March 27, 2012

Authoress Note: Hello, fellow fanfictioners. I am here once again with a new one-shot for you all to enjoy. And yes, this is my entry for the Writing Contest in The Village Square for March 2012. The theme this time around was "fears." Anyway, enough drabble; I hope you all enjoy the story. By the way, this is set in Grand Bazaar.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harvest Moon or any of its affiliates. I do, however, own copies of various games. ^_^

Conquer

There it is, staring at me with its wooden face. It mocks me because it knows I won't do anything. I know I probably can do something but the thought of taking action is just a bit too much for me to bear at the moment. Maybe one day I will do something; maybe one day I will take action. But not today it seems…

I walk away…

I pass it once more. And again it calls out to me, wanting me to give in to my thoughts. I stare at it. My lips are quivering and I'm beginning to sweat. Something like this shouldn't be causing so much stress to my body.

But it is…

I stare at its wooden, round frame. It looks harmless in itself but I know it's secret…

This common item is different from the average ones. This one possesses a special quality. This one and its brothers in this town all do the same thing. I don't know why they do, but they do. And each of them grips me with the same power every time I see them.

Why must they taunt me so?

Perhaps I should just give them what they want. Yea, then they won't be able to mock me anymore. But is it a risk I want to take? I mean, after all, I know not to what extent their power is at. Honestly, some real damage could be done here. But if I do nothing, they will continue to stare at me with longing and desire.

There is a spark…

A tiny flame grows inside me and the only way to extinguish it is to give in to what they want from me. I stand a few feet from the item in question. We stare at each other in silence. The other villagers watch us for a time but then continue on their merry way, unsure of the event that is happening here. All else fades into the background as we continue to stare.

Determination begins to boil in me…

Wind rushes into my face as I quickly accelerate to the wooden item. Closer and closer it comes until there is nothing between us. I launch into the air and land on the item. With a force that can be described as a bounce, I am propelled into the air. Forward I go, to where, I don't know but there is no time to change direction.

I feel free…

In the air, I feel a wave of excitement. My heart is racing and I've closed my eyes to quiet the sound of ringing in my ears. There is adrenaline pumping throughout my body. I open my eyes in time to see the ground approaching me. Usually, I would panic but not this time. I smile as I reach the earth. Coming out of my somersault, I land gracefully on the ground. I look behind me to see where I was. Below me sits the lower half of town and resting on the ground is the very thing I thought would do me wrong.

I was mistaken…

It looked up at me with a smile and I couldn't help but smile back. I had given it my trust and it proved true. Standing at the top of the hill, I looked around at Zephyr Town below, watching over it like some kind of guardian angel. It felt amazing to be up here.

One thing was for sure…

Bouncy barrels are my new, favorite way of travel.

~*~*~End~*~*~

Authoress Note: And that is the end of that. This is probably one of my shortest pieces. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy. Best wishes to all other participants. *thumbs up*