A Tale of a Tail by coolninia |  |
One day, as I sat playing seemingly endless, to my poor pets, hours on Meerca
Chase a story slowly developed in my mind. I don’t know if it’s happened, as
all the names come from my own imagination. But something about it, the way
everything clicked made me think. Who knows, much odder things have happened
in Neopia. It all started one cold, gray day...
VidaMia sighed, another boring day, nothing had happened in her life, and she
thought nothing would.
Mia was a Meerca. To be exact, she was a yellow Meerca. A tail-less, yellow
Meerca. It had been bad enough when Mia had been created this way. Her owner
had abandoned her right away. Other owners had come and gone, finally getting
sick of her tail-less state. One owner had kept her, but as a freak attraction.
VidaMia had run away. She had been on the streets days, and was cold and starving
when a member of the NeoPets staff found her. They offered her a job, a room,
and food. VidaMia decided that would be great and followed willingly. When they
got to the tall, dark, gray building, surrounded by other tall, dark, gray buildings
the staff member had pulled from an seemingly endless mountain a yellow paintbrush.
They painted VidaMia’s blue coat a yellow, and tossed her into a room. She had
been confronted with tons and tons of other, tail-less, yellow Meerca’s.
They all worked for the NeoPets staff and worked the game called Meerca Chase.
Maybe you haven’t heard of it yet, but it’s a very popular game. You play a
little yellow blob, a Meerca with no tail and whiz around a small gray room
and eat little Negg things. Every time you get a Negg, your Meerca gets a ball,
and that becomes a tail. But if you run into a red Negg, the wall, or the tail,
you get a game over. It had started with just one, but now nearly one hundred
Meerca’s worked there. Now VidaMia and the rest of the yellow Meerca’s were
those little yellow blobs. They each had a room, and they would wait until a
player came and they were off. They couldn’t control where they went or when
they got game over. Luckily, it did not hurt if they ran into a wall. It didn’t
hurt when they got a tail either. But their tails disappeared with the game,
and they went home the same as always. Tail-less
VidaMia, or Mia as her friends called her, finally finished they day’s work
and headed home. Mia was unhappy. On the other hand Mia could barely remember
a time she was happy. The day before her first owner abandoned her she was happy.
She had been happy for a few days with other owners. But since she had come
into the hands of her last owner, she was incredibly unhappy. When she first
got the job she thought she was happy. But the work got duller and duller, and
now Mia barely noticed as she whizzed around her room, focused as she was on
her hate of having no control, and nothing being able to change that. Even getting
out of work brought no relief, because she lived in the same building. Mia just
went down a hallway and up a floor and she was in her room. She was greeted
by the noise of ten other yellow Meercas that shared her room. Mia sighed again.
It wasn’t like it was a hard life; she had good food, clean sheets, a nice bed,
and her roommates were her friends, and the management cared about their workers.
Sometimes the management gave the workers a day off for maintenance around the
game, and each Meerca got a toy for Christmas. No one else was unhappy. But
Mia hadn’t left the building where she worked, ate, slept, and lived since she
came to it. The view was nothing special, just another gray building. It all
made Mia, whose name translated to my life, restless and unhappy. She wanted
to see Neopia; she wanted to explore all of it. But more and more, Mia wanted
the love of an owner.
Sure, her friends loved her as a sister, as she loved them, but Mia wanted
more than that. She had no experience of this love to go on, but the few books
and magazines she read told her of the undying love that some owners had for
their pets. Mia wanted that. But she recognised it would take her a long time
in this state to find an owner like that. So she thought and slowly a plan developed
in her mind. She would run away, of course. Run away to the pound. But the fact
was the NeoPets team could bring her right back. So what she had to do was change.
Find a potion, or a magical plushie. Mia didn’t care what she changed into,
as long as it was something whole and something an owner could love. The Meercas
were paid a little bit each week beyond their room and board, but Mia never
saw any of this. So, she vowed she would ask for a meeting and find out where
it went.
The day of Mia’s meeting arrived. She walked strait into the manager’s office,
and got right down to it.
“Sir, I know we are paid a little bit each week, but where does it go?” Mia
asked, trying to be polite in her impatience.
“Oh, that’s what this is all about, VidaMia. Well, it goes into a retirement
fund, where you can retire to this place way out in the mountains with the others
in your room. You can go outside, within the property limits of course, and
we have some very capable staff.” The manager told her, giving her a wink because
he knew Mia missed the outdoors.
Mia was floored. Sure, the going outside sounded nice. But it would be only
those ten people. She’d never meet other species or know real owners. She couldn’t
buy her own things or anything. It would be like here, only no work and she
might be able to go outside. It would be awful, Mia hated it already! She finally
found her voice.
“Sir, sir, do you think I could, put it to something else?” Mia asked. Seeing
his frown she hurried on. “I just mean I um, hate the mountains and um, in my
old age I would um, prefer to be alone. Do you think I could um, put my money
in an account and um, find a small cottage on the beach? I’d um, have someone
check on me every day and I would um, be much happier,” Mia stammered, taking
a story off the top of her head. Apparently it was very believable. The manager
thought it over, and finally gave her a small smile.
“It’s kind of soon for you to be thinking of retirement, VidaMia. But if that’s
what you think you want to do, sure, I’ll create a separate account. And just
in case you change your mind I’m sure I can put it back in with your friends
at a later date,” he said, with a knowing smile that irked Mia through the heart
pounding. She was very relieved, she would have her own money! And there was
one last thing.
“Uh, Sir? How much money do I have, exactly?” Mia asked. The manger’s frown
came back and deepened, but he pulled out a slip of paper and tapped on a calculator.
Briskly he sat up and said, “About two thousand. You’ll have to work hard to
get any cottage.” With a wave, Mia was dismissed. She skipped down the hallway.
But her information was not complete.
“Mia! There you are! Where were you?” asked Mia’s friend Rama411. Mia smiled,
this was just the girl she wanted to see.
“Hey Rama, do you still have that friend who knows one of those Skeiths at
the bank?” Mia asked. Rama411 looked at her friend a little oddly but nodded.
Mia wrapped an arm around her friend and started to whisper her plans to her.
Rama411 was silent through out and then she agreed to help. But Mia touched
her cheek and felt tears.
“Ra, what’s wrong?” Mia asked gently.
“I just don’t understand why you want to leave us all so bad,” Rama411 said.
Mia hugged her tight. Finally Rama411 sighed and pulled away.
“But I’ll help you get what you want any way I can,” she vowed, and hugged
Mia tight.
With some help from an estranged friend of Rama411’s Mia got in contact with
the Skeith. She explained that she had to be able to know exactly how much money
she had without the managers knowing she knew. She also had to be able to take
her money out without them knowing. If the managers knew they would be disappointed
that Mia wanted to leave, and they wouldn’t let her. Soon Mia had everything
organised. Except, of course, what she was going to transform into. Eventually
Mia wanted to become a Meerca again, one with a tail, but she knew even if that
was possible it wouldn’t be smart to be a Meerca right away. The only thing
Mia thought was it would be smart if she picked something cheap. Luckily, she
had a chance to ask the expert. Kauvara
had come to the gray building to talk with the managers. With everyone saying
Mia was chucking every ten minutes she got a substitute for work and carefully
laid in wait to ask Kauvara when no one would see her, less they get suspicious.
“Kau- Kauvara, do you think you could tell me what is the lest expensive morphing
potion?” Mia asked as Kauvara turned down a dark hallway. Kauvara’s eyes softened.
“That really depends. I sometimes have some Lupe Potions at about 10,000. Yes,
I think I might have a special Yellow Lupe potion for 10,500 NP. Should I save
it for you?” Kauvara asked in a whisper, because she knew what the management
would do if they found out. Mia’s heart swelled with hope. Here was someone
who would help her way out. She gave her a smile full to bursting of hope and
determination.
“I hope you will be able to soon. But for now, I hope all those talks went
well.” Mia finished loudly as a manager started down the hall. She clutched
her face and stomach and ran away. Mia kept running till she was in her room.
Her heart pounded, but she was safe. Mia vowed, this was the last day missed.
She would get that potion, she would.
From that day forward Mia signed up for every shift available. She worked and
worked and worked, every day dedicated to money making. She knew she had a long
time until she could do it, but the fire that was lit burned and gave her energy.
Every night, after the late shift she would tumble into bed, only to be up for
the early bird shift. Her friends commented on this. Even the managers were
worried about her. Mia turned cold to them, saying she was so bored that working
this much kept her from going insane. She put every penny in her separate account.
Every day she was so tired she could cry, but the thought of never waking up
to this again, of having an owner who cared and loved her, brought her head
up and her energy back. Even so, it was torturously slow as her account slowly,
slowly began to rise. Mia forgot days and nearly forgot a time she didn’t work
like this. Then one day, as she trudged up to the dawn shift a manager, wearing
the worried frown they always wore when they looked at Mia, came up to her and
passed her a slip of paper. It was her seMiannual bank statement. She put it
with her lunch and headed into her small room, not bothering to look. Finally,
at a break when there would be no more calls for a while, she turned the bit
of paper over. 11,000 NP. Mia nearly fell off the bench. In all her work, she
had finally done it. She had enough money. She even had enough money to abandon
herself. And she could have a few meals of her own choosing first. Nearly not
remembering living in Neopia, Mia didn’t know how far 500 NP went, to be certain.
But she was OUTTA HERE!!!! Mia skipped around. She looked at the room she had
spent nearly every moment for three years in and gave it an ironic kiss good-bye.
There was no way she was going back. Not that she was free and clear yet. She
had to get to the bank, get her money, get the potion, bring it back, and leave.
But Mia was determined in a way she never had been before. There was no way
she was missing out on this. So she said she was taking a ten-minute break to
her fellow workers, and crept off. Mia spent ages creeping down hallways. Finally
she broke out of the building. Mia ran as fast a she could. Not very fast with
her round body, but she ran. She ran as hard as she could, always expecting
men to come chasing after her. Soon gray buildings surrounded her. Somehow,
Mia stumbled into the Neopian Square. She walked to the bank quickly. With only
a little bit of trouble she got out almost all of her money. She left the 500
she did not need in the account, just in case. Mia walked into Kauvara’s shop
with a spring in her step and a huge grin on her face. “I was wondering, you
said you had a special Yellow Lupe Potion, one time, a long time ago.” Mia stammered,
suddenly nervous. She saw herself as everyone else did, no tail, no owner, and
dirty fur. Kauvara’s eyes widened.
“It’s you! I’d given up hope you’d come. Yes yes yes, of course I have your
potion. Come back here.” Kauvara said, ushering Mia behind the counter. Mia
sighed happily and followed. Kauvara took a small bottle full of yellow liquid
of a shelf. It was pretty dusty, but Mia thought it was the crown jewels. “I
made this special, just for you. So if you come out with an especially long
or full tail, I was just making sure you had one. Now child, what has happened
to you! It’s been a year and a half since we talked last,” she said. Mia took
an offered chair and smiled. “Well, it’s kinda hard to work up the money. It’s
been a whole year and a half! Wow, I didn’t know it was that long. Well, I got
the money now.” Mia said, and handed the bag of gold with a proud smile. Kauvara’s
eyes softened, but she took a look at Mia’s face and took the proffered bag.
Kauvara fixed Mia up with a small sack to carry her things in, and offered her
a bit of money to go get a hot-dog.
“You’ll be taking the potion now though, I expect.” Kauvara said. That was
as good as a bucket of ice water dumped over Mia She really hadn’t thought past
getting the potion from Kauvara. Now that she thought of it, there didn’t seem
a way she could. But then, she had to, didn’t she? She could take the potion
now, and she had seen the last of the building she had hated so. But then there
was Rama, and all of Mia’s other friends. How could she leave without telling
them good-bye? Especially Rama, who had helped Mia in all of this, when Mia
knew she would hate to let her friend go. Mia could not just disappear without
telling Rama good-bye That would make Rama feel even worse, and Mia couldn’t
really enjoy her freedom knowing her friend was miserable because of her. It
came to Mia that she had known all along she would not leave without saying
good-bye Mia sighed.
“No Kauvara, I have some things that I need to say still. I’m returning to
the building, and I’ll leave before dawn for the pound. As a Lupe, of course.”
Mia said. Kauvara’s eyes filled with tears, and she looked like she was about
to hug Mia She looked away for a second and collected herself. She smiled and
nodded. Mia left, hiding the soft, puffy bag in a plain, brown bag. She could
not stop and ran as quickly as possible back to her building. Somehow, Mia managed
to get in the door and back up to her room. There someone from management met
her. Needless to say, the managers were madder than Mia had ever seen them.
They yelled, and then they begged to know what was wrong. Mia in turn begged
to be let go from the job. She did not want to work here anymore, she said,
and couldn’t they just abandon her at the pound. The manager’s eyes filled then,
and they spoke of bringing her off the streets, and they couldn’t be so cold-hearted
to turn her out without the chance of a home and love. Mia bristled, but kept
quiet. Finally they let her go, telling her that she would be under close watch
starting tomorrow, and her dream of the cottage looked way out of reach. In
her room Rama found her. Mia hugged her friend tight.
“I thought you would leave without saying good-bye I knew you had the potion.
Or I figured, but you came back.” Rama sobbed. Mia felt a guilty tug at leaving
her friend at all, but only said, “I’d never do that. But I do have the potion.
And I’m leaving for good. Tonight,” Mia said. Rama’s eyes filled again, but
she made an angry swipe at the tears. Mia and Rama talked through lights out.
Once everyone else had said good-bye and gone to sleep, Mia judged it was time.
Mia took the potion from its bag, and lifted it in a toast to Rama. Quickly
she downed the whole potion. The effects Mia felt were immediate. She grew up
and up. She fell on her hands, but they felt more like feet now. She sprouted
more fur and with a slight itch, she grew a long and beautiful tail. Mia looked
around her in satisfaction. She felt she could run forever now, she was strong,
and lean, and a Lupe! Rama had shrunk away when Mia smiled, flexing her muscles.
“You kind of scare me, VidaMia. But then, you look so much more like you now.
You’ll be happy, happier than you ever would be as a Meerca. And you’re ready
to go, and you’d better go now. Go with my love, Mia my friend.” Rama said,
and Mia heard tears in her voice. She felt tears at the back of her eyes, but
blinked them away. Rama was right, and Mia needed to go now. She put a big paw
on Rama’s shoulder, and ran off. She crept around and around the building, going
through a first story window rather than through any door, and ran.
Mia had never felt running like this. It was what running should be, fun, rather
than a chore with a roly-poly body. She felt her strong muscles working, and
she wanted to laugh with glee. She could not, however. She still needed to get
going. Mia slept under a shade of the tree, sleeping very late. Then Mia trotted
to the bank and got out the rest of her money. She knew she only needed 80 NP
to abandon herself, so she took the drawstring bag that held the potion and
put 80 NP in it. Then she dropped the rest in front of a hungry and dirty Lenny,
with a hungry and dirty owner nearby. She ran off, to the pound.
On the way Mia rolled in dirt and mud, and some trash for good measure, and
then, with a great show of dragging herself up there, she collapsed in a heap
on the pound steps. A Techo came by and fell over her.
“What’s this?” it yelled. “Come, get up. What’s your name and why are you here?”
the Techo shook Mia to wake her up. She put on a show.
“Hu-huh? Oh, my name’s VidaMia, but. Where’s Ashley? Ashley? Oh…” Mia said,
feeling the bag on her neck and pretending to sob. The Techo was not impressed.
“Really. Well, you’ve been abandoned. Get up, come on, in here,” it said. Grabbing
Mia by the scruff it put her in a cage, with old bread and foul water, taking
the money from the bag.
Mia was pleased at first, now all she needed was the perfect owner. But then,
this was the pound. It was despicable, and the people that came through that
day were the same way. Every so often someone would stop and look at her, but
always passed on, sometimes quickly. Mia’s resentment grew. It became apparent
she would have to spend a night in this awful place. And she had been dreaming
of a warm bed, good food, and a kiss goodnight. Now she hadn’t eaten all day,
and it was cold, and no one cared.
The next day Mia awoke and was flooded with disappointment. Then she reminded
herself today was a new day. Shortly before dawn, when Mia was laying down and
most other pets where asleep, she heard the soft Uni letting someone in to pick
a pet. This voice, soft like the Uni's, stopped shortly. Mia pricked her ears
forward, but didn’t want to get up. Then, a face stopped in front of Mia
“Hi there,” the face said. It was a girl human’s face, with bright blue eyes
and soft brown hair. “I’m Katlin,” she said. Mia smiled up at her, and sat up.
“I’m VidaMia, but you can call me Mia,” Mia said. Katlin laughed. She opened
Mia’s cage and stroked her fur for a minute.
“VidaMia, how would you like to come home with me and be my pet? I’ve been
looking for awhile and you seem to be the right one.” Katlin told her after
a minute, looking seriously into Mia’s eyes. Mia looked Katlin over. Even though
she had only seen this human for a few moments, she could tell, somehow, that
Katlin was the right one for Mia too. Mia licked Katlin’s face.
“I’d love to be your pet,” she told Katlin. Katlin gave her a big hug, and
led her out to the desk. Katlin bathed Mia right there, and brushed her till
she gleamed. As Katlin told Mia about the NeoHome she’d have, a bathroom, her
own room, and great food, they left the pound. Mia stopped and took a short
glance down toward the road that led to the neighbourhood of gray buildings,
and said a silent good-bye Then owner and pet walked off into the early morning
light.
Epilogue:
I have no way of knowing if this story is true or not. It just kind of came
to me, as I said earlier. The names came out of my own head, although I did
do my research with potion prices. I don’t mean to criticise the shopkeepers
out there. As I said in the story, most were happy where they worked. You get
an odd one in every bunch. Maybe it is true, and Mia wanted her story told.
Just think about it next time you see Meerca
Chase.
The End |
