Author's Notes: Not sure what my thoughts were when I began this(probably something along the lines of nothing ^_^;), but I hope you all give it a chance!
I'm not even sure what genre to put this in, to be honest... Maybe horror? Or humor...? Hurt/comfort? Even romance would work... I don't know. It can be whatever you want it to be, I guess!
Anyway, this is the untold story of the Golden Lumber in FoMT. You know, the one that everybody hates and that you can never sell? I decided that it deserved to voice it's side of the story. Enjoy! :D
Disclaimer: I don't own Harvest Moon. If I did, then I would make Golden Lumber it's own character... And that is why I will never own this series. XD
In its snug little woodpile, Golden Lumber had always been somewhat content. There were always plenty of lovely lumber ladies to admire its glossy sunflower coat, and then the great Gotz, its creator, would always look over at the pile from time to time.
Golden Lumber would give a coy wink, and Gotz, most likely too enamored by its perfect gleam, would look away hurriedly, almost fearfully. That was the cat and mouse game that Golden Lumber so enjoyed playing. It was a fine life, but for Golden Lumber, it wasn't enough.
It wanted more.
It wanted more admiration. More love. It wanted to be shown proudly for all to see, not hidden away like a piece of common, unimportant lumber.
That was why, when the short, idiot mayor had dropped by the great Gotz's humble cabin, Golden Lumber made sure to shine extra bright.
If it could be shown by the mayor himself, thought Golden Lumber proudly, then surely everyone in town would stop to witness the splendor that few had yet to gaze upon.
"I suppose this one would be fine," The portly man said, eyeing the golden timber as he twisted his coiled moustache in contemplation.
Gotz nodded his head thoughtfully. "It is a fine piece of wood… I should know; I cut it myself!" He gave a halfhearted laugh.
"Although, I should warn you-"
"Nonsense, Gotz! It's perfect!" The miniscule gentleman exclaimed, his large red top hat nearly falling off of his balding head. "I've been meaning to repay that farmer for helping me out yesterday. It's about time Jack knows how much he means to this town."
The woodsman grunted, a bit annoyed by being abruptly cut off. "I'm sure he'll be thrilled…"
And, as soon as it had begun, Golden Lumber was wisked away from the home that he had once known. The rest of the lumber was heartbroken, and there was much sap shed for their beloved leader. But Golden Lumber knew that its time at the homely forest shack had run its course…
The trip to Jack's house had been short, albeit a cold one. If it had the ability to shiver, Golden Lumber would do so as it felt the microscopic flecks of white coat its outer layer, obscuring the sheen of the metal. This made Golden Lumber unhappy because, what if its new owner decided that the metal was too dull? What if he judged Golden Lumber immediately, without giving the man a chance to wipe these cursed flakes away?
It was ridiculous, the shining lumber thought, that it should be worried about such things. Surely this farmer would understand if his gift was a bit dull after walking to his home in this weather.
As it listened to the mayor's soft shoes click across the unfamiliar bridge, Golden Lumber spotted a few chickens in the distance, surrounded by at least twenty beautiful wooden stakes.
They were whispering amongst themselves, caught up in the excitement of an attractive new visitor. The golden timber gleamed contentedly from this newfound attention, deciding that it would like it here quite a bit.
With a few swift knocks, the door to the small shack creaked open, revealing a tall, wiry man, about eighteen. His hair was disheveled and uncombed under his basic blue cap, sticking out noticeably in the front. He was beautiful, Golden Lumber thought. More stunning than any other creature, wooden or otherwise, that it had ever laid eyes on. Definitely a better roommate than the mayor.
"Ah, Jack! How are you this fine morning?" The tubby red man inquired, holding Golden Lumber carelessly underneath his plump, sweaty arm. 'Yes,' Golden Lumber thought to itself, ' Yes, he's absolutely better than the mayor.'
Jack stared unthinkingly for a moment, his eyes slowly wandering down toward his watch. When he saw the time, he jolted into alertness. "Oh, goddess. Eight? Already? I'm so sorry, Mayor Thomas! I must have slept in late…"
"Oh, it's quite alright, Jack! You were out late mining again, weren't you?" He gave a light, disapproving look.
"Yeah…the winter mine is finally-"
"Spectacular! I always like to see my citizens working hard! And, to thank you," the mayor bellowed, reaching to the infatuated timber beneath his arm and holding it out proudly, "A fine piece of Golden Lumber, just for you! And it will never rot!"
"W-wow! Are you sure?" Jack smiled fondly, showing a row of yellow teeth that glistened in the same way that the shining golden hue of Golden Lumber sparkled. 'This is the man for me,' thought Golden Lumber. 'We'll be together…forever…'
The mayor had left soon after, leaving a greatly relieved farmer to ponder over his present. Jack twisted the lumber in his rough, calloused hands, watching the gleam of the gold shine in the morning air. "What am I going to do with you?" He muttered, looking around his farm for a suitable spot to put his new gift.
He soon spotted a nearly crumbled piece of wood guarding the grazing field on the other end of the enormous plot, ready to be torn down.
'It must be this snow, ' Jack thought sourly. Shaking his head in pent-up frustration, he jogged over to the rotted fencing and gave it a swift pound with his hammer. Carefully placing the lumber into its position, he stopped to smile proudly before finally continuing on his way.
Golden Lumber sat in its corner, ignoring the enamored old stakes flanking either side as it silently observing the young rancher go through his daily routine. It watched as he trotted over to the barn and then chicken coop, hurriedly plucking each chicken off of the cold, snow covered ground and carrying them to safety inside of the heated building.
The gleaming fencepost felt an unusual pang of jealousy, something that it had never encountered before, as it scrutinized the boy. Seeing his gentle, loving touch as he caressed the small creature…
…Jack had never touched Golden Lumber like that…
Why would the farmer care more about a smelly, brainless bird than a fine specimen like itself?
The stunning golden stake immediately shook it off. It mustn't appear too clingy, after all. It was best to play it smooth, let the man come to it.
Golden Lumber perked up as it saw Jack strolling its way. Quickly glancing over itself and giving the brightest shine that it could muster, the sunflower hued firewood tried its best to act casual, suave as it had once heard Gotz phrase it.
But Jack must not have seen Golden Lumber, for he only kept his pace, never once stopping in front of the dejected fencepost or even giving it a second glance.
The sheen in the abandoned lumber's glossy surface reflected the scene as Jack instead sauntered over to the picket fence surrounding his farm, a young girl perched on the other side of the barrier.
She gave a sickly charming smile, her bubblegum hair swishing side to side as she watched him. Jack said something to her as he approached, and the child gave an unreasonably uproarious laugh that could be heard very clearly from where Golden Lumber was resting.
The enraged stake glared in the morning sun, resenting this girl almost as much as it had disliked the bird.
Watching them chatter and giggle over the fence, Jack's hands held casually behind his head and the girl's eyes batting much more than was necessary, Golden Lumber knew that this scene wasn't right.
Jack was supposed to love it. He was supposed to give the superior lumber all of his attention, not that…that no good, pink-headed harpy. What made that slut any better than Golden Lumber?
It could see her now, flaunting her assets in that low-cut dress, her hair spiraling down her shoulders in loose, careless curls. Her eyes, red like blood, ogling Golden Lumber's man like he was a piece of meat, like she owned him.
But he was Golden Lumber's meat, not hers!
And Jack, that two-timer. Promising his loyalty to his prize and then throwing it away, as if it were something unimportant. Like it was just another piece of lumber…
Had the mayor's gift meant nothing to him?
Golden Lumber's fury only grew as it saw Jack grasp the girl's hand, looking into her wine colored eyes with admiration and…love…
It sickened the gleaming lumber to watch, which was surprising considering it didn't actually have a stomach. Sure, some might prefer a lover with 'hair' or 'reproductive organs.' But despite its flaws, Golden Lumber knewfor a fact that it was better for Jack than that…whore. That filthy chicken farmer.
Everything…everyone was an obstacle for Golden Lumber. There was no safe bet, everything was fighting to be best, most favorite.
The whore, the chickens, even the stupid mutt that ran at his heels all day. The villagers… any one of them could come to steal Jack away. Nothing was safe. All had to be eliminated.
It had to do something…for Jack's sake…
Farming in Mineral Town had always reaped its benefits, one of which was the included alarm clock that so graciously woke Jack up at six every morning—also known as 'Cluckers'.
Jack awoke slowly, albeit punctually, from his restful night, falling into his morning routine of breakfast, shower, and finally checking the calendar for any forgotten events.
Seeing that there were none, the farmer turned to his clock, noting that it still read exactly 6:00 AM. Of course, Jack had already gotten used to the strange occurrences of Mineral Town. Still, he did sometimes wonder how time managed to pass while he was sleeping…
'Ah, well,' he thought to himself, 'What do I know? I'm just a simple farmer, after all.'
Brushing off the unnatural occurrence, the young rancher stumbled out of his decrepit shack, rubbing his face with one tired hand.
His eyes spanned the length of his land, feeling a sense of pride in his work. It had only been a few seasons and Jack had already revived the farm to its former glory. He had made good friends with the townsfolk, shared a few special moments, and even found himself a girlfriend through his time here.
Yes, this was like his paradise. There was no place he'd rather be than right here, right now. Watching the peaceful white landscape, still sprinkled with ashen flakes of ice crystals, Jack knew that he had found a place that would always welcome him.
He had found his home…
Abruptly ending his quiet musings, Jack heard the deafening crunching of shoes colliding with snow and turned, smiling as he welcomed the familiar shock of pink hair.
The girl…his girl… was walking up the path to his land, one arm brushing against the brown picket fence as she trudged. She looked up, noting his elated expression, then immediately giving an infuriated glare.
The bubblegum teenager turned back, nodding to some invisible entity before finally looking toward Jack, her face switching immediately from her usual, bubbly visage to pure rage.
'Uh, oh.' Jack thought, biting his lip in hesitation, 'She must have had another fight with Rick… Well, I'll just-'
His anxious thoughts were abruptly cut off as Jack registered a whole mob of people crowding onto his land. Everyone filed in, one by one, onto his precious grass, their expressions ranging from disgust to hurt to…disappointment…?
It looked like the whole town was here, led in front by a livid Popuri, hands planted firmly onto her hips. Even…
"Ellen? How the hell did you- Harvest Goddess?" Jack sputtered, looking to each of the fuming faces in shock and utter confusion. "What are you all doing-?"
Jack stopped, his face coiled back from the impact of a single slap.
Popuri drew back her arm, her eyes burning crimson. "You've got some explaining to do."
Years passed, and Golden Lumber had found a new, more intimate spot inside of Jack's home: A snug little spot on his shelves.
Jack would look over at Golden Lumber on occasion, only with faint curiosity and, on some cold nights, fear.
The harpy had never shown her face on the farm again, and with good reason. In fact, not many others came to Jack's home anymore. Not that the shining lumber minded, that is. In fact, it was rather pleased with the sudden turn of events.
The only being that would ever dare to step foot into the cabin was the local businessman, Won. And when the scoundrel would come over, appraising the lumber with a careful eye, finally shaking his head at the dismal young man, Golden Lumber felt a sense of satisfaction and belonging. Love couldn't be bartered or sold, after all.
Sure, when Jack had started staying out late, drinking, or began moping around the diminutive shack for days at a time, some might have called it quits.
And maybe even when the farmer had start neglecting his once 'prized' animals to the point of starvation, his precious chickens slowly dieing off, one by one, some other girl would have moved on.
But Golden Lumber would still love him. Golden Lumber would always love him.
Because it had made a promise, after all.
'We'll be together…forever…'
Strange? Creepy? Adorable? All of the above?
Well, even if you thought it sucked, thanks for reading, anyway! Oh, and review, too! :)