Iora and Rai. Back at the cave on a stormy night… Well, let’s go in!” Oira announced while shining his Battle Torch at the entrance of cave, looking at his Meepit and Breebly who were standing next to him. He shivered with excitement and couldn’t wait to enter.

     “Are you sure we should go in again, Oira and Rai? It looks scary, what if the ghost doesn’t turn up? Last time all we saw was a floating lantern” Iora asked feeling worried as she looked at the entrance. The thunder, lightning, rain and wind repeated its cycle, while the three were outside.

     “Yes, Iora. I’m not scared and I know Rai isn’t either. I’m more curious to learn more about this ghost. Does she or he live in this cave alone or are they friends with the wild Korbats that live in it?” Oira said gazing upon the opening of The Haunted Cave. Rai nodded, confirming that he was happy to go in.

     “We have no choice. The storm is getting worse, and I am certain I felt a drop of rain on my shoulder. We have a Battle Torch which I’m holding now. We promised one another after moving to a different room in the Neolodge we’d return and see if we can be friends with this ghost. I don’t like breaking promises, so let’s go in” Oira said and started walking inside The Haunted Cave shining the Battle Torch ahead of him so he could see if there’s any obstacles that might get in his way. He stopped for a moment, put his Battle Torch and Rainbow Umbrella on the ground and took off his Kaia Backpack. He closed his Rainbow Umbrella which was dripping wet from the rain and shook the drops off it as best as he could, ensuring that Iora and Rai weren't getting wet in the progress, which they weren't. Smiling, he put the Rainbow Umbrella in his Kaia Backpack and zipped it up again, then put it back on his back. Oira picked up his Battle Torch and continued walking with Iora and Rai.

     The Haunted Cave itself was cold and eerie. Listening to the storm from inside the cave was frightening to Oira but he put on a brave face for his Petpet and Petpetpet. Iora and Rai quickly ran after him noticing that he had just gone ahead without them. They didn't want to be left behind and agreed to help find the mysterious ghost. “What do we say when we meet up with them?” Rai asked as he jumped up onto Iora’s shoulder.

     “We introduce ourselves, Rai. Then we keep the ghost company for the night and return home tomorrow depending on the weather” Oira said, flashing the light on the walls, which were brown and rough. “If it’s still stormy like it is now, then we’ll have to stay another night.”

     He flashed his light at the ceiling of The Haunted Cave and noted long brown stalactites hanging, with water dripping from them onto the ground now and then. Oira, Iora and Rai began to go further into The Haunted Cave, finding that the deeper they went in, the colder it became. “How much longer until we meet the ghost, Oira?” Rai complained, feeling bored. He was still sitting on Iora’s shoulder.

     “How am I supposed to know, Rai? We don’t know this cave by heart and I just realized I forgot to mark my ways just in case we got lost and needed to return to the entrance” Oira answered, annoyed at himself for not remembering to do that. “I don’t know where the ghost is hiding! YIKES! That just scared me!” he flashed his Battle Torch light at a rock-formation which looked like a Captive Shadow Wraith, the shadow itself on the cave’s walls looked horrifying. Surprisingly, Iora and Rai weren’t bothered by it.

     “That’s strange, I no longer hear the sound of thunder” Iora said after a while, changing the subject.

     “That’s because we’re far away from the entrance, Iora” Oira told her. Rai felt anxious after Oira mentioned that, he was worried that the three would get lost in the cave!

     “I wish I bought a jumper!” Iora complained shivering as she hugged herself to keep warm. “Oira, have you got anything to keep us warm?” she asked.

     “I wish Meepits could wear jumpers! Let me see. I did bring my Kaia Backpack with me so I’ll check what we got inside” Oira put the Battle Torch down on the ground and knelt down, he took his Kaia Backpack off his back and unzipped it.

     He dug around for a bit and smiled. “I have this Baby Holiday Scarf. It doesn’t fit me but I’m very attached to it as it was a gift from a friend.” Oira said pulling out the scarf and giving it to Iora. Iora looked at the long scarf and at Rai who was cold too.

     “Thank you, Oira. Could you please wrap it around us and carry us?” Iora asked, looking at it longingly. “and is there anything to eat? I’m hungry”

     The Battle Torch light began to flicker. Oira quickly grabbed it and shone it in his Kaia Backpack, smiling he grabbed another Battle Torch just in time, for the Battle Torch he was holding switched off. He tried turning it on again, but it didn’t work. Frowning, Oira switched the Battle Torch he had grabbed on, and put the other one in his Kaia Backpack.

     “Lucky I bought a few Battle Torches with us. I knew we’d need them” Oira said as he looked for food in the bag for Iora to eat. He found a Bitten Red Apple which she liked eating the most and gave it to her. He then folded the scarf until it was small enough to fit around Iora. Iora happily took it and wrapped it around her.

     “Aren’t you cold, Oira?” Iora asked, looking at him in concern. The Baby Kougra shook his head.

     “No, I’m fine, thanks for asking. How are you going, Rai?” Oira said as he zipped up his Kaia Backpack and put it on his back. He hadn’t heard a word from the Breebly for a while and was getting worried about him, until he heard little snores. Oira chuckled, guessing Rai had fallen asleep.

     Oira picked Iora up and carried her in his paw, smiling to see that Rai was sleeping on her shoulder. Iora felt happy as she ate on the Bitten Red Apple. She would’ve shared it with Rai if he was awake. Oira continued walking in The Haunted Cave with Iora and Rai, flashing the Battle Torch here and there hoping to see the ghost or the lantern. He shone it up on the ceiling of The Haunted Cave and saw what it seemed to be thousands of Shadow Korbats hanging by their feet upside-down. They got startled by the light and all of them flew off, screeching as they did. That made Iora scream aloud, waking Rai up and causing Oira to jump.

     “I didn’t expect that,” Oira said after all of the Shadow Korbats left the area, he was in. Iora shivered. Korbats made her feel uncomfortable especially when they did that.

     “I hope there’s no more Korbats after that. They scare me” Iora said. “Can we please go to sleep? I’m tired and I’m sure it’s late” she added with a yawn.

     Oira smiled. “You can have a sleep, but I’m going to continue walking. I need to find our mysterious friend. I don’t even know where we saw the floating lantern” he told her.

     “What do I do with the Bitten Red Apple Core? I finished eating it” Iora asked as she held up the core. Oira knelt down on the ground and put his Battle Torch on the ground in front of him, then placed Iora and Rai next to it. “I’ll put it in my bag, I don’t agree with littering” Oira said. “When we get home, I’ll put it in the Rock Bin” Oira took off his Kaia backpack and put it on the ground, unzipped it and put it near the torch.

     He took the Bitten Red Apple core from Iora and put it in his Kaia Backpack. He then zipped it up again and put the backpack on his back. Just as he did that the Battle Torch light went out. “Oh no! That was the last one” Oira groaned, looking around noticing it was pitch black. He thought he had more, however, when he put the Bitten Red Apple Core in his bag, he saw that there were no Battle Torches left.

     “Now what?!” Iora asked, feeling scared. She took off the Baby Holiday Scarf and ran towards where she thought Oira was standing, but only stumbled across something and fell over. “OUCH! That hurt!”

     “Iora! Are you okay? Stay where you are so I can see if I can locate you, I’ll grab the Battle Torch and hope it will light up again” Oira said, attempting to see in the darkness to find Oira.

     “I’m okay but I can’t see due to it being so dark” Iora called out. She heard Oira pick up the torch.

     “I’ll see if it will work…Oh no! It won’t work!” Oira complained, as he pressed the button as many times as he could to get the light to turn on. “This is bad. Now both Battle Torches are gone and we don’t have anything to use to see where we are going!” he added.

     Suddenly a gust of icy cold air swept through, making Oira and Iora shiver. A lantern appeared in front of Oira which appeared to be floating on its own.

     “T-there it is again! The floating lantern! A-are you a g-ghost?” Oira asked stammering at some words, staring at the lantern with fear. Iora looked ahead of her and saw the lantern too, and noticed she wasn’t too far from where Oira had been standing, so she ran off towards Iora while the lantern was there. Rai was still sleeping on Iora’s shoulder.

     The lantern bobbed up and down. “Is that a yes or no?” Oira asked, sounding confused. “Wait… UP and down normally means a yes… Do you speak?”

     The lantern suddenly vanished when Oira said that. “Uh-oh... Did I say something to upset the lantern?”

     Nothing happened when Oira spoke. “I think you might have scared them, Oira” Iora said, sounding worried. “But at least now I’m close to you again.”

     A flash of white light appeared in front of Oira, Iora and Rai. When the light vanished, a Ghost Zafara appeared, holding the floating lantern looking frightened.

     “You shouldn’t be here…” The Ghost Zafara warned Oira, who at once looked at it in confusion.

     “What do you mean, that we shouldn’t be here? AND why not? I thought this cave was for everyone to explore” Oira questioned, as he picked up Iora. Rai just woke up as Oira spoke.

     “Did we find the ghost yet?” Rai mumbled, rubbing his eyes to remove the sleep from them. He wanted to stay awake as long as he could to ensure the three got out safely.

     “Yes, we did, shh! Oira’s talking to it” Iora whispered, sure enough, when Rai looked ahead, he got a shock when he saw a Ghost Zafara.

     “Because, HE will know, and if HE does know, HE will scare you until you run out of The Haunted Cave or put a curse on you like HE did with me!” The Ghost Zafara replied using a spooky tone to their voice.

     “Who is HE?” Oira asked, trying to imagine who the Neopet was talking about.

     “HE is a terrible Darigan Skeith. HE lives in the back of The Haunted Cave, protected by magic. HE put a curse on me because I woke him up when I stumbled across this cave and his lair a few years ago. HE was very furious when I awoke him and told me that I should not be allowed to escape, no matter how many times I tried. HE mumbled a few words and made it impossible for me to exit. Even IF I was able to walk to the entrance. His curse prevented me from stepping outside as it had some sort of barrier that I could feel and no-one else could” the Zafara explained. “Now go! Before HE sees you!”

     “So, you’re telling me to leave this cave when I went all the way from my NeoLodge to meet a ghost, and become friends with it? No! I won’t leave. Not at least without you anyway. So how do we break this curse?” Oira replied, with a frown. Iora and Rai looked at the ghost then back at Oira. “And what is your name? I’m Oira, this is Iora and Rai, my Meepit and Breebly.”

     “Call me Shadow. At least that’s what HE calls me. I can’t remember my real name. I told you, it’s impossible for me to get out of here, as much as I’d like to. I miss my family” Shadow replied.

     “Did he use an item to curse you?” Oira asked, remembering that when some Neopets get cursed, the other Neopet sometimes uses an item.

     “Yes. He used a Cursed Pendant Necklace which he keeps around his neck. It’s impossible to get to him because of all the traps he has in his lair. I’ve only been to it once, which was where he cursed me. He sleeps in a Dark Faerie Canopy Bed, which is where he is always seen” Shadow answered.

     Oira thought for a moment, and smiled to Iora and looked back at Shadow. “Shadow, tonight, we’ll try and help you get free! Things might turn out to be One Scary Night but I think for you, it will be worth it” he said. “I think I have a plan to help get the Cursed Pendant Necklace from him. Iora is experienced stealing necklaces, she had stolen some from Edimira, a friend of ours” he said.

     Shadow looked at Oira. “Well, how do we do it then? It’s worth a try. I think if we break the Cursed Pendant Necklace, it should let me be free, right? I’ll take you to him, but his lair is terrifying.” Shadow said as they began to walk ahead of Oira and Iora. “Follow me!”

     “I don’t see why not. Especially if that’s what he used to curse you with, Shadow” Oira said as he, Iora and Rai followed Shadow. Through twists, turns and screams (the screams were from when they ran into several ghost Petpets and Spyders that were roaming about in The Haunted Cave), stumbles (when either Shadow, Iora, Rai or Oira would trip over something they didn’t see), and yelps (when they accidentally set off a few unexpected traps!)

     “We must be getting closer due to the traps we set off! Any more?” Oira said after sometime of being silent.

     “Yes, he loves setting up traps” Shadow told him. “Now, silence, as we continue walking to his lair. I will nod to you when we get there so you know it’s his lair, from now until then, don’t speak!”

     After a while of walking, they came across a cavern in The Haunted Cave. Shadow nodded, to inform them that it was the lair they wanted. Oira gave Shadow thumbs up, saying he got the message and walked quietly up to the entrance of The Haunted Cavern, and peeped inside. He saw a very large Darigan Skeith laying on his Dark Faerie Canopy Bed, with a plate of Batter Corn Dog. On the ground next to his bed was several Can of Neocola’s, some were crushed and others were unopened. Next to the Can of Neocola’s were two Box of Wocky Chocolates, and a half eaten Old Rotten Left Shoe.

     Oira studied the Darigan Skeith. He was dressed in a Blue Skeith Overalls, Loafer Skeith Shoes and around his neck was the Cursed Pendant Necklace. He wore no wig and seemed to be too busy munching on a Batter Corn Dog to notice them being there. The rest of the lair looked bare. Iora grinned, she already knew how to take the pendant from the Skeith and made a run towards him, though instead of doing that, she ran into something she didn’t see and fell backwards, landing hard on the ground, causing Rai to fall off her shoulder. Iora quickly picked Rai up and ran over to Oira.

     The Darigan Skeith looked up and laughed. “I think you will find it difficult to get to me” he taunted the Meepit and shoved another Batter Corn Dog in his mouth.

     “But Rogif, it looks easy to approach you and you know what I want” Shadow said, looking at the Skeith angrily.

     “How many times have I told you not to call me Rogif? If you want to call me by my name call me King Rogif! I am King of this lair” Rogif snapped angrily at Shadow. “and you won’t be getting your freedom. Who else would get all this food for me?”

     “You’re not a King. You could get the food for yourself. I do and I live in the NeoLodge” Oira replied. “There are plenty of shops in Neopia that sell food!” Iora and Rai nodded, agreeing with Oira.

      Shadow looked at Oira anxiously, wishing he didn’t say that. “Oira! You need to be careful of what you say to him!” Shadow warned him, not noticing that Iora and Rai had agreed with Oira.

     Rogif began to mumble some words, making Oira, Iora and Rai feel uncomfortable. The lair suddenly became cold, and moments later, several ghost Meepits came running out from underneath Rogif’s bed, followed by Ghost Spyders, Ghost Babaas, Ghost Carma, Ghost Spardels and Ghost Wuzzles. It wasn’t the Ghost Meepit that terrified Oira, it was the rest of the ghost Petpets. Oira, Iora and Rai gulped and began to run away as the ghost Petpets chased after them, making an ‘Ooohing’ sound. Oira looked back and noticed they were coming closer, and that Shadow was running with him.

     “I didn’t know he knew magic spells!” Oira cried out, shaking like a leaf as he ran with his Petpet and Petpetpet. He stopped to pick Iora and Rai up in his arms and continued to run.

     “I did!” Shadow responded, running with him, looking scared. Oira stopped for a moment to catch his breath, and looked behind him, noticing thousands of Ghost Korbats have joined chasing after him. After looking back at the Korbats, Oira, Iora and Rai knew there was only one thing for them to do which was to get out of The Haunted Cave as fast as they could. Oira looked ahead of him then behind him again and noticed an army of Zombie Spyders, Zombie Splyke, Zombie Spardel, Zombie Noil, Zombie Bartamus, Zombie Beekadoodle, Zombie Gobbler, Zombie Huggy’s and Zombie Moltenores slowly chasing after him several Zombie and Wraith Korbats joined in the chase.

     Oira couldn’t stand it anymore, nor could Iora who fainted in fright, as did Rai. “That’s it! We’re out of here! I’m sorry Shadow, you’re on your own at least until I can return with better equipment and my friends to help you, but this is One Scary Night to remember. I’m going to have nightmares for weeks! I don’t know how you can do it” after Oira said that, he bolted out of The Haunted Cave without stopping and ran all the way back to the Neolodge.

     Back in The Haunted Cave, Rogif burst into laughter, as did Shadow who returned to Rogif’s side. All the Petpets and Korbats returned to their normal position, laughing as they did. “That was a good trick, but what should we do when he returns?” Shadow said at last.

     “We’ll have to plan something else, but that was fun!” Rigof said. “Would you like a Batter Corn Dog?” he offered showing Shadow the plate of them.

     Shadow shook their head. “No thanks. But thank you for offering all the same. I’m not hungry!” they replied.

     Rogif nodded and ate another Batter Corn Dog, smiling at the thought of them scaring Oira, chuckling as he thought about it. Oira, Rai and Iora returned to their home, shaking like a leaf, he sat on his bed then started crying as he put Iora and Rai on his bed, not noticing they had fainted until now.

     “That was the scariest night of my life! I don’t know how the others would react when I tell them about it in a story called One Scary Night! I feel bad for Shadow though. We must ask a friend of ours to come along with us next time to see if he can help us set Shadow free!” Oira said, as he wiped his tears away. Iora was the first to come to, followed by Rai, moments later.

     “Who will we take?” Iora asked. “I feel bad for leaving Shadow behind with Rogif too.”

     “I’m not sure, we’ll decide on that later on, but for now, I’m going to sleep and will talk to the others when I wake up!” Oira let out a yawn, he took his Kaia Backpack off and put it on the ground near his bed, he made a mental reminder to himself to empty his Kaia Backpack when he wakes up and soon fell asleep, Iora and Rai slept next to him, dreaming about the one scary night they had.

     There was one thing that Oira had forgotten about in The Haunted Cave which was his beloved Baby Holiday Scarf, but he would have to return to The Haunted Cave to get it back, providing that Rogif doesn't find it first and keep it for himself. The only thing that Oira, Rai and Iora didn’t know was that Rogif and Shadow had indeed played a trick on them.

     Rogif and Shadow were known tricksters who enjoyed scaring Neopets, like they had just done. The Haunted Cave was their favourite spot to do just that as many Neopians came to visit, returning home with fear.

     THE END!