The Journey Begins

The smell of bacon drifted into the bedroom, coaxing Luke awake. He sat up in bed, catching his breath at the sharp pain from the arrow wound in his arm. Sunlight filtered through the curtains, bathing the room in a soft green light. He spotted his freshly laundered clothes folded on the chair by the desk.

Luigi's the best, he thought.

He pulled on his clothes, then opened the door a crack and saw Mario, sitting at the dining table, reading a letter. Luke withdrew, remembering the furious look on the plumber's face the night before but it was too late. Mario had already glanced up and spotted him.

"Come on out then," he said in a soft voice. "I won't bite!"

Feeling his face flush, Luke stepped out of the bedroom and clung to the doorframe with both hands behind his back, waiting while Mario finished reading his letter. Like Luigi, it was difficult to judge Mario's expression beneath the bushy moustache, but at least this morning he seemed to be in a lighter mood.

Mario put the letter down and tilted his head to make eye contact. "You like bacon rolls?"

His throat tight, Luke nodded.

"Coffee?"

"N..No thank you..."

"Of course not. What am I thinking?" said Mario. "I didn't drink it myself 'til I was much older than you. I think we have-a drinking chocolate somewhere. You like that?"

"Y..yes..."

"Luigi!" Mario called over his shoulder. "We have-a drinking chocolate for Luke, no?"

Luigi leaned out over the kitchen worktop. "Oh, hello Luke! How is your arm?"

"It's hurting again..."

"Ah yes, Luigi told me about-a the arrow," said Mario. "He will make you another 1-Up medicine."

Luke pulled a face and shuddered at the thought of swallowing another cup of the bitter tasting green liquid.

Mario raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Don't tell me he never sweetened it! Luigi! You didn't make him drink-a that stuff without sugar, did you?"

Not wanting to appear ungrateful, Luke leapt to Luigi's defence. "No no, it wasn't that bad. And it worked really well..."

"Hmmph." Luigi reached for the chocolate powder from a high shelf. "Mario has big belly because he al-aways taking four sugars in everything."

"...takes, Luigi!" Mario leaned forward on the table and looked at Luke with a twinkle in his eyes. "I apologise for my brother's English. He's-a too shy to practice. It's no good, you know? I say to him, 'Luigi. If you no practice, how you ever gonna talk like-a the native, just-a like-a me?'"

"Ey!" A well aimed silver foil ball flew from the kitchenette and glanced off Mario's head. "Mario talks too much."

Luke stifled a giggle.

"That's-a better. Now we have a smile from our-a guest!" Mario sat back in his chair. "You mustn't be afraid, eh? Least of all afraid of me. Now, come and sit down."

Feeling a little less nervous now, Luke slid into the chair opposite Mario.

"Luigi told me all of your story last night." The plumber's expression was serious, now. "I'm-a gonna concentrate only on what we can be sure of, okay?"

Luke nodded. He guessed by those words, Mario hadn't believed much of anything he'd told Luigi.

"That Wormhole Machine in Dark Land had something to do with you appearing here in-a the Mushroom World. I am sure of it, because I saw you inside that tower - just for a second - before the explosion."

"Explosion?" Luke's heart sank. "What happened to the machine?"

"Luke," said Mario, "even if it could be repaired, it is impossible for us to do it ourselves. But I know someone who I think can-a help you get home. I will take you to him myself."

"Oh, I don't want to be any trouble... If you directed me to the right pipe..."

Mario shook his head. "It's-a not so easy as you think. Professor Gadd lives two days' journey from here. The pipes don't go all the way, and for-a good reason. He lives in a dangerous part of the Mushroom Kingdom. And, Bowser is after you. No. I will escort you."

"Professor Gadd? He still lives near the Mansion?"

Mario blinked. He turned in his chair and looked towards the kitchen. "Luigi! You told him about-a the Mansion?"

"No no! Is like I said. He will know it. From-a the games." Luigi brought the bacon rolls to the table and set them down. "Is why you must take 'Spirits from the Outer Realm' to the Professor. It will help him."

Mario rubbed the inner corners of his eyes with his fingertips. "Luigi, that book is no better than-a horoscopes. There are no such things as Guiding Spirits!"

"Is not about Guiding Spirits! Is about Mush-aroom World and home... Luke's story show it is true! The game he play, it has-a the same name as the book... " Luigi faltered over his words and lapsed into Italian, but stopped abruptly when Mario clenched his fists. Saying no more, he brought the drinks to the table and sat down.

Luke cowered in his seat, caught in the middle of the uncomfortable silence between the two brothers, while Mario closed his eyes, visibly trying to calm himself.

"Luigi," said Mario at last. "It's okay. The Professor will work it out."

Luigi didn't reply, and instead bit into his bacon roll. Seeing that Luigi had relaxed, Luke followed his example. The bacon tasted good, and he ate hungrily.

"So," said Mario, his tone lighter now, "After breakfast I will pack our provisions and we all will-a take the pipe to Toad Town. I have to show-a my face at the Princess's castle." he waved the letter. "Something about not turning up to her party last night. But after that, you and I, we will go to visit the Professor."

"Is Luigi coming too?"

"Oh, no, I go to Toad Town for a plumbing job to finish."

Luke looked at Luigi in dismay. He didn't relish the thought of two days' travel with just Mario as a companion. At least Luigi had tried to believe his story. Mario... He felt like he was challenging Mario's existance just by being here...

The blue flashing lights of the ambulance outside cut through the early morning light. Miles rested his forehead on the window pane, tears rolling down his cheeks and onto the red cap of his Mario toy. He'd been told to stay in his room with the door shut until Mum came to get him. She hadn't wanted him to see. But he'd watched the paramedics roll the empty stretcher in through the front door below, and now heard their voices as they climbed the stairs and passed by his door. Luke wouldn't wake up. The doctor had said it was serious. Now they were coming to take him away.

Miles didn't know if he should tell someone what happened. If he did, would they listen? If he didn't, would Luke die? Would the doctors know what to do anyway if they knew it was because he'd fallen into a computer game? What if they took it away? He grabbed his handheld and squeezed it against his chest, covering it with the cuddly Mario. He'd seen Luke right there on the screen, resting on the sofa at Mario's house. Luigi had been there with him, reading a book. Nobody was going to take Luke away from him. He sniffled and rubbed his eyes.

The door opened, and Mum poked her head in. "Time to go next door, love." Although she was smiling, Miles thought she looked very scared. He collected the toys he wanted to take with him, but didn't ask whether he could take the game, in case she said 'no'.

"Why can't I go to the hospital with him?"

"You can come and see him when the doctor says it's okay. For now you be good at Mrs. Baynard's until I come home. Are you taking Mario with you?"

Miles nodded, squeezing his Mario toy tighter over the handheld, until he felt it dig into his chest.