Alyss surveyed the Negg she held in her right paw, peering critically with an artist's eye. With her tongue between her teeth, she gripped the paint brush in her other paw and dabbed, using the utmost precision, two rows of yellow polka-dots around the top of the Negg. The dots danced among a sea of pastel waves, a beautiful pattern that the Kacheek had created all on her own.
"There!" Alyss exclaimed. "That should do it."
She blew gently on the wet paint for a few minutes, then set the Negg softly in a paper-lined woven basket, among hand-picked daisies and the eleven other Neggs she had just decorated that morning. She secured the basket to front of her yellow bike and set out the door. Her client was waiting for this delivery, just in time for the Festival.
As the Kacheek began to pedal up the hill toward Neopia Central, she imagined the joyful faces on the pets who would soon receive her Neggs. She hoped that this year, her designs would catch the eye of more customers. Then, she could persue her dream of being a watercolour painter, creating new art every day for the rest of the foreseeable future. She smiled at the thought, and gazed up at the cotton clouds, distracted. A lovely breeze ruffled the top of her head.
The front tires hit a bump on the pavement and the basket jostled, slightly. Alyss' eyes snapped back to the front. Just as this happened, there was a distinct, muffled noise from within the basket.
The bike slowed to a halt as Alyss considered the basket, frowning. Balancing her weight on one foot, she extended a paw to poke through the basket's contents... |
Author: _razcalz_
Date: Apr 6th
|
Alyss then took out the dozen Neggs and inspected each individually to ensure that none were damaged. Her heart dropped when she held the last Negg up to eye-level. There was a fracture at the center of that particular Negg that ran from the top to the center and it was the very last Negg she worked on with her signature design of two rows of yellow polka-dots around the top of the Negg and out of all the Neggs she worked on, this one took the longest to finish.
Alyss tried to remain calm and not panic. Her client was waiting for this delivery and she did not wait to keep her client waiting or be late. Time was running out and if Alyss turned back to go home, everything would be delayed. All of a sudden, there was a blinding light ahead that made Alyss close her eyes for a brief five seconds and when she opened her eyes again, she was startled to see a Light Faerie in front of her...
| Author: pixie_tea Date: Apr 7th |
"What are you doing here?" Alyss exclaimed. "I was just about to deliver your Neggs!" She looked down at the yellow polka-dotted Negg still in her paw, the crack in it seared into her vision.
"I know, I know, but I had to look for you," the Light Faerie reasoned, gesturing wildly. "I need those Neggs ASAP." Then she peered closely at the Neggs in Alyss' basket.
The Kacheek opened and closed her mouth. There was no hiding what happened now that her client was right in front of her, she knew. "Um...about those Neggs...I hit a bump in the road, and..."
Wordlessly she held up the Negg that was fractured from her bicycle ride. The Light Faerie stared at it - the fracture from the top to the center that was definitely not part of the polka dots and pastel waves that comprised the design.
"Oh...oh dear," the Faerie whispered. "This is bad."
"I know, I'm so sorry!" Alyss burst out. "I don't think we can fix it, but maybe..."
"No, it's not just that," said the Light Faerie, her bright amber eyes widening as she glanced this way and that. "This is really, really bad!"
"Why?"
The Light Faerie pointed slowly at the damaged Negg, as the crack in it suddenly widened to reveal...
| Author: precious_katuch14 Date: Apr 13th |
a rotund shadowy figure, fidgeting around the confines of the Negg.
Suddenly, green sclerae and two beady red eyes emerged from the blob and quickly began examining the pair. The eyes darted quickly between Alyss and the Faerie, seldom stopping to gaze at one particular individual.
The Kacheek’s paws were shaking, barely able to hold the Negg. Alyss slowly turned her head to the Faerie and asked, “I-Is that what I think it is?”
The Light Faerie remained vigilant, her gaze remained fixed on the entity within the Negg. Without looking at Alyss, the Faerie replied in a calm yet stern voice, “Yes, it seems that we’ve got Jhudora’s Bar-”
Before the Faerie could finish her sentence, a loud crack pierced the air. The creature had spread its moderately sized violet wings, destroying the top half of the beautifully designed Negg.
“Nooo!” yelled the Kacheek as she began to sob. Alyss had hoped to somehow salvage the Negg which she had worked meticulously on.
“Typical Bartamus,” said the Light Faerie. She was clearly disgruntled and spoke as if she was acquainted with the petpet.
Then, at a moment’s notice, the devious creature darted into the sky. A large smirk was now present on its face, its eyes moved to the remaining Neggs as it swooped downward…
| Author: 1337r3st0ck4 Date: Apr 14th |
"Noooooo!" Alyss screeched, diving to protect the Neggs. She had worked too hard to lose more of them!
The Bartamus hit her back with a thump, and fell to the ground, dazed. The Light Faerie sighed, looking at the stunned petpet.
"What...just...happened...?" wonder Alyss, still bodily guarding the remaining Neggs. "How...why...WHAT?"
The Light Faerie only shrugged. "Search me. What kind of Negg did you use, anyway?"
The Kacheek stilled, thinking back to her Negg gathering. It had been just a regular Negg, hadn't it?
"It was...purple, I think? Just a normal Negg?" Alyss cringed, realizing both sentences had come out as questions.
The Light Faerie walked over to the remains of the shattered Negg. "Clearly not," she said primly, picking up the bottom half - or what was left of it. She pointed to the bottom of the Negg.
Alyss looked closer. "Is that...."
| Author: agedbeauty Date: Apr 15th |
..a Spring Flowers Easter Negg? How did that get in there? I only painted plain Neggs."
The Light Faerie locked eyes with Alyss but something was off. There was a glint in her eye that reminded Alyss of the glint in Jhudora's eye.
Before Alyss could say anything, the Light Faerie smiled a maliciously and vanished into a cloud of smoke.
Once the smoke cleared Alyss began to gather up her Neggs. She picked up the first one and noticed she was holding a Mosaic Negg.
Panic flashed in her eyes as she looked down at the rest of her Neggs and noticed they were all different. These were not the Neggs she had originally painted.
"What do I do," Alyss cried. "I can't deliver Neggs I didn't create, or can I... How will this story end?
| Author: she_chose_love Date: Apr 16th |
Alyss considered her options. Maybe she could pass off these Neggs as her own. They were still pleasing to look at. But then, what if people did like them? She dreamed of being a watercolour painter, but what was the fun of being famous for someone else’s design? She took pride in her work, after all.
It looked like her dreams would have to wait another year. All thanks to that Light Faerie whom Alyss suspected was not all she seemed.
She started gathering the Neggs that had replaced her own. Just as she placed the last Negg in her yellow bike’s basket, a Camouflage Techo came up the path and pointed to a particular Negg.
“Oh my Fyora, is that a Fish Negg?! I will give you ten million Neopoints for it.”
“Wha- What?” said Alyss.
“It’s worth at least fifteen!” said a Striped Bruce jogging up behind the Techo. “Don’t let him fool you, he’s a restocker.”
The Techo paid the Bruce no mind. “And there’s a Jelly Negg, and a Rainbow Cybunny Negg, and a Cool Negg, and just wow, a lot a rare Neggs. I will give you twenty-five million for the whole lot.”
“And I’ll give you thirty!” chimed in the Bruce.
Alyss stood there, shocked. Thirty million Neopoints? Why with that, she could retire from Negg painting, and live her dream of painting watercolours! A grin spread across her face.
“Actually, I was just heading to the Auction House, if you want to follow me there, I’ll be happy to sell. To the highest bidder, of course.”
And with that, Alyss rode off, careful not to hit any more bumps in the road this time.
The End,
| Author: june_scarlet Date: Apr 17th |