Hey Guys and Gals, I just wanted to let you know before you begin reading, is that this is a really old story of mine and thus, be prepared for some really awful writing! Woohoo!
Before the Mushroom War
Another Morning...
The wide and spacious room before me was quite dim with the only window closed. There were only the small but tenacious streaks of sunlight coming through the closed shutters of the window to slightly lighten up the dim room. I slowly shuffled inside the room like a dreary and sleepless zombie before I promptly pressed a button from the remote resting on my hand, turning on the familiar buzzing sound of the holographic television. A blindingly bright green screen suddenly erupted from the circular metal base in the middle of the room and slowly rised upwards. To my surprise, the channel was already set on the news. How lovely… "And that's our interview with the cast of the upcoming sequel to the mega-hit trilogy, Heat Signature." The television nonsensically blared as I casually approached the window. Oh yeah, that kind of reminds me... I need to remember to make a little mental note: Note to self, don't forget to take out Hannah to see the movies and maybe take her to a nice dinner too. She never got to see Heat Signature 3 because of my work. I never liked the movie series... In my opinion, it's way too cliched but it's the least I could do to repay her...
"Coming right up after the short break, we will be giving out more updates from the unfortunate major blackout New York is currently suffering through." The television droned on... I gently pushed open the shutters of the window, letting the welcoming warmth of bright sunlight into the dim room. Without realizing it, I promptly let out a tiring yawn and stretched my weary arms as long as I could before taking in the pleasant view of the enveloping hills and the lush trees before me. The beautiful view is always a calming and comforting sight for me. The cloud-kissed morning Sun was as a breathless sight as ever, no matter how many times I had been greeted by it... Hannah was right when she decided to build our house up here in the mountainous hills. It's just what the doctor ordered… "What do you do when the unthinkable happens? Think about your family. Think about your future. Buy a ticket pass to Beautopia, the underground haven for the future! Your family will never be so safe and grateful!" Well, it's that darned advertisement again. It seems like they have been showing it more and more lately, for some reason...
I silently surveyed the wide room which also happened to be my personal workshop with my weary and heavy eyes. The bland walls of the workshop were painted by the most colorful of all colors, plain white! The reason for the empty and dull walls was mostly due to the fact that I see no particular use at all in decorations. Come to think of it, it's the only place in the entire house untouched by Hannah's decorating hands. Wow, I feel like I'm actually preserving an endangered area... There were four rectangular wooden tables lining up against the walls of the entire room. The intricately carved wooden tables were mostly littered with useless metallic junk and unfinished inventions that I never really got interested into completing. I don't know why but for some reason, I never really got that inspirational spark inside me to help me complete all of these useless pieces of inventions... I mean, come on, Brain! Did you really think a machine that could automatically tie your own shoes is a good thing? The world don't need something like that right now to help make people more lazy...
There was also the old holographic television, its metallic base resting neatly in the middle of the spacious room and a four-wheeled office chair hidden under one of the wooden tables. I'm not so sure which though… I think I actually lost it somehow... Well, if I forgot where it is, it's might as well be completely disappeared for eternity and I have to already start thinking on getting a new one. "The riots in the neighboring cities have intensified and the police were help-" I quickly pressed the remote resting on the palm of my hand yet again and turned off the bright screen of the holographic television. Political tensions... Public uprisings... Rumors of martial law... I just could not bear any of this bull crap anymore…
I gently tossed the remote somewhere onto one of the tables amongst the other metallic knick-knacks cluttered there before immediately pacing to and fro around the entire room inspecting some of the leftover pieces of junk. What to do today? What to do today? Ideas quickly come and go inside my head on what piece of junk to finish. It's all mostly useless gadgets anyway but there have to be something I could do. Targeting software or missile guidance systems are all too boring to do nowadays… I need to do something completely different now… I'm done with all of the military work and I plan to keep it that way for a long time. I didn't know how long it must have been as I continued to contemplate about all of the ideas in my head. After what I felt was quite a long while, I finally threw my arms up in the air, promptly giving up on any plans that I will do something constructive today and decided to just waste my time gazing at the tranquil sight outside the window instead. Ah! Much better now! Easier too! These kinds of tranquil and peaceful views always make me feel so happy and safe. And who knows? I might suddenly get inspired out of nowhere or something...
"Excuse me, sir? I'm terribly sorry to disturb you, sir! But I would like your attention, please!" Someone was suddenly calling out for me from the doorway of the workshop, interrupting my entire train of thought. Well, it's not like the empty train was going anywhere in the first place... I slowly turned around to see good ole' Duncan, our faithful butler for years, was standing firmly still by the doorway of the workshop. Duncan is like one of those traditional butlers normally seen in movies or shows with the receding gray hairline and the dapper butler suit and all that kind of stuff. "What is it, Duncan? I thought I told you and the rest of the staff that you can have the entire week off." I exclaimed as I smiled softly at him, pleasantly surprised to see that he was still here. "Again, I am terribly sorry to disturb you, sir..." He said to me in a prim and proper tone as traditional butlers tend to do before he gently bowed down apologetically, much to my sheer embarrassment. I never really liked it when people did those kinds of things to me... "I was just about to leave, Sir, but it appears that you have a visitor." Duncan quickly added. A- A visitor? Really? Who would actually visit me at this hour? In fact, who would even want to visit me?
"Well, don't leave me with such suspense! Who's the visitor then, Duncan?" I asked sarcastically as I casually approached the middle of the room. "It's- It's a mister-" But before Duncan could even finish his sentence, he was suddenly interrupted by a familiar looking man entering the workshop. "Come on! It's me, Louis!" The young man exclaimed cheerfully as he stood right before me. Duncan seemed partially shocked that he was rudely cut off so suddenly at first, but he quickly shrugged it off before immediately leaving the room. "Have a good day, Duncan!" I cried out to him as he left the room and hopefully went back home. Of all the staff, he deserves the most rest...
I turned my gaze back to the familiar-looking man who was simply smiling at me as I continued to stare blankly at him. I have absolutely no idea who this guy is but he seemed so familiar to me. I just could not put my finger on it... Hannah always said that I have a terrible memory... Heck, I KNOW I have a terrible memory but sometimes I actually forgot about it! The olive-skinned man standing before me had short dark hair which was neatly combed backwards. He was wearing a black three-piece suit completed with a little red bow tie on his neck. "I'm- I'm quite sorry but who are you again?" I swallowed my nerves as I shamefully asked him.
The young man suddenly chuckled at my admittedly stupid question, "Oh come on, Louis! You don't remember me already? It's only been a few weeks, my friend!" I slowly and gently shook my head in denial. "Well then, here. Maybe this will help you and your bad memory…" The young man promptly took out a pair of blue tinted glasses from his shirt pocket and immediately placed it around his eyes. "Ta-da! Remember me now, Louis?" He exclaimed cheerfully as he waved his hands around as if he just did something magical. I continued to gaze into the familiar-looking person like an old and ancient man who had just lost his entire vision and couldn't see anything clearly. Seconds literally passed by before it suddenly dawned on me like a solid brick to the head. Wow, I can't believe I didn't actually realize it any sooner...
I happily grinned as broadly as I could before I immediately approached to embrace a dear old friend of mine...
"Simon… Simon Petrikov!"