Overgrown

      I had been very tiny then, much smaller than I am now. It had never occurred to me that I would grow any bigger than I was then.

      Then, one day, I could feel my egg being picked up. I felt the warmth of someone's hands and something inside me stirred. Somehow, I suddenly felt more energized than I had ever been, for I was always still, motionless in the egg. I started pecking at the darkness, hitting the brittle shell.

      Light spilled in and for a moment, I was blinded. Then I looked up and saw the face of my new owner. She excitedly cooed over me, her newborn baby Eyrie. As she carried me to our neohome, we savoured the sights of our world - Neopia. Both of us were new and had never been around before. I was put into an empty room, where Jeanie, my owner, looked after me.

      Neither of us noticed, but over the weeks, I was growing larger and larger. Then, one day, I could no longer fit into my cot. "Why, Linky, you've grown so!" Jeanie exclaimed in surprise while I failed to squeeze into my old bed.

      Every week, the same thing happened. I grew out of all my beds and Jeanie spent many neopoints getting bigger ones. But then, after a month, not fitting into my beds was no longer a problem. "Uh... Jeanie, I think we have a problem," I said awkwardly as I tried to fit in through the doorway of our neohome. My owner worriedly brought me to see the Gelert Doctor. "He's been getting bigger and bigger, and now he can barely fit into our house!" Jeanie explained.

      After probing me and sticking devices into my beak, the doctor said "Dear Neopian, he is supposed to be this way. Your pet here is an Eyrie and this size is normal for him." He then told my owner that I would be growing even larger. Jeanie's jaw dropped and after a speechless moment, dragged me out.

      She tried to tolerate the fact that I would be growing huge, but the frown on her face got unhappier each time I looked. Then, when I grew broad enough to take up half of the dining-room, she could bare it no longer. She brought me to the dreaded Pound and spoke to Dr. Death.

      It was all over then. The papers were signed and I was shoved into a dark, dusty cage which I could only just move about in. Looking through the bars, I could see other neopets with hopeless, grim expressions plastered onto their faces. I sensed, in dread, that they had been here for a very long time, as I might be eventually. Every day, some Neopians who were potential owners strolled in, occasionally with another pet, to pick someone out. Over the many months, I realized that that someone might never be me. Most of the faces that I saw passing by my cage did not even glance at me. After all, I was simply a plain, basic, yellow Eyrie. Nearly none of the people were newbies who did not mind basics, like my old owner was. Even if they were, they would take one peep at my large, towering body and shudder, moving away to pick a smaller, more cuddly pet. I gave up waving and giving them hopeful faces, and soon I was just like the rest of the neopets in the pound. I crouched in a corner, with cobwebs dangling over my head, only looking up once a week to eat and drink.

      Sometimes, I wondered why I had to be born an Eyrie. Why, I thought, wasn't I instead a sleek Gelert or a gleeful Blumaroo? If I had not been an Eyrie, I would not have grown so large and I would still be with Jeanie. But then, I felt a sense of hatred for my old owner. True, loyal owners would have stuck with me through thick and thin, loving me too much to dump me in the Pound simply because I was too big for her to handle. She should not have gotten me in the first place. She should have known I would have grown... It then dawned upon me that newbies did not do their research. They simply skipped happily, without a care in the world to the Pet Creator and pick the coolest looking neopet they could see.

      I did not think that I would ever meet the perfect owner for me. But one day, I do not know when, for those in the Pound lose track of time - I could have been in there for a year - A middle-aged male stopped outside my cage. I was used to this, people often looked in, astonished at my humongous size. But this person was different. He peered in, trying to make me look up. I ignored him, refusing to be hopeful that I could be adopted, as it was too painful to be disappointed. But still, I was curious and watched him in the corner of my eye. The man stared at me, observing me and taking in all of my features. It was almost as if he was considering getting me out of the Pound, which I had been in for so long. He looked at my nameplate and cleared his throat. "Linky, how would you like to be adopted?"

      My eyes widened in amazement and I lifted my massive head. I looked at his face and to my surprise, he seemed to be serious. At first, my throat was empty of words for I was too shocked to answer. The man waited patiently for my reply and after some time, I managed to whisper, "I would love that."

      The man smiled and went to the counter and spoke to the Pink Uni who was in charge of adoptions. She came over to my cage and unlocked it and all the while, the other pets in the Pound looked on in envy. The cage door creaked open and I took a step outside, bewildered. I silently prayed that I was not dreaming. I walked along with my new owner, and the place got brighter and brighter as we neared the exit. Then we stepped out, and I had my first glimpse of sunlight in many, many months. The rays of sunlight shone on my dusty feathers, and I realized that I was finally happy to be alive. My new owner looked on in amusement as I danced around, taking in the world which I had thought I would never see again when I was in the Pound. The man introduced himself to me. "My name is Monroe and you'll be living with me in Tyrannia," he said, "I have another pet who'll be your sibling, and right now he is in our neohome, awaiting our arrival."

      I was delighted to learn that I would no longer be alone, as I had always been, whether in an egg or in a cage in the Pound. "What species is he?" I asked Monroe, but he simply replied, "Wait and see."

      While we were walking to Tyrannia, Monroe told me that he had a very large neohome and large pets were of no difficulty for him. Upon hearing this, I felt even more relaxed and happy. The day was turning out to be perfect. We eventually arrived in Tyrannia, a place where I had never been to before. I then discovered that here, there were neopets that were even bigger than me! It was a very lovely surprise and I immediately felt welcome. We soon reached my neohome-to-be. Monroe had been telling me the truth - his home was very large, and the doorway was bigger than myself. I met my new brother, who was a Grarrl, and a very pleasant one at that. The three of us bonded nicely and I truly felt that I belonged at last. My new life was perfect for me, and I am still living with my marvelous family, who love me for who I am.

The End