May 14th, 2012: Hey guys, this is just a quick one shot from one of my absolute favorite games of all time, Mother 3. This is my interpretation of the infamous "Sunflower fields" scene from the game, one of the most beautiful scenes in any game in my opinion. If you have any interest in playing the game and haven't yet, be warned: There are SPOILERS ahead. I hope you all enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it, and if you have yet to, play the game!
A Mother's Love
By: Stanley the Bugman
The warm, welcoming embrace of sunlight peaked through puffy, white clouds in a clear blue sky as a light breeze whistled through the air. A field of tall, beautiful sunflowers danced back in forth elegantly in response to the wind's playful nudging. They stretched the land for miles, as far as the eye could see, blanketing the land in a soft, yellow hue like a giant pillow of flowers. The wind carried the sweet, intoxicating aroma of flowers through the air, as if to share it with everyone and anyone who cared to partake of its wonderous, euphoric scent.
In the center of the vast yellow field of total serenity , a small boy lay, unconsious, atop a bed of sunflowers. The flowers were bent over in an arch-like formation, as if they had, all at once, reached out to catch the little boy who had fallen from the sky. He rested atop the bright, yellow pedals of the flowers, which had eased his decent, undoubtedly saving his life. The little boy had golden hair, brighter than even the brightest sunflower in the field. He wore a worn, red and yellow striped shirt, navy blue jean shorts, and bright orange tennis shoes, slightly stained with grass and dirt. As the wind continued to playfully whistle through the air, carrying the overwhelming scent of flowers, it gently kissed the little boy's nose. Slowly but surely, the boy opened his small, ocean blue eyes in response.
Lucas sighed heavily as he stared up into the clear, bright blue sky. He squinted his eyes slightly as the sun's overwhelming radiance filled his vision. The slight breeze rustled his hair and clothing, and Lucas took another deep breath as he slowly closed his eyes again; soaking in the comforting warmth of the sun and pleasent scent of flowers that filled his nose. After a moment he slowly, gradually, sat up and for the first time, took in his surroundings.
Sunflowers... He thought sadly. Mom's favorite...
Lucas could not help but to hold back tears then. His mother's death had been the single most traumatic event in his entire life, and it was a weight he had carried every day for the past three years, since that fateful, rainy night of her death. He frowned, thinking about how his mother had saved his, and his twin brother Claus' life, ultimately sacrificing hers to do so. At one time, Lucas would have found great joy relaxing in this peaceful, serene field, but it now only left him sad and lonely.
After another few moments, Lucas stood up. The sunflowers that had caught him slowly ascended back to their natural stance, as if straightening themselves after a heavy lift. He shook his head looking around, and could see the flowers stretching for as far as the eye could see in all directions, and he wondered where exactly he was. Suddenly, as if being smacked in the back of the head, a realization hit him.
Duster, Kumatora, Boney! He thought. Are they okay? Did they survive the fall?
As Lucas started walking through the field, he called their names, but was met with no response. He wandered for a few minutes, not knowing what direction he was going, or even how to get out of the field. He thought about all of the things that had transpired for the last three years and in particular, what was still going on at that very moment. He had had a long, arduous adventure since the Pigmask's had come to his quiet little town and everything had changed.
Lucas knew that, just as the world around him was changing, he was changing too.
His mother's death had changed him, his friends, his family, the hardships, the adventures, everything had changed him. As a young child, just three years ago, he was timid; coddled, some would often say. Lucas no longer felt that way. He was growing up, he knew people depended on him, and he knew that likewise, he needed them. He was no longer scared, no longer timid. His enemies would never give up until they took everything, until the very world as Lucas knew it was nothing but a shadow of its former self.
Lucas would no longer run or hide. He would fight for himself, his friends, and even his enemies. He would do everything in his power to right all of the wrongs done to those he loved, to pick up the pieces of his life and those lives he so dearly cherished.
Lucas...
Lucas jumped at the sound of a familiar voice. He looked about, and suddenly thought of home. He invisioned his house, his living room, and resting upon a small table, a sunflower in a small vase. Lucas could feel himself getting choked up again, and looked up into the bright, gorgeous blue sky. He knew that voice, his mother's voice. Lucas faught to not let the overwhelming feeling of sadness take over, and shook his head.
Must be my imagination. Lucas thought sadly. I really need to get out of here, it's too painful.
Lucas continued to wander through the flowers, when suddenly, a small noise broke the tranquill silence of the feild. Lucas stopped in his tracks, and listened for the noise again. After a few seconds, he could hear a faint wimper that sounded like a dog. He smiled as he ran towards the direction the sound was coming from.
After pushing aside a few of the long, green stalks of a large cluster of sunflowers, he saw a small, brown dog with an orange handkerchief wrapped around its neck. It sat on its haunches with its head hung low, wimpering.
"Boney?" Lucas said with a smile.
Immediately, Boney turned his head back towards Lucas, his tail wagging vigerously as he barked loudly. Boney rushed towards Lucas, stopping directly in front of him and standing up on his hind legs to lick his face. Lucas laughed in response and patted Boney softly on the head. Boney sat back down, still wagging his tail, and barked loudly again.
"BARK! BARK! (Boy, am I glad to see you!)" Boney barked. "BARK! BARK BAAARK! (I was so worried, I thought you didn't survive the fall!)"
Lucas grinned widely and nodded to Boney.
"Glad to see you're okay too, boy." Lucas replied happily. "C'mon, let's get out of here and find the others!"
Suddenly, Boney turned around and started to bark. He wagged his tail madly as he barked even louder. Lucas' eyes went wide as he gazed towards the direction Boney was barking. About ten yards away, he could see it, the figure of a woman in a red dress and long, hazelnut colored hair. Her body emanated a ghostly white glow, and as she turned her head to look in his direction, Lucas felt a shockwave go through him. He shivered, and immediately, tears started pouring down his face.
It... can't be. He thought.
"M... Mother?" He whispered faintly, barely able to get the words out. His throat went dry, and Lucas could feel the tears dripping from his face. He was completely lost for words. All he could do was stand there, frozen in shock.
The woman-Hinawa, his mother-gazed at him with what Lucas felt were the saddest eyes he had ever seen. She frowned, and turned to walk away. Lucas watched her for a few seconds as she walked through the sunflowers. Suddenly, she faded away, as if into thin air. Lucas cleared his throat as he called out to her.
"MOM!" He shouted desperately.
Suddenly, Boney ran off towards the direction Hinawa had disappeared to, barking wildly as he ran through the flowers. Lucas quickly started to run after him, trying to wipe the tears away from his eyes with his forearm. The effort was in vain however, as more tears continued to gush from his eyes.
It's impossible... Mom... You're dead... He thought as he ran as fast as he could.
He continued to run. Vaguely, he could feel the leaves and the salks of the sunflowers smacking him hard all over his body, but the pain was nothing compared to what he felt in his heart. He needed to see her again, to get one last glimpse of his mother, to finally say goodbye to her.
As Lucas burst through the last of the sunflowers, he staggered and just managed to catch himself before falling flat on his face. He was in a small clearing now, rich with thick, green grass, that ended abruptly at a high cliff. Lucas could see past the cliff for miles. His home, Tazmilly Village off in the distance, and even further on, he could see the deep, blue ocean stretching out to the horizon. Even more awe inspiring was the figure of his mother, suspended high above the cliff. She floated there, as if the wind gently held her in its arms.
"MOM!" He shouted to her again.
Hinawa continued to float there, those sad eyes penetrating Lucas' heart with their sorrow. He stood there for a few moments, staring at her as her long, beautiful brown hair danced in the wind. It was too much. Lucas wanted so desperately to reach out and touch her, to feel the warmth of her embrace one more time. Without even thinking he ran towards the edge of the cliff as fast as he could. As he reached the edge, he jumped with all of his might in the air towards his mother, reaching out his hand. Hinawa reached hers out to meet his, and just as their hands were about to touch, Lucas felt himself start to fall.
As he fell, the last thing he could see was his mother, smiling back at him with soft, loving eyes.