Chapter 19: History Lesson
-
Luigi could not find Bowser, nor Lemmy. He had placed the bills on Bowser’s throne before he sought out Lemmy and after he had knocked on Lemmy’s door three times and when he did not receive an answer he went to seek Kammy.
“Come on in,” the elderly Magikoopa said after he had knocked on the door. “I’m just taking care of my little buds.”
The room had the scent of burned wax, and the traces of incense, despite the presence of several candles there was an overhead lamp that kept the room bathed in a rosy pink glow. The walls were lined with bookshelves, stuffed with various tomes. There was a desk in one corner, covered with more candles and bottles of who knows what. More bottles were placed on other shelves. The rest of the wall space was covered with pictures of Bowser’s children when they were little kids.
“Just set it down on the table,” Kammy was leaning over what appeared to have been a trough.
“I have a letter from Larry,” Luigi set it down on a round table in the center of the room. It was dressed in a crimson cloth that was covered in stains of various sizes and splotches of melted wax. There were several candles and candleholders and a crystal ball set on round stand, carved out of cherry wood.
“Where is the address?” Kammy asked. She was still leaned over and had what appeared to have been a mixture of ground hamburger meat and worms in her hand.
“New Sharp,” Luigi walked around to see what she was doing. “Wendy and the other girls are going baby shopping.”
“It will be wonderful having little Koopalings in the castle again.” She turned to show him what she was doing. The trough was filled with soil and seven small Piranha plants. Their mouths were wide open, eager for more food. They reminded Luigi of baby birds in a nest.
“These are your plants?”
“My little buds,” Kammy placed a handful of minnows into the mouth of the only green one. “This one eats fish, and fish only, except when it comes to old Buzzy shells. Would you like to give them their treat?”
“Sure,” Luigi nodded. Kammy handed him a translucent red shell. “I didn’t know you had your own baby plants.” The seven Piranha plants snapped their mouths shut and turned to him.
“They are not babies,” Kammy rubbed her knuckles on the head of the largest one. “When they are still seedlings they are paler color and they do not have their spots They are also not juveniles. They are well rooted in the soil.”
“They are not going to get any bigger?” he kept his eyes on the shell in hands. He did not want to accidentally break it. “I have never seen full grown ones these small before.”
“These special little guys are rare and if I hadn’t intervened they would have been thrown away.” She pointed at the Buzzy shell. “Break that up and give them the pieces. It is like candy to them in both flavor and nutrients. One reason why it is a rare treat.”
Luigi pressed against the talons through the shell. “I’m growing to appreciate you more and more. You have a soft spot in your heart.”
Kammy blushed. “I have been known to take those no one wanted under my wing, including you and your brother.”
“You mentioned if things have gone differently you would have raised us,” Luigi placed the broken shell pieces into the mouths of the eager plants, making sure everyone received an equal amount. “What did you mean?”
Kammy frowned and stared out the window. “It was a realm of possibilities that would have led to a similar and yet different outcome. “
“Huh?”
“Some would say that time is etched in stone and you can never change the outcome, no matter what. Prophecy’s always come true.”
“Are you talking about Dimento’s prophecy or the one about when we were born?” Luigi asked.
Kammy sighed. “I’ll show you.” She pulled her wand from her pocket and went to the table. “How much do you know about your parents?”
“Not much,” Luigi shrugged. “Mario and I were raised by our Uncle Tony, Aunt Callie, and our grandmother.” He felt a painful twinge in his heart. It had been years since he last seen his relatives. “They had pictures of my mother up until she turned eighteen.” He wished he had one of them with him. His mother was beautiful young woman with dark hair and blue eyes.
“You will see your mother again,” Kammy waved the wand over the crystal. White swirls and a glitter like substance appeared in the sphere for a few seconds before everything grew clear.
-
Nighttime had reached the city that never slept, most cars were parked in various parts on one street where several buildings were. Few people were walking along the concrete paths, couples held on to each other, and not a single child was seen.
“I don’t care!” A petite teenage girl ran out from one apartment. “I don’t care if you want me close, I’ve been accepted to Berkley.”
“Who is going to pay for it?” A portly woman followed her. “It is not going to be me and it is not going to be your father.”
“Don’t you care about my education?” The girl placed her hand on her hips. “This is my future.”
“We don’t want you to go to California,” the girl’s mother said. “The people out there are not right in the head.”
“Why must you be so judgmental?”
“We just want you to be close.”
“You don’t want me to go anywhere,” the girl turned around and continued to walk.
“Where do you think you are going?”
“Away from here,” she picked up her pace.
“Angela Mario,” her mother placed her hands against her mouth. “You run off now, don’t expect to be welcomed back.”
Fog filled the area turning everything white for a few seconds. Once it was thin the image had changed to a construction site.
Angela was running away from three men dressed in mostly denim, jeans and jackets with chains. The tallest of the three wore wool knit cap on his head. The shortest had long greasy hair that appeared to have gone weeks without coming in contact with a shampoo and water, the third man was plump and had a gold stud in his nose.
“Don’t run,” the tallest shouted revealing crooked and yellow teeth. “We know you want us.”
“She’s just playing hard to get,” the short man said. “She is only setting us up with this game, wants to make it fun for us.”
“It aint fun,” the plump man said between gasps of air.
“Would be if yous quit takin’ the sub to Magnolia,” Shorty said to his friends.
Tears were streaming down Angela’s face. She looked around and could not find anyplace to hide. Her chest hurt from all the running, yet she dared not stop. She had no idea what those three were going to do to her. She slipped into the construction site.
“Not going to hide here sweetheart,” the tall guy said as he and his friends followed after him.
Angela continued to run; she dodged into areas, trying to see they would be fitting hiding places. The last place she crawled into was a dark green pipe.
“Dumb broad thinks she can hide in there,” Tall man said. “C’mon.”
“Uh-uh,” the fatter man stood back. “There is no way in hell am I going to go in there.”
“Why?” the leader smirked. “Are you scared or something?”
“No,” the short man laughed. “Jayce is too fat.”
“Whateva,” the tall man rolled his eyes. “Bug and I will pull that sweet ass our selves.”
The scene changed again to reveal a large pipe jutting out from the side of a grassy green hill next to a forest. Angela crawled out and continued to run, only stopping a few seconds later when she realized where she was.
“She’s finally tired,” Bug crawled out of the pipe. His feet struck the ground and Angela continued on her way. “There she goes again…into…the woods.”
“Whadya mean woods?” The taller man climbed out. “There aint no woods around here.” He slid out of the pipe and stared at the woods. “Holy shit.”
“Yeah,” Bug turned around and climbed back into the pipe.
“Where are you going?” The taller man asked.
“Back home,” Bug answered.
“But the girl.”
“Forget her, Needles. I aint waiting for some White Queen or wolves to start coming after me.”
The leader just stared at him in disgust before he resumed his chase.
Angela plunged ahead into the woods. Her sobs and gags of air combined to create a choking and snorting sound. She leaned against a tree and tried to catch her breath.
“There you are,” Needles grabbed her arm from behind. “Can’t you see all the trouble you have caused?”
“Leave me alone,” Angela tried to wrench herself away.
“Not until after I had some fun,” He pushed her towards the ground.
“She said let her go,” a bright red Yoshi leaped in from the shadow, one kick from his foot caught the tall man in the chest and sent him flying. “Easy Crimson,” the man in the saddle said.
“Shit,” the tall man coughed. He was clutching his side.
“You are deep in it,” the man in the saddle glared at the tall man. He was a short man with brown hair combed neatly back and a round prominent nose. He was dressed in black jacket trimmed in gold, a black shirt, and a pair of tan pants.” He slid out of the Yoshi’s saddle and removed a fire flower from his pocket. “I suggest you leave.”
“What the hell is that?” the tall man sat up. “Is that a dinosaur? There is no way that thing is real.”
“I am as real as you are,” the Yoshi snarled.
“Are you going to leave?” The stranger had placed his hand on the top of the flower and replaced the plant back in his pocket. “Or am I going to make you?” A red flame appeared on his outstretched palm.
“Shit!” Needles rose to his feet. “Bug was right, this place is messed up.” He took off.
The flame diminished in the stranger’s hand and he turned to Angela. “Are you okay miss?”
“I,” Angela stared at the Yoshi for the longest time before she fainted.
-
“I cannot believe you gave them those names,” the same man was leading Angela from a car to a small and modest house, both were carrying a newborn infant.
“You don’t like them?” Angela asked. She stared down at her baby.
“Luigi is a good name,” her husband said. He had grown a small beard since the last scene “But why did you name our first born after your family name?”
A man shrouded in a deep blue cloak and shadow leapt down from the roof. “Many have more problems going for them, than what they have named their children.”
“Who are you,” Luigi’s father demanded.
“Lucio,” Angela spoke in a quiet tone. “Something is wrong, Crimson should have alerted us as soon as we stepped out of the car.”
“Crimson was his name?” The shadowed man reached for his cowl with a bony white hand, ending in long curved fingernails. “He was a nice meal.” He pulled back the cowl. Dark hair hung limply around an angular white face with pronounced cheekbones. His ears were long and pointy, there was a chunk missing from his right one and few puncture wounds by the side of his head. His orchid eyes were narrowed as he licked the blood off his lips and fangs. “I have never drained a Yoshi before, they have an interesting flavor.”
“Crimson,” Angela’s gasp woke up the sleeping Mario. The infant’s cry upset Luigi and set him to cry in a louder bawl.
“What have you done?” Lucio growled.
“That should be the least of your concern,” the creature smiled as he eyed the twins. “One of them is in my master’s prophecy. I do not know which one.”
“Lucio, Angela,” the rustle of feathers was heard and a large white stork flew overhead.
“Infernal bird,” the monster snarled. “I shall deal with it later.”
“You are correct,” Lucio handed Luigi over to Angela. “You will have to deal with me.” He struck the stranger in the chin. The monster pounced on him, pinning him against the side of the house.
“No,” the stork dove down, his sharp beak poised to strike on top of the vampire’s head. The murderer reached up to swipe at the stork, but the bird dodged his grasp.
“Pickles over here,” Angela called to him. “I want you to take the boys to safety.”
“Where?” The stork flew to her.
“Into the warp pipe on the other side of Boo woods,” Angela said. “There is a city on the other side I have family there. I may not be welcome back, but they should be.”
“I tried to save Crimson,” Pickles flapped his wings. “He knocked me out.”
“You got a good peck on his head,” she handed both Mario and Luigi to the stork, go now.”
-
The crystal ball clouded over once again.
“That bird was noble, but a homing pigeon it was not,” Kammy said in a slow tone. Luigi hadn’t noticed she was holding onto his hands. “He got lost on the way and flew over the island of Yoshis.”
“Who was that guy?” Luigi asked. Just the sight of the monster’s face was enough to send a shiver down his spine. “Who was that vampire?”
“I do not know,” Kammy yawned. “That was why you were both carried by a stork when Kamek had tried to capture you both, and now I will show you if he had succeeded.”
“He would have killed us,” Luigi closed his eyes.
“If his plans were to kill you then you would have died many years ago,” she squeezed his hands harder. “Have you ever asked your self why he never killed you when he had captured both you and Pickles?”
Luigi tilted his head to the side. He had thought about it when he was told of the story, but the reason never came to his mind.
“Here is the reason,” she said as the crystal came to life once again and a new image appeared.
-
“Can Snowy count to three,” a much younger Kammy cooed to the white bat on her hand. “I know you can Snowy.” The bat squeaked three times. “I knew you could do it.”
The wails of infants were heard outside the door, nearly muffling out Kamek’s grumbles. “We have returned, after I did all the hard work.” The door opened and Kamek entered, followed by his toadies carrying the crying Mario and Luigi. “Where do you want the brats?”
“Put them on the blanket.” She pointed to the white blanket that was spread out on the floor. There were a few other blankets folded into neat stacks on one corner.
“Do you have any idea of the trouble I gone through to get them?” Kamek glared at her. He had his hand against his back.
“You were the one who wants to take them,” Kammy held up her hand and Snowy flew to one of the wooden perches at the corner of her room. “You were the one who said they would bring the downfall of the prince in the future.”
“Yeah,” Kamek nodded while the toadies set the two infants down on the blanket. “Why can’t I kill em?”
“Because of what I have seen,” Kammy watched as Snowy finished his rest and flew over to the infants. “Two different forces will come from the sky and bring doom to our prince and only these boys will save him. A third from another world seeks to destroy all, and one brother will be the true savior.”
“Fine, lets get this done,” he pointed his wand at the two brothers, by now they had stopped crying and were trying to grab onto Snowy.
“We have to be in sync with each other before we can perform the spell,” Kammy and removed her wand. “Close your eyes and try to focus.”
The Two Magikoopas held each other’s hands and closed their eyes. They did not move for five whole minutes. They pointed their wants at the twins. “Two brothers who have grand destinies, two brothers who were born from human, now shall be of a reptile species, they shall grow to be Koopa men.”
Light rained down on the twins and encased them in the glow. Their screams were shriller and louder than before, even overpowering the sounds of bones snapping and flesh reshaping. The energy faded around the twins, now as Koopa hatchlings, one with a red shell and matching head and the other with a green shell and head.
“You didn’t tell me it was going to be painful for them,” Kammy snarled at Kamek.
“I did what you asked,” Kamek grunted. “Now I have to go and face the king, he is going to want to know why Prince Bowser is upset.”
Kammy turned to the Toadies. “There is milk in a pot on the stove, fill two bottles with it and bring it to me.” She didn’t even wait until the others had left the room before she ran over to the two crying hatchlings. “I’m sorry it hurt,” she cooed. “Mommy will make it better.”
-
“I would have raised you two as my own,” Kammy explained as various images appeared in the crystal. There was a scene of Kammy changing the hatchling’s diapers, giving them baths, spoon-feeding them in high chairs, her kissing their scraped knees before she placed on their bandages. The two brothers grew. Kammy lead them around the castle by their hands. She stared at them as they stood in front of a broken vase and they pointed at each other, she watched as the boys played soccer with Bowser.
“Although in this alternate version things turned out the same,” the crystal divided into two images, one of an adult Mario Koopa betraying Bowser and carrying Peach back to the Mushroom kingdom and the other had Luigi and Wendy getting married.
“Pickles didn’t bring us to Brooklyn,” Luigi recalled one of his earliest memories. He wasn’t quite three and he was on a cloud, flying over the city.
“The Yoshis helped the stork make it back to the Mushroom Kingdom,” Kammy spoke even slower than before. She had to take deep breaths in between. “You were still with your parents when the Shroobs invaded. All I know it was some time after that.”
“Can you show me?” Luigi released her hands. “What happened to our parents?”
“Can’t show now,” her hands were shaking. “I need to rest, long visions drain me, especially at this age.
“Maybe later?” He had to find out and tell Mario.
“Maybe, after a nap and a warm cup of tea.”
“Let me help you to your bed,” Luigi held out an arm. “And I’ll ask someone to brew you a pot of tea.”
-