Ever since the new installment for Harvest Moon came out for the Wii I have been obsessed and fascinated by the Wizard, and this is the outcome of that.

To Turn Back Time

The minutes tick by,

slowly it seems

but with it our time together,

slips by like the sand

between my fingers

The snow had began to fall, just as the young silver haired man had predicted. He couldn't help but let a frown crease his gentle features as he walked past the townspeople's houses, seeing their silhouettes move behind sheer curtains. He watched them embrace one another, laugh together, and dance with each other. He continued onward towards his own home, placing his cold hands into his pockets to try and warm them. He his nuzzled his chin deeper into his white, hand knitted scarf that a certain brunette farm girl had taken the time to make for him. He smiled secretly behind the wool, taking pleasure in the fact that she had cared so much for someone such as him.

It had been a cold winter, but this was the first snowfall of the year. The young looking, but actually quite old wizard came to a stop as he reached a familiar run down watermill. He knew that his beloved farmer had been saving all of her hard earned money to fix up the ruin that it had become over the years. He closed his eyes and dug his boot deep into the snow, waking a few unsuspecting blades of grass from their winter-time slumber. He bent his knees and placed his hand on the now uncovered green. He missed the spring-time. The spring that reminded him so much of her, brought him comfort like her smile had. He couldn't help but call to mind their times together. How even the slightest touch from her made him tremble.

He stood, opening his eyes, and continued on homeward bound. As he stepped onto the familiar grounds of his home and made his way to the door he couldn't help but notice the welcome mat had been lightly dusted by the falling snow, he bent down and whipped away the flakes to reveal the familiar straw mat, it's words of welcome faded and worn.

The silver haired man made his way inside, ignoring the darkness, he strode over to the bed in the corner. As he flopped down onto the down comforter, he breathed in the scent. Her scent. Hay, earth, and salt water. A blush crept to his cheeks as he grabbed a handful of the worn and ragged blanket and reminisced. He buried his face into the blanket, allowing all his doubts, sorrows, and worries to plague him. He could remember the feel her soft hands trailing across his face, the feel of her lips as they brushed against his own. He unraveled the white woolen scarf from around his neck and placed it on the bedside table to his left.

How long had it been since he held her? He didn't know. What he did know though, was that her smile would not grace him. He would never again hold her hand in the fields of hay that she cared for, nor be able to help her with her daily chores on her farm. That gentle carefree time had disappeared along with her passing. The wizard turned over onto his back, staring up at the aging ceiling.

Eternity, often thought of as a blessing, was truly an accursed thing. he brought his hands up to his face and studied them. They hadn't changed in thousands of years, yet within only a decade he watched as his beloved aged without him. He knew it would happen one day, he just wished that it hadn't. He recalled watching her silky brown hair slowly turn white, her features age and wrinkle. He didn't mind, loved her far too much to notice or even care.

He cursed the goddess under his breath for taking her away from him. He closed his eyes and slowly but surely slipped into a dream filled with his lost companion. Together again with his Hikari, if only for a short while.

. . .

The goddess murmured something to her sprite companion as she overlooked the scene before her. She had watched over this man for countless ages. She has witnessed him grow cold as he lost those around him he cared for, watched him open up to the silly farm girl that helped to restore the her beautiful island, and watched as he again turned to stone after her death.

She had grown soft over the years as she kept a watchful eye over the magical being, Gale. She sighed as she watched him slip into happy dreams, and suddenly she knew what to do. She waved her hand in the air and suddenly before her appeared one red, yellow, blue, green, purple, and one smaller orange clad figure. She smiled at the six of them.

"I think it's best if we not meddle in the affairs of human kind." A certain fiery headed deity spoke as he appeared before the goddess.

"He's not necessarily a human, Ignus." The goddess smiled up at the harvest king, happy that he came to visit.

"Don't get technical with me Sephia." The harvest king ahead of her scrutinized her face.

"As you wish. Although I don't think my meddling will affect the outcome of this situation much." The goddess rose from her seat below her tree.

"Do as you want." and with that the harvest king disappeared as quickly as he had shown up.

"That I will, Ignus, that I will." She smirked. "I have a favor to ask of the six of you."

"Anything for you harvest goddess!" the smallest of the sprites piped up.

"Well then, I need for the five of you to ring your bells, and as for you Finn," The goddess leaned in and whispered something into his tiny pointed ear. "I need for you to coax the wizard into drinking this."

The goddess snapped her fingers, and before her materialized a small flask of golden liquid, which she handed to Finn.

"Can do, harvest goddess!" Finn reveled in the fact that he was given an important task. "I won't let you down, although," Finn slipped the thin strap of leather tied to the flask around himself. "What will this do to him?"

"He will no longer have his powers." The goddess said with a hint of sadness in her voice.

"B-but... the wizard worked so hard to obtain them!" Finn cried.

"They have brought him great pain, Finn. Have you seen the hesitation in which he walks? The way his gaze lingers as he passes by homes filled with families?" The blue haired beauty sighed as she poked her orange clothed creation.

"Harvest goddess... just what are you planning to do?" Finn asked hesitantly.

"We're going to wind back the clock, Finn."

With that Finn sped off down the forest path, towards the farm house he had once been so familiar with. He waited until morning came, and the wizard woke from his slumber. He watched as the silver haired man crossed the dark room over to the kitchen, where he withdrew a glass from a cupboard, and filled it with water from the tap. Before he took a sip from the glass though, he placed it on the counter and trudged over to the window. The snow was still falling. He placed a hand against the cool surface of the window and pressed his forehead against the glass.

Finn took this opportunity to scurry over to the glass and pour the contents of the flask into the water. Once his task was complete, he slipped out of the house.

The wizard backed away from the window, longing in his oddly colored eyes, picked up his glass of water, and downed the liquid. Soon after, his vision began to grow blurry, and he was soon pulled into darkness.

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