The Year Without an Advent Calendar

     GONE FISHING. — Reina it read.

     She was stunned. Gone…fishing? What in Fyora's name did that mean?!? The Advent Calendar didn't close for such trivialities as vacation days! The staff had 11 months for adventures. Now was not the time!!! Plus, Reina, the organiser of the Calendar, had never struck Noella as the kind of girl who would enjoy fishing.

     Was this some kind of a sick joke? A prank? The swirly Candy stripes were draining from Noella's face.

     She wasn't quite sure what to do, but she knew that Neopia needed to know. Turning on her heels, she began to race back to Neopia Central, stopping only to detour past Reina's house first, just in case.

     As suspected, Reina's house was also dark, with no signs of life inside. Nevertheless, she gave the front door a few sharp raps and waited anxiously to hear any noise coming from inside. Nothing.

     She made it back to Neopia Central in record time, fueled by adrenaline and her morning Borovan, which was now long gone. She burst through the front doors of the Neopian Times office just after 0630. As she stood in the lobby, doubled over and completely out of breath, the Chia behind the front desk peered at her curiously.

     Carefully lowering her glasses for a better look, the matronly Chia wondered aloud, "Dear…are you alright?"

     Noella took another moment to catch her breath before replying. "Miss, I need to see the Editor, immediately! It's urgent!"

     The clerk was bemused but figured she'd entertain the young Aisha's concerns, as the girl seemed quite worried. "The Editor's not in today, dear, but you can speak with one of our reporters. If you have a seat and sign in on this clipboard, I'll give them a ring."

     "Oh, thank you, Ma'am! Really, thank you!" Noella gushed, hastily scribbling her name on the sheet before collapsing into one of the hard, plastic chairs in the lobby to wait.

     A few minutes later, the Chia called her over. "Excuse me, dear? You can go on back now – Chippy is free to meet with you."

     Waving a quick thank you to the Chia, Noella stood up and headed in the direction the clerk had waved her. As she headed towards the door leading to the back offices, a wide-eyed Vandagyre opened the door to greet her.

     Noella balked a little at the sight of him. This was a reporter? Surely this was an intern, a student at one of the local academies earning some extra credit for the winter quarter. Did they not understand how urgent this was? She took a deep breath. Calm down, Noella, she thought. Give the kid a chance. She managed a half-hearted smile and followed him into the office.

     As they wound through a maze of dimly lit cubicles, her skepticism grew. The offices were mostly deserted, which surprised her, given that it was a Monday morning. Just as she was thinking it, though, Chippy began to apologize for the dulled atmosphere, as if he had sensed her thoughts.

     "Sorry it's a bit empty in here…most of the head writers won't get in for another few hours. They usually sleep in on Mondays after working hard on Sunday evening to get the first paper of the week done on schedule." He looked sheepish, as if he were apologizing that Noella was stuck with him and not someone of more importance.

     She began to feel bad for judging him so harshly on her first impression – clearly he knew as well as she did that she had expected attention from someone of a higher calibre. "It's quite alright," she offered a gentle apology, "thanks for taking the time, really."

     He gestured to a cubicle, and she followed him inside. He took a yellow notepad out from a desk drawer and motioned for her to sit down.

     "Now, Miss, uhm…" he paused to glance down at a slip of paper that had been balled in his fist, "Noella…what seems to be the trouble?"

     Noella took a deep breath and launched into a recap of her morning. Chippy, to his credit, listened attentively, his pen flying across the pages of his notepad as he furiously scribbled indecipherable words and symbols.

     "...and that's when I arrived here, hoping the Times could get the word out!" she finished, leaving the sound of a lingering question in the air as she looked at Chippy expectantly.

     He shifted nervously in his seat. "Well, Miss Noella, like I said earlier, I'm afraid the Monday paper is already out for delivery. I really do think we have a story here, but even if my editors agree, we wouldn't be able to publish it until tomorrow." His face fell slightly, from the disappointment he was delivering to Noella coupled with his personal disappointment that he wouldn't get the opportunity to headline the first paper of the week. This was the break he had been looking for, and it would have to wait.

     "But maybe," he started, and Noella perked up a little at the potential hope, "maybe you could try the Defenders?"

     Noella stared. The Defenders of Neopia! Of course! This was, after all, a missing persons case of untold magnitude. Why had she not thought to report it? Suddenly she felt a little foolish, showing up to the Times with such serious news, as if it were a fluff piece. She leapt to her feet, reaching out to grab Chippy's paw. Shaking it exuberantly, she said, "Thank you Chippy, no, truly. I really appreciate your time, and you're completely correct – this crime needs to be reported at once! With any luck, they'll solve it by dinnertime, and perhaps your story can be a happy headline for tomorrow."

     She made to head out of the cubicle and back towards the lobby. Chippy smiled warmly at her. "I'll get to writing right away, Miss Noella! Please, stop back later, and keep me posted! I do hope we're able to find Miss Reina soon; the Starlight Festival just won't be the same without the Advent Calendar!”

     And so Noella raced off to her next destination: the headquarters of Neopian crime-solving and justice.

     ***

     The Hall of Justice was breathtaking, what with its gorgeous hardwood floors, wooden paneling, and magnificent skylights. Noella hadn't actually ever been inside, she hadn't a reason to, but it was every bit as magnificent as she'd imagined.

     She made her way up to the front desk where yet another matronly Chia sat, waiting to greet her. Was that the same Chia? It couldn't have been, and yet she looked oddly identical to the one running the counter at the Neopian Times. Noella shook her head to clear her thoughts. It wasn't relevant, she muttered to herself, as she stepped up to the counter.

     "Good morning, Ma'am, I'm here to report a missing person," she declared calmly but with a strong sense of urgency.

     The Chia peered over the bridge of her glasses and down at Noella. "Certainly, dear. Please sign in," she gestured to a clipboard, "and I'll let someone know you're here." Noella again shook off the feeling of deja vu and did as instructed, sinking into a plush, red armchair to wait. It was only…she paused to check her wristwatch…0706, and yet she was exhausted and deeply disheartened. She felt as though she'd been up all day, with the amount of running around and stress. She couldn't believe that only 90 minutes ago she'd been finishing up at the Rainbow Fountain, brimming with excitement and holiday spirit. So much had changed in such a short period, including her mood.

     "Noella?" chirped an airy, feminine voice. She looked up and saw Zee smiling softly at her from across the lobby. "Come with me," Zee beckoned.

     Noella was admittedly a little starstruck. She hadn't expected one of the actual Defenders themselves to meet with her. Perhaps another intern or a receptionist. But a Defender like Zee? Colour her spirits lifted! Well, minus the fact that Reina was still missing and the Advent Calendar was still cancelled. But Noella was certain that she, if not the Defenders, could get to the bottom of it. Neopia wasn't going without an Advent Calendar if Noella had anything to say about it.

     And so she held her head up high and proudly followed Zee into an office just off the main hall, launching into her spiel about the morning as they walked. She delivered it a little more succinctly this time, having had a trial run telling the story to Chippy an hour ago. Zee listened carefully. Although she didn't take notes, it was clear she was following Noella's story intently.

     "Well," mused Zee, "you've certainly had a morning, haven't you, Noella?" Noella nodded, a bit tearful now that the weight of the morning was starting to catch up with her.

     "I want to assure you that I am going to take this very seriously – a year without an Advent Calendar is not anything our citizens should have to experience. I agree that it's deeply concerning and uncharacteristic for Reina to simply walk off like this." Zee reached for a form and began meticulously filling it out in a neat, precise print. She continued, "Now, I'll have to consult with the rest of the squad as to our course of action, but if I may – are you up to assist?"

     Noella practically bounded out of her seat. "YES!" she shrieked. "I mean," she composed herself a little, "I would be honoured to assist in any way I can. The Advent Calendar means the world to me, Zee. Ever since I was a little girl, I dreamt all year of the joy I feel waking up on a crisp winter morning and visiting the Calendar. It's truly crushing my spirits to see the windows shuttered and the music silenced."

     Zee nodded solemnly. "Then I'll start by asking you to investigate the note that was left while we get our affairs in order here. It said that Reina had gone fishing, correct?" Noella nodded. "Well then, perhaps a trip to Ye Olde Fishing Vortex is in order."

     Zee rose from her desk and extended a paw towards Noella. Matching her actions, Noella met her with a firm handshake. "Best of luck to us both," Zee said. "Meet me back here in a few hours, and let me know what you find out."

     Noella agreed and once again set off, this time towards Maraqua.

     To be continued…