ShadowDove87: hey everyone! Since Magical Melody is coming out soon in Europe (at the end of July unless the release date gets changed AGAIN) I thought I'd commemorate by writing an HM fanfic! To be honest, I haven't played Friends of Mineral Town in a while, so you may find elements of Harvest Moon 64 every now and then (because that's my favourite game so far), so bare with me. I'll try to keep the characters as Mineral Towny as possible. ;)
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Mineral Town: The Past, Present and FutureChapter One – Farm Life
Author: ShadowDove87
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"And you can wear a pretty white dress and ride the horse around the farm!" Jack cooed, laughing when his sister shot him an annoyed look.
Stepping off the ship, Cat gave him a light shove. Though he was an idiot by heart, he did have a good head on his shoulders.
She didn't hate the city. She rather enjoyed the hustle and bustle of everyday life. The idea of starting all over again though, held a new thrill altogether. So, with her older brother, she had packed her bags and set out for the lonely, mountain town.
The journey had been a long one, and as the waves rocked the ship gently back and forth, Cat had been lulled into an invulnerable state of boredom. To amuse herself, much to the annoyance of her level-headed brother, she had proceeded to whine about all the farm work she would have to do. It wasn't until shortly before they reached the harbour that he admitted defeat and informed her that, if they worked hard, they could get her a horse. Cat had stared at him for a long moment after this declaration before practically jumping out of her skin in exhilaration and throwing herself on him in a bone breaking hug.
Now, watching the ship depart, Cat carefully took in her surroundings. It wasn't a harbour so much as a spacious beach. Somehow, the empty seashore made her feel lonely. The freighter wouldn't return for another season and she found herself wondering if she'd last that long.
"Oy! Cat! You coming?"
Looking up, she realised that Jack was wandering up the hill and towards the town. Taking up her green skirts, she hurried after him.
Mineral Town was a lot busier than she had imagined. She looked around the town square as her brother was greeted by an approaching policeman. Cat barely paid attention to the small talk that was exchanged between the two men. Her grey eyes looked over the people going about their daily lives. The women gossiping, the children playing-
"And this is my sister, Catherine,"
Her wandering mind was quickly reeled back in when she heard her brother introduce her. "Cat" she corrected firmly before offering the kind-faced officer a smile.
"Well we didn't expect two of you," he admitted, looking rather sheepish. Harris, as her brother later told her his name was, explained that the house on the farm was furnished for one.
Jack contemplated the problem for a moment before shaking his head with a defeated sigh. "I'll just have to comfort myself with the floor then,"
Cat beamed at him. He did have a good head on his shoulders. He was wiser than most men. She had taught him well.
Harris laughed when seeing the weary smile on the newcomer's face. "If you go to the Inn and ask I'm sure Ann and Doug will supply you with extra blankets," he offered. "Once you've gotten settled in you should probably go see them anyway," explaining that that owner and his daughter knew the town and its population inside and out, Jack readily agreed.
Cat's eyes lit up when Harries mentioned that the restaurant also functioned as a bar. Jack sweatdropped comically and shook his head, firmly placing a hand on her shoulder. Although she fought his authority, she couldn't really blame him. He had well earned experience in the city bars and pubs and could hold his liquor with only light difficulty. She, on the other hand, although having had more than her fair share of alcohol, was a ridiculous lightweight. Jack knew well enough, from an overdose of trial and error, to keep his kid sister's prying fingers well away from the stuff.
After bidding the, now amused, officer goodbye, the siblings trekked through the small, countryside town in search for the farm. After receiving directions from, what Cat could only describe as, a bubbly, pink-haired spore, and later from a gruff, grizzled elderly man wielding a hammer (Jack had to reassure his sister several times that the 'scary looking man' wasn't going to attack anyone with his 'weapons', he was just the blacksmith!) they finally found it.
Cat stared at the property, wide eyed. It was huge! A field stretched across the landscape as far as the eye could see, with a large barn and a chicken coop to her left and a simple, but homely log cabin to her right.
Jack laughed at the dumbfounded expression on his sister's face. He should have thought as much. She'd been born and raised in the city and had not been outside it until now. She'd never lain eyes on so much open space and he wondered if she would get homesick and long for the cramped lifestyle she had lead before. With a sigh he knew it would happen once the thrill of the quiet town wore off, it was only a matter of time.
He gave up calling her name when his voice grew hoarse. He proceeded to grab her by her arms and bodily lift her off her feet. With a struggle and much laughter, he finally managed to drag her inside, dropping her unceremoniously on the floor.
Cat glowered up at him from her place by the door. "You big bully!"
Jack only shook his head and put both their bags down by the bed in the upper, right hand corner of the room that was to be their new home. "Come on you spoiled midget, let's head to that Inn,"
She picked herself up off the floor, straightened her little, brown jacket and quickly ran her fingers through her ponytail to rid her raven locks of any knots. She stuck her tongue out at her brother for his last comment and stalked out after him. So her height totalled at 155 cm (round about 4'7), but a midget she was not.
Although the town had puzzled her upon arrival, its layout was quite simple. Like a digital 8! she realised in hindsight. They easily found the Inn as it was the largest building by far. Cat visibly relaxed once they stepped into the warm interior. It had a homey, perhaps slightly greased air, laced with the fragrance of alcohol that reminded her of her favourite pub back home.
They were greeted by a cheery redhead who introduced herself as Ann. "You must be the farmer the mayor's been talking about. Welcome!"
"I'm Jack and this is my sister, Catherine,"
"Cat," the correction was more of a reflex than anything else by now, but the flat tone was not. Sometimes she was convinced that her brother introduced formally just out of spite.
She looked critically over the fiery tressed girl and decided that they would do. Her brother had suffered from a weakness for redheads for several years now and Ann seemed nice enough. She was pretty at any rate and Cat approved of the confident aura the girl radiated, easily recognising her as a tomboy. Many of her friends back home had established themselves as such and Cat found her liking the spirited girl already.
Ann tilted her head to the side, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear before nodding approvingly. "You'll probably do a lot better than the last guy who was here. He didn't last the summer you see," she looked up when someone cleared his throat behind her.
Practically towering over his daughter, was Doug, the owner of the Inn. Although his face was composed in a frown, there was something kind in his eyes. The furrowed brows most likely grew together from continuously having to scare suitors, Cat concluded.
After numerous introductions and, what Cat suspected, an interrogation from the taller man, they were welcomed warmly into the Inn. After getting them seated at an unoccupied table, Ann ran off to get them a set of spare blankets while Doug set two piled plates in front of them.
"Don't bother," he reassured Jack when her brother went to reach for his wallet. "This first meal's on us,"
Cat's eyes were glued to the grilled meat, the golden potatoes and the fresh loaf of fluffy, warm bread. If anything, her love for Doug's cooking would keep her in the village for an eternity.
Jack sighed when he noticed his sister practically drooling. "Cat…you can eat it," he reassured her before turning to Doug, who was laughing.
The ginger man shook his head after a moment. "We've all been looking forward to your arrival. The vegetables from that farm are always good and maybe you'll actually raise a decent heard of cows," he explained that the farm had always been one of the town's greatest incomes but, after having been abandoned for more than half a year, it needed a lot of work.
After dinner, Jack offered to bring them any vegetables and produce they needed in the future as thanks for the free meal. They didn't have a lot of money on them as it was, so every bit helped.
Cat yawned as they walked through the now dark town. Small orbs of light shone above them, lighting their way down the deserted street and back to the farm. They had met many new faces as they left the Inn. Apparently the bar was a much visited centre in the evenings. She made a mental note of that in case she ever needed an escape.
She growled a little and pulled the blanket over her head. Not only was it freezing but the sun was barely up.
Jack sighed. It was 7 am and he was dressed and showered. "Come on Cat. We're not on vacation…"
"I don't wanna," she whined against the feathered bolster. "Five more minutes mom…"
After whacking her playfully with his hat and receiving a pillow in the face, Jack admitted defeat. "Fine, I'll go clear up the field in the mean time," he shook his head as he left their new house, making a point in leaving the curtains gaping.
Several hours later Cat finally cracked open her left eye. She'd been woken by a loud, repetitive, thwacking sound coming from outside. Wrapping the blankets around her shoulders she took a few steps into the open. The air was fresh, but chilly, the sky clear and a deep blue. Squinting a little against the sunlight, the raven girl found the cause of the sound. Her brother was standing in the middle of the field, madly attacking one of the stumps. Looking around the barren pasture a little, she noted that a considerable amount had been cleared up. Sighing, she went back inside and got dressed. After diligently tying her hair up into it's custom ponytail, she wandered back outside.
Jack had finally had enough of the stubborn stump and was lying in the middle of the field, staring up at the sky and watching the occasional cloud drift by. Lifting his head, he smiled when he saw a green skirt near his feet. "So you finally got up did you? It's almost noon,"
Cat managed a flustered smile before holding out a sandwich. "Here,"
He stared at the mess in his sister's hand for a moment before gingerly taking the offering. "…Is it edible?"
"Jack!"
"Sorry, sorry!" without second thought, he stuffed it in his mouth. Although his sister's hands weren't skilful, she knew how to make a sandwich. He sighed, satisfied, and fell back onto the field.
She crouched down beside him. "You've got your work cut out for you, don't you?" What she had earlier thought was a considerable amount, was only a small part of the field. "I'd help but I don't think I'd get very far with an axe…"
He shook his head, taking his hat off to wipe his brow. "Don't worry about it…this field needs more than clearing anyway. Listen Cat, I need you to go into town and pick up some seeds…It looks like I'll be at this for a few days and we'll need to start earning money soon,"
Cat nodded and got back to her feet. Bidding her brother goodbye she made her way into town. After wandering around for a good half hour trying to find it, she leaned against a lamp post in mild annoyance. There was a store on every street corner of the city, so where was this one hiding?
"Hey, you need help?"
Squinting a little against the sunlight she recognised yet another redhead. This one struck her as an odd mixture of Ann and Doug. He had long hair like the tomboy, but was most definitely flat chested.
"I'm Rick," he offered her a hand and pulled her back on her feet.
"Cat. Can you tell me where I could find the store by any chance? My brother wants me to buy some seeds…"
Rick nodded and lead her down the street. "It's right along here," he explained. They'd only taken a few steps before stopping in front of a quaint, little shop. "You'll get everything you need here and Sasha and Jeff can probably get you anything else," he scratched his head in embarrassment when she looked up at him in a puzzled manner. "Umm, they run the store. They have a daughter named Karen. You must be the new farmer, huh?"
"Well umm, not really. My brother Jack's the farmer. I'm his younger sister," she bowed to him in thanks before stepping into the shop.
The air in the small building was stuffier, but mixed with fragrances that Cat couldn't have named. It seemed empty. The till was unmanned. The floorboards creaked under her feet as she wandered over to the neatly stacked shelves. You couldn't really go wrong in choosing seeds, could you?
But after staring at the colourful pouches for a full fifteen minutes, she found she was totally lost. A surprised squeak caught her attention and brought her out of her growing frustration. She turned around to find a sickly pale, thin man, with a small moustache and slicked back hair, staring at her wide eyed.
"I…when…when did you come in?" he demanded, although it seemed more panic that filled his voice and anger.
"Umm…just a little while ago," Cat straightened her dress and smiled before bowing in greeting. "My brother sent me here to buy seeds. We're working on the farm," she figured the safest thing was to address this man politely. He seemed rather jumpy and Cat didn't want to let anything off at a bad start.
Before Jeff could fumble over to her, the door at the back of the shop opened and a kind-faced woman stepped out into the dusty room. "Jeff? Is everything ok?"
The shopkeeper nodded, quickly explaining to his wife that he'd just been surprised by a customer.
Sasha giggled at her husband's clumsiness before walking to Cat and picking out a white pouch from one of the higher shelves. "Here, these are turnip seeds. I'll start you out with these because they're the cheapest and grow the fastest. We also have potato and cucumber seeds, so when you do decide to buy more, you can always come back for those," she took the seeds over to the counter and bagged them for her.
Cat waved as she left the small store, quite pleased with herself. Glancing at her purchase she counted 5 bags of seeds. That should do them for the moment, right? From what she'd gathered, they also needed plots to plant grass for the cows and sheep, which would give them a regular income.
She took the long way home, deciding on taking a walk through the village square. Although it was no where nearly as crowded as the every-day city street, it gave her some comfort. It was an isolated village, but the people weren't that different here. Actually, she found she enjoyed the peaceful atmosphere. It was a nice change.
Rounding the corner, she came to a halt when she heard a scream from her left. She almost dropped her grocery bag when the pink haired 'spore', from the day before, came running out of the fenced in field, blubbering something about an escaped chicken.
Taking a quick look around, Cat found the offending animal on the other side of the road. Depositing her bag by the fence, she walked over and carefully plucked the chicken from the cobbled path, walking back and handing it to the frantic girl.
The smaller one squeaked happily and took the bird with a grateful bow. Turning to go back home, she found a disapproving stare aimed at her.
"Popuri, I told you to watch the chickens…!" Rick snapped, his words coming out a little sharper than he had intended.
Cat frowned. As annoying as this Popuri seemed, that was still a little harsh. Everyone made mistakes. She picked up her bag and walked over to the siblings, smiling when Rick recognised her.
"Hey, thanks for getting the chicken back for us,"
She shook her head, petting the snow-white animal. "No need for thanks. It's not her fault the chicken got away. They're animals, their instinct tells them to roam, doesn't it?"
Rick looked at her for a few moments before slowly agreeing. "I guess you're right…" he sighed and gave his younger sister an apologetic look, but it wasn't followed by a verbal one. Rick seemed a little above that.
Once her brother left, after Popuri had stopped sticking her tongue out at him, she turned back to the raven girl still standing in front of their poultry farm. After a moment's thought she grabbed her wrist and pulled her to the chicken coup. "You like chickens, don't you?" she asked merrily after depositing the clucking hen back in her nest. "We just had another batch hatch this morning and we don't have enough room for them. Do you want one?"
She stared at the smaller girl for a long time. She barely knew her and she was offering to give her one of the chics? "Umm…I don't know," they'd only just moved in and, although they did have a chicken coop, Cat doubted it was in living condition, even for a chicken. But looking at the ball of yellow fluff in Popuri's small hands melted her refusal and she eagerly took the small creature into her own hands.
"Just don't tell my brother ok? He seems to like you, but he still won't be happy if he finds out," the ruby eyes glowed happily as Cat was handed a bag of chicken feed that should last the little creature half a month if rationed properly.
She was quickly ushered out and reminded to not mention anything to Rick. Laughing, Cat agreed and tucked the chirping creature into the top of her dress, so that it was safe and warm. Besides, it looked really cute poking it's head up the way it was.
She finally made it back to the farm. A few of the villagers had given her an odd look or two as she'd passed with a chic tucked in her dress, but she ignored the questioning gazes. She was surprised to find that about a fourth of the field had been cleared of stumps and rocks. A few weeds still littered the soil, but those could be yanked out when they got in the way of the crops.
After looking around for a few minutes, Cat wandered into the small cottage, wondering a little where her brother was. She found a note lying on the large, wooden table in the centre of the room, recognising her brother's squint handwriting scrawled across the worn paper.
Pulling the chic out, she placed it carefully on the desk, pulling a scarf from one of the drawers of the dresser she'd managed to stuff her clothes in, and made a little nest. The ball of fluff took to it immediately and Cat went off to fetch a bowl of water for it.
A few hours later, well after dark, Jack creaked the front door open. He'd half hoped his sister would be asleep, the dark windows had encouraged him, but no, she was curled up in bed with the night light, her nose buried in a romance novel. He scratched the back of his head and tried to smile innocently when she looked up at him with her usually, interrogative gaze.
"Eh heh…I just thought I'd go and grab dinner at the Inn. You could have come," he said slowly, sure he'd stretched an invitation to his sister in the note.
Carefully folding over the corner of the page so she wouldn't lose her place, Cat closed to the book. "I know, but I couldn't leave Chirpy alone,"
Jack found himself nodding in an understanding way before he could stop himself. "…Chirpy?"
Cat beamed as she quickly got out of bed, ignoring the biting cold of the wooden floor on her bare feet. She indicated for her brother to come with her to one of the small drawers of the empty kitchen cabinet, that she had kept open.
Peering inside, Jack was surprised to find a chic nestled in one of his sister's brown scarves. "You…bought a chicken?" his eyes widened when she shook her head. "You stole it??"
"Shh!" practically slamming her hands over his mouth, she gave the brown haired man a hard look. "What do you think I am, stupid? Popuri gave it to me! And keep your voice down or you'll wake Chirpy up!" she hissed, finally taking her hands from his mouth.
After explaining to him what had happened on her shopping trip, Jack found himself smiling. Although accepting the gift had been, in his opinion, a little inappropriate, he found that he wasn't upset with her at all. He agreed to take a look at the chicken coop the next morning under the condition that she woke up at a reasonable hour and tilled the soil for the seeds. They had to start growing the crops or it would be too late for the turnips to ripen.
Although she'd managed to strike a deal with him, tilling the soil didn't sound like much fun. How could she get her beauty sleep if she had to rise at a 'reasonable hour'? Taking another look at her chic, she tiptoed across the creaky floor and back to bed. She was out like a light and didn't hear any of Jack's protesting groans as he lay down on the floor, much to his disappointment.
You'd think she'd let me sleep on the bed after working my ass off all day, but no. he smiled up at his sister's sleeping figure. As long as she was happy, he supposed it would do for the time being.