A/N: People, this was based on a true, true story. XD
I don't own Harvest Moon, goshdangit!
When Jill first came into Flowerbud Village, she was prepared to do all the farmwork that lay ahead of her. She had met all the villagers- Ellen, Blue, Nina, Joe.... They were pretty much friendly, minus Blue and Kurt.
That is, except for Jamie.
Oh how ticked was he when she came into the Harvest Goddess's Spring! Contrary to popular belief, he was stuffing his face with Very Berry Jam when he arrived at the scene. He threw a fit, shouting at her while bits of the jam flew out of his mouth. The two had been rivals ever since.
Jill worked her tail off, making her land suitable for crops and livestock. Everytime she saw the purple-haired rancher, he always had a jar full of jam in it.
She had concluded that Jamie liked jam. No, not liked, nor loved... Obsessed was the word she was looking for.
Now then, as rivals, people would expect the two to hate each other for eternity, right?
Not Jill. One time, when she was chased by a rabid dog, Jamie shooed it away- with hurtful words and a jar, of course. She decided that Jamie wasn't ENTIRELY bad. As the weeks passed by, she found herself liking him a bit more, until it turned into a crush.
The poor farmer girl didn't know what to do then. He was everything the average girl didn't want: rude, conceitful, stubborn, cold, and just plain arrogant. How could she have a crush on him?! Even she didn't know the answer. Jill just knew that, after she developed the crush, she tried to make talk with him. And maybe bring a present once in a while.
But whatever she brings, he scoffs at. Jill felt like pulling out her hair.
It was now the middle of Autumn. Or rather, a late night in Autumn. Jill had herded the farm animals back into the barns, and was about to go home...
Until she saw Jamie.
Jamie once again had jam with him. But this time, he turned around, as if to make sure no one was following him. When it seemed that he thought that nobody was trailing him, he continued walking. Jill was perplexed. Just what was he doing? She wanted to investigate.
And so, Jill followed Jamie. Everyonce in a while, he'd turn left and right. Jill tried hiding behind trees, and staying low in the grass. Stalking him, she realized that he was going up the mountain trail. Was he going to visit the Harvest Goddess? Jill hadn't collected all the notes yet, and neither did he.
Walking across the bridge, the two farmers were surrounded by chestnut trees. Everywhere a person would have looked, chestnut trees and chestnuts were all around- a plentiful harvest, one might say. Jill quickly got behind one of the trees. Now then, what would Jamie do?
Casually walking to the side of the dirt road, Jamie stooped to scoop up the chestnuts. Jill furrowed her brows. What was he going to do with chestnuts? He lifted one of the brown nuts up to his nose, and sniffed it.
"Smells ripe, too. That's good." Collecting as many as he can, Jamie lifted the corners of his poncho and placed them in. Finished, he walked back, while trying to not only carry nuts, but also hold the jar below his chin. Jill stepped out of her hiding place.
"Does Jamie like chestnuts, too?" She wondered aloud to herself. She tilted her head to the side, thinking...
Jamie's obsessed with jam.
And he seems to like these chestnuts too.
Could it be...?
"Is he making.... Chestnut Jam? Is that possible?" What is she thinking?!
Of course it is! Why else would he pick these things up? It's a well-known fact that Jamie wouldn't eat anything unless it had some kind of jam in it. She smiled to herself.
Jill had figured out how to win Jamie's heart. Excited, she hurrily snatched the chestnuts off the ground, taking as many as she can possibly take. She dashed to home, ready to make this Chestnut Jam. Jill pulled out her trusty pot, wooden spoon, the corn syrup she made herself, and some sugar.
"It's time to make Chestnut Jam!" She exclaimed. This woke up her dog and pig, but she payed no mind to them. Humming, she poured some water into the pot. Then, getting out a measuring cup, she poured the sugar in, and afterwards pouring it into the pot, did the same with the cornsyrup.
Now it was time to add the chestnuts. Of course, she tried making some jam before this, but her crush grimaced when he tasted it. Jill figured that marmalade wasn't his favorite. Steadily, she tore open the shells, and placing the exposed nuts on the counter, crushed them into tiny bits with her copper hammer.
It was okay- she always washed it before using it. A habit she developed after an incident with rocks and mud. Jill collected the crushed bits into the measuring cup; it filled at least three-quarts. Pouring the bits in the pot, Jill turned the heat on at low.
Now all she had to do was stir and wait. Oh, she stirred all right but...
Her concoction didn't look right. The nuts weren't cooking down to jam! What was she doing wrong?!
'Waitwaitwait,' Jill thought to herself. 'Maybe I need to give it a little time. Yeah, that's it! Things usually don't go if they get watched all the time!' Jill brought a chair and a magazine near the stove. Turning her back on it, she read the magazine, humming to herself. Every once in a while, she'd get up to stir the mixture, but that was it.
Thirty minutes had passed. Jill was sure the jam was done by now! So she checked...
And still found it being an ugly mess. She bit her bottom lip. It wasn't working... The smell it created was starting to stink, too. Her pig oinked before going under the bed's covers.
It was THAT horrible.
Jill had no choice but to throw it out. She went out to get some fresh new ingrediants to try again. And it went on like this for the entire night.
Jill's alarm clock rang. 6:00 A.M. Time to start her daily chores. She groggily glared at the clock. All night had she been trying to create the wonderous Chestnut Jam, but to no vail did she make it.
She did not want to deal with the day.
Leaving the mess behind, she sloppily did her chores. Tending to the animals, watering the crops... Of course, every once in a while a villager would see her and wave, but Jill ignored them.
It soon became sunset, and she led the animals back into the barn, when she heard a voice.
"I heard a rumor you're being a little grumpy today." Jill sighed as she turned to see Jamie. This time, he had Apple jam. It was almost too painful to look at that jar.
"Whaddya want?"
"Nothin', except..." And Jamie continued to batter her down with the same, harsh words he used whenever he was around her. Jill's eye twitched- it didn't matter anymore if she had a crush on him. After his fifth paragraph, she had HAD IT.
"SHUTUP, JAMIE!" She screamed at him. Jamie flinched. "I've had it with you! I've worked hard all night making the gosh-darned jam for you! You have NO IDEA how hard it was to make! And I still can't make the thing!!!" Jill started to cry.
It went on for several minutes before Jamie had the gall to speak up.
"Just... what kind of jam were you making?" Jill sniffed.
"Ch-Chestnut Jam..." The farmer raised a brow.
"Chestnut Jam...?"
"Yeah. I saw you taking some chestnuts home with you and I thought..." The other farmer broke into tears again.
"Jill..."
"Y-y-y-yes?"
"There's no such thing as Chestnut Jam."
...I actually thought you could make Chestnut Jam. ;A;
BTW, this is probably the most original thing I've done on here. XD