"Make Do" Wishing

      Mika pushed hard on the door, and took a slow step on the cold tiles. A fan blew chilly air in his face, causing his eyes to water. He turned away and looked around for the shopkeeper. "Hello?" he called over the counter, shattering the silence. Almost as if waiting for him to call, a Pink Lupe eagerly hopped from right below the counter. "Yes? Can I help you?" she asked, apparently glad that she had a customer. It looked as if the shop had been abandoned. That wasn't surprising, since there were more interesting things to do during the Summer.

      "Err, yeah. I was wondering... um, how much are you asking for the plushie in the window?" Mika didn't know exactly what to say; he was as timid as a babaa. Beng an Aisha didn't help much either.

      "Oh, that old thing?" she asked. "I won't take less than 30,000 neopoints for it."

      Mika's eyes bulged to the size of dinner plates. "Th-thirty thousand?!" he gasped.

     The Lupe growled a bit, then cleared her throat. "That's the deal, kid. Take it or leave it."

     Mika couldn't believe the price it was going for. Without a word, he headed out the door into the rather quiet bazaar. Only a few pets and their owners window shopped in smaller stores, just having a nice time together. He puffed a bit of air out of his chest and took the long way home, feeling like he just needed a walk before he went home to dinner.

     ~&~

      Mika sat up in bed, his elbows on his knees. He stared out the dark window, and glanced at his clock for the seventy-third time. The bright red numbers burned in the darkness, just three of them, telling Mika that it was 3:45 AM NST. He yawned. "Not a wink of sleep," he thought. "I can't stop thinking about that plushie. Who puts up a plushie for thirty thousand, anyway? That's way too much for a toy." His angry thoughts weren't helping him feel any better, but at least ranting tired him out. "I really shouldn't get worked up over a plushie. I'm sure it will come through, eventually," he said to himself just before drifting off to sleep.

     ~&~

      Sunlight danced its way through Mika's room, and lightly on to his eyelids, waking him from dreams of plushies and neopoints and angry shopkeepers. Tiredly, he watched the light slowly fly along his room, indecisive as to what it should land on. It came to a pause on Steve, Mika's Green Aisha Plushie, slumped against the corner of his room. Mika had forgotten about Steve years ago. He had bought it when he was very young, because it looked a lot like him. He had taken it with him everywhere, told him everything, fed him imaginary food, and even had a dance from time to time. It had been no doubt that Steve and Mika were the best of friends. But as Mika grew, their bond faded, until it had eventually disappeared.

      But as a reminder of Steve's many years stuffed in the corner of his room, the plushie's color had faded from a dark forest green to a near minty green. It was probably even lighter, considering that a desert of dust covered the plushie so well, all you could make out was its shape. It had been neglected, and Mika knew this. He felt a stab of guilt for Steve and tenderly lifted the plushie from its position in the corner, breaking a few abandoned Spyder webs in the process. He blew the dust off until he was out of breath, and smiled at how well it had actually done, considering that it had been forgotten for a long time. "Hey, Steve. Sorry I forgot about you. I guess that wasn't very nice, was it?" He sighed. Steve was his only plushie, and he did still want the Alien Aisha Plushie, which was still new. Mika looked back at Steve, and out of nowhere, an incredible idea popped into his head.

      For this idea, Mika would need a few supplies. First, one large square of green fabric. He found it in a basket filled with fabric by the bookcase. Second, four short sticks, and some scissors. The sticks were easily found in the yard, and the scissors were in his desk, along with a red permanent marker he would need. And last, some tin foil. As soon as all supplies were collected, he went to work. Mika attached this to that, broke some of that in two, cut through a bit of this, and loads more for nearly an hour. Once he was finished, the little Aisha stepped back to admire his work.

      Fitted snuggly into a shiny tinfoil suit, complete with a little badge on his chest, was Steve, the new Alien Aisha. Mika had given him two more antennae, and even some little badges to go with Steve's suit. Not only that, he was also equipped with a laser gun and walkie-talkie, two of which the plushie in the store did not come with. In fact, it looked even better than the one in the store. Steve even got an upgrade with his name. Captain Steveo was by far one of the finest captains you've ever seen. Not that there were many, but he was a gentlemen. Mika smiled and lifted Captain Steveo to escort outside and show the world this wonderful new friend of his.

     As he was nearly out the door, his owner called to him.

     "Where are you going? It's getting close to lunch. I'd rather you stay in until then. What do you have there?" she asked Mika. He glanced down at Captain Steveo, and told his owner about how he had seen an Alien Aisha Plushie at the Toy Store and how he couldn't afford it. He also told her about how he had found Steve waiting in the corner of his room, and how he just couldn't stop thinking about the alien plushie the day before. And about his idea. He didn't forget his idea.

      Mika's owner smiled. "You can have lunch later," she told him, glad that he had found a new friend. "Just go have some fun."

      "Looks like I won't need that plushie in the store after all, Captain Steveo." Mika declared. And with that, Mika and Captain Steveo took a long walk by the lake to discuss a new space adventure.

The End

Thanks for reading! :3 I'll be writing more about Captain Steveo and Mika in the future, if I can!