Grave Danger - A Story

     She was apprehensive at first, but scores of other Petpets were flooding in without their Masters. But what was this place? Some sort of daycare she guessed.

     She followed the crowd down a dark, damp and narrow concrete staircase. Many smells emitted from the dank room they entered, evidently from several of the doorways lining the walls.

     She watched as Petpets scattered in all directions. She remained still, uncertain about what to do. A Mazzew stood next to her, looking equally as perplexed.

     “Your first time?” The Mazzew said. “The name’s Scout.”

     “I’m Plushie,” Plushie answered. “What is this place? Kinda creepy for a daycare.”

     “Yeah. I’ve never been anywhere like this before. It looks like it’s falling apart,” Scout said. A wad of green slime oozed down from the ceiling.

     “I think we have to be careful where we walk!” Plushie laughed. They spent a moment assessing the room. There was a faint chattering coming from the corner. They walked over to investigate. A Hydruplit crept out from behind a giant vase, trembling. It introduced itself as Chatters and insisted that it got its name by talking lots and not by its chattering teeth. Having three heads it was hard not to talk. There were lots of opinions to be said, even if all three heads spoke in unison.

     “Why were you hiding?” Plushie asked.

     “We heard there are dragons living here,” Chatters said.

     “You’re a dragon,” Scout observed.

     “We are not a dragon. We are a Hydruplit.” Chatters answered in unison.

     “Do you always talk together like that?” Scout asked.

     “No.” Chatters answered in unison again. An awkward silence followed.

     “Where should we go?” Plushie asked, ending the silence.

     “Most of the Petpets went down this hall,” Scout said pointing to a darkened doorway. “It seems many of them have been here before.” They all agreed to walk through the suggested doorway.

     They ventured down a long hallway made of cobblestone and ancient bones. Critters scurried along the cracks and crevasses of the walls. An elevator and staircase was at the end of the hallway. Scout pushed the button next to the elevator.

     “I guess we have to wait until it comes back. Who knows how many floors there are,” Scout said. Chatters did not like waiting in the open and thought the stairs would be a better option.

     “Why is no one greeting us? Are we just supposed to wander?” Plushie asked.

     “That’s what I am planning on doing. Let’s explore this place!” Scout said encouragingly.

     “That would increase our chances of bumping into a dragon,” Chatters whimpered.

     “Better than hiding in a corner,” Scout said.

     “Maybe we should take the stairs,” said Plushie. Chatters agreed. Scout did not like stairs and decided to wait for the elevator.

     Plushie lead the way down the stairs a few floors when they happened upon a door with a window to look through. Until that point they did not dare open a door, as cautioned by Chatters, in case a dragon was waiting on the other side.

     “No dragons in here,” said Plushie. She pushed the door open a crack and a waft of sweet cinnamon met their noses. They could not resist following the scent, Chatters now taking the lead. No one was around, but a freshly-baked batch of cinnamon buns sat cooling on the counter beside an old beaten-up oven.

     Chatters’ three heads beelined their way towards the savoury treats, each fighting over which one was going to sample the treat first. Before Plushie could warn them about a potential trap, a Gelatinous Non-Cube glorped down from the ceiling right in front of Chatters.

     “Stop!” yelled Plushie. Chatters skid to a stop and froze. The blob jumped up and Plushie pushed Chatters to the side before it could land on top of them. They now found themselves cornered in the room with the Gelatinous Non-Cube sloppily approaching.

     ****

     Scout continued to wait for the elevator. He debated for a second about heading down the stairwell to catch up with the others when he heard a ding and the elevator opened.

     A voice called for him to leave the door open. A Blue Spardel ran in before the doors shut.

     “What’s your name?” asked the Spardel.

     “Scout.” Scout answered, paying more attention to which floor he wanted to select. There had to have been at least a hundred floors.

     “I’m Buttons!” the Spardel yipped.

     “Let me guess, you’re named after your cute button nose,” Scout said a bit sarcastically as he decided to select the last floor. The coolest stuff is always located on the last floor.

     “Nope! Because I love pressing buttons!” he barked, sliding his paws along all of the buttons and admiring the pattern it made. “Hey, looks like a bone!” Buttons said proudly. Scout’s mouth dropped.

     “Really?!” the Mazzew gasped! He was in for a long day. The elevator began its descent.

     The elevator made its first stop. The doors opened to a giant eyeball staring back at them. Scout clicked the close button as quickly as he could chanting, “Close! Close! Close!”

     “See buttons are fun!” The Spardel cheered after the doors closed. Scout glared at him as the elevator continued down. It shortly opened up again to a darkened room. Buttons stepped out and instantly dropped.

     “What?!” Scout let out a gasp. There was no floor! He stood still as the elevator slowly closed. “Please nobody judge me,” he said to no one in particular.

     ******

     “I can’t believe I almost got covered in gelatinous goo!” Chatters laughed, taking a bite from a cinnamon roll and throwing a piece to the non-cube. A glop of slime dropped from the ceiling onto Chatter’s middle head. “Gross! Where is this slime coming from?!” Plushie howled with laughter. The Gelatinous Non-Cube started to vibrate.

     “Uh, why is it vibrating?” asked Chatters.

     “I think it’s laughing.” Plushie said. Chatters thought that was possible, but it was also possible that it could be caused by the vibration of an approaching dragon. They decided to leave just in case.”

     They found a hallway with a single door already opened to their right. A number of cultists sat around a large table draped in a white tablecloth.

     “Waiter!” one of the cultists yelled, “There’s a Skidget in my tea!”

     “For the last time, I am not a waiter! I just poured the tea!” another cultist snapped. Murmuring around the table commenced.

     “Well, it’s still disgusting,” the first cultist said, flinging the Skidget over his shoulder. The Skidget bounced around the room, eventually stopping after hitting Chatters on the shoulder.

     “Hey!” Chatters said, clearly annoyed. Plushie giggled to herself. Chatters decided to keep it since their Master liked collecting small critters. They listened through the opened door again.

     “So is there anything we need to discuss at this morning’s meeting?” the cultist with the fanciest robe asked.

     “How to take over the world?” one of the robed individuals asked.

     “Relax there, Florence. Baby steps. Anyone else?”

     “Can we discuss changing my name?” another cultist asked.

     “What’s wrong with Eugene?”

     “Well, it sounds more like a ‘U’ than an ‘E’. I’ve put a lot of hours earning my way up the alphabet. Why can’t I have a name like Ernie?”

     “He chose a different cult.”

     “Edmund?”

     “He’s spending his days at an eating contest on Krawk Island.”

     “I’ll take Eugene,” a voice said.

     “That’s enough, Florence! You can earn your way up!” Eugene snapped.

     Plushie and Chatters exchanged glances.

     “Maybe we should continue on,” Plushie said. Chatters nodded in unison.

     *****

     The elevator door opened. The thirteenth floor was about to reveal itself: a solid wall. Of course. The door closed and opened again a few seconds later after a short descent. A trio of Kadoaties were singing and dancing on an organ, none of which were in tune. Scout covered his ears and closed the elevator doors wondering how they could even listen to each other.

     The elevator descended another floor and opened. A Gelatinous Non-Cube was standing there with Buttons floating inside holding a cinnamon roll.

     “Oh there you are,” said Scout. The Gelatinous Non-Cube made a glirping noise and spat Buttons into the elevator. The doors closed.

     “Hey, Scout!” Buttons said. “Want a bite?” Buttons flicked off some goo and fuzz from the cinnamon roll and held it up to Scout.

     “I’ll pass,” Scout shuddered. Button shrugged his shoulders and took a bite. The elevator stopped again and the doors opened.

     “Hey, it looks like one of those levels with-“, Scout began, but as he was talking, the Spardel walked out of the elevator and fell into an abyss.

     “-no floors,” the Mazzew finished his sentence. “I’m not sure what I should say here.” The elevator doors closed.

     *****

     Plushie heard a rattling noise behind her.

     “Why are you shaking, Chatters?” she asked.

     “That’s not me,” Chatters said. An arrow zipped over their heads. They turned around and saw a skeleton clambering towards them.

     “Run!” Plushie shouted. They sprinted desperately down the narrow hallway. They rounded a corner and encountered a half dozen Ghost Meepits floating lazily in the air, half asleep. The Meepits were familiar with the skeleton that roamed around the corridors and signalled for the two Petpets to follow them.

     The Meepits drifted smoothly down the hallway and disappeared through a wall. Plushie and Chatters stopped at the spot where they disappeared.

     “Great! How are we supposed to get through the wall!” Chatters muttered. A Ghost Meepit poked its head through the wall and pointed to a sconce. Plushie looked nervously at the advancing skeleton as it started readying its bow again. She pulled on the sconce and the wall flipped over, an arrow narrowly missing them.

     Plushie dusted herself off. A band of Ghost Meepits were jamming to some music. The music stopped momentarily as a pair of Meepits pulled out their banjos and began duelling. She had never seen so much randomness in one day, but was thoroughly enjoying the performance.

     ******

     Scout read off the number in the next illuminated circle. “What’s behind door 46?”

     The elevator doors open to a room filled with scented candles and bathroom apparel for Petpets.

     “Ah, so this is where the bathroom is,” Scout whistled. He debated but did not want to lose the elevator. “I can hold it.” The doors closed.

     The elevator descended a level and reopened with Plushie and Chatters running in.

     “Close the door quick!” Plushie frantically shouted. The door closed after Scout pushed the button.

     “Hey guys, how’re things going?” Scout asked.

     “This daycare is crazy,” Plushie panted. She explained briefly what they had been through. After their encounter with the Ghost Meepits they fell through the floor and were chased by a zombie. The door opened again and Plushie and Chatters exited.

     “Uhm, you may not want to go out there,” Scout said. Plushie and Chatters dropped instantly. “Too late. I tried.”

     “This daycare is not safe!” Chatters yelled.

     “Still speaking in unison I see,” Scout said to himself.

     *****

     Plushie and Chatters fell for a while before landing on what felt like a trampoline, but they did not bounce back up. In fact, they could not move.

     Plushie looked around. A dimly lit bulb gave off a yellowish hue, barely illuminating the dusty room. Large cobwebs spread from wall to wall, entombing the entire length and height of the room with white. She realized why she could not move. She was on a giant web.

     She heard chirping and turned her head to see a giant Spyder crawling slowly towards her and another towards Chatters.

     “Sp- sp- sp-...” Plushie tried to warn Chatters, who had already noticed them, its three heads spinning in different directions for a way out.

     “This one looks plump,” the Spyder approaching Plushie said, poking gently at her fur coat. Plushie tensed up and closed her eyes tightly.

     “Carl! Stop teasing them!” the Spyder closest to Chatters said. It walked past the Hydruplit and approached Plushie. “She looks scared.”

     “I was only playing, Esna. Everyone knows Spyders don’t eat Petpets.” Carl said, though Plushie was convinced otherwise.

     “What’s with the wrapped Spardel over there?” Chatters asked looking at a nearly encased Blue Spardel hanging off a web.

     “Uh, we were just playing. He wanted to dress up as a mummy,” Carl explained.

     “We just have one more step!” Buttons said. “I’m not sure what that is though.”

     “Carl!” Esna snapped. “Release him!” Carl grudgingly walked over and cut Buttons loose. He dropped to the floor, cheering excitedly as he fell.

     “Sorry about that, kids. Carl’s humour is dark,” Esna said. “I’m Esna. What’re your names?”

     “Plushie and that’s Chatters.” Plushie said.

     “Cute. Those are definitely pet names you guys have. Always made up and not very creative. The Petpets of the catacombs have their own names which are much nicer.”

     “You named me,” Carl said to Esna.

     “Yes, my pet, and that is why my name is much better,” Esna laughed. Her eyes suddenly darted to another part of the room.

     “I felt that too, Esna,” Carl said looking in the same direction.

     “It looks like we have a friend,” Esna said. A Vernax had wiggled itself free from a nearby web. Numerous other Spyders crawled out of hiding, making the Doglefox and Hydruplit nervous, though it was clear that their attention was not on them.

     “Chase that Vernax!!” one of the Spyders shouted. The Spyders raced towards the Vernax, toppling over each other as they ran. The Vernax leapt in the air, dodging all of the oncoming Spyders. It was much more nimble than Plushie would have otherwise imagined.

     “Join us!” encouraged Esna. “Just remember to walk softly on the webs so you don’t get stuck.” Carl had already joined the hoard of Spyders. They spent the next ten minutes chasing the Petpetpet. It flew, jumped, dived and swirled around the Spyders effortlessly. It was as though it, too, was enjoying itself. Both Plushie and Chatters got nowhere close to catching it, mostly because they would momentarily stick to the surrounding cobwebs.

     Eventually the Vernax disappeared through a crack in the wall too small for the Spyders to follow. Its exit was accompanied by groans and sighs that echoed throughout the room.

     “Aw, darn,” said Esna, not entirely surprised. “We seldom catch them, but as you can see it is fun trying.” Plushie and Chatters agreed. Carl joined the group less than thrilled.

     “I could have used that Vernax. I’m starving.” Carl said. Then he noticed the Skidget Chatters was holding. “Are you going to eat that?”

     “No!” Chatters said. “I thought about giving this to my Master. He collects these things.” Carl did not take his eyes off of the Skidget.

     “Maybe you could share it?” Carl asked, salivating.

     “Carl! Mind your manners!” Esna snapped.

     “I guess you could have it. I can always find something else to give him.” Chatters said, but as Chatters handed it over, the Skidget wiggled free and fell to the floor, bouncing around as it did in the Cultists’ meeting room.

     “I’ll get it!” barked Buttons as he finally freed himself from the webbing. He chased the Skidget as it bounced down a hallway. Plushie and Chatters followed, but stopped when they approached a foul smell.

     “I think we hit the sewer system,” Plushie gagged and covered her nose. The vents looked decrepit and in dire need of repair. “How did he even cross this?” Ahead Buttons was running amongst a mob of Meepits and disappeared around the corner.

     Chatters sneezed.

     “Uh-oh,” Chatters said. “This is not good.”

     “It’s just a sneeze,” Plushie said. A loud thumping began.

     “No, it allergies.” Chatters trembled as a dragon emerged from the Sewer. Chatters sneezed again. “We’re allergic to dragons!”

     The giant beast looked in the direction Buttons ran, then looked over at the two other Petpets. It sniffed at them, paused, then let out a giant sneeze.

     “I think it’s allergic to you too,” said Plushie. The Hydruplit laughed nervously and let out another sneeze. The dragon responded with another sneeze too, a little spark coming out of its nose. Chatters sneezed back causing the dragon to sneeze again, this time a small flame came out of its nose.

     “Uhm, Chatters? Maybe you should stop sneezing,” Plushie said nervously, noticing how much more powerful the dragon’s sneezes were getting.

     “I can’t help it,” Chatters insisted, sneezing even louder. The dragon sneezed out large flames, barely missing them.

     “Then I think we should run!” Plushie shouted, grabbing Chatters by the arm and began running. The Spyders all reactively scurried to their hiding spots. Plushie spotted a laundry shoot up ahead and they jumped in without looking back.

     *****

     Scout hummed a tune knowing he was nearing the last floor. The door opened to a mirror image of himself staring back. It mimicked all of his movements as though it was some sort of optical illusion, but as the doors closed, it waved even though he did not.

     “That was weird,” he said to himself, though it was not the weirdest thing he saw today.

     The door opened at the next floor. A Bearog was running around in circles chasing its tail.

     “Keep going there, buddy! You’re almost there!” Scout cheered on before the doors closed again. “Speaking of almost there, only one floor left.”

     The doors opened to an empty room.

     Scout crooked his brow. He truly felt this was where all of the action would be. The elevator doors closed. A few seconds later the doors behind him opened. Murmurs could be heard down a long corridor.

     “That’s more like it.” Scout walked down the hallway and approached a large room where several cultists stood in a ring formation around a rug with a triangle symbol in the middle.

     “This does not look good.” Scout said.

     *****

     Plushie and Chatters bumped into Buttons. He did not catch the Skidget, but he did find a Grumblebug, which he ate. Buttons was standing in front of a large room filled with rare valuables, such as Battledome weapons, stamps, and potions.

     “Didn’t you notice what’s behind you?!” Chatters lectured Buttons. “A peanut!” Chatters picked it up and ate it. Fortunately, it contained three peanuts, so each head could enjoy one.

     “Let’s move guys,” said Plushie who was near ready to leave. Chatters sneezed.

     “Bless you,” said Buttons. Plushie and Chatters looked at each other.

     “That doesn’t mean-“ Plushie started to ask when a dragon appeared out of the room ahead of them. The chase was still on.

     “There’s the Skidget!” Buttons shouted, pointing to a Skidget bouncing down the hall. With Buttons leading, they ran down the hall, which ended suddenly to a steep drop.

     “What do we do?!” Chatters panicked.

     “Jump!” Buttons laughed as he hopped down after the Skidget. The other two Petpets shrugged. It had worked in the past. They jumped into the darkness.

     *****

     Scout tried to listen in to the discussion. He understood very little, but it sounded like an elaborate plan to take over Neopia. He leaned forward some more, causing a few pebbles to crumble across the floor.

     “What was that?” one of the cultists asked.

     “Relax, Ernie, it’s just a Mazzew,” another answered.

     “We can’t afford anyone or anything to know what we are up to,” Ernie said.

     Scout still understood little of their discussion, but felt uncomfortable when two of the cultists started to approach him. He lifted his paw in an attack-like pose.

     “Stop before I attack you with my-“ Scout said when a Skidget bounced into his raised paw like a withered dagger. “Skidget?” The two cultists roared with laughter at the sight.

     “There it is!” Something yelled from behind and Buttons jumped at the Skidget. Shortly after Plushie ran by, followed by Chatters, sneezing.

     “What’s going on?!” Scout asked, completely startled.

     “No time to explain!” Plushie shouted. “But I recommend hiding!” Scout looked around and saw a dragon quickly approaching. He jumped out of the way and the cultists scattered for cover as the dragon flew over.

     When the dragon flew out of sight, Scout stood up and dusted himself off. Slowly several of the cultists began coming out of hiding, scratching their heads. They had never encountered a dragon in their secret lair before.

     The two cultists that had begun to approach Scout poked their heads out from under a table set up for their After Meeting tea.

     “I’m having second thoughts about taking over the world,” Ernie said. “The world is a bit too dangerous I think.” The other cultist nodded in agreement. Then Ernie continued, “You know, I know of another cult we could join. I’m sure Eugene wouldn’t mind if I took my old position back.”

     The three Petpets returned unscathed. Scout was glad to see them, and even happier that they were unharmed.

     “I guess it just wanted the Skidget,” Plushie said, relieved.

     “I’m just happy it’s gone! I can breathe again!” Chatters laughed.

     “Cupcake?” Buttons asked. He was holding several cupcakes in his arms.

     “Uh, where did you get those cupcakes?” Scout asked. He could not help but think of the cinnamon roll earlier. Buttons shrugged. Scout decided to pass. The cupcakes were instead offered to Plushie, Chatters and the cultists who were delighted to enjoy the sweet treats with their tea.

     After tea the four friends walked back to the elevator updating each other about their daycare adventures. Buttons’ stories alone astonished everyone, but to elaborate on them would be a novel of its own.

     After a short wait the elevator doors opened and they entered. Buttons began to get excited about the buttons again, but dropped to the floor when Plushie asked him to show Scout how he played “Mummy” with the Spyders.

     The top floor was different than they remembered. Scout concluded that they must not have started on the first floor. They entered a large room where a couple of cultists were stationed, waving goodbye to several Petpets as they exited a door. Beside the exit was a big bin of souvenirs for Petpets to pick through in case they forgot to pick one up while roaming the catacombs.

     They each grabbed an item they thought their Masters would like and began their goodbyes to each other.

     Suddenly there was a loud glorping noise. They turned around to see a Gelatinous Non-Cube approach, vibrating.

     “Why is it vibrating?” Asked Scout.

     “I think it is crying,” Plushie said. Buttons had chosen a Maraquan Petpet Paint Brush as a souvenir for his Master, but tossed it back into the bin.

     “I want to take this home instead!” Button said about the Gelatinous Non-Cube. The gelatinous goo glorped him up when he came in for a hug, then spit him back out again.

     “I’ll miss you guys,” Plushie said, holding back tears.

     “Yeah, this has been eventful.” Scout added. “Maybe we’ll see you here tomorrow.”

     “Ugh, we are going to need a long nap first,” Chatters said. They all laughed.

     Apart from Buttons, no one enjoyed crawling through the exit where a steady dribble of slime oozed down, coating each one of them.

     Plushie was relieved to see her Master waiting for her. She gave him a hug as well her souvenir. She turned back to wave to her new friends as her Master marvelled at his new Potato Yo-Yo. After another hug they walked through the dark Neovian landscape towards her warm bed she so desired.

     The End.