Dedicated to the awesome writers of the fan fiction community who have inspired me with their countless heart warming and world expanding stories.
This story intended to explore and flesh out the characters from the Harvest Moon universe. Written from the perspective of the much underwritten bachlorette Elli.
This story takes place a little after the end of Harvest Moon 64, the pairings are starting as JackXElli, AnnXCliff, PopuriXGrey, KaiXKaren, MariaXHarris but may change as the story continues depending on what you all would like to see. :)
"Come on sleepy head, it's time to get up." Jack persisted, from across the room.
I pulling the blankets around me tightly. The previous night's activities, although not unwanted, had left me wanting for sleep. I let out an exhausted whimper.
"Just a few more minutes honey, please? I'm so sleepy I can't even open my eyes."
"Elli, sweetie... Popuri and Ann is going to be here any minute for Cocote's play date with Mint and Rex. You really should get up."
Blearily I opened my eyes and as I did they instantly began eying-up every inch of my husband's thick rippling muscles as he dressed for the day: The tight calves, the pronounces six pack he quickly moved to cover as he pulled awhite T-shirt over his head, stretching to just barely hide is almost too-broad shoulders and drawing my eyes across to his farm tanned arms; well worked by the days out tilling and tending the land. He pulled on overalls he almost always wore and buckled them to my momentary dismay.
A muffled wall came from Cocote's bed, which only became louder for the moment.
Reluctantly I pulled myself from the cozy comfort of my bed. I pulled out a fresh yellow three-quarter-length sleeve shirt and a pair of denim shorts Ann had given me to wear while I helped on the farm.
In the last few months Ann had shown me the convenience that came with the freedom of not wearing skirts. Although there would always be a place in my heart for the thick ruffly dresses... But at this point in time, with the daily duties on the farm and constantly running around keeping house and caring for my son, I couldn't afford to be tangles under layers and layers of elegant skirts.
Jack lifted Cocote from his crib and began to rock him while I dressed, and a knock came at the door.
I pulled the brown vest Karen had given me over my shoulders and tied one of Jack's distinctive red kerchiefs around my neck to protect it from the hot summer sun.
"Hi-ho Jack, is Elli home?" I heard Popuri chirp at the door.
"I am!" I hollered from across the room, slipping into my rubber boots and taking my now pacified son from Jack's arm.
"Have a good day you two." Jack said, pulling his iconic orange billed blue baseball hat over his messy brown hair.
"Trust me, we will." Popuri promised sincerely with only a hint of mischief in her voice.
"I love you Jack." I whispered as I kissed him goodbye.
"I love you too Elli." He whispered as Popuri literally drug me away by the arm.
"Come on! I have so many fun things for us to do today!" She exclaimed with excitement.
"One second!" I shouted, rushing back inside to the food I'd packed the night before from the fridge and then quickly returning.
The sun was shining warmly, soft fluffy clouds dotted the sky and the scent of freshly cut grass and moondrop flowers were on the breeze. Birds were singing sweets little melodies and by the time we reached Green Ranch Ann and Cliff fighting again. Rex's wailing drowned out their shouts long before we could even see the two of theme.
I covered Cocote's ears and stroked his head to keep him calm.
One crying baby was going to be enough to deal with.
You know, some days you would think they genuinely hated each other. It worried me to see them fighting all them time.
Jack always swore to me up-and-down that the two of them thrived on that kind of conflict.
"Fighting's how they build trust", he'd say much to my disbelief.
At the very least all that arguing couldn't be healthy for the developing mind of they son. But what did I know?It's not like I was a nurse or trained physician who'd know of such things.
"...Cruel? How many times do I have to tell you Ann! Cain needs to eat birds and rabbits to survive. When are you going to stop doing this?!" Cliff shouted from behind the Green Ranch barn.
"I know... But could you at least not feed him in front of Rex. I don't like the idea of him growing up around such barbaric displays!" Ann scolded her husband.
"Weren't you supposed to have already left with Rex for the day?! I though you had other plans that didn't include starving my bird again."
"Fine! We're leaving then!" Ann shouted as she peeled around the barn teary-eyes, green dinosaur clad baby in tow.
"Ann- Come back, you know I didn't mean- " The words jumbled out.
"Sniff, sniff. I know." Ann murmured.
She gave her husband an unenthusiastic kiss on the cheek to console him.
He shot her an annoyed look and pushed her against the barn kissing her passionately.
I looked away, red faced with embarrassment.
A moment later I heard the heavy smacking sound of flash against raw flesh.
Reflexively I turned to look. She'd slapped him right across the face!
"Dammit Cliff! You can't- can't just go and- and- kiss me like that! Especially not after..." Ann stuttered flushing.
Cliff didn't look look hurt or insulted in the least, rather he had the look of a child who'd recently raided their parent's cookie jar and gotten away with it.
Ann stormed toward us in a huff.
"Hee hee, they always get like this in the mornings. " Giggled my pink haired best friend, completely unfazed.
"Thanks for fetching Elli, Popuri. Do you know if any of the other girls are planning on coming out today?" Ann asked.
"I asked Maria but she said that she wouldn't be done working the Library until 5 PM. Did you ask Karen?" Popuri responded.
Ann looked visibly relieved, for whatever reason she'd always found Maria's meekness stressful, honestly I was a little relieved she wasn't coming aswell. Back before my Jack and I had been an item everyone had thought he and Maria were going to get together.
He'd danced with her at the flower festival, he spent his first fireworks festival in this town with her, escorted her home from the Firefly festival and even had Zack order her a typewriter so she could work on writing her new novel.
In the last few years I'd grown to overcome my jealously extensively but I wasn't exactly the most trilled person in the world to be spending time with her.
"It sounds like she's got her hands tied today on the Vineyard. Although apparently Kai is taking her out dancing in the city this weekend. She's in such high spirits nowadays." Ann responded.
Karen had always been Ann's best friend, and recently the two of us had been getting along a LOT better, but I'd always felt that Karen's spoiled, rude, over-entitled and obsessed, most apparently with wine and dance among other obsessions. I let out a small sigh of relief.
"Well I guess it's just the three of us then." Popuri piped in cheerfully.
"Let me go grab Mint."
Ann and I followed her into the little hut she shared with Grey. He was sitting at the table with Mint sitting on the table being spoon fed strawberry oatmeal.
"Say baaaa." He said, waving the spoon around and around as he brought it to her mouth.
"Baaa!" She bleated, as he fed her another mouth full of berry filled goodness.
Popuri beamed at her little red-haired darling.
"Alright sweetie, it's time to get you dressed to go play with mommy and friends?"
Mint smiled up at her mother as she hopped down off the table, "Mmkay mommy."
The room filled with an awkward silence as Popuri shuffled to fetch a pink bunny print gown from the dresser for her daughter. Mint was definitely the most docile of the latest generation of Flowerbud children.
She a very quiet young girl.
Popuri was always bragging about how much she'd taken after her father with her soft blue eyes and generally disinterested personality.
"You shouldn't be so hard on him, Ann." Grey scolded his younger sister.
"I- I know..." She responded bashful.
The little pink haired angel certainly had a touch for improving thinks wherever she went though, since she and Grey had gotten together the ranch had gone from smelling like smelly animals and manure to fresh spring flowers.
Grey's place had gone from dusty and creaky to warm and inviting. She had a basket of dried forget-me-nots in one corner and a pot full of bright red daisies at their bedside.
The room had a lot of pink in it, but one of the thing I commended Grey for was not trying to repress Popuri's girlish and childlike nature. Even into adulthood she still possessed a rare kind of innocence you didn't often see.
She was very lady-like with a waif thin figure that I'd always envied. A pinched tiny waist that she flaunted regularly with a flattering corset, unlike Karen she certainly knew how to show off her body while still wearing clothing.
Seriously, that women did not know the value of modesty...
"Goo goo!" Cocote burbled happily at me, pawing to reach my short cropped hair with his tiny little baby hands. Instantly all my insecurities melted away.
"Looks like we're all ready to go!" Popuri said suddenly as she fastened the last button on Mint's puffy-sleeved summer dress.
"Alright! Let's get this show on the road, we don't have time to just mosey about!" Ann added quickly, picking up a large basket.
The three of us strolled down to the goddess pond and set out a picnic, Popuri had brought a bottle of pickled flowers and Ann had brought a jug of fresh milk and a large wedge of cheese.
Popuri laid out a soft pink quilt on the grass and the three of us settled down while the babies roamed the grass and attempted to eat everything in sight.
Cocote was the youngest of the three children, Popuri and Grey were the first couple in town to tie the knot and they were also the first to have children.
Mint learned how to walk and talk rather quickly but had little interest in speaking to anyone other than her parents, even on play dates she tended to spend most of her time exploring the forest surrounding the goddess pond and less time socializing with the other children.
Cocote and Rex and settled themselves in a comfortable pile of dirt and were busily tossing dirt at one another and burbling back and forth as though they were having an actual conversation.
"So how are things down at the farm for you Elli?" Ann asked, slicing the cheese into sections for us all to share.
"They've been alright, I crated up some eggs yesterday morning and it's been so sunny recently I've been hanging the laundry out to dry in the sun. How have you been Ann?"
"Cliff has been as frustrating as usual. He's so stupid! He's always scared that I'm going to betray him even though we've been together for years and he's terrified by all the the things that might happen. I mean, before I never even though about getting married or having a baby and now. Here I am... but there's no time to be depressed! I mean, it's turbulent, every day is a new beginning for us. It's nothing like what you've got going Elli."
"But you still love him right?" I pursed.
"Of course! We fight all the time but I can't imagine what my life would be without Cliff anymore. I still remember the day we first met. I was cutting across Fate Ranch to get to the Kappa's pond after I'd finished my early morning chores and ran into him, literally, as he was walking out of your husband's place and ended up toppling over on top of him and he just brushed me off, got up and left. I was so furious! Who did he think he was?!"
"It sounds more like you hated him than anything else" I blurted out.
"He was just some random vagabond roaming around with no place to call home, no friends or family... He always smelled like a campfire and I don't know. It wasn't long before we spent nearly every day together. I'd hang around wherever he roamed around during the day or he'd be visiting the Ranch. He'd come by and the ranch and pet the animals. He had a real thing for Cliffguard, he'd sneak him treats and I always thought it was very attractive, the way he handled animals and understood their world. I've always had a short fuse, anytime I'd have the guts to say something to him I'd just end up exploding instead, he can be a pig-head... but he's my special pig-head and I think that's what matters the most." She related awkwardly, even married she retained her rough tomboyish personality and struggled to express herself gently.
"Hee hee, Ann, you and Cliff have such a funny way of expressing yourselves. Although I can't say that Grey and I have had such a conventional relationship either. For the longest time he wouldn't even speak to me, he'd just come by the flower shop and buy flowers, occasionally he'd stray a glance my way but he never uttered a word in my direction. I hadn't the slightest clue he liked me at all, in fact I was quite convinced he hated me and everyone in town for the longest time until one day he forgot the flower seeds he'd bought and walked out without them. When I saw the frantic look on his face I realized it wasn't hate he felt towards the people of the village, he was just such a shy socially inept guy." She recounted.
"Haha, that's my brother for you! He's always been such a social disaster. He didn't even start speaking until he was 8 years old!" Ann added with a laugh.
"Hee hee, yup! And when I saw all the beautiful flowers he'd grown I knew what a gentle heart he had. It took a lot of gentle prying but eventually he let me know what a wonderful and caring person his is. He's always spoiling me, and you too Mint. And though you don't get to see it much because he's so hands-off in public he's actually very good with children. Oh! Speaking of which! I've got some news, but you have to keep it a secret, okay!" Popuri said, her voice going suddenly hush.
"What?!" Ann and I asked in sudden unison.
"I was talking with the midwife the other day and she I'm probably pregnant again." She whispered.
"NO! Shut-up! But, wait, really?!" Ann snapped.
"What will you name it?" I asked, smiling. I loved babies, I loved my Cocote and I wouldn't mind another son or daughter if my husband wasn't apposed to the idea.
"Well I was thinking Parsley if it's a boy but Grey was thinking we might name him Nick. And if it's a girl we'll probably name her Rose." Popuri said dreamily.
"Rose, what a lovely name." I agreed, it would be a fitting girl's name.
I laid back on the quilt and gazed up at the sky, "I don't know what name I would give another child..." I said absently.
"Neither would I, Rex and Cain are enough of a handful for me." Ann added.
"But I wouldn't mind it... another kid I mean." I uttered to myself dreamily.
"Ahh, so how is Karen doing now days?" Popuri asked Ann.
"She's doing good. They've finally begun to their new wine, the Kodama of the vineyard summoned the Keifu Faeries back to bless their vines over 4 years ago but the real financial impact hadn't really sunk in..." Ann responded curtly.
In the corner Cocote had made his way onto the bridge. He teetered precariously at the waters edge and was reaching to touch it's surface almost ready to take a plunge.
"Cocote! No, bad!" I shouted
I ran after him and reached out my arms to pick him up just as I tripped over one of the uneven logs, flat on my stomach.
My hands swooped after him in a frantic motion wrapping around his tiny baby waist! I sighed, relieved that I'd caught him in time.
"Oh Cocote, how is it that you're always getting into so much trouble."
He splashed about in the water giggle and burbling happily.
Soft music filled the valley and an elegant glowing form emerged and hovered above the surface of the pool, emerald green hair tapered down in a think plated braid from her left temple and two thick buns rested just above either of her
ears which were decked with elaborate gold earring, flowers blossomed from those emerald tresses and the was swathed in a cape made literally of the crystal clear waters from which she'd appeared.
"T-th-the Harvest G-goddess..." Popuri stuttered reverently.
"Not many people come here anymore. I'm happy you're a kind and spiritual bunch, raising your children up to appreciate this sacred valley." The goddess proclaimed, her voice echoing through the glade, elegant and melodic, almost as though her words were simply notes plucked on the traditional Japanese koto.
"My you've all grown up into such beautiful women with children of your own" She said, extending a hand down and touching my sons face lightly.
"What little blessings they all are, what is it that you pray for today?"
"Well, we really hadn't come with any particular prayer in mind." Ann exclaimed pink faced.
"Oh, really? You just wanted to see me...?" She giggled, "See you later!" Then disappeared into the glittering sacred pond.
"I can't believe that just happened!" Ann remarked.
"I know. Who knew that the Harvest Goddess was so pretty!? I wish I had flowers growing from my hair. If I could I would even have clothing made out flowers!" She jammered excitedly.
"That was so odd. Grandma always told me about the Goddess but I'd never seen her first hand either!" I said pulling Cocote into my arms and returning to the blanket.
I poured Cocote a new bottle of milk and tried eating a few of the pickled nasturtiums that Popuri had packed. They were spicy yet also tangy, which went well with the gouda and emmental cheeses that Ann had brought along. The three, well... technically six, of us parted ways as we left Moon Mountain.
I headed up to the Bakery, I'd been craving cakes all week but we'd been so busy I hadn't had time to bake one so I figured few bucks for a delicious treat wasn't too big a deal.
"Welcome, what can I get for you today?" Jeff asked quaintly from behind the counter.
"Just two slices of cake, please." I said politely, sitting down at the small table at the back of the room.
The bakery master and I had been very close until had Grandma had passed on, then... well.
Thinks had gotten awkward. I'd always seen Jeff as more of a father figure and well, apparently he hadn't seen me the same way.
I shuttered internally as the thought crossed my mind. As if it hadn't been uncomfortable enough that he had us call him the "Master", because he owned the bakery, though not rightfully in truth.
Jeff had fallen fallen into a windfall when my parents had passed. The little restaurant had been in the family for over three generations, yet he was now the bakery master through no effort of his own...
My great grandfather had inherited the restaurant nearly six decades ago but struggled keeping it in business. Eventually after my great grandmother passed on he gave up the venture entirely.
He'd sold the place and attempted to strike it out ranching.
The restaurant was bought up my grandfather who refurbished the whole place. He married my grandma Ellen bringing the business back into the family. He also hired my grandma, on papa's side Katie.
She was supposed to be the chef... but... well, my grandma Ellen's recipes are actually used for the creation of most of the bakery's goods.
Papa wasn't much like grandma Katie though, he spent most of his time fishing and eventually moved from hobby fishing to commercial fishing.
When I was really little he used to take me out fishing by Moon Mountain and we'd just sit there all day together, drinking tea and fishing.
Jeff had been a friend of my father's who he'd met while he was overseas, they'd bonded over a mutual love of tea and fishing. Jeff moved in to help us when mama had was sick.
Papa had to leave to work in order to pay for mama's medicine, but he never returned. His ship was lost at sea and mama passed on shortly after. I'd been too young at the time to understand what was happening, pretty soon Jeff was the new Bakery Master.
Admittedly, he'd never been particularly cruel when I was young.
But I had worked unpaid at my family's bakery from the moment my parents had passed on. Maria had always joking called me Cinderelli. But when I turned eighteen and the man who'd grown to be surrogate father began to express a less than platonic interest in me. It was just... well...
"Here you are." Jeff said, sliding the box of cake across the counter.
"Why don't you stay for a bit? I just got in a box of your favorite raspberry tea earlier this morning." He offered.
"I'm alright." I offered, my skin crawling. I could tell he didn't mean any harm but he still creeped me out.
Jack was still collecting the last of the crops from the field for shipping when I returned home, the sun was setting and the cool sea breeze was quickly sucking the heat out of the farm.
Inside I cleaned myself up. There was nothing like a hot back after a day out, after a good soak in the bath I scrubbed off and changed into my trademark outfit.
I let out a sigh as the layers of ruffly white petticoat settled at my ankles. I tucked in my favorite blue blouse and secured the clasp to bow broach that grandma Katie had made for me before I was born. I admired the Alexanderite gem that crested my neck in the mirror. It gleamed a beautiful shade of strawberry red in this light.
Now dressed, I dawned my apron and when to work on preparing dinner, cream of turnip stew and a salad of sesame dandelion greens and hot cinnamon milk tea. I had just finished setting the table for the two of us when Jack came inside.
I poured some milk into a bottle for Cocote as Jack make into the kitchen.
He was chatting with Maria, who followed him in. I smiled politely at her and she smiled demurely back at me.
"I- I can't believe it. He... he pro-proposed to me. I, I'm so happy..." Maria sputtered as she clutched her hands near to her face as she braved the task of speaking.
"That's great! I told you he'd come around eventually, he just needed to know how you felt about him." Jack exclaimed affably.
"Umm, I g-guess so. I can h-h-hardly believe it. After all these years, h-he actually feels the same way." Maria sighed as she and Jack sat down at the table.
"I know it's a little unexpected dear, but would it be alright for Miss Maria to stay for dinner?" Jack asked, sitting down across from her.
"Hee hee, nothing is to much for you honey!" I blurted, actually relieved to see that Maria finally devoting herself to a man, which might mean she'd be spending a little less time around my husband.
"H-he came by the library t-today. And, he had t-this blue feather. I, I couldn't believe it." Maria explained, "Until yesterday, I had no idea he reciprocated my feelings at all. I, I sent him that letter over a season ago but h-he never wrote back."
"Well, I guess you finally got your answer." Jack offered kindly as he served himself a healthy portion of salad.
"Who's the lucky man in question?" I asked, having heard nothing about this man whom Maria was so enamored until recently.
"Ummm... Harris, y-you know him right? H-he's the mail man. He stops by the l-library a lot between jobs. L-loves reading and books almost as much as I do." Maria elaborated afflush.
Jack scarfed down his soup in minutes while Maria detailed how Harris had intervened on her behalf when Sam, a con-artist who regularly visited the village, had tried to get her to buy some sort of beauty product and about the intricately woven story that was coming together with her new novel and how she absolutely loved the smell of fresh ink on her cherished type writer. I lost track of what she was saying as she continued to ramble on about the smell of old books and the technicalities involved with rebinding broken spines. I mean, if I were going to repair a spine I'd probably be more interested in repairing the human spine. If I had actually been making money while working at the Bakery I probably would have saved up money and gone to medical school. I'd often thought about what I could do if I had the expertise to actually help people. I could've saved mama, maybe Grandma too. Back in the day I'd fancied there'd be a way to help her walk again so I could take up Moon Viewing and we could eat Skinny and Sidney's delicious dumplings together... I was a little too old for that sort of thing now though.
"H-how was y-your day Elli?" Maria asked, drawing me away from my private thoughts.
"It was alright, Popuri, Ann and I went up to the Goddess Pond and had a lovely picnic," I answered, deliberately leaving out the bit about getting cake at the bakery since I hadn't bought enough for Maria.
"T-that's good." Maria answered, "Well, I, ummm... should probably get going."
I walked her to the door, "It was good seeing you! Good luck to you and Harris!"
Relieved, I returned to the kitchen while Jack took Cocote and put him in bed and turned on the TV to keep him occupied.
I fetched the cake from the fridge and dug through the freezer for that delicious vanilla ice cream we'd hand made a week ago.
Two scoops of ice cream, one for me, one for him and a slice of cake each aswell. Tonight was decadent.
"I knew you were leaving something out when I asked what you'd been up to." Jack said sitting expectantly at the table, eyes twinkling.
"Hee hee, well Maria's visit was a little unexpected. I only bought enough cake for the two of us!" I answered.
"Sorry I sprung that on you, dinner was delicious by the way."
"Only the best for you dear "
I dug into the cake and polished off my now luke-wark tea.
"Man, you really know how to keep a man fed Elli." Jack announced as he finished clearing his plate and headed to bathe.
I washed up our dishes and put them away, then checked on our son. I clicked off the TV and turned to his sleeping form.
"You've had a lot of milk and it's been a fine day Cocote..." I whispered lovingly down to me son.
I gently tucked him into his crib and lightly pried the bottle of milk he had fallen asleep clutching, careful not to let any of it drip onto the hand-knit afghan Ann had made for him.
"I don't know how much longer he'll be able to sleep in this little bed." I whispered softly to my husband as he came up behind me, still steaming with warmth from his hot bath.
"I'll talk to the carpenters about building him something a little bigger this weekend. Ha, he'll be needing a room of his own pretty soon." He chuckled nuzzling the back of my neck.
I could feel something rubbing at the nap of my back, I turned.
"Oh, Jack, you shouldn't have..." I whispered. I took in the wispy perfume of the Cat Mint Flowers he'd gotten for me.
"How did you-" I began to ask.
"Shh..." He shushed me, placing a finger to my lips before gently pulling me in for a kiss. He enthralled in with the raptures of the night, the beautiful pink blossoms were cast aside and completely forgotten by the time I drifted off in the sweet tender loving arms of my beloved Jack.
Next Time...
Warm sunlight danced across my eyes as begrudgingly awoke. My eyes had sealed themselves closed tight with salt, I rubbed them and stretched to awake. Everything was so peaceful this morning. Not a cry from Cocote nor the nagging of my ever ambitious husband.
It was nice, it wasn't often I had the luxury of sleeping in. I yawns, rolling to the side and placing my bare feet onto the... cold... smooth... tiles...
My eyes snapped open, frantically scanning the room.
The stark smell of disinfectant flooded my nose masking the faint scent of putrefaction... I was sitting on a simple, white, wire frame bed. The worn blue gingham blanket I'd left behind at the bakery was crumbled up to the side of me. A framed picture of my parents sat on the bed stand behind me... The room was otherwise empty. Panic flooded my mind. I screamed!