Every time I push the branches back, there’s more bugs, and when I try to swat the bugs, I hit more branches!
It was a good idea to talk to Snowdrift, Minty Mint thought, as whether they liked it or not, being eliminated together had tied them together. But with their luck for the week, that of course meant that Snowdrift had last been seen wandering off into the forest alone.
They tracked the white marble’s path through disturbances in the mossy soil and dense foliage until they came across a clearing amongst the thicket. Perched upon a small hump of earth shaded by a broad-branched tree was Snowdrift, dusted with the tree’s pale blossoms. They watched Minty Mint squeezing themself through a gap between the trees with quiet detachment but no objections to their sitting down a polite distance apart.
Now I’m here, what do I say? thought Minty Mint as they observed Snowdrift, but as hard or as long as they thought, little came to mind. Snowdrift had been all but a stranger to them prior to everything. They’d shared a podium in Race 61 and that was it. All of this staring probably wasn’t endearing them, either.
Perhaps taking pity on them, Snowdrift tapped Mint invitingly and asked in a soft voice, “Did you have a good time?” Which was a small mercy—but had they had a good time? That in itself was something to consider.
“I think I did,” they offered eventually, wishy-washy. “For something I didn’t even want to do in the first place, I guess I can’t complain.”
“You didn’t want to come? You always looked like you were enjoying it.”
Crap, Mint thought. “Long story,” they replied sheepishly, shuffling uneasily and making a few of the blossoms that had settled silently upon them scatter to the earth.
Snowdrift shrugged. “Neither of us have anywhere to be,” they said quietly.
“Alright… It was Fresh and Hint’s idea, really,” Mint began to explain. “It’s not that I didn’t agree, but… um, here’s where the story gets long—things haven’t been great for the team since we got relegated.”
“Sounds like a given,” offered Snowdrift softly.
“Like, as marbles. I mean, the Kobalts get along great and they’ve been relegated twice, but not us. Fresh and Flav keep arguing about whose fault it is that we’re in this situation—Fresh had me do Honeydome with no experience, but it’s Flav’s fault I had to start in 16th. And sure, I’m glad they don’t blame me, but sometimes I wish they would so they’d just stop.” Now that they’d gotten past their initial mental barrier, Mint’s words were coming out so fast they were almost incoherent. “Well, I think Hint noticed I was stressed, because they said I should go here and enjoy Kinikolu. But all our problems started with giving me big responsibilities!”
Snowdrift, who had been listening intently, nodded sympathetically. “That sounds like a lot.”
“Sorry,” they mumbled apologetically, “I know it’s all really stupid. But like you said, once I realized that Ace and Swax were here too, I started having a nice time. So I guess it’s fine.”
“Mint, can I ask you something?” asked Snowdrift.
“Uh, sure.”
“Why couldn’t you say no? To Honeydome, and to this.”
Now Mint had to think again. “I… the way Fresh is, I know they’re trying to support me, so I can’t really just do that, you know? Especially when they’re really set on something.”
Snowdrift nodded contemplatively. “This might be a weird thing to say, but I think you have the same problem I do.”
“Yeah?” Mint chirped. They’d heard rumours of discontent amongst the Snowballs, but rumours were often just that—rumours.
“Well… initially, Snowy put themself forward over me. I kept saying that my elimination race performance made me the obvious candidate, like with Uno and Gloomo and Yellah, but they wouldn’t let up. I know they still don’t think I should be able to represent the team. I know they still don’t see me as a Snowball, no matter what I do, so…” Snowdrift chuckled darkly. “In the end, I had to get Snowstorm and Snowblast to vouch for me.”
“Fresh isn’t like that at all,” protested Mint.
“Sure, but have they ever really asked you what you want?”
A wave of revelation overcame Mint. “Huh,” they mumbled. “I guess not.”
“Well, that’s the problem. Before I joined the team it was just me and Snowfall as a duo, so I thought that it was normal for a captain to act that way. But having spoken to everyone here… It’s a two-way street, isn’t it?”
Mint leaned back a little. “Sounds like you’ve thought about it a lot.”
“I know the Snowballs aren’t the greatest team, but I do want to make the best of things. And that means standing up for myself.”
Put so simply, it made sense. “Wish I could do that,” Mint sighed mournfully.
“Well, why not?” Snowdrift said, shrugging. “Snowy’s tricky, but it sounds like Fresh cares about you a lot. I’m sure if you were honest they’d understand.”
“I… yeah, maybe,” replied Mint, smiling. “But what about Snowy?”
Snowdrift laughed. “When I get home, I’m gonna get through to them one way or another. Maybe I didn’t go as far as I wanted—but I’d like to think this placement is my lucky 13th.”
Credits
- Writer: Millim
- Editor: Evolution
- Photographer: Piney
- Reference: Marble Survival 100: Races 64-70 Compilation | Jelle’s Marble Runs
- Release: 07/07/2024
Project Marblearth 