Luck Regained (A Lupe's Tale) by miraoregan |  |
It was 1596 hours ago that I was created. A young girl her
heart full of love called me Onyxx. As she carried me home she stroked me and
cuddled me, telling me how she would always love me. She would always care.
Then as she tucked me into my little bed in the one room above a small store
that we shared, she told me of her wish to paint me black. "Black," she said,
"Black as the midnight sky." And as I settled down in the covers, I thought
that I had found my place. "Lucky me," was my thought, "To have gotten it on
the first try. Many pets are not so lucky." But that thought was to change....
For three weeks we played together. Everyday we'd play games
and find treats. Her store got a bit bigger and finally we got a NeoHome and
then... it happened. On the Monday of about the forth week she didn't leave
and didn't come back after a couple of hours. This didn't worry me. It had happened
before. She should have come the next day, but she did not. The next day, Wednesday,
she did come and I gamboled at her feet, licking her, telling her how much I
missed her. She petted my head and fed me and then left, leaving me a very confused
pup. Why hadn't she played with me as usual? Why didn't she taken me to the
Wheel of Excitement or to play Kacheek
Seek? "Maybe," I thought, "She is busy and will do that tomorrow."
So I waited. She didn't come. I waited through Thursday and
Friday, no owner. Through Saturday and Sunday I sat, my tongue lolling. The
air-conditioning had gone dead and the only water was in the puddles that collected
outside during the brief morning shower. Monday came around once more. By then
I had emptied anything possible eatable out of the cupboards and had resorted
to catching mice. Have you ever tried to catch and eat a Miamouse?
Let me tell you it's not really worth the effort. Monday past by and Tuesday
came. My stomach growled at me and I sank to the floor my ever faithful Lupe
eyes on the ever closed door. The aforesaid eyes were about to droop.
When my ears heard footsteps. Was it? Was it? Yes it was! Though
weak I sat up and barked with glee. My orbs watched as the handle turned and
the door swung open. Through it step the girl. If her face was grim I didn't
notice. I was to busy jumping all over her. She let me, an unusual thing as
she hadn't before seemed to like my sloppy licks. (In my experience most humans
don't). This day she did not push me off her, as she had happily done before,
roughing my ears and telling me how good I'd been while she had been away. That
day she just stood there, hair blowing in the wind of the open door. It was
then I quieted down.
Stepping back I observed the look upon her face. It was a grim
determined look. One she had never worn before. It made me shiver. She kneeled
down. She hugged me. Then sat back on her heels. "Onyxx," she said, her voice
almost breaking. "I can't," she paused, "I can't live here anymore. I have other
places that I need to be. Places I can't take you." I rubbed her gently. Nodding
my head. I don't how I did, but I understood. She continued, roughing my ears
as she had done before, "I can't leave you to starve in an empty account. It
would be cruel, so I'm taking you somewhere that you can be adopted again. By
someone.... someone with more time than I."
I nodded once more and as she stood I stood with her. She didn't
have to drag me. She didn't even have to speak. I followed her willingly to
a big white building. I sniffed the air as we drew nearer. It had the smell
of many different kinds of pets. I smelled a Chia and snuffled. Chias... poof.
The girl giggled softly. She looked down at me. "You know I'm going to miss
you," she said, "but I'm sure you will find a much better family. Maybe even
have brothers and sisters." I looked at her thoughtfully, "Just as long as it's
not a Chia"
She grinned and said no more, but lead me through the solid
wooden doors and into the warm, stuffy, cleaner smelling, building. Here in
the front a white haired Techo was bent over his work, a permanent frown pressed
upon his face. As we neared him he looked up. "What may I do for you young lady?"
he questioned. The girl frowned. Straining at some invisible rope. Then she
steeled herself and answered, "I'd like to give this Lupe up for adoption."
She placed her hand gently on my head. "His name?" Was the Techo's only acknowledgment
of her reply. The girl rubbed my head. "Onyxx." The Techo asked her a few more
questions. Jotting a few of the answers down twice, one time on a small piece
of paper and the other on a larger piece. After he had done this he had her
lift me onto the counter. "Hmmm... a little hungry, but he'll be all right,"
was his only comment. He pushed the larger piece of paper toward my owner. "Sign
here," he pointed to a line at the bottom of the page. She looked at me once
more, patted my head and the put signature on that dreaded paper. Dr_Death
picked me up and I watched as my owner got smaller and smaller. The white-haired
reptile was taking me away from her. I saw her cry and heard her call one last
good-bye and then we turned a corner.
I was never to see her again. Dr_Death stopped he opened a
cage, like the millions of others that lined the wall. He set me in it. On the
cage door he taped the smaller piece of paper. Then he left. There I sat, alone
and hungry. I howled pitifully, but the Grarrl beside me yelled, "Shut up, ya'
crazy Lupe." And when a Grarrl tells you to shut up, you shut up, believe me.
No matter how thick the wall is.
So there I sat quietly, waiting. Then my luck, which had been
lost somewhere back on the Monday before, returned. I heard footsteps once more.
My ears told me that it was once again a girl. It wasn't my girl, but
maybe, maybe? No I wouldn't even think of it.
She was just strolling through, but the minute she spotted
me she stopped. She kneeled down. She rubbed me between the ears.... and then
she took me home.
As we walked into Neopian Central we talked. She told me her
name, Mira and I told her my story. I finished just as we turned onto Chia Close.
She nodded sympathetically. "I'm sorry about what has happened to you, but now
you have a family and we'll always be here for you." She smiled and ruffed my
ears. "I promise." And I knew, somehow that she would keep her word.
The End
Author's Note: Oynxx is an actual NeoPet of mine, but the
story is fictional. |
