The Perfect Gift

"The greatest flower should be at the top of that mountain," said the villager.

"Thanks," I mumbled. I started up the mountain, uneasy because I was afraid of heights.

It all started when my dad said that mother's day was coming, I had no present and didn't know what to get her. I knew that she liked candles and flowers and chocolate. But I didn't have any money. So I started to walk down town, trying to find a job where I could get money. But everywhere I stopped they said that there were no openings. I went out and started home.

On my way home I overheard some people talking and they were going in the same direction as I was so I listened on, hoping to here something that might have been of use to me.

One man started talking about how his son was making his wife a card, all by himself, and the other said that his son was going to try and make waffles for her. I started to tear up, these children were doing better than me when I was fourteen and they were probably smaller than my knee, judging from the age of the men.

That's when it hit me. I would travel the world and collect the greatest mother's day gift of all time!

The only question now was; how am I going to get to the presents?

That's how I got here in Venezuela, I hitchhiked all the way down here, and had only a few weeks left until mothers day if I could get the rare Isulu flower it would be the perfect gift! That was where I was now climbing up a mountain, which was almost a mile high. The Isulu flower was near the top, they had guesstamated near 4000 feet up and I had barely gone 2000 feet up. I stopped and caught my breathe, how was I going to do this.

I started to move again when I lost my footing. I slipped and started to fall down the mountain. I couldn't move closer towards the mountain, nor could I grab hold of something, I was doomed, I heard the wind whistling past my ear, and soon my ear popped, I also heard clinking. Wait, clinking? I looked toward my belt and saw a hook, one of those hooks that your supposed to use to make sure you don't fall off. I guess that explains why I did. I unhooked it from the belt and threw it at the mountainside. It flew towards the mountain. It hit it. I kept falling. And suddenly the rope tightened, my body stopped instantly and I got whiplash.

I stayed there for a while swaying in the mountain wind. I was so relieved to be alive at the moment. I pulled on the rope and started to climb back up. I got to the site where my hook caught on it was wedged in deep in the rock. I struggled pulling it out, but finally the rock gave way. I stared at the hook; I hooked it back on to my belt. That was close.

I climbed for another hour and finally got to the supposed clearing that the Isulu flower was supposed to be. I looked around, nothing was there, it was barren and I saw sheep. No grass or anything green was growing here. I looked from left to right hoping for something to jump out at me, and then I saw in a little higher up, it was the Isulu flower, and right next to it was a ram. He bent down to try and eat it.

"NO!" I yelled.

I scrambled up to the ledge; the ram was picking the flower up. I tried to scare it away; the ram didn't even take notice to me as he ate the flower.

"No! I needed that." I said weakly.

Three hours later I was off the mountain headed towards the coast, my next stop was Africa.

After two weeks of sneaking around on a boat, I was finally in Africa. And immediately headed towards the rainforests. There I was to find the famous Choco-Choco tree, proclaimed to produce the best coco for the best chocolate.

Three days later I was in a humid forest with a cloud of biting insect attacking me. It was said that monkeys guarded the Choco-Choco tree jealously; apparently they had grown a taste for coco. I didn't care I still needed a present for mother's day, and I wasn't about to stop now because of some lice picking, tree climbing, apes. I hurried towards the supposed spot of the Choco-Choco tree.

When I got to the clearing of the Choco-Choco tree I was greeted by bananas being thrown at me and hooting. I put my hand to my face and took out the jar I had brought along for the containment of the coco beans. I tried to get past the banana throwing and tried to climb up the tree but, for some reason, I kept falling, not slipping, mind you, falling. Every time I started to climb the tree the apes stopped throwing bananas and started howling, and soon after I would fall and I had no idea why.

I decided a different plan was in order. I walked a little of the clearing and waited. The apes pounded their chests in defiance, soon they got tired and walked away, now was my chance, I rushed forward and jumped onto the tree, and hurried up the tree, until I reached the leaves. The monkeys saw the commotion and started to scream and ran towards the tree. I started to pick the beans and place them in the jar I had brought. As soon as I had enough beans I jumped down and ran away.

I ran towards the village that had given me directions to the clearing. They told me that they also could help me make the chocolate if I actually got some. They had already set up a big pot in the village when I had got there. At first I thought to all those villages in movies, they got a pot and would tie the foreigner to a stick and roast them alive. I hoped what they showed in movies was fake.

When I got to the pot the chieftain said that he had the pot prepared incase if I did have beans and I replied that I did and I showed him the jar to prove it. A spark twinkled in his eye and he said that I was the first to retrieve a coco bean from a Choco-Choco tree. I smiled and threw the beans into the pot.

After seven or so minutes they said that it was ready. I put in my finger to taste it. I put the finger in my mouth and practically threw up. It was horrible! The chocolate tasted like wood! I was furious now that out of the three things that I had set out for only one remained for my mom.

I hoped onto a private plane and hoped that it took me to America the third place where my hopeful present existed. Luckily the plane did, in fact, take me to America. After we landed I jumped off the plane and made a run for it, I didn't want to be caught by the security guards and be sent home empty handed. After several minutes I realized that I was not being followed. I slowed down and walked towards the road.

I hitchhiked all the way to Arkansas where my third and final present was to be. I was to retrieve wax from bees. I wasn't so sure if bee's wax did or did not make candles but I was too angry to care. I was upset because it was almost mother's day in a few more days it would be time, and it would take to long to get back to San Diego from here. I asked the man driving to stop and told him this would do. He wished me the best of luck and I got out of his car and ran towards the farm.

I would have to convince the bee owner that this was for a good reason. I walked up to the house next to the farm knocked on the door and a plump old lady walked out. I told her my predicament and she said that she would be delighted to get the wax for me. She invited me in and told me to feel at home while she got that wax.

About ten minutes later she returned with a jar full of wax and told me that it would take about 30 minutes to melt it down into a candle. She even offered to make it scented.

One week later I was back in San Diego and quite happy that I had a least one present for my mom. She was going to be a little ticked that I left without saying goodbye, but I left a note explaining why so she should be happy that I got at least on present. I walked up my street towards my house when a barking noise came from behind me. I looked and right behind me was dogs, big and lots of them. I turned and started to run towards my house, I know that this probably wasn't a good job to run from dogs but I had to protect my present for my mom. I ran up to my house and tried the door.

It was locked.

I started to look for another way in but it was too late, the dogs jumped on me and knocked the jar holding the candle out of my hand. Soon I was covered in dogs and I heard a smash. I started to sob.

Three minutes later the dogs went away and I rang the doorbell. I had no present for my mom and today was mother's day, some son I was. The door opened and my mom was staring right at me. She looked at me and started to cry.

"Mom, why are you crying?" I showed her that I had nothing in my hands, "Is it because I have no present?"

"No, dear, I could care less if you got me a present or not all a mother could ask for is her child to love her enough to try and make her happy. I don't care if I got a present, but I do care that my son tried hard enough to make to make me happy, and came back on mothers day, I am also happy to say that I am proud that you tried to do that for me." My mom was hugging me now and my dad appeared in the doorway, he moved forward and hugged us both.

I had learned one thing from this adventure; you don't have to have the perfect gift, because, really, you are the perfect gift. And that is all your mom really wants.