This story was created by lollipopdiego, HarvestMoonLuv, and rongirl98.
Diego: Hello! Welcome to our story! Me, Vicky, and Elizabeth have created this together!
Vicky: Heyo! Thank you for reading our story! xD We really appreciate it. ^.^ Anywho, I'm sure you will not be disappointed. :3
Elizabeth: Hai! :) I wrote the original version of this chapter in like, 30 minutes (honestly, I write too fast...) but I find this version much better and romantical (is that a word? It probably isn't; I'mma usin' it anyways!) And now that my rambling is over *ramble ramble ramble* I give you... THE DISCLAIMER! And after that... THE STORY!
Disclaimer: We don't own Harvest Moon or any of its characters, nor will we ever.
All The Stars In The Sky
1
Wizard
It was past midnight; around two am. The pale white moon above was full and suspending in the jet black sky. Glittering stars littered the vast beyond. While the sight was so beautiful and plenty, they seemed so dim at the same time. I walked across the silky sand, feeling the grains curl around my toes. A secluded area near a boulder was my destination.
There, my work wouldn't be as obvious.
Sitting down, I set the book I had been carrying in front of me and turned to a certain page. Tough bindings met my fingers, as I flipped through the pages. When gently turning the pages, it made the sounds of a crackling noise. Old parchment reached my nose through this mixture of fresh salty water.
It wasn't so easy to read; for the darkness shadowed over my figure. It was difficult to turn the book this way and that, trying to get the right angle of light. I frowned in frustration. Minutes ticked by. If someone walked past me - not like anyone would at this time of night - they would see a man, with a scrunched up face and a book residing in his hands.
Okay, I shouldn't even be reading like this. I obviously need more light.
Glancing around to double check no one was lurking around the beach, I muttered a few words beneath my breath. They floated out as a harsh, moaning whisper, tinges of mysterious layering the tone.
Then the entire book shone as if someone had placed a light bulb inside of it.
Now that that was done, I could read the book without a problem. Letters were a jumble on the crinkled page. They twisted in different directions and were written like none other. The language of Ancient times were familiar to me, even though the generation has died of hundreds of years ago. This language wasn't something you'd teach to your average twentieth-century six-year-old.
I looked around again to make sure the beach was still abandoned, just in case. Not like anyone would be on a chilly beach at two am in the night.
After I was sure no one else was there, I began reciting one of the pages of the book. To a human, it would sound like I was crazy and muttering to myself in gibberish. But to a person like me, it would make complete sense. The other person who knew this Ancient language was a witch who lived in the forest, spending all her time indoors.
The words flowed off the page as I spoke. They were their own beings, another step towards my destiny. Every word that rolled off my tongue was natural. Gestures unconsciously rose to my brushing fingers. A successful procession was folding out beneath my eyes.
When the recitation was finished, I waved my hands towards the sand, hoping the spell would work.
Fortunately, it did. Grains of sand quickly rose up in the serene air. With a flick of the wrist, I sent the sand whisking in a long spiral. Zooming around like a rollercoaster, hundreds of grains swirled around in a thin line, scattering the dark sky. Tilting my head up, I smiled at the dancing sand. At one point, I lowered my gaze down to blink out the few stray particles that have touched my large eyes.
Finally, I slowly held my hand up and the rollercoaster halted. For a brief moment, it seemed to be still and a statue in its place. Then suddenly, it collapsed to the ground, as if it had never been alive within my spell.
Once again staring down, I started leafing through the book again. Eyes skimmed past the words, over the large titles, until I came to an illuminated page. There was a picture of a hand-sized floating sphere that was covered in tiny sparkling white dots. I had already been doing that spell for years, but it was my favorite, so I decided to do it.
Looking up at the night sky, I began muttering the words that were printed on the page beside the picture. Even though I enjoyed preforming this spell, I hadn't memorized the procession yet. Expressions were familiar, the phrases one that I had high regard for.
When I was finished, I fixed my eyes on my hands, holding them out in front of me. A whistling sound filled the air. It was a direct shrill, loud enough to hurt a human's ears. One glowing sphere, exactly like the picture whizzed into my view from high above. It came to an abrupt stop right above my tanned, outstretched hands. Rotating in a counterclockwise direction, the ball remained in its floating place.
The ball could be described as a crystal. It shimmered in the sunlight when you it turned. When I called it towards me, the sphere would heavily suspend in the air, threatening to drop and smash. Transparent as it was, it gave off a radiant glow. Apparent dots glistened against the smoothness. I marveled at the clearness, as figures emerged on the smooth surface. Figures were sharp and I never had problems deciphering whatever showed up on the ball.
I rested a finger on the top of the sphere and it stopped spinning.
Looking closely, you could see that the white lights were actually stars and had names etched beneath them in glittering indigo ink. They spelled out ones from the Ancient centuries like Alderamin, Betelgeuse, Nunki, Tarazed, and Vindermiatrix. In this crystal ball were the stars in the sky, with the name of the constellation underneath.
The stars were ones I was truly immersed in. Night by night, I gazed up at them through my window, watching whizzing flashes of light, or even attempting to point various numbers of constellations with my eyes.
On the large rock, I sat cross-legged for a minute, watching the constellations appear and disappear on the sphere, without a sound.
The one called Phoenix blurred and slowly came to view on my map of the night sky. Lightly tapping on the image, I wondered why I haven't examined this constellation before. When it expanded, magnifying, it pushed all the other stars off the map.
I began studying Phoenix, trying to see how it looked like a giant flaming bird. To myself, it seemed more like a lopsided six-sided figure. Then, of course, there were the extending "wings" on two joints. Personally, I adored stars and the images they created when linked together, but really, Phoenix was just...ridiculous. Back in the times, people obviously had huge imaginations.
In my mind, I imagined the soaring Phoenix. Wings were aflame, burning and licking around its magnificent body. As it unfolded its wings and soared in the sky, I marveled at curves of the body and sharpness of feathers.
I was just beginning to see relate Phoenix to its constellation when I suddenly heard footsteps behind me.
Tossing the sphere aside, I frantically scrambled to hide any evidence of my training. It disappeared in a puff of smoke. I slammed the book shut and glanced behind my shoulder to see who was coming.
It was Molly, the farmer of Castanet. The reason why I remembered her name was because of her determination and friendliness. She was a hard worker, especially when matters came to her farm. Farm flourishing with high quality fruit and vegetables, she sold them and got a large profit. Then there were the other people in Castanet. She was friends with them all, and I suspected she may have romance from here and there.
Why was she here?
I slipped the book inside one of my over-sized coat pockets. Folding my hands in my lap, I attempted to make it look as if I were simply relaxing on the rock in a sitting position. Watched her as she sat down in the middle of the beach, near the waves, and buried her face in her arms.
The first thing Molly did was kick off her rubber shoes. Then she slid off her white socks. When she made her way towards the rushing water, I noticed the frown on her face. Sitting down, her sand coated feet just touched the overlapping waves. Surprisingly, she buried her face in her arms.
Is she crying? I thought a little awkwardly. Because if she's crying I can't just leave… But what should I do? I continued to stare at her, mouth hanging open a little. Maybe I could just hide in this corner until she leaves…
What's she doing at the beach at 2 am anyways?
Then Molly stood with a loud yell. It was like she was stressed out. Picking up the pop can beside her, she squeaked as if fighting back tears. Using both of her hands, she smashed it together. The aluminum was torn and bent. Oh, dear, I hope she doesn't get hurt.
Fury washed over me as she threw it into the water. I didn't like how the pop can was floating on the surface where a bird could pick it up and choke.
"Hey…" I gruffly said. People littering these days just weren't right…
Startled, she turned, obviously not aware I was sitting here until now. Brown eyes narrowing, Molly snapped, "What do you want?" Even from afar, I could see she had been crying. Tears heavily clung to her flushed cheeks. They glistened while dragging down, and a pang of sorrow struck me. Her eyes were rimmed red. As she wiped them, I noted how puffy they were.
Sliding off the rock, I double checked to make sure the book was still safely tucked inside my pocket. Walking towards her, I raised my eyebrows. Knowing that her glare was the fiercest thing about her, I warily asked, "What…are…you doing?"
Haughtily, she replied, "What does it look like I'm doing?" A scowl appeared when I stood adjacent to her. I hoped that I wasn't messing with the wrong girl. In the first place, I barely knew her, so maybe she wasn't so friendly after all.
It actually looked as though she were literally, but there were many other reasons for her behavior as well. Truthfully, I said, "I think…you're…taking out…your fury…on the can…"
The scowl was wiped off her face, and I knew I was correct. Her bottom plopped on the sand, and I refrained from spitting into my handkerchief when sand flew inside. It wasn't proper, especially in a lady's presence. Or did ladies not care anymore? Deciding not to take any chances about the handkerchief, I sat as well.
Molly sighed. Stretching her feet out, then pointing her toes, she asked, "Does your life ever suck?" The liquid brushed against her sandy feet.
My answer was no, but I didn't think that was the answer Molly was hoping for. Not knowing what else to say, I said, "W-what's…wrong?"
For at least five minutes, Molly stammered. "Uh…Uh…" She also gulped as she cried. It wasn't pretty as she had green snot streaming out of her nose and tears soaking her jacket sleeve. "M-m-m…" She loudly squeaked. She deeply snorted. I wasn't exactly disgusted, but I hated myself at the moment by just sitting there, unable to say or do anything. My people skills were unimaginably horrible…
Finally I came to my senses, and patted her back twice. "Um…" I squirmed uncomfortably, and brushed the grains off my coat. I tried not to meet her uncertain gaze. That would be really awkward, especially since I had nothing to say.
All at once, she quickly said, "I'm being a burden, aren't I?" Her expression fell into one of sadness. Gale, you blundering idiot, I thought. I bit my lip, wondering if I offended her in any way.
Wincing, I replied, "No…you're not…I'm just…not used to comforting people…"
I prayed to the Goddess she wouldn't break down and cry some more. Molly was quiet for a minute. Her sobs were starting to be sniffling and inhaling snorts. She finally said, "My boyfriend broke up with me..." For a few moments, it was like she was about to bawl again, but she managed to hold it together.
Then I could finally meet her gaze. She was smiling, but it didn't reach her eyes. Weakly, Molly wiped her hands on her black jean shorts. "…Yeah. Owen."
Owen, the one who spent his days in the mines day and night, was her ex-boyfriend? I tried to hide my surprise. The reason I remembered him was because of his spiky brown head, and those vivid green eyes. Girls swooned over him, especially because of his large biceps. He was kind to everyone, acted like a brother towards little Chloe, and was silly Luke's best friend.
Molly's head bobbed up and down. "Seven months together…Yeah…" Wiping her nose with the back of her hand, she added, "We were at the Brass Bar…and he just…broke up with me." After that, she didn't say any more, and I refused to pry in personal information.
Then another thought struck me. I asked her, "Why did you… decide to come to the beach…?" The beach was a strange place, especially at night. I was here because it was lonely and out of people's sight. Nobody would peer out their window and see a wizard practicing magic.
"The sounds of the waves are comforting and soothing," she softly said, clasping her hands tightly and staring in the dark horizon. "I love it."
The next thirty seconds or so were the two of us listening to crashing waves on the shore at our feet. Rippling waters streamed out from one land to another, gently bouncing with the breeze. Shadowing gray lined between drowning indigo. I smiled. Never had I really noticed the beauty of water until today.
Molly finally said, "So…what are you doing at the beach at this time of night?"
I was caught by surprise, but then I realized: Of course she would be wondering that. In the first place, she thought she was going to be alone here.
Staring into my palms, I lied, "I was stargazing…" I couldn't exactly straight up say, "I was practicing magic," because it wasn't a comfortable feeling, people knowing that I was a true wizard. People in this town probably didn't even believe in magic anyways.
"Ah, okay," Molly said with a nod. She understood. "Like, the beach is a pretty good place to star gaze, heh. But like, this whole town is awesome too!" A chuckle barely escaped my lips. Her usual preppy self was starting to come out of its saddened shell.
Noticing my gentle laughter, she said, "What?" I shook my head. She protested, "Hey, the city is pretty bad. I mean, you can't even see the moon during the night. Y'know, with pollution and the street lights…" Sighing, she again fixed her eyes above.
"I've never… been to the city," I said, my cheeks flushing red. Oh, how embarrassing. I haven't been to the city in all the years I've lived.
"Really?" Molly asked, her eyes widening. Looking at me in disbelief, she added, "I lived in the city for like ten years." I wondered what it was like, growing up in the city. Your life would be surrounded by vehicles and tall buildings, without the scenery or the wild fields – like Castanet.
"I've lived here… all my life," I said. Then I scrunched up my face, thinking back to the past. Have I really lived here for my whole life? I can't remember anymore. I corrected myself: "Well… most of my life…"
She nodded, saying, "Cool." And I think she really meant it. The smile of her face was still present when I nodded as well.
We sat in peaceful silence. Listening to the rolling waters and the splashes beneath our feet, I thought, This is nice. Different, but nice. Wind rustled through my silvery hair, and when I took a peek, I could see it beating against her light brown head as well.
When Molly opened her mouth again to say something, a huge yawn escaped from it.
As much as I enjoyed her here with me, I was concerned for people's health. Worriedly, I hoped she wouldn't catch a cold from staying outdoors too late. "Maybe you should… go home and sleep…" I suggested quietly. "It's almost… three am…"
Though somewhat reluctant, she stood began to brush the dusty sand off her clothes. "Yeah, you're right," she said, stifling another yawn. I got to my feet as well, and walked to where her shoes were. After she slipped them on, she said, "Good night…Thank you."
I was sad to see her leave.
"Hey, what's your name?" She called when she was at the stairs. On her face was the smile I already had grown to love.
Gale. My name is Gale. "Wizard," I firmly said. "You can...call me...Wizard."
With a soft laugh, she said, "Good-bye, Wizard!" and she walked away.
Once she had disappeared from sight, I started towards home. First I checked that my book was still there and not lying on the ground. Then I called the forces of wind to shake off any remaining sand on my underside. At last, I strolled off the beach, only to find that there was a grin on my face.
And I thought: Tonight was a good night.
Diego is an intense twelve-year-old when it comes to writing. She hopes you enjoyed that, despite the length.
Vicky assures Diego that it wasn't too long. She thinks that the three of us did a good job and hopes you continue reading.
Elizabeth agrees with Vicky, pointing out that it was longer than three of her own chapters combined.
Vicky whines, "Heeeyyyy...Not combined, at least...just three times longer." ^^;
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