A Quick Note: Thanks for reading my fanfic! This is my first one, and I'm a sucker for detail, so it's kinda boring at first. Don't worry, it gets better.Enjoy!

Disclamer: I don't own Harvest Moon.

Where was I now? Oh, right. Our new farm.

I rolled over in bed without opening my eyes. It was warm and soft under the covers, and I really, really, really did not wanna get up, but the alarm clock was screaming out the 'Top 40 Hits Of The 90's' loudly enough to make my ears ring. Curse myself for putting that evil dream-interrupting contraption all the way on the other side of the room…

Finally, unable to take the crashing music any longer, I stretched, yawned, and forced myself out of bed. As I stumbled off the mattress, I stepped on my left roller skate (the right had been missing since last Tuesday). My leg shot out from under me, and I fell against the dresser, knocking my perfume bottles over like dominoes, the last one opening as it fell to dump its contents on my head.

Great. Now I smelled like a bag of Sour Skittles.

Normally, I'm a morning person. I like the morning. Apparently, though, the morning had a grudge against me today…

I pulled my red dragon-print robe on over my purple shorts and tank top (my pajamas of choice on hot August nights like last night), pulled on some striped socks, and pounded the snooze button on my sole enemy: the evil alarm clock. Ahhh…..silence at last….

As I made my way to the bathroom, I paused at the chrome-framed hallway mirror to make sure my hair wasn't all over the place.

Unfortunately, it was.

I sighed and reached for the hairbrush that, surprisingly, was always left exactly were I would next need it. My hair tangled way too easily. After an amazingly painful fifty seconds, my hair was back to normal, sort off. I glanced again in the mirror. The face I say was the same one I've known all my life. Shoulder-length wavy blonde hair that was usually under a baseball cap. Sky blue eyes. Silver-and-periwinkle braces.

"Hello, Claire" I said to my reflection. I paused for a second longer, then giggled at myself and headed to the bathroom.

After I had brushed my teeth and whatnot, I wandered down the hallway to the stairs, slid down the banister with a squeal of delight, then half waltzed, half dashed, half stumbled into the tiny kitchen, where my dad was sitting at the round wood table, munching on toast and reading the newspaper.

"Good morning Claire" He said, not even looking up from his paper. "I heard a crash a few minutes ago. Does it have anything to with the fact that you smell like a fruit basket?"

"First off, it's not a fruit basket. It's a bag of Sour Skittles." I retorted lightly, sticking a frozen bagel in the toaster oven. "Second, I slipped on a roller skate and knocked perfume on my head. I'll wash it out right after breakfast."

"Too bad. I like the smell of Sour Skittles."

I grinned. Dad was funny in one of those ways that's quiet and makes you laugh when you least expect it.

BING! The toaster oven was telling me that my bagels were done. I transferred the golden-brown rings of dough from toaster oven to plate, then dug the cream cheese out our overstocked fridge and began to literally bury the bagel in cream cheese.

"Heads up" Dad tossed me a banana. I caught it before it smacked me in the face and joined Dad at the wooden table. He was still in his pajamas (same as mine, but gray) and, close up, I could see the dark circles around his eyes.

"Didn't get much sleep last night?" I inquired as I poured myself a glass of orange juice.

"I was working on the first chapter of Ruby Heart." Dad finally folded up his paper and looked at me. He had mussy dark brown hair, almost black, but his eyes were the same shade of sky blue as mine.

"Did you finish?"

"Yes, but I hit a major block at Chapter 2"

"Why?"

"How should Jesse met the Lost Ones?"

I sat back farther in my chair, thinking and sipping my orange juice. This was tough…

You see, dad is a writer. The famous novelist Jonathan P. Linkel, to be exact. In the past, he has written some great books, like Alone, But Surrounded and the romantic comedy Memoirs of a High School Dropout, but recently he hit a major block. So we moved into a farm in a tiny Wisconsin town called Maplestar. The place is actually pretty cool, with an arcade and lots of farms and even one of those old-time movie theaters that costs a nickel to get in, then shows you a short Western and the local news and an animated cartoon AND the main movie. Best of all, it has a mystery that Dad is writing about: Children suddenly, for no reason, disappear without a trace. This started in about early January, and Dad moved here as soon as he heard about it, which was just a month ago. We had finally moved in five days ago, and were already taking care of the eight chickens (Jamie, Little Peep, Peggy-Sue, Bo, Zoey, Cluckers, Chibi, and Storm), two sheep (Snowball and Snowflake), two cows (Missy and Elizabeth), my dog (Cracker, but it's a girl), and our two horses ( Candy is mine, Ghost is Dad's). I'm surprised at how well we've adapted to the work. I really love it, actually.

Like a crack of lightning to my brain, I had an idea. "What if, after the Snatchers took her, she escaped and found them?"

"Perfect!" Dad's eyes brightened at this new suggestion. He grew quiet again, lost in thought. Dad's brain was like an oven, baking half-formed ideas and thoughts into the wonderful, sugary, sweet cakes and pies that are books. His little ink-and-paper paintings were always dedicated to 'My sweet daughter, Claire' or 'My lovely wife Diana, whom I miss so much'. Mom had died when I was twelve.

"You know…"Dad mused, jerking me out of my thoughts. "We never got you a welcome present, did we?"

Dad and I always exchanged presents when we moved somewhere new. I had given Dad a new coffee mug two days ago, but I thought that he had forgotten to give a gift to me.

Until now.

Now we stood in front of a store called 'Kunt's Games', which was the local video game shop. Dad was taking me to buy 'Harvest Moon: More Friends of Mineral Town', which has got to be the coolest game out there. I'm a Harvest Moon fanatic, if you can't already tell.

A bell rang somewhere as I pushed open the door and ran into the store, up to the counter.

"Slow down, the game's not going anywhere!" Dad called from behind. As he reached the counter, a man seemed to pop out of nowhere behind the counter.

"Good afternoon. How may I help you?" He wheezed. His hair was short, unevenly cropped grey, with eerie slate-colored eyes that made me shiver. A nametag on his shirt said his name was Ronald Kunt.

Yes, thanks. Do you happen to have a copy of…uh…what was that game, Claire?" Dad tuned to me, unable to remember the name.

"'Harvest Moon: More Friends of Mineral Town'" I breathed. Those eyes were so…unnatural…

"Oh, a Harvest Moon fan, are ya?" Mr. Kunt grinned. His teeth were yellow and crooked. I didn't like that grin. There was some thing about it that made the temperature of the store drop about twenty degree. It seemed almost…evil…

Mr. Kunt ducked out of sight again. There was a rustling of boxes, then her reappeared, holding a tiny grey something. He put it on the counter. I cautiously picked it up. It was the game.

"Ten bucks, no tax." The old man croaked, and Dad handed over the money.

As we left the store, Dad was saying excitedly, "He'll be great as the head of the Snatchers, huh?"

"Sure, great. Wonderful." I said without really knowing what that words that came out of my mouth actually meant. Just before the door closed, I glanced over my shoulder again at Mr. Kunt. He looked straight at me and flashed another wicked grin.

Finally! Some time to myself! I had finally finished the chores, and Dad was off riding Ghost somewhere. Now I could play my new game!

I sat on a wooden crate next to the stall that my beautiful chestnut-colored horse, Candy, stood eating oats. Crackers was curled up on my lap, happy that I was scratching him between his floppy ears. Dogs are so easy to please.

A grin spread across my face as I turned on my freshly charged Gameboy DS. I selected the regular Gameboy game, and seconds later it was on the opening theme of 'Harvest Moon: More Friends of Mineral Town'. My heart thumping with the excitement known only to those who have bought a new Harvest Moon game, I pressed 'Start'

The screen began to change. It was now a swirling blend of colors. Curious, I tapped the screen.

Now my finger was stuck to the screen.

I tried to pull it off, but it was like my whole hand was being sucked into the little contraption. I tried to scream, but I couldn't. My voice seemed to have disappeared. Is there such a thing as being too scared to scream?

Now half my arm had disappeared into the tiny machine. There were tears pouring down my face. The last thing I can remember was Candy's nervous whinnies, Cracker's frightened whimpers, and my own pure, sheer terror, before everything seemed to fade into black mist.

Black mist, and fear.

Please R&R, and I'll update this soon. Thanks again for reading! bye for now!