A Visit To New Faerieland

     Nosiness got the better of me, but before I could ask them what they were referring to, they had left the Bookshop, the swinging door and twinkle of a chime marking their departure.

     “Excuse me,” I asked the Library Faerie behind the counter.

     “How can I help you today?” She said with a smile pushed aside a stack of hardcovers.

     “The customers that were here earlier, I heard them say something about a NEW Faerieland… Do you know what that’s about?”

     “Oh, that! Haven’t you heard? They uncovered a piece of Faerieland floating in the sky!” Seshatia, as her name tag stated, responded with enthusiasm.

     Faerieland in the sky?! I could not believe my ears. Memories from when I was younger came afloat in my mind, memories of glimpses of Faerieland high up in the sky, the tip of Queen Fyora’s purple castle peeking through the wispy clouds. As a little Kacheek, I always dreamed of visiting, always remaining on my best behavior lest Queen Fyora herself appeared in front of me unannounced.

     “So, where is it now?” I asked, curiosity piqued.

     “In the sky, of course!” Seshatia laughed. “If you want to visit, head up the road and find the giant Walein just before the castle grounds. He can bring you there. They’re working on rebuilding it now, so I’m sure they would appreciate visitors.”

     “Thank you!”

     _____________________

     I stepped off the Walein slowly, and had never been more grateful for solid ground beneath my feet. The dream I’ve had since I was a Baby, of soaring through the sky, had been fulfilled and immediately squashed at the same time. I turned around and looked down over the edge of the ground. Neopia looked to be a hundred, maybe a thousand feet off the ground. Purple and pink houses dotted Faerieland, and the dark scary woods of the Haunted Woods westward looked like a mere patch of darkness. The altitude made me realize that I had to ride the Walein down again. Ignoring the sinking in my stomach, I backed away from the edge and headed towards the centre of the floating island. The ride down would be a concern for later.

     The same pink and purple bricks typical of Faerieland paved the ground. As a Plushie Kacheek, this combination of colours always appealed to me. However, built upon those pinks and purples were houses of varying colours other than the two. This differentiated from those built in Faerieland. As I took note of the similarities and differences in the infrastructure between this New Faerieland and Faerieland down below, I realized something: other than myself, not a single Neopian was around. Away from the bustle of Faerie City, the town up here was a stark contrast. They ARE open to visitors, right? The absence of anyone made me doubt myself. I wrapped my arms around myself, feeling a sudden chill. It was definitely cooler up here, but without any Neopians around, the cold felt more palpable.

     A fountain stood in the middle of the plaza. Through the silence, the sound of the water splashes were amplified. Next to it, there stood a lone house with a red roof. Maybe there was someone in there?

     “Hello? Anyone home?”

     I paused for a few seconds, awaiting a response. No answer. I knocked again three more times… Still no answer. I rattled the doorknob. Locked, of course.

     I turned around and scanned the area. The island was not big - about the area between The Healing Springs and The Wheel of Excitement. Besides the empty house I stood at, there was another building nearby. It was a larger building, three stories high with multiple bedrooms, proven by the rows of windows. Various possibilities ran through my mind: A school, a Neolodge, or perhaps Queen Fyora’s secret office. I padded over to the building. Maybe all the residents were inside. I did turn up unannounced, afterall. They didn’t even know I was here!

     The door pushed open easily. Not locked! A flame of hope rekindled in my heart. I peeked inside before stepping in, lest I was interrupting any work ongoing.

     “Hello? Anyone here?” I spoke softly, but my voice echoed loudly in the lobby. A long counter stood at the back of the room, almost like a reception office. No one was behind it, of course. I called out again. “Hello?” Maybe someone was upstairs? The small flame of hope threatened to wane.

     At that moment, the front door flew open with a bang, startling me.

     “There you are!”

     A sign of relief escaped me. A Faerie Shoyru stood at the entrance, her auburn hair whipped back messily as if she had been hit with a blast from a hair dryer.

     “Hi, my name is Varia! Sorry, I didn’t get here sooner! When I saw the Walein docked at the station, I flew around the island trying to find you. I should have known you were in the Neolodge!” The Faerie Shoyru, Varia, spoke quickly.

     “Thank Fyora, I thought this whole place was empty!” I sighed in relief and told my beating heart to calm down. “My name is Saturday. I just heard about a New Faerieland and wanted to visit! I’ve never been this high above Neopia.” I scratched at the blue patchwork on the side of my head nervously, feeling sheepish after explaining my lone visit up here.

     “Empty? No, no, no,” Varia waved her hand as if dismissing the idea. “I was just busy with the tiles, that’s all!”

     “The tiles…?”

     “Never mind that, let me show you around!”

     Varia led us out of the empty Neolodge.

     “So this is the Neolodge, as you saw, for any Neopians visiting New Faerieland like yourself! Newly built, newly furnished! It’s very luxurious.”

     I glanced back at the building behind. It did smell of freshly furnished wood.

     She pointed to the vacant house I sought earlier. “That’s Luxinia’s home. She’s the Faerie that was found up here alone all these years, in that same house! We’ve fixed up the roof, but you could say that her house is an artefact from Old Faerieland!”

     “Wow, that’s incredible! Where is she now?”

     “She’s away on important business… Queen Fyora’s orders.” She spoke slowly and carefully. I decided not to pry further. The Queen’s business was The Queen’s business, after all.

     “So, do you live here?”

     “Yup! My house is over across the bridge over there,” she pointed to the right, toward a small island across a bridge where two houses stood. “I run a General Store too. It’s the building right next to my house!”

     “Do you get any customers…?” I asked. I couldn’t imagine this area getting much foot traffic at all.

     “Well, there’s Tia, Jorrett, and Ascor… and of course Luxinia! It’s just a few of us now, but it keeps me busy enough! Oh, and those tiles! They keep me busy like ya-ya-ya-yoo wouldn’t believe it!”

     “What tiles?” This is the second time she brought up ‘tiles’. What on Neopia is she talking about?

     “Anyway, let’s head over this bridge. I think Tia is over at her shop! You’ll like her. She runs the thrift store here!”

     Completely ignoring my question (again), Varia led us across a bridge north of the island towards a smaller floating island. Similar to the one on the right where her house was located, this smaller island also had two houses. I assumed one was Tia’s home, and the other was the Thrift Store she managed.

     Varia pushed the doors open with homely familiarity. “Tia! It’s me! I brought a visitor too!”

     The interior of the Thrift Store was rustic and cozy. A fuzzy welcome mat laid under my feet. On one side, a counter and the cashier. On another, various merchandise were displayed on shelves. At the back of the store, a stylish Yellow Aisha was arranging clothes on a display rack. Noting Varia’s arrival, she hung a dress on the rack and turned around to greet us.

     “Welcome, I’m Tia! It’s nice to see a new face around here.” Tia smiled sweetly as she swept her hair to one side.

     “Hi! I’m Saturday,” I waved awkwardly. “This is a lovely store you’ve set up!”

     “Thanks. Feel free to take a look around, and let me know if you’d like to try on anything. I don’t get many customers these days, and some days I wish I could model someone other than Varia! No offence,” she nodded towards Varia in apology.

     “None taken! I’ve probably tried on every possible outfit you have here!” Varia raised both her hands in defence and chuckled.

     “So, what do you do to pass the time up here?” I questioned.

     “Well, time passes quickly with the tiles, though I don’t get as busy as Varia does with it.”

     Not the tiles again. “What tiles are-”

     “Oh, but I do run plenty of events up here! Every so often I run a Seasonal Exchange. It’s not a big event, but you would be surprised at the logistics that go on behind the scenes! I do enjoy event planning, though. I’d say I’m rather good at what I do.”

     “Tia’s the best! When Luxinia and I work together, we tend to get distracted or miss the little details. That’s where Tia really guides us.” Varia showered compliments at Tia, and Tia accepted them gracefully. The two of them began chatting about Tia’s store, and her love for thrifting. It was great conversation, but the further it went along, the further away it strayed from the topic of those mysterious ‘Tiles’.

     A grandfather clock at the corner of the store chimed loudly, stopping us mid-conversation.

     “Oh, is it already 5pm? Sorry girls, but I’m going to close up for the day! I’m heading back down to Faerieland this evening to meet some friends. Saturday, would you like to ride the Walein together?”

     Remembering the nausea I felt on the ride up to New Faerieland on the Walein, I jumped at Tia’s offer. Possibly a little too enthusiastically. Tia strutted behind the counter and grabbed her bag. With one last look around the store, we all headed out together and Tia closed the door. No point locking it, she explained, since no one comes up here anyway.

     _____

     The Giant Walein was still floating about at the station where I dismounted. Tia climbed onto his back with ease and held out a hand in support. I grabbed it and hauled myself up with much effort. How was she so graceful in everything she does?

     And with a loud wail, the Walein set off, back towards Faerieland. Clouds whirled past us as I held on for dear life. Seated next to me, Tia was upright in perfect posture, her paws gently resting on the Walein’s back.

     In an attempt to calm myself, I spoke. “So, Tia, what tiles were you and Varia referring to?”

     “Hmm? Oh, the tiles. Well…” She pondered for the second before smirking. “Why don’t you visit us again and we’ll show you?”

     I sighed in defeat. These ‘tiles’ were going to keep me up at night. “Fine. But can you please tell Varia to get a saddle for the Walein, please?”

     Encouraged by the sound of Tia’s laughter, the Walein sped up even more all the way down.

     The End.