This is dedicated to all those who have reviewed for WANDERER. Thank you for your support and I apologize for being late on my last chapter update! You guys are the best!
Bubblewing-luvs-anime: Thanks for all your reviewing and for being such a dedicated reader through thick and thin! Your friendship really helps me pull the ideas out of my head for all my stories.
KenowaX: You've been behind me through everything and I'm glad that you've been able to find time to read my afnfictions and remain a faithful reviewer and friend. e-Hugs and e-chocolates!
Peteisawesomeness: I miss you so much, girlie! I can't believe how strong our friendship is that even though we're miles upon miles away, you still email me every day and review for every single one of my fanfictions (not to mention actually reading them :D). I owe you so much; you're like a sister to me.
Saltypepper: Thank you for reviewing; it means the world when I get such positive feedback from my reviewers. A little kindness goes a long way, and you've given me more than a little kindness! Thank you!
wolfdog71: Reading your story was so much fun, so I reviewed it! Imagine my surprise when you reviewed my story! I was so happy and it really made a difference in my day. Thanks!
Ginger Snap Molasses: Your critique was so postive and clear, I was thrilled to get such a review! It made me smile and think, "Thank goodness that when people read my story, they actually can take it seriously and show that they appreciate what I'm writing." It was a pleasure to read your review!
Sheimi5: Thank you so much for reading! I appreciate how you pointed out how my story stands out because it might end up being Cliff X Ann and how it's written interestingly. I love to get reviews that talk about the story's strong points in general (makes me feel all warm n fuzzy ^^). Thank you so much!
ImaginationFlow: I'm glad that in your review, you pointed out that there was a lack of Cliff's POV. It made me feel special writing my fanfiction C: It really makes me happy when a reader likes the uniqueness I try to provide. Thanks for reading my story!
Dimly: I truely appreciate your review saying how you liked how I portrayed Cliff; it meant a lot! I was worried that I was making him too emo and whatnot, but you definitely lifted my spirits! And plus, you said Ann was awesome! I totally agree, I love writing her character.
Gabi123: Thank you so much for calling my fanfiction cute! It really made me feel good! And I liked how you pointed out about his arrival, because I was a little worried about that at first. It really made feel so much better when you told me you liked it. Thank you so much!
Okay, if I missed anyone at all, please review and explain that you had reviewed for my other fanfiction, WANDERER and I will personally dediacte you to the next chapter. Now, if I may, please enjoy this little one-shot that popped into my head:
ODE OF THE LONELY LIBRARIAN
It was another day in Mineral Town; the sky was cloudy and gray and the wind was blowing just enough to cause hats to fly right off the top of one's head (Gray: Grrrr…). Now, anyone in their right mind would stay in their houses on a day like this. The thought of going outside never occurred to our sweet little librarian, Mary. Mary was in her usual spot, writing her usual novel in her usual chair at her usual desk. So if you were to ask her how she was feeling, she'd have to shrug and say, "Oh, you know… the usual."
Nothing in the town has ever really changed at all, if you don't count when the farmer moved in and turned the whole town upside down. Other than that, nothing much has happened. Oh, the mere thought of that farmer… Mary's heart pounded a little faster and she couldn't help but frown on an instinct. It was that Claire! Who did she think she was?! The normal reaction to these thoughts was a toss of the onyx braid over Mary's narrow shoulders. Never in her life did she ever think of anyone other than herself! The selfish little b-
What was that? A knock at the door? Mary took a moment to calm herself down before she beckoned the knocker to enter. Her cheeks flushed almost immediately. Gray stepped in, all frustrated and annoyed by the wind toying with his hat. He didn't look so very happy today. Then again, he never really looks happy. Another usual, which Mary kind of liked. Oh, doesn't he look cute? Red hair all tousled under that dirty cap of his… Somewhat adorable scowl on his sooty face… Oh, now look, Mary! You're blushing and smiling like a fool! To this said, Mary tried her best to cool her red cheeks down with her palms.
Gray sat down in his usual chair, muttering the usual curse words about his grandfather, and grabbing the usual abused book and snapping it open. Oh, and not to mention his usual angry reading. It's quite charming, isn't it? Oh, stop blushing Mary! Look down at your novel! You know very well he's dating right now… Nothing but Forbidden Fruit. Mary sneaked a glance and found herself having to bite her lips to keep from grinning like an imbecile. Putting her face so close to the parchment, Mary found herself repeatedly having to push up her thick glasses up her nose to keep them from falling from the almost 90 degree drop. No, don't go sneaking another glance! Do you not remember? Your little adventures with romance all seemed to end the same…
Oh, so you're sneaking that glance anyway? Well, don't you think you should at least take a look through your diary and read what I'm preaching?! Mary stopped a moment and thought. My diary? Yes, your diary! Don't you remember? Goodness, you wrote in it every day when you were younger! You got it as a birthday present and wrote in it from that day until you began your novel. Mary's brows furrowed as she recalled the old glitter glued friend. My diary! Where did I put that? Mary quietly rummaged through her desk, wondering where she put the book. Oh, you just cleaned this a week ago! Now it's a mess again! Oh, heavens, forget it. Just keep looking! Oh, oh, oh! Stop! Gray's getting suspicious!
Mary stopped and went back to her work as Gray raised an eyebrow, taking a minute to look over and see the ruckus. Wait… wait… okay! He's angrily reading again! Go ahead! Mary slipped back into the cabinets of her usual desk and shuffled through the written parchments and half read paperback books with bookmarks sticking out all which ways. Deeper, deeper, deeper… Ah-ha! There! Right there! The green book with the stickers and glitter! Mary picked it up and examined it, finding a younger crude handwriting of her back when she was a young girl. It read: Mary's Diary! No one else reads! Except for me, of course! Mary smiled and recalled writing it so many years ago. Yes, well, that little warning never kept your mother out of it. Oh, don't look so surprised! Why do you think everyone seemed to know about your 'bikini incident'? Yeah, yeah, now you piece it together…
Mary stopped herself from marching down the windy streets and finding her back-stabbing mother and slapping her until her cheeks were apple-red. Oh, looks like someone has a bad side that they haven't really shared… Frowning, Mary opened the book, dusted some of the fallen glitter off of her skirt and shirt, and read.
Summer 6th
Dear Diary,
Guess what? Mother said I could go to the beach all by myself! She said that now that I'm eight, I'm a big girl, and big girls can handle themselves at beaches. I've never really gone to the beach a lot, but since Karen said it was a lot of fun, I wanted to have fun, too!
At first, it was kind of lonely, because everyone had chores and stuff to do. Elli was helping her grandma in their herb garden, Gray was sweeping soot in his grandfather's shop (which he hasn't done in weeks and is in big trouble), Ann was grounded for putting a silly snake in a costumer's soup, and even Popuri had to stay home because of a stupid cold… I thought I was going to be alone at the beach all day.
But then this kid came over! He was really nice and had a cool accent (which kept changing, but he said that was how people from his country talked)! He said that his name was Kai, and he was from far away! We started talking and he said that in his country, where pigs fly and there are no chores, that when two people are friends, they sit really close together, to show their friendship! Then he scooted over and held my hand. I liked it. He told me that if I liked him holding my hand, that in his country, it was normal for the boy to give the girl a kiss.
I didn't want him to feel like I was disrespecting his country (Mother told me about disrespect yesterday when I spilled juice all over her apron), so I let him. He leaned over and gave me a kiss on the cheek. My face felt all hot for a while and then it cooled down. After that, we went in the water and played all day. I got a bad sunburn…
Maybe he'll be there tomorrow! Before the pigs fly from his country to take him back home to his momma and daddy, the king and queen!
Bye Bye!
Mary
Oh, how naïve you were, child! 'Before the pigs fly to take him home…' Mary giggled and remembered playing on the dock with Kai as a child. He was so much fun. I wonder how he's doing…He said he was planning on proposing to Popuri sometime soon… Ah, Popuri, your best friend in the entire world! She wasn't really on your good side that season, now was she? Mary was confused. Not my friend… That's right! I was mad at her! What was it for again…? Don't tell me you can remember! How could you forget? Curious, Mary flipped through her old diary until she found a page with quite angry writing all over it.
Summer 14th
Dear Diary,
I hate Kai! I hate Popuri! I HATEHATEHATEHATEHATE THEM!! I hope one of those flying pigs comes and takes Kai away! And sits on Popuri, too! She's so mean! And he's such a big fat liar! It's not fair!
I saw Kai sitting on the dock next to Popuri, really close like his country said friends did. At first I was happy. I thought that we could all be friends together! But I would be the only one he'd hold hands with and give kisses. Well, I guess he didn't understand. I saw him hold her hand and then lean over and kiss her! I got so mad, I ran away before they could see me. I was crying so hard, I fell down and scraped my knee. It was bleeding and had little rocks in it. It burned really badly.
Mary stopped and held her breath. I do remember that. Kai later told me that people in his country apologized to friends by giving them hugs. I remember him hugging me until I hugged him back. It took me seasons to get over him. And I didn't talk to Popuri until the day she gave me a book called, "Backstabing Freinds and How to Frogive Them". She had written it herself (she has always been a terrible speller). Hold on! There's more! Keep reading! Mary looked back down and did so.
I guess I was crying really loud cause Gray came out of his grandfather's shop and saw me by Mr. Barley's farm. He ran back inside and ran back out with band-aids. He gave me his hanky and told me to wipe my tears. I was sniffling real bad, but I didn't want my boogies to get all over his hanky, so I put it on my eyes and kept crying. Gray had brought a wet cloth and cleaned my knee; the cloth was a little bloody after. He took a band-aid out and put it on my scrape; it had Bugs Bunny on it.
He sat with me a while and let me cry. It was really nice. I sat close to him so when people walked by, they knew how best friends we were.
My scrape's all better now,
Mary
Mary smiled and stole a glance at the still angry redhead across the room. Oh, goodness, are you still staring at him? Read ahead! Read ahead!
Fall 26th
Dear Diary,
I went to Mr. Barley's farm today! He had a new baby horse! It was so cute!
No, not that. Keep going.
Winter 8th
Dear Diary,
I caught Karen and Rick sneaking into Duke's wine cellar. They were drinking a little and were kissing. It was kind of romantic... It made me want to write a story about it!
That's not it either. Flip through more.
Spring 13th
Dear Diary,
Ann found out about the bikini incident!
Too far! Too far! Go back! Go back! Mary frowned and flipped back. She landed on a page that made her heart ache.
Winter 24th
Dear Diary,
Gray doesn't like me… I've liked him for years, Diary, for years. I thought that after sixteen years of knowing each other, fourteen years of being best friends, and twelve years of me pining, he would have actually liked me at least once. I've always cared for him, calmed him down when he came to the library mad because of his grandfather's criticism or giving him advice when he didn't know what to do. I was always there for him.
I was all bundled up today, wearing my button down coat and scarf, when I was walking down the street to give Gray his Stocking Festival present. I had thought of everything; what if he gave me a present back? What if he told me he liked me? What if he actually kissed me? Yeah, right. I shouldn't have even tried to give him the present anyway. He wouldn't have wanted it.
I walked into Mr. Saibara's shop to find it dark. I flipped on the light and saw Gray behind the counter. No, he was sitting on the counter. Claire was on his chest and kissing him, all over. When he finally noticed I was there, my hands were shaking so much, I almost dropped the present. I could have sworn that he had taken that hammer he's so fond of and smashed my heart into itty bitty pieces. Gray was stammering an apology for not locking the door before I came, but I wasn't really listening to him. No, I was trapped in Claire's eyes, which were dull and guiltless. She was smiling.
The blonde ditz stole my boyfriend; well, my almost boyfriend. Worse, she stole my best friend. I could've had a shot with him, could have! But I was too slow… if only I was quicker. If only I was quicker than that selfish little…
It's not worth it. I'm going to bed. Oh, and that present? Yeah, that's getting chucked out. What was it, you ask Diary? It was a story. I wrote it myself. It was in the medieval Times with a maiden who lived in a castle as a servant. She loved books. There was a knight who fought with a hammer rather than a sword who fell in love with her. They ended up living happily ever after.
Happily ever after, my ass.
Mary
Mary closed the diary and bit her lip. Oh, Mary… I just want you to move on. Mary looked over at Gray, who was staring at her curiously. "Mary…?"
She took a deep breath. "Yes?"
"…Can I talk to you…?"
"Of course you can, Gray. You know you can always talk to me."
"…Claire dumped me…"
That tramp… "Why?" Good, keep your voice calm, Mary! Good!
"She started to date Won."
Okay, bad; stop staring at him with that incredulous look on your face. And clamp that jaw shut! You shouldn't have let your jaw fall like that. "W-Won?" Mary stammered, keeping her face neutral (although she wanted to laugh out loud). Gray nodded and looked up at the ceiling, sighing.
"Yeah. Won." He scowled at the ceiling. "Why him?"
"I… I don't know."
It was quiet, too quiet. Mary's eyes slowly fell back to her diary, and she stared long and hard at it until Gray's voice awoke her. "Mary? Whatcha got there?"
No! Wait! He can't do that! Gray grabbed the glittery book and flipped through its pages before Mary could do a thing. "W-Wait! Don't read that!" Mary cried. Yeah, too late for that…
It felt like an eternity as he read. His face kept changing; scowling, softening of the eyes, smiles, a few chuckles actually came from his mouth. Not good, not good, not good, not good… Mary chewed on her lower lip as he began to laugh another time. Finally, he closed it, gently as though he wanted the glitter not to fall off (which it had been doing the entire time). He was smiling, his eyes glazed over. Gray then turned to Mary.
"…After all these years..?" He asked, giving her a small, pitying smile.
Mary's cheeks were red and she toyed with the hem of her skirt. Say something! Deny it! Deny it! But Mary couldn't say a word. It was all too much for the little librarian. Gray came around the desk and stared at her. "…Mary, did you really feel that way about me?"
Deny it! Deny it! Bikini incident! "…I didn't want you to feel latched to me… Claire-"
"-Was the biggest waste of my time in my life." Gray finished, taking off his cap and combing his fingers through his red hair. "I can't believe a farmer with that much money even knows how to hold a watering can! She was so dumb!" He muttered, rolling his eyes. Then, they softened as he looked into her gray-blue eyes. "I wanted a girl who was pretty… and smart… and-" He stopped and frowned. "I'm sorry Mary."
Okay, don't deny it anymore. "Gray…" Mary melted, holding her diary close to her chest, she smiled.
He took one of her hands and kissed it softly; Mary had to bite her lips to keep from squealing. Okay, so you got what you wanted Mary. Congrats! I guess it was a little later than planned, but you definitely got your happily ever after.
Miss Rouge Apple~ I hope you enjoyed it! I had fun writing this one! Please review and tell me any of the strong or weak points, for I have to get better somehow! Thanks for reading! Toodles until next time! :D