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Neopia Central was bustling with life. People went to the
different shops trying to get that special item or just buying what was needed
to survive. Heiwami was doing that. The abandoned green Usul had managed to scrape
together a few Neopoints and was now getting that night's food.
Hmm, thought the Usul looking at the
prices of marrows. Should I get this? It's the only thing left I can buy
with my budget.
Heiwami decided to purchase one. She
paid for the small amount of food and put it in the old bag she had found before
heading off for her makeshift house. Her home was now in an old shack that had
been left alone for ages. It stood in between Neopia Central and the Haunted
Woods. Heiwami never ventured far into the woods. She always felt like she was
being followed. The Usul pushed the squeaky door open to the shack and entered
the small dim room containing not much more than an old bed and stove.
Heiwami sighed and sat down on a cardboard
box. "Its so depressing in here. I wish I could brighten the place up a little,
or at least have someone here to talk to."
She picked up her bag of food and arranged
it so she could prepare for dinner. As she picked up the marrow it shuddered.
Heiwami gave a startled yelp and let it fall to the floor. It split in half,
revealing its hollow insides. Heiwami looked at the split marrow in amazement.
Marrows weren't supposed to be empty were they? She poked at one half of the
marrow. In a explosion of red, orange, and black, a small streak leapt onto
Heiwami. The Usul gave a yell and fell over onto her back. When she looked up,
she saw a small Halloween Baby Blu staring back.
"Erm, hello?" Heiwami asked confusedly.
The petpet blinked at her. "Free!" he
exclaimed happily.
"How'd you get in there?" Heiwami got
to her feet. How on Neopia could a petpet get stuck inside a marrow? Something
seemed awry about the whole situation.
"Grown," said the petpet bluntly as he
gently floated around the room.
Heiwami could only scratch her head and
wonder why the Halloween Baby Blu said 'grown'. How could a petpet be grown?
"Excuse me, but what do you mean by grown?"
The Baby Blu made a strange sound and
went for the door. He squeezed through the slightly ajar doorway and flew outside.
Heiwami gave chase after him. She followed him through the Haunted Woods. She
didn't realise where she had gone, if she had, she'd never had gone in. She
soon lost sight of the small petpet as she swept tree branches out of her face
trying to see where to go. It seemed like ages, until she found a gap in the
forest. She emerged into a field flooded with bright light. Heiwami blinked
a few times until her eyes focused. To her surprise she saw a huge greenhouse
with marrows growing in it! She crept around the greenhouse searching for a
way in. Heiwami had always been too curious for her own good, but she didn't
care. Finally she reached a doorway and entered. It was hot inside the greenhouse,
almost too hot.
"Phew, this is just like the Lost Desert!"
she panted. She prodded one of the marrows and watched in amazement as it wobbled
a little, just like it had before back at home.
A rustled in the leaves caused her to
jump. Out from underneath, the Halloween Baby Blu she had been following scampered
out and flew over to her. He shuddered as she held him in her paws.
"What's wrong little petpet?" she asked
him. The Baby Blu looked around carefully as though something was coming.
"Bad Neopets!" he hissed angrily. "Get
away!"
"Away? You're not making any sense,"
Heiwami said to him. "Do you mean get away from here?"
"Away!" the Halloween petpet bobbed his
head. He looked around once more. "Before they come."
A siren came from the other side of the
large greenhouse. The Halloween Baby Blu gave a small yelp and buried himself
in Heiwami's fur collar. The Usul turned and ran from the greenhouse as fast
as she could until she hid herself in the forest outside. Cautiously, she peered
out from the undergrowth and saw Neopets all of kinds file themselves into the
greenhouse. The pets all carried different types of farming tools, and not one
looked happy. They all wore the same woeful faces. As they entered, a very large
and menacing Scorchio ticked names off a list. The workers toiled as they tended
to the marrows under the hot lights. Heiwami felt very sorry for them. Suddenly,
a shout came from the greenhouse and she saw someone pointing her way. Heiwami
leapt to her feet and dashed away as fast as possible, leaving the greenhouse
and its employees far behind.
*****
Heiwami slammed the creaky door behind her and hid under her old bed. She
shivered with fright as she tried to reassure herself that she was safe at last.
The Halloween Baby Blu crawled out from her fur collar and sighed in relief.
"Away!" it sung happily. "Away, away,
away!"
"Yes, away indeed. Why'd you go there
if you knew it wasn't safe you silly petpet?" Heiwami got out from under the
bed and dusted herself off.
"Not my fault," he explained. He tried
to point at a black band on his tail. "Silly black things fault!"
Heiwami examined the collar and gasped
when she realised it was some sort of tracking device. Quickly she pulled it
off and stomped on it, smashing it to pieces. "Phew, I hope that didn't let
them see where we are! So, that thing made you run off did it?"
"Ahuh, yeah. I watch from inside marrow
and I see pets work all day. They not very happy. Petpets not very happy either."
The Baby Blu flicked his tail at the broken tracker. "I escape by making my
marrow roll away so I can get help for them."
Heiwami thought about those poor Neopets
slaving away day after day of hard labour with little food and rests. She had
to do something about it. She clenched a paw in anger and slammed it down on
the table. Just as she was going to voice her anger a knock came from the door.
"Hello? Is anyone home?" somebody called.
"We saw you at the Petpet Farm and we need your help."
Heiwami ran to the door and opened it.
Two red Shoyru stood there with stern faces. "How'd you know I was there?" she
asked.
"We've been watching that place for a
long time now. The workers there live in bad conditions and we'd like you to
come and help us free them," explained one. "We plan on getting them out of
there tonight."
Heiwami wanted so badly for those workers
to be free that she didn't think properly about the situation. She volunteered
without any fear of what might happen, and followed them back to the greenhouse
and waited. Back at home, the Halloween Baby Blu had hid when she had opened
the door. He knew he should of stopped her, but it probably wouldn't of made
any difference if he had. He needed to find help, and quickly.
*****
Heiwami waited beside the two Shoyru. "Are there any other pets here?" She
looked around to see if there were any others.
"No, they're hidden waiting for the signal,"
said one of them.
"When is that?' asked Heiwami.
"Now." The Shoyru pressed a button on
a remote control and the siren in the greenhouse sounded. From behind Heiwami
a net was thrown over her. The Usul had walked right into a trap!
*****
Heiwami stared at the ceiling. She had been working in the greenhouse for
a week now. The room she was in was even smaller than her shack back on the
edge of the forest. It was dark and damp and she had to share it with two other
Neopets; Usuls like her. The work had been extremely tiring. They only got an
hour's rest in the middle of the day, but from sun up to sun down they had to
work, tending after the marrows. The greenhouse turned out to be a Petpet Farm
run by unscrupulous Neopets. The workers were all captured pets that had found
out about the farm. Heiwami didn't believe her ears at first, but her roommates
had explained that petpets were secretly grown and raised here. Heiwami always
thought that petpets came out of thin air, but it seemed she was wrong. The
Turmaculus was actually an overgrown petpet that had come from a huge marrow
grown right here, which had run away. Her thoughts were interrupted when the
siren rang loud and clear throughout the rooms. Heiwami and every other Neopet
went outside to grab a farming tool. Heiwami wiped her brow as sweat built up
from working under the bright lights.
When will I get out of here? she wondered
sadly. Nearly all hope of getting free was gone. Some leaves shook and Heiwami
looked at it curiously. Suddenly, out popped a Halloween Baby Blu! Heiwami was
sure he was the same one from before.
"I got help," he said quietly. Heiwami
leaned in closer to hear. "Friends coming tonight to save Heiwami and others.
Don't panic when they come."
Heiwami was going to ask who, but in
a flash the Halloween petpet had disappeared. Heiwami blinked in surprise and
wondered what to do.
*****
Heiwami told nobody about what had happened, not even her own roommates. When
she went back to her room she sat on her bed, staring at the wall, waiting.
The moon rose as she waited. Creatures howled and shadows lurked around the
forest. A distant rumble from the east came closer, like a foreboding storm.
Heiwami looked up at the tiny window knowing that something was about to happen.
Out of nowhere horrible bellows and roars sounded throughout the farm shattering
the windows on the greenhouse. Heiwami sat down on her bed and cringed as she
tried not to panic. A giant foot exploded into block of rooms and everyone inside
scrambled and screamed. One of her roommates tried to grab her, but Heiwami
shook them off and stayed. The other Usul ran off without her.
"Heiwami?" asked a small voice. Heiwami
glimpsed down and saw the Halloween Baby Blu.
"I'm fine. Who's that outside?" Heiwami
stood up to take a peek. The Usul saw across the rubble just in time to see
a large yellowish-green body disappear into the dark forest.
"Turmaculus," replied the Baby Blu with
a smile.
"Let's get out of here and go tell the
Neopian Police," Heiwami smiled. She was free again.
*****
Things became a lot better at the Petpet Farm. After the Neopian Police got
into the act the pets employed from then on got paid and they had many conditions.
Many abandoned pets actually came to work there and loved it. Petpets also got
better care. They had never been well raised in the first place. Heiwami worked
there for a while and made enough Neopoints to be able to buy food for a while.
The Halloween Baby Blu came to stay with her too; she named him Choko. Heiwami
had gotten her wish after all and found someone to talk to. But deep down she
still wished for a family.
The End
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