Hugs By The Hundreds

      Sable was a very happy Poogle. She never once thought of herself as less important than her friends. Surprisingly, Sable had many friends, most of whom were rich. However, Sable's friends accepted her for who she was, not for how many neopoints she had.

      One day, Sable's father told her that she was ready to begin working. He told her that she had to devise a plan and come up with a way to make neopoints. He told her that she would have to buy any materials she needed. Sable had to take full responsibility, this time.

      As Sable and her friends walked around the Mystery Shop, they began thinking of ideas.

      "We should sell something," said Sable as she tapped her chin lightly.

      "Hot Chocolate!" yelled one Poogle.

      "Fur Coats!" yelled another.

      "I couldn't afford more than one gallon of Hot Chocolate and I couldn't even afford ONE fur coat," Sable replied humbly as she counted her neopoints, slowly.

      "That's true," said one of Sable's friends. "What can we sell that we don't have to pay for?" she asked herself and the other girls.

      "Why don't you sell something that everyone needs, but can not be bought?" asked Tarla, the owner of the shop.

      "Like what?" asked Sable sweetly.

      "Well, everyone needs hugs. Heck, I'd pay a whole ten neopoints to get a nice, warm hug, on such a cold day," said Tarla.

      "That's actually a good idea!" exclaimed Sable. "Thanks Tarla!" she yelled as she ran out the door, with neopoints in her hands.

      Later that afternoon, Sable went and bought some fur and material. She also bought a sewing kit and a sewing machine. Sable sat down, laid her eyes on the sewing machine, and neglected to take her eyes off the machine, until she was done. Sable MADE a fur coat with the materials and her dad was never so proud.

      "You made this fur coat?" asked her father as he patted her on the head.

      "Yes sir!" exclaimed Sable happily.

      "What are you going to sell, though, dear?" he asked sweetly.

      "I'm going to sell warm hugs," said Sable.

      "You're going to sell what?" asked her father in confusion. Sable giggled and ran out the door with her huge fur coat on.

      As Poogles passed by, Sable would yell, "Hugs, only ten neopoints!" A few Poogles looked at her, but they just kept on walking. Sable was ready to give up until a blue Poogle stopped and turned around.

      "Would you like a hug, for only ten neopoints, sir?" asked Sable sweetly.

      "Yes ma'am," he said politely. The Poogle handed Sable twenty neopoints in a bag and told her to keep the change. Sable gave the Poogle a hug and he left, with a big smile on his face.

      After that, Sable had many customers. Each one left with a smile on their face and Sable felt so good. She stored the points she had earned in a small silky envelope that she made with the left-over materials used to make the fur coat.

      That night, after counting her neopoints, she wrote down the total on a piece of paper. She had earned two hundred neopoints, in just one day.

      "Look, Dad! Look at how much I made!" she yelled as she handed the piece of paper to her father, in complete excitement.

      "Two hundred neopoints? Wow!" exclaimed her father.

      "Yeah, Daddy! Aren't you proud of me? I earned two HUNDRED neopoints," Sable said.

      "You earned all these neopoints by selling hugs?" he asked curiously.

      "Yes, Daddy. See, it is very cold outside and Poogles like to find ways to stay warm. While I'm wearing this fur coat, I am very warm. When Poogles hug me, they get warm and they feel happy. The Poogles pay ten whole neopoints for one hug," Sable explained.

      "Sable, this is amazing!" exclaimed her father as she handed him the neopoints. "Thank you," he said, sweetly.

      The next day, Sable made her way back outside, while wearing her fur coat. It was even better than the day before; a total of forty Poogles stopped to hug Sable. That meant that she made four hundred neopoints.

      "Look dad! Look at how much I made!" she yelled as she handed the piece of paper to her father, in complete excitement.

      "Four hundred neopoints? Gee!" exclaimed her father.

      "The hugs business is such a success," said Sable excitedly.

      "No, Sable. It's not the hugs business. It's YOU that is the success," her father explained sweetly as he patted her on the head gently.

      Every day for the next week, Sable would walk outside in her big coat and hug more and more Poogles every day. By the last day of the week, she had earned two thousand neopoints for her family. That was not much, but it was enough for the family to live happily.

      One day an old grey Poogle passed Sable. "Hugs, only ten neopoints!" she yelled. The old Poogle stopped and turned around. He walked slowly toward Sable and stopped near her. He laid down his cane and began talking.

      "My family was once poor. Now we are rich. I have brought it to my attention that you earn hundreds of neopoints each day. Only someone who really needs those neopoints would sell something so creative to obtain them. Everyone needs a hug every once in a while," said the man as he handed Sable one hundred thousand neopoints in a large bag.

      "Sir, this large amount of neopoints is not necessary," said Sable as she tried to give the bag of neopoints back to the old grey Poogle.

      "I have lived the climax of my life. I have experienced being rich. I have done all I want to do. Now, I feel that it is my turn to give someone else that chance," he said as he handed the bag of neopoints back to Sable.

      The grey Poogle hugged her, grabbed his cane, and slowly walked away. That night, when Sable got home, she told her parents the story the old grey Poogle told her. Her parents were thrilled. They could not believe how much money the Poogle gave them.

      From that day forward, things were different. For each meal, Sable's family ate fresh fruits such as Chokatos, Neggs, and Berries. For holidays, such as Gadgadsbogen, Sable's dad bought three paint brushes and painted each one of them a new and unique color.

      Years later, Sable was old and grey. As she slowly walked down the street, she saw a young Poogle, picking up dropped neopoints off the snowy ground. Sable handed the young Poogle a bag with one hundred thousand neopoints in it and said...

      "I have lived the climax of my life. I have experienced being rich. I have done all I want to do. Now, I feel that it is my turn to give someone else that chance."

The End