Jubble Bubble, Toil and Trouble

You’re probably wondering, what else is there to know? They’re just a bunch of friends hunting for some buried treasure, so what?

That’s not necessarily the case; in fact, it’s far from it. It’s all been a ploy, a decoy. What Kelby and the JubJubs have been doing is nothing short of heroic. What they’ve been doing is distracting those thieving, vindictive pirates from scouring their home in search of non-existent treasure.

Thankfully the number of cases involving pirates have winded down, so it’s safe to release this article and give these young Neopians the recognition they deserve.

----------

While most people believe that Krawk Island is The Central for all Neopian Pirates, which it is, they don’t know that relentless others have haunted the shadowed blue depths of Neopia for quite a while now. Hidden to most of the populace, they continuously seek for more fortunes, trudging through homes, lands and seas alike, to get what they want.

It was at the peak of all the unrest that Kelby and his band of JubJub friends heard about the distress caused by said pirates.

“We heard about it from a passing traveler. He was highly distraught over something, so we decided to listen to what he had to say,” Jerri, one of the JubJubs, recounted. “When we heard it, none of us knew how to react. Sure, we’d thought about the possibility, even talked about it. But it was never as near to our home as it was then.”

The ‘it’ Jerri was referring to, was the story of a nearby Maraquan village being overrun by pirates.

“The passing traveler told us that there never really was a treasure. That it had been a rumor some young Maraquan Mynci told his friends about in jest. He even had a map and everything. It was all just a joke,” Kelby described, his eyebrows slightly furrowed. “I guess the pirates don’t have much of a sense of humor when it comes to gold,” the Maraquan Shoyru joked weakly.

It’s only reasonable that the laughter seemed forced; he and his friends had been through far too much.

“I can’t remember who came up with the idea first, it didn’t really matter to us. Our village was already showing signs of anxiety; all of us were practically quivering while we swam,” Joe, another JubJub, admitted.

The basic gist of the plan was to make a “rumor” that would cause the pirates to shift locations. So, instead of coming to their village, the pirates would be preoccupied elsewhere. An ingenious idea.

“None of us liked how pirate activities were affecting not only ourselves, but our families and friends too. We practically dived at the idea when it was mentioned,” Jerri related, “I don’t think we even thought about what kind of trouble we’d get into if we actually did it.”

With their determination, Kelby, Jerri, Joe and three more JubJubs set out. It’s true that the Shoyru could swim deeper levels than they could, which was why whenever they encountered a chasm or cliff of sorts, Kelby would swim down and create air bubbles the JubJubs could fall into, to soften their landing.

“Truthfully, I had no idea how to do it at first. But I learned quickly, after I didn’t create a solid enough bubble to carry Jerri, causing him to fall. Good thing it was pretty soft ground.”

Fortunately, their journey hadn’t come to any point where they were in any serious danger; a couple close calls here and there, but nothing too extreme.

“There was this one time where the pirates were, literally, a couple strokes behind us. Luckily we found a curved rock, big enough to cover all of us, just in time,” Joe relayed, sighing, “I was terrified; I mean, they were right there.”

Now, you’re probably thinking, what was it that helped keep them strong? The answer is simple in thought but difficult in action: the will and determination to keeping the pirates away from their families, the knowledge that those they held dear would be kept safe and had the close friendship they shared.

“I was so close to giving up. Good thing Kelby and the others were there; they kept me going,” Joe admitted gratefully.

The days seemed relentless but finally, the pirates had finally given up after a long, hard swim. Their morale had diminished and they decided to forget hunting for buried treasure throughout that particular region, seeing as they hadn’t been sighted in quite awhile. Said region contained Kelby and the JubJubs’ village, along with three to four others.

“I can’t really say how I felt when we were finally home. I was too happy to do much really.” Kelby laughed blithely.

“I remember opening the familiar door to my home and being greeted with the warmest, most comfortable ambiance I had had in the longest time,” Sally, another JubJub, sighed as she closed her eyes and recollected. “The feeling of home never felt so good.”

----------

No good deed ever goes unpunished.

Although it may have been far from anyone’s mind, festivities were held in their honor the week they came back. I asked them what they learned from such a significant experience to which the three replied lightheartedly:

“Try really hard to not panic; it makes you choke on water.” [Jerri]

“Making bubbles is an art.” [Kelby]

“Friends really are useful, who knew?” [Joe]

Sally just rolled her eyes at the immaturity that were the other three, turned to me and said, “Will and determination get you through the harder times. But, it’s really the people who you’re with that make all the difference in Neopia.”

And so, I end this article with a thought for you. These six normal Neopians fought through numerous experiences, came out triumphant, and became closer than ever.

Normal, everyday Neopians just like you.

Who’s to say you and your friends aren’t the next ‘Kelby and JubJubs’?