Chapter One

Dear Jack,

I'm afraid my time is drawing closer. It is my time to leave this world, and the little village of Flower Bud. It is my dying wish that you take residence on the family farm and provide vegetables and beautiful flowers for the people of this village, as I have been unable to do so for many years now.

Yours Always,

Grandpa

I folded the simple letter and put it back in the envelope. It was a letter I got in the mail a few months ago. Grandpa had died a few days after I got it, and it was obvious what I had to do – Ask Dad.

He suggested I stay in the city and make a career as a doctor, but I've always loved the family farm. My summers spent there still hold a big place in my heart. Growing up, I always imagined myself raising cows and sheep and growing many vegetables.

So I decided to drop out of medical school and move to the village of Flower Bud to make a new, simple life for myself. Dad even said he'd come and visit me after a while, to see how I was doing. I also promised to write him.

Soon, I looked up and saw a shoreline from my seat on the ferry. It was a beach with a dock. Sitting on the edge of the dock was a girl with long brown hair. She had many striking features about her; her honey-gold bangs, her vivid green eyes, and her tan skin. She was definitely an outdoors girl. Before we reached land, she stood up from the dock and walked along a path that lead to the beach, set in mountains. She had disappeared.

When the ferry finally docked, a short man in a red suit and red top hat, and a larger man, greeted the captain. They shared a laugh while I tugged my trunk down the narrow aisle. After a few minutes, I walked onto the dock, toward the short man and the captain.

"Here he is, Mayor," was all the captain said with a husk voice.

"Ah, so you're Jack, I presume?" the short man, who was apparently Mayor of Flower Bud, asked. Before I answered, I studied this man closely. He had a large pink nose and a brown mustache hiding beneath it. Starting from the back of his head was wavy brown hair, which made me assume he was bald under that red top hat of his. Sitting on top of his nose were a tiny pair of glasses.

I took a quick moment to check out the larger, quiet man beside the Mayor. He had dark skin and jet black hair. He was almost intimidating, standing with this muscle-filled arms crossed over his chest.

"Yes, I'm Jack. I'm here to run the farm," I finally answered after what felt like moments of silence.

"Ah, of course, of course. I'm terribly sorry to hear about your grandfather. I heard he just got too old to work the farm." Yeah, that was supposed to make me feel better.

Then, the little man jumped, as if he was bit by a bug. "Oh, goodness me, I forgot to introduce myself! I'm the Mayor of Flower Bud Village. My name is Theodore." He reached out to shake my hand. "It's a small village, as you may remember, but there are lots of exciting things to do and people to meet. So, if we shall, let's go to your new farm. Zack here—" he motioned to the large man—"will get your trunk and follow us."

And with that, we walked up the same path the girl did. It may have been my imagination, but I could smell wine. I just shrugged it off and followed the small man in front of me.

It wasn't a long walk from the beach to my farm. When we arrived, I looked around. There was the same small wooden house Grandpa lived in. It looked like it had a kitchen built along the side. It was nice to see he finally learned how to work a stove.

There were stables for horses, cows and sheep, and a coop for chickens. There was also the familiar tree by the pond that I used to climb as a child. It looked a lot bigger back then.

In front of the stables and chicken house was a large field, perfect for tilling and planting seeds. It was entirely covered with huge boulders, smaller rocks, weeds and tree trunks. My skin turned ghost white at the thought of having to clean up years of damage.

"Yes, it's gotten quite out of control since the last time your grandfather used it. It will take a while to clean up, but I'm sure you can do it," Theodore said encouragingly. "Well, it's almost dusk…Time for me to be heading home to the wife and daughter. It was very nice to meet you, Jack, and I hope to soon see you around the village!" He turned and walked toward the entrance to the farm.

I looked over and noticed Zack leaving my house. He smiled to me, the first real look of emotion I'd gotten from the guy, and walked over.

"Sorry I was so quiet. I was just thinking. Anyway, my job in the village is to gather the crops you collect and put into the bins, and pay you for them. I come around every day at 5 pm. You can sell almost anything you find in the forest, but be careful about what you put in there, because you can't get things back out." He continued to smile to me and punched me playfully on the arm with a husky laugh. "See you later!" He called as he made his way back home.

I stood there, alone, looking over the field of debris. Suddenly, I heard a bark. I thought I was crazy, but as I turned around to look, I saw a white and tan dog running toward me. Behind it was a girl with bright orange hair. She was calling the dog's name, but it didn't seem to respond to her.

"Koro! Come back here, dammit!" She shouted as she ran at me. The dog stopped and hid behind me, leaving me to face the girl.

"Whoa, this dog is yours? Don't let me get in the way," I said as the girl slowed to a stop. I stepped out of the way, so she could reach the dog, but it still stayed behind me. I looked back, and the dog barked happily.

"Koro seems to like you. Hmm, that's odd," she thought aloud.

"What's so odd about a dog liking me?" I asked, looking back to her with a smile. She blushed and smiled in return.

"Oh no, it's not that. Most of the animals from my ranch don't like anybody else but me. But when Koro saw you and the Mayor walking up here, he escaped," she explained. I couldn't take my eyes off her.

She was wearing her hair in a long braid, fashioned with a white bow at the top of her head. She wore blue overalls and a yellow t-shirt, and red and yellow tennis shoes. Her eyes were bright blue, and she had freckles going straight across her nose and under her eyes. The girl's voice was strong, but gentle at the same time.

"My name is Ann. I live at the Green Ranch with my brother and dad. We raise animals and sell them to farmers everywhere," she said with a proud smile. "And you are…?"

"I'm Jack. I just got here, and I'm supposed to be running the farm. It seems like it hasn't seen and care in a long time," I said with a shrug.

"No, it hasn't. We've had to buy our vegetables from other farms far away, so it'll be nice to have some home-made crops! Besides, maybe someday you could raise a few cows or sheep. Our cows make the best milk," Ann said with a giggle.

"Yeah, I've always wanted to raise animals! I'll definitely come to you first," I said with a laugh.

"Well, I don't know. I'll have to see if I can trust you with animals first. I don't sell to just ANYBODY," she said with a serious look. Then she thought for a moment. "Say, why don't we start with Koro? He's a dog, very simple to raise. I'll watch you, and if I feel like I can trust you with animals, then I'd be more than happy to sell you animals!"

Behind me, Koro barked again. His tail was wagging in the long grass. "He seems to like the idea," I said as I picked him up. He licked my cheek and barked again, causing Ann to laugh.

"Then it's settled. Oh, let me put this around his neck," Ann reached out of her back pocket and pulled out a red bandana. She tied it around his neck and rubbed his head gently. "There you go. It's perfect!"

I smiled and nodded. "Thank you very much, Ann."

"You're welcome. Hey, I'll see you later, okay? Don't forget, I'm at the Green Ranch, next to the beach. Come and see me any time!" She waved with a smile and began to walk home, just as the crickets started chirping.

I set Koro down and made my way to my new home. As soon as I opened the door, he made his way inside and laid on a small rug beside the bed, and fell asleep.

I took the time to look around the home. It was just one room, with the kitchen to the left, but it was a big room. There was a bed in the left corner, with a night stand beside it. Along the wall was a TV and calendar hanging. There was also a table in the middle of the room. Next to the front door was a toolbox. I walked over and looked inside, to see a watering can, a mallet, a hoe, and a scythe.

"Ah, very useful. This will make cleaning up a lot easier," I said as I closed the lid of the box and walked to the bed. I sat on the edge, and noticed a photo album on top of a journal on the night stand.

I picked up the red book and opened it, to see an old picture of Grandpa and me by the old tree. I smiled and flipped through the book, only to find empty spots for more pictures. After a moment, I put the book down and kicked off my shoes, then got under the covers and closed my eyes.

I started thinking about where to start on the field tomorrow, but it didn't take me very long to fall asleep.