Transport
As the sun rose higher it was becoming unbearably hot and humid. Luke pulled his water bottle from the side pocket of his backpack and took another mouthful as he followed Mario along the track. How long had they been walking? It must have been a couple of hours now. He didn't know how far from Toad Town the warp pipe had taken them, but from the change in climate he guessed it must have been a significant distance.
Although the trees and plants around them bore little resemblance to anything he'd seen on Earth, they had a distinctly sub-tropical look to them, with their large, leathery leaves and oversized fruits. He daren't ask Mario how far they'd come. Although he'd been friendly enough to Luke at the house earlier that morning, since they'd visited Princess Peach Mario had become quieter, more withdrawn. In fact, they'd hardly exchanged a word since they'd left the castle.
The visit to the castle was an episode Luke was happy to forget. To him, Princess Peach looked more like a Barbie doll in real life than she did on the screen. Despite all his attempts to follow the standard ettiquette expected in the presence of Royalty, she'd more or less blanked him and made him spend the entire time stuck in an inner courtyard on his own - guarded by four Toads - while she had taken Mario inside to speak with him in private. More than an hour had passed before Mario reappeared on his own, and by the angry look on his face Luke had wisely decided not to question him about what had gone on.
Now, he felt hot and tired. His feet were aching and he wondered if Mario would ever stop for a break. He put his water bottle away and wriggled his shoulders under the weight of his backpack. As he did so his toe caught a stone and he stumbled.
Mario turned around. "You need a rest?"
"I..."
But Mario had already slid his rucksack off his shoulders, and was looking for a shady spot to stop. "Over here," he said, setting his bag down underneath a tree. The way its long broad leaves fanned out from its trunk reminded Luke of a palm.
Glad to be in the shade, Luke sat down, while Mario pulled out two small parcels wrapped in pink paper, and handed one to Luke.
"Cake," he said, a brighter expression on his face. "The Princess insisted." He wasted no time delving into his own parcel, breaking off a piece of the light sponge inside and popping it in his mouth. In an instant his frown melted into a blissful expression, enough for Luke to dare ask him a question.
"Was she angry with me?"
"Mmm? Wha?..."
"Back at the castle. Was Princess Peach angry with me?"
"No, not with you." Mario brushed some crumbs out of his moustache. "You have to understand. She's a woman. While Luigi and I can't find our way back home, she's okay. But now she knows where you're from and I'm-a getting the Professor to help find a way out, she's-a paranoid. Especially after I didn't go to the party last night. Can you believe it... She even made-a me promise not to go back home with you."
Luke lowered his eyes. "I'm sorry..."
"Ey, why you sorry?" Mario tapped his finger on his temple. "Women are crazy. You will learn that when you're older. I'm-a going nowhere. Not while she keeps baking these-a fine cakes! Go on, try it!"
Luke opened up the paper parcel and picked up the slice. It was light and fluffy and though its flavour was unfamiliar it was sweet and melted in his mouth. He saw that Mario was watching him, and so nodded to show his approval of the Princess's home baking. "What about Luigi? Doesn't he miss home?"
"Eeeh... Luigi..." Mario sighed. "Dont you worry about him. Now, we must move on. We need to find transport before it gets too hot."
"Transport?"
Mario pulled a cotton sack from his bag and unfolded it. "Hold this. Stand well back if you don't want to get knocked out." He stood up, faced the tree and looked up into its leaves. Without warning he sprang at least six feet into the air, took a grip of the trunk and leapt from it like a monkey up into its leaves.
Luke shook his head in disbelief. He'd seen Mario do stuff like this hundreds of times on a screen, but for real, in person, especially a man of his size and weight... it just looked... well... freaky. Luke squinted upwards, watching each giant leaf-stem shake one by one. He had expected something like coconuts to fall, but was stunned to see red apples the size of watermelons bouncing to the ground. Everyone knew apples were abundant in the Mushroom Kingdom, but... growing on a tree like that?
Moments later Mario shinned back down the tree and hoisted his rucksack onto his back. "Don't just stand there," he said, "Collect them up, and follow me!" He pointed ahead where the trees and shrubs were noticeably thicker. "That's where we're going."
Luke gathered the apples into the sack, grabbed his backpack and stumbled after him. As they entered the shadier undergrowth Mario turned round and held a finger up to his mouth, signalling Luke to be quiet. He tiptoed through the trees as silently as his big boots would allow, moving hanging vines aside for Luke to pass through. He stopped every now and then as if listening out for something, although all Luke could hear was the twittering of unseen birds above them and the chatter of insects calling one another.
"Ah!" Mario looked at Luke, his eyes sparkling. "Found one!" He bent down and parted some leaves to reveal a sleeping, blue piranha plant, its head drooping so low that it touched the ground. Next to it, in a nest made of withered grass stood an enormous white egg, decorated with large blue polka-dots. Though its markings were the exact opposite to the plant that guarded it, it made a good camouflage.
"Wow! A Yoshi egg!"
Mario glanced over his shoulder with an air of irritation. "I'm gonna have to get used to you knowing so much. Now. Follow me. Don't step on the piranha plant roots." He picked his way towards the Yoshi egg and knelt down in front of it. With his finger he traced a fine crack running the length of its shell. "Look!" he whispered. "it's-a ready to hatch."
Luke eyed the piranha plant nervously.
"It's okay! Once you're inside the root ring, you're in its blind spot. See?" Mario reached over to the slumbering plant and pulled down one of its 'lips', revealing its jagged teeth. "It feels through its roots, not through its head. Is why the Yoshi lay their eggs right next to them. Well, that and they find the Yoshi indigestible.*" The plumber put his ear to the egg, and gave it a little tap with his knuckles. "Give me one of those apples. Quick!"
Luke crept towards Mario, knelt down beside him and gave him an apple. Mario took his position in front of the egg with the apple in both hands. They waited.
And waited.
"Mario?"
"Mmm?"
"Why didn't you bring your green Yoshi with you?"
"My Yoshi?"
"But he's your pet, isn't he? The dog basket..."
Mario laughed. "...is more comfortable for Yoshi than a bed! Yoshi is no pet! He just-a comes and goes when he likes. Yoshi didn't come with us, because Yoshi wasn't there this morning. So we need to find wild Yoshi instead, and that's not so easy. You see..."
He was interrupted by a knocking from inside the egg. More cracks streaked across the shell. It toppled over and rolled backwards and forwards until a small hole appeared in its side. Clear, bubbly slime oozed from within as the blue-skinned creature inside wriggled around.
Mario didn't flinch, sitting perfectly still, holding the apple in both hands at arm's length in front of him.
With a gentle crack the egg split in two, the sharper end lodged on its occupant's head and neck while the blunt end was kicked away by strong hind legs - clad in orange boots. Luke knew he shouldn't have been surprised to see them... but... just like the sight of Mario leaping up into that tree... seeing a Yoshi hatch in real life with its boots on was just surreal. Yet, bizarre as it was, the sight was a privilege to witness, and he wished he'd had a phone or something to record it on.
"It's amazing..." he whispered.
"Even though they're born fully grown... I can never tire of watching a wild Yoshi hatch..." Mario spoke in a low voice, keeping the apple at arm's length. "The only way to win their loyalty is to feed them in their first seconds of life."
Its body glistening with fluid from the egg, the blue Yoshi flopped around in the nest swishing its tail to help it gain an upright position. It scrabbled with its 'hands' at the shell on its head, trying to pull it off. It uttered a few weak chirps and then fell forwards onto its belly, quite still.
Mario looked alarmed. "Hold this..." he whispered, handing the apple to Luke. "...and hold it with your arms straight out in front of you."
As Luke took the apple, Mario moved closer to the nest. He murmured softly to the Yoshi, partly in English, partly in Italian, as he gently picked pieces of shell away from the creature's head. The Yoshi made a soft, high-pitched purr and shifted on its belly, the tiny nostrils on its bulbous nose flaring.
"It can smell the apple now," said Mario, keeping his voice at the same soft level so as not to frighten the creature. "Keep absolutely still. I'm about to uncover its eyes." With great care the plumber lifted the last of the shell away.
Luke held his breath. The apple disappeared - whipped from his hands so fast, he didn't even see it go. He stared at the Yoshi. It hadn't moved but its eyes were bright, looking back at him expectantly. Then it chirped and made a small hop towards him, and Luke instinctively scrambled backwards.
Mario sat back on his heels, arms folded, a broad smile just visible beneath his mustache. "Well, give it another apple then!"
"Uhh..." Luke brought another apple from the sack and held it out in the way Mario had shown him. This time he was ready, and he saw the long, sticky pink tongue darting from the Yoshi's mouth and snapping back with the apple into it's gullet at a speed almost too fast for the eye to see. It chirped again, thrust its muzzle into Luke's chest and blew mucus out of its nostrils all over him.
"Yeeeuch!" Luke turned his face away, wiping it with his sleeve.
"Stroke its nose," said Mario. "They like that."
Not knowing whether it was fear or elation that was making him tremble, Luke touched the Yoshi's nose, feeling its smooth, tough skin under his fingertips. It shook its tail, and with its characteristic three chirps and a squeal it jumped forward, landing with its full weight on Luke, pinning him down.
Mario chuckled. "I think it likes you!"
*In Yoshi's Island, piranha plants spit out Yoshis.
