Chapter 1
She was alone. Completely alone now. It had been years since she had felt this way, but now it really was true. She had no one, they were all gone now and that's why she had to leave. Evee contemplated these feelings as she rode along on her pony, off into the distant mountains where she had heard there was open farmland. She had no experience farming, but she was smart, she had read books all about farming and animals when she was young. The notion of growing her own food, collecting eggs and milking cows had always been appealing to her. So now that she had no one left, there was nothing keeping her in the city. She was going to live her dream.
She had packed up what few belongings she owned and moved out of the old apartment. Too many memories and too much pain. She needed to start a new life, she wanted a new beginning and the small mountain town that she was headed to promised just that. As she was mulling over these thought in her mind, she was not paying attention to her pony or the road she was traveling on. What was once a cobbled road that lead from the city and through small towns was now nothing more than a dirt path winding through thick forest. She was torn from her thoughts by this sudden realization and the ominous rustling in the underbrush. For fear of bears she urged her pony to go faster, but she was not the only one startled by the rustling and soon her mount was galloping and she had lost control. The trail was narrow and winding so after a particularly sharp turn she was thrown from the pony and into the dark underbrush.
When she came to she was aware that she was lying on the path since she felt the dirt beneath her palms and the sharp stones digging into her back, but all she saw were the blurred figures of two individuals quarreling, over what she knew not. Evee slowly sat up, her head was spinning. When the two people realize she was conscious, they stopped their bickering and helped her to her feet. One of them was an elderly man with a kind face and a quick smile that seemed genuine. The other was a middle-aged woman with sharp stern features. After making sure she was okay, they each introduced themselves. The elderly man was called Rutger and it turned out he was the mayor of a small mountain town called Bluebell, in which the residents specialized in animals and animal products. While the sharp looking woman was called Ina and she was also a mayor of a mountain village, but hers was called Konohana and they specialized in growing crops. After learning about her desire to become a farmer, each offered her a place in their village. It seemed rather coincidental that each town had an abandoned farm on its outskirts…
After much contemplation, Evee decided that Bluebell was the town for her. She was always fond on animals and Rutger seemed like a much nice mayor than Ina. After her decision, Rutger gave her a warm smile, but Ina still made it clear that if she changed her mind she could move to Konohana at the end of any season. Rutger then bade Evee to follow him and then soon started walking down the mountain towards Bluebell village. As they walked, Rutger spoke:
"Hmm, Evee since you will be living in Bluebell, you should probably wear clothes that are more commonly seen. You don't want to look like an outsider do you?"
Evee had not thought of this, though now it didn't seem to matter. She had lost all of her clothes when her pony threw her and ran off and as she looked down she noted that what was once her favorite dress was now just a dirt-stained tattered mess. Though she was unscathed from her fall, it seems her outfit was not so fortunate. After seeing Evee's dismayed expression, Rutger gave her another warm smile.
"Don't worry, here, you can wear these. "
Rutger handed her a small package. Evee opened it to find an adorable red and yellow dress with apron and bandana, it looked European in style.
"I believe they are still in style and most importantly they are clean. You won't look a mess when I introduce you to everybody!"
This thought startled Evee, she was going to have to meet a whole village of people today. Evee was not a people person. Granted she had had a few close friends growing up, but as they got older everyone had moved away. It had been sometime since she had had to meet new people and try to make friends. She wasn't sure if she could remember how…
As these thoughts were going through her head, she failed to notice that they had reached the village outskirts and that Rutger had taken hold of her arm and was steering her down a small path. When Evee looked up, she was astonished to find that they were on a small run down farm. It had a small barn with pasture and a cute little chicken coop that had a little fenced in area so that the chickens could go out during the day time. As for places that looked promising for planting crops, Evee couldn't spot any areas that seemed suitable. This may be a problem. But her and Rutger were not alone on the farm. A short plump woman was standing next to the cottage door.
"Hello Jessica!"
"Hello Rutger, and who might this be? A new farmer?"
"Yes exactly! She has come looking for a new life as a farmer and I offered up this abandoned one. I know you had were considering it for your son, but I thought we should try to get some new blood into this village!"
After this Rutger went over to Jessica and whispered something in her ear that sounded an awful lot like,
"And who knows, he might end up on this farm anyway."
After this Rutger introduced Evee to Jessica and they both began showing the greenhorn around her new farm. To her surprise, Jessica and Rutger were even nice enough to give her house warming gifts. A cow which she named Milky, and a chicken which she named Clucky. Once Evee had been introduced to her new farm and her first animals it almost seemed as though Rutger was going to leave her to it. He began walking down the farm path with Jessica, deep in conversation with the rancher when it became obvious that he had briefly forgot about Evee and then suddenly realized his mistake. Rutger came jogging back up the path with a wide grin on his face.
"Sorry Evee! I almost forgot about you. Come on! You need to meet the village!"
Evee attempted to protest, but Rutger had a tight hold on her upper arm and she was wheeled away from her cottage and back down the farm path towards the village.
As the three of them walked, Jessica began talking about her store and how if Evee ever needed anything for her new farm animals or even if she wanted more farm animals, she should come there and they would take care of any of her needs.
It wasn't until late that night that Evee finally managed to make it to bed. She had met the entire village. Rutger had done all the introducing and the most Evee was able to say to any one was a murmured 'hello..'. Everyone seemed nice enough, but that Georgia girl seemed a little snobbish. Evee recalled that when Rutger introduced her to Georgia and they shook hands it seemed that Georgia was making a good attempt at crushing her hand. Perhaps the girl didn't know her own strength, but then again it also seemed as though Georgia was glaring at her for the rest of the visit. Evee wished she knew what she had done to upset her; she didn't want to have any enemies in the village she planned on living in for the rest of her life.
Despite the sourness displayed by Georgia, everyone else in the village was friendly and very welcoming. At the end of the tour, Rutger brought Evee back to her farm. During the walk, Evee had been relieved that she now knew everyone and wouldn't have to suffer through another introduction. Of course, that relief didn't last long.
"Well, Evee, I hope you grow fond of everyone in this village. I managed to introduce you to most of the villagers and I believe they will all be very welcoming. If you need anything, I live above the town hall and you can come and ask me anything."
"Rutger…"
"Yes, Evee?"
"What did you mean when you said that you managed to introduce me to 'most' of the villagers?"
"Oh, yes, I almost forgot. There is a young lad named Cam who lives with Howard and Laney at the Café. He goes off somewhere on Mondays. No one is sure where he goes, but there you have it. I'm sure you will meet him tomorrow. He's nice enough I suppose. Perhaps a little quiet, he's not adept at expressing himself, but I'm sure you will get along with him splendidly! Good night, Evee!"
"…Good night, Rutger…"
Evee entered her cottage then, it was the first time she had seen the inside. It wasn't large, but it was plenty big for her. The air was a little stale, as though no one had lived there in some time.
It was a lonesome feeling that Evee felt at that point. She sat down on the bed and pondered the new life that she was to lead. She had come to this village with no money and not knowing a single soul, yet almost all of them accepted her today. They all had smiled and welcomed her. They had even gotten her started on her farm by giving her a cow and a chicken. Such kindness and hospitality was never seen in the city. Though she may feel lonely at this point, she was optimistic that it wouldn't last.
Evee got into bed and the last thought on her mind was that of the mysterious Cam that Rutger had mentioned.
"Who is this Cam guy, and where does he go on Mondays? Will he be friendly toward me like Ash or will he try to hurt me like Georgia? I hope he's cute…"
