The Plague of the Shadow Usul
Chapter 8: Never a Happy Ending
Trista couldn't believe her eyes. Standing in front of, holding the other end of Shadow Gazer's chain like a leash, with a cruel smile inscribed all over his face was Larry the Collectable Card salesmen.
"Larry?" Trista said, barely finding her voice.
"That's right . . . " Larry smiled, and he laughed. Ashton stepped in front of Trista.
"Why?"
"WHY!?!?!" Larry yelled, "Why?" He laughed and laughed. Trista felt extremely freaked out. She didn't have time to think up her own version of his story. He shouted to the entire group:
" NO ONE RESPECTS ME! I'm just the idiot who sells cards! I tried to get a job as a baker, but NO, I'm too ugly and too scary. Can't sell plushies. I'd scare the young pets away! So they put me in the card business, where the snickers and the jokes' began-"
"Larry, you're imagni-"
"SHUT UP!" Larry screamed. Trista backed away.
"Finally, the Shadow Usul Cards come. And I get the idea. The revolution for myself that I had prayed for and worshiped Dr. Sloth for. Shadow Gazer comes into my shop. She was miserable. I was miserable. Perfect match. I took her as a piece in my board game, and it all would have worked, if it wasn't for YOU Trista!" Larry pointed to her.
"I underestimated you Trista. And you will not ruin this for me. No one will!"
It was all in slow motion. Larry jumped up into the air, his teeth showing, mouth frothing, growling and screaming at the same time. He flew over Ashton and landed on the other side of Trista. Trista turned around and saw Larry move towards her, his wings beating.
"Too bad. You were extremely beautiful Trista." He lunged at her. . . . And fell to the ground dead.
There stood Trista, bloody dagger in her hand, staring down at the flailing body Larry. He twitched, screaming, his wings tearing. He looked up, blood seeping out of his eyes sockets.
"TRISTA!" He screamed. And then he stopped twitching.
"Too bad" Trista said, "No body thought of you that way."
Trista rode on her scooter, a dozen roses in her mouth. Her black dress was blowing in the wind, and tears were dripping down her cheeks. She got off her scooter, locked it to a fence, and walked into Neopia Central Cemetery. There were 9 coffins lined up in a row. Each had names and a thought inscribed on it.
Shane Michael Epul (1980-2003)
Fulfilling the dreams of children by selling joy into their lives.
Toy Salesmen.
Isabella Lynn Ruceb ( 1990- 2003)
Actress, Singer, Dreamer.
Artist.
Marcus Daniel Ruceb (1988- 2003)
Living the life at it's richest, and achieving the greatest goal ever, being the best big brother.
Personal Shop Owner.
The Bread Master (1910- 2003)
Baking, Giving, Living.
Baker.
Richard L. Hasaai ( 1987- 2003)
Looking at the world, with enthusiasm and optimism.
Personal Business Owner.
Sarina Michelle Shiaa (1987- 2003)
Loving everyone, hating only pessimism.
Personal Business Owner.
Denver D. Draik (1940 - 2003)
Solving Crime, Helping Society, His work was done here.
Detective / Private Eye.
Larry R. Uzzb (1898 - 2003)
His last breaths were sad, but his importance lives on.
Card Salesmen.
Trista set a rose down on each coffin. Then she stood up, and walked up to a podium.
"Friends and Family of the deceased. I have a few words to say on behalf of the deceased:
Shane Michael Epul was a great Lupe. He never complained about prices, he never griped about customers, he gave away free toys to those who were in need. Everywhere he was, a smile followed. People drowned in his kindness. When the police found his remains stuffed into plushies, there was a note on his laptop. It said,
'To all children,
Dream. No matter how unpractical, dream.'
He thought only of himself. A free spirit. Rest in peace.
For Isabella Lynn Ruceb, I can only say little. I hardly knew her, except for a few passing hellos' and watching her countless times on the silver screen. She made her mark in history as a great actress and singer, and impressed upon all of us, how short life can be. Her greatest words were in her movie ' 26 hours'. She said
'Live life, like your next breath will be your last'.
Marcus Daniel Ruceb was the greatest brother ever. He always talked of his sister in a good fashion. Even if she had made a fool of herself, he'd say 'that's my sis.' We should all follow his example.
If anyone had never been in The Bread Master's Shop, I must say, I'm sorry. You missed it in its prime. You missed the cheer, the smells of freshly baked bread, the laughter, the friendliness of the very air you breathed. The Bread Master was a pet of charity. I can only hope my life could be as meaningful as his.
Larry, the murderer, lived a sad life. His thoughts betrayed him into madness. He did not do these horrible acts on his own will. His insane mind drove him to drastic measures, incapable of confinement. I can only hope god has mercy on his soul.
I knew Richard L Hasaai, and Sarina Michelle Shiaa well. They were two of my best friends. Their lives were filled with merriment, and joy unsurpassable. For they had found something with more power than fire. Love. They had found each other in their last hours together, and I am sad to announce were engaged, but never married. Yet their spirits live on among us, sharing, loving, keeping the spirit of Christmas and every holiday in our hearts. May they rest in peace, together.
And finally, I cannot stress enough the importance to Neopia of Denver D. Draik's lifetime. If it wasn't for his clues, his thoughts, his intelligence, Neopia would have fallen. His last hours were spent serving us, solving the mysteries, that lead to the capture of our murderer. Even though it is hard to grasp that he is not with us anymore, he will always be in the sky, watching over us.
Shadow Gazer was not the criminal. Larry was. Shadow Gazer was his messenger, and I'm happy to announce that her soul stays at rest, for the time being at least. So for everyone, everywhere, be at peace. The plague of the Shadow Usul has been beaten. Amen."
The ceremony ended. Pets scattered everywhere, some crying, some with blank looks on their faces. Tobey walked up to Trista. He hugged her.
"Trista, I'm so sorry" Tobey said.
"I'm fine" Trista answered, sniffling a little.
"You saw 'The Italian Job' right?" Tobey joked.
"Yeah, I guess I'm not fine" Trista said.
"Speaking of movies, I was wondering, do you want to go see a movie tonight? We could stop by the coffee shop after."
"Actually, I already have a date. I'll see you later though, and thanks for asking."
"Yeah, ok."
Trista waved and walked over to Ashton. He put his arm around her. They looked at Denver, Sarina, and Richard's graves.
"Never a happy ending" Ashton said.
"You're right" Trista said. She looked up at the sky. The sun had set, and a few stars began to fill the sky.
Chapter 8: Never a Happy Ending
Trista couldn't believe her eyes. Standing in front of, holding the other end of Shadow Gazer's chain like a leash, with a cruel smile inscribed all over his face was Larry the Collectable Card salesmen.
"Larry?" Trista said, barely finding her voice.
"That's right . . . " Larry smiled, and he laughed. Ashton stepped in front of Trista.
"Why?"
"WHY!?!?!" Larry yelled, "Why?" He laughed and laughed. Trista felt extremely freaked out. She didn't have time to think up her own version of his story. He shouted to the entire group:
" NO ONE RESPECTS ME! I'm just the idiot who sells cards! I tried to get a job as a baker, but NO, I'm too ugly and too scary. Can't sell plushies. I'd scare the young pets away! So they put me in the card business, where the snickers and the jokes' began-"
"Larry, you're imagni-"
"SHUT UP!" Larry screamed. Trista backed away.
"Finally, the Shadow Usul Cards come. And I get the idea. The revolution for myself that I had prayed for and worshiped Dr. Sloth for. Shadow Gazer comes into my shop. She was miserable. I was miserable. Perfect match. I took her as a piece in my board game, and it all would have worked, if it wasn't for YOU Trista!" Larry pointed to her.
"I underestimated you Trista. And you will not ruin this for me. No one will!"
It was all in slow motion. Larry jumped up into the air, his teeth showing, mouth frothing, growling and screaming at the same time. He flew over Ashton and landed on the other side of Trista. Trista turned around and saw Larry move towards her, his wings beating.
"Too bad. You were extremely beautiful Trista." He lunged at her. . . . And fell to the ground dead.
There stood Trista, bloody dagger in her hand, staring down at the flailing body Larry. He twitched, screaming, his wings tearing. He looked up, blood seeping out of his eyes sockets.
"TRISTA!" He screamed. And then he stopped twitching.
"Too bad" Trista said, "No body thought of you that way."
Trista rode on her scooter, a dozen roses in her mouth. Her black dress was blowing in the wind, and tears were dripping down her cheeks. She got off her scooter, locked it to a fence, and walked into Neopia Central Cemetery. There were 9 coffins lined up in a row. Each had names and a thought inscribed on it.
Shane Michael Epul (1980-2003)
Fulfilling the dreams of children by selling joy into their lives.
Toy Salesmen.
Isabella Lynn Ruceb ( 1990- 2003)
Actress, Singer, Dreamer.
Artist.
Marcus Daniel Ruceb (1988- 2003)
Living the life at it's richest, and achieving the greatest goal ever, being the best big brother.
Personal Shop Owner.
The Bread Master (1910- 2003)
Baking, Giving, Living.
Baker.
Richard L. Hasaai ( 1987- 2003)
Looking at the world, with enthusiasm and optimism.
Personal Business Owner.
Sarina Michelle Shiaa (1987- 2003)
Loving everyone, hating only pessimism.
Personal Business Owner.
Denver D. Draik (1940 - 2003)
Solving Crime, Helping Society, His work was done here.
Detective / Private Eye.
Larry R. Uzzb (1898 - 2003)
His last breaths were sad, but his importance lives on.
Card Salesmen.
Trista set a rose down on each coffin. Then she stood up, and walked up to a podium.
"Friends and Family of the deceased. I have a few words to say on behalf of the deceased:
Shane Michael Epul was a great Lupe. He never complained about prices, he never griped about customers, he gave away free toys to those who were in need. Everywhere he was, a smile followed. People drowned in his kindness. When the police found his remains stuffed into plushies, there was a note on his laptop. It said,
'To all children,
Dream. No matter how unpractical, dream.'
He thought only of himself. A free spirit. Rest in peace.
For Isabella Lynn Ruceb, I can only say little. I hardly knew her, except for a few passing hellos' and watching her countless times on the silver screen. She made her mark in history as a great actress and singer, and impressed upon all of us, how short life can be. Her greatest words were in her movie ' 26 hours'. She said
'Live life, like your next breath will be your last'.
Marcus Daniel Ruceb was the greatest brother ever. He always talked of his sister in a good fashion. Even if she had made a fool of herself, he'd say 'that's my sis.' We should all follow his example.
If anyone had never been in The Bread Master's Shop, I must say, I'm sorry. You missed it in its prime. You missed the cheer, the smells of freshly baked bread, the laughter, the friendliness of the very air you breathed. The Bread Master was a pet of charity. I can only hope my life could be as meaningful as his.
Larry, the murderer, lived a sad life. His thoughts betrayed him into madness. He did not do these horrible acts on his own will. His insane mind drove him to drastic measures, incapable of confinement. I can only hope god has mercy on his soul.
I knew Richard L Hasaai, and Sarina Michelle Shiaa well. They were two of my best friends. Their lives were filled with merriment, and joy unsurpassable. For they had found something with more power than fire. Love. They had found each other in their last hours together, and I am sad to announce were engaged, but never married. Yet their spirits live on among us, sharing, loving, keeping the spirit of Christmas and every holiday in our hearts. May they rest in peace, together.
And finally, I cannot stress enough the importance to Neopia of Denver D. Draik's lifetime. If it wasn't for his clues, his thoughts, his intelligence, Neopia would have fallen. His last hours were spent serving us, solving the mysteries, that lead to the capture of our murderer. Even though it is hard to grasp that he is not with us anymore, he will always be in the sky, watching over us.
Shadow Gazer was not the criminal. Larry was. Shadow Gazer was his messenger, and I'm happy to announce that her soul stays at rest, for the time being at least. So for everyone, everywhere, be at peace. The plague of the Shadow Usul has been beaten. Amen."
The ceremony ended. Pets scattered everywhere, some crying, some with blank looks on their faces. Tobey walked up to Trista. He hugged her.
"Trista, I'm so sorry" Tobey said.
"I'm fine" Trista answered, sniffling a little.
"You saw 'The Italian Job' right?" Tobey joked.
"Yeah, I guess I'm not fine" Trista said.
"Speaking of movies, I was wondering, do you want to go see a movie tonight? We could stop by the coffee shop after."
"Actually, I already have a date. I'll see you later though, and thanks for asking."
"Yeah, ok."
Trista waved and walked over to Ashton. He put his arm around her. They looked at Denver, Sarina, and Richard's graves.
"Never a happy ending" Ashton said.
"You're right" Trista said. She looked up at the sky. The sun had set, and a few stars began to fill the sky.