Left foot, right foot, left foot, right foot. Walking for so long, your mind only focuses on the job at hand. Left foot, right foot, left foot, right foot. Perry had his eyes on the ground in front of him, only thinking of the next step. Left foot, right foo… urgh. Okay that's enough for a while. Stopping for a break, Perry sat himself on a rock and basked in the sensation of his knees being granted temporary relief from the weight. Pulling his right arm up to his face, he examined on his Pip-Boy how far away he was from the Oasis. Only another mile.
Perry carried a large leather satchel that he hung from his left shoulder to carry spare ammunition, stimpacks, tools or any interesting items he found on his journey. Tucked away inside were the gifts he had for a very special tree. Rolling the satchel off his shoulder, Perry placed it on the ground in front of him and searched for them. Thankfully, none of them were damaged from the constant jutting around in the pouch. Breathing a sigh of relief, Perry closed the satchel and looked out into the distance, trying to find the mountain that protected the last bastion of plant life in the entire Wasteland. Harold and Bob might very well be the key to bringing plants back to the wastes. But to ensure this future, Harold had to live; which was the exact opposite of what he wanted. Perry still regretted his choice; he was condemning an innocent man to a horrible fate. Worst of all, he wasn't even treating him like a living thing. It was like Harold was simply a means to an ends and what he wanted didn't matter.
Perry had made a promise to Harold. He promised to visit Harold whenever he could to ensure he wasn't as bored as he would have been for the last thirty years. He also promised to bring anything interesting he found to keep Harold busy when he was away. He was extremely happy with his find. This was his way to make it up to Harold, to show that life won't be as bad as he thought it would be.
Now that Perry's breath was back, he threw the satchel over his shoulder and got up onto his feet. Bringing his Pip-Boy up to his face, Perry figured he would listen to some music for the rest of the way. Toying with the knobs, he eventually found the Galaxy News Radio channel. Three-Dog's voice rang loud from the speaker.
"What's up Capital Wasteland? Guess who it is? Go on, guess…. Have you figured it out yet? It's me, THREE-DOG! Your lord and master! As my first commandment, if thou ever-st see that Lone Wanderer passing by, thou shalt give him a hug and lavish kisses at his feet… nah just kidding, but be sure to thank him. We all owe him and his father a lot."
Perry shook his head, somehow he expected that even though Three-Dog was kidding, someone would try and do exactly that next time they saw him.
"As for the news, it looks like Megaton has decided to expand and plans to increase its boundaries. A big step for the little town, best of luck to you all! Our friends at the Brotherhood may have also finally found a way to exterminate the Super Mutants once and for all. How you ask? It beats the fuck out of me. But who cares? NO MORE SUPER MUTANTS BABY!" Perry could hear a few cheers coming from the Brotherhood guards stationed at GNR. He couldn't help but laugh. He'll still need to check up with Elder Lyons though, see what this plan of his actually was.
"You see kiddies? The Brotherhood gave us water and now they're wiping out the Super Mutants! Didn't I tell you these guys were our friends? 'But Three-Dog' I hear you asking, 'they took so long getting the job done.' Yes they did, but it's happening now, does it matter how long they took? In any case, it's good news all around. Now if you don't mind, I'm going to get shitfaced with some Brotherhood buddies to celebrate. Here's some music to keep the rest of you happy."
Chuckling at Three-Dog's barefaced honesty, Perry set off again towards the Oasis. The song "Butcher Pete" started to play.
"Hey everybody, did the news get around about a guy named Butcher Pete? Oh, Pete just flew into this town and he's chopping up all the women's meat."
Perry liked this song, sure it was about serial killer who cut up his victims but it was so upbeat the lyrics just didn't bother him. He started timing his steps to the tune and even sung to the chorus.
"He's hacking and whacking and smacking. He's hacking and whacking and smacking. He's hacking and whacking and smacking. He just hacks, wacks, chopping that…" All of a sudden a flying, mutant insect appeared seemingly out of nowhere and attached itself to Perry's helmet, covering his face and obscuring his vision.
"ARGH WHAT THE FUCK!" Being caught off guard he stumbled backwards and fell. The insect had firmly attached itself to his face and was attempting to jam it's stinger into his chest. Luckily his Power Armour was protecting him but if the stinger found its way into the gaps between his plates, he was a dead man.
"All you fellas gotta watch your wives 'cause Pete don't care whose meat he chop."
Fumbling wildly at the attacker, he tried to get a firm grip on its body to pull it off.
"Just cutting and chopping for miles around; single women, married women, old maids and all."
The insect's wings were getting in the way and the little basterd refused to stay still. Finally gaining a hold of the insect's midsection, he tried in vain to yank it off but to no avail.
"I don't see how he stays alive, meat's gonna be the death of old Pete yet."
Knowing he couldn't remove the insect, he would need to simply kill it. But he couldn't see where his weapons were or reach the guns on his back. Trying to keep the insect as far away as possible, he figured out what he had to do.
'But when they came to pay his bail, they found him chopping on his cellmate."
Pushing the ground away with his legs he inched his way closer to his target as he held the insect back. Finally feeling the rock he sat on moments ago, he turned around and began smashing his head against the rock, feeling the insect crushing between him and the stone. The sound of a cracking carapace and spilt guts filled his ears but he kept going. Once the sound of stone impacting his own helmet greeted him he finally stopped. Breathing heavily, he looked down at the left over guts, legs and other body parts left smeared over the rock. His vision was blurry due to the bile on his visor.
"Just hacks on anything he can get, say turn this record over you ain't heard nothing yet."
Wiping his hand over his face to remove the bile, he couldn't help but smile. Then couldn't stop himself from laughing hysterically. The Legendary Lone Wanderer was almost killed by a fucking insect. Man, that would have just been embarrassing… and incredibly ironic. Chuckling to himself, he rose up; he was still picking insect pieces from his helmet. Now I have to clean it. Fantastic. Steadying himself, he tried to calm the fire in his veins. Deep breathes… deep breathes. With one final exhale he was calm again.
"What's up Masteland, tis me… Pee-Dog…. Pfft, haha I mean Three-Dog." The drunken DJ sounded again over the radio. Perry immediately shut it off, just wanting to be alone with his thoughts for a while. This little event reminded Perry that even with the Enclave gone, the raiders on the run and the super mutants on the verge of defeat; there will always be danger. He had to stay alert. No room for complacency in the Capital Wasteland.
Making sure all his gear was still with him and Harold's gifts were undamaged, Perry set of again for the Oasis. He never dropped his guard. Never relaxed. Never faltered.
It wasn't much longer now before Perry would be entering the Oasis. He had noticed that the bushes and small trees that lined the path were starting to grow much further away from the entrance. Guess that liniment really did the trick. Lightly brushing his fingers against the leaves, he knew Harold was now aware of his presence. He had told Perry of his unique ability to "see" out of every leaf, being able to "feel" every branch. If Harold spread throughout the entire Wasteland, Perry wondered if he would truly become a God then, being able to see everything at once. Harold was indeed a miracle. Albeit a miserable one, he reminded himself.
He was now within view of the entrance; the guards were stationed there as they were when he last left. They raised their guns at Perry, realising they wouldn't recognise him with his helmet on.
"Halt! Leave this place immediately!"
"Wait, hold on a minute," Perry slowly detached the tubing of his helmet and removed it; the guards immediately lowered their weapons and apologised.
"Forgive us, Prophet. We did not know it was you returning to us. The Great One has been looking forward to your return," he said, humbly lowering his head.
"Excuse me, Prophet?"
"Yes, The Great One has expressed how important you are to fulfil his wishes, the only reason that could be, is if you were his Prophet."
These poor deluded people. Harold had once talked about them and how they "Hear but never listen," a very accurate analysis.
"Errr… right. Would I be able to see Him?"
"Of course, Prophet. Please go right ahead." Thanking the Treeminder, Perry continued on into the Oasis. The site of it still took his breathe away. In his entire life he had never seen so much green. The ground was so soft and the air was so pure. How could the people of the 21st century have not appreciated such beauty? The days when this paradise spreads to the wastes will be a marvellous time indeed. If I'm alive to see it, he thought.
"Hey! You're back!" A small girl rushed towards Perry out of the trees and hugged him. Smiling, he hugged back.
"Hey Yew, how have you been?"
"I've been fine," the little girl said looking up at him. "Harold told me how he asked you to…" she looked around before leaning in and whispering, "Put him down. But I'm so glad you didn't! He's my only friend after all."
"I know Yew, I know. I'm actually going to talk with him now. I've got something to show him. If you want you can come with." The little girls face lit up.
"Really? What is it? Can you show me now?" Perry smiled at the girl's innocent eagerness.
"Not yet, but I'll need you to look after it while I'm gone so I'll show you how it works." Leaning on one knee, he motioned Yew to sit on his shoulder armour. She cautiously sat down as Perry lent a hand to support her. With Yew sitting on his shoulder like a parrot, they walked through the trees to Harold's grove.
"Hey what's this thing?" Perry could feel Yew turning around and examining the Tesla Cannon.
"Oh nothing, just something I picked up."
"Is it the surprise?"
"Wouldn't be much a surprise if it was on my back in plain sight now would it?" He brought his hand up and tickled Yew's sides.
"Ow! Stop that," she screamed between giggles.
Entering the grove, Perry and Yew walked around Harold's form and came into view of his face.
"Well, well, well if it isn't our old friend. Say hi to our friend Bob," he said in his usual slow tone. Perry leant down and allowed Yew off his shoulder.
"Hey Harold. Nice to see you and Bob again." Harold returned the greeting by coughing profusely.
"So what brings you back here after so long? Come to make sure I haven't died from boredom?"
"Hey! I've been keeping you company to, Harold," Yew interrupted.
"I know, I know. I appreciate it, believe me." Harold started coughing violently again. Perry was starting to wonder if there will ever be a time where Bob will grow so large that Harold can't even talk. If Perry was still alive then, he would be sure to put him out of his misery at that point.
"Actually your boredom is why I'm here. I promised you I'd find ways to keep you occupied when I'm gone. I think I found just the thing." Perry placed his satchel on the group and rummaged through his luggage until he found the books he was looking for.
"I found these books when I was investigating the old Arlington Library and figured you might enjoy them. I know you can't read them yourself, but maybe Yew could read them to you, if that'd be okay with her of course." Perry handed one of the books to Yew for her to examine.
"Well…. I can't read as well as some of the other Treeminders, but I'll be happy to learn for Harold," she answered cheerfully.
"Shucks, thankyou little one. You have no idea how much I'd like that; must have been fifty years since I last had a book read to me." Perry could just vaguely see a smile stretch across the mans face, or what's left of it.
"That's not all though. I know you'd be tired of looking in the same spot for thirty years, so I found something new for you to look at." Perry rummaged through his satchel again and pulled out a small, glass cylinder that was full of water. The lid and base was made of metal and on the bottom of the water was a blob of hard looking goo.
"What's that thing?" Yew asked, examining the cylinder.
"It's called a Lava Lamp. I found it in a safe of some old house in Washington, still works to. Just needs a bit of power." Perry placed the Lava Lamp on the ground in front of Harold and pulled out four charge packs from his satchel. Normally they'd be used for the Tesla Cannon but this was an exception. He placed the charge packs on the ground and unscrewed the bottom of the Lava Lamp. He pulled out the wires and using some of the tools in his satchel, attached the wires to the charges so they would run as the batteries. Placing the Lava Lamp back down in front of Harold, he flicked the switch. The light under the goo turned on but it would still take time for the goo to melt.
"Is that all it does?" Yew asked, clearly unimpressed.
"We'll just have to give it a few minutes. You'll see." Placing his weapons on the ground, Perry sat down next the lamp and watched. Yew did the same except was lying on her stomach, holding her head in her hands. Three minutes passed then eight, then twelve. Perry was starting to wonder if the goo simply won't melt and this was all a waste. Fifteen minutes passed, Yew yawned in boredom.
"This is as fun as watching the grass grow," Yew mumbled.
"Wait, wait… look." Perry pointed at the reddish goo as it slowly began to melt, a small portion of the goo broke away from the rest and began rising to the top. Harold eyes locked onto the Lamp in fascination. Yew leaned in closer as the goo fell back down. More and more began rising to the top, glowing in their heat and morphing with hypnotic movement. The three of them kept their eyes glued to the lamp.
"Woooow," Yew awed.
"Amazing isn't it?"
"You weren't kidding."
"What do you think Harold...? Harold?" Perry looked up at the tree and noticed his eyes wouldn't leave the lamp. Harold's mouth was open in awe… or at least it looked like awe.
Wait… was that a tear?
"That… is the most… beautiful thing… I have ever seen. Thankyou… thankyou so much," he whispered.
Oh great, now I'm tearing up to.
Trying his best to hold back the waterworks, Perry stood up and faced Harold at eye level.
"Harold… I'm sorry about what I did to you. But I hope this small trinket can remind you that life is still worth living. There is so much beauty in this Oasis and you have the potential to spread that beauty to the rest of the Wasteland. I just want to give the people of this Wasteland the same feeling of seeing beauty like you just experienced now… I hope you can understand. But I don't ever expect you to forgive me."
Harold's gaze left the lamp for the first time since it turned on. They began to study Perry, maybe trying to understand how something he has grown used to over the decades really is a miracle.
"It's okay," he finally said. "I understand. Now shut up and let me watch this."
Smirking, Perry sat down again and along with Harold and Yew, watched the small goo float lazily around the water; such a simple thing. But it's the simple things that are the most beautiful.
A/N: Fallout 3 isn't known for it's moral subtlety, but the moment with Harold may be one of the most complex moral dilemmas in any game I've ever played. I had to spend something like ten minutes to make up my mind. It's these kind of choices that stick with you. Not "Do I return this kitten to the old lady or cut off the old ladies fingers for a necklace?" If only most game developers could realise the potential of our medium for moral complexity our industry might one day be classified as an art by the wider community. But enough of my rambling, I hope you're enjoying my little story.
Comments and criticisms appreciated.