Story

Three gold coins. That was all. Peach counted it over and over again, but there was not much to count. Three single gold coins, and the next day was Christmas.

There was nothing that she could do except plop down on the couch and let out a long, sad sigh. How could she find something that cost only three coins that was worth giving to Mario on Christmas? There was nothing she could think of, and thus she continued to sit there, starting to sob quietly.

Mario... She and Mario had been friends and lovers for about three years now, but mere financial issues kept them from being able to go further. He worked as a humble plumber, giving as much as he earned to her as he could while keeping the rest so that he could survive. Even then, it was rough: fifty coins a job didn’t add up to much when work was slow, and even when it was split fifty-fifty, twenty-five coins was hardly something to live by. It was only by forgoing as many meals as she did that she managed to save up those three gold coins. How could she possibly let Christmas pass without giving anything to the man that had given her everything?

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Her heart skipped a beat. Mario! She quickly got up, brushed away any remaining tears and went to open the door. Sure enough, there he was, standing there in his tattered clothes, overalls worn with age. Despite all of this, he still had a smile on his face that could wipe away any sadness and gloom. He gave her a kiss on the cheek before taking off his dusty, weathered cap and bowed before her.

“Greetings, my princess,” Mario began, looking up from his bow, “mind if I come in?”

Peach let out a small giggle. He always called her his princess, regardless of the fact that they were so poor. Grabbing the ends of her tattered and torn dress, she gave him a curtsy in return and let him inside. Once in, she walked into the kitchen of her small, run-down home, discretely hid the overdue bills she had lying on the counter and walked over to the refrigerator.

“Can I get you something to drink?” she asked, “Shroom Shake? Able Juice?”

In reality, she had none of these things, but it didn’t concern her. His answer was the same every time.

“No thanks, I’m fine,” Mario declined, “I just came to see you before I head out to work.”

He walked up to her and gently caressed her face, brushing aside some of her golden locks.

“You really should have something to hold your hair back,” he suggested, “it covers up your beautiful eyes.”

Peach blushed at Mario’s compliment. If there was one possession of hers that she could take pride in, it was her hair. Long, golden, luxurious, it was something that made many women on the streets not stare disapprovingly at her well-worn clothing but look enviously at her tresses. Hanging all the way to her lower back, there was but one thing wrong with it: with nothing to pin it back, it always fell in her face, but regardless, it was something she wouldn’t trade for the world.

“I know...” Peach replied, “But with money so tight, I can’t afford luxuries like hair combs. You understand, right?”

“Of course!” Mario assured, “I was just making a statement, that’s all.”

Now, it was Peach’s turn to speak.

“Say, Mario... What time is it?”

“Time? Oh, let me check...”

Reaching into his pocket, Mario pulled out a glimmering golden watch. It was a family heirloom that was passed down from his grandfather to his father to him, and he had treasured it immensely. Its radiance shimmered whenever light was cast on it, causing virtually an entire room to be bathed in its golden glow. However, somewhere among its inheritors, the gold watch chain had been lost. Now, whenever Mario pulled it out of his pocket, he would almost always lose his grip on it and fumble around until he could claim it once again. This time was no exception, only now Peach reached out and caught it for him.

“Sorry...” Mario apologized, “I’m always a klutz with that thing.”

“You should really get a watch chain for this,” Peach advised, “I’m sure you wouldn’t have a misadventure every time you take it out if you did.”

“Yeah, and I could probably afford it if I wanted to, but if I bought one, I wouldn’t have any money left to give to you,” Mario explained, retrieving his pocket watch from Peach and opening it up, “I’d much rather spend money on you than myself.”

Looking at the minute and hour hands within, Mario nearly did a double-take.

“Momma mia! I gotta get to work!”

He quickly closed the watch, put it back in his pocket, and gave Peach another kiss on the cheek.

“I’ll be back later tonight!” Mario called out as he rushed out the door, “I’ll see you then, Peach!”

“Good bye, Mario,” Peach replied, waving meekly.

And with that, he was gone, and Peach was alone again. She went back into the living room and looked at her savings once again: three gold coins. It hadn’t miraculously changed while she wasn’t looking at it. She knew what she wanted to give him, but how could she with so little money?

Unable to stand being in her house any longer, Peach slipped on her jacket, took the three gold coins, and headed out the door.


Story by My Friend "Shmee"

Mario and Peach (C) Nintendo
"Gift of the Magi" Original Concept (C) O. Henry