Hey there! It has been a long time since I wrote a story, and I'm still not entirely sure about this. But since its written, I thought I'd post it and see what happens. This short little story is on the life of my customized character for Harvest Moon: A New Beginning. I was playing the game, and wondered what the events would soon like in story form, so I wrote this. I like to imagine what my character is thinking or saying as I play the game (it drives my mom nuts with all the talking aloud), instead of her just being mute. So, I hope you enjoy this little excerpt of her life!

Kaylie's Story: The Power of the Moondrop Flower

My name is Kaylie. I consider myself to be kind and hardworking… and I have just moved to Echo Village. I was given a farm in the village by my parents in an inheritance, and had headed there eagerly. However, even I was stunned by the state of the village when I arrived, and had yet to really grasp the truth of the task set before me.

When I had first arrived, Echo Village was practically empty. I was not even a week staying there, when I was asked by Old Man Dunhill and the Harvest Goddess herself (and her sprites Aaron and Alice) to repair the village. It used to be quite lively apparently; but now hardly anyone lived there, now that that the economy has gotten bad. My true task for coming here was going to be a long one: to fix the village and get people to move back here. At that point, there were only four other people living in the village besides me:

* Old Man Dunhill, who I had helped out after finding him passed out on the road in need of water, on my way to the village. He sets quests for me for Town Renovation, and seems like a good person. He also runs all the special events like contests, and dressed like an old cowboy, but seems more like a mayor. He lives in a hut up on a hill by the town plaza.

* Hana, a nice old granny type, runs the local General Store, where I buy all my seeds for my crops, supplies, and stuff for cooking. Her living quarters are at the back of her store, and she is close friends with Emma.

* Emma lives and manages the shipping station. I bring things from my farm or from foraging on the mountain, put them in the bin outside her house, and then she ships them off to towns far away. Emma is a cheerful person to talk to, and I could tell that I would like to be friends with her.

* Blond-haired Neil, the only young man in town at his point, has a cart that he operates in the town plaza where he sells animals. Neil loves animals, and apparently gets along with them better than he does with people. He was quite cold to me at first, and my first impression was that he looks like some punk rocker. He seems to be turn-offish and rude toward others, and it looked to be another of my tasks to see if he is really like that deep in his heart. Okay, so maybe it really wasn't a task I had to do, but I felt that I wanted to be friends with him.

While Old Man Dunhill, Hana, and Emma welcomed me warmly to the village, Neil would hardly speak to me nor did he seem to approve of me very highly. And when he did speak, it was usually to scold me for "slacking off". I learned quickly not to casually talk to him while he's working in the plaza. So, hoping to show how well I could do, I worked hard on my crops and raising a cow and a chicken that I bought from him. I treat them well, but they weren't under Neil's acknowledgement to win any festivals yet. He was the hardest judge to please I've ever seen.

However you look at it, I was displeased that Neil was so cold to me, and wanted to somehow get him to be my friend. One day, after foraging in the forest and up on the mountain, I went to his little red-bricked house in the centre of the village, and handed him a yellow Moondrop Flower that I had picked. It was the first time I ever saw Neil smile.

"For me?" he asked, somewhat surprised. "This is my favourite flower. Thank you."

And then he smiled, accepting my first-ever gift. I wasn't sure if it was luck or what happened, that my present to Neil had turned out to be his favourite flower. But I thought his smile meant that I was starting to get into his friendship books, if only a little. I went home to my farm happy that night.

It was about mid-Spring that Aaron and Alice, the little forest sprites, first appeared before me. Apparently, they are the twin little brother and sister of the Harvest Goddess. I got quite a shock the first time Aaron teleported into my house early one morning. He looks like one of Santa's little elves, and is about as cheerful as one of them too. Alice, on the other hand, is a bit standoffish and difficult to please, but seems quite nice and regal if you can get on her good side. Alice sometimes complains about the difficulties of working for the Harvest Goddess, while Aaron is usually more optimistic. They also asked me to restore Echo Village, and taught me how to use the Magic Musical Stumps in the forest. The Musical Stumps form a coloured "Do-to-Do" scale, and I thought that they were one of the neatest things! Alice, apparently, is some kind of musical genius to be able to think up short tunes for the Stumps. She composes songs and then hides them somewhere in the village.

By this point, Iroha the Blacksmith had moved into the village, and the first song for the Musical Stumps was by her toolbox. I helped build her house, and could tell that she would be a nice addition to the village. Iroha makes tools for me, and likes almost any kind of metal. She is a very easy person to talk to, and I really like her. Once, a big pine tree grew right in front of my barn door, and I had trouble getting my cow out to graze in the morning. It took awhile before I got into Iroha's friendship zone enough, that she gave a blueprint for an Iron Axe to chop it down.

A blueprint designer, Rebecca and her son Toni, came to town a fews earlier (before the tree incident). Rebecca seems like an easy person to talk to as well, and very classy and responsible. She looks like some kind of Spanish dancer to me. I hope to work hard with her blueprints to revive Echo Village. Toni is a cheerful little boy, always walking around town, and likes candy. Sometimes I wonder though if he is bored in being the only kid in town right now.

Echo Village is starting to get a bit lively, but there still doesn't seem to be much here. I have since repaired the roads, and prettied the place up with some greenery, lighting, and benches. There is still so much to do, now having reached mid-Summer, and I hope that I am up to this task. Sometimes I am unsure, but will try to live up to the expectations set before me, and make the people here proud. The friendships to be had in my new life here is a thing that I am greatly looking forward to.

I sometimes wonder if my friendship with Neil is progressing forward at all. He is so tough to talk to sometimes, usually trying to turn me away. Talking to him in my first month in the village, and one of his constant phrases to me in his cold tone was: "Why are you talking to me when you should be working?". His eyes would look so disapproving whenever he said this, as he tried to give me the cold shoulder. I was probably bugging him a lot with all my attempts to get a little closer to him.

Not soon after this, I guess it was a week or so later, I was foraging in the forest, when I noticed a hint of red by a tree and thought it was a Magic Red Flower. It was Neil, who once again told me to stop slacking off by talking to him. I had picked a Magic Red Flower earlier, and thought of his red jacket, so I handed it to him. My second gift to him turned out to be one of his most hated flowers, and I thought he wouldn't talk to me for weeks afterwards. I still found it amusing though, that even though Neil hated the flower scowling as he was, he still took it from me. (Turns out that Aaron also doesn't like the Magic Red Flower, even though he too wears the colour red.) I learned something else that day: just because a person dresses in a certain colour, doesn't mean they like other things in that colour.

I thought that Neil would be mad at me for giving him something he so disliked, but about a day later, something completely unexpected occurred between Neil and I.

It was early in the morning, and I thought I would go around and greet my neighbours. Some of them seem to eat and sleep later that I, which makes me wonder why I seem to be the only one up at 6:00am and finished my farming chores by 8:00. Anyway, after saying "Hi" to Hana, I stopped by Neil's house, and found an odd scene that unfolded before my eyes. Neil was pacing around the house, his eyes narrowed in anger. And for once, this anger was not directed at me, even though I pretty much came into his house uninvited. I was concerned on what or who had gotten him so angry. Soon, he noticed me standing in the centre of the room and stopped pacing.

"Kaylie? What are you doing here?" He sounded annoyed, but it didn't seem to be entirely toward me. "I'm not in the mood to talk right now."

Now I was really concerned. I wanted to find out what was bothering him. So, instead of leaving him to be angry by himself, I stayed. "What's wrong?" I asked.

I expected him to insist that I go away, as his eyes fixed into an annoyed glare. But instead, Neil spoke in a different tone than usual.

"A guy in the next town over bought a cow from me. A day later, it got sick, and he had the nerve to come back and say that I had sold him a sick cow on purpose! I would never… He even told me to heal it and without pay! I am so mad. I refuse to go and treat that cow!"

I was quite shocked to hear this coming from Neil, who is usually such an animal lover. He, who seems to love animals more than he does people, was refusing to heal a sick cow. What if it was so sick that it died? I understood that he was angry at the man who was so rude in accusing him, but the cow didn't do anything wrong.

I fixed Neil with a serious look. "But what about the cow? Are you just going to let it get worse till it's dead?"

Neil's eyes went wide. "Oh no!" he cried. "I was so mad that I forgot! That cow is actually really sick. I have to cure it. If I run now, maybe I can still make it!"

With that, he gathered his things and rushed out the door.

I was still concerned on how this whole event would turn out. So instead of leaving and asking about it later, I stayed to wait for his return. I hoped he got to the cow in time to cure it, and that it wasn't too serious. I imagined him telling that man off for being so irresponsible and to take proper care of his animals. It sounded like something that Neil would do. He seemed a long time in returning, that I started pacing in my nervousness.

About an hour later (or so it felt like), Neil finally came back. He was surprised to find that I was still there.

"What? You're still here? I thought you would have left by now. You didn't have to wait for me, you know,"

I stopped pacing and went to join him on the lower flooring. "How did it go?" I inquired.

"I managed to get there in time," Neil replied. "I administered the medicine. The cow should be fine in a couple days."

I breathed a long happy sigh of relief. "Thank goodness."

Neil then seemed to shuffle awkwardly as he looked at the floor. "I was just so angry that I really didn't care what happened to that cow. But you can't accuse the animal of being wrong just because the owner is irresponsible. That man should know enough now to look after it himself." A hint of blush appeared on his cheeks as he looked up at me, giving a faint smile. "Thank you for reminding me of my duty."

I smiled back and just nodded. "No problem."

I was just happy that everything had worked out and the problem was resolved. Neil wasn't angry anymore, and it seemed like I had been of some help to him. My simple words of asking about the cow had reminded Neil about how much he cares for animals and won't leave them to suffer. I had learned that Neil, although had difficulties dealing with people, truly cares about helping animals. He had probably just been angry that he had sold a cow to a man who didn't know how to look after them properly. My words had helped Neil see that it's his job to educate the owner on healing his own sick animals. I was glad to hear his thanks, and that I hadn't just walked away myself when he didn't look happy when I had first arrived.

I went about the rest of my day, elated, as I went foraging in the forest. I also seemed that I had gotten closer to Neil a little more. He wasn't as cold toward me after that, if I ever called to him if I saw him in town or on the forest paths. I still knew better than to casually talk to him while he is working in the plaza. And he still sometimes told me to stop "slacking off" and work harder. After seeing how seriously Neil took his job when it really counted, I understood better about what he was always telling me on working harder. I decided to work even harder at building up my ranch and restoring Echo Village. After earning a little of Neil's friendship, and even thanks, I felt that I would disappoint him if I didn't. My life in Echo Village, and my friendship with its people (especially Neil) has only just begun!

In about late Summer, early Fall, Old Man Dunhill told me that two new people were moving here, if I built their workshops/homes. I was excited that my efforts were starting to pay off and that two more people had agreed to live here. Old Man Dunhill told me that he had found a newspaper reporter and a hair stylist that were willing to set up there businesses here in Echo Village.

Tina, a young woman around my age, is the newspaper reporter and she arrived in town first. Her house is up from Neil's and just before the road leading to the town plaza. Tina seems very cheerful and I was happy to meet her. She always seems to be eagerly looking for a new story, but there aren't too many to be found around here yet. She also delivers the mail and newspapers around the village, and often complains that there are not many people living here, so she finishes her route too fast. I am also eager to have more people come to live here. Restoring the village is an uphill task, but I am up for it.

Alan, the hair stylist, moved into town soon after. And my first impression of him was that he is very classy and obviously knows about style. His first impression of me apparently wasn't as high, when Old Man Dunhill introduced us. Alan looked me up and down through his thin-rimmed glasses, staring at my bob of orange hair, and then said, "That style doesn't suit you at all. But don't worry, I can fix up a new one for you, no problem. Drop by the Salon sometime."

I wasn't sure if he was being rude or giving me advice. Or maybe he was trying to hint that he wanted me to be his first customer. Alan was the next young man to be in this town, and I wasn't sure how well I could get along with him. Neil had been hard enough to progress to the point of seeing a glimpse of his nicer side. After that first impression, I wasn't sure what to think about Alan.

About a week later, I paid my first visit to Alan's Salon. I found it amusing that a guy would call his place a "hair salon", when it sounded more of a feminine word. My hair had grown a bit since I first moved here, I decided to let him cut and style it. My new style is a pink-haired short bob, and I sometimes wonder if Alan has changed his impression of me yet. In any case, he did a really good job redoing my hair, and I started to gain respect for his skills. I also learned around the same time that he doesn't like to be talked to early in the morning, especially on days when he's working. I went to greet him casually one morning, and he said frankly, "I am not talkative early in the morning, so come to see me in the afternoon." Is he really not that much of morning person? Come to think of it, almost everyone in town seems to get up early, but not start working until 10:00, and even then only work some days of the week.

It is the start of the Winter season here now in Echo Village. My work on the Town Renovation has since ground to a halt while we are in Winter. My last task given to me by Old Man Dunhill was to ship 10 jars of honey; but in these cold days of Winter, my bees sleep, so I have to wait until Spring to continue. I was also late in planting my winter-season crops, but they are starting to grow now. Before going out to forage, I often see Tina about town, still complaining about how short her paper route is. I'll just have to work harder at renovating the town come the Spring, then maybe more people will move here.

It seems that I am becoming more acquainted with everyone here as well. If anything, I am learning of some of their preferred flowers. Alice and the Harvest Goddess like Lavender. The Harvest Goddess also seems to like Camomile; but just because she seems to like a lot of pretty flowers doesn't mean that she likes all of them - apparently she really dislikes Elli Flowers that grow in the Winter. Alan, however, likes Elli Flowers. I gave him one once, during a stop by his Salon one morning. I don't really know why, I just felt like giving him something, and luckily it turned out to be something he likes. He actually took it from me, saying, "A present? And it's a nice flower befitting of my class. I'll happily accept this." Sometimes I wonder what Alan's class involves, although his casual smile doesn't seem to hurt his stylistic coolness.

I also sometimes wonder if my efforts to improve Alan's impression of me is being unfaithful to my friendship with Neil. Somehow, if you look at it from a certain angle, I was throwing myself at Neil (the only young man in Echo Village when I first arrived), even though he constantly tried to push me away. Am I being unfair to him after trying to improve my friendship with Alan? Neil and Alan seem close to opposites in the way they talk to other people. Neil seems to appear rude and standoffish, while Alan seems to be more polite in his ways of speaking.

At any rate, Neil doesn't tell me off as much as before, and will sometimes drop facts about himself. He apparently has always cut his own hair, but is recently thinking about trying out the Salon. Makes me wonder what a new style would look like on Neil if Alan did it for him. The other day, I also learned that Neil likes to play the bass guitar. He said he likes the low tones it makes. When I asked to hear his music, he scowled and said, "You want to hear me play? No way. I don't like you enough for that." I was sad to hear that. But maybe someday Neil will consider me close enough of a friend to him to let me hear his music.

Neil's birthday actually just passed by a few days ago, and I wasn't really sure what I should give him. I thought of a bright yellow Sunflower, but apparently he doesn't like those, and I didn't want to give him something he disliked for his birthday. That would just be mean. So, I decided to give him the only thing I know as his favourite (right now) - a yellow Moondrop Flower. I went and handed him the flower that night after foraging in the forest. And well, Neil took it with a rare broad smile and said, "A birthday present, for me? I am happy to receive this. Thank you."

I was really happy as well that Neil liked my gift, and thought that he really should smile like that more often. The Moondrop Flower really is a cheerful looking flower that can make the guy I like smile. I think it may end up being one of my favourite flowers as well.

END (for now)

And there we are! I hope you enjoyed this story as much as I enjoyed writing. I actually paid more than one visit to Alan's Salon before having Kaylie be in the pink-haired bob - it was also light blue and even back to orange. But I think of come to like the pink hairstyle, even I first named my character Kaylie because of her orange hair. I really do wonder sometimes if I'm throwing myself at Neil too early, before I even get most of the different people to come to town. But he really is kind of cool. Love him! ^^ I actually did give Neil the Sunflower first as birthday present (which is how I know that he dislikes it for the story), and he said, "A birthday present? Aren't you supposed to give me something that I like?" I was so annoyed and upset that restarted my last save at the beginning of Winter as I was playing, and the second time gave him the Moondrop Flower, that was put in for the end of this story. That also restarted of when I accidentally gave the Harvest Goddess an Elli Flower as well. XD And well, that's it for Kaylie's Story. For now anyway, as I have to play more of the game if I am to write more.

Well, tell me your thoughts if you will, and I see you around. Ciao! ^_^