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An icy breeze ruffled my fur as I flew over Terror Mountain.
I confess that my heart skipped a beat when Truth had uttered the words, "I
lied to you." I don't know what I was expecting her to tell me, but it wasn't
what she actually did say.
Truth had told her lie when she had first told
her story. It didn't even change the story, really. If Truth hadn't told me
about it, I probably never would have guessed. You see, Truth had said that
the Aisha had taken her to a cave in Tyrannia. The truth was that the Aisha
lived in Tyrannia and had taken Truth to her NeoHome. The Aisha's owner had
stopped coming to Neopia, and the Aisha had wanted Truth to come live with her.
Truth didn't want the Aisha to get caught, so she left to Terror Mountain. I
guess that is what you would call friendship.
In my head I reviewed the directions Truth had
given me. It was a fairly big NeoHome and on the end of the street. All the
same, the Aisha would never have been able to hide Truth there forever. Neighbors
would have become curious about the Aisha's mysterious new owner.
I dived down and landed on the front porch. There
was no doorbell, just a large, metal knocker, which I used to bang on the door.
After a few minutes, the door creaked open, and I was face to face with a purple
Aisha. Around her neck she wore a purple collar with a purple "A" charm hanging
from it. However, it was the bracelet made of purple stone that caught my attention.
"Hello," said the Aisha nervously. Her eyes flitted
around as though she was looking for something. "Can I help you?"
"May I come in?"
There was no mistaking the look of horror on
the Aisha's face. "I'd-I'd rather you not."
"I'm afraid you don't understand," I said, adding
the Aisha's name to the end of my sentence. "I've just had the pleasure of meeting
a friend of yours. A certain Night Faerie by the name of…"
***
After hearing Truth's real name, the Aisha lost all sense of caution. I have
to admit that the only thing I could think of as she dragged me into her NeoHome
was how foolish she was acting. For all she knew I could have been a spy for
Fyora.
The living room was completely purple, leaving
me to wonder if she became obsessed with the color before or after meeting Truth.
I walked across the purple carpet and sat on a purple chair while gazing at
the purple drapes. The Aisha sat on the purple sofa opposite to me, her eyes
filled with eager anticipation.
"You have news of her? How is she? Where is she?
Can I see her?"
The Aisha's unguarded and unbound happiness threw
me off. After all, Truth would not come and see her. "We'll go into that later,"
I said feebly. "First, I need you to tell me something. I need you to tell me
everything that happened between you and the Night Faeries, from the moment
you first saw them dance."
Joy left the Aisha's eyes, and she seemed to
realize the very real possibility that I had been sent by Fyora. "I don't know
what you are talking about," she said in a very weak and nervous attempt at
a lie. I found myself agreeing with Truth for leaving her.
I searched my memory for something that would
prove to the Aisha that I had met Truth. "What happened before you brought her
here? What happened before she went away, leaving you with only a bracelet and
a note? The very bracelet, might I add, that you are wearing around your wrist
right now."
The Aisha looked down at the circle of purple
stone that sat right above her paw. She then tilted her head and looked at me,
her purple ears swaying gently. After considering me for what could not have
been more than a couple of seconds, she launched into her story.
"My owner's name was Alan. It's been so long
since I thought of him that I cannot seem to remember his username. He was the
adventurous type, and when he first took me home from the Create-a-Pet center,
I thought he was the best owner in the world. He was always looking for something
new to do. One day, he heard rumors of the Night Faerie gatherings."
"It seemed like a great idea at first -- to be
the first pet and owner to see a Night Faerie gathering. It wasn't until Alan
fell out of the tree that I was having second thoughts. When the Night Faeries
asked us to promise not to tell anyone about their gatherings and not to come
back, I willingly agreed."
"You couldn't imagine how appalled I was when
I found out that, not only had he told someone else, he was planning to go back
to the Night Faerie glade with a whole group of people. Each time they went
I tried to convince them all not to go, but the only ones who would listen to
me were the pets."
"And then Neopia started to change. The faeries
took different names. Fyora came into power as the first Faerie Queen. My owner
left for good. It wasn't until more rumors -- this time of Night Faeries disappearing
-- that I became worried. Being a fair seamstress, I sewed a hooded robe and
brought it with me to Faerieland in hopes of redemption."
"It was there that I happened to come across
a Night Faerie that I recognized from the gathering I had seen. After I gave
her the clothes, she wanted to go to Neopia Central and buy some things. I have
to admit that the Pinceron surprised me. After she had left, though, I suspected
that she wanted it for companionship."
"When we reached my NeoHome in Tyrannia, she
asked me to go back to Neopia Central and buy her a black mirror. Thinking that
she had forgotten to buy one and eager to oblige, I left. I arrived back to
find a note -- telling me that she left for my safety -- and this." The Aisha
raised up her paw, displaying her bracelet of purple stone.
The Aisha then walked over to a table covered
with purple cloth and picked up an item. "Here is the mirror. I kept it in prime
shape. Do you think you could give it back to her?"
"Sure," I said, gazing at the black handle. "She
is really grateful to you, you know. I think she really admires the way you
tried to make up for your owner's mistake…" I trailed off. The Aisha looked
at me blankly.
"Is that what she thinks?" she asked softly.
"I never did anything because of my owner's mistake. It was because of my
mistake. I was the one who went looking for the Night Faerie gathering.
Alan was just tagging along. It all started because of me. It's all my
fault."
***
It wasn't all the Aisha's fault, but when I arrived back at Truth's
cave, I did not have the mirror with me. After all, Truth had never told me
that I could not give the Aisha directions to her cave. I felt that Truth needed
to hear the real story from the Aisha, and it gave the Aisha a pretense for
coming to see Truth. The Aisha was coming by foot, however, and I intended to
be long gone by the time she arrived.
"Well?" asked Truth as I entered the cavern.
"I believe you," I said quietly.
For the first time, Truth gave me a sad but genuine
smile. "I'm glad to hear that." She then turned to Jewel. "Are you sure you
don't want wings?"
Jewel nodded and I stared blankly at her, trying
to figure out exactly what they were talking about. From the way Shimmer nodded
in agreement, I guessed that I was the only one who didn't know.
"Fine. You may all leave now."
Figuring that we ought to leave before she changed
her mind, the three of us got up. Jewel and I walked behind Shimmer as she hopped
towards the exit.
"Oh, and before you leave I have to tell you
something," said Truth. The three of us reluctantly turned around. "Don't ever
come back, ever again. Also, what I have told you today is a secret. Tell no
one."
***
Figuring that it would be quicker (not to mention less embarrassing) to fly
Shimmer home than to have her hop through the streets, we left Jewel to make
her way back on her own. I'm sure that was just one of the many times she wished
that she had taken Truth's offer of wings.
On the way home, Shimmer had told me that Truth
was an expert chemist, which explained the morphing potion. She had offered
to make Jewel a Faerie Paint Brush, modified so that the only change would be
dark blue wings. I still don't know why Jewel declined. It would have made it
so much easier for her. Perhaps she just didn't want to undergo a drastic change.
Perhaps I'll never know.
As for Truth, I think she knew that I had given
the Aisha directions to the Faerie's cave. I think she had wanted me to all
along, actually. I don't doubt that the Aisha went to see Truth, although I
can't help but wonder how Truth took the truth.
From time to time, I still wonder about that
last thing Truth told us. It's not the command not to come back that bothers
me; we were never exactly friends. It is the one not to tell. What was the point
of telling us the truth if we were not to spread it?
It is this command that sometimes makes me wonder
if everything Truth told us was a hoax. That maybe the reason she didn't want
us to come back was that she didn't want to accidentally tip us off. Truth or
lie, either way, it is a secret. I have never told anyone. I never plan to.
And Sakura never did tell anyone, but she
wrote it down in a little book. I'm sure she never intended for it to be seen
by eyes other than hers. She did a good job of hiding it, too. It just so happened
that after one late night writing session, she left it laying on the kitchen
table.
It was I, Shimmer, who found it there the
next morning. It was written out just like a Neopian Times story. Who could
resist? However, I do confess seriously considering taking out parts that portrayed
not-so-flattering pictures of me.
Although this story has been published, although
to you it has been told, it is still a secret. Tell no one…
The End
Author's Note: Telling no one does not include not giving me feedback.
All feedback, especially constructive criticism, will be greatly appreciated.
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