Elxie wiped a bead of sweat off her brow. The twin suns beat down on her bare neck, threatening sunburn and discomfort. She let her hair down to block the suns, finding that it only made her sweat more. She lifted the fold of her hat so she could stare into the horizon. Eventually, the vehicle assigned to pick her up would come, and she would be out of this scorching heat.
She sat down on a nearby crate to wait. The folds of her cloak rustled as she moved, still protecting her old, dusty, blue robe beneath it. She was barefoot, which wasn't proper for anyone involved in crossing space just for the fun of it. She had been to many worlds, and wanted to go to more.

Her name was Somting Elxe, but all her friends called her Elxie. She had a 'sweet & sour' outlook on life, seeing the facts clearer than anyone else she knew. But one fact she didn't know was the name of the planet she was currently on. She heard some people pass, once in a while saying the name 'Tatooine'. That could be, she thought. Tatooine is a desert planet, just like this one.

The hot suns continued to beat down on Elxie. She considered going into the Cantina nearby, but remembered the trouble that had happened before. She had needed a ride to the next planet, and had gone into the Cantina in order to get one. And she had-but for a tremendous price. She had been too nervous to negotiate, seeing as the table next to them had just had half its party killed. She didn't like places like this. They scared her too much.

She touched her braid, which was now in her face. It was hot, and nearly burned her hand. She quickly shoved it behind her ear where it belonged. She sighed, and looked around the area. Behind her was the Cantina-she certainly wasn't going back in there. To the left and right of her were Imperial StormTroopers-she couldn't strike up a conversation with them, she'd tried before. They're too dull, and nothing to talk about. And, she thought, they get really grumpy if they get in trouble for neglecting work.

In front of her was the desert. Rolling hills and dunes, clouds of sand swirling beautifully. It was nice-but she wouldn't want to live there. Elxie pitied the ones who did. They were usually farmers who survived by using the few hands they had, plus some stolen or scrapped 'droids. Elxie was glad that she was raised on a perfect planet. Plenty of water, warm weather all year, binary star system. She missed seeing a double sunset. It had been too long.

She took out a small gadget and held it to her eyes. She had forgotten the name of them a long time ago, and just called them 'seers'. They were a computerized pair of binoculars, actually. She scanned the horizon again, and the dunes and the hills. Almost too quickly, or she wouldn't have noticed the white figure standing atop a dune.

His blond hair fell rag-taggedly into his eyes, giving him a look of a farmer's hand. But the piercing light blue eyes overwhelmed here, and fell instantly in love. The look on his face suggested a young man, ready for adventure. But his eyes said that he was vulnerable, unsure of himself and what he was doing. His belt was that of a farmer's hand's, but this boy-this young man-was no laborer. There was too much fire, too much desire, too much FORCE in his stunning blue eyes for him to be a worker. He was destined to fame-she could tell just by looking at him.

Before she could even get a grasp of why the young man was there, he turned and left. She gasped, realizing that this was the one she was destined to be with. She wished her power with the Force was stronger, or she would have found some way to keep him there.

Elxie did have the power of the Force, but it was young and untrained. She could only do little things: lift a glass here, read feelings there, only the simple tasks. She looked through the seers again, and saw another man standing in the boy's place.
This one was older, wiser. He had white hair, and a beard. He was dressed in a brown cloak. Behind him stood a golden 'droid and an R2 unit. She suddenly felt a strange presence of the Force. As she looked at the man, Elxie suddenly realized that he must be a Jedi knight, a man who could help her hone her power. She also realized that the boy must have been his pupil.
She knew that she had to go after them. She loved the boy too much-and yet she didn't even know his name. She stood up, the hot sand burning the soles of her feet, but she didn't care. She had to meet him.

But before she could get any further, the vehicle arrived. The pilot opened the door and motioned for her to get in. Obviously he had angered some StormTroopers, for they were in hot pursuit. She jumped in, her eyes still locked on the dune. The party was gone now, but she would never forget him.

As they sped across the sand, running blind from the StormTroopers, Elxie wondered if the man who was taking her to his ship to get her out of here knew him. Probably not. The dust whipped behind them, leaving only a sandstorm in place of the Cantina and the boy.

Three years later, Elxie hopped off another landspeeder, but this one was made by one of the inhabitants of Tatooine. As she stepped out, she realized that this was the time and the place to find out about her love. To find out who the young man had been, to find out if he was still on the planet, to find out if he was a Jedi.

Her power in the Force was still strong, just a little stronger than before. She knew nothing of her family-she had been a foster child ever since she could remember. That's where she had picked up her love of traveling. And this is where it ended. That is, she thought, unless this man of mine travels. I will follow him anywhere.

She straightened her robe and cloak. It was the same robe as before-dusty, older, and light blue. The cloak was a drab brown, but obviously new. It had a shine to it, or that could just be the Force radiating from her. She knew that her power, however weak, had always created a presence.

She put her hood up, covering the long brown hair and silver eyes. She opened the door silently, using the Force. She swept quietly into the room, and however silent she was, everyone in the Mos Eisley Cantina looked up. They knew she was there, and that she was obviously on her way to being one with the Force. She seemed to glide across the floor, finding a dark, empty booth in the corner and claiming it for her own. She stayed there, quiet but willing to talk, until she felt she had to leave for the day.

She always has a book with her. It is an old, paperback book with a torn cover and ratty edges. The book is stained with sand, rain, and other things from many worlds. The front had once shown a sandstorm, swirling in midair. But now, after three years of heavy traveling, the sandstorm didn't swirl, but just hung suspended on the front.

Elxie sits in the Cantina every day, waiting for someone to say something to her. Once in a while, if she feels like it, she'll cause some mischief. A floating chair here, a gliding alien there. Once in a while someone will claim to know the young man in her photo. She had gotten a quick snapshot of him in her seers, and later had it developed. She kept it with her always.
But Elxie never leaves the Cantina until she feels fit. Her exits are always as unusual, silent, and mysterious as her entrances. She has made a few friends at the Cantina, but she hardly ever sees them again.

So if you go to the Mos Eisley Cantina and see Elxie, be kind. If you get to know her well enough, she'll ask you to call her Elxie. If you know the young man in her picture, she'll be grateful, and might even tell you her story. But don't ask about her ring-it's a story no one knows. And probably never will.
 

CandyCaneCar
April 1997
 

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