Chapter 1
There was something about the little town that told us we had found exactly what we were looking for. Something that held us there when we thought we'd rest there no more than two days. Perhaps it was the aura of peacefulness that could be found in every corner, or the heartwarming welcomes we received from the few but lively villagers.
The funny thing was, we weren't even planning on finding the town. We were on our way to a city which lay on the coastline, but had to take a detour when our energy was diminished three quarters of the way there. Fortunately, we came across a traveling salesman who pointed us in the direction of the little village. After spending a day there, we were transfixed. It was the sort of quiet we were looking for— quite unlike the busy university where we had met.
"Well, hun'," David had whispered as I reclined in his arms, watching the sun sink below the horizon a few days after we had settled in, "who would have thought? Me and you, and our happily ever after." The words became permanently ingrained in my mind from that day forward. Me and you, and our happily ever after. They held such a sense of well-being, a hope and security that I had longed for my entire life. A feeling I thought, that once I had found it, would never go away.
But I was young and naive then. David and I had been newlyweds at the time, and had recently graduated college. We had both majored in botany; for we both shared the love for nature, particularly flowers. That was another thing that had rooted us to this village; its wide variety of plants and flowers could keep us entertained for days. We would lie in the grass on Mother's Hill for hours at a time admiring the beauty of a newly blossomed flower.
At the university people had thought us odd for this. Especially David, for it was not normal for a boy to be so passionate about flowers. But he and I both understood that the beauty of a flower could do much more than soothe the vision. Flowers could mend a grieving heart, they could cheer a desolate room, set a smile upon the face of a loved one. And most of all, they could heal. Not all of them, of course. It was when you mixed the the petals of certain flowers you could cure almost anything. A headache, the common cold, even an itch. Unfortunately for us, however, they couldn't heal diseases. They couldn't heal me.
When my daughter Popuri was four, I was diagnosed with a long-term illness. Since the town was small and the doctor wasn't as highly trained as in larger cities, he couldn't place what exactly it was. All he knew was that my health was failing— and fast. Soon afterward I began to lose my mobility; it became difficult to make a trip to the store for milk and eggs. It was nearly impossible to travel again to the hill which my husband and I most loved, and so he brought the flowers to me. But it wasn't the same.
It wasn't long before I became completely incapable of leaving the house. The chicken ranch we had started years back fell into the hands of David and my ten-year-old son, Rick. They kept the chickens healthy while I dealt with customers. And that was my excitement for the day.
When Rick was of age(in the village this was sixteen-years-old), David left to seek a cure. As much as we protested, he was determined. He couldn't stand to see me silently suffering, idly passing the hours of the day. He knew me well enough to know that I longed to be outside in the cool, crisp air again. And so he left.
Things began to steadily decline after that. Popuri and Rick fought and bickered constantly, and as much as I tried, my naturally gentle voice couldn't raise to the volume needed to end their silly feuds. I usually spent my time reading or writing, for it was all I could do to keep myself from going insane. Summer was especially hard; for when corn began to ripen the villagers had little need of chicken feed. Financially, we were struggling. Physically, I was suffering. And emotionally, I was a wreck.
And that's what the present holds for me now. It's been seven years since David went to search for the cure. Rick is twenty-three now, and while he could be living and raising a family of his own, he stays with me. Popuri is eighteen, more beautiful than ever, and spends most of her days at the beach with the traveling boy Kai, who visits Mineral Town in the summer. While I wish the best for both of my children, I hope they do not marry and desert me.
For then, I would be completely and utterly alone.
AN: Well, I know I'm still working on my other fic still, but I couldn't help but start this one. Lillia is a great character, in my opinion, and deserves a fic. So yeah... I know this is probably really boring so far; cause it's just past events... but I assure you... it WILL get more exciting! Or so I hope. Oh, I will try to write longer chapters than this. It's hard for me, yes... but I shall try! Anyway, critique/comments are welcomed, as long as its not flaming me for your own personal entertainment. Thank ye all kindly.
Disclaimer: Harvest Moon and all its characters be owned by cooler, much more creative peoples than I. The only thing I own is this keyboard on which I type.