The Legend of Mana: A Thousand Dreams
Part One: A Cactus’ Dream
by Julius Caesar

I live in a Home, and the Mailbox is just outside. My master, Zigmand, and Mistress, Kumash, are very kind people, and it is in their story (or maybe it’s their dreams???) that my story begins. Zigmand awoke from a bad dream…

“Are you alright?” Kumash called from the other bedroom in their tree house.
“Um…yeah” Zigmand called back. “It was just…a…nothing, it was nothing. He went back to sleep for a couple more hours.
When Zigmand got up, Kumash had already begun cooking breakfast; scrambled eggs and bacon.
“What’s the agenda for today?” Zigmand asked.
“Well, I’m going into Denderidge to look for a Husband until lunch. You will be working on the Orchard until I get back.”
“Alright. Please, try to steer clear of Nisaru…that merchant may be a turtle, but he still manages to swindle you.” Zigmand warned.
“Oh, Brother, I will try. I rather enjoy some of his stories though” She mused.
“Yeah, until he asks you to pay for his time…he talks so slow sometimes.” His comment made Kumash laugh.
“He is a turtle, remember. Now, have a nice morning, and if you have the time, would you mind taking Cactus out to catch a pet? He gets lonely when we’re busy all the time.” Kumash picked up her sword on her way out.
“Sure. Not a problem. Say hello to Greo in the bar for me. Bye.” And Kumash left.

Little did either of them know, but both of them would go on an adventure that day, and it would take them to unimaginable places…did I mention that I was the Cactus?

“Master, why do you pick the fruit?” I asked.
“Because, Cactus, we need to eat fruit to live. Unlike you, you only need water and a bit of soil every now and then.”
“Master?”
“Yes Cactus?”
“Could I eat one of those fruits? That one looks like socks.” I pointed to the red sock-looking fruit in the orchard.
“I like socks. (Though I can’t wear them.)”
“I suppose it wouldn’t hurt.” Zigmand tossed me a fruit. “You’ve never asked before, is something wrong?”
“I don’t know. While I was sleeping, I saw these pictures in my head, of monsters, and I saw an egg too. Are you going somewhere today?”
“Yes, and you are coming with me Cactus.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Today, we are going to catch you your very own pet. Where do you think we should go to catch one?” He looked at me.
“I couldn’t say, Master. How about you choose?” I didn’t like this idea of me choosing.
Zigmand picked a Garlicrown off the branch of our Trent. “Well, what kind of pet would you like?”
“How about a Cactus?” I liked that idea.
“How about something we can all share? How about a Chocobo?” Zigmand pulled a Boarmelon off the vine.
“A…a Chocobo? Really? For me?” I was in shock! I’d heard of chocobo’s but never of having my own as a pet!? Then it occurred to me. “Master, can Cactuses have pets?” He laughed at me.
“Cactus, of course you can have a pet. You don’t need to be Human, or a Demi-Human to own a pet. You can speak, and think on your own, I think you deserve a pet.”
“Master…” I began to cry. “I love you!!!”

We headed out to the Chocobo location that afternoon. It was in the Evermoon fields. The grass was tall and very green, and there were endless amounts of walking, or hopping, in my case.
“Master, how do we catch a Chocobo?” I asked.
“Well, normally, we’d catch an egg, and hope that there was a Chocobo inside, but Mariana, the Egg Seller, told me that this was a good place to catch wild baby Chocobo’s without having to wonder about the egg.”
We searched and searched, and Zigmand cut through tall grass with his Axe, but no signs of chocobos were upon us. Zigmand stopped to look around over the top grass, so I did the same on the bottom. Nothing on my right. Nothing to my left except that goldish- yellowy feather…oh well, my search was over.
“Master,” I picked up the feather. “All I could find was this Golden Feather. I don’t see any chocobos.”
He took it from me. “Look that way, to the left.” I looked, and there was a baby chocobo, just grazing in the grass.
“Do you want to catch it, or should I?” He asked me.
“You do it, please, I don’t know how!”
“Alright.” He pulled out some rope from his pocket, made a hoop, and jumped towards the chocobo. He got the hoop around the birds’ neck, and then sat down beside it. The chocobo instantly warmed up to him, and then I went over to it. I pet the Chocobo, making sure to keep all my needles inside, so I didn’t hurt it by accident.
“So, Cactus, what are you going to call this little guy?” He asked me.
“I was thinking…I don’t know, what would you call it?”
“Hehe, you’re so indecisive sometimes. Well, think about it for a while. But until you come up with a name, don’t call him by anything but Chocobo. Because, if you do, he will think that that is his name.”
“What if I call him chocobo?” I wondered.
“Just think about it. It’s time to go home. Here take him…” Zigmand stopped. A light had illuminated from somewhere on the right, and Zigmands attention was drawn to it. He pulled out his Axe. “Take him home. I’ll catch up with you two later.”
“Okay, Master. Have fun.” I did as I was told, and I was home in the Corral with my new pet in no time.

The Chocobo warmed up to Zigmand and Kumash’s pets very quickly too, and he almost began to illuminate himself. “I think I have a name for you…” I told him. “Lumina! Your name is Lumina!”
The chocobo made a ‘kweeeh!’ sound, as if to approve. “Lumina, you are a Dream come true!”
I stayed with Lumina until dark and wondered when Zigmand and Kumash would get home.


[Some lands, some monsters, some story, and all Produce were taken from Squares Legend of Mana. However, Zigmand, Kumash, Nisaru, Denderidge, and Evermoon are my own creations, as are Greo, and most characters in my works. This is only the first part of the story, from Cactus’ Point-of-View. There is more.]

Written by Julius
E-Mail me at mailto:green_ceaser@hotmail.com?subject=Fanfiction Mana