Prelude

In a distant land far from the city, and in a time where much of the world is modernized; there is a village nestled between a deep dense forest and the vast blue ocean. This village known as Forget-Me-Not Valley is home to a small number of people who have decided to escape the modern marvels of modern technology. Even the farm use nothing more than their bare hands and simple tools. Even though there are no cars or machinery in this village, everyone lives happily and peacefully.

Along with the old school way of living, there is an aura of magic that radiates from it. In a small hut right next to the local villa lives a Witch. She is as old as the hills, but looks no older than a twenty-year old woman. The witch walks out of her hut, and breathes in the fresh Summer air. It is a great day to fly around and see who is out and about. She gets on her broom, and soars into the air.

High above the village, she sees many people enjoying their day down below. She sees a local couple, a blond woman and her husband the bar owner taking a walk. A wealthy young woman is sitting with her blond boyfriend telling each other stories. Near a yurt, the local hippie is playing a song for a special lady in his life. A long haired brunette is working in a farm with her husband. Near the mines is a couple who study archeology together. Yes, the villagers are happy and well.

But she did not ride her broom just to see anyone. She has a special friend of her own she meets everyday. A man who is very special; his name is Kanon. Kanon runs the ranch in this Village. What makes him special is that Kanon had once died about a hundred years ago. The Witch brought him back to life to help her in a quest not too long ago. The quest is now complete, and he lives freely in the village.

As Kanon works, the witch descends from the air to see how is he doing. She finds him in a field of corn. She also sees well kept fields of tomatoes, onions, and pineapples; along with a grass field filled with cows, sheep, and hens. Quite impressive for one person without any type of machinery.

She lands in an open field not too far from where he is working. She waves at him and yells his name. Kanon looks over and calls back to her. It's about his break time, so he decides to call it quits for now. The day is young, and he has plenty of time to do his work.

Kanon grabs his tools along with his lunch, then heads over to the witch. They both sit on a nearby log that is half-buried into the ground. Kanon then takes out a couple of egg sandwiches, and hands one to the witch.

She takes a bite and yells, "wow! Your sandwiches are the best! I tell you, I don't like checking on you every day, but your lunches make the trip worth my time."

Kanon takes a bite of his sandwich and says, "Yep, just like my wife used to make it."

Hearing Kanon mention his past makes the witch curious. She stops eating for a moment and takes a second to look at him. Like the many times she has known him, Kanon spaces out as he reflects the life he once had. She was never interested before, but now she is getting quite curious about what weighs in his mind.

"Hey Kanon. . . Can I ask you a question?" After gaining his undivided attention, she continues to ask, "I'm curious about your past life. You died a little over a hundred years ago. Being brought back to life in a world you do not know must be hard. But you are doing pretty good all things considering. But I notice that you miss your old life every now and then. Please tell me about the life you miss so much."

Kanon giggles and says, "I wasn't always like this. I remember a time when I was younger, I hated the idea about being a farmer. This life was forced on me against my will by my family. But even so, I learned to love being a farmer. I worked hard, and became the man my grandfather would be proud of. All hanks to a very special person in my life."

"Go on. . ." said the witch fully interested in his story.

Kanon sighs and looks up into the crystal blue sky. His past recalling like a home movie begins to play in his mind. "I can still remember that day my relatives were arguing. Grandfather had just died, and all everyone cared about was his farm. Someone needs to take it over before it was sold to a stranger. Everyone else in my family lives in the city and had great jobs. Nobody wanted to live in a village and farm their life away. Even I dreaded the idea.

"But even so, I was still chosen to do it. At that time, I was the only person in the family without a job. I lived at home with my parents after all. I admit that I was lazy and spoiled. I did whatever I wanted, and I didn't care about what others told me.

"I was picked that day, it didn't take rocket science to foresee that. I tried to whine my way out of it, but they had me in their hand. Since mom and dad took care of me, I always had stuff like money, pretty girls, and nice things. I never worked in my life, being lazy was all I knew. My folks then told me that if I didn't go work in my grandfather's farm, I would be cut off. They won't take care of me anymore, and I would be kicked out of the house to live on my own.

Farm work sucks, but so is getting a job in the city and trying to afford a place of my own. At least my grandfather's farm is free rent, and my parents will feed me an allowance for a while. But don't get me wrong, I went to the village with a plan. Oh yes, I schemed long and hard on how to get out of this boring work life. But I guess fate had a plan of it's own. . ."

Juxapose forever Proudly presents:

A story about growing up.

Harvest Moon: Enishi