I have never really enjoyed any of the holidays that are celebrated here on Earth. I always feel as if my differences stand out even more on holidays than on any normal day. On some holidays, such as Valentines Day, Easter, Halloween, Christmas, and New Year's Eve, I usually go to a party with Rouge or stay at home remembering something Maria and I did on that day many years ago. Some holidays, like Father's Day or even my own birthday, I completely ignore because for me, there is nothing to celebrate. However, there is one particular day of the year that holds a very melancholy memory of mine. It was the day that I found out that I would truly never be similar to anyone else on the face of the Earth. That day was Mother's day.
I was about two years old, I think, though I appeared to be around five. Anyways, at this time, I was a very curious child. I would sneak out of my cage at night and explore the Ark via the air vents. Once, during one of my expeditions, I found a classroom where the children of the scientists who were my age would go to learn about the planet below. This soon became my favorite room in the Ark, mostly because it was filled with many books and toys that I could never have. Of course, I would put everything back when I was done, and then leave the room, as it was when I had arrived. One night, the scientists left the lab early, so I was able to escape earlier than normal. So I headed to the classroom as quickly as I could. However, something was different tonight. The lights were on, and there were people inside. I heard some of their conversations as I looked through the tiny air vent. One little boy skipped over to a table underneath me, with a woman wearing a colorful apron and her hair in a bun following him. The boy picked something up off the table and turned to her with a smile on his face.
"Look what I made you for Mother's Day, Mommy!" he exclaimed.
This greatly confused me. What was a "Mommy"?
"Oh Thomas! Thank you! It's just lovely!" praised the "Mommy".
She then bent down and kissed the young boy on his cheek.
'Lovely?' I thought. 'I can't tell if those are supposed tomatoes or heads!'
I soon noticed that all of the children were giving things that they had made themselves to their "Mommies". At this point, I decided to turn around and return to the lab, but I was not going to sleep just yet. I was going to look up some answers to what a "Mommy" was.
When I got back to the lab, I pulled out a dictionary and looked up "Mommy". Unfortunately, it was not in there, but I find the holiday that they were talking about. The dictionary defines Mother's Day as an annual day dedicated to honoring Mothers and motherhood. I then looked up "Mother" and found that it is a female parent. I then put the book back and began to wonder where my own Mother was. Soon, I decided to head to the classroom to begin to work on my card for her.
"There, done!" I whispered to myself excitedly as I examined the card I had created.
The card was decorated with many lopsided hearts and flowers drawn in crayon, completely soaked in glitter. I had written "Happy Mother's Day!" on the front and "I love you! From Shadow" on the inside in my best handwriting.
"It's perfect!" I cheered to myself.
After cleaning up, I exited through the air vent. I followed a mental route of mine that lead to an air vent in the hallway in front of a map by the entrance to the lab. You see, I had figured out that my Mother had just gotten lost, as the Ark was like a giant labyrinth, and could not find her way back to me. Therefore, as her son, I decided to set out on a journey to find her, so we could be a family again.
As I explored the Ark, I could not help but imagine what my Mother was like. I knew that she had to wear an apron, because all of the Mothers in the classroom wore aprons over her dresses. I also guessed that I looked at least a little bit like her, so she must be a hedgehog, like me. And... well, that was about it. What she looked like did not matter much to me anyway; I was more excited about what we would do when we found each other.
'Oh, we're going to have so much fun when we're a family again Mommy!' I thought to myself as I turned a corner. 'We can play tag, and hid-n-seek, and eat yummy foods! Then at night, you can tuck me in, and tell me stories, and-'
"There you are!"
I screamed in surprise as a scientist lifted me up.
"We have been looking for you all morning, S-759!" he scolded.
'All morning?' I thought to myself in fear.
"The Professor is going to have a word with you when we get back to the lab!"
"Shadow the Hedgehog," said the Professor as he looked down at me with disapproval. "Why did you escape the lab? You know that going outside of the lab is against the rules!"
"I'm really sorry Professor! I just wanted to find my Mommy so I could give her this card I made her!" I explained to him as I held up the card.
The professor examined the card for a moment before sighing.
"Do you really want to see your Mother?" he asked.
I nodded my head in pure excitement. He sighed once again.
"Then follow me."
The Professor led me to a part deep in the lab that I had never seen before. It was filled with many giant glass tubes holding many other experiments still in development. He stopped at a particular tube that was empty.
"Shadow," he said in a sad tone. "This place, is where we make all of the experiments. This tube right here," he put his hand on the tube. "This is where we made you."
My eyes widened in shock.
"So...this...this is...my Mommy?"
He solemnly nodded his head. I could not believe this. My Mommy...is a glass tube.
"She was just a figment of my imagination." I whispered to myself.
"Shadow?" asked the Professor in a worried voice.
"I'm tired. I'm going back to my cage to sleep." I lied with tears in my eyes that were threatening to escape.
I quickly exited the deep lab and got back to the area where my cage was located. As I passed a waste receptacle, I looked down at the card in my hands. The card that I had worked so hard on, for someone who had never existed. I put it inside the bin, ran to my cage, and cried myself to sleep.