Five days after the end of Marble Rally Season 6, one marble remained close to the course, camping out in the same thick grass they had nestled into when the six championship contenders had gathered at the bottom of Dopersduin Bregtdorp for a landscape portrait. Given the excitement around the final race, the striped celebrity understood all too well why they hadn’t been found before or after the event, even as the fans and press swarmed the finish line with excitement. Although they had briefly left their position to wave next to the speed boost, Roldo had quickly been spotted and returned to their original, undiscovered, hiding spot by the start of the race.
Quietly opening their knapsack, Roldo sipped their water and nibbled on an energy bar, one of many that they kept stocked in the densely packed bag. With enough rations to last nearly a month, no marble was better prepared for their duty than Roldo: given a general hiding area, remain in a specific spot until discovered. Officials working with JMR swore themselves to secrecy regarding their exact process, disclosing that they could not communicate with Roldo once they were “lost,” until they were “found.”
This time, Roldo was permitted two simultaneous objectives: one for “The Best Racer” illustration and one for the final race. With one objective completed, Roldo remained dedicated to the other for as long as it would take.
In times like these, Roldo often remembered past press interviews they had done with fans, reassessing questions and answers as their career progressed over the years. One interviewer, ScoopBoy, had asked Roldo, “Have any fans ever harassed you for being lucky?”
“Not at all!” Roldo had responded. “That was one of my biggest worries when coming into this position, but I should have known better. The Marble League and all other marble events have the best fans around and all anybody has ever done is congratulate me. It is extremely humbling and I hope to be an inspiration to other fans, showing that anyone can become famous!”
Roldo smiled. Memories like this were the best reminders of how lucky Roldo was to be lost – because when they got found, there was no greater euphoria that Roldo could feel. And so, they would continue to wait for that perfect moment.
“You’re still here? It’s over,” a voice said.
Roldo jumped in excitement, swiftly turning around to greet their seeker. They were met with a sullen, expressionless marble, one donning a sharp lime-green uniform outlined with black streaks. “Why hello! It’s not often an athlete is the first to find me!”
Cobra sighed. “Not like I have much else to do. I’ve been camping out in Kleirun Pass throughout the week. Lots of snakes there. So I circled back to see if there were any in the thickets along the track.”
“Well, that’s just lovely! Now if you’ll excuse me, I have somewhere to be! Might you know when the closest plane to Rubow departs?”
“Not a clue. Sorry. Seems like you’re in a hurry. Glad I could help you out.”
But Roldo had already vanished – Cobra assumed, in the direction of Nijellen. With nowhere to be, they continued scanning along the track, scaling the hill toward the summit. Recalling a bench overlooking the view from atop, Cobra thought they would rest there, take in the view, and cook a dinner to enjoy.
It was to their surprise to find that they would not be alone when they reached the peak – none other than Roldo had made it there first. “What are you doing here?” the Marble Rally athlete asked.
“You know, I did leave at first. But I aim to support athletes like you…so…Here I am. Finding you, in need of help.”
“I don’t need help. At least, not help that I can’t give myself.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well…I’m used to fending for myself like this. I always have,” explained Cobra. “Not sure if you’ve ever been to Chi, but it’s like Lewara used to be. A village where marbles are isolated and have to be self-sustainable. Where we’re trained not to trust anyone.
So why should I trust you?”
“Because I…” Roldo trailed off, knowing they wanted to help Cobra – but was that a good enough reason for Cobra to trust them? “I…don’t know.”
“That’s right. You don’t know. And you’ll never understand how I feel. Like everyone thinks I don’t deserve to compete here, like they’re afraid of me because I refuse to open myself up to anyone, like I’m invisible. And how it’s funny because I question all of those things too. Do I deserve to compete here when I’ve never finished in the top half of any tournament? Why should anyone bother to see me as I am when I can’t even see why I’m here!”
Cobra kicked in frustration, sending grains of sand up into the air and over the view of Dopersduin Bregtdorp. Then, their voice shook as they exhaled, frowning.
“Because I know what it’s like to feel invisible.”
Cobra slowly rolled to the bench, collapsing into the seat with all of their pent-up frustration. They glared at Roldo, waiting for another punchline.
“The worst thing about feeling invisible is feeling lost like no one understands you. In all of the experiences I’ve had with fans, they seldom understand how I can be so optimistic. The truth is that I’ve trained myself to see the world through eyes of rose, even when it feels like no one sees things the same way.
The best thing about feeling invisible is that marbles will never see you coming. I’ve dedicated my entire career to the element of surprise, but that would’ve been impossible if I didn’t notice your fellow athletes doing the same. Comet’s success in the 500-Foot Race was a come-from-behind victory, one that transformed the sports landscape as we know it. By the time other athletes in that race realized it, wasn’t it too late?”
“I remember Deep Ocean wheezing behind me, wishing they hadn’t taken the lead so early,” recalled Cobra. “I was never in contention that race.”
“Aren’t you always in contention during a race? From the starting gate getting lifted to a marble crossing the finish line before you?”
Cobra shrugged. “I usually count myself out before we line up.”
“Why? Why even race, then?”
“Because I have nothing else going for me that I enjoy doing, even if I suck at it. The fact that I can qualify every year and perform – if I was a stand-up comedian and no one bought tickets, I would have to cancel all of my gigs.”
“But you only say you underperform because that’s ingrained in you. What if things were different? What if you could surprise everyone and be awesome?”
Cobra fell silent, lightly kicking the sand they had launched from the summit minutes before. “You’re the first fan I know who hasn’t given up on me.”
Roldo laughed. “I don’t know how to quit. Maybe it’s why I’m so good at this job. Perhaps too good.”
Cobra chuckled. “Well, I don’t want to rattle your busy schedule. You should get to Rubow.”
Roldo laughed again.
“Ha. I was never a comedian. That’s why I’m an athlete. If I can see that, maybe others can, too.”
“You can. And if you ever feel lost like this again, you’ll find me.”
Cobra smiled for the first time that night, thanking Roldo as they parted ways, vanishing. As Cobra relaxed on the bench, they almost thought they could see a silhouette of a marble zooming down the course below. When they looked again, a sleeping dark green cobra had coiled itself between the hairpins of Sector 1, but the chevron in Sector 2 was still spinning…
Special thanks to ScoopBoy, author of “Where’s Roldo? There’s Roldo!” released for The Rollout in 2020.
Credits
- Writer: Stynth
- Artists: Phoenix, Toffeeshop
- Photographer: Jelle’s Marble Runs
- Release: 03/10/2023
Project Marblearth 