The New Kid On The Farm
By: robthemanbigboy
CHAPTER 1: THE ARRIVAL
It was a clear and sunny day. On the horizon, a boat was pulling up to the shore. Just a couple of days ago, Jack had inherited his grandfathers farm in Mineral Town. He wasn't sure what he was going to do with his life, so for now this seemed like a pretty good idea. He had no idea how to farm, except for a couple of lessons his father gave him as a child. He was now old enough to move out, so he decided to settle down somewhere away from his parents (everyone always does after a while). When his ship docked, he was greeted by the mayor of Mineral Town, Tom was his name.
"Welcome to our peaceful town. You must be Jack, here to take after your grandfather I suppose. He was a nice man, very peaceful around here. It was a sad time for this town when he died, but now your here."
"Thanks... I guess you should show me around, right?" replied Jack.
"Right right, of course. Sorry. So, let's get started then!" Tom showed Jack all around town: the hospital, the chicken farm, the cow farm, the super market, the library, the bar, the diner, and a couple of other places as well. "Well, here's your farm. I suppose you'll go to sleep now. Good night." Right before Jack closed the door tom screamed to him again, "Oh! I almost forgot! I got this book out for you on farming!" Tom handed Jack an old worn-out book. On the front, it said 'Farming for Beginners'.
"Thanks, I'll definitely need this. I'll see you around." With that, Jack went to sleep.
That night, Jack had a strange dream. He has been having this dream since he was a kid and he visited his grandfather's farm. It was a peaceful dream, of him and a girl. He couldn't exactly remember the girl's face though, not even in his dreams. They would have so much fun together, until Jack had to leave to go home. The girl asked him, "Will you ever be back? Promise you will. Promise!" Then he always wakes up. Who was that girl? Is she still around here? Will he even remember her if he sees her, or vice versa for her?
... "I dunno, but I'm hungry!" He got dressed and decided to go to the diner to pick up something to eat. "Now, lets see... Do I even remember where it was?...I'm lost..."
Just then, a girl with beautiful pink hair showed up. "Hi. I'm Popuri! You must be that guy who is taking over the farm. What's your name?"
"Hi Popuri, my name is Jack. I think I'm lost, can you direct me to the diner?"
"Sure! I'll show you the way, I was just going there!" she said. While they were walking, Popuri decided to ask him some questions about his old life, and what he expected to find here in Mineral Town. Jack was overwhelmed by the amount of questions she was asking. "We're here!" she exclaimed. "I've got to go run an errand real quick, hope to see you later Jack!"
"Bye!" he yelled. jack walked inside the diner, and right when he walked in someone bumped into him.
"Sorry about that, we haven't been getting many customers lately. I think it may have something to do with my clumsiness. I haven't seen you around here before. Im Ann, who are you?"
"I'm Jack, and no harm done. I was just coming here to pick up something to eat."
"Well, come right over here and have a seat. What can I get you?" Ann asked.
"Do you guys have any eggs? Some milk would be nice too."
"Coming right up!" She went into the back room. About five minutes later, she came out with the most delicious looking meal he may have ever seen in his entire life. "Here you go, on the house. So why did you move here to Mineral Town?"
"Well, my grandfather just passed away, and he gave his farm to me in his will. I'm here to take after him, I guess."
"Sorry to hear about your grandfather. Hey, well, come back any time! It won't always be free though"
"Thank you, it was delicious, probably the most delicious eggs I've ever had before."
Ann blushed, "Thank you for the compliment, but I didn't really do anything to it."
"Are you sure? Well, I guess you just have the magical hands then. Thanks for the meal, I'll definitely be coming back for more sometime, so keep up your magical work."
"Bye, you just remember to come back."
Jack really had no idea what to do now, so he decided to go to the supermarket to pick up some seeds for planting. "Now let's see if I can remember where this place is... Hey, I actually found it." Jack walked inside and was greeted by a girl.
"Hi. I'm Karen! You must be that new Jack kid I'm hearing about so much. They were right, you aren't that bad looking."
"Wha..."
"I'm guessing you're here to buy some seeds, please come this way!" She directed him toward the seeds. He was still a little confused about that thing she said earlier. "Here, we have Potato seeds and Turnip seeds right now. Which would you like?"
"Umm... I think ill take 10 of each. How much is that?"
"Potato seeds are 300, and Turnip seeds are 200. Your grand total comes to... 5000." Jack hands her the money.
"Thank you, you were very helpful. I hope to see you around sometime!"
"See you, Jack. Feel free to come by anytime and talk."
Now came the hardest part: finding his way home. It was starting to get dark, so Jack went inside the nearest building. It just so happened to be a hospital. "Is anyone here? I need to ask for directions."
"Excuse me, sir, do you need help?" A hand reached over and touched his shoulder. He quickly turned around. "Oh, sorry to startle you like that. Im Elli, and I work here at this hopital with the doctor. Now, where did you say you needed directions to?"
"Nice to meet you Elli, I'm Jack. I'm Looking for the way back to the farm."
"The farm? I heard the man who was living there died. Oh, you must be that guy everyone was talking about who just moved in. Nice to meet you." she smiled and gave him a map of the town, "This should help you till you get used to this town. Try not to get lost."
"Thank you so much, I really needed this" Jack said, still looking at her smiling.
"Do you need anything else? No? Well, feel free to come around anytime, I'm always happy to have company to talk to!"
"Ok. Thanks again. I'll be sure to drop by every once in a while to talk. See ya!" Jack opened the map and found his way home. He was tired, so he took a shower and went to sleep. That night, he had that dream about the little girl again. This time, he could make out a few words she was saying, but the words didnt matter to him at that time. He wanted to find that girl again, the sweet, playful, childish little girl he liked as a kid. He believed that she couldn't have changed that much, and she would still be innocently sweet.
Jack was woken up by the sound of clawing at the door. He got out of bed, got dressed, and went to go check what it was. He opened the door... POUNCE! He was pummeled by a cute little yellow puppy. "What are you doing here, little fella? Do you have a family?" He looked around outside and didnt see anybody. "I guess you're homeless. Don't worry pal, I'll take care of you. Now, what should i name you... I know, I'll name you after what my father named his dog a girl named Ellen gave to him, KORO!" The dog seemed to like the name, so Koro it was. He made himself and the dog some breakfast... It just wasn't as good as Ann's cooking though. "Well, I guess I should plant my seeds now, huh little buddy?" The dog barked in agreement. (Editors Note: LOL, I just realized how funny that statement sounds...)
Jack went outside with some tools his grandfather passed on to him, and the book the mayor lent to him. It took him a while to figure it out, but he finally was able to plant and water the seeds. "I wonder how long it takes for these things to grow? Oh well, I guess I'll find out then."
Jack opened up his map and looked to see if he should explore somewhere. "Hmmm... Goddess Spring sounds pretty nice." He closed up him map and was on his way. It took him about 45 minutes to reach there, and he quickly realized he wasn't the only one there. When he got there, he saw Popuri. "Hi, Popuri!" Jack shouted out. He saw some flowers next to him, and decided to pick some. When she came over to him, he gave a couple to her.
"Wow, flowers, I love these. Thank you so much, Jack." Although she tried to hide it, you could see that he cheeks were turning red over the flowers he gave her. "So Jack, what brought you here?"
"I decided to explore. Why are you here?"
"I usually come here every day. The air around here is so good in the morning, and there is even a spa over there to relax in." Popuri pointed out the spa, which looked really comfortable to Jack, but now wasn't the time for that. "So, how is your farm going?"
"I just planted my first seeds today, and I'm hoping they grow up well." Just then he remembered about his dream, and something about Popuri reminded him of that little girl he dreamed about every single night. "Hey Popuri, have you been living here all of your life?"
"Born and raised here in Mineral Town."
"Do you remember much about when you were a kid by any chance?" He doesnt know why, but it was kinda hard for him to ask her. Well, it may have to do with it being a personal question and they just met (if you leave out the fact that she may have been that little girl and they actually knew each other for a very long time, but he wasn't sure.)
"No, I don't really remember much of it. I was knocked out once by a boat in the ocean when I was swimming, and I don't remember anything that happened before that. I do remember bits and pieces which come back to me in my dreams sometimes though, but not really enough to say anything positive about. Why do you ask?"
"Ummm... I was just wondering. You see, I actually visited my grandfathers farm when I was a kid, and I remember a girl and..." Jack stopped, but he didn't know why. Why couldn't he just tell her? He was too busy thinking that maybe she was the one.
"Are you alright, Jack? You just kinda stopped in the middle of a sentence. Do you need to sit down?"
"No, I think that I am alright, thanks for the offer."
"Well, I think I should be getting back home now. See you later, Jack."
"Wait, Popuri!" Jack yelled.
"What is it?" She asked
"Umm... I was wondering... Would you perhaps... Maybe... If it doesn't interfere with your schedule or anything... You... And me...Go out on a picnic date or something?" He said it, but he didnt know why. Did he actually like this girl? He was so confused...
"Ummm... I'd like that, Jack. Sure, how about tommorrow at noon.?" Popuri was most obviously blushing, with some of the most beautiful red cheeks he had ever seen. But he was frozen. He couldn't respond. Why had he asked. Stupid, stupid, stupid...
"Sounds good to me. Tommorrow, see you then." He finally managed to blurt out. He could see she was giggling while she was leaving. Well, she sure has the innocent sweetness that reminds him of the dream girl. Time to prepare. He went to the diner and picked up some food for the picnic, then went to the supermarket and picked up a picnic basket and a couple of sheets to eat on. He was really happy, and scared at the same time. Had he asked to early or to fast, and was she just trying to be nice? He was thinking of just skipping the picnic for a second, but that would only lead to worse outcomes. Being known as a liar or a "playa" is not good if you're new around. Names like that dont ever seem to leave, even if you decide to change.