Go Forward, Go Forward--A Super Mario Bros. Fanfic

[John Jude Farragut]

Whoa. It's been a while since I've posted here! I don't even know what happened. I'm still writing, and quite avidly, too. The only thing that's changed is that I can actually say my writing doesn't suck. I cringe whenever I read what I wrote in the past. Although my writing's still raw and amateurish, I can't believe what God has done, how He has helped me improve.

Another thing that's changed is my motive. Of course, I want to make a difference, but I'm not out to be Billy Graham or Pat Robertson anymore (with all due respect to them, of course). That got me in huge trouble in another forum, so I learned a very hard lesson. Today, I want to show people my love for Jesus, and at the same time, I want to entertain and surprise--and even drop a few jaws with some crazy ideas. This Super Mario Bros. fanfic is a story with such a far-out idea. At the time I first wrote this (which was almost two years ago to the day), I was leaping back into playing the recent SMB games, and I got to thinking, "What if (this) happened? It's never been done before!" And it kind of took off from there. But two years and countless, necessary revisions later, I can with good reason say that I am proud of this story.

So, what the heck? Let's see if the idea flies here! If it does, I'll keep adding chapters to this thread and make it an ongoing thing. As with anything I do, I really tweak! The basic concepts are Nintendo's, but I don't stick just to basics! I gave the Mario Bros. an actual last name, for example, and I give complexity to cities, peoples, and concepts. (For example, I don't give all the Toad characters names that have "Toad" or "Mushroom" in them, and I don't give all Koopas names that start with K, unless I think those names really work. I make it a strong effort to incorporate variety, fictional history, and a bit of craziness.)

All right. You're probably getting bored now, as I am, so I'd better cease the intro. The story has some violence and mild language (mostly on Bowser's part), and all material that's not part of Nintendo's SMB saga belongs to me and blah, blah, blah blah blah.

Happy reading!

><> John

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CHAPTER ONE

-- Greetings from a Friend --



"...And the warm front that dumped all that snow in the central states looks like it's coming into Mead County right behind the storm we just had yesterday. National Weather Service here in Mushroom City says another Winter Storm Warning is up for the whole region including Mead County and Mushroom City. It's looking like we'll get another six to eight inches of snow down here, with about a foot in the higher elevations, and the high this afternoon will just barely get into the..."

Mario Amadino stirred in his bed and mumbled a few Italian words as a hand drifted above the windowsill. For a moment, he felt nothing until his hand brushed the riveted buttons of his clock radio. He managed to pry his eyes open and peer at the waxy light coming through his window curtains. As he dug himself out from his covers and stepped into his sheepskin slippers, he let out a gasp at the sight of the saber-toothed jaws in the window. Then he exhaled and chuckled in relief, remembering the massive icicles that dripped from the gutter.

I should probably knock those down soon, he thought to himself as he ran a hand down the front of his striped blue pajamas. With a deep yawn, he ran the fingers of his other hand up along the nape of his sienna hair. He trudged down the hall and toward the living room ahead, where a slender, mustached figure strapped in overalls stood with a steaming mug in his hand and a smile on his sunny face.

"Ah, buon giorno, mio fratello!"

"Heya, Luigi. You ready for today?"

"Oh, man, no," he groaned, his face falling. "You know how many messages we got on your machine?"

"Well, it's that time of year when--"

"Twenty! We're not gonna be able to handle twenty people in fourteen hours! It was insane how many people called us out yesterday!"

"Yeah, I know," said Mario with a casual tone. "Fourteen."

"What's so hard? They just leave their faucets dripping at night so their pipes don't freeze!"

"Yeah, I know."

"What do you think we should do? I keep thinking about a couple ideas. One, we work ourselves to death. Two, we become the youngest guys in history to retire."

Mario snickered and shook his head. "Mmm. Hey, that smells good. You mind getting some hot chocolate for me?"

"Sure," Luigi piped. He walked toward the kitchen cabinets and pulled out a few items to set upon the cupboard in the center of the kitchen. "Here. Mug, cocoa mix, marshmallows. Water's in the kettle on the stove. I'm gonna get the van ready."

"Okay, thanks."

Luigi slid from his slippers and into his clogs as the cordless phone on the counter played a twittering electronic tone.

"I got it," Mario piped as he answered the phone. On cue, his obligatory neutral face melted into a smile. "Hey, how you doing, Peach? You make it home safe?"

After a pause, the wrinkles of his smile went away.

"What'd you get?--Huh. Why didn't you tell anyone?" Mario nodded. "Maybe it's nothing," he replied as he reached for the back of its neck. "It's probably nothing, but--I know I can't tell you what to do, of course. But what if Toadsworth finds out? Anything with Bowser's gonna be bad news. It's better he finds out the right way--yeah, no matter how much of a panic he makes."

An orange flash and a thundering boom sent him crashing from his stool as the windows exploded into hurtling darts of glass. As the dust settled, he leapt to his feet and sped out the door, dodging through razors of glass as he went. A pillar of black cloud rose from a mass of grasping flames and charred white metal.

"Luigi!" screamed Mario as he hurdled over the ice-glazed steps. "Luigi!!"

Another blast ripped through the van, and a mushrooming cloud of boiling flames billowed into the sky. A pudgy green blur bowled backward as a red-shelled Koopa barreled onto the snow-powdered lawn.

"Yoshi, stay down!" Mario shouted, grabbing the Koopa's arm. On cue, the turtle shoved a foot deep into Mario's round stomach. Mario yelped and fell backward, sloshing in the snow. Yoshi leapt up and reached for his red scarf, whipping it around the Koopa's ankle. With a swift motion, the Koopa propelled Yoshi to the ground and reached for the blade of a gleaming dagger. A devilish scowl fell upon the Koopa's dark face as he brought his arm down.

"No!" Luigi hollered, his smoke-covered face emerging into view. He gritted his teeth and yanked the arm with Yoshi's scarf. A deep snap broke through the air as the Koopa let out a scream. Another jerk of the scarf sent him flying through the air and careening into the trunk of the nearby oak tree. His body crashed with a dull noise and collapsed like a marionette into the snow. His shell broke into two halves, unveiling a metal object and a fluttering slip of paper.

"Are you guys okay?" Mario panted through trembling breaths. "What happened?"

Yoshi shuddered as Mario lifted him to his feet. "I was on my way over here when a black car revved around the corner. I pulled over and ran the rest of the way here. Luigi was about to get in the van, so I cried out to get his attention. He came at me and got away from the van and it blew up!"

"Mario, look at this," said Luigi in a curious tone. "The guy has some writing on his wrist."

Mario turned and raised an eyebrow. "Writing?"

"'HDA 2289'?"

Yoshi mouthed the words to himself with a questioning look on his face.

"And look what the Koopa had on him," Luigi added. "It's a note and some sort of box."

"What's it say?"

Luigi shot a buggy-eyed glance at his brother, then turned back to the paper. "'The snow on the steps of your porch will turn red. You will be next now that Yoshi is dead.'"

Yoshi's mouth fell open as the air left his lungs. Mario's stone face grew darker as he muttered a single word.

"Bowser."

Luigi looked up from the signature and gave a hesitant nod.

"What about the box?" asked Mario. On cue, Luigi passed it to Mario, who peered at the slender container. Puddles of rust clouded each tarnished surface like drops of dark watercolor paint. Along the beveled lid, feather-shaped etches of brass graced its weathered surface. "Feels like something's in here."

"Yeah. What would one of Bowser's Troopas be doing with this?"

"I don't know," said Yoshi, "but you can be sure he won't be far behind this guy."

"Bowser's not going to be here," said Luigi, snatching a glance at the bloodying corpse. "If he was, he'd come after us himself."

Mario shrugged. "What do you suggest?"

"We go to him before he gets to us. We can change things."

"I--I don't know about that, Luigi."

"Whoa. And I'm the one who gets cold feet!"

"I'm not getting cold feet," Mario retorted, tapping the box with a finger. "I just think that going after him when we don't even have a plan would be a mistake! If one of Bowser's men had this on him, it has to be related to him somehow."

"You have a point," said Yoshi. "Luigi, don't you have a friend with the newspaper? Didn't you say he does a lot of research when he writes?"

"Malakai DiMare? Oh, yeah. He's always researching something. That's how his stuff's so good."

"'DiMare'--oh, yeah, I know who he is! I read his column all the time! It's amazing how much information he'll use for an article. You think he might happen to know something about this box?"

"Oh, yeah. If anyone would know, it's him."

"We're not going to have time to find out!" Mario argued. "We've got twenty people calling us for help!"

"We can call back and give 'em a rain check."

Mario's eyes bugged out. "They're not gonna like that."

"They know about Bowser. They'll understand. But why do you look so blue?"

Mario shook his head and drummed his right fingers along the lid of the box. "It's just going to be another one of those days."

Yoshi's eyelids turned upward in a look of growing worry.

"But no matter what happens," added Mario, "we're not letting Bowser get away with this."

Luigi turned his head away without giving a nod in agreement. In the background, Mario's sloshing footsteps faded away as he made his way onto the sidewalk. Luigi focused his wandering gaze to the scribbled note between his fingers; a faint smudge near the signature caught his attention amid the chicken-scratch manuscript.

"What is this?"

[Grace]

Wow, John....I hope you're working on finishing the novel! I think you have a gift and hope you keep at it....I think there are most likely lots of fantasy fiction loving gamers who'd really enjoy your novel----and probably hope for lots of sequels.

[John Jude Farragut]

Grace, thank you for your reply. I definitely plan to finish this. Heck, I've got a twenty-thousand-word section done, encompassing eight chapters in Part 1 of 5!

You are, actually, the first one to ever comment on this story! I was hoping that it would fly. You know what? I think it does! Hopefully, more people here read this and comment and enjoy. But you know what's really dismaying? *Laughs* I posted this on FanFiction.net, under their huge Super Mario Bros. fan base, and nobody liked it! *Laughs again* Ah, well. I keep at it, anyway. Maybe I'm just not in my element. But I'm hoping that this story attracts more people as it goes, because I have a far-out idea that Nintendo has never explored. Plus, I try to write so that anybody can read it, understand it, and enjoy it even if they haven't played the games before.

Well, we'll see how this goes. Depending on how it pans out from here, I might have to break out my drawing stuff and do some artwork of the characters I create!

><> John

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CHAPTER TWO

-- Trouble Rising --



"...And I believe I have covered everything to do today, then, Your Highness. You have your meeting with General Yosharo from Yoshi's Island this afternoon, but that shouldn't be of any difficulty. A good chap, he is. Oh! I--I must remember that Miss Daisy should arrive half past three, and the prime minister and his staff will show up around seven o'clock--after supper, of course!"

Toadsworth breathed a light chuckle and continued to ramble about the events of the day to come, but Princess Toadstool thumbed through the mail and wore a distressed face as she listened into her telephone. Above her line of sight, a thin-screened television set showed a Koopa motioning across a series of colored maps. At last, Toadsworth paused, seeing that his words were only echoing against the cornflower-blue brick walls of the princess's chambers.

"Princess, forgive me for being so direct," he said with a firm tone in his British voice, "but did you hear a word I said?"

Peach feigned a small smile and shook her head slowly, her blonde locks waving the slightest bit. "I'm sorry. I guess I wasn't listening."

"That's a fair assumption," he replied, turning back to the table behind him, on which sat an engraved platter with a set of unassuming china cups and a piping kettle.

"I got a note from Bowser."

On cue, his mushroom head turned, revealing a pair of tiny eyes beginning to bug out. "What?"

"'Dear Princess Peach: I'm headed your way. --Bowser.'"

"The incomparable nerve! Princess, with all due respect, when were you going to tell me this?"

"As soon as Mario finished telling me that a Koopa Troopa set off a car bomb at his house."

"Car bomb?"

"There's no reason to panic," Peach reassured. "They're all fine. Mario and Luigi killed him before he could harm Yoshi, but they found a note in the Troopa's shell that said they'll be next after Yoshi is dead. I didn't think the note was a big deal until I heard about what happened."

"I'll tell the captain of the guard to double the work shift. We need more vigilance here, should the attempted killings reach us."

Peach didn't reply. With darkening eyes, she stared at her note pinched between her fingers.

"Princess, are--are you all right?" stuttered Toadsworth. "Perhaps you need to put away that note and focus on some tea, but that is only my opinion. Something else is troubling you. I can see it."

Peach sighed after a quiet pause. "When I woke up earlier, I just felt--bad. I don't know where it came from or what it means, but it feels like something bad's about to happen. It's more than just the situation in the Koopa Kingdom."

"What do you mean?" Toadsworth asked simply, though not without a tone of anxiety. "Does it have to do with when Princess Shroob kidnapped you? It was only a month ago, and--"

"No. It's--It's something else. It has to do with Bowser--at least, that's who I see in my dreams."

"In your dreams?"

"What's strange is," Peach continued, her voice faltering--"I wasn't being kidnapped in any of them. He--he was dead. He had a sword plunged through his chest. I don't know how I knew it, but--he killed himself."

"What?" murmured Toadsworth with a shudder. "But it was just a dream. It-It doesn't necessarily mean anything if it's a dream--or does it?"

She looked back at Toadsworth, her eyes clouding over. "I don't know."

There was a pause. Toadsworth stared for a moment but found no words of reply.

"I'll tell the captain of the guard to double security immediately," he repeated.

Peach thanked him as her gaze turned toward a widescreen television set. As Toadsworth's marching footsteps faded into the quiet, a dark look returned to Peach's face. The Koopa in the live feed motioned to an irregular land mass and spoke in a firm voice. As Peach listened further, the green-shelled figure on the screen swung away from view, and his deliberate voice showed a more urgent tone. The still frame showed the eastern half of the Koopa Kingdom, an amber gem streaked by cobalt mountains and emerald valleys. Peach's heart sank as the map went into motion, showing a sea of clouds swelling into a comma-shaped mass.

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CHAPTER THREE

--- History in a Box ---




> Kaufen Way, Downtown Mushroom City. _



"...You know what I have a problem with, Luigi?" said Mario, driving a groan from Yoshi. "How cheap you are!"

"Cheap?"

"You were about to park in front of a broken meter!"

"It's better than walking in the cold! If we stayed there, we wouldn't have had to pay extra if we're down here too long. It was perfect!"

"Yeah, we wouldn't have had to pay extra. We would have had to pay a ticket!"

"And we're here! Finally!" Yoshi exclaimed, his free hand grasping the handle of a plate-glass door. "The Koopa Kronicle building."

In a wink, the two brothers erupted into a brawl, jabbing fingers and raising their voices.

"Knock it off!" Yoshi squawked. "Just for the record, that was my car we had to park. I thought I had the right to park it where I wanted to!"

"Come on, Yoshi," replied Luigi, sliding his leather coat from his arms. "Why do you have to complain so much? You're bringing everybody down."

Yoshi rolled his bean-shaped eyes and let out another groan as he pulled the door open. After a glance up at the fourth story of the stucco-faced structure, Yoshi untied his cherry-colored scarf and followed Mario and Luigi down a network of hallways. Along the way, Luigi took a folded slip of paper from a wall-mounted box and unfolded the paper.

"Mario, you mind wrapping this box in your coat?" Yoshi asked. "My hands are going numb."

"Sure," he replied, taking the box in hand. "Hey, Luigi, you think you remember how to get to Malakai's office?"

"Actually, he never invited me to his office. It looks like the fastest way there is through the newsroom."

"And there's the door to the newsroom."

With a shrug, Luigi pushed on the metal bar across the door, which opened with a heavy creak.

In an instant, a roar pummeled the tranquil atmosphere. Mario and the others balked at the mass of Koopas swarming across the complex. Some held leaves of paper in their hands, others clutched cellphones, while inquiries and intermixed commands came from all and blended into a blur.

"Holy cow!" cried Yoshi.

"Offices! Offices!" Luigi shouted over the clamor. "This way!"

"No! Not into the crowds!" Mario bellowed. "We'll go along the walls!"

Yoshi whirled around and geared up to jump toward the wall as a rolling mass plowed him through. A quick gesture came into view over the Koopa's bulky green shell, and he plowed his cart of fresh newspapers around a corner and out of sight. Yoshi lifted himself off the floor and tumbled out of the swarm as he let out a warbling noise.

"Are you okay?" Mario yelped. "That was like watching a car accident!"

"Stairs!" Luigi shouted. "Stairs! This way! They'll take us to the offices!"

They scrambled toward the stairwell, their arms flailing and heaving forward. Luigi and Mario clasped their caps with their free hands, and their clogs stamped along the stone stairs. Yoshi flutter-jumped ahead and yanked open the metal door as the three tumbled through the entrance.

"Phew," Yoshi panted. "You still got the box?"

"Right here. I don't know if you saw it," said Mario--"we had three Koopas flip us off down there."

"I saw the one Koopa with the cart," said Luigi as he turned to Yoshi. "I heard him add a four-letter word just after he ran you over."

Yoshi laughed and wagged his head. "Wow. Three fingers before lunch. So, where's Malakai's office, Luigi?"

"Well, the map here shows an 'M. DiMare' in office one, and there's the door straight ahead."

"Hey, look at the sign under his nameplate!" piped Mario as he and the others strode down the hall. "'Editor-in-chief.'"

Yoshi quoted the title in a soft murmur. "Man, if he's that important, will he even be able to talk to us? Is he even here?"

"Well, on the phone, I told Luigi to just drop by," said a friendly male voice. Its source came from around the corner and showed a broad smile beneath his bulbous bill. The tall, lean Koopa separated his jet-black clogs at a confident angle, and he wore a modest suit with shaded pin stripes running down the height of his coal-colored coat. A pair of thin rectangular eyeglasses sat behind his rounded bill and magnified his lake-blue eyes.

"Hey, Malakai!" greeted Luigi, adding a hearty handshake. "Wow! Editor-in-chief! Did you just get the position?"

"Two years ago, yeah! The boss here retired and handed me the keys to this place. He said, 'I don't know who else I could hand these to, DiMare. You're the only guy I know who has the know-how and the energy to run everything.'"

"Fantastic. And what about Kylie? I thought she'd be a shoo-in someday."

"She's second-in-command without an ounce of complaints. She's one of my best friends, and I insisted she get placed high up. She deserves it. How've you been, my friend?"

"I've been great! A little harried because of work, but doing great. Oh--hey! Almost forgot. You haven't met Yoshi yet, have you?"

"Sure haven't," Malakai replied, extending his hand. "Haven't had the pleasure yet to meet you in person.

"I read your column all the time," Yoshi piped. "I'm glad that someone out there's broadcasting truth in the mass media. I read your Election Day exposé on the media's ties with political figures, showing how they work together to 'produce an illusion of greatness that hides incredible hypocrisy and corruption.' That was incredible."

"You're too kind. Mario Amadino, good to see you again. You finish the renovation at the convention center down here?"

"We sure did," said Mario, looking a bit confused. He exchanged a handshake with Malakai and added, "I'm afraid I don't remember you, though. Haven't I seen you somewhere?"

"You don't remember? I interviewed you during that plumbers' convention you guys hosted two years back."

"That's right! I knew I recognized you!"

"So, my friends, what can I do for you? What brings you to this corner of the world's hubbub?"

"We were hoping you might know some things about this," said Luigi as Yoshi brought the box into view. "This morning, a Koopa Troopa planted a bomb in Mario's van and attacked Yoshi. Totally destroyed the van and nearly killed us. We then found the box and a handwritten note inside his shell. We figured they're related to Bowser somehow."

Malakai exhaled and shook his head. "Wouldn't surprise me. I'm glad you guys are okay. Is there any idea why it happened?"

"No," replied Mario. "But we're trying to stop this before it blows up into a war."

"If there's anything I can do to help, I'm on board."

Mario nodded.

"You think you'll need to search your newspaper's archives here and find out where the box is from?" said Luigi.

"Maybe, but, uh--I recognize the craftsmanship, especially the feather shapes," Malakai murmured. "If I didn't know any better, I'd--ah. Here we go." He smirked and tapped a finger along an engraved word on the side. "There it is. 'Marzenai.'"

"Who?"

"The box belongs to someone in a major line of Koopa kings. The Marzenai line ended when Bowser took over the throne."

"The name sounds familiar," said Yoshi in thought.

"It should," agreed Malakai. "Until Bowser took control, the Marzenai line was the most powerful and influential line. It stretches back hundreds of years--maybe even a few thousand. The establishment of English as a valid Koopa language, all the military strategies they've consolidated--even the Koopa Code they use as their most powerful constitution--all of that is thanks to them. The last monarch in the line was King Josiah II, who ruled before Bowser came on the scene. A lot of people don't know this, but Bowser is actually from that royal line, but on the less powerful Koopa half. Josiah was his uncle on his mother's side. And even though Bowser had a weaker connection to the throne, he overpowered everyone within that family circle. He took the throne without even lifting a finger. No one was able to counter that claim."

"Except his uncle," said Luigi.

"No. Not even his uncle. He was killed by a terrorist named Mazarek. But justice was done after that. Mazarek was assassinated by one of his own men in a failed attack in the Koopa Kingdom," Malakai replied. "So, did you guys check inside the box?"

After a pause, Mario raised his eyebrows. "No."

"I tried prying it open on the way here, but it's stuck," added Yoshi.

"Let me see if I can get it," said Malakai, fetching a pocket knife. The tapered edge fit snugly between the lid and the box. A jerk of the lever forced a strained creak from the tarnished metal, but when Malakai nudged the opener beneath the clamp, the thin lid lifted open with a rusty squeak.

On cue, Mario and Luigi and Yoshi huddled around the box and murmured about the contents. Inside lay a musty leather-bound volume titled in the flowing letters of a language from ages past. A faded photograph sat underneath the book, and Malakai picked the photo up and held it in view.

"Look at the two Koopas," said Mario. "One of them's like a nicer version of Bowser."

"Yeah, and he's married," added Luigi. "Who are these people, Malakai?"

"I wasn't sure until I saw the background just now, but they're Bowser's mother and father. This was their tenth wedding anniversary, the same year they gave birth to Bowser. You see the castle's bricks and statues?"

"Yeah," said Luigi, still staring at the Koopas in the foreground. "Wow, they look really happy."

"If they ever were happy, it didn't last long. The same night as their eleventh wedding anniversary, they drove out into a rainy night to finalize their divorce. Along the way, a drunk driver sideswiped their car, slamming them off the road and into a telephone pole. Their remains were found inside the car's torched shell a week later."

"How horrible," said Luigi. He slid his cap off and held it by his side. With his other hand, he passed the book and the picture back to Malakai.

"You wonder if he even knows about it," said Mario.

Luigi's eyes lit up. "What if we could tell him? That would really break him down!"

Mario paused, his eyebrows rising. "You really want to return this to him?" he asked with a tone of disbelief.

"Think about it! What if you lived all your life without any family, without even knowing what they looked like, and you had the chance to see something like this, and the person who had it decided to keep it for themselves?"

"Listen to me, Luigi. Bowser is threatening the princess and the three of us! We can't back down--not with what happened this morning! And that's nothing compared to what Peach has gone through over the years! Come on, Luigi. You've had that look on your face ever since we left the house two hours ago! What are you thinking? We just hand this to Bowser and try and offer him a chance at peace?"

His face as solid as granite, Luigi closed the box and delivered a simple response.

"Yes."

Mario's eyebrows rose higher in amazement.

"We all want the same thing, Mario. We don't want Bowser coming after us anymore. But I hear God saying that war is not an option. In fact, I'm starting to wonder if He's been telling us that this whole time."

"I'm not going to meet him just to make peace with him. It has never worked. People like this don't respond to peace!"

"And what if God's telling us to do this?"

"I'm sure He is! I'm sure He's just telling us to waste our time dragging our carcasses over to the Koopa Kingdom and get down on our knees and beg Bowser to leave Peach alone! Oh! Maybe it's not God. Maybe it's you just wanting to get out of another fight!"

As Mario turned away and reached for his cellphone, Yoshi turned to a silent Luigi. They watched as Mario lifted his cellphone to his left earlobe and huffed, "Yes, I'll hold for the princess."

"Wow," Yoshi breathed. "Does Mario always talk to you like that?"

Luigi shrugged. "Nah. He's always been kinda angry. You know him all your life and you just get used to it."

"Was there anything else I can help you guys with?" Malakai asked after a pause.

"No," Yoshi groaned, looking at Mario with a glare of distaste. "Except--there was some writing the Troopa had on his wrist. It was--'HDA 2289.' Any idea what it is?"

"'HDA,'" Malakai echoed. "High Desert Airlines? A flight numbered 2289?"

Yoshi's mouth fell open beneath his globe-shaped nose. "That's it! It makes sense. HDA flights have to land in the Koopa Kingdom!"

"The perfect way for the Koopa Troopa to get out of the country!" said Luigi.

"Luigi, you need to call the airline. See if the flight's already left McCaskill International."

"I'm way ahead of you! I'm on hold right now!" Luigi let out energized breaths as his free hand clenched into a fist. "Yes, has Flight 2289 left the airport yet?--Which? It's High Desert Airlines--What? That's great! Thank you! We've got three and a half hours before the plane leaves for a place called Sidian'Kappa!"

Mario hung up his phone and shook his head. "You got lucky. Peach's placing this as a priority. Flight 2289 to Sidian'Kappa it is."

"Yoshi!" said Yoshi.

[Grace]

John, you'd better never let anyone discourage you!
I have spent thousands of $$ on books, especially during my years as a homeschooling mom....and I'm telling you, your SMB books will have a place in schools and libraries. One target audience that I immediately thought of are boys making the transition into upper intermediate level chapter books. There is a need for these kind of stories....I know of quite a few, and have tutored some, kids who don't read fiction for pleasure. I'm serious....I see your SMB series as being a set that will be read by kids after they go through Captain Underpants, Hank the Cowdog, and Trailblazer books, etc....and getting them ready for the vocabulary/comprehension level of Redwall and Henty, etc.
Lots of colorful illustrations will be a big plus....and you can smile as the royalties keep adding up.

[John Jude Farragut]

Again, thank you very much for your encouragement.

I have to admit I have dreamed about this story being on the shelves of Christian bookstores. The challenges would be really difficult, though. It wouldn't be easy (or inexpensive) persuading Nintendo to let me use their rights to make a Christian story based on their their hottest-selling video game saga. And Japan is not even a Christian empire; less than 3% of their people claim to be Christian. But you never know; God can do all things, and even if this doesn't turn out to be an outlet for publishing, I've got Star Fox literature that might have a better chance and appeal to the teen crowd.

> John