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| Conversation on a Sand Dune |
Conversation on a Sand Dune
Ben, listen, you must take the boy. I don't want this; you know I've never wanted him in the first place. 'twas Beru who fell for his big blue eyes. Women are like that, she's always been softhearted. And she needed something to occupy her mind or she'd have gone crazy on this dustball.
But you and I know whose son he is. A baby, or a two year old, fine... Ben, this is not the same situation anymore. The boy is nine! I can't keep him out of school any longer. I've used up all my options. First, I had him miss a year saying he was too immature. Then we said Beru was sick and we needed the kid to help her. Last week the district sent some woman out to us. Coming harvest day they expect him at school.
Ok, I said, let him go. Beru can drive him to Anchorhead. I'll miss him though; little as he is he's used to helping me out. I told you I'm not going to raise him as an Alderaani prince, wouldn't even know how. Better for him to grow up as an honest working man, believe me.
Anyways, I said he can go to school. That was - let's see - the Firstday of last week. Come Fourthday I told Beru to take the boy to the store and buy him some boots. School is expensive, you know. I'm not saying this to ask for money, Ben, honest. Well, as I said, Beru went as far as Mos Alamin to that store there, to buy boots, and when she came back I could see on her face that something was wrong. So I ask her, 'what's the matter?'. I thought the boy gave her some trouble an' I was ready to give it to him...an' don't look at me like that,Ben; 'cause you and I both know that he needs a good whipping once in awhile. Don't worry, he won't break.
Anyways, so I ask Beru what's wrong, and she just sends the boy out to play and tells me that-at the store in Mos Alamin- the boy saw some toys. He started to whine that he wants a Skyhopper model. Well, Beru usually give in to him-she even feeds him behind my back, gives him sweets, which is wrong for any kid-so he thought she'd buy him that model and he kept asking for it. She said no. Anyhow, she didn't have the money to buy anything else but the boots; and so she goes on over to where they sell the footwear and starts talking to the salesbeing.
All of a sudden she turns, and the boy is there with the Skyhopper model in his hand; grinning like a nerf in the grass. Beru just whispered to him, like: 'where did you get that?', and the boy says- listen hard,Ben, he says: 'Auntie, it came to me.' Beru almost fainted then and there.
Do you know what this means? Do you? The little Sith bastard just called that starforsaken toy to himself! He just wished for it, and it came to him! Ben, can you imagine if anyone had been looking at him just then and saw it! Where would we all be now? Mining spice on Kessel? Ben, he was using the Force, in the middle of as store! You want me to send him to school? You want me to let people see what he can do? What's next? Levitating the friggin' schoolbooks?! Beru was scared out of her wits; didn't know what to do. She didn't dare give back the damn toy or anything. She was out of that store in a second and came right home and told me.
Well, I didn't know what to do either. I gave the kid a beating for stealing that junk. Stealing you understand! I didnt dare tell him what he'd really done. I'll be the last person to talk to him about his Force-gift, as you call it. Some gift! As far as I know you're the only one left alive; the others have all been killed thanks to that gift.
If you at all value the life of your Alderaani princeling, take himaway from us now! I've done a lot of thinking,Ben; and I can't keep him any longer. I can't send him to school. I'm risking Beru's life, mine and his. Take him away. Or do something, for starssake, 'cause if I catch that kid doing anything Jedi one more time, there's no telling what I'm gonna do to him. Can you block his ability maybe?
Yes? Oh, that's wonderful! We could go right now. You should've done this a long time ago. You mean he's gonna be just an ordinary kid? Well then, I don't mind letting him go to school. Why, he can stay on the farm for the rest of his life. Come to think of it, he's quite helpful. Not such a bad boy and, well, with the expenses of the school - and Beru driving him back and forth daily from now on, and the price of fuel and such - maybe we could use a few extra credits. But let's not waste any more time. Let's go.
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