Jhudora's Amulet

     "Kauvarina! Hello?! It's Snowflake! Where are you? My mom says you should come over now!" I hollered up the stairs at my friend. We were supposed to have a sleepover, and she was late so I went to her house.

     "Keep your pants on, Snowflake, you impatient Poogle!" Kauvarina said.

     "I'm not an impatient Poogle, you are!" I laughed.

     "Great comeback, considering the fact that I'm a blue Kau!" Kauvarina said, and we both knew that she had won. We walked slowly, laughing ad talking.

     " My mom gave me a couple of Neopoints, want to go to Pizzaroo? It's practically on the way home," I said, and it was true, we lived on opposite ends of the Bazaar.

     "Sure, I love piz- WOW! What's that? It's so pretty!" Kauvarina said, her eyes wide.

     I followed her eyes to where a strange amulet lay on the ground. It was beautiful, that was true. It glowed softly with a pale purple light. It seemed ancient, cracked at the sides, and covered in a frozen kind of dust. It probably hadn't seen daylight in years.

     "I wouldn't touch it, I've read the whole Neopedia, and in all of it, nothing good comes from touching strange objects," I said confidently.

     "But it looks expensive, and if someone lost it, we should turn it in!" Kauvarina argued.

     Eventually I gave up and she pocketed the amulet to turn in later. We walked to the Pizzeria and ordered our favorite, talking and laughing. Suddenly, in burst a light faerie! She looked wildly around, and then rushed out. This was the subject of the babble that then broke out. What was a light faerie doing in Neopia Central? And, although a light faerie in Neopia Central was an extremely rare occurrence, why did she come into a popular place? It was making me uneasy, so I was glad when the pizza came.

          We spent the rest of the time we had out at the Chocolate Factory, the popular 'hangout' for our friends from school. We just barely made it home by ten o'clock, my curfew. My mother, however, was very absorbed in the News, and didn't notice our close call. We snuck upstairs to my room and pulled out the guest bed for Kauvarina. We talked late into the night, but at about one a.m. I turned out the light.

     I woke with a start and looked at my clock. It said 4:23 a.m. I wondered vaguely why I had awoken and saw, with a spasm of horror, the amulet Kauvarina had found; now floating in midair! It shook wildly. I noticed that now the purple had veins of a poisonous green pulsing on the front. The color combination stirred something in the back of my mind. Where had I seen that before? Suddenly I realized, those were the colors of the most famous dark faerie of all! Jhudora! If it was possible, my terror increased. Now on the verge of a major breakdown, I thought nothing could get worse. When will we learn it can always get worse? I looked over to see Kauvarina, struggling to keep consciousness. Instinctively I felt her forehead; it was burning up, but I was sure she was shivering.

     What do I do? I thought to myself. My best friend is probably dying from some Jhudora-induced disease and I don't have money for a cab.

     Suddenly, I felt nauseous. To my further horror I realized that the disease must be contagious. If I bothered my mother she would catch it to! I thought wildly and suddenly it hit me. Illusen! She would know what to do! Now I just needed to get to her…

     I strapped Kauvarina on my back and began to run. I was a descendant of Moogi, the greatest Poogle Racer ever, and a run to Meridell should be nothing to me. Alone and healthy, this would have been true. But with Kauvarina strapped to my back; myself getting more and more ill, I wasn't sure if I could make it.

     This will be easy! I reassured myself. How very wrong I was.

     I was panting, and only half way there. Suddenly, a fog began to haze my vision. It became so dense that I couldn't see. Vaguely, I realized that the fog was purple. Jhudora! Suddenly a deep, mocking voice came from inside the amulet.

     "You foolish Poogle, I will get you, as have gotten all others. You will never make it to my dear sisters' glade to tell her. You will die here, ALONE!" This statement was followed by a deep maniacal laughter. "I am watching little Poogle, and I will stop at nothing to stop you!"

     It made me uneasy to know that Jhudora was watching me and plotting my downfall. That every second I was getting weaker and weaker, burning up with fever, but freezing with cold. That Kauvarina was much closer to death than I. All of these things haunted me, but still I pulled on. It began to pour. Now and then I heard an unconscious moan from Kauvarina and though I was sorry for her pain, I was relieved that she was alive. On and on I went for what seemed like hours. It was still dark, but that could be due to Jhudora. Finally, I collapsed in the mud, breathing hard. My legs were nearly too weak to hold me. I could see nothing. I had resigned to my fate.

     "See?" said a terrible whisper in my ear " You will perish in the end. You knew that Jhudora must get you. You put up a fight, but all surrender in the end. You are no different from the countless others I have done away with."

     Again the laughter rang in my ears. "No," I said, my voice a whisper. I pulled myself up and walked on. I realized, with a leap in spirit that I was in Meridell! I saw Illusen's glade! I was there! I wouldn't die! Though it took every ounce of strength I had, I walked up the steep hill. I slammed myself against the door twice as a way of knocking. I heard Illusen's footsteps.

     She opened the door saying, "I'm sorry, no quests today!" and nearly closed the door.

     "Help," I uttered with the last of my breath.

     The last sight I saw was Illusen standing over me, and I knew everything was fine.

     I woke up some days later, in the Hospital. Kauvarina was at my side, unconscious or asleep.

     "Kauva," I grunted, trying to speak.

     "Kauva," I said louder. Her eyelids fluttered and opened. She looked at me smiling.

     "You saved my life," she said hoarsely, "And you were right. I'll never touch anything on the ground again."

     "Wasnoproblem," I said, which was all I could manage. "Youdosame forme."

     "Yes I would have," Kavarina said. "And the moral of the story is, Jhudora Stinks!

The End