There it was. Staring at him from inside the store. He knew he had to have
one but he would never be able to save up enough of his allowance to buy a Flaming
Wuzzle. His heart sank a little as he made his way to the candy store, just
as he did everyday at every restock time. He had a sweet tooth that could not
be denied.
Everyday at this time there were all kinds of NeoPets shoving their way through
the Chocolate Factory. He could never figure out why though, why was everyone
so chocolate-crazed? He saw Faerie Blumaroos soaring over everyone with an armful
of chocolate, trying to make it to the register. Lupes just growled and it seemed
the crowd parted. The only advantage little Reese had was that he was painted
Fire and so if anyone got too close they would feel the heat of his flames.
He grabbed the last Sweet on the shelf and waited patiently in line.
"That'll be 4 NP Reese." He thought it was funny that the Kiko knew him by
name. He was in there enough, he should just about have a plaque on the wall
as an award for all the NP he's spent in there. He passed along his 4 Neopoints
and headed out the door.
On his way out of the store something strange happened. A Fire Eyrie who was
shuffling a deck of cards glanced over and saw the Sweet in Reese's little paw.
"I'll give you 2,800 Neopoints for that kid."
Reese's jaw dropped as he looked down at the minuscule candy in his paw. He
was no wiz at Math but surely anyone could see that he was going to make a huge
profit if he did resell it for 2,800 Neopoints. That would be like a zillion
allowances all at once!
He eagerly traded the Eyrie his Sweet for the Eyrie's 2,800 Neopoints. With
all that money he made sure to run straight home.
"Mum! Guess what just happened? I bought a Sweet, just like I always do, and
then some guy bought it from me for 2,800 Neopoints!" He held out his paw to
show her as much as he could.
"Yes honey, you made a profit. There are certain things in Neopia that you
can buy for very little and sell for a large amount of Neopoints." She gave
a little smile as she watched his eyes grow large with excitement.
After a few days of research Reese decided that he couldn't sell his candy
on the streets, there weren't enough pets willing to buy them. So he used part
of his profit to open a shop. He decorated it nicely and asked his sister Yaska
if she would watch over it, just to make sure no one would try to take something
without paying for it. She agreed immediately.
Reese then put on the shelves all the chocolates he had collected over the
day: Dark Chocolate Blumaroos, Milk Chocolate Jetsams, and even a few different
kinds of Jelly Beans. As soon as the prices were up the pets flooded in his
shop! He stood back in a corner and watched as his supply drained down. Yaska
was busy taking Neopoints and pets were busy making sure they got exactly what
they wanted.
After about a week of sales Reese asked his sister how much he had made. Yaska
laughed and handed him a bag of Neopoints. "More than enough for that silly
toy you've been eyeing." She laughed and pushed him out of the store.
Reese practically ran the whole way to the Toy Store, excited about finally
getting his toy, the Flaming Wuzzle he had lusted after for so long. When he
got there he asked the Lupess if she could show him just where it was. She gave
a little laugh, not the mean kind where they think you're silly, just a sweet
little laugh. "Dear child, you cannot buy that kind of toy here! It is a special
toy." She lowered her voice considerably. "That toy can only be MADE! You must
find the correct ingredients and take them to the Mixing Pot or you must find
someone who has already done so."
He looked a bit bewildered. After all this he was going to have to SEARCH for
his beloved toy? Where was it he had seen it? He couldn't remember. He passed
so many shops each day it would take hours to find which shop he had seen the
Flaming Wuzzle in.
"Let me tell you a secret. Over in the Market Place there is a Wizard. Go to
him and tell him what you're looking for. Tell him how much you're willing to
pay for this Flaming Wuzzle and he will find the person who has it for sale
for the least amount of Neopoints. You know, so you don't spend more than you
have to." She gave a warm smile and then directed her attention to the sudden
swarm of customers.
He left the Toy Shop with less enthusiasm but still with a great deal of hope
inside of him. He made his way to the Market Place and searched around for the
Wizard. He found the Soup Faerie with ease, as the cauldron is terribly hard
to miss.
"Miss Soup Faerie? Can you please tell me where to find the Wizard?" Reese
asked politely.
She smiled at the small Fire Acara and pointed over a hill.
"Thank you very much!"
He took off towards where she pointed and as soon as he reached the top of
the hill he saw the Wizard.
"Not quite what I expected..." he said to himself. In front of him stood the
smallest Jubjub he had ever seen dressed in what seemed the largest Wizard outfit
in all of Neopia.
He walked over to the Wizard, bag in paw, and told the Wizard of his dilemma.
"Can you find me a Flaming Wuzzle, please?"
Reese then remembered the Toy Shop Keeper saying to tell the Wizard how much
he was willing to spend.
"Could you narrow the search down to under 100,000 Neopoints?"
The Wizard nodded and sifted through his paperwork, getting the latest information
as he did so.
"Aha!" exclaimed the Wizard. "I have found what you are looking for little
Acara!"
Reese's eyes lit up like a Christmas Tree. "How much?"
"Less than 100,000 Neopoints, just like you asked young man!" The Wizard showed
Reese exactly which store it was in and then told him how to get there. "But
you best get there fast for it won't be there for long."
Reese took off like he was being chased by a wild pack of Lupes. When he got
to the store he saw the Flaming Wuzzle, the toy he had dreamed of, and grabbed
it off the shelf.
"OUCH!" he shouted out in pain.
"Yeah ... those ones are real hot ... best be careful." The shopkeeper drawled
on. "Sure you want a toy like that?" He slowly stood up, looking as if he were
as old as Neopia himself. "We've got some of those cute little Usukis everyone
wants these days..." He held up a Prom Date Usuki and Reese moaned.
"No, the Flaming Wuzzle is what I want. Usukis are for girls." Reese stuck
his tongue out to emphasize.
"All right then ... if you're sure that's what you want." The Shopkeeper slowly
walked back to his register and rang up the price of the Flaming Wuzzle. It
was considerably lower than 100,000 Neopoints and Reese was thrilled.
After he paid for his precious toy, he stuffed the bag back into a pocket and
made sure to be more careful about picking up his toy. "We're both Fire!" Reese
told his toy and then started home.
When he got home he went to show his brother Bryar what he had bought. "That's
really nifty Reese! What is it?" Reese figured his little brother wouldn't be
able to comprehend just how important this one toy was to him and headed off
to show his sister Mayno his new plushie.
"Don't get that thing near my plushies! He'll set them on fire!" she shoved
Reese out of her plushie room and closed the door behind him.
"Well where am I going to put you?!" Reese was exasperated. He had a long day
trying to find his Flaming Wuzzle and now he didn't know where he could keep
him without fear of burning his precious NeoHome down.
Yaska came trotting down the hall. "Is there anything else you want me to put
in the shop for the night?"
Reese looked down at his Flaming Wuzzle and grinned.
"Yes there is!" He handed the Flaming Wuzzle to Yaska, making sure to point
out where she could hold him and where she could hold him and get burned.
She looked confused. "But you saved for so long to get this toy Reese. Are
you sure you want to put him in the shop?"
He nodded happily.
"Well, what do you want me to price him at?"
"Unbuyable." Reese grinned. "I want everyone to be able to see my awesome toy,
but for no one to be able to buy him."
Yaska laughed and went to put him in their shop.
That night, Reese lay in his bed thinking about what a great day he had. "I'm
very grateful that I learned how to sell things so I could get my Flaming Wuzzle.
I'm even more grateful that I earned him with my own money and not Mum's." With
that he closed his eyes and fell into a deep dream about him and his new Flaming
Wuzzle.
The End | 
