The Day When Nobody Wrote

      "This makes no sense," she sighed, as she crossed out a few lines. "And this doesn't sound good for some reason," she said exasperated looking at the paragraph below.

      The paper she had been writing on had so many corrections everything looked cluttered, and still, Yarellie didn't feel satisfied with her work.

      "Oh, it's useless!" she thought. "I'm nothing but a hopeless case of a writer wannabe. Maybe, if I'm in a good mood, I'll try again tomorrow." And with that, she ripped the sheet of paper off her green lined notebook, creased it and threw it away.

      It was like that every day. Somehow Yarellie could think of lots of exciting adventures that would make up a perfectly interesting plot, but when it was time to put them down on paper, the appropriate words wouldn't come to her mind. She often felt like giving up, but it was as thought her characters and unlimited imagination dragged her back to her chair daring her, challenging her to write.

      "I think today I'll read," she said to herself and picked up the latest issue of the Neopian Times that was carefully placed on her desk next to her writing supplies. She flipped the pages directly to the short story section (her favorite one) and started reading.

      There were tons of really good stories this week in the Times, she thought enviously a few hours later, when she had finally put the newspaper aside. "I'll never be able to write stories that good!"

      She yawned and turned to check the time on her Official Usuki Clock. It was very late so she went straight to sleep.

***

      Yarellie woke up early the next day. After brushing her fur with her Yellow Glittery Brush like she did each morning, she realized she had the whole day at leisure. But the Blumaroo already knew exactly what she wanted to do and dashed to her study room where her writing desk were, without even taking any breakfast.

      Everything was where she had left it last night. Her notebook on her desk and on top of it her always useful Fancy Pen. Her thoughts were far distant from those she had had last night. This time she was ready to write the best story ever seen.

      Yarellie sat on her usual spot, opened her notebook and stared blankly at the page. Sometimes an idea would pop-up in her mind that way, but not this time. She grabbed her pen, and closed her eyes tightly looking for inspiration. Nothing came. Her mind was blank. She started feeling very anxious and opened her eyes.

      The hand in which she had been holding her pen seconds ago was nothing but a clenched fist. There was no pen at all. Yarellie thought she must had dropped it so she looked for it in the floor and on her desk. It was then when she noticed her notebook was missing too.

      "This is very strange," she said. "I'm positive they were here just a minute ago!"

      The Blumaroo stood up. She was unexplainable unabashed of whatever was happening. "I guess if I can't find my stuff, I'll just have to but new things!" she said to herself.

      ***

Yarellie came out of the bank in Neopia Central with her pockets full of Neopoints to spend. She walked towards the Back to School shop, leaving behind the bank and passing next to the Money Tree and the Neolodge. She arrived to the shop in a question of minutes… or to where the shop should be. Yarellie opened her mouth in bewilderment: There was no Back to School shop! There was a piece of unused land where the shop usually stood.

      At this point she started to get unnerved. She bounced as quickly as her tail could carry her towards the Post Office Kiosk, as she was an acquaintance of the old Chia who was the shopkeeper. She got to the kiosk breathlessly and had to take a few seconds to catch back her breath.

      "Excuse me, sir!" she called in a loud voice.

      "Yeah, tell me. Are you looking for an specific stamp?" the Chia asked.

      "No, it's not that. I just wanted to know if you know what happened to the Back to School Shop…" said Yarellie tentatively.

      "I don't think I understand," said the Chia calmly, "there has never been such a shop."

      "What?!" said Yarellie rather abruptly. "But where am I supposed to buy pens or paper to write on?"

      "I have no idea what you are talking about. Pens? Write? What is that supposed to mean?," he said ignoring Yarellie's shocked face, "However, if you want paper, stamps are made out of it!" he finished.

      Yarellie couldn't take it anymore. This had to be some really cruel joke. It appeared to her that suddenly writing and everything related to it didn't existed!

      The was just one place where she could go to prove her theory.

***

Yarellie was standing in front of the Food Shop. To the right, there was the Bank. To the left - Nothing. It was true, the book shop no longer existed either. Yarellie felt like she was going to be sick, and in a second her vision blurred from the tears coming out of her eyes. She felt empty.

      Yarellie continued crying for a while. She cried for the part of herself that was gone. When she finally managed to calm down a little she decided to go and sit on the edge of the Rainbow Pool. Tears had finally stopped running through her cheeks, but the disheartening expression on her face never left.

      She stayed there watching all the beautiful colors of the rainbow as she usually loved to do, but even that failed to cheer her up. She instead decided to watch the people and pets who came near, but that made her think of a thousand things to write, if only she could. There was a little Kacheek who came with his owner to be painted. He entered the pool as a blue Kacheek but emerged as a Speckled one, beaming. Then she spotted Yarellie, who had been staring at him.

      "Mommy, why is that Blumaroo so sad?" the little Kacheek asked his owner innocently.

      "I don't know" Yarellie heard the girl whispering to his pet. "Perhaps she is sad because she isn't painted."

      The Kacheek and his owner walked away. If only they knew Yarellie's worries were much deeper that which color she was painted. If only the world understood what she had lost. This thought made her very mad, she clenched her fist as though wanting to punch someone and closed her eyes tightly.

      She opened her eyes and loosened her grip ready to resign when she heard a clattering noise. It took her some time to understand what was going on.

      She was at her Neohome, on her study room, sitting in front his desk. The noise she had heard had been her fancy pen slipping off her hand. She looked down and felt very relieved to see her messy desk, where her green lined notebook, the copy of the Neopian Times she had been reading yesterday and several books were laying.

      She bent down to pick up her pen. The ideas were boiling in her head, and she started writing quite fluidly.

      The day when nobody wrote.

      Yarellie was a very introverted yellow Blumaroo who loved reading and writing, every day she dedicated her free time to do that. It was a Saturday afternoon, and she was proofreading a story she had just finished.

      She made a pause to admire her work. It was not perfect, and it was not the best, but it was her creation. She was doing one of the things she most enjoyed: writing.

      No matter what, She kept trying. No matter how many times she had thought of giving up she had never did. And for that, she felt full.

The End

Author's Note: This story is dedicated to all writers out there, published or not. I put a lot of myself into it, and I hope you liked it. Comments and Critiques are very much appreciated. Thanks for reading!