This story is a sequel to my first Harvest Moon fan fiction, and based on the PlayStation 1 Harvest Moon game "Back To Nature".
Characters:
Pete (based on the Back To Nature game's main character)
Birthday: Summer 12th, 1977
Family: (Father: Tony, Mother: Ellen, Brother: Jack)
Bachelorettes:
Ann (a completely different Ann)
Birthday: Summer 17th, 1980
Family: (Father: Doug, deceased unknown mother, no siblings)
Romance rival: Cliff
Elli
Birthday: Spring 16th, 1976
Family: (Grandmother: Ellen (no relation to Pete's mother), Brother: Stu)
Romance rival: The Doctor
Karen
Birthday: Fall 15th, 1976
Family: (Father: Jeff, Mother: Sasha, no siblings)
Romance rival: Rick
Mary
Birthday: Winter 20th, 1979
Family: (Father: Basil, Mother: Anna, no siblings)
Romance rival: Gray
Popuri
Birthday: Summer 3rd, 1978
Family: (Father: Rod, Mother: Lillia, Brother: Rick)
Romance rival: Kai
Romance rivals:
Cliff
Birthday: Summer 6th, 1978
Family: (unknown family members)
Romance interest: Ann
The Doctor (a.k.a. Dr. Trent)
Birthday: Fall 19th, 1973
Family: N/A
Romance interest: Elli
Gray
Birthday: Winter 6th, 1977
Family: (unknown mother and father, Grandfather: Saibara, no siblings)
Romance interest: Mary
Kai
Birthday: Summer 22nd, 1974
Romance interest: Popuri
Rick
Birthday: Fall 27th, 1975
Family: (Father: Rod, Mother: Lillia, Sister: Popuri)
Romance interest: Karen
Mineral Town citizens:
Anna
Birthday: Fall 23rd, 1956
Family: (Husband: Basil, Daughter: Mary)
Barley
Birthday: Spring 17th, 1923
Family: (Granddaughter: May)
Basil
Birthday: Summer 11th, 1961
Family: (Wife: Anna, Daughter: Mary)
Carter
Birthday: Fall 20th, 1954
Doug
Birthday: Winter 11th, 1953
Family: (Deceased wife, Daughter: Ann)
Duke
Birthday: Winter 5th, 1949
Family: (Wife: Manna, Daughter: Aja)
Ellen
Birthday: Winter 13th, 1921
Family: (Granddaughter: Elli, Grandson: Stu)
Gotz
Birthday: Fall 2nd, 1965
Family: N/A
Greg
Birthday: Spring 29th, 1939
Family: N/A
Harris
Birthday: Summer 4th, 1967
Family: (Father: Mayor Thomas)
Jeff
Birthday: Winter 29th, 1957
Family: (Wife: Sasha, Daughter: Karen)
Kano
Birthday: Winter 2, 1970
Family: N/A
Lillia
Birthday: Spring 19th, 1958
Family: (Husband: Rod, Son: Rick, Daughter: Popuri)
Louis
Birthday: Spring 2nd, 1940
Manna
Birthday: Fall 11th, 1969
Family: (Husband: Duke, Daughter: Aja)
May
Birthday: Winter 26th, 1994
Family: (Grandfather: Barley)
Saibara
Birthday: Spring 11th, 1931
Family: (Grandson: Gray)
Sasha
Birthday: Spring 30th, 1958
Family: (Husband: Jeff, Daughter: Karen)
Stu
Birthday: Fall 5th, 1993
Family: (Grandmother: Ellen, Sister: Elli)
Mayor Thomas
Birthday: Summer 25th, 1944
Family: (Son: Harris)
Won
Birthday: Winter 19th, 1967
Zack
Birthday: Summer 29th, 1969
Family: N/A
Episode 1: Returning To Nature
Sunday, 1st of Spring, 2000
Hey there! I'm Pete. You remember me, don't ya? If you don't, allow me to jog your memory. You remember my Dad, Tony, right? Well, I'm his oldest son! Yep! It's me! I'm 23 years old, and this is my story. About my return to nature. It is the new millennium today, the Spring season of the year 2000, and I am sitting in the backseat of my Dad's crimson colored 1990 Chevy Impala car, driving through the rural highways close to the Grand Lake of Louisiana, my Mom is sitting in the passenger seat, my Dad is driving, and my brother Jack is sitting at the backseat with me, to my right, and our Golden Retriever named King is with me and Jack in the backseat. We just passed by Willow Lake several minutes ago, and we are heading northwest to Mineral Town, which is located on the lands close to the Umbrella Bay shoreline, which means this town is isolated from all other towns and cities in Louisiana, surrounded by the vast waters of the Grand Lake, which means the nearest neighboring towns is Flower Bud Village which is north from Mineral Town on the other side of Mallard Bay, and northeast from Flower Bud towards Gueydan, is where the town where Jack and I were born and raised when our Mom and Dad were around our age is located, and a few other settlements that I can't remember the name of.
I was looking out the window at the many trees and telephone poles we passed by on my left side, getting lost deeply in my thoughts. It has been years since I've previously been to Mineral Town. My father's father, my Grandpa, used to live here in Mineral Town at his farm, alone. Grandma passed away because of cancer when I was three years old. My Grandpa has been running the farm by himself ever since then, until the year he died.
"He, bro, you okay?" I heard Jack ask me.
I ignored him, and Jack stayed silent for a few seconds waiting for my response, and when he realized that I chose not to reply to him, he tried to call me again.
"Bro? Pete?" Jack called me again, and I felt him tap my shoulder.
"Pete, Jack is trying to ask you something," my mother, Ellen said.
I sighed. "What is it?" I asked Jack, still looking out the car window, at the fields that are partially wetlands.
"You've been staring out that window for hours, bro. What's wrong with you?" Jack asked me.
I shook my head. "We've waited too long to come back," I said forlornly. "There is so much here that I wanted to reconnect to, that I think it might be too late to do it..."
Silence fell over us except the semi loud hum of the car's engine as Dad continued to drive down the dirt road towards Mineral Town, which is only a couple more miles away.
"Like what?" Jack asked.
I exhaled sharply before replying. "A friend. A friend that I barely remember. I don't remember her name or even how she looks."
Jack's eyes widened momentarily. "Your friend is a girl? And you don't even remember her name? That sucks, bro," he said sympathetically and clicked his tongue four times.
Not long after that, I found myself stepping out of the car near the entrance of Mineral Town, since there are no roads there, and King stepped out with me, but Jack stayed in the car. Like my Dad when he used to be a farmer, I'm wearing similar clothes like he did back when I was a baby. Overalls, boots, a blue cap, the only difference is my cap is orange at the brim instead of completely blue. And I have a big yellow backpack called a "rucksack" strapped to my back, in case I have to carry more than one item. Not long after that, I found myself stepping out of the car near the entrance of Mineral Town, since there are no roads there, and King stepped out with me, but Jack stayed in the car. Like my Dad when he used to be a farmer, I'm wearing similar clothes like he did back when I was a baby. Overalls, boots, a blue cap, the only difference is my cap is orange at the brim instead of completely blue. And I have a big yellow backpack called a "rucksack" strapped to my back, in case I have to carry more than one item. King and I stepped back as we watched Dad reverse the car, turn back around on the road and drive away, heading to another town to drop my brother Jack off at. The town is called Forget-Me-Not Valley, and Jack wants to start his life as a farmer there. I guess you could say that my brother and I decided to follow in our father's footsteps after all.
Anyway, King and I didn't move anywhere, we stood near the road's dead end mark, waiting for the mayor of the town to meet with me. It took him five minutes to arrive. i saw him coming towards us from the northern brick road. He is a short man, wearing a small red top hat over his balding head, and he wore a red suit with a bright blue vest under it, a yellow necktie shaped like a ribbon, and had a thick stylized brown mustache and he wore small frame glasses. As soon as he came up to me, he greeted me with a handshake.
"Welcome to Mineral Town. I'm Mayor Thomas," Thomas shook my hand.
"Nice to meet you, Mayor Thomas." I returned the greeting.
Then Thomas pulled a small notebook out of his pocket, and a pen with it, preparing to take notes.
"So, I'm going to give you a number of questions, so please answer them. What is your name?" He asked me.
"My name is Pete, sir." I told him.
Thomas nodded his head. "Pleasure to meet you, Pete. I've heard so much about you. I apologize about the passing of your grandfather."
I shook my head. "Don't be, sir. He was old, his time to leave us was bound to come sooner or later. But it doesn't change the fact that I miss him and the many summers I spent with him on this farm," I said.
Thomas nodded then continued writing the relevant details in his notes.
"When is your birthday?" He asked me.
"The 12th of the Summer season, 1977," I replied.
Thomas scribbled more notes.
"What is the name of the farm?" He asked me.
I found that to be a tough question. Is Thomas asking me what my Grandpa named his farm, or is he asking what I want to rename the farm? If it is the former, I don't know because I haven't been in grandpa's farm in years.
"Uhh... I guess, uh... Redwood Farm! That's it!" I finally said.
I made up that name. I had to come up with something, and so Thomas jotted that down on his notebook.
"What is the name of your dog?" Thomas asked me, nodding down at King.
"His name is King," I replied.
"Good! That's all of the questions. Now, let me show you to your grandpa's farm," Thomas closed the notebook, placed the notebook and pen in the breast pocket of his suit and lead me and King to Grandpa's farm.
As we walked up the stairs going up this steep hill, I got this feeling that the skin of my arms and legs are crawling. Man... It's been years since I last been here. The entrance gates are closed, but unlocked, Mayor Thomas proved it by pushing the gates open, and we stepped into the farmland. Setting foot in this place again brought back a series of deja vu, even though the land is covered in weeds, rocks and wood, and the red paint on the barn has almost faded.
"Well, what do you think? This was your grandpa's farm. It's been neglected for quite some time, so it's a mess..." Thomas told me as he stood next to me.
"Yeah..." Was all I said.
I was too busy swimming in my thoughts to pay close attention to what he said, reliving the memories of the summers I spent visiting Grandpa before he died. I walked deeper into the cluttered garden, navigating my way through clumps of weeds, rocks and huge sticks.
"Do you remember when you were young and spent summer vacation on this farm...?" Thomas asked me.
"Yeah." I nodded and moved a few more steps away from Thomas.
"I remember it all like it happened yesterday..." I said dreamily... "It all started when I was six years old, when me and my folks lived in the city. We used to live in my great grandpa's ranch near Neighbor Town, but we moved to the city when I turned three years old," I said, beginning to narrate the flashback I was having.
"Years ago, at our home in Austin, Texas in the year 1983, my brother Jack and I were preschool students, my mom Ellen works as a vet, and my dad Tony works as a construction worker. He promised us that this summer, we all can go on a vacation to grandpa's farm and revisit nature. I always dreamed of returning to the trees, flowers, waterfalls, and such. But... Something went terribly wrong. On Saturday morning, that's when it all happened, while my brother and I were playing a video game."
*BRRRRING!*
"The phone rung. My mother, Ellen answered it even though she was cooking lunch, as I recall," I continued narrating the flashback to Thomas, who could only listen.
"Hello?" She said then paused for a moment, and smiled. "Hi, honey! What happened? ... Oh... Oh... He's here. You want to talk to him? Okay."
"Mom walked over to me and Jack while we played this game called Centipede on the Atari 2600."
"Who is it, Mom?" I asked.
"It's your father. He wants to talk to you," Mom told me.
"He does? I wonder what it is?" I asked myself as I grabbed the phone, and Jack took over playing the game, shooting up the last segments of the red colored centipede, completing the level, and he managed to do it before the spider got him.
"Hello?" I asked, placing the phone to my right ear.
"Heey, Petey!"
"Hey, Dad! What's going on?"
"I'm on my lunch break right now, so I'm taking the time to talk to you," Dad replied.
"That's cool Dad, but tell me something. Are we still going to go on our Summer vacation to grandpa's place like before?" I asked enthusiastically.
Jack paused the game and looked over at me with Mom, listening to me. Dad fell silent over the phone too, which made me worry.
"Dad...?" I squeaked because my voice was filled with anxiety.
"I'm sorry, but I've had to cancel the family trip this Summer," Dad said sullenly.
"Dad dropped a bombshell on me. He told me that he was forced to cancel our plans to travel to Mineral Town and visit Grandpa until the Summer season ends, which we have been doing for two years," I continued narrating the flashback.
"WHAT?!" I exclaimed loudly, startling Mom and Jack.
"Pete! What happened?" Jack asked me.
"I didn't have the heart to tell him or Mom The bad news struck me in the hart like a dagger."
"I couldn't rearrange my work schedule, Pete. I'm sorry. I know I promised you. Please understand. I'm very busy," Dad said with as much sympathy as he could.
It didn't make me feel any better. "Dad... come on now. Tell me this is a joke..." I whimpered, nearly on the verge of tears.
"I'll make up for this," Dad assured me.
"But you promised! We have been planning this trip for months! Why?! Why, Dad?!" I was really crying now. Mom and Jack now knew what was going on because they looked depressed. Dad sounded really disappointed to disappoint me.
"I'm very sorry... *sigh* Oh, dear... But..."
"But what?" I asked.
"I asked my Dad if you could visit at his farm, just you," Dad told me.
I perked up a bit. "What? Only me? Why me?" I asked.
"Because I remember ever since you were a baby, you always loved nature. I knew that you'd get deeply depressed by this bad news, so I made a backup plan. I chose you so you can... Take it easy and enjoy nature for a change."
"Th... thanks, Dad."
"You're welcome, son," Dad replied, then I hung up the phone, told my Mom and brother what Dad said, then I resumed playing Centipede with my brother, no longer feeling depressed, but I felt bad telling Jack that he can't come with me to visit Grandpa that Summer.
Days later, on the first day of Summer in 1983, I was dropped off at Grandpa's farm. I couldn't believe it. I arrived even though my parents and brother could not tag along with me. I walked into the ranch and headed for Grandpa's house, and knocked on the door. Seconds later the door opened and I saw Grandpa standing there with his old mastiff by his side. Grandpa dressed just like me, his clothes and mine appeared identical! Overalls, hat, everything. The only difference is he has a graying mustache and beard.
"Hey, Grandpa!" I called.
"Hello there, sonny. It's been a while since I last saw you, you're getting taller. Anyway, there's not much excitement out in these parts... But you're welcome to stay as long as you want." Grandpa said to me warmly and gave me a hug.
"I remember he smelled like firewood. I wasn't sure if it was his body or clothes," I told Thomas, causing him to smile, and I continued telling my flashback to him.
"That's fine, Grandpa. I like quiet places. I'm just depressed my brother and parents couldn't come see you this year," I replied.
He smiled at me under his gray facial hair. "Don't worry about it, Pete. I'm too busy with my farm chores to play with you much... But there are some children in the village and you can play with them," Grandpa told me.
"Okay, Grandpa, but I wanna look around here a little bit." I said, and then Grandpa and his dog left do to their chores. I went into the cow barn.
"I enjoyed playing by myself. Just being alone in the country was enough to make me happy." I said, still narrating my flashback in the present to Mayor Thomas. "I even took the time to ride one of Grandpa's cows." I continued narrating.
"Ha-ha-ha! Giddyup! Hee-hee-hee!" I laughed gleefully as I rode on one of Grandpa's cows. But as soon as the cow started moving, the sudden momentum caught me off guard and I fell off.
"Ow! Ouchies!" I moaned when I hit the ground. Luckily I did not land on my head.
"Grandpa even took the time to teach me how to sit on a horse." I narrated the next scene of my flashback.
"Okay, Pete. Get on the horse. Don't worry, she won't bite you," Grandpa encouraged me.
He helped me climb on the horse since I was too small to do it on my own. I recall that she was an American Indian mare.
"Yes, that's it. Keep your hands on the reins, that way you don't fall off," He instructed me.
"Okay, I'm holding on." I replied.
"Ha ha ha... I even remember that I harassed some of Grandpa's chickens..." I chuckled, narrating the next part of my flashback.
I was chasing a lone chicken around with a six foot long, two inch wide stick in my hand. The chicken was clucking in a frightened manner, running away from me.
"Ha ha ha! I'm gonna get ya! I'm gonna get ya, chicken!" I taunted the hen as I chased it.
The terrified hen ran towards the partially open doors of the chicken barn and I hastily chased the hen into the barn.
"Sometimes... I got more than what I bargained for." I said with a smirk, still narrating the flashback.
Seconds after I followed the chicken into the barn, the tables turned. I came running out of the chicken barn and more than a dozen came out angrily chasing at me for harassing their friend!
"Aaaaaahhh!" I yelled, dropping my stick and running like crazy away from the hens clucking angrily at me.
Now for the next part of the flashback, which took place a week later at the Mineral Town beach docks which overlooks the vastness of the Grand Lake.
"Fishing is a calm, relaxing sport for me..." I narrated my next memory.
I was at a pier, fishing with my fishing rod Grandpa loaned to me. I was at the edge of the pier all quiet, watching the red and white circular float resembling a Poke Ball from the Pokemon games bobbing in the calm waters, waiting for a fish to bite. When I saw the float suddenly drop down beneath the surface, I began to reel in the line, but I was a fraction too late and not strong enough to hold the rod, the fish literally yanked the rod out of my hands!
"Wah!" I yelped!
The rod splashed into the water. No chance of me retrieving it unless I had scuba diving gear.
"I regretted not being able to get the bites I wanted," I narrated.
"Other times I just relaxed, laying in the soft, smooth grass," I continued on.
In my next flashback which took place a day after I lost Grandpa's fishing rod, I was relaxing near a bridge in Grandpa's farm. See, 13 yards away from the chicken barn, there is this river that divides Grandpa's farm and the forest beyond. Grandpa's dog walked over the bridge and watched me relaxing in the sun.
"Hey there, boy," I said when I noticed him next to me, then I stood up and patted his head, causing him to start panting.
Then, in the next part of my flashback which was two hours later, 11:31 a.m., I think it was, I wandered a mile away from the ranch, walking down the dirt road looking for a good place to settle down. I found one. I headed northeast, walking into the patches of grass not far away from the largest hill in the area. As I walked through the grass, I could hear the grass softly scraping my shoes. It is a beautiful sound along with the birds chirping. I walked out a few yards away from the dirt road and stopped. I took a deep breath and sighed slowly. Feeling the gentle cool breeze and the warm sunlight beaming down on me felt so good.
"This seems like a good place to relax," I said.
Getting myself comfortable, I laid down on the grassy ground, facing up at the blue sky, then I closed my eyes, basking in the beauty of nature around me. When I closed my eyes, I got this feeling that time is passing by slower than normal, I was enjoying the moment I was in. A few minutes later, I heard someone singing. Judging by the voice, it sounds like a girl about the same age as me. Her voice gradually became louder as she approached the spot I was at.
"Nah nah nah, na na na, na, na, na, na, na na na, na na na, na, na, na, na, na na na, na na na, na, na, na, na, na na na, na na na..."
It was a beautiful song she is singing, and it sounded familiar, too. Then it stopped. I opened my eyes, wondering why such a beautiful tune stopped. I turned my head to my left and saw a girl looking down at me. I stood up up and looked at her.
"Oh, it's you... the boy visiting the old man's farm," she said.
"Yeah. That's me," I nodded.
"Do you always play alone?" She asked me.
"Yeah. I mostly like being around places like this. It soothes me somehow..." I said.
Even though I have been visiting Grandpa every year since Mom and Dad moved out of Neighbor Town, I have never interacted with any of the kids here in Mineral Town, Jack and I mostly stayed around Grandpa's ranch or journeyed into the forest.
"I like it here too, so I come here a lot to play alone," she told me.
I brushed some dirt off my shoulders.
"I see. Well, I'm from the city, so I know it's kinda strange to see a boy like me from the city enjoying nature like this," I said in an awkward way.
But the girl didn't find it awkward. I could tell by her face. I remember she looked at me in awed fascination, like I was an extraterrestrial from another world. A world that she has only heard stories about.
"... Tell me some stories... About the city... And about you..." She said softly.
I shrugged. "Sure, why not?"
As we walked down the road, towards the big hill, I was telling her about the city and stuff.
"... The roads are usually crowded, and there are so many cars, and there are many buildings that stretch higher than these trees..." I went on. "... My Mom is a veterinarian. My Dad is a construction worker but he used to be a farmer too. My brother and I go to preschool..." I went on, but I never even her to tell me a few things about herself, so I didn't even know her name. I just went on and on telling her as much as I could about the city and myself as we climbed up a hill. At the hill's summit, we were treated with a wide, beautiful bird's eye view of the forest surrounded by Mallard Lake to our left and Umbrella Bay to the right, which is all part of the Grand Lake.
"Great view, isn't it?" The girl asked me.
I nodded, smiling. "Yeah. I haven't seen a view like this in a while. Helps make me remember how underappreciated nature can be to some people."
The girl looked at me in confusion. "Some people don't like the forests, flowers and trees?"
I shook my head. "Some people think living out here in the countryside is boring. I am not one of those people," I assured her.
The girl smiled in relief. "... I am glad that you are not one of them."
I nodded, and looked up at the sky.
"That song you were singing when we met minutes ago... could you sing it again?" I asked her.
She nodded, then she started going: "Nah nah nah, na na na, na, na, na, na, na na na, na na na, na, na, na, na..."
Its a pretty catchy tune, and easy to memorize, so I decided to sing with her.
"La la la, la la la, la, la, la, la, la la la, la la la, la, la, la, la, la la la, la la la, la, la, la, la, la la la..." We both sang together, our voices harmonizing with the chirps of the birds and gentle breeze of the wind.
I hung out with that girl for several days whenever we could. Again, she was the only person from Mineral Town that I interacted with. Me and the girl usually hung out around Grandpa's farm, or in the forests. I think I did eventually learn her name, but I've forgotten what her name was. Anyway, many days passed until the final day of Summer. On that day, I was getting ready to leave because my summer vacation with Grandpa is now over.
"So how was it? Did you have fun? When you go home, tell your Mom and Dad that I enjoyed it too..." Grandpa said, giving me a hug.
"Thanks, Grandpa. I sure had fun. I'll be back someday. Count on it." I turned around and began to walk my way out of the ranch.
After walking a few feet towards the exit, the girl I met before ran up to me.
"Oh. Are you leaving?" She asked me.
"Yes, I am," I nodded.
Her eyebrows arched up in a sad way.
"That makes me feel lonely... You'll come back again someday. Right?" She asked me.
"Of course I will. I promise." I said with a small reassuring smile.
"Remember, you promised..." The girl sadly told me.
I felt bad leaving her lonely, but I had to go. *sigh*... Now that I'm back in Mineral Town, I wonder how she's doing, after 17 years...? Unfortunately, since it has been a long time since my last visit to Grandpa's farm, I've forgotten her name, and how she looked. I just simply remember she exists. If she is still in town, will I recognize her? Will she recognize me?
Okay, back to the present!
"It's been a long time since then. You've grown up well in those years." Mayor Thomas commented.
"Those are my most treasured memories..." I replied, my back still turned on Thomas.
Thomas rubbed his chin for a moment as he inched towards me. "...So I talked this over with the people of the village. Your grandfather took real good care of this farm. We respect his wishes and would like to see how much you can accomplish in 3 years," he told me.
I turned around. "Three years? Why?" I asked him.
Thomas had this worried look on his face. He must have thought that he offended me.
"We don't mean to be testing you, but... If you can get this farm back like it was seventeen years ago, the village will accept you as the rightful owner of the farm." He told me.
"And...?" I knew there is a negative side to this.
"But if the farm is neglected or you can't get along with the villagers, you'll have no choice but to leave, and we'll take back the land that your Grandpa owned." Thomas told me with a sad look that told me he is hoping that I don't fail.
I got my Dad's farmer blood in me. He may not be a farmer anymore, but I'm on my way to becoming one!
"Who made these rules?" I asked Thomas.
"That's the decision we made as a village," Thomas replied.
A sudden needle of doubt hit me... If I screw up, I'll never get the chance to live with nature around me. To be honest, I'm not too fond of the city.
"Farming is very hard work. But I hope you do your best and become a great farmer like your grandfather!"
I was glad to know that Thomas has faith in me!
"I understand, Thomas. I won't let you down!" I said adamantly.
Monday, 2nd Of Spring, 2000
After waking up and getting dressed, I checked my tool chest.
"Hmm, let's see... Garden hoe, ax, sickle, water can, hammer..." I took the ax, sickle and hammer out of the tool chest. These are the basic tools to clear out stuff. Dad told me this once. Then I decided to see if the television works. Oh it works alright, even though it is one of those old television models from the early 1980's, the kind that has knobs instead of buttons, like the tumbler of a safe. I twisted the upper knob after turning the television on to the weather channel.
"Good morning! Here is the weather forecast! Clear blue skies from the morning." The woman said, pointing at a photo of the sun shining rays of sunlight down on a map of Louisiana.
"Hmph." I huffed and twisted the channel knob counter-clockwise a few times.
"New Year's Special TV: Pounding Mochi" The announcer said on Channel 10. "Happy New Year everyone! It is the start of the new millennium today, and today all our guests are working together to pound steamed rice into mochi rice cakes. It takes a lot of pounding!" The guy said, then he started pounding on it nonstop.
"Urrrgh," I groaned because I quickly got bored, so I turned off the TV and headed towards the old refrigerator because I felt my stomach churn for a second.
I wanted to see what Grandpa kept in his refrigerator, but I soon learned that opening the door of a refrigerator that hasn't been used or cleaned for 17 years turned out to be a bad idea. As soon as I opened the door, I briefly caught a glimpse of spoiled dark green vitamin D milk in an old 1 gallon jug, rotten bologna in an partially old Oscar Meyer meat container, shriveled up celery and baby carrot sticks in an old plastic packet, green scum caked on the floors and walls in the fridge because the scent from the fridge jumped into my nose before my eyes could register everything inside the fridge. God have mercy, the scent that attacked my nose was terrible! Smelled like decayed meat, vomit and poop!
"Auugh! Jeez!" I groaned loudly and quickly shut the refrigerator door, gagging.
That horrible smell from inside the fridge was enough to kill my appetite for an hour or two. As soon as I was able, I need to get this old refrigerator replaced. I don't ever want a see the scum covered insides of a refrigerator again! So I grabbed my chosen tools and headed for the door. As soon as I unlocked the door and stepped out, I met Mayor Thomas outside!
"Oh! Mayor Thomas! Good morning!" I greeted him, even though I was a little startled.
"Good morning, Pete. I came to show you around the village. If you'd like," Thomas offered.
"Sure. I need a tour," I nodded.
Thomas looked so happy when I agreed.
"Well then, let's go."
He led me out of the ranch, heading into town. On the outskirts of the town, Thomas pointed down the small dirt road lined up by wooden fences leading to a barn many yards up ahead.
"That way leads you to the Poultry Farm and the Yodel Ranch. You can buy chickens and other animals at those places," Thomas told me.
"Ah... I see..." I nodded.
Then we walked down the steep slope with a stairway. We stopped near a building to our left.
"This is the Blacksmith's shop. You can buy tools for your farm here. The Blacksmith can also "improve" tools for you," Thomas told me.
"Interesting..." I scratched my chin.
Then Thomas led me further down the path, coming to a stop to another building next to the Blacksmith's place.
"This is the Orchard. They're short on help at harvest time, so lend a hand if you can," Thomas said.
"Okay," I nodded.
He continued leading me down the path until I saw it curve to the right. But we stopped and Thomas showed me another building.
"This is the library. You can learn a lot from reading books. Of course, you can also ask me and the other villagers about things," Thomas said.
"Sounds like a plan," I said.
Then Thomas led me further down the trail until it curved to the right. We passed by a house with an elderly woman on the front porch of her house sitting in a rocking chair.
"Well hello, Thomas. And who do we have here? Is this the young man who you said would be running the Redwood Farm?" She called out to Thomas.
"Hello, Ellen. Yes, this is the one. His name is Pete," Thomas introduced me.
"Hello, Ma'am." I waved.
Then I realized her name sounds familiar... She has the exact same name as my Mom! I couldn't help but wonder if this Ellen and my mother are related in some way.
"Let me introduce you to Ellen. She used to be a midwife. Her granddaughter is now working at the clinic," Thomas told me.
"Ah. The apple doesn't fall too far from the tree," I smiled.
"Mmm-hmm." Thomas nodded. "Next, let me show you my house, which is right next door. Take care, Ellen." Thomas waved bye, then Ellen waved back.
"Goodbye, Thomas. And it was nice to meet you too... ahhh... Pete," She said.
"Have a nice day, Ellen," I said.
I can't get over the fact that woman has the same name as my Mom, the only difference is my Mom isn't that old yet. I followed Thomas nine steps further until we stood in front of his house.
"This is my house. I live with my son Harris the policeman. Please, come visit anytime," Thomas said to me.
"I'll find time for that," I nodded.
Then Thomas took me further down the path until we stopped near a building.
"This is the Supermarket. You can buy all sorts of things here. Even seeds for your farm."
"Cool. I'll be visiting this place pretty often," I said.
Thomas then lead me down the path. We passed by a "T" shaped path leading to a different route, but we stayed going straight. We stopped in front of a building.
"This is the Clinic," Thomas said with a depressed look on his face.
"You can come here if you ever feel sick or fatigued. But try not to overwork so you don't have to."
"I'll be careful," I promised him.
Thomas then pointed down at the building at the end of the path, near the path that curves to the right again.
"The church is over there. The Pastor is an odd man, but nice," Thomas said.
I made no comment, I just adjusted the straps of my rucksack so they won't fall off my shoulders. Then I followed Thomas towards the church and followed the curving route down until we came across a three story building, the biggest one in the town.
"Whoa! What is this place?" I asked Thomas.
"This is the Inn. There's a restaurant on the 1st floor. The bar opens at sundown," Thomas told me.
Then he led me down the path until we came to a wide open space that's so huge, it gave me the feeling that awesome stuff happened here.
"This is the Square. Most of our festivals are held here. If you go straight this way, you will reach the beach. The left path takes you to the church, and the right path runs in front of Yodel Ranch," Thomas told me.
"So, Mineral Town is just one big rectangular path town..." I mused.
Thomas then led me back to Redwood Ranch by passing by Yodel Ranch and Poultry Farm.
"Well, I guess that's about all I have to say. Walk around and see what else is here. Oh, yes, the woodcutter Gotz lives up somewhere near the mountain, so he's the guy to ask about that area," Thomas said.
"Well, I appreciate the advice, and the tour," I said removing my cap to scratch my head.
"Well, I have to go now. Good luck, Pete."
With that, Thomas left. As soon as Thomas left, I saw a big muscular guy with his hair shaped like a pencil eraser coming in my ranch. He wore a gray tank top and has a towel slung around his neck.
"You're the new farmer, eh?" He asked me.
I nodded. "Yeah, that's me. The name is Pete, I'm the previous farmer's grandson."
"Pleasure to meet you, Pete. I'm the buyer, Zack," He introduced himself and shook my hand, and as I expected he had a very strong grip. "As a farmer, there's just one thing for you to remember," he said.
"Really? What's that?" I asked. "There's a bin on the farm, and that's where you place the produce you want to sell. I'll drop by every evening at 5:00 to see if there's anything to pick up and pay you on the spot." Zack said.
"Great!" I smiled.
"Oh, but I won't drop by on festival days. I want holidays too! Ha ha ha ha ha," Zack chuckled.
"Ha ha ha ha," I mock laughed with him.
"... There are also bins in the hen house and in the sheep and cow barn." He didn't seem too enthusiastic to tell me that. "You can sell the vegetables you've harvested as well as things you've gathered in the mountains. Of course, you can sell eggs, wool and milk too. Got it?"
"Yeah," I responded.
"Good. I'll come back again at 5:00 p.m.," Zack said and left.
I took a deep breath and exhaled. Now that I know the basics of farming, it's time to get down to business. As I headed for the weed, rock and wood infested garden, I pulled out my hammer and began smashing some stones. I yanked some of the weeds out with my hands, and I chopped some of the wood with my ax. I had to move King out of the way.
"Stay, boy. Stay," I told him.
I checked my watch. 8:30 a.m.
"Well... I'm gonna go to the mountains first, pick what I can find, then head back into town and introduce myself," I said to myself.
I headed north until I crossed the bridge. As I crossed the bridge, I remembered when I was 5, last time I was here, I was resting near this bridge. As I followed the dirt road path into the forest, I soon came across a sign that says the hot spring is to the right, the base of Mother's Hill is further north, and the woodcutter's house is to the left away from the hot springs. I don't think $100 will help me buy any seeds, so I gotta go look in the forest. I decided to head on over to the hot springs. A couple minutes later, to my right, I saw a series of stairs made of stone going up a steep hill. I followed the stairs up. Near the springs I saw a girl. She had a tomboyish look, wearing overalls like me instead of a dress, and she had a braided dark brown ponytail. Still she looked attractive for a tomboy.
"Hello!" I called out to her.
"Oh! Hi..." The tomboy girl said nervously as I startled her from looking at the river.
"Don't mind me, I'm just sightseeing," I said to her, and she didn't reply, apparently busy doing her own thing.
I then started looking for some vegetables to harvest. I eventually found a bamboo shoot near the spring.
"Yes. This'll do," I grabbed it and put it in my bag.
I found two more, too! I brought them back to the ranch and put all three of them in the shipping container for Zack to collect later on.. Then I went back into the forest and instead of heading towards my ranch, I took a detour towards the woodcutter's house. But since I don't have any business there, I decided not to drop by yet and say hello to him, I only passed by his cabin. I checked my wristwatch. 12:33 p.m.! Man does time fly by! I walked past the woodcutter's house and followed the path back into Mineral Town, bypassing my ranch.
Soon I found myself standing near Poultry Farm ahead of me to my left. As I walked forward towards the farm, I noticed that a pink haired girl is yelling at some guy. Instead of ignoring them and passing by their farm, I decided to eavesdrop. Besides, that pink haired girl looked vaguely familiar somehow. She has long pink hair, and the skirt of her dress is red colored, completely covering her legs and feet, and she wore a black corset over the white top of her dress, shaping up her body almost like an hourglass, and the sleeves of her dress are only shoulder length. The girl and the guy who is possibly her brother were standing near the front door of their house, and they were arguing. About what, I have no idea, all I could hear among the wind was indistinct shouting coming from them.
"Oh, I hate you Rick!" I heard the girl cry out in anger and she stormed off, running down the pathway behind their farm towards the area where I met Mayor Thomas yesterday.
"Popuri?!" Rick called after her, but he didn't follow her.
I decided to talk to Rick and see how he is doing. I headed to the "T" junction of the pathway between Poultry Farm and Yodel Ranch, heading left, then I followed the path until I found the open gates allowing me to enter Poultry Farm and I headed for Rick, who still seems upset after his argument against his sister. Rick seems to be a couple years older than his sister, standing seven inches taller than me, and he has smooth shoulder length bright brown hair, brown eyes, a white headband wrapped around his forehead, a blue apron that covers his body from torso to legs, and he wore a long sleeved green shirt under his apron and brown pants and brown boots. Oh, I forgot to mention that he wears glasses, too.
"Hey. How are you?" I greeted him.
"Oh, hello. You're Pete, right?" Rick asked, his demeanor turning friendly when he saw me approaching.
"Yeah, the one and only. You must be Rick. I heard your sister shout your name before she ran off," I said as I shook Rick's right hand.
"I guess you heard us arguing..." Rick sighed in depression.
"Yes, I did. I don't mean to pry into anything that's not my business, but what happened? Why is she so mad?" I nodded.
Rick scratched his head before replying, "It's a sad story, really. What happened was one of our hens got killed by a stray dog."
"Ohh... You have my pity, Rick," I said sadly.
"See, my sister Popuri forgot to put it in the coop, so I got mad and yelled at her."
"I see," I nodded sullenly.
"Say, would you do me a favor and bring Popuri back here? I think she went up to the mountain behind our house," Rick told me.
"What's the problem? Why can't you do it?" I asked.
"If I went to get her, we'd probably start arguing again," Rick said.
"Okay, fair enough. Let me go see what I can do," I said and left.
I returned to the path where the sign points to the spring, Gotz's cabin, and the mountain. There, I heard a girl crying. It must be Popuri. I headed up the stone stairs to the springs because I had a hunch that's where the crying is coming from. I found Popuri all alone, staring out into the river by the hot spring. She was sniffling and crying. I felt bad for her, after knowing why she's so upset. I never lost an animal I cared about before, but I imagine it must be quite painful. I slowly approached Popuri from behind, being careful not to startle her.
"Um... Excuse me... Are you alright?" I asked her.
"*Sniff*... I'm so mad about what happened... But Rick is so mean!" Popuri fumed.
I sighed Rick wasn't being mean to her, he only criticized her for being irresponsible, but too bad Popuri doesn't understand that.
"...You have my sympathies. What's your lost chicken's name?" I said coolly as I sat down next to her at the edge of the river.
Popuri calmed down a bit then.
"... Her name was Pon... I liked that chicken very much, but... Whaaaaaaaaaaa!" Popuri sobbed loudly, tears leaking profusely from her closed eyelids!
I didn't know what to do! I tried to offer some comforting words.
"I'm... I'm sorry for your loss. It's okay... Pon is in a better place, chicken heaven, so don't be sad anymore... It's okay... Pon wouldn't want you being an emotional wreck," I said sympathetically.
I tried to think of the right words to calm Popuri. I really felt terrible seeing her cry, but to my relief, eventually Popuri calmed down and she looked at me with those bright ruby colored eyes. She now had a friendly smile that somehow spread some warmth in my body.
"Thank you for staying with me. I'm sorry. I don't even know you, but... Wait a minute! You're Pete, the owner of Redwood Farm, right?"
"That's right!" I nodded with a warm smile of my own. "So, are you feeling better now? Rick sent me, he's worried about you, even though you two argued."
"I'll go apologize to Rick, thank you!" Popuri said and left.
"Okay." I watched her go.
(She sure has a cute smile. It sure made me want to smile) I thought to myself. "Hm... Where should I go next... Oh yes! The Supermarket!" I left the springs and headed back into town.
As soon as I came in the market, I saw up ahead a guy in a white coat like he's a scientist or a doctor was talking to the clerk. The clerk had black hair that shined bright with hair oil, and he has a short trimmed mustache.
"I'll bring the money next time," The guy in the white lab coat looking thing said indifferently.
"Huh? The next time...?" The clerk looked up in confused thought with his finger on his lip.
Then the guy in the white coat walked past me with an emotionless expression on his face. He really is a doctor. I can tell because he had that strange circular thing over his head.
(What a creepy guy...) I thought as I watched him leave.
When I turned around, I saw a door near the cashier's counter open. A woman came out with a scowl on her face.
"Jeff! You sold on credit again! You're such a pushover! That was The Doctor, right? I'll go to the Clinic to get the money," the woman scolded Jeff.
"Umm..." Jeff slumped down in shame.
As soon as the woman left, a middle aged guy with a few white stripes of hair in his black hair and wore a purple vest came in. He looked at the food selection casually for a minute.
"Hey, I'll take this. Put it on my tab," the man called to Jeff.
"Oh, that thing... Okay... Yeah, next time," Jeff said in depression.
Then the middle aged man noticed me.
"Say, aren't you the guy from the Redwood Farm?"
"Uh-huh," I nodded, feeling a little disgusted at this guy.
"What's wrong? You don't look good," the man said.
"I just think that it would be better if you paid for that food. With cash, not credit," I said with a slight frown.
The man laughed.
"Hahaha. It's okay," he assured me.
"You're telling me that? Pay the man with cash if you want something," I urged him while a girl close to my age came in from the next room. She wore a small purple jacket under a white t-shirt, and she has long hair that looks like a mix of brown and gold, and she wore short jeans that is cut a few inches above her knees.
"Duke!" She called out in annoyance.
"Oh. Karen!" Duke gasped.
"You should pay when you buy something!" Karen said, her eyes frowning sharply to show how serious she is.
"Okay, okay... You I can't escape..." Duke mumbled in defeat.
Karen walked up to Duke. He gave her the money and left the market with item he wanted. Then Karen approached me.
"Thanks for the help. You own Redwood Farm, right? You're the city boy trying to get back to nature?" Karen asked me.
"Yep. I'm Pete. Nice to meet you." I shook her hand.
"I'm Karen. Nice to meet you. I hope you like it here in Mineral Town. It's a wonderful life out here," Karen said, then she left back into her room.
After that, I bought one bag of potato, turnip and cucumber seeds.
"Okay, I'll send them to your ranch later," Jeff told me.
"Thanks a million. Well, see ya around," then I left.
After leaving the Supermarket, I decided to go to the Inn. Besides, I felt my hunger slowly coming back.
As soon as I entered, that tomboy girl in the overalls greeted me.
"Welcome! Please take your time," she said.
Then the bartender to the far right called me.
"Say, you're the guy from the Redwood Farm, Right?"
"That's right, sir. I'm Pete." I called to him as I approached the bar.
"Could you... Uhm... Come here for a second?" I walked up to the bar to see what this guy wants.
"Yes sir?" I asked him then I pulled up a chair and sat down across from him, the bar's counter between us.
"Uhmm... That girl is my daughter Ann... What do you think of her?" The guy asked me.
I looked over at Ann. She is happily scrubbing the tables. For some reason, I get the feeling that she is three years younger than me, even though she is a few inches taller than me.
"Mmmm..." I was checking her out a little.
Cute face, smile, long ponytail hair, cheerful personality and fairly nice proportions for a tomboy in overalls. Then I turned back to face the bartender.
"She seems very cheerful." I said. I found her cute, but I had no idea how he would react if I told him that.
The bartender had a strange expression that I can't define on his face.
"Oh... So you think she's "cheerful"... Uhmmm... yes... cheerful..." The guy mumbled awkwardly then stifled a cough.
"Hey, Cliff! Come over here. I want to ask you something," the bartender called.
Then, a guy from the other end of the bar came over. He looked a year or two younger than me, and he had this rugged "bad boy" appearance about him. His clothing is brown, with white, fluffy stuff around the neck area, even his hair is brown, and long, too.
"...What's up?" Cliff asked.
"Well you came here and..." The bartender whispered in his ear for several seconds.
When he was done, I was curious to know who he was talking about.
"Hey. Who's the subject in this matter?" I asked Cliff.
"Ann..." Was his reply.
"Ah," I nodded.
"Didn't you just move in? I'm Cliff, nice to meet you."
"I'm Pete. Yeah, I'm taking over my Grandpa's farm," I said after shaking Cliff's hand.
Cliff chuckled. "Good luck with that. I hear being a farmer is hard work."
"Oh, I won't back down from a challenge," I assured Cliff, then I bought a ham sandwich form Doug and left the inn.
I returned home to plant my potatoes, turnips and cucumbers. The whole thing took all evening! I remember that before planting the seeds, the soil must be tilled, so I knew that I should use the garden how to soften up the ground, but it was hard work, my arms were still burning even after I finished tilling a few parts of the field. Zack came by to pick up the bamboo shoots I found. I got finished planting and watering my crops, and boy am I beat! I knew that tomorrow I'm going to have to do a lot more work, cleaning up the crop field, chopping up weeds, breaking stones and all that tiring stuff, so I went in my house, wrote in my diary and got some good old fashioned sleep. Tomorrow, I got a long day ahead of me.