That’s how Celeste the Lenny felt as she ruminated over the return of her courses at Brightvale Academy. She loved the research that she did, of course, but the idea of returning to the academy and sleeplessly working away on her Neopian theatre thesis seemed daunting. She looked around her family’s Mystery Island home and the weight of the season ending seemed to displace her.

“Well,” Celeste sighed to herself, “there’s no point in putting off the inevitable. I may as well start packing up my things again.”

As Celeste reached for her suitcase, it felt heavier than she expected. Didn’t she empty this out as soon as she got home earlier this summer?

As she finished opening its zipper, an invisible petpet of some kind jumped out at her and licked her face! “Where did you come from?!” Celeste exclaimed.

She wasn’t expecting an answer, but sure enough the petpet responded…

So shrill was the sound that came from the petpet's mouth that Celeste dropped the suitcase and staggered back against the wall.

"MEEPMEEP!" It licked her face like a Puppyblew, but shrieked like a Meepit.

Celeste threw her wings before her and flapped them until the mysterious petpet gave up its assault and landed softly on the ground. "What are you?" Celeste asked as she smoothed her ruffled feathers.

"Meep," said the petpet, more quietly. "Meepmeep."

She already suspected the truth, and shook her head at the revelation.

For her entire life, she had lived on Mystery Island, and she knew its secrets. Knew the way to the Secret Ninja School and the names of the magical spices that gave power to the faerie Jhuidah's Cooking Pot. She had even, on occasion, sampled some of the strange foods that came from her brew.

There had always been rumours that the Cooking Pot was sometimes used for more than just strange foods or curious celebratory drinks. That Jhuidah had been experimenting with creating new lifeforms, new petpets. So rare as to never have been reliably sighted on Mystery Island.

"Until now," thought Celeste.

The ferry to Brightvale would depart without her if she didn't go soon, but she couldn't leave this fascinating creation alone. Who knew what someone else might do to it if surprised by its relentless affection and invisibility? Softly, she scooped the petpet in her wings and stepped out into the muggy afternoon.

"I'm going to help you," she chirped at the petpet. Together, they walked the grassy path to the Cooking Pot. When they arrived, her beak gaped open, and her feathers ruffled.

Nothing in all her studies at Brightvale Academy could have prepared her for what they saw.

The Cooking Pot had been overturned and lay on its side, spilling a gloopy deep red liquid over the rim and onto the ground. The ground and trees in the clearing had been splattered too and were covered in numerous red globules. The spilt liquid did not appear to seep into the ground, and in fact appeared to simply remain on the surface. It was also still bubbling; bubbles continually rose to the surface slowly before popping with an odd squeaking noise.

Celeste gaped. She had expected to see the usual scene of Jhuidah calmly stirring the large green pot of frothy, bubbling, colour-changing liquid, not disorder and confusion. Still cradling the invisible petpet, Celeste glanced about the scene and carefully took a few steps forward into the clearing. She spotted Jhuidah kneeling on the ground near a clump of bushes, looking extremely frazzled. The flower that was usually placed impeccably above her ear was frayed and wilting. Her bushy brown hair was even bushier than usual, and was peppered with red flecks. It appeared that the red liquid from the Cooking Pot had got onto her hair as well. Yet, despite her untidy appearance, she spoke in a slow, soothing voice that exuded calm and control.

“Shhh, calm down, Pippin, I’m trying to help you.” Jhuidah murmured as she stroked what appeared to be a squirming petpet-sized mass of red liquid blobs in her arms.

“MEEP! Meepmeep! MEEP!” The mass of red blobs squirmed and squealed loudly. It appeared to be an invisible petpet like the one Celeste was holding, except that it was covered in blobs of the red liquid from the Cooking Pot.

“There, there,” Jhuidah continued. “I can’t see you now, so you need to stay still, otherwise I won’t be able to… Aaaaahh!”

A shower of red blobs splattered Jhuidah’s face. She sputtered in surprise. The mass of red blobs in her arms continued to squirm and squeal loudly, then wriggled out of her grasp and bounded away. “No, come back! You’ve got to stay here until…”

But the red blob-covered petpet had disappeared into the bushes. Jhuidah stared after it for a long moment, then sighed and looked down at her hands. Celeste had never seen Jhuidah look so forlorn. It felt as though she were intruding on a private moment. Celeste wondered if she should leave. She took a tentative step back and was about to turn around when the petpet she was still holding wriggled and squeaked.

“Meep!”

Jhuidah looked round.

“Uh, hello Jhuidah,” Celeste said, feeling slightly awkward and self-conscious.

“Hello, Celeste,” Jhuidah replied with a faint smile. She glanced around the clearing. “I’m so sorry you had to see this mess.”

“MEEP!”

“Is that…?” Jhuidah peered curiously at the wriggling shape hidden under the Celeste’s wing feathers.

“I think so. I mean, I wasn’t… I just… I was on my way to…” Celeste paused and swallowed. She was still rather taken aback by the scene in the clearing she had stumbled upon, but she needed to calm down and tell Jhuidah what she found if she wanted to help the petpet. She took a deep breath.

“It’s an invisible petpet, I think. It jumped out of my suitcase this morning when I was packing to go back to Brightvale Academy. I’m not sure how it got in there. It seems good-natured and friendly enough, but I’m not sure what type it is, because it doesn’t seem like any petpet I’ve ever encountered. I thought I’d bring it to you to see if you knew anything about it. I think it might be the same kind of petpet you were just talking to earlier.”

“Oh,” Jhuidah chuckled. “You saw that, huh?”

“I didn’t mean to,” Celeste mumbled, feeling embarrassed. She looked down at the shape beneath her cradled wings. She could feel the petpet nuzzling her feathers affectionately. Plucking up her courage, she looked up at Jhuidah again and asked, “What happened here? Were you trying a new recipe when something went wrong?”

To Celeste’s surprise, Jhuidah laughed. “No, that isn’t what happened at all! I suppose I can see why you thought that was the case, but nothing went wrong with any recipe. In fact, it all started when the Techo Master came to me a month ago…”

Celeste looked a little sad. “Wow, I guess I never thought of it like that. I just figured he has trained Neopians so long because he loves what he does. I never thought it makes him sad.”

“Well,” Jhuidah started, “I do think he enjoys what he does but he just felt like he was missing something. That of course being a petpet. He came to me asking about what petpets might make the best companions and I honestly had no answer. Majority of them at the Rock Pool are aquatic and are not as active as he was wanting, so I thought I could make him a petpet.”

Things started to make sense to Celeste now but she was still unsure of how the invisible petpet and the red blob covered petpet were connected.

“You seem like you are still puzzled Celeste so I will jump to the end,” Jhuidah said while smiling. “I carefully thought of the ingredients and started the process. I turned away for a brief moment and something must have fallen into the pot and to my surprise, the invisible petpet you have with you now was born. He escaped before I could ease him into everything and I couldn’t find him anywhere.”

Celeste couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Just in this brief time, she had started feeling closer to this new invisible petpet and she felt regret because this petpet should have belonged to the Techo Master.

“I guess I need to give you this little fella back then,” Celeste told Jhuidah as tears started to form.

“Well hold on one second,” Jhuidah began. “When I finally assumed that little fella wouldn’t be coming back, I started trying to recreate him but I couldn’t figure out what that mystery ingredient was. Now that he is back, I might be able to use him with Pippin and duplicate him! That way you and the Techo Master both have your new friends. What do you say Celeste, should we try?”

A sudden smile covered Celeste’s face. She was about to have the chance of a lifetime, making a recipe with Jhuidah!

“I would love to!” Celeste exclaimed.

Celeste handed her invisible petpet to Jhuidah, as Jhuidah grabbed Pippin. She placed both of them in the pot and they began.

How will this story end?

A bubbling sound came from the pot. "A-ha!" Jhuidah said, clapping her hands together. "We should have three petpets now."

Celeste peered into the pot - there was nothing to be seen, of course, but three contented "Meeps" sounded in unison. Dollops of red, blue, and yellow fruit juice rolled aside.

Jhuidah scooped up her petpet, cooing softly. "There now, Pippin, that wasn't too hard, was it? The spell's complete."

"Meep," came the response.

Celeste reached into the pot, and felt a warm weight climb up her wings onto her back. "I'm going to call you Summer," she said.

Jhuidah beamed. "That's a lovely name!"

"Thanks, Jhuidah. I must be off now - the ferry to Brightvale is leaving soon."

The Island Faerie waved. "Take care, Celeste. Will you be passing by the Island Academy, by any chance?"

"Sure! I can drop off the Techo Master's petpet for you."

"Thank you very much, Celeste. You've always been a big help to me." Jhuidah scooped the third petpet out of the pot and put it carefully into the Lenny's embrace.

"See you next summer, Jhuidah!"

As Celeste set off back down the grassy path, she could hear the light sound of drums coming from the Island Academy nearby. The Techo Master had already begun his morning exercise routine. Soon, the pupils would be trooping in. She slipped the little petpet into the Academy courtyard, and smiled as she heard it scamper towards its new owner.

The new school term was starting, but even though summer was fading now, Celeste took comfort in the knowledge that Summer - the invisible Summer - would be with her. Warm, and heavy, like a package of expectations. With just a little faith, there it would be, accompanying her onto the dock and into the future.

The End,