Just to be safe, I do not own ANY of the characters in this.
Also, any similarities with real life facts are mere coincidence.
That day, as the weather forecast had predicted, a typhoon befall our peaceful land.
As I opened the door my battle against the strong winds started. I had to go feed Melly, my cow, Shelly, my Sheep, and Celly, my chicken. As I feed and brushed them, I thought about the people in Bluebell. Looking at my rucksack, I had some herbs and flowers that I wanted to give to Cam, Howard and Laney. Not to mention a fish that Rose asked me in a request. It was the first time I accepted a request from her, so I didn't want to disappoint her.
-That's it, I'm going to Bluebell! There is no typhoon that will stop me from doing so.
Going out of the barn the winds were carrying me towards the direction I wanted. Instead of walking I decided to jump. It scared me when I noticed that the wind made me jump further than I usually would. But it was good too, since I would be able to reach Bluebell faster.
At the mountain summit I stopped by the goddess spring. I had some crops growing there, since she said people would come and harvest them when they were done. It was almost like a miracle, but it indeed happened, so I always kept some crops in there. I had to water then, and as I was doing so I noticed how tired I got. I wanted to blame the typhoon, but it was my own fault for leaving home to begin with.
When I finally arrived at Bluebell I was exhausted. The first and only place I wanted to stop by was the caf . There, Howard would always welcome me with wide open arms and that was a feeling that I lost long ago. That day, however, the three people that lived in the caf were astonished when I dropped by.
-Lilian, my dear, what are you doing here? And in the middle of a typhoon!
-I just wanted to see you all...
Before I knew it, Howard told Laney to go upstairs to get me a towel. A surprised Cam watched me. For sure he didn't know what to do, and I felt a bit sorry for him. Howard made me go upstairs and into his room, closing the door after we were in.
-I appreciate your thoughts, Lil, but you should not come when there is a typhoon. Let me get you a change of clothes.
-But Howard... You're so tall... And I'm such a shortie...
-You're just a bit shorter than Laney. This should do.
I didn't know how, but from Howard's wardrobe he got a female dress. It was yellow with little red flowers all over it and some laces. It was very simple, but also one of the most beautiful dresses I ever seen. When I put it on it fit me as if it was made for me.
-I knew it. You really have her body.
-Her body...?
Howard gave me a gentle smile and sit on the bed by my side. He gave a long sigh before starting a history.
-This dress was from Laney's mother.
-What happened to her?
-Ah, don't worry dear. She was just not a person for the countryside. Probably she is traveling, learning about food from all over the world. Or even doing something important. This is the kind of person she was.
-And you still keep her things?
-Ah, no. She forgot this dress, that's why I have it.
Then he got my wet clothes and put them to dry in a corner of his room. Back to his bed he hugged me and I felt something I didn't feel for a long time: a dad's love.
-Since you told me something about you Howard, I'll tell you something about me too.
I think that by my voice tone he knew it was something serious, because he didn't say his usual line "I love gossip". That put me at ease to start talking.
-My father always worked hard, so my family had a good amount of money. We were not rich, but we lived very well. Everything we wanted, our parents would give us. But my brother, Philip, got tired of it, and decided to move away from home.
-Oh, Philip is your brother's name?
-Yes, why?
-Cam told me something about a letter that you asked him to post, and how it was addressed to someone called Philip. I suppose he don't know about your brother?
-I am not sure if I told him or not...
-Then you should dear. Just enough for him to know that Philip is your brother, so he won't worry over it. But tell me, what happened next?
-After my brother left we started exchanging letters. He would never come back home, and he would never have a fix work, so letters were the best thing we could do. The letter I asked Cam to post was for him to know where I am living now. In fact, it was him who told me about the farms in Bluebell and Konohana.
-But what about your parents? They didn't bring him back?
-Not long after my brother left home, my dad got sick. My mother had to take care of him and I had to do something for a living. That's when my brother told me about this place. He told me that our parents would need our support now, so that it would be good if I could start doing something by myself too.
-Did you already know how to farm?
-I knew how to plant because I had a little garden back home, but I never had animals to take care. Well, we had a dog, but taking care of a dog is way easier than taking care of a cow.
Howard laughed. I'm sure that, from my words, he finally understood why I choose to live in Konohana over Bluebell.
-I'm glad you're here dear. Now, let's go downstairs. Laney must have already finished our meal. And you should eat something to warm up too!
As we left his room I felt like a big burden had disappeared from my chest. That was the power Howard had over me. He was really like a father. A very good father. And for a second there, I felt jealous for not being Laney.
