Prologue
The breeze caused sails of the ship to wave aimlessly as the rain droplets tapped furiously against the wooden deck of the ship; the sun was suffocated by the sea of clouds, though Jack could see a speck of light when he squinted while looking through the single glass window of his cabin. He took a deep breath as he was evidently tired of the constant muggy weather for the duration of his trip across the sea – two days trapped in the same room with the quaint floral wallpaper, single fluorescent light bulb dangling from the ceiling on a metallic chain, the bunk bed without a roommate, and his luggage tucked underneath the bed. The unchanging scenery of the sea only increased Jack's longing for the sound of the announcement system which would declare his arrival to Mineral Town. Although the near future held much uncertainty, it would surely be better than the past few years of his life.
At least I have the opportunity to have a new beginning without the baggage of my family problems or a reputation I don't deserve, thought Jack. Twenty years of hell, perhaps this new hick-town in the middle of nowhere will be a fresh start...
Jack lived in the city all his life with his parents before their abrupt divorce leaving him, at the age of ten, to be the pawn in their arguments in court to gain ownership of their house. After two years of struggle between his parents, his mother gained custody of him as they rented a small apartment by the sea-side. His mother soon remarried a tyrant who treated Jack as a hindrance to his relationship which forced Jack to move out at the age of sixteen; it was inevitable that he failed out of college, got fired from his full-time job at a nearby diner and was removed from his home due to the delayed payment of rent. For two years of his life, he slept on the couch of his childhood friend Peter; upon the death of his grandfather, Jack received a life-changing gift that could potentially bring happiness – away from his parents, his stepfather, and dependence wholly on his friend. Jack, at the age of twenty, decided to take over his grandfather's farm off the coast of the city.
The clouds began to disperse which drew Jack outside his cabin, across the wooden hallway filled with voices of other travellers wrapped up in their own little worlds, towards the door. With one powerful push, he climbed up the stairs with his hand on the unfinished banister that sowed the seeds of potential splinters as the sunlight advanced through the disbanding clouds as the frequency of the rain began to decrease; Jack took a deep breath and allowed the damp and fresh air enter his nostrils – the smell of fresh sea water contrasted greatly with the constant bombardment of artificial pine spray of his cabin. On the horizon was the shore of Mineral Town, creeping closer and closer towards the ship causing excitement to tingle in the form of a pulse at the tips of each of his fingers, pounding against his skin. His anticipation was interrupted by a formidable voice on the intercom, it was the captain of the ship, "For those who are heading towards Mineral Town, please get ready as we are about to dock in fifteen minutes. We will be stopping momentarily to drop off our patrons before continuing our journey to our next stop, Forget-Me Not Valley."
Jack retraced his steps back to his mundane cabin to retrieve twenty years of his life in bags with an optimistic notion that perchance the country air alongside a less hectic and demanding lifestyle would bring him closer to self-enlightenment. Dragging two suitcases and his old worn-out baseball cap
ironically comparable to his life in the city, he waited hardly ever patiently at the exit of the ship; at that point, the ship was peering into the sandy shores of Mineral Town.
With the assistance of one of the average looking sailors (where such an impression left Jack unable to recall his appearance) on the ship, he was able to sink his brown generic sneakers into the dark coloured sand due to the moisture collected throughout the past few days of spring rain. Momentarily after the departure of the ship, Jack caught sight of a man dressed in the most peculiar fashion, stumbling almost penguin-like due to his slightly round size, heading towards him.
"Weeeeel-comme Jack!" exclaimed the man gasping for air, "I am Thomas, mayor of Mineral Town! You must be exhausted after such a long journey from the city. I want to get you settled down as soon as possible, and answer any questions you need answers to... looks like you need a bit of help with that bag, do you?"
"I will greatly appreciate the assistance, and thank you for coming to greet me!" Jack said sincerely without laying eyes off of Thomas' attire; his hat was drenched passionately in the colour of red with matching suit and dress pants. His spherical face was partially hidden by a moustache styled in a grandiose manner, defying the laws of gravity with its curves – and Jack could not help himself but to laugh at the puffy yellow bowtie.
"I am glad you are laughing. Like I always say, laughter is the cure-all to life's problems! Ha, ha! Well, what are we waiting for dear friend, let's get your bags and head off to your farm, then we will take a short tour tomorrow morning after you get acquainted with your new home. For now, get a move on!" Thomas clutched the handle of the one of the two baggages and Jack immediately followed across the beach.
The duo trekked past a large open area known as the Rose Plaza which the mayor introduced as the centre for all the major festivities and the gathering place for the young beautiful women; south of the town square resided Barley and his granddaughter May who tended the town's livestock on Yodel Farm, west of the farm was the Chicken Farm and the blacksmith's slightly north of the Poultry family business. Turning south down the paved road was another beginning for an unfortunate man struck by a childhood of turbulence, yet the first glimpse of another chance appeared to have been struck by the turbulence of a storm.
Jack stood at the edge of his new home, flabbergast and silent as if the calm wind after the days of rain swept his ability to talk.