"Hiking Boots"
A story of Harvest Moon: A New Beginning
By, Vivat Musa
These shoes are falling apart, Rio thought as she jogged along a worn cement path. Her tennis shoes were plain Nikes with faded blue stripes down the sides. Its once pristine white was now a grimy gray; the same could be said for the ratty laces that were starting to fray.
The early morning was cloudy as Rio took a daily jog. Her chest ached from the vigorous exercise, but she continued to push on. The soles of her shoes made a thumping sound every time she took a step down her familiar neighborhood. In fact, it was all too familiar. There was a difference between the familiar where everything is homey and peaceful, and then there's the familiar where everything just became one, big blah.
For a long time now, Rio has been feeling the latter. She felt as worn-down as her Nikes. No matter how she looked at it, everything just felt so suffocating and constricting. Looking down at the familiar houses, all the same size and shape, the feeling that she needed something new—something fresh—grew until she could no longer ignore it. There was only one teensy, little problem: she had absolutely no idea where to begin.
It wasn't that she would miss anything that she would leave behind—she lived in a run-down apartment, with no boyfriend (much less a husband), no family, and no friends—but it seemed like such a huge step to take. Her lousy job couldn't pay for a move that big—not in a million years. So for the time being, she resigned herself to the same old life.
Evidently, fate had a different path set before her…
Calves burning, she turned the corner at a stop sign and suddenly something knocked her over. Before she could process what was happening, she was flat on her butt and sitting on cold cement. Shaking away the confusion, she pressed a palm to her forehead.
"What the—" she stammered.
A panicked, male voice came from above. "Oh, I'm so sorry, miss! I'm such a clutz; are you okay?!" Suddenly, a hand shot down and hovered next to her, palms open. She took the offered hand—the grip was warm and sure—and let the stranger gently pull her up.
Rising to her feet, she found herself staring into the loveliest eyes she had ever seen—at first she thought they were a pale green, but a second glance confirmed that they were actually a clear blue. Her vision focused on the rest of the person's face and took in the sweet, boyish smile. A pair of flying goggles was pushed up into a mane reddish-orange hair that stuck up in all directions. The goggles gave off the pretense that he might be a pilot of some sort. Nevertheless, the boy couldn't be much older than she was.
The boy's eyebrows furrowed in concern when he looked at her. "Are you okay, ma'am? I can't apologize enough for bumping into a pretty lady like yourself!"
Rio blinked. "You think I'm pretty?" What?! Where did that come from? she thought frantically.
The boy's expression turned into surprise, and then embarrassment took over. A bright pink covered his pale cheeks. "N-no. I mean, y-yes, I mean, uh, I don't know…" he stammered.
Rio couldn't help but smile at his nervousness. Benevolently, she said, "Well, don't worry; I'm fine." The girl offered her hand. "I'm Rio, by the way."
The stranger paused for a moment, and then a small smile appeared. His cheeks were still a faint red when he shook her hand. "Rod. I'm Rod. Nice to meet you."
His hand was just as warm as she remembered it. "Nice to meet you, too." Their hands fell back limply to their sides while an awkward silence took place. "Um…so what brings you to the neighborhood?" Rio asked, trying to break the ice. "I've been here my whole life and I've never seen you before."
Grateful for the prompt, he eagerly leaped into the conversation. "Oh, I'm not staying here. I'm just passing through."
"Oh, so where are you going?" she asked, her curiosity officially peaked.
"I'm headings towards a small places called Echo Village." His eyes lit up enthusiastically as he explained. "The village doesn't have that many people in it yet, but it's a great place if you're looking for a new beginning."
"A new beginning, huh?"
Rod absentmindedly scratched the back of his head when he nodded. "Yup. It's a really nice town, too. If I remember right, the mayor there—Dunhill, I think—is looking for a new farmer to move in. The mayor has been dying for new people to come, so the prices are really low."
Huh, a farmer. Rio was just thinking the other day of how nice it would be to start a quiet, little farm somewhere. The low price certainly wouldn't hurt her chances either. "I don't suppose you have a pamphlet on you, by chance?"
Rod grinned. "Actually, I do." He pulled a shiny piece of paper that was folded into thirds, and handed it to the girl. Rio opened the pamphlet and her fingers trailed over the pictures of the abandoned farm. As she was assessing the brochure, Rod looked down at the girl's worn shoes. Raising an eyebrow, he said, "If you do want to live there, you would need to throw away those Nikes. Get a good pair of hiking boots, instead. There's a lot of wildlife over there, and you're going to need some sturdy shoes."
Rio chuckled sheepishly. "I was going to get a new pair, anyways."
The two chattered comfortably for a while longer, and then they parted ways. As Rio made her way back to the apartment, pamphlet still in hand, her chest felt considering lighter than it had in a long time. Though she didn't try and delve to deep, she wondered if this was some fate or superior being's way of telling her to move on. Either way, she wasn't the type to ignore a chance like this.
The next day, Rio tossed her old Nikes into the garbage and bought a pair of brown hiking boots.