The Newest Wonderful Life

Only My Latest Ramblings, Thank You Very Much
Alrighty then! This is a new story! I got inspired by RunninforJesus7 and xXxDarkWolfAngelxXx's stories, so thank you for that! I needed it! :) I hope that EVERYBODY loves this story, simply because it's a story! And it's fun to read! And.... and.... *goes on for two hours with her list until someone slaps her*
Someone: That's enough!
Me: *holds head gingerly* Alright, alright! Oh, and did I mention.... *sees glare from Someone* Umm.... never mind. :P

Summary
Young Amber lives in the city, working at the office each day for some sorely-needed money. However, when her mother dies, she must leave her job in the city for a while and stay in Mineral Town with her father and sister to recuperate. While there, she meets a new love and makes some friends. She learns the layout of the town and begins to think of as her home. However, when it's time to leave, will she change her mind and come back to Mineral Town? Or will a new wonderful life be lost forever, left to hang on the un-chosen strings of fate?

Prologue

A little girl danced around on the grass, following a young woman straining under the weight of her backpack.

"Mother! Mother! Look what I found!" exclaimed the little girl. She held up a small, dark purple flower. "What is it?!"

"Ah, Amber, that looks like a violet," the little girl's mother said, looking down at her daughter.

"It's pretty!" Amber declared.

"Ah, yes, so it is." Claire laughed. Amber had always liked the sound of her mother's laugh. It sounded like the high peal of wedding bells, chiming in the summer's breeze. "I've always wanted a shirt of this colour."

"....Really?" asked Amber curiously.

"Yeah." Claire sighed. "Too bad I could never get a shirt in this colour."

"Hey, I know!" Amber suddenly declared. "I'll make a shirt like this when I'm older! Just you wait; your finest sheep's wool will be used!"

"Why, thank you, dear." Claire bent down. "Anyway, I have to put my things in the shipping bin now. You should go back inside. I'll join you soon." She bent down and gave her little daughter a kiss on the head. Then, she sat down on the ground and started to empty things out of her backpack. She tossed them all into the shipping bin, one by one.

"But, Mother," began Amber. "I want to go see the sheep! And the chickens! And the cows! And the horse and the dog, too!" She listed all of the animals off in perfect order, not missing a beat.

Claire laughed. "Alright, alright. You may go. I'll come get you when I'm done this, though!"

"Aw, man….!" Amber looked sad for a moment, then realized that her Mom was plowing through her things to ship, as fast as ever. She raced off to the animal barns, and disappeared into the horse barn first. That was where Claire's horse was kept, she knew. The dog was usually in here, also. Claire usually put the dog outside only at night. She said hello to the horse and the dog and ran into the next barn: the poultry barn.

"Hey, Chicky! Hey, Seiya! Why, hello there, Plum!" These were only three of Claire's chickens. They were among some of the finest, bred by gold-egg laying chickens. So far, Chicky only had 3 hearts and Seiya only had 8 hearts, and Chicky was just a chick, anyhow; but Plum was the oldest chicken. She had 10 hearts and she laid golden eggs! Amber picked up one that her mother had placed in the shipping bin and stared at it in awe. It was a beautiful egg! And Plum, one of Amber's favourite chickens, anyhow, was the one who had laid it!

After saying hello and good-bye to the chickens, Amber skipped into yet another animal barn! It was the cow-and-sheep barn, which housed a few gold-milk and gold-wool animals, as well. Two of the cows, Nastie and Spots, had 10 hearts, and one of the sheep, Furry, had 10 hearts, as well. They all produced golden products. The other three animals in there were one cow named Milkie, and two sheep named Rawr and Starry. Amber thought that they were very pretty animals. She stepped over to the shipping bin and examined a large piece of golden wool that lay inside.

"Ooh…. pretty," she murmured, before saying good-bye to all the animals and leaving the barn. She skipped outside and looked at the other cows, sheep, and chickens that all ran around in their pen outside the barns.

"Amber!" She suddenly heard her Mom calling her. "Ambeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrrr!"

"Coming!" the little girl called, patting the sheep nearest to the fence and running back to where her Mom was.

"I'm done the shipping," Claire said. "Now, let's all go inside for dinner, shall we….?"

Claire and Amber ran back to the farmhouse, hand in hand.

Another….Wonderful….Life

"But, Amber!"Claire's face was the perfect picture of sadness. "Why—whatever made you want to go to the city?!"

"I…. I just wanted to go." Amber, now a 15-year-old teenager, stared down at the floor. "I told you already. I'm sick of this town. I just need to…. get away."

"Amber, please don't go." Her father, Robert, looked her squarely in the eye.

"But I want to go. I need to go. I need to get away from here!" Amber insisted.

"Well, you're not making any sense, but…. if you really want to go…. I guess you may go," decided Amber's Mother.

And so, Amber had won. The argument was settled, and she was moving away from here! Finally! She was ecstatic.

Now, the only thing left was to say good-bye. That will be difficult, Amber thought. She was right. It was difficult to say good-bye to all her friends, especially Popuri, who was 17 at the moment.

"But, Amber!" she cried, tears streaming down her face. "You promised that we would be best friends, and that you would live in Mineral Town forever!"

"I know, I know," Amber said softly, hugging her. "But this is what I have to do, I'm sure of it. Don't worry; I promise I'll write!"

And so Amber left two weeks later on a ship that would take her far, far away from there to a big city. Everyone was there, even Popuri, who was sitting at the front of the crowd, holding a red-checkered handkerchief and waving, meanwhile bawling her eyes out.

I feel so bad for her, Amber thought unhappily.

And so, life slowly got back on track and went onward. Claire tended to the farm and Amber worked hard at her job in the city.

7 years later, she got the call that her mother was dead.