"Your husband sure is protective," Winda's hand kept cupping the water, letting it slip from her fingers. "I sorta like it," I smiled over at her; I didn't bother correcting her that Mando and I weren't married. Everyone here just took us to be so… for some reason. I simply got undressed and hopped into the hot spring. Man, did that feel good! Wearing the widest smile across my face, my eyes shut as my arms stretched high above me. "This is the life….." My back slinked into the water.
"Do you miss it?" Winda proceeded to ask me out of the blue. "What?" My eyes were still closed, soaking in the sensation of getting clean. "Your home. Do you miss being away from home?" Now this did make my eyes open a sliver. Home- I hadn't thought about it much since we left to be honest….. "I guess so. I miss how easy everything was. If I wanted to eat, I could always find food; if I wanted a bath, I could take a bath. Now doing those things seems like a luxury." "Where is your home? Is it far?" "Quite a ways, I think; Mando does the flying….."
Winda's head nodded in understanding; her went back to scooping up water. "Do you like our planet?" "From what I've seen of it, yes. It reminds me a lot of my home planet. I grew up in the forest outside a massive valley. This kind of looks like it," except my home had a lot more flowers. Flowers….
My eyes opened completely and my head turned to see a little white flower near the water's edge. Winda watched inquisitively as I reached over to pick it up and set it in the spring. "What are you doing?" She asked in a curious tone. I grinned up at her. "Just preserving its life a little longer." "Oh," this seemed to mildly surprise her for some reason. I saw fit to explain my actions a little bit more. "Flowers don't have a long life naturally, especially after they're picked. But someone very precious to me once said that if you put them in water, they'll live a bit longer…." My eyes wandered back down to the floating blossom; a soft, ironic smile blooming across my lips. "I'm not doing a very good job at embracing the transience of life, am I…..?" I jested to myself out loud.
I let myself fall all the way into the water, allowing me to float on my back. My arms were out at my sides as I stared up to the sky. Memories started to flood me. Good memories…. Memories I wanted to treasure.
"Master! Master, don't leave me!" It was the middle of a thunderstorm and my seven-year-old self was terrified out of my mind. Thunder roared through the air, causing me to cover my ear and cry. Master Obi-Wan Kenobi reached out to rest his hand over my shoulder.
"You have nothing to fear, child," he cooed soothingly. "But I am scared. Please don't leave me," I kept on begging and begging. His eyes lowered onto me in a tender fashion. "Saoirse, look at me. I am always with you; I walk alongside you. Never forget that." "M-Master…." All I could do was stare up in awe at the man. "Do not be frightened; you are never alone. Remember that whenever it seems that life is too much to bear. We are here- all of us," his hand tenderly tightened its grip on my shoulder. While I was looking up at him, the flash of lightening lit up the whole hut. With gigantic, terrified eyes, I threw myself up at Master Obi-Wan, wrapping both tiny arms around him. He told me the truth that night: he was there for me, after all….
"Master Obi-Wan," my eyes fluttered open softly. "Hmmmmmm?" Winda blinked to me. I didn't verbally respond, glancing over at her with a low gaze. "Who's that?" She pressed, more curious than anything. "One of the men who raised me." "Your dad?" "No," I don't know who my dad is. That's when something came to me. I sat up in the middle of the spring. Winda quietly observed as my hand stretched out in front of me, fingers out showing an open palm. "Use the Force." My eyes closed as I concentrated on the water.
Winda's eyes grew in shock and delight at the sight of little water droplets began floating up in the air. I have no idea how, but somehow I was using the Force to lift up some of the water in the spring. Just a bit, mind you; that's all my body could handle. "Wow! How are you doing that?!" "I'm…. not sure," I answered honestly, my eyes opening up. Lots of little water in the shape of bubbles were all around me, hovering just above the surface. Yeah, cause this is the will of the Force- for me to make cute water bubble I'm sure. Still, I couldn't help but smile in satisfaction. Are you seeing this, Master Obi-Wan? I can use the Force when I try it seems.
I couldn't do it for long however; soon enough my body got tired and I had to stop. The amazed Winda ogled as all the floating water fell back into the spring; I also fell backward so my back could lean up against the side. Boy, I'd never seen wider eyes on a child- not that I've seen many other children in my life. "Are you a sorcerer?!" She asked me all enthusiastic. My head shook. "No, I'm a healer. It's… just something I can do." "That's so cool! Can you teach me?" "It takes a really long time. I've been practicing my whole life and I'm still working at it," I chuckled sweetly. "Pleeeeeeeeease? I wanna levitate stuff too!" "Sorry, I really can't teach it; I don't even know how I do it. I just… do it; it's weird." When Winda appeared disappointed, I flashed her a kind smile. "Uh, Winda. I'd appreciate it if you didn't anyone about this." "Why?" My shoulder gave a shrug. "It's supposed to be a secret." "Ok," she sighed wistfully. Content with that, I laid back and shut my eyes while taking in deep, deep breathes.