Short and extremely depressing, I really like this little one. :D Enjoy and remember to review!
Disclaimer: Harvest Moon and its assorted merchandise are not mine. End of story.
The first spring was simple. With little funds, it was a bit hard to make ends meet, but he got by because he had to. He grew the crops that he had been given as a gift, and shipped the wild grasses he found in the fields. He went mining and ate the fish he could catch. He survived.
The first summer was better. With an abundance of wild grasses available for both eating and selling, he did fairly well. He even made enough money to purchase a cow, a constant source of profit and an excellent friend. He grew his own grass and harvested it for fodder, making sure that he was saving up for the long winter ahead. He talked to some people and even found one woman who would potentially be more than a friend, he hoped. He even had a tree producing peaches.
The first autumn was interesting. He still grew his grass and milked his cow, making money. He planted yams and raised up a respectable crop, shipping some and keeping the others. He could eat when he pleased and he began to make elaborate recipes just for the sake of making food. He even had his house extended so he had more room. Even the dog got a meal twice a day. He frequented the mine and managed to dig up some interesting curios.
The first winter was the end. He did fairly well at first, but he couldn't grow his grass and make fodder, and the fodder he had saved up disappeared surprisingly quickly. His own preserved food seemed to disappear as well. He would have to purchase food for himself to feed himself.
Constantly buying fodder was a horrid drain on his funds that he couldn't make up shipping milk, some of which he needed to feed himself. He cut back his cow's meals to once a day to save money, but the cow then began producing less milk and eventually stopped entirely. His heart was broken when he made the decision that the cow would be worth more slaughtered. He took his animal friend out behind the barn and did away with her right there.
As much as it hurt him, he needed to sustain himself. The cow's meat was saved to feed himself, but he couldn't eat it raw. Needing wood to light his oven, he was forced to chop down his only peach tree to keep his fire going. That fire was the only thing keeping him warm in the cold winter.
One night, a blizzard swept in. The weight on the snow on the roof eventually caused the roof to cave in. Needing a roof over his head but unable to afford repairs, he moved into his barn, burying himself under his blanket salvaged from his bed to keep warm. The cow meat had already run out. His only potential source of profit lay in the mine.
He went to mine one day, but he hadn't worked five minutes when he felt fatigue and weakness overwhelming him. He hadn't eaten in two days, and he had only found one thing in the mine. The physical strain on his un-nurtured body was taking a hold on him. He passed out in the mine.
When he woke, he found himself lying in the mines, pockets considerably lighter. Even his tools had been stolen from him. The little bit of money he had managed to save was gone. He had nothing.
And so he trudged back to his homestead and curled up in the barn and cried. He had nowhere to go, nothing left to use as a source of sustenance. His never had been very friendly with his neighbors. Even the woman he had once been interested in had turned her head to look the other way when she saw his gaunt figure heading down the street.
And so, he lay down to rest, and his first winter was his last.