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Archive: MA, or ask me

Category: POV, Q/O

Rating: G

Warnings: None

Summary: Caught in a sandstorm, a youngster regrets his decision to skip school.

Disclaimer: Characters belong to George Lucas, not me.

Feedback: Yes please

Note: Many thanks to Bonny for the beta and to Master Cuimne for being there to bounce ideas off! Thank you for your friendship, girls.

I have a whole pile of mushrooms to sandscrub and slice, and I've already spent hours cleaning the old oil out of one of the vaporator valve adjusters. I hate doing that – the sand gets stuck in the oil and stops it working but you have to get it all out before you can put the new oil in. And when I've finished this job I have to go to my room and study until bedtime. It's not fair.

I should have known they would find out. I never get away with anything. Well, it was my own fault – I shouldn't have been out in the Wastes by myself anyway. Even grown-ups know it's a dangerous place on your own. And I'm only nine. It was just rotten luck that the sandstorm started up before I could get home.

The first thing I did wrong was to agree with Biggs to skip school for the day because the podraces were on. We'd been dropped off in Mos Eisley by Biggs's mom early in the day because it was her turn to take us. There was just so much going on – crowds everywhere, beings selling things, and Biggs said it just wasn't fair to expect us to sit in the stuffy school all day. Lots of other beings had the day off for the races, so why shouldn't we? I agreed.

So we were watching them get these great podracers ready to be taken to the start line, but Biggs's mom saw him and dragged him back to the school by his ear! I managed to duck behind a pile of spare parts, so she didn't see me.

I should have gone back then, I suppose. But one of the pit crew I know – Kitster - asked me if I wanted a lift out to the track to watch. I mean, I couldn't say no, could I?

I had a really good view, right out in the dunes, and the race was awesome! It had only just ended when the storm blew up. I couldn't find somewhere to wait for the storm to blow over and I couldn't see anyone else around. I couldn't see anything, really. Well, you can't in a sandstorm. I was really scared, and the sand was hurting a lot. I had to get out of the storm quick or… Well, I think I would have been killed.

I remember curling up as small as I could on the ground, I think it was by a big rock. There wasn't any other shelter anywhere. The storm was so loud and I could hardly breathe and I was so frightened I just huddled up and I wished I hadn't been so stupid. If I'd done as I was supposed to, I'd be safe in school. I don't know how long I was there before someone picked me up and wrapped me in a coat or something to keep the sand off my face. I was so glad to be found that I just hung on while the person carried me. I guess I should have worried, I mean it could have been anyone, or anything. But it didn't feel bad. I get these funny feelings sometimes, when something is not right. And this person didn't give me the bad feeling

He carried me to his house. In the storm. I don't know how he managed to even stand up in that storm, never mind walk and carry me. I'm not so small. His house is not in the town, it's out in the desert. Funny place to live.

Well, it was Old Ben who found me, and the storm kept up all day and into the night. So I couldn't go home, or anywhere else. He was really nice. He gave me pastek juice to drink and some great fried figatel. And he talked to me a lot, about why I was out there and what I'd been learning and how the moisture farm was doing. He knew a lot about me and Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru. I only knew his name because I'd seen Uncle Owen talking to him once in town and I'd asked him who it was. He told me to stay away from Ben because he was crazy and I was never to be around him, ever. Uncle Owen had been grumpy for the rest of the day.

I asked Ben some things, but he didn't really tell me much. I still don't know why he lives out there instead of near other people.

Early in the morning, he took me home. He had a beat-up old landspeeder that looked like it hadn't run for years, but it worked and he dropped me off at the edge of the farm. I remembered to be polite and thank him, and to ask him if he'd come home with me and have some tea with us. But he smiled and said he was busy. I can't think what he had to do that was so important.

I lied when I got home. I told them I'd stayed at Biggs's because of the storm. They hadn't been able to call anyone to find out where I was because the com doesn't work when storms are bad. They were very mad with me, but Aunt Beru was glad I was OK.

I should have known I'd get found out.

I sat down at the table for firstmeal, and I saw the look on Aunt Beru's face. While I was getting cleaned up in my room she'd called Biggs's mom to thank her for looking after me.

So Uncle Owen went real mad and wanted to know where I'd been. I had to tell them all of it. I was in deep trouble. Uncle Owen screamed at me a lot, and I was not allowed out again until they said so. I couldn't even go out of the house without asking. And I was given the horrible jobs to do that he knows I hate doing. I was sorry. Really, mostly because Aunt Beru looked so sad.

What got Uncle Owen maddest was not the skipping school, it was talking about Ben. I don't know why. I mean, he'd been so nice and saved my life and everything. You'd think he'd be pleased and want to call and thank him. But he just told me never to have anything to do with him again and never to even speak about him. Ever.

I really wanted to ask them something about Ben but I daren't while Uncle Owen was so cross. So I waited until he'd gone out again later and asked Aunt Beru.

I said: "Do some grown-ups have invisible friends, Aunt Beru?"

She laughed and said no or at least none that she knew of. Lots of kids have pretend friends when they are a bit lonely. She wanted to know if I had a pretend friend.

Of course I told her no, but I said that Ben has an invisible friend he talks to. I heard him when I was nearly asleep on his couch. There's only the one room and he talked really quiet to his friend. I couldn't see anyone else there when I sneaked my eyes open.

Aunt Beru looked a bit worried when I told her this, and said I shouldn't forget what Uncle Owen had said about not going near Ben again because he was crazy. But she said maybe Ben was lonely so he had a pretend friend.

Uncle Owen came back so I couldn't ask her anything else.

But she didn't understand. I didn't say a pretend friend. Ben's friend isn't pretend. Because I heard him talking to Ben too. Just before I fell asleep.

He said: "Let me hold you, my Obi-Wan" His friend doesn't even know his name is Ben. But I'm glad he has a real friend. Even if he's invisible.