Don't Look Back
After being grounded by his uncle for unconsciously using the Force, a six-
year old Luke Skywalker runs outside and visits his grandmother's grave.
"But Uncle Owen, I swear I didn't do it!"
"Do not lie to me Luke!"
Luke's lower lip trembled and tears streamed down his face. He shook his head and said just louder than a whisper, "But I didn't."
Owen held his rough, sun-beaten face into an expression of restrained impatience. He had his arms folded in front of his chest, as he looked sternly into the face of his six year old nephew. "Then how did you know where it was?"
Luke yelled again through his tears. "I don't know! I just did!"
"Nonsense! You could not possibly have known unless you did it."
From across the room, Beru sat on their couch and gently tried to calm her husband. "Owen, it's alright. Don't be too hard on the boy."
Owen turned his head to face his wife. "Stealing and then hiding the screwdriver for your mending stitcher was bad enough. But now lying about it when there's no other explanation is too much!" Owen looked back over at Luke, who stood there looking frightened. "This is your last chance. Do you want to confess?"
Luke stood there not knowing what to do. Finally he whimpered out, "I didn't do it."
The jaw muscles in Owen's mouth tightened again and he slowly nodded. "Alright. Since you refuse to confess, you are grounded. You are not to drive, ride, sit in, or go near the landspeeder until I say so. And I want you up every morning for one month to clean the droids."
For a boy who had been in love with piloting since before he could even run, staying away from the speeders was the greatest injustice he had ever heard of. "No, Uncle Owen!"
"You had your chance to confess and you didn't do it. Go to bed!"
Luke stomped his foot and yelled, "No!"
Before Owen even had a chance to erupt from this sudden bit of insolence, Luke ran past him and outside into the desert. It was evening now, with one sun gone and the other halfway past the horizon.
Great. Where am I going to go now? I'm going to have to go home some time. Then I'll be in even more trouble than before. He stopped running and looked around. He noticed that he was close to the grave sight of his grandmother. He walked up to the tombstone and sat down on the sand. "Hi, Grandma."
Luke liked to come by to visit his grandmother whenever he had a chance. His uncle never told him very much about the rest of his family and Luke felt that being there would somehow mean something.
Luke heard a faint yell from his uncle. "Luke?" He turned his head around to face the direction of the yell. He's going the wrong way. I guess that means I can hide out for a little while longer. He turned back around and faced his grandmother's tombstone.
"Uncle Owen was yelling at me tonight. Aunt Beru lost the little screwdriver she uses on her mending stitcher. Somehow I knew that it was under the couch and Uncle Owen grounded me. He said there wasn't any way I could've known that, unless I had hidden it myself.but I didn't do it. I don't know how I knew it, but I won't be doing that anymore."
Off in the distance, Luke heard the moan of a bantha. "Some Tusken raiders must be nearby."
Luke heard his Uncle Owen's voice again. "Luke!"
He could hear that there was much more panic in his voice than before. He must've heard the bantha, too. "Uncle Owen must be pretty upset at me now. He'd never say it, but I think he's kind of afraid of them. I guess he feels that way about them because that's how our family lost you. Uncle Owen wouldn't tell me any more than that."
Luke smiled a bit and said almost as if he were passing on a big secret. "But then Aunt Beru told me some more later that night when she went into my room to say good night. About how Uncle Owen and Grandpa and thirty other farmers went out after you, but four of them came back. Then my dad went out alone and took out the entire tribe, but was too late to save you."
Luke's face squinched up into an expression of confusion. "There's one thing about that that I don't understand though. How was my dad able to take on an entire tribe of Tusken raiders on his own, when a team of 30 couldn't? The only ones I've ever heard of that could do that were Jedi. But if my dad was a Jedi, then how come Uncle Owen isn't?"
Not long after that, Luke heard his uncle shouting out again. This time, much closer. "Luke? Luke? Where are you? Luke!"
Luke got up back to his feet and said, "It's time for me to go Grandma. Good-bye." Luke began to walk back to the house and saw the silhouette of his uncle come into focus. "I'm here, Uncle Owen."
When Owen reached Luke he took his hand and said, "Luke! What are you thinking running outside alone at night? Don't you hear the banthas and Tusken raiders? Come on, let's get back to the house."
Owen kept a grip on Luke's hand and led him back home. When they were almost there, Luke mustered up the courage to ask, "Uncle Owen, was my dad a Jedi?"
Owen stopped dead in his tracks. He slowly turned around and looked down at Luke. He said more out of shock than anger, "What did you say?"
"Was my dad a Jedi? Aunt Beru told me the story about my dad going out and defeating an entire tribe of Tusken raiders by himself. Jedi were the only ones who were able to do things like that."
"Listen to me, Luke. Your father was a navigator on a spice freighter. I told you that already. That story that Aunt Beru told you was just that. A story. He may have killed one or two of them, but that's it. And don't hold too high of an opinion about Jedi. You know how they got wiped out? They were too nosy for their own good. They meddled in things that they shouldn't have been meddling in. If they had just taken care of their own work and minded their own business, they'd still be around. Come on, let's get inside."
The second sun had completely set before they got back home. Beru was waiting for them, very worried. "Did you find him? Is he alright?"
"Yes, he's fine." He turned around and looked at Luke. "And he's going straight to bed right now."
Beru stopped Owen and said, "Let me speak with him alone first, okay?"
Owen nodded and said, "Alright. I'm going to bed now." Owen turned back to Luke one last time. "And I'll be seeing you early in the morning.
When Owen left, Beru kneeled next to Luke and placed her hands on his shoulders. She opened her mouth to speak, but Luke interrupted her. "I didn't hide your screwdriver, Aunt Beru. I swear."
Beru nodded and softly said, "I know you didn't Luke. I put it there."
Luke was shocked. "You put it there? Why?"
"It was a test. I wanted to see if you would be able to know where it was. I remember seeing your father do that on occasion. I'm sorry, Luke. I had no idea that it would become what it did."
"If my dad could do things like that, then how come Uncle Owen is upset by me doing it?"
"He's not upset about it, Luke. He's afraid."
"Afraid? Why would he be afraid?"
"Because you are meant for great things Luke. Greater than anything that's on this planet. He knows that and that someday, you'll be leaving. He doesn't want you to, because here, you're safe. He loves you very much, Luke. He may not tell you, but he loves as if you were his own son. And he doesn't want you in the danger that you'll meet on your way to greatness."
Luke's young mind began to sway from what he was hearing. "Great things? What kind of great things?"
Beru smiled warmly and shrugged her shoulders. "That's still up to you, Luke. Although it is out of love, he will do whatever he can to keep you here. When the time finally comes for your chance to leave this place, take it. Take it Luke and don't look back."
Thirteen years later.
Luke stared at the burned remains of his aunt and uncle, not knowing quite what to say. Not like this. This can't be how I leave home. I can't do this.
Luke heard the voice of his aunt in his mind. Whether she was actually speaking to him, or just a memory of something she had said before, it had no bearing. "Be brave, Luke. And don't look back.don't look back."
With all of the strength that he could muster, Luke turned around and began to walk back to his speeder. Back to Obi-Wan Kenobi. He fought every feeling he had to turn around. He would see to it that his aunt and uncle's sacrifice was not made in vain. Even if it would take him his entire life.
THE END
"But Uncle Owen, I swear I didn't do it!"
"Do not lie to me Luke!"
Luke's lower lip trembled and tears streamed down his face. He shook his head and said just louder than a whisper, "But I didn't."
Owen held his rough, sun-beaten face into an expression of restrained impatience. He had his arms folded in front of his chest, as he looked sternly into the face of his six year old nephew. "Then how did you know where it was?"
Luke yelled again through his tears. "I don't know! I just did!"
"Nonsense! You could not possibly have known unless you did it."
From across the room, Beru sat on their couch and gently tried to calm her husband. "Owen, it's alright. Don't be too hard on the boy."
Owen turned his head to face his wife. "Stealing and then hiding the screwdriver for your mending stitcher was bad enough. But now lying about it when there's no other explanation is too much!" Owen looked back over at Luke, who stood there looking frightened. "This is your last chance. Do you want to confess?"
Luke stood there not knowing what to do. Finally he whimpered out, "I didn't do it."
The jaw muscles in Owen's mouth tightened again and he slowly nodded. "Alright. Since you refuse to confess, you are grounded. You are not to drive, ride, sit in, or go near the landspeeder until I say so. And I want you up every morning for one month to clean the droids."
For a boy who had been in love with piloting since before he could even run, staying away from the speeders was the greatest injustice he had ever heard of. "No, Uncle Owen!"
"You had your chance to confess and you didn't do it. Go to bed!"
Luke stomped his foot and yelled, "No!"
Before Owen even had a chance to erupt from this sudden bit of insolence, Luke ran past him and outside into the desert. It was evening now, with one sun gone and the other halfway past the horizon.
Great. Where am I going to go now? I'm going to have to go home some time. Then I'll be in even more trouble than before. He stopped running and looked around. He noticed that he was close to the grave sight of his grandmother. He walked up to the tombstone and sat down on the sand. "Hi, Grandma."
Luke liked to come by to visit his grandmother whenever he had a chance. His uncle never told him very much about the rest of his family and Luke felt that being there would somehow mean something.
Luke heard a faint yell from his uncle. "Luke?" He turned his head around to face the direction of the yell. He's going the wrong way. I guess that means I can hide out for a little while longer. He turned back around and faced his grandmother's tombstone.
"Uncle Owen was yelling at me tonight. Aunt Beru lost the little screwdriver she uses on her mending stitcher. Somehow I knew that it was under the couch and Uncle Owen grounded me. He said there wasn't any way I could've known that, unless I had hidden it myself.but I didn't do it. I don't know how I knew it, but I won't be doing that anymore."
Off in the distance, Luke heard the moan of a bantha. "Some Tusken raiders must be nearby."
Luke heard his Uncle Owen's voice again. "Luke!"
He could hear that there was much more panic in his voice than before. He must've heard the bantha, too. "Uncle Owen must be pretty upset at me now. He'd never say it, but I think he's kind of afraid of them. I guess he feels that way about them because that's how our family lost you. Uncle Owen wouldn't tell me any more than that."
Luke smiled a bit and said almost as if he were passing on a big secret. "But then Aunt Beru told me some more later that night when she went into my room to say good night. About how Uncle Owen and Grandpa and thirty other farmers went out after you, but four of them came back. Then my dad went out alone and took out the entire tribe, but was too late to save you."
Luke's face squinched up into an expression of confusion. "There's one thing about that that I don't understand though. How was my dad able to take on an entire tribe of Tusken raiders on his own, when a team of 30 couldn't? The only ones I've ever heard of that could do that were Jedi. But if my dad was a Jedi, then how come Uncle Owen isn't?"
Not long after that, Luke heard his uncle shouting out again. This time, much closer. "Luke? Luke? Where are you? Luke!"
Luke got up back to his feet and said, "It's time for me to go Grandma. Good-bye." Luke began to walk back to the house and saw the silhouette of his uncle come into focus. "I'm here, Uncle Owen."
When Owen reached Luke he took his hand and said, "Luke! What are you thinking running outside alone at night? Don't you hear the banthas and Tusken raiders? Come on, let's get back to the house."
Owen kept a grip on Luke's hand and led him back home. When they were almost there, Luke mustered up the courage to ask, "Uncle Owen, was my dad a Jedi?"
Owen stopped dead in his tracks. He slowly turned around and looked down at Luke. He said more out of shock than anger, "What did you say?"
"Was my dad a Jedi? Aunt Beru told me the story about my dad going out and defeating an entire tribe of Tusken raiders by himself. Jedi were the only ones who were able to do things like that."
"Listen to me, Luke. Your father was a navigator on a spice freighter. I told you that already. That story that Aunt Beru told you was just that. A story. He may have killed one or two of them, but that's it. And don't hold too high of an opinion about Jedi. You know how they got wiped out? They were too nosy for their own good. They meddled in things that they shouldn't have been meddling in. If they had just taken care of their own work and minded their own business, they'd still be around. Come on, let's get inside."
The second sun had completely set before they got back home. Beru was waiting for them, very worried. "Did you find him? Is he alright?"
"Yes, he's fine." He turned around and looked at Luke. "And he's going straight to bed right now."
Beru stopped Owen and said, "Let me speak with him alone first, okay?"
Owen nodded and said, "Alright. I'm going to bed now." Owen turned back to Luke one last time. "And I'll be seeing you early in the morning.
When Owen left, Beru kneeled next to Luke and placed her hands on his shoulders. She opened her mouth to speak, but Luke interrupted her. "I didn't hide your screwdriver, Aunt Beru. I swear."
Beru nodded and softly said, "I know you didn't Luke. I put it there."
Luke was shocked. "You put it there? Why?"
"It was a test. I wanted to see if you would be able to know where it was. I remember seeing your father do that on occasion. I'm sorry, Luke. I had no idea that it would become what it did."
"If my dad could do things like that, then how come Uncle Owen is upset by me doing it?"
"He's not upset about it, Luke. He's afraid."
"Afraid? Why would he be afraid?"
"Because you are meant for great things Luke. Greater than anything that's on this planet. He knows that and that someday, you'll be leaving. He doesn't want you to, because here, you're safe. He loves you very much, Luke. He may not tell you, but he loves as if you were his own son. And he doesn't want you in the danger that you'll meet on your way to greatness."
Luke's young mind began to sway from what he was hearing. "Great things? What kind of great things?"
Beru smiled warmly and shrugged her shoulders. "That's still up to you, Luke. Although it is out of love, he will do whatever he can to keep you here. When the time finally comes for your chance to leave this place, take it. Take it Luke and don't look back."
Thirteen years later.
Luke stared at the burned remains of his aunt and uncle, not knowing quite what to say. Not like this. This can't be how I leave home. I can't do this.
Luke heard the voice of his aunt in his mind. Whether she was actually speaking to him, or just a memory of something she had said before, it had no bearing. "Be brave, Luke. And don't look back.don't look back."
With all of the strength that he could muster, Luke turned around and began to walk back to his speeder. Back to Obi-Wan Kenobi. He fought every feeling he had to turn around. He would see to it that his aunt and uncle's sacrifice was not made in vain. Even if it would take him his entire life.
THE END