My Father and I
Chapter 1: The 16th Year
*Anything italicized is someone's thought or someone is singing
~11 years later~
Dark and dank…musty and mildewed…that was how you described a dungeon in Bowser's castle…not a speck of light was shown in a dungeon.
It had been 11 painfully long years for a certain father of 1. He may have looked a bit older, but, surprisingly, never grew a beard. Only four O'clock shadow was on his jaw and cheeks. His eyes, so blood shot and red, but still had that sapphire blue charm of the protector of Toad Town, hero of the Mushroom Kingdom, husband of Princess Peach Toadstool. And the man couldn't think of anything else but Melodie's protection. It was what he wanted to do, even if he wasn't with her at the moment. He wasn't going to allow Bowser to place a claw on his precious little girl.
Everyone thinks I'm dead. He thought. Well, someday, Melodie will figure out that I'm still alive and being held prisoner at Bowser's castle. When she does, Peach better believe her.
It was a beautiful sunny day in the lovely Mushroom Kingdom. As for Peach, not so much…her world had been nothing but gray sky and dark clouds ever since the boat incident 11 years ago. She didn't know how to live her life without Mario in it. He was the best King that the Mushroom Kingdom could ever ask for, and he was an excellent father to Melodie.
"Today is Melodie's 16th birthday, Mario! She's grown up so much." Peach said, standing on the balcony of her room, looking up at the sky. She could have sworn she saw Mario's picture painted in the clouds, making a tear escape from the corner of her eye.
"Uh…Princess Peach…?" A familiar Italian voice said from behind Peach. Peach turned around and saw Luigi standing in the door way of her room. "Melodie is ready for her party." He finished.
"Oh, thank you, Luigi." Peach said, as she wiped away her tears. "Let's get this show on a roll, shall we." Peach fixed her beautiful pink gown, and walked out of her bed room, with Luigi closing the door behind her.
The ball room was decked out in beautiful hot pink streamers, and white musical notes taped to the walls. Hot pink and white were Melodie's two favorite colors. She liked the color red at one point, but then she lost her father, so…you can probably guess the rest.
Peach walked into the ball room with Luigi trailing behind. Her 13 year old twin nieces, Lillian and Rosalyn, were playing their instruments. Lillian played the piano and Rosalyn played the violin. They both loved music and the way they played their instruments definitely showed how much they loved music. Melodie on the other hand, she loved to sing. She had a story she wanted to tell and if she could she would…and she told it every-time she sang in their music room, when the only one in ear shot, was Peach.
Peach smiled at the decorations. The music stopped when Lillian (Lilly) and Rosalyn (Rose) saw their aunt. "Aunt Peach!" They yelled as Rose set her violin down on its stand and ran up with Lilly to give their aunt a hug.
"Hey girls!" Peach said, hugging them back. "How are you two doing?"
"Good!" They said in unison.
"That's…good." Peach said, giggling afterwards.
Luigi had chuckled a little as he looked at the stairs, and looked shocked and awestruck at how beautiful a certain princess looked.
Peach looked and saw at the top of the stairs, her daughter, Princess Melodie Ann Mario. She was wearing her hot pink and white gown that looked like Peach's only with it being low cut and the sleeves stopping just below the shoulders. Her crown looked NOTHING like Peach's. Her crown was more like a tiara, a silver tiara that was made to stay on her head, with bobby-pins holding it in place. Her gloves were white and long ball room gloves that went up to the middle of her upper arm, like Peach's, with tiny little pearls circling the wrists. Her ear-rings looked NOTHING like Peach's ear-rings, they were dangly black treble clef ear-rings, and her necklace had a black treble clef charm in the center. Her make-up, you could tell Daisy did. It was thick on the eye-liner, but not too thick to where it was gaudy.
Melodie opened her eyes and looked at her mother and uncle, and her twin cousins. They were just staring at her, awestruck.
"What?" She asked, confused.
"Oh, sweetie, you look beautiful!" Peach said.
"Very beautiful." Luigi added.
"Thanks." Melodie said, as she pushed some of her brown hair behind her ear. Her hair was in the style of Peach's, but the color of Mario's.
"I swear, Mel! I see…you know who…in you every-time I look at you." Luigi said as Melodie walked down the stairs and up to her family.
Melodie nodded with a smile, and tried not to cry.
"Melodie, I know it's your 16th birthday, but just so you know…he is here." Peach said to her daughter.
"I know, mom. It's just…I just wish he was here physically, not mentally." Melodie replied.
Peach sighed sadly. She knew how close Melodie and Mario were, and how she had to go through the rest of her childhood without him in it.
Melodie walked away from her mom, uncle, and cousins, and went straight for the music room. She felt safer when she was around musical instruments.
Melodie closed the door behind her and leaned up against it. "I was dreading this one." She said to no one specific. "I know you said you'd be watching over me when we did get pulled apart, I just…dad, I wish you were here!" Melodie slid down the door and sat on the ground.
(SONG: "Wishing you were somehow here"—Phantom of the Opera)
You were once, my one companion, you were all that mattered,
You were once a friend and father, then my world was shattered.
Wishing you were somehow here again,
Wishing you were somehow near,
Sometimes it seemed; if I just dreamed, somehow you would be here!
Wishing I could hear your voice again,
Knowing that I never would,
Dreaming of you, won't help me to do, all that you dreamed I could!
Passing bells, and sculpted angels, cold and monumental,
Seemed for you, the wrong companions, you were warm and gentle.
Melodie felt a tear escape from the corner of her eye, but didn't feel a stroke eye-liner leave her eye. Good thing Daisy used water proof eye-liner and mascara, or else she'd have to do it all over again.
Too many years, fighting back tears, why can't the past just die!?
Wishing you were somehow here again,
Knowing we must say goodbye,
Try to forgive, teach me to live, give me the strength to try!
No more memories, no more silent tears,
No more gazing across the wasted years,
Help me say, goodbye…
Help me say, goodbye!
(End of song)
Melodie let the tears take over a little bit. She couldn't let them not come out. She was done being strong, because she knew with the loss of her father, she was weak. But, just as she looked up from having her head in her lap, she saw a dungeon in front of her (Note that she was in the music room when she started singing). No speck of light shinning in the room. But she could tell it was a dungeon, by the silver bars, that looked like they glowed in the pitch black area.
Just then, she heard a voice, speak. "Happy 16th Birthday, my little girl." That's when the dark dungeon image faded out of Melodie's sight, and she found herself looking at the musical instruments again.
Melodie blinked in awestruck and disbelief. What was that all about? She thought to herself.
After a while of just sitting in the music room, she got off the floor, brushed off the back of her gown, making sure no dust was left there, drying up her tears, and took a deep breathe, before walking out of the music room, and to the ball room. But as she was walking, she heard people talking, and the voices weren't Luigi, Peach, Daisy, or her twin cousins. One was raspy and dark sounding.
"Stop making it so your worthless daughter can see and hear things that aren't normally there!" The dark raspy voice said.
"I'm not the one who's making her see those things! That's happening on it's own!" Another voice said. The other voice sounded sweet and caring—loving and kind. But there was something about that other voice that sounded so familiar to Melodie, she just couldn't think of who she knew who sounded like that…other than Uncle Weegie.
The voices had stopped and Melodie at that moment realized, she was a psychic. All these visions I get…they're trying to tell me something. She thought to herself.
That night, at the party for Melodie's 16th birthday, everyone was dancing and having fun. Peach kept introducing cute and nice—more cute than nice—boys to Melodie, but she kept turning them down.
"Honestly, Melodie! You need to pick someone!" Peach exclaimed.
"I'm sorry, mom. I'm just not ready for a relationship yet." Melodie responded, before walking away to the snack table. She grabbed a chocolate chip cookie and took a bite. She grinned as she gulped it down her throat. Mom always bakes good food. She thought.
"Enjoying the party, Princess?" A non-familiar voice asked. Melodie looked over and saw a boy, with dark blond hair, and gorgeous sapphire blue eyes. But the moment she saw the boy's eyes, she thought of her father.
So she quickly looked away from him as she answered. "Y-Yeah…" She all of a sudden felt the urge to cry. But she couldn't, not at her birthday party! "I'm sorry, but I have to go." She said before running up the stairs and out of the ball room.
"Melodie!" Peach called out, but Melodie was far from ear shot. Rose had just set down her violin and ran after Melodie. Lillian stayed behind and continued to play the piano.
"I hope Rosalyn can get Melodie out of her slump." Peach mentioned when Luigi made it over to her.
"Me too." Luigi said in return.
Melodie ran into her room and closed the door shut. She took off her tiara, and set it on her vanity. She looked into her vanity mirror, and saw her big mirror behind her. She liked having a mirror behind because it made her catch anything that looked wrong with her hair or with her outfit. But in this case, everything but her heart looked perfect.
"Melodie?" A voice said from the door-way. Melodie looked over and saw Rose in the door, looking at her concerned.
"Hey Rose." Melodie said, as she sat upon her bed and just stayed quiet. Rose walked in further after she closed the door behind her.
"Melodie, it's your birthday. Uncle Mario would want you to be happy!" Rose started the lecture.
"I know, but…me and my dad, we were close. Closer than any father and daughter could ever be."
"The same goes for me and my dad, Lilly included."
"But your situation is different, Rose! You still have your father, I don't!" Rose sighed sadly. She was never going to understand why Melodie missed her father so much. But that changed when Rose heard Melodie sing part of the song Mario sang, when she was 6 years old.
"And when we are apart remember it is not the end, I know enough to know we'll meet again, you'll be waiting by the gate, standing just inside, till you know I've made it home alright." Rose heard her cousin, and sighed sadly again. She then realized why she missed him so much.
Rose stood up from Melodie's bed and walked towards the door. She put her hand on the knob and looked back at Melodie. "I miss Uncle Mario too…but now I know you're missing him more." She said, before leaving Melodie's room.
Melodie sighed sadly as well, for she knew she was missing her party. But she just couldn't leave her room, on the birthday she dreaded. When she was younger, she couldn't wait until her 16th birthday, with her mom AND her dad there celebrating with her. But, now, she dreaded this day, because she didn't have her best friend and father there to celebrate with her. "Why didn't you just pull the shoe off, dad?! You were smarter than that!" Melodie said to the air.
The next day, was another beautiful day in the Mushroom Kingdom. Melodie stayed in her room, and just hung out with Rose and Lilly, considering Luigi and Daisy were staying at the Mushroom Kingdom for a little bit longer this day.
"So, tell us about that boy you met last night." Lilly asked.
"Who? Oh, blue eyes…yeah, nothing." Melodie replied.
"Mel, you need to find someone to make you happy again."
"Oh, so you know someone who is like my father?"
"Melodie, move on! It's been 11 whole years and you're still moping about it?"
"Lilly…"
"Yes, Lillian, I am." Melodie snapped at Lilly. Lillian felt hurt by Melodie's attitude. So, she stood up and walked out of Melodie's room.
"I'm sorry, Rose. I didn't mean to hurt Lilly."
"It's okay…she doesn't know." Rose just sat there on Melodie's bed, in silence for a little while, until.
"Rose, time to go!" Luigi called up to Rose.
"I got to go, Mel. I'll see you, hopefully soon." Rose said before hugging her cousin goodbye and then leaving.
Melodie sighed and then looked out the window by her bed. She was thinking of the day her father died. But to get that thought of her mind, she decided to stand up, and look in her vanity mirror. But that's when she saw the dungeon scene again behind her. She turned around slowly, and realized that she was inside the cell this time. She saw a man with a four O'clock shadow on his face, bags under his eyes, and tattered clothes. But she noticed the blue overalls, and the red shirt. But those were just the tip of the iceberg. What really made her realize why she was getting these visions; was the red hat on the floor next to the man, with a white circle in the center, and a red M in said circle. That's when she realized…her father was alive.
~END OF CHAPTER~
