Dawn in Meridell

      Today was no day to be enjoying the sights and smells of Meridell, though. Mother was worried. And when Mother is worried, one can never enjoy anything. Mother gives endless, useless commands and runs around the cottage muttering to herself, zooming back and forth across the cottage like one of those naughty Buzz children who come and eat the crops. How paradoxical that Mother hates the sight of Buzz yet acts like one when she sees one, or when she is worried. Well, honestly, Buzz aren’t that bad. Once, they plucked some juicy fruits from a tall tree for Snowpuff the Bori. Snowpuff had always liked Buzz (even though Mother had always said that they were such a bother).

      Anyway, Mother was worried. Tierellen the JubJub, Snowpuff’s perfect older sister, was sick, terribly sick, and may be permanently mentally handicapped if she is not cured instantly. Tierellen was the perfect daughter, the obedient, hardworking, sweet daughter that Mother wished Snowpuff was. Of course Mother was worried! Mother, Tierellen, and Snowpuff, a humble three-Neopet family, were not-so-rich farmers.

      “What to do? What to do? Do we have enough money? Oh, I should not have bought all those expensive, grotesque Brightvale fruits from that snobbish, smarty-pants Acara.” Mother wrung her hands helplessly.

      Snowpuff frowned, “But the tangella really tasted good. Besides, you promised that if I did all my chores properly and before sundown, you would buy some Brightvale fruits for me.”

      “Be quiet, Snowpuff. If we do not have enough money to buy potions for your sister because of your little dessert and Tierellen is mentally handicapped, it will be all your fault. She won’t be able to go to the Swashbuckling Academy even if we do save up enough money to pay for it. What to do? What to do?” Mother began pacing again. Finally, she began to calm down and actually do something. Mother hurried to the money bank, a small wooden jar with some neopoints in it (Mother was a very busy Ixi who didn’t have time to go to Neopia Central to get a bank account and she wouldn’t let either of her vulnerable daughters go all the way to a foreign land). She poured out all of the money bank’s contents and began counting frantically under her breath, “...six thousand seventy-four... seven thousand twenty-two!! Wonderful. Snowpuff, bring these neopoints to the castle, Kayla’s Potion Shop, and buy an Energizing Elixir for your sister. You have to get the potion. Don’t haggle, or else someone might get it. Just pay whatever price she tells you to pay. Then, go to that weird purple Meerca’s Ye Old Food Shoppe and get a bowl of gruel. Haggle. Don’t get anything from there if he makes you pay more than one-eighty neopoints for the gruel. And don’t you dare play any games with that puzzle Ixi! Don’t go poking Turmaculus either. Come straight home after the gruel. Understood? Go!”

      Snowpuff collected all the neopoints into a sack and began her long journey. She shuddered when she looked up to see the Darigan Citadel hovering on evil-looking clouds and looked longingly at snoring Turmaculus, but she remembered Mother’s words. She hopped expertly over Turmaculus’s arm, which had slid onto the road, blocking the way. Then she walked on and on, only saying a brief hello to Sinsi, who waved cheerfully back. Finally, she reached the castle. Snowpuff crossed the merry little drawbridge and entered the cozy, bright Meridell Castle.

      “Ahem.” A guard cleared his throat.

      “Oh, hello,” Snowpuff said distractedly, amazed by the grandness of the castle. It was always Tierellen who got to come to the castle for potions. “Excuse me, where could I find Kayla? The potions shopowner? I came all the way from Meri Acres Farm for her.”

      “I see,” the guard replied, and pointing to the right a little bit, said, “Well, right over there.”

      “Th-thank you,” Snowpuff said and quickly scurried to the potion shop.

      Kayla was a red Zafara with a blue, starry wizard’s hat and cloak. She had a shrewd, young look to her and smiled when Snowpuff entered the shop and sputtered at the strong smells of potion.

      “Welcome,” Kayla said in a mysterious and soft voice. “What can I get for you?”

      Snowpuff was awed. Awed by the shelves and shelves and shelves of colorful potions. Awed by the dim lamplight that cast a mystical glow on the stone walls. Awed by the large potion book with ancient handwriting sitting on Kayla’s desk. Snowpuff, after remembering her Mother’s instructions all through Meridell’s attractions, forgot them instantly. She spotted a wonderful, corked bottle of colorful pebbles on a shelf. There were pink and purple and yellow bubbles rising from the bottle and Snowpuff was enchanted. She carefully lifted the bottle off the shelf and said, “I’d like this.”

      “Are you very sure? No returns, no refunds. And that’s definite. I never break that rule of mine. Think again. Is this what you came for?” Kayla asked.

      “Yes, yes. I’d love to have it. It’s exactly what I came for,” Snowpuff said. She needed this little bottle. It had whispering secrets contained inside. She must open it and hear the sweet secrets. She needed this little bottle. She must have it.

      “Very well. That will be 6,522 NP please,” Kayla said and reached out her hand for the neopoints. Snowpuff eagerly dropped the neopoints into Kayla’s paws and slid the Glowing Pebble Potion into her sack.

      Then, Snowpuff skipped out of the shop, passing by an ugly little green bottle labeled... Energizing Elixir, 6,574 NP.

      “Eurgh, who would pay 6,574 NP for an ugly little thing like that?”

      Snowpuff passed the guard again, who asked, “Did you get what you wanted?”

      “Exactly what I wanted. The most perfect potion ever!” Snowpuff exclaimed happily. And the guard nodded.

      Snowpuff pranced out of the castle and back onto the Meridell roads and suddenly, a horrible feeling washed over her.

      “Oh no!”

      Kayla’s words echoed in her head, “No returns, no refunds.”

      That’s what Kayla said, “No returns, no refunds. And that’s definite. I never break that rule of mine.”

      “Oh no!” Snowpuff repeated, standing frozen in the middle of the street. A farmer driving his vegetable cart yelled, “Out of the way, missy!”

      Snowpuff was pulled out of her frozen horror and quickly moved off the street, letting the farmer and his cart pass by. Snowpuff ran back into the castle, back into the potion shop and yelled, “I don’t care about your no returns, no refunds rule! I need my money back!”

      Kayla looked up, surprised.

      “My sister! I need my money back. I need to buy something else. Please!”

      Kayla shook her head, “I’m sorry, I already gave the money to the Snargan. He’ll never let me take it back. Sorry, kiddo.”

      “No, you don’t understand. My sister is sick! I need the potion! Please, couldn’t you give it to me now? I promise, I’ll earn the neopoints and give it to you. Please!”

      “Oh, I’m really, truly sorry. Snargan will kill me if I’m missing some of my potions. He watches everything passionately. I could give you this, though. I used my own money to make this, not the treasury’s money.” Kayla held out a little potion bottle full of swirling colors. “Go play with it.”

      “No, I don’t want that. I need an Energizing Elixir. I need it. My sister needs it. Then, can we trade?” Snowpuff shook Kayla’s desk.

      Kayla shook her head again, “Sorry, kiddo. Snargan watches everything jealously. No trading, either. One of his many unreasonable rules.”

      Snowpuff moaned, “No, no, no.”

      Shoulders slumped, Snowpuff walked out of the castle again. Tears began to well up in her eyes and she wished she could be alone. She ran down the road and off a strange little fork to a forest. She wept and cried and sobbed, her voice echoing around. She lay face flat on the ground and pounded the soft ground. Snowpuff suddenly felt a presence and sat up. There was a shadow over her.

      And a faerie, an earth faerie.

      “Oh, dear, sweet, what’s wrong?” the earth faerie asked.

     Snowpuff sniffled, “Potion. Wrong potion. My sister!”

     “Come on, let’s get you up. I’ll bring you to my home and treat you to a nice cup of rose shake. It’ll make you feel better,” the earth faerie said. She picked up Snowpuff and hugged her gently. Then, she flapped her fluttery green wings. They were into a nice little glade instantly.

     The earth faerie said kindly, “Sit down, sit down here.”

     Snowpuff hiccupped as she sat down on the leafy mat. The earth faerie blew from her magical green lips and a glass cup of rose shake appeared. Then, she blew again and some flower cakes appeared. The earth faerie sat down next to Snowpuff and wrapped her arm around Snowpuff.

     “Now, tell me what’s wrong.”

     Snowpuff took a bite from the sweet cream cookies and felt a warm, tingling tranquility over her thin body.

     “My sister is terribly sick and may be permanently handicapped. Mother gave me some neopoints and told me to go buy Energizing Elixir for Kayla, but...” and Snowpuff told the whole story to the earth faerie.

     “Snowpuff,” the earth faerie said, “yes, I know your name. Snowpuff, do you know who I am?”

     “Earth faerie,” Snowpuff said.

     “Yes, I am Illusen the Earth Faerie. I have lived in Meridell for a very long time and know both good Kayla and greedy Snargan well. I can help you, but you must prove your goodness.”

     “How?” Snowpuff hiccupped.

     “I want you to go back onto the road and near the castle, you will see two mortogs, one magical, one not. One is a prince, one isn’t. Now, if you are pure at heart and did not really mean to buy the wrong potion, your heart will tell you which mortog to kiss. If you succeed, bring back the prince to me and I shall go with you to Meridell Castle and ask Snargan to give the money back to Kayla. Then, I shall ask Kayla to give you a refund. And then, you may buy your potion for your sister.”

     Snowpuff nodded, eyes bright with hope, “I shall be right back.”

     Snowpuff ran back onto the road and to the place Illusen told her to go to find the mortogs. She saw the pair. Snowpuff closed her eyes and kissed one of them. She waited anxiously. A prince! Excellent! The prince thanked her, “My most sincere thanks. What can I ever do to repay you?”

     “Come with me.” Snowpuff dragged the bewildered prince back to Illusen’s Glade. Illusen smiled and nodded.

     “Let’s go get that potion for your sister, eh?” Illusen said.

     Snargan whined, “But, but the money! It has entered the treasury. Please, Your High Faerieness! Please don’t take away the shiny silver!”

     Illusen gave Snargan a steely look and Snargan gave a cowering bow. Illusen triumphantly took the money back to Kayla’s and got the right potion for Snowpuff. Snowpuff returned the Glowing Pebble Potion without any reluctance and thanked Illusen graciously. Illusen smiled and flew back to her glade.

     Snowpuff quickly went to buy the bowl of gruel and ran back to Meri Acres Farm right before sundown, when the Darigan Citadel gets really scary.

     Mother shrieked when Snowpuff returned, “You got it! You got it!”

     Mother snatched the gruel and potion for Snowpuff and ran back into the cottage. Tierellen was talking weakly in her sleep. Mother poured the Energizing Elixir down Tierellen’s throat and sighed, “Thank you, Snowpuff. Thank you! I was getting worried, so worried. Now, I can pass the night worry-free.”

     And that was how the three-Neopet family passed the night... worry-free.

     The golden sun rose slowly the next day. And the ugly stench of the Rubbish Dump was back. But so was the health of Tierellen. And who cared about the Sunday bushes now? Not Snowpuff. She had her big sister back.

The End