Drain Dream by apparent |  |
As he usually was found, Krawker_oth the spotted Krawk laid
blissfully within a bathtub filled to the brim with soap and water. It was a Sunday
night; he'd be off to boring ol' Neoschool the following morning, and a warm bath
was the best comfort for that kind of "stress", as he'd called it. While playing
with one of his Toy Sail Boats in the water, the water-loving Neopet turned the
faucets to the bathtub, sending water rushing in every direction, overflowing
the shallow bathtub. But he didn't mind. While humming a tune aloud to him, Krawker
wriggled the claw-like joints on his feet.
"Yahoo! Submarine number 5768 is in preparation
for submerging…" he announced loudly, as the water in the bathtub spilled all
over the floor, running into the hallway and down the stairs. One at a time,
each large soap bubble popped, one after the other. The spotted Krawk forced
his sailboat underneath the surface of the water, giggling insanely while observing
the bottom of the marble tub.
"Now, all we've got to do is observe the depths
and record before time runs out. Then, we'll make the front page of the Neopian
Times as 'Neopia's Fearless Sea Explorers'."
As he rambled onwards, his older brother sulked
in the hallway. Water was everywhere now -- on the rugs, staining the wooden
furniture, and teasing at the hue of the paint. Jyrosen, tired from an afternoon
of eating, splashed his way towards the bathroom door. Great. Apparently Krawker
had a plan to drown himself before he reached 200 days old, because every weekend
he did the same thing. Angrily, the Lupe banged his fists on the door.
"KRAWKER! Get your little nerdy behind out of
the bathtub right now!!"
The Krawk alertly adverted his attention to
the doorway where his older brother's muffled yells could be heard, quickly
turning off the bath water. If he provoked him enough, Apparent would ground
him for sure. "Okay, okay, I'm coming out in five minutes."
"No, I want you out NOW!"
"Alright! Just let the drain take out some of
the water."
After a few moments, Jyrosen stormed away from
the door of the bathroom. His anger resulted in his obliviousness to the thick
layer of water on the floor, and thus, he slipped right on his rump. A loud
BANG! Shook the whole of the NeoHome, and Krawker took that as a sign to come
out of the bathroom as soon as possible. The effect of the drain removing the
water from the bathtub resulted in a funnel of water spinning around merrily.
The Krawk yawned tiredly. "That Jyrosen, he's so bossy."
Being oddly curious, as always, the Krawk slipped
onto his belly to press his face on the funnel. It's strength managed to tickle
his tough cheeks, and he giggled. While releasing a yawn the Krawk closed his
eyes, enjoying the feel of the water on his facial exterior.
A few moments passed.
Or was it a few hours? He didn't know. While
still underneath the water, Krawker_oth blinked curiously. Somehow, he didn't
feel the need to breathe, and asked himself while underwater, "Where am I?"
The truth was, he didn't. The atmosphere was
cloudy - the distance he was able to see was not very far, only about three
or four inches ahead. Strangely enough, the Krawk seemed to be steering a ship
- identical to the one he had been playing with in his bathtub the same evening.
Frightened, he managed to say, "This is really spooky."
His boat began to steer itself forward, as if
controlled by something that the Krawk was unable to see. Due to the fact that
he could barely see within the clouded water, Krawker simply sat, his eyes widened
with fear. Where was he? How did he get there? Only negative questions filled
his mind. As the boat moved faster in a straight direction, the atmosphere began
to clear. Krawker shrieked. The area he was in was unidentified, and very, very
scary. Tendrils of seaweed floated on the surface of the water, and strange
looking fish darted past. Beams of light peaked through here and there, creating
an illuminated environment.
"Okay, this is strange. Can I go home now?"
he cried out to nothing in particular, hoping that he would magically be lead
back home. His request was not answered. However, something else happened. A
large Jetsam swam in the direction of the confused Krawk, looking awkwardly
goofy. Krawker stared, still confused, as the Jetsam asked, "Hey! You comin'
to the Maraquan festival?"
Krawker snorted. "The whosa WHAT?"
"Y'know, the festival! Maraqua was just rediscovered,
so everyone's goin' buck wild down there. Big party, lots of food. You should
come." Without waiting for consent from the stranger, the Jetsam grabbed Krawker
out of the boat and grasped his tiny frame as he sped to the bottom of the ocean
deftly. Krawker, on the other hand, felt excessively dizzy. He knew this was
eerie, there were many Neopets floating amidst the water that he'd never seen
before.
Then, a gray statue suddenly blocked their pathway.
The red jetsam screamed with fear, releasing Krawker, and darting back to safety.
Still completely aware of what was going on, Krawker helplessly fell into the
statue. Whizzing to the ground, the Neopet blinked and rubbed his eyes. The
statue he'd passed seemed so realistic, so lifelike. What was it? The statue
had a mass of curly hair, and a slim, friendly figure. However, the amount of
time he spent observing it was short.
He needed to get back home. Abruptly, a strange
whipping feeling tickled at his chin. "I'm going to need some serious counseling,"
Krawker yelped aloud, trying not to drift lifelessly to the bottom of the ocean.
The statue winked.
***
While lying face down on his belly, Krawker gasped for air while underneath
the water. He'd finally come to his senses. Dumbfounded, Jyrosen peered over
the edge of the tub while yelling, "KRAWKER! Are you determined to kill yourself?"
Krawker simply blinked while looking around.
He was still in the bathtub, the floor soaking wet. Now, his ship lay vulnerably
by his side, the bathtub drained. He asked, "What do you mean?"
Jyrosen frowned, "Dude, you were under the water
for like a solid ten minutes."
"Oh…" the Krawk frowned disappointingly. It
was all a dream. Climbing out of the bathtub, he wondered if he would ever discover
someplace worthy of recognition in Neopia.
A gray luster glistened on the bottom of the
bathtub.
The End
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