"So, tents," Joellala continued to her Kacheek coworker. "Should I bring my family's Deluxe Lost Desert Tent even though it's leaky, or could we make do with your Spardel Tent?"

"I could barely fit inside that tent before I started at Chocolate Factory," said Lehi, "but your family tent is too heavy to lug through the woods."

"We could take turns, and leave it there when we're done camping,"

"Camping? I love camping!" Mimi had somehow sneaked back without a sound.

"It's nothing special," said Lehi. "Just a few days over the Faerie Festival break."

"Just me and Lehi," Joellala added quickly.

"Great idea!" Mimi cried. "Just the best of the Chocolate Factory office! Let's not invite that Poogle intern."

"Hey, that's not--"

"Where shall we go? Mystery Island is beautiful in the Month of Gathering," said Mimi. "I know ALL the best beach spots."

"We've already decided on the woods," said Lehi.

"Oh! I'm an expert at woodland plant identification. And everything outdoorsy, really. Where?"

"Brightv--" Lehi began.

"Haunted Woods," said Joellala. She ignored the stare from Lehi.

"Oh!" Even Mimi looked at a loss.

"Yeah, we could visit the Esophagor and camp on the edge of the Fairground. It will be great," Lehi said, understanding now.

"That's not exactly your taste, is it, Mimi?" said Joellala.

"No," Mimi frowned. Then she perked up. "But I'm sure I'll do great. Besides, you two can't manage without me! To the Haunted Woods!"

"Yeah! Haunted Woods!" Lehi said weakly, while giving Joellala the most unimpressed look she could muster.

Two weeks later, the trio set out bright and early...

“Taste the air, guys. It’s so fresh out here!”

“Come on Mimi, we don’t have time to keep stopping and smelling the roses… or the air… or whatever!” exclaimed Lehi. She quickly glanced at Joellala as they rolled their eyes in almost perfect unison.

“It sure is. It’s no Chocolate Factory, though,” Joellala giggled. “To be honest, I’m kind of missing the smell of sugar, cocoa…”

Mimi sighed. “You’re so lucky I came. Every camping trip needs a genuine nature enthusiast like me!”

“Suuure,” Joellala nodded, making a mental note to never discuss camping, or any leisure activity for that matter, at work again.

Mimi scrunched up her face in irritation. “I even brought my first-edition copy of Tree Species Native to the Haunted Woods!”

Lehi groaned. “Hey, it’s great that you’re both already annoyed at each other, but can we not forget who has a super-heavy Deluxe Lost Desert Tent in their backpack right now?!”

“Now you know how I felt hours ago!” exclaimed Joellala, smirking.

“Sor-ry!” crooned Mimi. “You know… if you don’t want to walk any further… there’s a great campsite nearby. I’ve stayed there before! Besides, I’m hungry, and we missed breakfast and lunch, and--”

Joellala and Lehi looked at each other. The trio had made less progress than anticipated, and the fairground campsite they had booked was still hours away. The sun shone brightly overhead, but it would soon set and leave the final leg of their journey in total darkness.

“Fine. Let’s just go. We can stay the night and leave at sunrise,” said Joellala, resigned. This was meant to be a simple, fun trip for two friends; who would’ve thought their plans would change this much?

“Hooray!” squealed Mimi, her paw pointing towards a distant clearing. “Follow me!” She bounced away with more enthusiasm and energy than Joellala and Lehi could ever muster up, combined, even with the help of all the Neocola in the Neopia. "Over the hills and through the woods…” her sing-song voice trailed in the distance.

Joellala and Lehi rolled their eyes, this time totally synchronised, as they set off to follow.

Good thing they didn’t look down to see the slippery, snotty bright green trail left in Mimi’s wake.

The sun continued to set and Mimi continued singing to herself as she led the way through the woods, ostensibly taking them to the clearing that she had mentioned. Lehi squinted through the dimming light, thinking that she could see a small open space between the trees up ahead, but before she could get a good look, Joellala tripped over a hidden tree root and stumbled into her from behind.

Lehi reflexively reached out to catch herself against the nearest tree, but it was too late; her sturdy hiking boots were so mucked up with green ooze that they slipped right out from under her and she tumbled to the ground under the weight of the Deluxe Lost Desert Tent in her backpack.

Joellala followed Lehi down, her feet still tangled in the dark undergrowth, and the two of them groaned as they carefully extricated themselves from their goopy, bruised pile. "Sorry," Joellala panted, aiming a kick at the offending tree root. "I tripped."

"It's fi--eugh, what is this?" Lehi asked, raising her hands in front of her face to examine the sticky substance that was making so much dirt and dead leaves cling to her skin.

"Ew, I don't know!" Joellala said. She finally managed to get herself back on her feet and grabbed Lehi by the arm to help her up too. "Wipe it off and let's find Mimi. I think she got too far ahead."

Only then did Lehi realize that Mimi's singing had disappeared; their tag-along colleague was nowhere to be seen or heard. "Which way did she go?" Lehi asked, looking around nervously. She didn't like being in these woods after dark when they didn't know where they were going.

Out of the darkness, from somewhere in the trees, a strange, distorted voice reached Lehi and Joellala's ears, saying...

"It's not very often however, that something living is lost. I feel sorry for her." The distorted voice continued. The source still invisible.

"It's," Lehi began. She merely pointed, as she could muster no more words. Joellala averted her gaze to where Lehi was pointing. She then saw what the other did. It was a tail, a ghostly tail, nothing that belonged to those among the living.

"I see it." Joellala responded, though breathlessly and barely above a whisper. It seemed to her that the tail was rather long. Her eyes scanned the trees, trying to see more but it was useless. Nothing.

"Oh," Words of distortion rung out again, making the girls jump. "I'm not trying to hide." Soon after those words were said, something started to emerge from the darkness. The creature slowly becoming visible was strangely illuminated, but it was clear now what it was...

The two stared at the Ghost Meerca for some time before Lehi finally stammered, "She's our f-friend... Mimi... She's our friend and we lost her."

The Ghost Meerca returned their stares kindly and smiled. "If we can find lost things that aren't living, perhaps it will be even easier to find someone who is. Try not to worry. I will fly as high as I can and look for her, while you walk down below and search. She can't have gone too far, unless..."

Lehi and Joellala stared anxiously at the Meerca, still unsure and afraid of what is in front of them. They've never seen a ghost before, at least not a real one. Painted? Many times. But this was something entirely different, from the smell to the chill it leaves in their spines.

"Y-yea." Lehi managed to whisper out. "M-MM-Mi..." She had to stop to take a few deep breaths. The Meerca's empty eyes waited patiently. "Mimi. She'd been there before." Lehi struggled to let out even that much.

"Not in a long while, I would say. Around the campsite, there were tunnels. A relic of Neovia, you see. No one to maintain them, they've gone to ruins. Collapsed in on themselves. There were none inside, but above," the Meerca bowed and shook its head, letting out a light sigh, "there was the campsite."

The Meerca stared into the frightened eyes of Lehi and Joellala, its own eyes coming closer until they could feel the dripping plasma. The smell worsened with every inch closer.

"The campsite was quite full of innocents. Neopets merely trying to enjoy their vacation, much like you two. The collapse claimed them all, but one."

A wave of confusion came over Lehi and Joellala. "But one?" They queried as one. Synchronized through fear and all.

A look of fear on the Meerca's face as it inched closer still, "Yes, one. A frightening story to tell, but one you must know..."

How does this story end?

A blast of green slime interrupted the Ghost Meerca. It sputtered, trying to wipe the goo from its eyes and nose.

"Kind of rude to tell someone else's story at a party!" Mimi, her tail dripping with mucous, was unmistakably green now as she circled the trio.

Joellala and Lehi stumbled back against each other, no longer minding the Ghost Meerca's proximity.

"Who invited THAT one? So anyway," Mimi said brightly, "the creature agreed to help the child, in exchange for her working for him. They had a pact. It was my first job contract before the Chocolate Factory!" She laughed.

"Water. Try water, or acid if you have it," the Ghost Meerca murmured, barely audibly.

"Where in the woods would we find acid?" Joellala whispered.

"We finished the potable water on the hike," Lehi added.

Simultaneously, they looked down at the outer pockets of their backpacks and then at each other.

"Then Meuka said I HAD to find victims myself!" Mimi was still talking and circling the group. "Wouldn't acknowledge me as his pupil, either, if anyone asked!"

"Mimi!" Joellala called. She shook an object in each hand.

"Huh?" Mimi paused.

"Now!" The Kacheek and Wocky, one holding two cans of Red Buzz Energy Drink and the other balancing bottles of Energyblast Krawkade, aimed bubbling blasts at Mimi's slimy green head.

"Aaargh!" It was Mimi's turn to rub her eyes. "Chemicals! You guys know I hate processed stuff! I left brochures about the Tyrannian diet in the office kitchen!"

"In that case, have some of this, too!" Lehi threw a giant Grarrlnola Bar at the slimy Meerca as it retreated into the darkness.

The following Monday, the pair was back to Chocolate Factory, only slightly torn up and bruised.

"Do you think she'll come back?" asked Lehi.

"I don't know, but I'm prepared if she does." Joellala gave a small kick to the 24-pack of Krawkade under her desk.

The Poogle intern came over. "How was camping? I heard you discussing it with Mimi last week."

"It was... fine." "Very eventful."

"That's awesome. Do you think I could join you next time? I love camping." The plushie Poogle smiled, ears pointed upward, and flashed sharper teeth and redder eyes than Lehi and Joellala remembered. "I know this really interesting place..."

The End