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MYSTERY ISLAND - Nereid is an elusive Faerie who prefers to remain hidden. If
you go sailing off the coast of Mystery Island you can sometimes hear her singing
softly at night.
Many Neopians desire to get a glimpse of the baffling Nereid, a beautiful
Water Faerie said to be living somewhere among the waters of Mystery Island.
She is described to have a mane of wavy golden hair, azure almond-shaped eyes,
and skin as delicate as porcelain. She is also rumored to have saved the lives
of Neopets and humans lost at sea by bringing them safely to the shores of Mystery
Island.
For my LOTAAI article, I, ladyariel32 (or Belle, for short), decided to travel
from Neopia Central to Mystery Island in order to somehow interview Nereid and
solve the mystery of her personality. After all, she was bound to have an interesting
lifestyle, being a Faerie and all. Of course, I knew that this was going to
be a difficult job because as we all know, Nereid is such a secretive Faerie.
I had no idea where to find her. I made wild speculations as to where on Mystery
Island she might live or how she might look at present. Could she change into
human or Neopet form and mix among the natives unsuspected? Did she live under
the sea in a beautiful palace in mermaid form? Who knows?
After several hours of intense concentration, I shrugged and thought of just
waiting for Nereid to appear or follow the sound of her beautiful voice on Mystery
Island. With this in mind, I set off to Mystery Island lugging my favorite Water
Faerie Backpack filled with all sorts of useful stuff: my Water Faerie Pencil,
Tent-in-a-Box and a Water Faerie Notepad. The rest of the space was filled with
all the Giant Chocolate Bars I could get my hands on at our Neohome. I didn't
want to get starved.
It was kind of a long journey to Mystery Island. The ferry I was on wasn't
exactly the best transport ever. I mean, talk about grimy. And, puh-lease! The
passengers weren't sociable at all. I had to entertain myself by staring at
the waves or looking at the clouds. I promised myself that the next time I traveled
to the island, I'd take all of my pets along. Or maybe I could suggest the management
to hire a band or something. Anything to destroy the monotonous silence.
Several long and tedious hours later, we reached Island Harbour. I immediately
chose an area by the shore and spent exactly three hours pitching up the tent.
When I finally finished that task, I sharpened my pencil and waited eagerly
for the sound of Nereid's sweet voice. And waited and waited and waited… Okay,
you get the idea. Of course, it was when I was almost asleep that I heard the
most wonderful melody I had ever heard in my entire life…
The words were of a language I had never encountered before. I instantly thought
of it as some Faerie dialect. There was no tune or precise melody but it sounded
so much like a charming song. The voice sounded neither high nor low but I could
determine that it was a woman's voice. Who else could it be but Nereid? With
Water Faerie Notepad and Water Faerie Pencil in hand, I slipped out of the tent
very quietly and stared out into the sea. There she was, sitting on top of a
wave and combing her blond hair. She was no longer singing. After that, I did
what any other would-be Neopian Times reporters would do if they were in my
place. I rushed into the deepest of the waters without thinking. I totally forgot
that I couldn't swim.
Belle: Mmph…Urp…Argh…Gurgle… *swallows some water*
Nereid: *dives into the water, reaches for me, and drags me to shore*
Belle: Oh my gosh! Thanks so much. *spits out some water, poises pencil
over my notepad, and suddenly looks very professional* Hi, I'm Belle from the
Neopian Times. It's a pleasure to finally meet you. *extends her right hand
(the left is holding the pencil ^^)*
Nereid: *looks blankly at me* Huh?
Belle: Hello! *rolls eyes impatiently* Like, I came here to interview
you. So, first question, where exactly do you live?
Nereid: *swims closer and shakes my hand* Uh… pleased to meet you,
too?
Belle: Can you please answer the question? Oh, and by the way, your
song rocks.
Nereid: Thank you but you see… that wasn't… *eyes light up* Would you
like to see my home? It is just a few leagues below.
Belle: A few leagues? *looks confused* You don't mean… *peeks at the
sea with a frightened expression*
Nereid: Yes, of course. You didn't expect me to live in a hut, did
you? Come.
Belle: *stiffens* Um… aren't you forgetting something? *clears throat*
I can't swim and I definitely can't breathe underwater.
Nereid: *waves a porcelain white hand offhandedly* Oh, that. It is
no problem. I will just cast a spell. *brings out a Book of Sea Spells and sees
me staring at it* I haven't used the Turn Into a Mermaid Spell since a friend
of mine came over to visit. I kind of forgot the words already.
Belle: Oh. *jots down madly on her notepad and stops* WHAT?!?
Nereid: Aadsdjakshwerofovjawetyvukshish! *points a finger at me*
A stream of water emerged from Nereid's finger. It hit me, causing my body
to shake. My vision blurred. For a moment, I felt as if I was being submerged
into water. When my sight cleared, I found out that I was actually underwater!
Belle: What have you done? *claps a hand over her mouth then removes
it* HEY, I can speak!
Nereid: Yes. You can breathe, too. *looks cheerful* I turned you into
a mermaid. I looked down and gasped. I was still wearing the blue T-shirt I
put on in the morning but from my waist and below, I had an azure-scaled tail
instead of my jean-clad legs. Without a doubt, I looked… WEIRD.
Belle: Uh, thanks, I guess.
Nereid: *smiles* You are welcome. This *waves a hand* is my little
escape from reality.
For the second time that day, I gasped. Nereid's "little" home stood about
fifty feet high. It was a palace with aquamarine pillars and a light orange
roof. Both the pillars and the roof were adorned with shells of every color
and size imaginable. The palace had no door. Instead, there was an open entrance.
I could see the limestone walls inside.
Nereid: I'm ready for the interview. Come, we will talk in my room.
The Water Faerie led me inside the castle and into a beautiful room. The furniture
consisted of two Catamara Print water-filled cushions, a Catamara Print Water
Bed and a floating, blue, Catamara-shaped table. There was a floating shelf
crammed with books in one corner and a golden, sapphire-encrusted treasure chest
in another.
Belle: Cool!
Nereid: *shrugs modestly* Ah, well. This is the best that my magic
can do.
Belle: You made these magically?
Nereid: Well, yes. Come and have a seat.
She sat down on one of the cushions. I swam (yes, as it turned out, her spell
also taught me how to swim) and attempted to sit on the other cushion. I prepared
to write down what she would tell me and looked at her expectantly.
Nereid: Yes, I created my furniture with magic. In fact, I built my
entire palace… er… house, with magic. I've been studying the deepest secrets
of Water Magic for years and years.
Belle: Wow. *glances at notes* On to my next question: is it true that
you save the lives of Neopets and humans lost at sea?
Nereid: *blushes* Oh, well, I do most of the time. It is a reflex action
of mine, you know. *turns serious* I believe everyone's life is essential to
the rest of Neopia.
Belle: What's the deal about your *ruffles notes* "singing softly in
the night"?
Nereid: *blushes an even deeper shade of red* There is a place near
the shore where some young Catamara live. I sing them a lullaby to put them
to sleep every night.
Belle: Ah, I see that you're a Catamara-lover. *nods head and looks
around* What about hobbies? Do you have any pastimes?
Nereid: Yes, yes. I love to read! *gestures at shelf*
Belle: May I know what your favorite books are?
Nereid: Of course. Let's see… All About Water Faeries, Learn To Swim,
Murky Waters, The Wonders of Water, and my most favorite book of all time, Water
Rhapsody.
Belle: Water Rhapsody? *frowns* That's the first time I've heard that
one.
Nereid: That's not surprising. You see, I wrote it. It's all about
what a charming place the sea is and how marvelous life is underwater. I even
wrote a chapter about where to find the loveliest seashells. Since I prefer
not to reveal myself to Neopia's inhabitants, it's not in print up there yet.
Belle: How about your responsibilities?
Nereid: Everyday, I swim around the sea. I clean up all the garbage
those careless Neopians throw into the waters. I help some Petpets who live
in the sea to escape getting caught by Island inhabitants. *frowns* I do not
see why they like taking away Petpets from their natural habitat. I also pay
attention to the weather. If it gets stormy, I have to warn all the other sea
dwellers and watch out for lost ships. Did you get all that?
Belle: *is writing every word* Yup. It must be hard to have so many
things to worry about. *Nereid smiles sadly* Now, I'm curious about the treasure
chest you have over there. *points* Can you reveal what's in it?
Nereid: *smiles, points a finger, and levitates the treasure chest*
Tyuowgrakish! *treasure chest opens* I keep my collection of Water Faerie items
in here.
Belle: Cool! Show me.
Nereid: I have a Necklace of the Water Faerie, Water Faerie Doll, Water
Faerie Snowglobe, Water Faerie Eraser, Water Faerie Backpack, Water Faerie Pencil,
and Water Faerie Notepad! *points at each item as she speaks*
Belle: HEY, how'd you get those items? I thought you never went to
the other parts of Neopia! *looks suspiciously at Nereid*
Nereid: *smiles mischievously* That's for me to know and you to find
out. Some secrets are better left untold.
Belle: I guess you do have a right to your privacy. Anyway, I only
have one question left. What's your message to all Neopians and their Neopets?
Nereid: I would just like to remind them to take care of the sea, learn
to conserve water, and *voice becomes loud and high-pitched* LEAVE THE PETPETS
ALONE, did you hear?
Belle: *begins to tremble* Thanks so much for your time, Nereid. If
I'm lucky, you'll be able to read this in the next issue of The Neopian Times.
Oh, wait, no one delivers the NT to your place. *closes notepad and looks disappointed*
Uh, any last words? Stuff you want to add?
Nereid: Yes, yes, I do receive The Neopian Times. *smiles playfully*
And, do you want a Salt Water Hot Dog? *smiles sweetly*
Thus ends my interview with the most secretive Water Faerie in all of Neopia,
Nereid. I, therefore, conclude that Nereid is a soft-hearted Faerie who loves
the sea. She cares a lot about the sea's residents and does her best to keep
them safe. WARNING: She is not a Faerie to be crossed. Remember to stay on her
good side, if ever you happen to meet her.
If you were wondering, I accepted the Hot Dog she offered me. I also took
home a copy of Water Rhapsody to read at home. Yannagiba, my book-starved Gelert,
promptly grabbed it away from me and read it before I could stop him. After
he read it, the book disappeared into a puff of blue smoke. :(
Note: This LOTAAI article was brought to you by The Neopian Times Appreciation
Guild or NTAG.
Another Note: Nereid muttered all of her water spells incoherently. All
I wrote was gibberish. The spells DON'T work. In other words, don't you try
using the Turn Into a Mermaid spell on yourself! ^^
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