|
Eliv Thade sighed as he hung his cape on the coat rack at
the entrance of his Neohome. He plopped down lazily in his comfy overstuffed chair,
heaved a big sigh, and grabbed his book. It had been a long day. Giving out anagrams
to people without a brain can prove fruitless-he remembered bitterly when someone
couldn't unscramble 'boko'. He had nearly yelled the answer at them; "Book!".
Luckily, he has more self-control than that. He settled further into the red cushions
and started the last chapter.
A knock came on his door. The sound was slightly
timid, and Eliv knew who it was. "Come in, Albert."
A mutant Kacheek stepped in the house nervously,
closing the door quietly behind him. "I hate my job," he complained. "All that
running around grabbing things. You can't even control yourself! I saw that
Ghostkerchief coming, but noooo, they just had to risk it! And have the bruise
for proof. Those tissue-heads need to lighten up."
Eliv smiled at the usual speech his friend gave.
Albert was the unfortunate mutant Kacheek who was the player for Mutant Graveyard
of DOOM. Eliv felt thankful he didn't have to get hurt during his job. Albert
continued, "Some of them have been nice, they offer me a spotted paint brush,
but then I have to stay mutant for the enjoyment of others. I swear!"
Eliv looked over his book, "Don't swear. It
isn't a very nice thing to do. Besides, you try standing in one place all day.
I have to make all the movements and sound and my image as a ghost is projected
in front of all those stupid pets. They think the story is real, poor, mindless
fools."
Albert resisted a growl. "So, what are you reading,
Eliv?"
"A book." Eliv was too deep into the last page
to pay much attention. As he finished, he looked up. "Yeah?"
Albert sighed. "Nevermind," he mumbled.
Eliv smiled. "I just finished reading a book
on anagrams. It was quite enjoyable."
Albert groaned. "Hey, Eliv, have you ever thought
about your name much?"
Eliv adjusted himself uncomfortably among the
cushions. "Doesn't need mush thought. Perhaps it's time I tell you something.
I was born like this, hideous, in Neopia Central. All the other Neopets just
gawked at me. Eventually I decided to come here, the Haunted Woods, where I'd
be welcomed with open arms. But as I was leaving, my mom told me that I would
one day discover the meaning of my name. Once I got into the anagram business,
it isn't surprising I found it out-Evil Death. That isn't surprising either,
as my father died shortly before I was born. We don't know how or who, but the
fact that it had happened was pure evil. Henceforth; my name."
Albert contemplated this for a moment. "I don't
see a mother naming her child 'Evil Death'".
Eliv sighed. "It happened. Too late now. Tell
you what, lets talk over a nice, cool, spooky shake." Albert agreed, and Eliv
headed for the kitchen. He pulled out two shakes, and upon re-entering his living
room he gave one to Albert, who was now comfortably seated on a couch near the
fireplace. The flames danced coolly in his eyes. Albert only sat this still
when deep in thought, so Eliv didn't disturb him. He picked up another book
without reading the cover and began. It turned out to be an adventure story
in which the brave hero rescued the beautiful maiden, and gained what he had
never had-a feeling of satisfaction and belonging. The end. Eliv grunted as
the book vanished in a puff of purple smoke.
"Darn books. I hate it when they do that-you
have to go buy it again if you ever want to read it some other time. I'll need
to ask Edna how to keep that from happening."
Albert cut into Eliv's conversation to himself.
"Eliv, have you ever wondered why your mother named you Evil Death?"
Eliv took a long draught of his shake. "Yeah,
I've wondered about it. Never figured it out though. Why?"
Albert sighed. "Have you ever thought of asking
her? Have you ever written her a letter or sent her a Neomail about it?" Albert
continued to stare fixedly into the fire, mesmerized by the soothing tendrils.
Eliv laughed half-heartedly. "Albert, I don't
even know where my mother lives. What makes you think I would have written to
her? For all I know, she could be Slorg chow."
Albert broke his gaze and turned his eyes to
Eliv. "Why not?"
Eliv stared at him. "Why not? Why? Look at me
Albert. Just look. Am I a plushie Kacheek gone wrong? Or perhaps a mix between
mutant and plushie? Even so, I am hideous. No one wants to look at me. And what
did my mom do? She ignored it. She ignored it to the extent of thinking it was
wonderful. She sent me to upper level Neoschools and entered me into beauty
contests. I have the trophy from that. I got 1,000th place. There was a grand
total of 999 entries. Got the angle? My mom didn't even understand why I came
here," Eliv sighed as he set the empty shake glass on the side table and it
vanished in a puff of green smoke. He cursed inwardly-he could have used that
glass for something. "We never kept in touch."
Albert stared at Eliv, turning the story over
in his mind. "You know what we're going to do Eliv?"
"What?"
"We're going to find your mom and ask her why
she named you Evil Death. And we're leaving tomorrow."
"Brilliant plan, Professor Genius, but who's
going to run our games?"
Albert thought for a second. "Who cares?"
Eliv smiled. "Nice recovery. But not good enough.
I'm not going. So you can have fun on your little adventure. Tell me when you
get the answer, will you?"
Albert glared at him. "You're coming, Eliv.
Even if I have to drag you out of here. Go pack. We're leaving first thing in
the morning."
Eliv stared into his eyes and knew that he meant
it. It wasn't like Albert to be this way. "I'll think about it."
Albert nodded. "You do that. I'll get my stuff
ready."
Albert got up and climbed up the many stairs
to his room. He grabbed a suitcase and began to grab some of his belongings
when he realized…he didn't have anything. "Well, all for the better I suppose,"
Albert said to himself. At least he wouldn't have much slowing him down-just
some food.
Tired, Albert yawned and climbed into his old
rickety bed. He sighed and turned off his light. One floor below him, Eliv was
holding another conversation with himself. Albert let the drone of Eliv's voice
lull him to sleep. He gave one last yawn, and his eyelids stayed glued shut
until morning.
***
The sun was beating it's way through Albert's eyelids. He groaned and tried
to tell it to go away, but it persisted. Giving a final groan and admittance
of defeat, he rolled out of bed. When he made it down stairs, he saw Eliv had
fallen asleep in the old armchair. Albert grumbled something about laziness
to himself and climbed gingerly down the stairs. Eliv was snoring gently as
Albert began shaking him.
"Hey, Eliv, get up." Eliv remained, and Albert
shook harder. He grunted with his efforts as Eliv began to rock violently back
and forth. He managed a strangled response to the goings ons.
"G'way."
Albert growled. "You need to get up. We need
to go."
Eliv groaned in response. "Happy trails. Send
a postcard. Thank you for traveling with Neopian Express." His snores returned.
Albert had a fit. He banged the ground, he banged
the table, he banged Eliv, he banged himself but quickly stopped as it was quite
painful, and banged the door shut as he left. He was a Kacheek on a mission.
Nothing could get in his way. Nothing can get in the way of a Kacheek on a mission.
Albert returned brandishing a large mallet.
In hot pursuit was a complaining Arnold, asking not-so-kindly for his Test Your
Strength Mallet back.
Albert had a very true response. "Who needs
it? No matter how hard people hit that button it comes up as useless. You could
just use your head instead-it's a bit harder."
Arnold didn't give up exactly, but he gave up.
He knew he'd get his mallet back, but not anytime he asked for it. He'd just
have to wait. Patiently. How he hated being patient.
Albert re-entered the Neohome, holding the mallet
high above his head. He brought it crashing down on the floor, and dust that
thought it would be stuck in those little crevices of the floor forever flew
up, creating a small dust cloud. The little particles flew around happily in
their newfound freedom, only to settle back into the crevices from which they
came (much to their obvious disappointment).
Eliv shot off the couch. "Alright, I'll go.
Just don't hurt me with that thing. Albert nodded gratefully, and handed the
mallet back to a very relieved Arnold. He didn't have to be as patient as he
though he'd have to be.
Eliv packed just as quickly as Albert, as he
didn't have anything to bring. On the way out the door he grabbed his cape and
brought it up around his shoulders. Albert smiled approvingly as they left the
old house behind them.
As they walked, Albert struck up a conversation.
"So, where did you last see your mom?"
Eliv thought far less than he could have. "Somewhere
in Neopia Central."
Albert looked at him. "And?"
Eliv looked back. "And what?"
Albert groaned. "Neopia Central is a big place.
Do you remember anything more specific?"
Eliv recollected his childhood. "I remember
a giant hamburger."
"Ah." Albert was about to drop the idea, but
he pursued the subject. "Did you live near it?" Albert sighed. He was beginning
to sound like a psychiatrist.
Eliv thought a while longer. "I think so-yes.
I did. And near the giant smoothie, too."
Albert brightened up a little. At least they
wouldn't have to search the whole of Neopia Central, but even so that was a
large area to look in.
Albert and Eliv had wisely chosen to walk; not
taking a ship or any other modes of public transportation. They would only draw
attention to themselves and would have very few moments of privacy, if any.
They had decided to sleep at the outskirts of the woods, and the next day they
would quicken their pace and arrive at Neopia Central, where there would get
two rooms at the Neolodge. The day after that they would search.
If they hadn't gotten used to it in the past,
Albert and Eliv would have cringed at the many gruesome sights of the forest.
Gnarled branches snaked through each other, intertwined in the most efficient
way of blocking out the sunlight. Roots had grown upward, trying to trip unwary
travelers, and messages were carved in the trunks. The messages are so horrible,
so spine tingling, so scary-the worst of which was 'Adam sees you…muahahahahaha!'.
Sorry if you have nightmares for weeks about that. And many of them were decorated
in what looked like blood; of course it could have just been ketchup. The Haunted
Woods tourist industry was beginning to fail, and some spooky messages might
attract visitors.
Eliv looked up at the sky, or at least he thought
it was the sky. For all he knew, the sky could be beneath him because of those
blasted trees not letting in a speck of light. "It's getting dark, I think.
Does it look a little darker to you? You don't happen to have one of those glowing
watches, do you?"
Albert rolled his eyes. "Eliv, I never even
had a watch. Tell you what, I'll climb a tree and tell you about what time it
is."
Eliv agreed and Albert began his ascent. He
muttered many 'ows' under his breath as his soft brainy head bumped into twigs,
and worse, branches. After much hard work and a couple of bruises to keep the
one from the Ghostkerchief company, he had reached a conclusion. "It's about
noon."
Eliv groaned. He thought it was later, and he
desperately wanted to rest. His stomach growled. And to eat. Eating would be
nice.
Much to his relief, Albert pulled out a couple
of Ghostkersandwiches. Judging by the taste, Eliv thought his was chokato. They
ate quietly, each thinking his own, quiet thoughts.
As they finished Albert went over the plan for
the rest of the day. Shortly after, they set off. A few hours and four tired
feet later, they saw sunlight inching its way through a gap in the trees. The
two Kacheeks smiled and ran for the exit. They leaped out of the trees and landed
on a soft patch of earth. Grassy plains lay before them, dotted with small buildings
where the guilds were. They immediately sat down and rubbed their sore feet.
They laid back, enjoying the sensation of the dying sunlight playing across
their faces.
Albert fell asleep and Eliv stayed up, thinking.
He had lied when he told Albert the story wasn't true. He wasn't a ghost, but
he was given a riddle he couldn't solve. Only it wasn't given to him by a servant,
but by his mother. Evil Death. But why? Why would she name him that? Then it
occurred to him. It was something he had been looking over the whole time.
To be continued...
| 
