She watched them is silence, hidden behind a coral reef. Her long, black tail
swished forward soundlessly. She licked her dark red lips, and blinked her perfectly
circular eyes. She watched them through the black and endless pools of her eyes.
Her pitch-black hair flowed about her freely, straying in front of her face.
She watched the Maraquans intently. A small group swam nearby, and she watched
the NeoPet they carried. Just then, he pulled out a small bottle. Opening the
cork, a water Faerie appeared in front of him. Her eyes widened at the sight
of the Faerie. She peered closer, unseen by the cluster of reefs. The water
Faerie whispered something to the NeoPet, and then the NeoPet glowed slightly
and then the Faerie was gone, as was the glow.
She stared at the bottle closely. Then, she watched again as the owner pulled
out a gold coin. She checked it as if to see if it was the piece she wanted,
and then the two headed off. The handed the coin to the shopkeeper and then
pulled out some food. The owner dropped a small pouch and then, unaware of it,
she headed off.
She whistled silently as she saw that it was five hundred Neopoints. Her eyes
darkened with eagerness. Oh, these Maraquans were rich! She bit her lip and
looked behind her to make sure that nobody was watching. She mumbled something
and pulled out a black scroll from a belt at her waist. She pulled it open and
muttered something.
It began to shimmer, and then the small pouch disappeared, only to reappear
in her hand. She squeezed, and then she watched for a few more minutes, noting
how much the Maraquans had left. All that gold, she thought silently.
She turned around and darted off.
She pulled up along side a ship. “Cap’n!” she called. Just then, the Captain
of the boat appeared. Her watched intently with his single eye. She held out
the pouch of Neopoints. “They’re rich, Cap’n, rich! I saw one of them drop this
pouch and they still had more left!”
The Captain watched her, and his eyes widened as he stared in silence at the
pouch. “Five hundred?” he whispered. She nodded, and his single eye glistened
with longing. He looked over his shoulder. “Mates! Head south!” he turned back
to her, and his mouth twisted in a smile. His eyes sparkled wickedly. “We going
ta Maraqua!”
The Captain hopped out of the ship, followed by his pirates. They all looked
around, when they finally approached the leader. The Captain eyes her oddly
for a moment. “You th’ leader?” he spat.
The Koi nodded, her eyes strayed to the sword he had slung across his waist.
He followed her gaze and unsheathed it. “I see you noticed m’ sword ‘ere.”
The Koi gulped. "What is it you want from us? We have nothing.”
The Captain held the sword up for a moment to her throat, and then like lighting
he sheathed. “Ye ‘ave gold!”
The Koi’s eyes widened. “I assure you, we do not have much. It is a little,
really. We get what we can, but Maraqua isn’t popular with the tourists as it
was first!”
The Captain smiled “Then give us what we want, and we be off wid ye!”
The Captain tried to persuade the Koi. And, finally, it worked. It was the
day of his payments, but the Koi had changed her mind. She was afraid, that
much was certain, but she was firm. “I’m tired of you bullying us. Maraqua will
make a stand.”
The pirate Captain stared at her in shock, and then he growled. “So yer backin’
out on yer deal are ye?” he said softly.
The Koi trembled, but she was resolute. “We will not give you anything.”
The Captain turned, his pirates followed. His hand rested on the hilt of his
sword. “We’re goin’ ta get that gold, matey, whether ye like it or not. I ain’t
leavin this ‘ere place tills I gets me money! Aye, an’ that ain’t threat--that’s
a promise!”
He and his pirates left.
He headed back and hopped into his seat. He watched them with his single, when
someone popped up next to him near the water. She smiled at him. “So, it didn’t
go well, I take it?”
The Captain looked at her. “I want that there place destroyed, d’ye hear me?
Destroyed!”
She gaped at him. “And how will we manage that, huh? I can’t destroy it!”
He looked at her and leaned forward, and she felt his breath on her face. “Ye’ll
do as I say, girly, or you ain’t gonna be swishin’ that tail no longer!”
She gaped at him. “So then what can I do? I’m only part of a small group.”
She fell silent, and her voice lowered. “Not many are like us, Cap’n.”
The Captain nodded. “And ye got sell don’t ye?” She nodded, and he continued
his voice like thunder, “Then use e’m! Can’t ye create a storm or a wave or
somethin’ like that?”
She sighed. “That will take a lot of work, Cap’n, but, yes, it can be done.
We can’t create a storm strong enough to destroy Maraqua, nor a wave. They’ll
just be deadly on the outside world. But a whirlpool…”
She sighed. “That will take a lot of work, Cap’n, but, yes, it can be done.
We can’t create a storm strong enough to destroy Maraqua, nor a wave. They’ll
just be deadly on the outside world. But a whirlpool…”
The Captain nodded with satisfaction. “Good, now get yer belly livered ‘ide
down there an’ start thata whirlpool!”
She saluted smartly, and watched the ship sail off. She sighed and then dipped
her head beneath the water and headed off. She approached a small clearing with
what appeared to be solid rock. She took out another black scroll and whispered
a word. The wall opened and she peered inside to a group like her.
They all looked at her and she smiled, darting over to them. “I just visited
the pirate Captain,” she said quietly. They nodded, and she continued. “Maraquans
are rich! I saw one drop a pouch of five hundred Neopoints on the ground!”
“Five hundred?” they all squealed.
She nodded and she explained the visit with the Captain. “Now, we need to create
a whirlpool.”
They all looked at each other and one spoke up. “What about the monster, The
Beast? He’s got a gigantic, powerful tail. We could get him to create a whirlpool.”
The Beast approached Maraqua, and he slowly began to swirl his tail in a circle.
The water was swirling gently now, barely noticeable. Then, as his tail went
faster, so did the water. And then, finally, a whirlpool was created…
The End | 
