Searching for Laughs - The Chia Clown Story by taipeiss |  |
Once upon a time, which would be a few years ago, a yellow
Chia was born in the little house on Bracknell Road. His parents named him Chester
and then went about their work. Young Chester would run from room to room of
his house, looking for someone to talk to. On occasion he would run into his
brother or sister, but only when they hadn't anything to do. Then he would try
out his newest jokes and pranks on them, hoping that they would be entertained.
But his jokes and pranks were never really that funny. Old groaners and nonsensical
punch lines crowded his joke list, and cliché pranks constantly ran amuck in
that little house on Bracknell Road. His siblings would just shake their heads
and walk away, while little Chester would wait for the laughter that should
follow his "Badum-cheee!" and the ever popular "jazz hands."
So things went that way in the little house for
a long while. Chester's parents would spend their days making and spending Neopoints,
setting out food for Chester and his siblings every day. Chester's siblings
began to avoid Chester, hiding out in secluded rooms or just leaving the house
altogether. But when they came back, Chester would be posed and ready for another
prank, or a barrage of new jokes. Soon the family decided that Chester needed
something to keep him company. Something that would keep him occupied and busy
so he wouldn't pester them.
One nice day in the month of Eating, Chester's
dad, hiding something behind his back, came into Chester's room while Chester
was practising a new routine in front of a mirror. Chester was laughing loudly,
and didn't even hear his dad come in.
"Uh, son? Can I speak to you for a minute?" Chester's
dad walked slowly towards Chester, alert and ready for any new prank.
"Oh, hi Dad," Chester turned and bounded happily
towards his father, "hey, I've got a new one for you! What did the..."
"Wait! Chester, I've got something for you. Maybe
it will keep you, um, company! Here you go, son. Enjoy." He brought his hands
out from behind his back and set a box on the floor. He quickly tried to leave
before Chester could pull something, but it was too late. He tripped on a raised
rope, which triggered a bucket of smushy asparagus to fall on his head. He sighed,
walked out into the hall, and closed the door behind him.
Chester, finally controlling his bouts of laughter,
looked down at the package. It had holes punched into it. Chester picked it
up and held it near his ear. He could hear breathing! He eyed it cautiously,
and slowly reached for the lid. A high-pitched shriek emitted from the box,
and Chester jumped back in shocked surprise. The shrieking stopped, but the
box was bumping around on his bed. He slowly crept up to it, and lifted the
lid ever-so-carefully. A cute, fluffy Meeka jumped out and hopped onto his head.
"Wow! Hey, little guy!"
The Meeka shrieked and hopped in circles on Chester's
head. Chester laughed and lifted the it off his head.
"I think I'll name you Hoppy," Chester smiled,
petting Hoppy's fur, "you wanna hear a joke?"
Chester and Hoppy were a great team. Hoppy was
a good audience, always there to hear Chester's new jokes. They soon developed
a routine to do together, then went out in search of a bigger, willing audience.
Chester's family began to pursue their own goals, so that ruled them out. Chester
and Hoppy wanted to perform publicly, so one day they packed a trunk full of
props and headed to High Street, in the heart of Neopia.
They pranced happily towards the Rainbow Pool,
where they would set up their first performance. The area was full of Pets and
their Petpets, all waiting to be painted. Chester and Hoppy watched in awe as
a Yellow Gelert became dark blue, with lighter thunderbolts etched into its
fur. This was a great place! A dripping, Strawberry Jubjub walked by, then did
a double take at Chester as he opened his trunk.
"Oy, what're yous doing around here? Unless ya
gots Brushes in that there trunk, ya ain't gettin' no wheres. And where's yer
parents? Ya look a bit too young to hang 'round here!"
"I'm Chester, and this is Hoppy, my Meeka. We're,
um, comedians! Yeah! And we're here to perform a show!"
"A show, eh? This'll be interesting! I haven't
seen a good show in ages! By the way, my name's Bernie," the Jubjub introduced
himself as he stood up, "need any help? That's quite a load ya gots there!"
Bernie helped Chester set up as Hoppy rounded
up Pets and their Petpets. By the time Chester was ready, a large crowd had
accumulated. So Chester and Hoppy began their routine. Chester would tell jokes
while Hoppy tried on funny hats and made funny faces. Hoppy had also learned
some cool tricks, and soon the crowd was laughing and cheering for our heroes
and their repertoire of fun.
Chester and Hoppy returned every day, putting
on shows for the Pets at the Pool. Bernie was always there to help, and they
soon became friends. Chester and Hoppy were having a blast. But a few performances
later, Chester noticed that fewer and fewer Pets were cheering. Most of them
just sat and looked tired. He even got booed one afternoon! So Chester decided
to ask Bernie for help.
"What's wrong here? No one is having any fun
anymore! For the life of me, I can't figure out why!"
Bernie scratched his head and looked uncomfortable.
"Well, kid, it's just that, how can I put this? Ya've gotten boring. Yer jokes
are all old. Ya haven't changed yer material in ages! Maybe it would do ya some
good to take a break. Ya know, change it up a bit. Add somethin' new."
Chester felt very upset. Bernie was his friend,
and here he was, criticising Chester! "How could you say that, Bernie? I thought
you were my friend! My jokes are plenty funny. I think you're jealous that I'm
doing so well!" he cried accusingly.
"No! Kid! I would neva..." Bernie tried to defend
himself.
"Look, Bernie, I don't think we should speak
anymore. I don't need Pets like you cramping my style." Chester quickly turned
and, grabbing Hoppy and his trunk, stormed off in a huff. That was the last
he and Bernie ever saw of each other.
Chester and Hoppy traveled Neopia, looking for
a worthy crowd to perform for. But it was the same situation every time. The
audience loved the show the first time, but soon grew tired of it. Chester and
Hoppy survived on pity donations from richer pets. After a while, the pets stopped
giving. Somewhere down the line, Chester desperately traded Hoppy for food.
Hoppy went to a Baby Acara, and Chester went on. Chester started to challenge
other pets to a battle, hoping he could make them laugh, or grow a little stronger
in the tough world of Neopia. He could never seem to beat them, though. So,
he continued searching Neopia for strength and laughs. He continues that search
today.
The End |
