Bowsette’s Princess Lessons - Chapter XIX: The Good Samaritan

 Bowsette’s Princess Lessons

Chapter XIX: The Good Samaritan

Little Mario and little Luigi were sitting on the coziest spot of the couch. Mario clutched a video game controlled in his first as he booted up Popeye on the Mario family’s Nintendo Entertainment System. “This time, I’m gonna’ kick Bluto’s butt for sure, and save Olive Oyl!”

Luigi tugged at the controller in Mario’s hand. “Hey! You’re always Player 1! Let me have a turn!”

Mario pulled the controller away. “It’s a two-player game, Luigi. You’ll get a turn!”

“Yeah, but I want to be player 1.”

“No you don’t. You want me to go first so you know what’s in store for you.”

Mama Mia Rigassi Mario clapped her hands. “Knock it off! It’s reading time. You can play video games after the story, if you quit squabbling.”

Mario groaned. “Ah, Mama mia! More boring old books?”

Luigi held up a finger. “But reading opens up whole new worlds, Mario!”

Mama Mia poked Giuseppe Mario’s shoulder as he sat snoozing in his easy chair. “Papa? It’s reading time!”

Papa Mario started awake, and fumbled to find his place. “Let’s see…Ah, yes, The Parable of the Good Samaritan! …A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead.” 

Little Luigi raised his hand. “Why’d they do that to the man?”

“Because they were bad guys.”

Little Mario grinned, and punched his bean bag chair. “How bad did they work him over? Was the guy all bruised and bloody, with his teeth knocked out?”

Papa Mario shook his head. “Yes, no, probably, I dunno, shut up! Sure, let’s say the poor chump’s lying bleeding on the side of the road…where was I? …A priest happened to be going down the same road–”

Luigi’s hand shot up. “A priest? Like Father Martinet?”

“No! Not like Father Martinet! Different kind of priest! Anyway, guy’s bleeding on the road, priest’s going down the same road, and, uh…and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too–”

Little Mario grabbed his head. “Wait, he just walked by the guy? He’s bleeding to death! Father Martinet would never do that!”

Papa Mario rubbed his eyes. “Yeah, exactly, because Father Martinet is a steady guy. But the priest in this story was a real sonnova’–”

Mama Mario cleared her throat. “Ahem!”

Papa Mario snapped his fingers. “Um, a son of a good woman, who raised him to be better than that! Anyhoo, guy’s dying, blood everywhere, Priest’s leaving him behind and…So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.” 

Luigi bounced on his bean bag chair, his hand high in the air. “What’s a Levite?”

Little Mario punched his bean bag chair. “Wait! So Levi left the guy too? He’s right there!”

“No, no! A Levite! He was a…another kind of priest. The Levites were like a whole tribe of holy men.”

Little Mario stood up, shaking his fists at the heavens. “Then why doesn’t he help him?”

Mama Mario flicked Little Mario on the side of his head, not enough to hurt him, but enough to get his attention. “Because sometimes people forget to do what they know is right. Now, sit and listen to the story!”

Little Mario sat back down with a flump, with his arms and legs crossed in front of him. Little Mario’s face was a mix of polite interest and furious impatience. 

Papa Mario sighed. “Hmmm, guy’s down for the count, Priest’s ignoring the problem, Levite’s doing likewise…But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine.”

Luigi raised his hand, but before he could ask, Mama Mario said, “It’s like using antiseptic and a band-aid for a big boo-boo.”

Papa Mario nodded, and kept his focus on the book. “...Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have…Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

Mario’s fist was resting on his chin, in a perfect imitation of Auguste Rodin’s The Thinker. “The Samaritan guy?”

Papa Maro closed his book, looking pleased. “Exactly! The moral of the story is to be a Good Samaritan!”

Luigi waved his still-raised hand. “But what’s a Samaritan?”

Papa Mario’s eyes popped open. “What’s a–? Hold on, your Mama wrote a note in the margins here…‘An inhabitant of Samaria, or one that belonged to the sect which derived their appellation from that city. The Samaritans of the first century claimed to be the descendents of those ancient Israelites who were not deported from Jerusalem by the Assyrian conqueror Sargon II in 722 B.C.”

By this point, Luigi had decided it was more efficient to just keep his hand raised the entire time. “So to be a Good Samaritan…we have to not get deported from Jerusalem by the Assyrian conqueror Sargon II in 722 B.C.?”

Papa slapped his book shut. “Mama Mia, help me out here!”

Mama Mario nodded. “You don’t have to come from Samaria to be a Good Samaritan. The point of the story is that, in ancient times, the Samaritans and the Jews were hated enemies…Yes, Luigi?”

Mama Mario paused as she saw little Luigi’s hand shoot up. “Like the Yankees and the Red Sox?”

“Even worse than the Yankees and the Red Sox. The Samaritans and the Jews both believed themselves to be the only true children of God. They hated each other so much, they didn’t even want to touch each other. Even the word ‘Samaritan’ was like a slur.”

Mario finally raised his own hand. “...Like when the other kids call us ‘goombahs’?”

Mama Mario nodded, looking grave. “Yes, dear. Exactly like that. The people listening to that story would have been shocked. They didn’t think it was possible for there to ever be a good Samaritan. But no matter who you are, or where you come from…You can choose to be the one who helps, rather than look the other way.”

Little Mario nodded. “I can be the Good Samaritan.”

…

Mario crashed face-first into a second brick obstacle, which could only be the wall. As he reached out blindly with his hands, Mario felt the boiling water like a flood as it penetrated the radiant energy of the Fire Flower, soaking into his clothing, stabbing into his skin from all sides, like a million needles. Then his hand clasped the metal surface of the warp pipe exit.

In the chamber above, a burst of hissing steam erupted from the final gray warp pipe, and Mario emerged from it, collapsing. Every inch of his exposed skin was burned to a bright pink, and with every trembling movement, he felt his whole body screaming.

He heard a weak voice, and spotted Mrs. Sushie rasping for air. “Mario, dearie?”

Mario stood, ignoring the pain, and lifted her into his arms. Mrs. Sushie shook her head. “No! Don’t mind me…The others…”

But nevertheless, Mario carried Mrs. Sushie along the dark corridor, until he found Lady Bow and scooped her up into his other arm.

Lady Bow’s eyes fluttered open. “...Señor Mario? …The flame…beware the pink flame…it is not…” Lady Bow fainted.

Mario leapt up onto the grey stone platform, and spotted baby Watt, her radiant light burning like the sun, then flickering like a dying lightbulb. Mario took a step toward baby Watt, before he heard a familiar, monstrous roar. Mrs. Sushie leapt from Mario’s arms, landing roughly near little Watt. “Go! I’ll tend to her!”

With a curt nod, Mario set down Lady Bow, and dashed down the stone corridor toward the iron bridge, into the eerie red light.

Watt rolled onto her side to look up at Mrs. Sushie. There was a hairline crack in her spherical body, which glowed like molten glass. The air above her billowed from the radiant heat. “Auntie Su? …I don’t feel so good…”

Mrs. Sushie pulled out her emergency mom-supply bag, and found a glass thermometer. “Poor baby, you’re burning up!”

Watt and Mrs. Sushie both flinched as they heard a roar. It was not merely the scream of any man or woman, nor was it like the roar of a wildfire. But it was like all three.

Ignoring her own shivering, Mrs. Sushie poured cold water onto a towel, and applied it gently to Watt’s forehead. “There, there, dear. I’m here.”

…

In the underwater chamber, the billowing steam had slowed, but the water still bubbled at a steady boil. Princess Daisy, Luigi, Toadette, Goombario, Goombella, Kooper, Koops, Koopie-Koo, Bombette, Admiral Bobbery, Parakarry, Lakilester the Lakitu (formerly known as “Spike”), Madame Flurrie, the Great Gonzales Jr., Ms. Mowz, and Vivian all huddled against the narrow ledge.

A shudder traveled through the boiling water, and they saw a stone collapse from the ceiling, plopping into the pool with a hiss. Daisy swallowed and turned to Vivian. “When you told Mario that an escape through the shadows would be risky…how risky are we talking? Near certainty of death?”

Two more pebbles crumbled from the hole left in the ceiling. Vivian seemed to be looking far away, staring at nothing. “...No, a fate far worse than death.”

As cracks formed through the ceiling above, Daisy only nodded. “Which means there’s a chance. In that case, I need you to take us to Goombaria’s shadow…please.”

Vivian arose. “Very well. But once I get you all back to safety, I’m going back to Mario.”

Goombella scoffed. “Don’t be silly! We’re going with you, of course.”

Vivian brushed her pink hair, revealing her look of surprise. “You…you really mean it?”

Goombella beamed. “Well, duh!”

Kooper slammed his fist into his open palm. “Mario’s always had our backs. Now it’s our turn to help him.”

Parakarry fixed his aviator cap. “Mario believed in me, even when I wasn’t sure I believed in myself.”

Koops fidgeted with his hoodie. “He taught me how to fight, when I thought I was too weak to fight.”

Koopie-Koo kissed Koops’ cheek. “He taught us that we can fight for those we love.”

Bombette rolled to her feet. “He saved my people from King Bom-omb…even though we Bob-omb’s weren’t exactly his best buddies in the past.”

Admiral Bobbery held Bombette. “He showed me that it’s never too late to try again.”

Madame Flurrie chuckled. “And that we’re never too old for a comeback!”

Lakilester the Lakitu pulled out his emergency-emergency-emergency sunglasses and flicked them on, with maximum coolness. “When I was stuck on being a jerk, he helped me remember who I was supposed to be.”

Gonzales Jr. pumped his fists. “He’s the undisputed champ! The Great Gonzales stood up for me, when I couldn’t stand up for myself!”

Koops rubbed his head. “Um…I seem to recall Mario saying we should let that hot dog merchant cook you up as an omlette…”

Gonzales Jr. guffawed. “Which was absolutely hilarious!”

Vivian turned to look at Toadette, who was busily wrapping Ms. Mowz’s injured ankle in a bandage. “What about you two? If you can’t fight, I’d better drop you off with Luigi.”

Toadette shook her head as she stood, holding up her first-aid kit. “I’m no fighter, but if anyone gets hurt, I’ll do whatever I can!”

The master mouse thief twitched her nose, then experimentally stood on her bandaged foot. “Squeak! Don’t you dare leave me behind! If I allow a hunk like Mario to leap into the jaws of death, and can’t find a way to sneak him back out, I’ll hang up my mask, and retire from my life as a thief!”

Goombella scowled. “...I think Mario would prefer that, actually.”

Ms. Mowz curled her tail into a heart. “Of course he would!”

Daisy grinned. “Then that settles it! Just give me a chance to drop off Luigi, and we’re all going straight to Mario! Guy’s a tank, but even he needs back up.”

Goombario glanced at Luigi’s prone form. “Uh, does backtracking give the Shadow Queen more time to catch us? Maybe it’s less risky just to go straight to Mario.”

Vivian shook her head. “There is no time in the shadows. We take the risk simply by choosing to enter them in the first place.”

Daisy nodded. “So a drop off for Luigi is no problem?”

“So long as the Shadow Queen isn’t waiting for us there, and so long as one of us has a strong connection to Goombaria…Goombario, how much would you say you love your little sister?”

Goombario blushed as he realized he was being put on the spot. “...More than life itself.”

 

With a shudder, the cracks spread down the walls, and through the floor. Vivian held out her hands. “Then let’s go.”

…

Bowser gently cradled Peach’s head in his/her hands, and found blood on his/her palms. Peach’s blood.

Then Bowser saw Peach’s lips move as she murmured. “...Mario…”

Then Peach faded away. Somehow, Bowser sensed that her heart had stopped beating. He didn’t know how he knew this. He only knew that it was true.

Then Bowser sensed something approaching from behind, and spun around. “Mario?”

Mario stumbled into the room, every inch of his body screaming in pain with every step. As he looked up, he saw Bowser hovering over Peach’s prone body. It was as if Peach was resting in a perfect sleep.

But something was wrong. Bowser’s face was pale, his hair shining as gold as the sun. There was a tiny patch of skin around Bowser’s left eye that was different from the rest: a dark golden brown, and Bowser’s left eye shone red, in sharp contrast to the icy blue of his left eye. “Mario! You did this!”

Bowser strode forward, pink flames engulfing most of his body. A single tear appeared in his left eye, and spilled down his cheek. “You’ve killed my dream!”

With a wail of anguish, Bowser erupted in red and pink flame, which smashed through the ceiling and rocketed into the sky above. Mario shielded his eyes, and as the blinding light dimmed, he saw that Bowser was engulfed in red flame on his left side, pink flames on the right.

Bowser’s red and gold hair billowed on either side of his/her face, and the tears from his red eye evaporated. “I’ll kill you!”

…

In the silence of the shadows, Vivian held aloft a flame with one hand, while Daisy held onto her free hand. Luigi still lay collapsed over her shoulder, while the rest clung to Daisy’s legs.

Goombario sat on Vivian’s shoulder, concentrating on Goombaria. He mostly remembered years of daily teasing and tattling on one another. But memory stood out: the day Goombaria had come charging into the house, claiming that a man fell out of the sky and crashed and landed in the family’s flower garden. And not just any man, but the legendary champion of the Mushroom Kingdom: Sir Mario of Brooklyn. Goombario remembered helping Goompapa and Goomama nurse Mario back to help, running to do whatever chores or errands they asked of him. He remembered Grandpa Goompa asking Mario to take young Goombario along with him, to give Goombario a chance to become a man. He remembered kissing Goombaria goodbye.

Goombaria’s shadow appeared before them, and Vivian pointed them toward it. Goombario wanted to cheer, but heard no sound escape his throat. Then, long, shadowy hands erupted from the outline of Goombaria’s shadow, and flew toward them. Vivian held up her flame, and her thought’s echoed through the infinite shadow. “The hands of the Shadow Queen! It’s a trap!”

Goombario remembered his promise to come back home, safe and sound, and the first wave of shadow hands erupted in white flames, only to be replaced by a second wave, and a third, coming from all sides.

Vivian spun, her flame twisting and exploding like a firework, a thousand sparks each ripping through a thousand of the Shadow Queen’s hands. “No good! Only one hope!”

Vivian turned, and Daisy nodded. Mario’s shadow appeared in the distance, and they all flew toward it.

[End of Chapter XIX]