Dilan slipped out the door and shifted the backpack on her shoulder. She glanced around to make sure that nobody had awoken from the door opening. Good, she thought. I've got a few hours to get the hell out of here. She pressed the button down on the door's handle so the lock wouldn't make the clicking noise as she closed it. Dilan pulled the hood of her jacket over her face and started walking down the street, anywhere away from the place she'd once called home. She glanced at the docks, where she had often seen a little boat bring food and cloth from some island, unknown to her, somewhere in the middle of the ocean. Perfect, Dilan thought, grinning. The sun was just beginning to rise and the docks were clear of any soul, so she ran over to the boat, ducking behind a tower of boxes when she heard a scuffle come from one of the alleys. When she peeked over the top of the boxes, there was an older man struggling to lift some boxes and crates onto the little dock of the ship. There's no way I can sneak onboard now…maybe I can buy a ticket somewhere, Dilan mused, inching towards the edges of the stack. She peeked over it again, taking another good look at the captain of the boat. He looked tired, but there were no suspicious bulges in his coat as if he were carrying a weapon. Dilan took a deep breath and emerged from behind the stack of boxes.
"Excuse me," she cleared her throat and held up her hands as the captain whipped around to stare at her. "Where does this boat go?"
"This here boat goes to Castanet Island, ma'am," the captain responded with a smile, which strained as he bent over to pick up another box. "Everything that gets on gets left at Harmonica Town." Dilan grinned; a small island in the middle of nowhere that only has a one-way trip? It was exactly what she was looking for.
"How much would a young lady need to pay in order to get to Castanet Island?" Dilan asked, following the man to the edge of the boat.
"Look here, little lady," the captain set the box down on the dock with a slam and turned to face Dilan, panting a bit. "The good people of Castanet don't deal with currency like yours. I don't take people from the mainland out there. The people are hardworking and close-knit; nobody has moved there in years."
"Please, sir," Dilan could hear the blood rushing in her ears. "I have to get away from here. I won't bother anyone there. I promise, I just need a new beginning."
"I'm sorry, ma'am," the captain shook his head and looked at Dilan, his smile fading. "I-"
"I know you'll say no," Dilan interrupted, clenching her fists. "But I have to get on that boat. I promise I'm not in any trouble with the law and I'm not going to cause any trouble on your island. I just need to get away for a little bit."
"I suppose if it's only for a short while," the captain rubbed his neck awkwardly, giving Dilan a once-over. "I know the mayor has a farm for sale, so I suppose you could stay there."
"Oh, thank you! Thank you so much!" Dilan cried, throwing her arms around the captain. "Thank you!"
"All right, all right," the captain chuckled and broke out of the impromptu hug. "You can put your stuff on the deck. You can call me Pascal. What'd you say your name was?"
"I'm…Angela," Dilan replied, throwing her backpack and her duffel bag on the deck of the boat. "Let me help you with those!" She started stacking boxes on top of each other and carrying them over to the deck.
"Why, thank you, Angela," Pascal grinned and surveyed the small dock. "I think that's all we need for this season. We'll be off now, if you're ready."
"I'm ready," Dilan replied, standing by the prow of the boat and smelling the sea air. As the boat began to slowly cut through the water, Dilan looked to the left and could see the sun just barely winking at her through the puffy clouds, sending flashes of light all across the ocean waves. Castanet Island, here I come! she thought, grinning.
"So this is Harmonica Town?" Dilan looked at the small collection of brightly painted buildings.
"Yeah," Pascal grinned at her wide eyes. "It's pretty small compared to the mainland, huh?"
"This is perfect!" Dilan beamed. "Where should we put all of these crates?"
"We can put these crates in Ozzie's Fish Shop," Pascal grunted, lifting two stacked on top of each other. "I'll have Owen and Gill come down here and distribute these to the shops that need them."
"Okay," Dilan hefted two more crates, wondering who Owen and Gill were. She followed Pascal to a small blue building that had a brightly painted fish on a sign that hung over the door. A little bell tinkled Pascal nudged the door open with his foot and Dilan set foot into the tidiest place she'd seen. There were displays of fish, but they were all so neatly labeled and straight that she found it hard to believe they weren't plastic. Nets dangled overhead, which made Dilan giggle and duck her head. Behind the desk stood a very tanned man whose eyes were squinted under a wide-brimmed straw hat.
"A new shipment, Pascal?" the man had the widest smile Dilan had ever seen.
"Yes, Ozzie," Pascal set the boxes on the floor of the shop with a thump and grasped Ollie's hand. "It's nice to be back on the island."
"Thanks for the supplies," Ozzie nodded enthusiastically. "Winter was a bit harsh this year, so you'll be causing a lot of smiles. I'll help carry the rest of—oh, who's this?" Ozzie had caught sight of Dilan as he'd turned around to go out the door.
"My name is Angela," Dilan replied, and after setting her boxes on the floor, she shook Ozzie's hand. "I'm interested in the farm that the mayor is selling."
"Excellent, excellent!" Ozzie laughed, pumping Dilan's hand up and down rigorously. "I've been saying that we need a new farmer around here! Off to Hamilton with you!" Ozzie practically pushed Dilan out the door, following her with Pascal trailing behind.
"Um, where's Hamilton?" Dilan replied meekly.
"Mayor Hamilton's building is that yellow one right by the bulletin board," Pascal replied, pointing Dilan towards a bright building that seemed in desperate need of a paint job. "He'll get you set up on your farm and everything."
"And before you go, have this!" Ozzie dumped a few fish into Dilan's hands, grinning widely. "Welcome to Harmonica Town! Come visit the shop after you've settled in for a few days!"
"Thank you both so much," Dilan smiled, touched by the kindness that these men had shown her already. "I'll see you as soon as I'm settled in." She grabbed her bags out of the boat and turned to examine the pathway that led to the Mayor's building. The roads through town seemed to be made of stone, and Dilan noticed that she was the only one walking around, her shoes making a lonely thmp on the pathways. The town appeared to be several years behind the technology that the city that Dilan was from had the privilege of giving its' citizens. Dilan came upon the bulletin board that stood beside the Mayor's building and took a quick glance at it. It was covered with faded, weather-beaten papers announcing the opening of a bar and a new general store. The more recent-looking papers announced festivals and a circus on days that had passed within the last month, Dilan figured. She shrugged, looking past the bulletin board and at the door that the mayor apparently could be found behind. She drew a deep breath, closing her eyes and steeling herself. This was what would begin her new life, and she could feel the years in the city fall away from her. And Dilan opened the door with an eagerness that she hadn't felt for years.
Author's Note:
Thanks for checking out this little tale! Chase is definitely my favorite bachelor from the HM series and I'm super excited to actually be following the storyline of Harvest Moon: Animal Parade. No, Finn is not with Dilan when she first comes to the island, but don't worry, he'll bring the action with him! There are going to be quite a few boring chapters in the beginning just so I can get everything into Dilan's head, even though you all know what Harmonica Town looks like and such. But I hope that this will be a fun mystery story for us all! I don't plan on revealing Dilan's motives for moving to Castanet until quite a bit later, but I did want to explain that I don't want Hamilton to be a bad guy, or creepy. I hope to make this little world perfect and happy so that all of my plans can unfold correctly. If you're interested in more Harvest Moon (specifically Chase) I have another fanfiction that will be updated as soon as I get the file back! Thank you for reading and please review! :)