A Ghost on Halloween

     "That's great, Dixi," Gyra replied without looking up from her book.

     "You didn't even look at it!" the Baby Chomby accused.

     "I did. I think it's nice. Now why don't you go out and play?" The pink Ixi waved her hoof and shooed her baby sister away.

     "But..." Dixi pouted and slowly trudged out of Gyra's room, carelessly tossing the doll away.

     Dixi gathered the bunches of flowers. She carefully arranged them before wrapping them up in a nice bouquet. Grabbing the bouquet in her mouth, she ran to her sister's room.

     "Gyra! Loof!" She showed them to her sister. Gyra petted her sister's head and returned to writing on the paper.

     "It's nice, Dixi." Dixi spat them out.

     "You don't mean it. You didn't even look!" Dixi accused.

     "But knowing that you made them, it's surely nice," Gyra continued writing on the sheet of paper.

     Dixi blew a raspberry silently while she stormed out of Gyra's room.

     Dixi spread out the sheet of paper and started to draw on it. She picked up the card and proudly examined her handiwork. This time, Gyra would definitely by amazed.

     "Gyra! Gyra! Look what I made!" She held out the card proudly.

     "That's great, Dixi. You didn't have to buy one for me," Gyra replied offhandedly after glancing at the 'Congratulations' card.

     "But I didn't buy it..." Dixi started, but gave up the conversation altogether.

     "Gyra never listens. Gyra never pays attention to me. It's always 'Dixi, that's great' or 'It's nice, Dixi'. Never 'It looks rather crooked, but it's the best one that I've seen!' She never looks. She never listens to me!" Dixi ranted to her Hasee, Jay. Jay stared back at her. Dixi hugged him.

     "At least you listen. If only Gyra were more like you. I have no idea what I can do to let Gyra think more highly of me. Do you know?" Dixi asked.

     Jay shook his head.

     "Dixi, I'm off to the post office. Be good," Gyra called over her shoulder and went out. Dixi stared out of the window, watching her.

     "Not fair. She knows that I'm always good," Dixi grumbled. Jay nodded and bounced up next to her.

     "Why? Why doesn't she ever pay attention to me?" Dixi asked herself. Jay shrugged.

     "What can I do to make her notice me more?" Jay shrugged again.

     "I know! I'll paint myself another colour! Maybe... Faerie! I heard that you can find a Faerie Pain Brush in Faerieland! I'll give Gyra a nice surprise when she sees my new costume for Halloween!" Jay widened his eyes. He chased after his owner, but Dixi slammed the door before he could follow. He bounced up onto the desk and gazed out of the glass window at his running owner.

     "Do you know where Faerieland is?" Dixi asked a passing Techo. He pointed towards a direction.

     "Thanks!" Dixi shouted and ran forward. Unfortunately for her, while she was in the right direction, she was off by a few degrees.

     "This doesn't look like Faerieland..." Dixi muttered. She jumped when she heard the cackling of a witch.

***

     "Hey Jay, where's Dixi?" Gyra walked in and asked.

     The Hasee pointed towards the world map tacked on the wall.

     "Faerieland? She's going to go to Faerieland all by herself? She might get lost, or tricked, or..." Gyra took in a few breaths to calm herself down.

     "What was that stupid girl thinking?" Gyra whispered.

***

     "What was I thinking?" Dixi whispered to herself. She heard a sound. It sounded like hooting.

     "It's just a weewoo. It's just a weewoo. Remember, White Weewoos are cute. They won't hurt you. Weewoos won't hurt you. Wait. Since when did Weewoos hoot?" Dixi gulped and ran faster.

     She saw a shadow.

     "Argh!" she screamed.

***

     "Sorry to interrupt you, but did you see a Baby Chomby?" Gyra asked. The Green Lupe shook his head.

     "Thanks anyway." Gyra sighed. She had searched the whole of Faerie City. She had asked the Healing Springs Faerie, went inside the Faerie Caverns, even braved herself and asked Jhudora. But Dixi was nowhere to be found. No one had seen her.

     Gyra ran back to Neopia Central, but was stopped by the Green Lupe.

     "Wait, I think I saw one running towards the Haunted Woods."

     "Thank you so much." Gyra ran towards the Haunted Woods.

     "What was Dixi thinking? The Haunted Woods? Doesn't she know how dangerous it is on All Hallows Eve? With all the creatures of the night roaming about... She's lucky it's not midnight yet," Gyra muttered to herself as she ran rapidly.

***

     "Argh!" The Ghost Aisha returned the scream. Dixi slowly opened an eye.

     "Ahh! Ghost!" she screamed.

     "Ahh! A Baby!" the Aisha screamed. The both of them ran frantically around in circles. Then, Dixi stopped. The Aisha crashed into her and sent her tumbling.

     "Owie..." Dixi sniffed pathetically.

     "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!" The Aisha pulled her up into a sitting position.

     "Why didn't you just pass through me?"

     "I'm a Ghost Aisha. Not a ghost."

     "What's the difference?" Dixi seemed to have recovered miraculously.

     "I was painted Ghost. Ghost painted pets can't pass through objects. Ghosts, however, are pets with restless souls that have risen up from their body and haunts whoever dares cross them."

     The last part was said so dramatically that Dixi broke into tears.

     "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Don't cry! Most ghosts are friendly anyway!" The Aisha tried to pacify Dixi. The sobbing gradually slowed down and stopped.

     "Why are you here, little one?" the Aisha asked.

     "I wanted to go to Faerieland to get a paint brush so that my sister will pay attention to me." Dixi sniffed.

     "A Faerie Paint Brush? You can't get those by just going to Faerieland."

     "Y-you can't?" Dixi sniffed louder.

     "No. I've never heard of such a thing. Who told you that?"

     "My sister. She said that you can get yourself painted in Faerieland."

     The Aisha blinked. "But that's only if you have received and completed a Fountain Faerie Quest."

     "Does that mean I can't be painted Faerie?" Dixi looked at the Ghost Aisha with wide eyes.

     "No..." The Aisha tried not to wince at the crying baby in front of her. Cute... Too cute...

     "Fine! How about I give you mine!" The Aisha finally broke.

     "Huh?" Dixi tilted her head.

     "I got a Fountain Faerie Quest not long ago. I'm going there to give the Fountain Faerie the item she asked for. If you want, I can ask her to paint you Faerie."

     "Really? You'd do that? Thank you!" The Baby Chomby attempted to hug the Aisha.

     "My kindness is going to make me bankrupt," the Aisha grumbled softly.

     "What?" Dixi turned around and asked.

     "Oh nothing, I was just talking to myself." The Aisha smiled as the Baby Chomby skipped beside him.

***

     "Dixi! Where are you?" Meanwhile, Gyra stood outside the Deserted Fairground and shouted.

     "May I help you?" A shadow Hissi asked.

     "Yes, have you seen a Baby Chomby?"

     "I think I might have. I saw her heading out of the Haunted Woods with a Ghost Aisha."

     Gyra quickly thanked the Hissi and ran off once again.

     "That girl will be the death of me," Gyra muttered.

***

     "This is what a Faerie Chomby looks like." The Ghost Aisha pointed at the painting of a Faerie Chomby.

     "Ooh. Do you think I'll look nice?" Dixi asked.

     The Aisha shrugged. "No idea. Each person has their own opinion."

     "What's yours?"

     "Um... Well, I tend to be more partial to Halloween, Ghost and Tyrannian colours."

     Then he muttered under his breath. "I was going to paint myself Halloween for All Hallows Eve."

     Dixi caught a snippet of what he said and felt guilty.

     "I think I don't wanna be Faerie after all."

     "Huh?" The Aisha stared at her.

     "Yep! I think I look cuter as a Baby, don't you think?"

     "Well, yeah, I guess. But why the sudden change?"

     "Because I changed my mind! I want to be Tyrannian, but there's no such colour for Chombies!" Dixi beamed. The Aisha smiled and fondly petted her head.

     "Well, if you ever want to be painted, you know who to find."

     "Yep! Thanks, but I think I'd rather stay Baby. What did you want to be painted anyway?"

     "Well, I was leaning towards Halloween."

     "I wanna see a Halloween Aisha!" Dixi cheered.

     "You sure know how to bargain, kid."

     The once Ghost Aisha came out of the Rainbow Fountain a Halloween Aisha. He took off the Aisha collar that came with the Halloween look and hung the one he had as a Ghost on.

     "How do I look?"

     "Great!" Dixi cheered softly.

     "I'm going home now. Have to get ready for the party Gyra's holding." Dixi stopped in her tracks.

     "Gyra? Gyra the Pink Ixi? Gyra my sister? She's holding a party?" Dixi looked at the Halloween Aisha.

     "You're Dixi? Oops." The Halloween Aisha winced.

     "Dixi! There you are!" As if on cue, Gyra appeared, panting.

     "Gyra! You're holding a party?" Gyra opened her mouth, then closed it again. She turned to look at the Halloween Aisha.

     "Derek?"

     "Yeah. Hi Gyra."

     "You painted yourself Halloween?"

     "Yes..."

     "And you took my sister with you?" Gyra was almost screaming now.

     "I ran into him. He offered to paint me Faerie!" Dixi interrupted.

     Gyra sighed.

     "Dixi, I know I haven't been paying attention to you lately. But that doesn't mean that I don't love you."

     "Really? So is the Halloween party for me?" Dixi shouted excitedly.

     Gyra glared at Derek.

     "Yes. You shouldn't have told her."

     "I didn't know she was your sister!" Derek protested weakly.

     "Come on Dixi, let's go home. I'll get you a costume for Halloween, ok?"

     "Ok!" Dixi cheered.

     "Dixi, wait." Dixi stopped and turned towards Derek.

     "Here. I want you to have this." Dixi took the Halloween Aisha Collar from Derek.

     "Thank you!" Dixi hugged him.

***

     Dixi held the collar in her hands. She was now a Ghost Chomby. She had gotten a Ghost Paint Brush and painted herself in remembrance of Derek. He was kind to her, offering to paint her, back then. And he was also a stranger too. Dixi was now grown up. She now understood that her sister was very busy back then, and her sister really did like her things. Gyra loved her. She looked at the collar a last time before placing it back into the drawer.

     How many years had it been since that day? Thirteen years. Thirteen. She walked into the Haunted Woods, carrying two white carnations. She placed them on a grave.

     "Rest well, Derek." Then, she walked towards another grave...

     Strange things do happen on Halloween. For Dixi, she had gotten a new friend. Someone that taught her how to be kind to others.

     "Rest well, sis." Dixi walked away.

     She had learnt that even though Gyra had not shown it, Gyra had loved her all the same. Six years back, she had pushed Dixi away from a cliff, but fell down instead. Gyra had sacrificed herself for Dixi. And all that happened on Halloween.

     Dixi smiled sadly and walked away before she could cry. The Ghost Chomby would forever haunt the graves, chasing away whoever dared disturb the peace of her loved ones.

The End