Snowglobe: Part One

     The green Kougra looked out the window. The snow was falling lazily from the sky and creating a white blanket across the ground. Neopets were playing outside, leaping around. She could see one of her brothers, Dargon, playing around outside. Ria glanced at Plorg.

     "Wanna play a game?"

     Blink. Blink.

     "How about...we play with my Uni Races Usuki set?"

     Blink. Blink.

     "Oh, you're useless!" Ria shouted and walked away from the window.

     Blink. Blink.

     Ria sighed and rolled over unto her back. Every one of her siblings had something interesting to do. Dargon, her red Shoyru brother, had a Sauropod, one of Ria's favorite types of petpets. Luck was recently painted to be a Christmas Shoyru, so he was telling all his friends (which was a lot). Sun, my other Shoyru sibling, was playing the Adventure Generator...like always. Ria tried poking Plorg who answered by snorting.

     I need something interesting to do... something no one else has ever done before, Ria thought. Maybe I'll go outside and play frisbee. She leaped to her feet and raced to the window...only to remember that it was snowing outside. Ria didn't like the snow very much. She was from Mystery Island, and the snow didn't suit her very well. How was it possible that her hero, Hannah, could survive the cold and bitter winds of the Ice Caves? Did Hannah enjoy it? Did all those Bruces enjoy it? Did Taelia enjoy it? What was so special about snow, anyway?

     Ria sighed again and leaned against the wall. What could there be to do when it was snowing and there was nothing...nothing to do?

     Ria pushed her Slorg aside and shifted through her new toys that she had gotten from the Advent Calendar. The Christmas Shoyru Plushie...that was Luck's...the Judge Hog Action Figure...the Sloth Pinatta...the Neopian Times Usuki set... There was nothing to do! Ria started to dig deeper into the box when she came across a toy she had never found before. She stuck both arms in and wrestled it out.

     It was a Grey Faerie Snowglobe...from last year's advent calendar. Ria looked at it with wonder. She hadn't been with Cyborg as long as the others had, she had only come a few months ago. Ria looked it over again. It was very pretty, but the grey faerie looked so sad.

     That's it! I'll find the grey faerie and make her happy again! Maybe she's sad because of all this snow. I bet Taelia is the only faerie who likes snow, Ria thought and examined the globe more closely. It was no use. Ria couldn't tell where the grey faerie was, the inside looked like nowhere she knew. Ria threw it aside as well and kept looking through the toys. She felt another strange toy and heaved it out of the chest.

     Another snowglobe. Illusen. Ria pushed that aside too. More snowglobes. Ria pouted and sat back down and glared at the large pile of snowglobes. Why were all those faeries sitting there and watching snow or leaves fall on their heads? Why couldn't they be more interesting...like bottled faeries. If only a few people liked the snow very much, why did they make little glass bottle like things that had snow falling from the top. What about all the Neopets from Krawk Island and Mystery Island? Or the Lost Desert? They must not like snow very much because Ria sure didn't. She hated the snow. So what was the point of having these snowglobes anyway? They were just pretty to look at and they got boring after awhile. Sun sure didn't play with them. Ria wasn't even going to think about playing with them.

     Ria pouted some more before stuffing all the snowglobes in a bag and pushing it into the corner.

     Ria glared at the bag.

     The bag sat there.

     Ria glared more at the bag.

     The bag still sat there.

     Ria glared as hard as she could at the bag.

     The bag...sat there.

     Finally, Ria got so sick of looking at it that she just threw it outside through the window and pouted some more. She searched the toy chest some more until she found a Maraquan Usuki. She played with the Usuki and the Judge Hog Action Figure until her sister called her down for dinner. Ria threw the toys aside and picked up Plorg (who by that time was covered in toys) and brought him downstairs.

      * * *

     Ria had totally forgotten about the snowglobes by the time the doorbell rang on the day after Christmas. Ria was playing with some brand new toys and she wasn't minding a bit when she heard her Owner, Cy, go answer the door. She heard voices, Cy's surprised one and a deeper, happier one. Cyborg was coming towards the play room and opened the door.

     "Ria...could you...could you come here for a second?" he asked, looking confused. Ria shrugged and walked over to him. Cy led the green Kougra over to the door where she saw a very happy looking neopet.

     "What do you need me for?" Ria asked. The huge Lenny squawked and laughed for a moment before he gained control of himself. He stuck out a wing to Ria who shook it warily. The Lenny withdrew his wing before continuing,

     "I am in charge of the present department for the Neopets in the Adoption Center. We usually can only afford to get them small things that aren't very enjoyable. Around the holiday time, pets usually don't get adopted since Neopoints are being used to buy gifts instead. The holidays aren't very fun for the Neopets at the Center, but this year it was a very happy time at the Center. Thank you young lady, it was very sweet of you to do that."

     Ria stared at the Lenny. She glanced at Cy who stepped back with a questioned look on his face. What was he talking about? Ria hadn't done anything special. If she could help it, Ria usually didn't even go anywhere in Neopia Central. Much less the Adoption Center. Ria scrunched up her face and said,

     "What did I do?"

     Now the Lenny looked confused. His eyes darted to Ria, to Cy, to Ria, back to Cy, and they landed on Ria. He said in what he hoped still sounded like a happy voice,

     "Why...donating those snowglobes of course! Those were all very special gifts to the Neopets at the Adoption Center because there is so rarely a time when they get gifts, much less good ones. They enjoyed it very much and we're indebted to you for that. Neopia Central is sponsoring a holiday parade, and we've reserved a special float for you. It's the head float, right in the middle of the parade. We'd like you to be in the Neopia Central Holiday Parade."

     "WHAT?!" Cy and Ria exclaimed.

     A parade? With Ria on the head float? Ria smiled as she imagined it. Neopets cheering and chanting her name. A big float led by royal Unis...maybe a new petpet as a reward. The colors of the float would be green and blue, and have flowers and everything. New toys, and she would never have to worry about snowglobes again...

     "Of course, the float would have snowglobes all around it so the people would know what you have done."

     Well, it was still the head float.

     "Ria," Cy said, turning to his pet, "did you really get rid of those snowglobes and donate them?" Ria decided to only answer the first part of the question.

     "Yes. I did," she replied. The Lenny clapped his wings together and shouted,

     "Splendid! Splendid! We have a writer from the Neopian Times scheduled to come here in a few moments." The doorbell chimed. "Ah, right on time! Come now sir, Ria, please sit down while I get the writer! The writer here to interview you!"

     A whole article about her in the Neopian Times where everyone could see it? Ria smiled and pranced over to the sofa and smoothed her fur out. She quickly started thinking of ways how she had donated the snowglobes.

     A fancy looking Island Wocky walked into the room and flounced down on an armchair. The Lenny looked quite excited at meeting a reporter and quickly sit down across from the reporter. The Wocky took out a notebook and a pen from a bag she was carrying and opened up the notebook.

     "So," she said, "what were you doing right before you had the idea to donate the snowglobes?"

     Ria thought fast.

     "I was alone in the play room and I was looking out the window. I was thinking of the bitter cold and of those poor Neopets who had to suffer through it."

     "When did you come up with the idea to donate the snowglobes?"

     "I was looking for a toy to play with, since Plorg, my petpet Slorg, was sleeping. I didn't want to wake him, so I started to look through my toy chest. I found the snowglobes and wondered why no one played with them, they were so fun. I thought, 'Hey! Why not donate them to those poor Neopets who don't have any toys?' So I put them in a bag and that's that!"

     "Where exactly did you put the snowglobes?"

     Ria's mind raced. What had she done with them? Oh yeah…she had thrown them out the window in a bag. Uh-oh…

To be continued...