A Spooky Escapade: Part One

Also by pandabearb

Eliv Thade watched secretly as four unsuspecting pets and one Petpet trotted happily through the gate into the Deserted Fairground. A speckled Kacheek frolicked around her friends in circles, excited about the rigged games they would waste their Neopoints on later in the day. They're certainly an odd bunch, Thade thought.

     He watched with amusement as the shadow Lupe stuck out his paw and held back the Kacheek with an annoyed snarl on his face. The Kacheek, Cunchicka, stuck her tongue out at Tidus, the Lupe, and went to hide behind a fiery Kyrii. The Kyrii, nicknamed Ketchup, laughed and good-naturedly threw a clump of loose dirt off the ground at the Lupe in protection for what appeared to be her friend. Out of the four pets, the only one who even fit in slightly with the surroundings was a huge Halloween Lupe, who was Ketchup's older brother, called Ramrod. The Werelupe laughed as his shadow friend ducked out of the way. Off of his back tumbled a giggling white ball of fur, Daisy the Polarchuck. She rolled to a stop and sat up, swaying back in forth with a goofy expression on her face.

     Thade followed the group with cold eyes before dropping the ragged blue curtain back into place over the cobwebbed window and swept out the castle door with a mission in mind.

     The group moved on past the Spooky Furniture shop, getting adjusted to the eerie atmosphere of the Fairground. Cunchicka looked around enthusiastically, and out of the corner of her eye she saw a strange, frightening wheel. "Guys, look!" she shouted to her peers. "It's the Wheel of Misfortune! Nearly every time it goes around, it lands on something horrible. We should totally spin it!"

     Ramrod and Ketchup rolled their eyes in unison. Tidus shook his head. "Sis, why exactly would it be a good idea to spin it then?" he asked doubtfully.

     "Fun, of course," she answered, then turned to Ramrod. "You brought along a thousand Neopoints for spending money, didn't you?"

     "Umm," Ramrod started, hesitating. "Nope, I left the Neopoints at home. Sorry."

     Ketchup laughed and nudged Ramrod in the ribs. "You didn't leave them at home, silly, forgetful Lupe! I saw you put them in your pocket!"

     The Halloween Lupe looked at his sister in disgust and rubbed his soar side where his strong little sister had elbowed him. "Ketchup, thanks a lot!" He bent down and whispered in her ear, "I was trying to save my Neopoints from a certain loss!"

     Cunchicka, clueless to what Ramrod had just said to Ketchup, exclaimed happily, "Great! The wheel's just up that hill then. Let's go!"

     "Yay, I am so excited," Tidus commented blandly and brimming with sarcasm. They proceeded up the hill, passing the rigged Bagatelle stand where a few pets were lined up to have a go at losing their Neopoints. Daisy, the confused Polarchuck, had crawled from Tidus' back to Ramrod's shoulder, annoying him somewhat. Finally, the group stood before the majestic Wheel of Misfortune.

     "It's beautiful!" Cunchicka squealed in awe. Ramrod laughed and approached a mysterious lever that stood next to the wheel, leaving poor Daisy to roll off his shoulder.

     "What do you think it does?" Ketchup asked curiously, gesturing towards the lever.

     Tidus shrugged sardonically. "Hmm, I don't know Ketchup, maybe it makes the wheel start spinning?"

     "Oh, that could be it!" she agreed.

     "Okay, okay, enough talking. Can we spin it now?" Cunchicka asked while jumping up and down.

     Sighing, Ramrod dug out a hundred Neopoints and held them for a second, saying his final good bye before pushing them into the slot. "Who wants to spin it?" he asked, looking at the group.

     Everyone backed away, except Tidus, who appeared to be daydreaming. Ketchup with a sly grin, chanted quickly, "One, two, three, NOT IT!" Ramrod and Cunchicka quickly echoed that. They all turned to Tidus and giggled.

     The shadow Lupe snapped awake from his zoned out moment. "Did I miss something?" he asked, staring strangely at his friends and sister.

     "We made a decision that you have to spin it," Ramrod explained.

     "Gee, thanks, guys. I love you. You all rock," he said, smirking. He sighed, gripped his paws around the lever, and pulled it with strength.

     Cunchicka's head bobbed up and down as she followed the wheel as it spun. Before long it was slowing down and Ramrod moved closer to see what it was going to land on.

     The group groaned as they saw that it stopped moving at '-NP.'

     "That was a rip-off," Ketchup muttered, wrinkling her nose.

     Feeling his pocket, Ramrod jumped up, startled. He turned it inside out to reveal that it had completely emptied. "That wheel took all of my Neopoints!" he cried in outrage and shook his fist at the Wheel of Misfortune.

     "That's what you get for making me spin it," Tidus told him, simpering.

     "Don't worry, you guys!" Cunchicka cried happily. "I brought along an extra six hundred and seventy eight Neopoints!"

     Ketchup blinked. Tidus and Ramrod stared at her blankly. "Erm," the Kyrii began, "why exactly did you bring along six hundred and seventy eight?"

     Cunchicka shrugged. "I like random numbers!"

     Ramrod sighed. "Well, I'd like to make my Neopoints back."

     "How exactly are you going to do that?" Tidus asked, shoving his nagging Polarchuck away from his leg.

     "We should play Carnival of Terror!" Cunchicka shouted. "After every game you earn Neopoints!"

     Meanwhile, Eliv Thade had been watching them all closely in the shadows. Yes, he thought to himself, go play Carnival of Terror.

     "Sounds good to me!" Ketchup agreed.

     The group of friends started over to the Carnival of Terror with Ramrod sulking over his lost Neopoints in the back and Daisy clapping her paws while sitting on Ketchup's head. "Come on and see how strong you are! Step right up and try hitting the button with the mallet! Only one hundred Neopoints and if you're strong enough the jackpot could be yours!" Arnold the Mynci at Test Your Strength was yelling out as they passed him.

     "Maybe later," Tidus called back politely.

     Cunchicka and Ketchup were talking loudly together about some kind of berry when Ramrod suddenly said quietly, "I think we're being watched."

     The other three looked at each other and in unison and rolled their eyes. "No more mysteries before bed for you," Ketchup told her brother sternly.

     "Seriously though," the Lupe countered, "I've felt like someone's been following us this entire time."

     "Ramrod, look all of the other pets in the Fairground. None of them are paying attention to us," Tidus assured him. Slyly, he added, "Unless it's a ghost."

     Everyone chuckled nervously for a moment. Then, Ramrod nodded and told them to forget about what he said, since there obviously wasn't anyone following them at all. Cunchicka urged them all along to the Carnival of Terror, picking up Daisy who had randomly fallen asleep. Eliv Thade cackled and followed them there in the shadows, waiting to make his appearance.

     "Isn't it wonderful?" Cunchicka asked dreamily as they finally arrived at the carnival.

     "It kind of creeps me out," Ketchup admitted as they passed a Chia dressed up as a clown.

     "Okay, so how exactly is this place going to get me my Neopoints back?" Ramrod asked in a confused voice.

     "It's not!" Eliv Thade responded and cackled as he jumped out from his hiding spot behind a trash can.

     All four pets jumped up in alarm. "Who are you?" Ketchup demanded fiercely.

     Cunchicka whispered into the Kyrii's ear, "He looks a lot like Eliv Thade!"

     "I am Eliv Thade! Bwahaha!" he shouted. "And I have come here to ruin your day!"

     "Um, how so?" Tidus asked unenthusiastically.

     Suddenly, the six hundred and seventy eight Neopoints that were in Cunchicka's grasp flew away from her and floated into Eliv Thade's hand. "Hey!" she squalled. "Give me my Neopoints back, those don't belong to you!"

     "Tough luck, Kacheek," he sneered. "I am stealing your six hundred and seventy eight Neopoints, and..." He looked at Daisy.

     "And what?" Ramrod growled.

     "And I will be taking that Polarchuck also!"

     "Please, take the Polarchuck, just give us our Neopoints back," Tidus said, beaming at the evil villain.

     "No!" Cunchicka cried out. "Don't take Daisy or my Neopoints! Take something else." Cunchicka thought for a moment then ran over and picked something off the ground from behind a stand. "How about this nice sock?"

     "How dare you insult me by offering that moldy old sock that smells of cheese!" Thade proclaimed, flabbergasted. "No, the Polarchuck and the six hundred and seventy-eight Neopoints will do just fine. So long, fools! Bwah!" With those departing words, Thade grabbed Daisy from Tidus' outstretched hands and disappeared into the thick woods.

     "What are we going to do now?" Ketchup asked in alarm. "We have no Neopoints, and we're short a petpet. Our owners are going to kill us."

     "Not if we go retrieve Daisy and my Neopoints from that evil old ghoul!" Cunchicka exclaimed bravely, thrusting her fist up into the air. "But where can we find him?"

     "I suppose he'll be at the Castle of Eliv Thade..." Ramrod trailed off.

To Be Continued...