Before the Vision
Chapter 10: Peace At Last
The spring months flew by quickly and Shadow continued to change from the inside out. The first thing that was most evident was his body heat dropping dramatically. The hedgehog found it difficult to get a restful sleep for he constantly shivered. Not even turning up the heat in the household could warm up Shadow, so he slept on the couch curled up in loneliness. After a while he also became acute to any bright lights becoming nearly blinded by them. Gerald had special shades covering all of the lights in their home so Shadow would be comfortable. But the hedgehog only felt as if he was becoming a burden on his small family. He appreciated their efforts to make him comfortable but it still weighed him down that they had to degrade themselves in such a way.
"Don't worry Shadow. Grandfather and I don't mind it at all." Maria said to him once yet Shadow still didn't want to burden them.
His appetite had almost completely disappeared as Shadow found most meals unappealing to him. So he aided Maria in making the meals instead just so he could feel useful. Unlike most of the other residents who were able to catch a glimpse of Shadow, Gerald and Maria didn't seem to notice the changes in the black hedgehog. Some of his light colored skin had become faded but that didn't stop the two from loving Shadow completely. Besides the apparent changes the hedgehog was going through, he still kept his secret project in the back of his mind.
It was late May and the hedgehog had some ideas as to what he could paint for Maria… but no materials to start. Shadow knew he needed money to go out and get what he needed but how to get the money was a problem. If he asked Gerald the professor would probably have Maria go with Shadow above ground. If Maria was the one in question she would be curious as to why Shadow needed the money. Another roadblock to get by.
He laid across the couch sighing heavily as he contemplated a solution, yet nothing came to mind. He glanced over at the grandfather clock slowly ticking the time away. The face read 5:37 in the afternoon; Maria would return soon with groceries to make dinner. Giving in to his empty thoughts, Shadow decided to put off his project once more. He would never get it done with the drastic changes his life had taken in the past few months. There was even more doubt as to if he would ever finish it. For all the hedgehog could know he could transform into his monstrous form again and destroy all of his hard work. So why take the risk?
5:45 the clock read a few minutes later; Shadow stood up and went for the front door just to take a small stroll down the hallway and back. As he approached the metal door, it automatically opened up and Maria was on the other side with a bag of groceries in her arms.
"Oh! Hi Shadow." Maria greeted her friend. "Were you about to go somewhere?"
"Um… no." Shadow looked down at the floor.
"Well in that case I guess you can help me make dinner." Maria entered into the home and placed the grocery bag on the countertop.
"Oh, you can bring it in!" she called outside of the front door.
Shadow quickly stepped aside as a teenage boy, about Maria's age, entered carrying a large brown box. The box made a light thud noise as he set it down in the living room area.
"Something heavy must be inside…" Shadow assumed.
"Thanks for your help." Maria said to the boy before he left.
The metal door closed with a hiss leaving Shadow staring blankly at the box.
"Open it." Shadow spun around and looked at Maria. "Open it Shadow. It's for you."
A surprise? Although surprises were nothing new to the hedgehog, something of this size was perhaps more than what he was used to. Nevertheless Shadow knelt down to open the present just to show that he appreciated Maria's efforts to brighten his spirits. Without any sharp tools, Shadow ripped away the tape and opened up the box… his spirits suddenly became as bright as the sun. Inside the brown box laid many paint brushes, a variety of paint colors in several bottles and four canvases. There was also an instruction booklet on painting basics although Shadow may not even use it because of his excellent learning ability. Yet everything he wanted, everything he wished and hoped for was all there in front of him… and then his vision returned. His vision of the world outside flowed back into his mind like the rushing white waters of a grand river.
Immediately Shadow felt compelled to work effortlessly for the rest of the day and deep into the night. He wanted to begin on his project and get it done quickly. He wanted to show Maria the astounding vision his mind and imagination created in their collaboration. He wanted to show that he was just as equal as any other humans and wasn't just some beast. He wanted to show everyone that Shadow the Hedgehog was just like them.
The hedgehog proceeded to take out the paint brushes but then Maria stopped him.
"Not yet Shadow." she said to him with a smile. "Those are for when we go on our vacation to the summer house."
"Oh right!" Shadow had almost forgotten about that.
So he'd get to work in secret? Everything was suddenly going his way as if some unsaid prayer was answered. Peace and relaxation would finally be in his grasps… and all because of an anonymous caring deed done by Maria. Carefully he placed the brushes back into the brown box and closed it up. Feeling slightly better now with his surprise present, Shadow happily agreed to help Maria with dinner preparations.
A few weeks later the family found themselves preparing to leave for their vacation. Maria and Gerald already had their luggage packed and ready by the front door. Shadow was busy looking through his new art supplies when Gerald entered into the home. He was dressed in some light casual clothes but still had on his thick, dark glasses.
"Maria, Shadow!" he called out upon entering.
Shadow looked up from his art supplies and Maria exited out of her room dressed in a blue t-shirt and white shorts.
"The car is ready out in front of the institute with one of my friends. We better get our luggage above ground quickly so traffic doesn't back up." Gerald explained.
"Sure thing grandfather. Just let me pack some more things into my handbag." Maria replied before going back into her room.
Silently Shadow carefully placed his art supplies back into the box and sealed it up. Gerald offered to help Shadow with the box but the hedgehog kindly turned down the offer. He easily picked up the box and even one of Maria's suitcases and exited the home with ease.
"Hmm… his strength is increasing rapidly." Gerald thought to himself.
Moments later the family had packed all of their luggage into the trunk and some into the back seat of the car. As Gerald said goodbye to his helping friend leaving him a few instructions, Maria was already in the front passenger seat waiting patiently. Shadow climbed into the back seat next to his box of art supplies and waited silently as well. A few cars passed by before Maria looked back at Shadow with a warm smile on her face.
"Ready for our vacation?" she asked.
"Yeah." Shadow replied calmly. "I'm really looking forward to seeing this summer house. How long will it take us to get there?"
"Well…" Maria looked down at her watch. "It's almost 10 AM so I'd say it take about three hours to get there. I'm sure grandfather will make few rest stops on the way."
Shadow nodded in reply and sighed trying to relax for the trip. He was glad to finally have a chance to get away from the institute and see what the real world was like. Perhaps the people would be nicer and more acceptable to the hedgehog's abilities. Maybe the town would embrace him and treat him equally instead of like an outcast. Whatever the conditions of the town were, Shadow felt deep in his heart that they would be much better than the institute. Just then Gerald climbed into the car and started it up. He and Maria waved goodbye to Gerald's friend and even Shadow was able to wave his hand lightly and the helpful human. The car eased into the flow of traffic and the family was off to their summer house.
Slowly Shadow's hand rested on his chest. Shadow's heart was beating rapidly from the sheer excitement of the trip even though it had just begun. But what captivated him even more was the thought of actually working on his special surprise for Maria.
"Maybe I'll find some inspiration out there…" the hedgehog thought quietly to himself.
The city they were in wasn't exactly a big or major city but was very busy nonetheless. Shadow figured that once they were outside of the city they would travel through some rural areas. Maria did say that the town the summer house was in was a small town, so it'd make sense for it to be located in a rural region. That way Shadow would not only have inspiration from the city, but also from the country as well. Ideas in his mind began to race around in bright flashing colors forming different pictures but none that satisfied the hedgehog.
Soon the car pulled onto the main freeway that cut through the small city and the Robotnik family was on the road to their destination. Maria and Gerald had started up a light conversation but Shadow sat quietly in the back seat deep in thought. He still couldn't figure out the best painting for Maria and tried his hardest to conjure a unique painting in his mind. Ideas came in but were quickly thrown out either because of their lack of creativity, color, or just a dull impression. This was perhaps the most thinking the hedgehog had ever done in his short life of six months. Shadow knew how smart he was and also understood the idea of reaching one's potential. There would always be something new to discover and the learning process would never end. Therefore Shadow saw no reason to give up; no reason to throw away his dreams; no reason for not being able to repay Maria for what she had done for him so far. Without any realization, the hedgehog rested his head on his hand and stared blankly ahead of him still in his brainstorming process. A country field? No. A city covered by nature? No. His darkest fear? No! Was there anything that would be suitable as a present for Maria?
"Don't you think so too Shadow?" a soft voice disrupted his thoughts.
Shadow snapped back into reality, his heart jumping from the shock.
"What did you say?" he asked Maria.
"Don't you think grandfather worries too much about me? I don't need a bodyguard to follow me everywhere." the girl repeated grinning at her grandfather.
"Oh don't you go and exaggerate again Maria." Gerald interrupted playfully. "I'm just saying that when I'm gone you might need someone to live with you as an aide. I just don't see why you youngsters always think that us old folks are senile."
"Grandfather!" Maria laughed out. "I never said that you were senile. Just… overprotective of me."
"Oh I see. I suppose your generation sees that as a hindrance to your spirit of exploration. Heh heh, well just be patient dear. You'll get to travel to wherever you want someday."
The conversation between the two continued on with Shadow looking on silently. He had seen Gerald and Maria share enjoyable moments such as this but it was never as open and free because of the professor's busy schedule. But with the institute far behind them, the bond between Gerald and Maria bloomed in the manner of the first cherry blossom of the spring season. Out here it was easily seen that the relationship between the blood relatives was both personal and friendly and left a feeling deep within Shadow that made him proud to be apart of the closely bonded family. Even if it was just he, his father Gerald, and his sister Maria.