Disclaimer: I hold no rights to anything, so stop bothering me please. That ten dollar was my life savings.
Author's Note: It feels so weird to be writing this, after immersing myself into the slash world. Slash is fun (when it's totally innocent), I've come to realize, but I digress. This is a one-shot fiction. I hope you enjoy it. I think this fic would comply with both HM64 and HM BTN. Fluffy as well.
The Sky's Artisan
"Am I fat?" Elli asked her full-length reflection. It wasn't an uncommon event to see her stand next the mirror and chastise her figure. She poked at the flesh visible on the torso of her plain tank top. Elli despised showing any skin at all, but the heat of the summer was practically unbearable. It was that, or going out in nothing but a bra and slip.
"Who am I kidding? Of course I'm fat." Embarrassed, Elli quickly shut her closet door, forcing her image to vanish.
All the other girls seemed to have perfect forms, it seemed. Both Karen and Popuri were slender and feminine, with near flawless features. Ann, because of her tomboy upbringing, maintained a brawny and fair-skinned exterior with all the heavy labour she partook in throughout her life. And despite Maria's meek personality, she possessed long, beautiful hair and soft, deep eyes.
Then there was Elli. Her hair was too short, and her eyes were too long; her skin was too light and her weight was too heavy. The easy accessibility of sweets was the probable cause of her disfigurement, Elli always professed.
"It will be dark," she assured herself. "Besides, no one will be there to see me anyway."
As the warm summer days settled onto the island, Elli would sneak out of her bedroom after darkness and go lie on the beach. She felt too self-conscious to do so in the daytime, so the only other option was night. Elli didn't mind, though. The stars were always more than welcome on clear nights.
"Elli, dear?" a quiet knock snapped Elli out of her secluded thoughts. "Are you there?"
"Uh, yes," Elli addressed her grandmother. "Just a moment!" She quickly slipped on her oversized nightgown to cover her clothing and opened the door.
"I think this old lady is ready for bed," Ellen smiled tiredly, referring to herself.
Elli good-naturedly eased her grandmother into bed and pulled the bedspread to her shoulders. "Are you comfortable, grandma?"
"Yes dear, thank you."
The two exchanged their goodnights before Elli turned off the ceiling light and climbed into her own bed. She waited patiently for Ellen to fall asleep before rising from her presumed slumber and tiptoeing out the door.
She first removed her nightgown, neatly folding and tucking it under her blankets. Next, she grabbed her compact flashlight from under her bed. Being careful to remain unheard, Elli slowly unlocked her bedroom door and slipped out. After sliding her feet into her Reeboks, she exited the bakery through the front door and headed for the beach.
The air that night, unlike most, was unusually pleasant and refreshing. The lightest of breezes caressed Elli's face, evoking a smile. "Summer's always the best season," she said to no one in particular.
Elli cut through the crossroads and descended toward the ocean, its authoritative waves lapping onto the crisp white sand. She took off her sneakers, tossing them back on the path and allowed her bare feet to be tickled by the tiny grains.
Step by step, she grew closer to the ocean. Its cool waters soothed her skin. Elli cupped some with her hands and brought it to her face. She let out a sigh of contentment.
Suddenly, a thunderous thump disrupted the beach's tranquility. Elli's pulse raced as she groped the sand in search of her flashlight.
"Is anyone there?" she asked the darkness with a quivering voice.
"Elli?" the perpetrator emerged from the shadows. Jack's face became apparent as he staggered into the moonlight, clutching his right knee in one arm.
"Oh, gosh," Elli choked out, desperate to catch her breath. "You scared me."
"I'm sorry," Jack stumbled to a spot beside her. "I tripped over a pair of shoes."
The mention of her cross trainers caused Elli to blush. "Oh, those are mine," she admitted timidly. "I'm so sorry about that. I didn't think anyone else was going to come here so late at night-"
"Me neither," Jack chuckled good-humouredly. "I guess that was why we were both so careless."
"I'm really sorry," continued Elli. "Are you hurt?"
"Nah," Jack shook his head dismissively. "Just a little nick or a scratch. I've had things much worse happen on a typical farm day."
"Like what?" Elli could never imagine permitting her body to be physically abused on a day-to-day basis. "What do you do on that farm?"
"Nothing out of the ordinary," replied Jack. He spread a towel out on the sand. "Just bruises or blisters. Sometimes the occasional cut. They're very common when working on a farm."
"Oh." Elli shifted in her seat uncomfortably, hugging her knees. She didn't know Jack that well, and finding topics of conversation was difficult. Worse, she even liked him a little bit. But who would like Elli, when there was a swarm of girls smarter, prettier and more interesting?
"Do you come here often?" Jack finally asked her, breaking the awkward silence.
"Oh... sometimes," Elli answered. "The sounds of the ocean, the stars and the moon; I just like to sit out here and just enjoy the peace."
"Me too."
"Really?" Elli furrowed her eyebrows in doubt. "I never see you though."
"I usually stick to star-gazing on my own property. But today, I decided to try the beach. So far it hasn't worked out so well," said Jack with a light chuckle, pointing to the bruise on his leg.
Elli's face burned with embarrassment. She knew Jack didn't think much of that incident, but Elli had a habit of blowing things out of proportion. "I'm really sorry about that. I promise to be more careful from now on."
"Don't worry about it," Jack insisted, almost forcefully. "It's not a big deal. I just hope you don't mind my company here." He rested his head on his towel and fixated his eyes on the stars.
That was something Elli was unsure of. She did want to learn more about this intriguing city kid that suddenly decided to abandon his life to take over his grandfather's farm, but in more of a casual encounter.
"You're not bothering me," she decided finally.
"Okay. Good." He patted a spot on the towel next to him. "Care to join me? It'll keep your hair clean."
Elli did so, tentatively. She laid flat on her back, and self-consciously put her hand on her stomach to conceal it while trying to force her breath to come out evenly.
"Look," Jack whispered, outlining a cluster of stars with his finger. "There's The Big Dipper. They're the ones that look like a scoop. See it?"
"I see it," Elli responded, quite impressed. "Do you know a lot about this kind of stuff?"
Jack snorted. "Not really. I started reading a book about astronomy yesterday."
Elli giggled, feeling the uneasiness of the unfamiliarity between them begin to lift. "At least you sound smart."
"That's all I am," Jack said with a smirk. "All good looks, but no brain." He knocked on the side of his head to emphasize his point.
"At least you're smart enough to realize that," Elli countered playfully.
"I know I'm smart enough to know that I like you," said Jack lightly.
For a moment, Elli could have sworn she saw a star appear out of oblivion, sparkle a luminous shade of gold, then vanish. She disregarded this and focused her attention to Jack's comment. The happy grin on Elli's face was suddenly wiped clean. "W...what? You do?"
"Wow," Jack laughed nervously. Even the darkness was not enough to mask his deep blush. "Maybe that came out way too soon. I guess I'm not smart enough to have better timing."
The whole situation made Elli uncomfortable. Though in unfamiliar territory she had to know, "Why do you like me?" Elli continued before Jack had the chance to respond, allowing her low sense of confidence dictate everything she said. "All the other girls are prettier, and younger, and thin-" Elli stopped and brought her voice to a murmur. "Why do you like me?"
"Because you're different than the other girls," Jack tried to reason.
"But the other girls-"
"I don't care about the other girls. I..." Jack's face was reddening further. "I care about you." He immediately winced at the inferiority of his choices of words. They were more cliché than he would have desired.
However, Elli was unfazed. She still had one grasp of hope before ultimately succumbing to the charms and grace of one Jack Jones. "...Don't you think I'm too fat?"
The answer was plain, yet perfect. "No, I think you're beautiful."
She had only ever heard her grandmother tell her that. Even then, Elli continued to carry her self-doubts. But Jack's assurance wiped out any lingering uncertainties. For the first time, Elli felt worthy. "You really do like me?"
"You can bet your stars on it."
It evoked a smile on both faces. Elli felt a strange, pleasant sensation, one she had never felt before. A sensation, she knew, that was only summoned when one appreciated the power preceived by true love.
Jack put an arm over her shoulder. "Do you want to hear what else I remember from that astronomy book?" He gestured upwards to the night sky.
Elli giggled and rested her head on his own shoulder. "Sure."
Jack pointed to a constellation, and the stars involved shone with a deeper intensity. Unbeknown to Elli, they smiled back down at the two figures on the beach. The astral bodies had successfully completed their task.
The End
Author's Note: Did you guys know there is a new Harvest Moon game for GameCube! I certainly didn't until just recently! Maybe I should buy it, but I hardly play GameCube anymore. I hope the story didn't come out too forced. Thank you for reading it, and please review.