Chapter 26 Passion for Paint

Junior took a breath when he finished with the story. Whew. Writing about his own experiences was surprisingly taxing. He felt like he needed to take a big nap now, a nap that would last for over a century.

But he couldn't do that yet. It wasn't time.

Junior read over the words printed on the page, smiling and rubbing his eyes as he did so. It was funny that, despite how bad of an experience it was at the time, it managed to produce something good. Junior didn't know if it could be egocentric to say that he had grown as a person but...he had grown as a person.

Junior yawned. Just one more story. One more story and he would be able to curl up in bed and go to sleep. He racked his brain, trying to think of another experience he had that was worth writing about. It took a while, but he eventually found the event that fit the bill. He began writing in the notebook for the very last time.

…

You know what I love? Painting. It's such a cool thing to do; taking colors and using them to form a shape that looks somewhat realistic. Granted, I am a little bad at it. My paintings look like somebody vomited an image onto the canvas.

But then again, I'm only nine. I have plenty of time to improve haha.

Anyway...how did I get into paining? Well, that is quite the story. It all started a few days after my dad came home from the hospital. Now, I was glad that he came home. I was ecstatic, as a matter of fact. Granted, we had to take things slow. We didn't want him passing out due to burn out a second time.

So, the Koopalings and I kind of...for lack of a better word...sissyfooted around Papa. We made sure to keep our voices at a normal level as opposed to yelling twenty four seven. We also tried our best to do everything that he asked for, everything that he needed. We brought him food while he was in his bed, just to make sure he didn't strain himself trying to get to the dining room. We cleaned the castle from stem to stern, even though that was technically the servants' job. We also got along as best we could.

I hated it.

I know; that's probably a terrible thing to say. I was doing something good for my Papa; I was helping him out. I should have been happy!

But I wasn't. And the main reason why had to do with the promise I made to him while he was in that hospital bed.

I couldn't throw anymore tantrums.

I tried my best to keep myself in check. Really, i did. But I couldn't. From a nasty word here to a earth-bending scream there, I found that being on my best behavior was a chore.

Why? I had expected it to be easy! I had expected things to go smoothly! Why weren't they going smoothly?

I ended up crying in bed as I thought about that question. I was so frustrated that I even went so far as to punch a pillow. "WHY IS THIS SO HARD? WHY?"

"Your highness?"

Little did I know at the time that those two words were the gateway to a better path. They were exactly what I needed, they would guide me to a brighter future and a less stressful present.

I turned and saw a koopa troopa servant in the doorway. Her name was Maddie. She doesn't work here in the castle anymore because...well, she was old when she worked here; like, in her nineties. She died about six months ago. I do get sad when I think about it, which is the reason why I try not to think about it too much.

Anyway, I swallowed a batch of tears and put on a scary face. No way was I going to let one of my servants see me during a moment of weakness! "What do you want?"

"I heard you screaming. Do you want something?"

I huffed. "Nothing that your sorry tail can give me." As soon as those words escaped my mouth, I gasped and covered it with my hands. I punched myself in the side of the head. "Stupid, stupid, stupid!"

Maddie's eyes grew wide. "Prince Bowser!" Heh, she was one of the few people who called me by my first name. She came over to me, but didn't dare touch me. "Prince Bowser, stop!"

I did as I was told. I looked at Maddie with wet eyes and sniffled. "I want to be good. But I'm not."

Maddie furrowed her brow. "Nonsense. You are amazing."

I scoffed and crossed my arms. "You're only saying that because I'm the prince." I turned away from her. "If I was a normal koopa, you would say that I am a spoiled brat."

Maddie remained silent, neither confirming nor denying that statement. I wiped a tear from my eye. "I want to be a good boy. For Papa's sake."

Maddie bit her lip. "I understand. Your father did end up in the hospital recently. I can imagine that there is a lot of stuff on your mind as you...well, you try to help him."

I nodded and shed a tear. "Yes! But I spent my whole life throwing tantrums!" I shook my head. "Stupid brain wants to go back to doing that. I'm awful at doing the right things."

Maddie laughed. "You're not awful; you just need to change your habits. It takes time, but it si definitely doable."

I sighed and turned away from her. Time. The one thing I hated, the one thing I despised. I wanted what I wanted when I wanted it. I didn't do "waiting."

But unfortunately, it seemed that I would need to in this instance. With this thought in mind, I turned back toward Maddie. "How can I do that?"

"Well, you can try new things."

I perked up. "Ooh, I like doing new things! Do you have anything I can try?"

Maddie thought about this before her eyes glittered. "Why yes. I'll be right back." She exited the room for a little bit. I drummed my fingers against the mattress, biting the inside of my cheek as I did so. Just as I was starting to grow really impatient, Maddie came back. In her hands, to my astonishment, was a sheet of paper, a paintbrush, and a bottle of red paint.

"One thing that I like to do paint. I think that you might enjoy it."

I looked a the paint supplies and sniffed. "I've never painted a day in my life."

She laughed. "Well, there's no time like the present to start." She set the things down in front of me, and out of her hammerspace pulled out more bottles of paint. "Give it a try."

I hesitantly picked up the brush. I sniffed the bristles, unsure if I was capable of doing anything good with it. I slowly squirted some blue paint down on the paper and spread it across the top of the page with the brush. When I finished, I smiled.

"It looks like the sky."

"Yeah!" Maddie said. "Or it could be the sea."

"Or a blanket."

Maddie and I laughed. She looked at me with a playful twinkle in her eyes. "Yeah! Those are all true! It can be whatever you want!"

I smiled and dipped my brush in the yellow paint. I drew a dot in the middle of the sky. "And that's the sun! A big, glowing sun with…" I dipped the brush in the black paint… "a smiley face!"

Maddie beamed. "That's absolutely lovely. You're doing really good at this."

I blinked. "Really?"

"Yeah. You've got some real talent. Keep this up, and you'll be on the level of Vincent van Koopa!"

I smiled. That was the nicest complement I had ever gotten from a servant.

"Thanks." I looked back down at the painting. "After I finish this, can I hang it on my wall?"

"Of course, dear."

I grinned and continued on with the painting. With this new activity, I now had a place to channel my emotions. I had an outlet I could express myself with, and I was all the happier for it.

…

Junior dotted down the last period, letting out a breath as he did so. "I'm done." He grinned and looked up at the picture, hanging on his wall. It was still there, even after all this time. It was both a way to remember Maddie, and a way to remember how far he come. A documentation of the first step he took toward maturity.

After a little bit of thought, Junior closed the book. He had gotten his whole family; every important person in his life. It was such an incredible experience. He didn't know his siblings were so...cool.

He yawned and crawled under his covers. "Now all that's left to do is show this to Mama Peach."

Boy, was he looking forward to that.

AN: Don't go away! There's one chapter after this, so stayed tuned! :)