Puppy Love

This boat ride was terrible. I was never one for sailing, but this… The rocking of the boat made my stomach churn, and I was constantly curled into a ball, trying to keep its contents down. The ride took two days and a night, and I'm so glad the captain was good company. His name was Zach, and he had generously given me a ride to my new home… Mineral Town, I believe it's called?

"We're here!" He cried, merrily. It was barely the second day of Spring, since the sun hadn't even made its debut over the horizon yet. The boat slowed until it was barely bobbing, and I grabbed my bags in a rush and got off of that thing as fast as I could. "I'm shocked," Zach said, laughing at me, "Nobody can move that quickly at 5:30 in the morning!" I guess he didn't know that I had woken up to a particularly rough sea at 4:00 and just hadn't been able to fall back asleep. Surprisingly, I wasn't really tired, just a little out of it.

In answer to his question, I just reply, "Well, maybe I'm just a morning person then." I try to smile cheerfully, because it's the truth, but I've never considered 5:30 the morning. At 5:30, it's still nighttime in my mind.

Zach smiles. "That's good to hear! On the farm, every day will be an early morning!" I sigh. Of course. I wasn't completely used to the idea that I'd be on a farm. I was a city girl, and the closest thing to farming I'd ever done was to plant tomatoes in the backyard with my father when I was a little girl. I breathe deeply, to keep myself perky and awake. We were on the dock, and the salty air I inhaled felt so fresh. In the city, there definitely wasn't a beach. Zach led me away from the beach, and west across what I presumed to be Mineral Town. It was too early for any shops to be open, or even for people to be walking in the streets, but I could picture this city as being full of life. The simplicity of the buildings and the abundance of nature were refreshing, but I wasn't quite used to the silence.

When we reached the farthest west road, which stretched north and south, a stout little man was waiting for us. "Hello!" He greeted, full of life. He was very cheerful for it only being now 6:00 in the morning. He stretched out his hand, "I'm Mayor Thomas, and I hope we can become great friends! Are you our new farmer?"

I couldn't help but smile. This man was not only stout, and even shorter than my 5' 7" frame, but he had a very bushy mustache. He wore a red suit, and a red top hat. I laughed on the inside, because I have never seen anyone wear a top hat outside of the movies. But, this isn't the city anymore… "It's nice to meet you, Mayor," I say, shaking his outstretched hand. "My name is Claire, and I am your new farmer."

"Great!" The mayor exclaims. "Would you like to see your new home?" I nod excitedly. That ad my mother had shown me depicted a beautiful acre, full of crops ready for harvest and animals grazing. It was very promising. Anxious, Zach and I follow the mayor while I'm still carrying my bags, and I can't wait to unpack and begin working. He leads us south, and I see a small wooden house in sight. iReally/i small. That wasn't what the ad had shown…

Neither had it shown a messy plot of dirt that was full of tree stumps, boulders, and overgrown weeds. The barn and coop were empty, and the only sign of life on the entire property was a tree. Of course, it was swarming with bees. I'd have to be careful. I prayed that Thomas would keep walking, that he wouldn't stop. It's possible there's another farm, right? That this is maybe only on the way to my farm, which is exactly like the ad. But of course not. To my dismay, Thomas stopped in front of the house, spread his arms like a bird, and said eagerly, "Welcome home!" My mouth drops open.

"You've got to be kidding. This is a joke, right?" I ask, sounding a little harsh, but I don't even care how rude I'm being at that point.

The mayor blushes. "No… This is your farm. It's the only farm in Mineral Town."

"What?! What happened to the animals grazing! The beautiful plants! The large, well kept house?!" I'm pissed.

The mayor laughs. I wanted to slap him. "Oh, that ad? Ha! That was a joke, you didn't take it seriously, did you? Oh…" He stops when he sees my face. I was stuck between bursting into tears, lunging onto the short man, or screaming at the top of my lungs. Instead, I couldn't find any words to say, and my jaw is still hanging open. "Oh, oh my…" Thomas becomes serious. "Well, Claire, I'm sure this place could be fixed up with a little bit of hard work and a good attitude!" He tries smiling.

Of course, I had left everything behind to come here. So it was impossible for me to leave. I sighed. A bad attitude really wouldn't help make anything better. "Sure…" Thomas eagerly claps his hands together.

"Wonderful! You can begin working whenever you'd like to! Just go at your own pace. Also, be sure to meet the villagers, I'm sure they would love to help you. We don't get many new people here." I snort. I wonder why, maybe false advertising? Thomas then leaves, because he has 'business to attend to.' Honestly, I think he was just embarrassed, but I didn't say anything. Zach then gives me a quick lesson on using the shipping bins, and how he expects shipments every day. I sigh for the millionth time that day. Which really wasn't going well, considering I went from seasick to completely fooled before the sun had risen.

Zach left, and it's now nearly 7:00. The sun is peeking over the horizon, finally, so I decide the first thing I'll do is lay on my back in the field and enjoy it. After relaxing, I decide to unpack my bags. I walk into my house, and want to yell. Who the hell put this lack of furniture in here?! The ad said fully furnished! In the dusty cottage, there is a small bed, a TV with four channels, a table, and some chairs. Luckily there was at least a bathroom and a kitchen, and some basic shelving and refrigeration. If there hadn't been a bathroom… God knows what I would have done, because I would never just 'go' outside. Disgusting. After unpacking and arranging my house to the way I see fit, I look at the clock. 11:00 am.

Work can wait one day, despite what Zach says. I decide to take Thomas's advice, and go visit the new villagers. First, I go to a barn. Inside, I see two women with pink hair. The younger of the two comes up to me and says, in a bubbly voice, "Hey! Are you, like, the new farmer? I've heard about you! I'm Popuri!" She's really annoying, but nice I guess. I then meet the other pink haired woman, named Lilia, who I assume is Popuri's mom. "Ugh! You should meet my brother Rick, but I bet he's off flirting with Karen at the Supermarket!" Popuri complains.

I laugh, and say, "Well, I'm sure I'll meet him eventually. This is the first place I've been, actually, and I need to get back to work. See you later!" I wave a goodbye and leave. I wonder if Rick has pink hair, too? That would be very embarrassing for a boy…

Across the street, I see a sullen looking gray stone house. I look at the sign, and learn that it's a blacksmith's shop. When I enter, the smell of smoke and metal fills my head. An old man greets me. "Hello. You look new. My name is Saibara." He grunts occasionally and looks down at his work. I guess it's some metal tool, I'm not really used to any of this yet.

"I'm Claire," I say, "and I am new, actually. I'm going to take over the farm that's south of the town."

"Oh," Saibara smiles at me, "a hard worker, huh? I'm impressed."

I sigh and make a sad smile. "We'll see. One can hope! Let's just say this whole farming situation didn't exactly turn out quite how I expected it to."

Saibara stops working on his tool and looks at me. I feel kind of awkward, since he just kind of… stares. Finally, he speaks. "My grandson Gray could learn a lot from you. He just doesn't put any effort into his apprenticeship. Huh. Too bad he's not here right now, he's probably off wandering around. He always messes up." Harsh. I feel bad for this Gray kid I haven't even met yet. I wave a goodbye and leave.

I look at the ground and walk east, and pass an empty lot. I skip the next shops, and go to the town's square. I wanted to see if there was anything posted on the bulletin board, but somebody had beat me to it. He was tall, and wore a beige jacket with matching pants. He had on a blue baseball cap type hat, and was staring intently at the board. I stood behind him, not really knowing what to say. Finally, I decide I'd look like a stalker if I didn't go up and say something. "Hi!" I exclaim, "My name is Claire and I'm the new farmer here. Who are you?"

The boy turned and looked at me, puzzled. He didn't seem like much of a people person. Before he blushed and pulled down his cap, I got a good look at his face. It was absolutely mesmerizing.I had to look up at him, considering he was over six feet tall, and I stared into his icy blues, that up close looked incredibly familiar. Had I ever known him…? He had strawberry blonde hair, or at least what wasn't covered by the cap. His bangs were nearly at his eyes, past his thick eyebrows. He was pale, but turned a fair shade of pink when I introduced myself. "I­I'm Gray…" he half spoke/half mumbled to me. The blacksmith's grandson!

"Well, it's very nice to meet you, Gray," I smiled. He just kind of squinted, and mumbled a reply. He definitely wasn't a people person. I was a little surprised, considering with his looks I'd figure ever girl would be all over him. Claire! Stop being so shallow! I had to scold myself, I was being ridiculous. But I do wonder if he has a girlfriend... Even though I was carrying a conversation with myself in my head, the silence between Gray and I was becoming more and more uncomfortable. "Well, um… Stop by my farm if you ever need anything!" I flashed a wide smile, still waiting for Gray to reply.

"Um, okay. I help at the blacksmith's shop. He's my grandpa. So I mean… I guess I'll see you if you ever stop by." He then grunted a quick goodbye, and walked hurredly out of the square. It was my turn to blush. I looked down, unsure of what I had done to make him want to leave to quickly. I barely knew the boy, but for some reason I felt terrible when he left. I just wanted to get to know him…