"Jovie, where are you?" a woman's voice said. "I can't see you." A tawny man with black hair walked down a cobblestone road. His features were strong, his dark brown eyes glittered in the moonlight. He passed through an archway and onto a ruined farm. "When are you coming back?" the voice said again. The man walked through the farm and up a hill into a clearing with a beautiful spring. He stood in front of the spring and a light shone up from within the water. A beautiful woman wearing shimmering silver robes rose out of it. Her hair was deep green, eyes like the crystal blue water in which she dwelt. She looked at the boy and smiled. "I'm waiting for you to come back," she said as she turned her head upwards and met Jovie's gaze.

Jovie jerked awake in a cold sweat. Her eyes adjusted to the darkness and told her she was still in her apartment. "That dream again. Always that dream," Jovie muttered to herself. Her alarm clock said it was 5:30 in the morning. "Time to get up. Dad will be here soon." Jovie went into the bathroom, disrobed to bathe, and looked at herself in the mirror. That dream had always plagued her ever since she could remember, with the same woman who bore her likeness and that boy with black hair that she had watched grow up in those dreams. It always started on that road, went through the field, and up the mountain. She had the dream only a handful of times, but it had become far more frequent—nearly once a week—in the past few months.

As she settled into the bathtub, she began to think of how she'd been feeling lately. She felt more and more restless as the days went by, like she needed to get out of the city. She'd been living there since she was a child, and had been on her own for three years. She had always been content with her life, but something lately had been making her want more. When she was done, she dried off and put her robe on. She strolled out into the living room just in time to hear the knock at the door.

"Hi, Dad!" she said when she opened it. The man in front of her smiled warmly. His soft features beamed out at her with fatherly love every time she saw him. His hair was brown, but definitely graying around the edges. He stepped in and gave her a hug.

"Hi, Jovie," he said. "I brought up your newspaper for you." As he handed it to her, he squinted a bit. "You look a little shaken. Is everything okay?"

She took the paper and sat down at the table with it. "I'm fine, I just had a weird dream last night." Her father sat down at the table and put down two cups of coffee he'd picked up on the way over. "Dad, have you ever just felt like you wanted more out of life?"

He regarded her with curiosity as he sipped his coffee. "I did at one time, then you were born. Ever since, I was happy as long as you were. Are you looking for that—a husband and a family?"

Jovie shook her head. "No, I just feel like I'm stuck in a rut. Every day, I get up, go to work, come home, go to sleep. I go through the same cycle every day with no change. I feel restless, like I need to get away."

"Like take a vacation?"

"No, like get a different job, move, something."

Her father looked a little crestfallen. "Is there something you're trying to escape?"

"No, I just need a change." She paused. "I don't have anything like you went through with Mum."

"Well, I wanted to move here to give you a better life than we could in Mineral Town. She had reluctantly agreed, but she just disappeared. No one ever saw her again and we assumed that something awful had happened and she died. After that, I just couldn't stay. But you've been the light of my life ever since."

"You're not upset that I want to move away from here?"

"No. As long as you're happy and you promise to visit, I'll support you in whatever you want to do."

She held up the newspaper. "You sure?" He looked at the want ad she pointed at. It was for a farm in Mineral Town.

"The old farm? You really want to go out there?"

"I just saw the ad and I think it would be a good change. I know I'm a mason here, but I spend most of my time doing secretarial work because no one thinks a little girl should be pounding stone. I think working with my hands is just what I need."

He smiled. He'd been thinking that she was wasted with that company. A change like that would do her some good. "If you want it, then call. I'll go with you to look at it, but I need to get back to work by next Monday."

Jovie jumped up and hugged her father. "Thank you, Dad! This is just the change I need! I'll call right now, and I'm calling work to tell them to find themselves a different secretary." She picked up the phone and dialed.

*The next day*

"So this is it?" Jovie's father said as he and his daughter looked out over the run down farm.

"This is the address . . . the ad said something about a beautiful farm that needed a caretaker," Jovie replied, scratching her head. She'd gone all out for the trip—she'd bought a backpack, new clothing suited for manual labor, and dragged her masonry tools with her. She was looking forward to breaking in her new denim overalls and her brand new workboots. But this ruined farm couldn't be the right place.

"Hi, folks!" a short, pudgy man said as he walked into the farm. He wore a red suit and a red top hat. "Here to look at the farm?"

"Well, we're here to look at a farm. This is the address from the want ad I saw in the paper, but this isn't what was described." The man looked as if he was trying to stifle a laugh.

"You came here because of the ad?" He burst out laughing. "We'd made it sound better than it actually was to get people to come, but I never thought anyone would answer it. You fell for that stupid ad? That's priceless!"

Jovie just watched him laugh for a moment, then gave him her best right hook. He staggered back, putting a hand to his face. "What was that for? Stop it!"

Jovie reeled back to take another swing when her father grabbed her by the arms. "She'll stop now," he said. "Jovie, collect your thoughts and explain. If he still laughs, then I won't hold you back. So don't laugh, Thomas."

Jovie took a deep breath. "Yes, I did believe that ad. I believed it so much that I quit my job and left my apartment to move here. So unless you'd like your face broken, I suggest you don't laugh again," she said through gritted teeth.

Thomas looked at her with pity. "You quit your job and left your home to care for the farm?" he asked. Jovie nodded slowly, still visibly angry. "I see. I am deeply sorry for the false advertising. The farm used to be so prosperous and since the previous owner died, it's fallen into ruin and the town has been without its business. So we needed someone to come in and take it over. When we hadn't gotten anyone in six months, we spruced the ad up a little to attract someone. Most others just looked and left, but you don't have that choice."

He ran his hand over his forehead and sighed deeply. "Why don't you take the farm anyway? The house is in good shape. It's definitely still livable, just a little dusty. This used to be a very prosperous and lively farm—you could definitely bring it back if you want to try."

"Thomas, can you give us a moment?" Jovie pulled her father aside. "Dad, I think I'm going to do it. I've been looking for a change anyway. There's plenty of manual labor to be had here and I would be far more in my element working with my hands instead of pushing paper at a desk."

Her father smiled at her. "Then I wish you luck. I'll call you every week to see how you're doing and I'll come visit when I can get the time off."

Jovie hugged her father. "Thank you!" She ran back over to Thomas and extended her hand. "You've got yourself a deal, Thomas!" He took her hand and beamed a smile at her.

"Great! I know you'll do a great job! I'm the mayor of Mineral Town, and I can help you with whatever you need as long as it's not manual labor. Not good at that bit—if I were, I'd be running this place! I feel awful about the ad, so you can have the farm at no charge. Just promise that you'll give it your all and bring the business back to the town again," he said.

"I will! This place will be booming in a year." She winced as she saw the bruise already blooming on his face. "And um, you may want to go get that bruise looked at."

Jovie's father bade her goodbye and started to make his way for the docks again to catch the ferry back. Instead, he continued to head north from the farm and headed for Doug's Inn. He stepped in and walked on up to the counter. The red-haired man behind it looked up.

"Can I help—Jack? Is that you?" the man said, with a smile.

"It is, it is. It's good to see you Doug."

Doug came out from around the counter and hugged Jack. "It's good to see you too. I've missed your company over the years."

"And I, yours. How have the years treated you?"

"All things considered, I think they've gone well. Ann is my life, and she's turned into a fine young woman. I think she missed the feminine influence of having a mother growing up. She's a bit of a tom boy. How's Jovie?"

"She's great! She missed the same thing as your Ann—she's a tomboy as well. She's picked up a rather independent nature as well, having to fend for herself at school and at work. Dealing with men who think you're daft all your life is tough. Hence, she doesn't take any guff, as you'll see on Thomas by tomorrow."

Doug raised an eyebrow. "I will?"

"He's going to have quite a shiner. She's got a fantastic right hook."

"Why'd she do that?"

"She answered an ad about the old farm that had been doctored up to sound a lot nicer than it is. She quit her job and her apartment to move here and she finds the farm in the state it's in."

"Oh, yeah, I can understand that. So she's going to be living on the old farm?"

"Yeah. I actually have a favor to ask. Can you keep an eye on her, make sure she's okay?"

"Of course I can. Don't worry about a thing. And you better visit! We all missed you after you left. Rod left to find a cure for Lillia, Trent's parents went off to a hospital in the city . . . you better sit down. There's a lot that's happened since you've been gone."