Eyes of the Force
The setting twin suns beat down mercilessly on Tatooine's barren desert, illuminating the
Lars' homestead and the little boy standing in front of it staring into the golden sky. Luke had
felt strangely restless all day and, with his aunt and uncle both occupied elsewhere, there was
nobody there to distract him from his thoughts.
As he stood there, staring into the desert he was strictly forbidden to go into alone, he felt
drawn to that endless vastness of sand, as if the desert called out to him and something in
him responded to that call.
Luke often had such feelings – once he'd known the shed would burn before it actually
happened. His aunt and uncle didn't like these feelings, sometimes he even got the impression
that they feared them and deep down he knew that they were the reason why he was different
from his friends and age-mates.
Normally these feelings weren't strong, just a nudge or a twinge in his mind or heart, but
today it was a steady pull and he involuntary made some steps out into the desert before his
common-sense reminded him that it was dangerous to go out there and that Uncle Owen
would be very angry if he did so.
But it felt so right.
Luke stood irresolute for a few seconds, but then reached a decision and walked out into the
desert, his jaw set in determination.
Luke walked for hours, always following the pull in his mind, until he had to stop at the rim
of a canyon. By now he was tired and thirsty and he began to doubt his rash decision.
Luke flopped down on the ground beneath a gnarled bush which gave at least some shadow,
asking himself what he'd gotten himself into this time. He couldn't stay out here during the
night, but he was too far away from the farm to return to it before nightfall.
He was so caught up in his hopelessness that he didn't notice the man approaching until he
knelt down beside him. Luke turned surprised, but strangely enough he didn't feel afraid for
he instantly felt at ease with the stranger, whose red-blond hair gleamed in the sun though
streaked with grey. He fairly radiated gentleness and compassion, but the most striking were
his eyes. As Luke looked into them, they seemed to change color, from the deepest blue to a
fresh green or steely grey. Luke instinctively felt that he could trust his man.
"Hello there, son. What's your name young one?" the man asked him gently his voice
smooth, but with an unfamiliar accent.
"I'm Luke." he answered and then asked tentatively, "And you?"
The man smiled. "You can call me Ben."
Luke stretched out his hand. "Pleased to meet you, Ben."
Ben shook his hand solemnly, his heart aching as he was reminded of another bright young
boy so very much like this one doing the same years ago.
"Now Luke, why are you out here alone and at such a late hour?" Ben asked.
Luke shuffled his feet a bit, but Ben didn't seem to be angry with him and he had the feeling
that he would understand – maybe better than his aunt and uncle.
"It pulled me here, called me." he tried to explain, but he couldn't quite put his thoughts into
words. "These feelings."
Ben frowned thoughtfully. "What feelings?"
"Sometimes it's like liquid flowing around me, it's always…warm, reassuring." Luke
struggled for better words, but soon gave up and looked at Ben, who seemed lost in thought,
pleading him to understand.
"Is it like this?" Ben finally asked and reached out to Luke through the Force, thus connecting
the boy to the greater flow of the Force.
"Yes!" Luke exclaimed. "I never met anyone who was like me."
"Well there are some." Ben told him noncommittally, once again fighting against painful
memories resurfacing, and stood up. "Come Luke. Night is falling and neither of us should be
still out here."
"But where will we go?" Luke asked.
"My home isn't far away." Ben responded and held out a hand to help him up.
"But Uncle Owen…" Luke began to protest as he took Ben's hand and pulled himself up.
"I'll bring you back to your aunt and uncle in the morning." Ben assured him. "It's just too far
away to go there now."
"I guess it's okay then. Uncle Owen can scream at you then instead of reprimanding me."
Luke said, making Ben chuckle, and took the older man's hand, following him towards his
home. Two lone figures in the desert, connected by fate and the Force and history repeating
itself.
They arrived at Ben's little hovel half an hour later. Ben, half-carrying Luke, who was nearly
asleep on his feet. He led the child to the bed in one corner of the cozy main room and tucked
him in gently as he'd done with Anakin so often after he had nightmares. Luke looked at him
with sleepy eyes. "Did we ever meet before, Ben? Somehow I feel like I know you."
At that a sad look came into Ben's eyes. " Yes, we did. I was the one who brought you to
Tatooine."
Before Luke could ask more questions, he said quietly, "You have to sleep now,
Luke. I'll watch over you."
Luke felt his eye-lids close and just managed to mumble, "Goodnight, Ben.", before falling
asleep, and he no longer heard Ben's soft "Goodnight, young one." or felt him gently placing
a kiss on his brow.
The next morning Ben took Luke back to the Lars' homestead, where a very relieved Beru
welcomed them.
And though he wouldn't meet Ben again for years, Luke would never forget this fateful
encounter and even as a Jedi Master years later a part of him would always associate the
Force with Ben's beautiful eyes filled with grief yet joy, sorrow yet compassion, heartbreak
yet love.
END