It's difficult to take the first step no matter what you are doing. The first step of farm life note.
Discovering a note felt absolutely magical.
After bidding her new sprite friends a cheerful goodbye, her shiny new pedometer in hand, the new farmer Tina turned and took a single step.
A pleasant, almost ticklish warmth enveloped her petite frame, spreading through her body in her veins. Surprised but excited by the sudden sensation, Tina shut her eyes, her mouth slowly curving into a smile. Toes and fingertips tingling with delight, she felt almost as if she was floating.
A colorful orb, emitting a brilliant golden light, appeared above her head, and her hands reached out towards it instinctively. For a moment, there was a faint, whimsical sound of what sounded like a percussion instrument.
But it vanished as quickly as it had appeared, the strange warmth in her body fading with it. Tina whirled around, searching the sprites' faces for an explanation. They smiled up at her, unperturbed, as if they'd foreseen what just happened. "T-that was—"
"It looks like you've picked up a note," Arthur, the sprite in red, said.
"So you get different notes like this, yeah!" Billy added, jumping up and down.
Carlos followed suit. "Five notes make a musical instrument, so after you've collected five notes, I'd like you to come back to this spring, yeah!"
Tina wasn't sure she understood everything perfectly—how exactly am I supposed to find notes?—but the sprites' glee was contagious. She nodded, smiling back at the three of them, unable to resist reflecting their elation at her tiny accomplishment. "You got it! I'll do my best!"
Well, if I got my first note just by walking, then this whole "saving the Harvest Goddess" thing shouldn't be that hard, right?
A week passed and Tina hadn't gotten any new notes.
But she was an optimistic girl. Not one to be easily discouraged.
Besides, her first week on her new farm had went much better than she'd expected. Having lived in the city for most of her life, she hadn't the slightest clue what to do with hoes, axes, and sickles. She'd actually never even seen a sickle before. It looked exactly like what the Grim Reaper carried! What if I accidentally slice myself in half? Will they toss my body into the Moondrop River and give my farm away to some other clueless urbanite?
Tina's step-grandparents owned a farm in another village, but she'd been much younger when she visited, and completely disinterested in anything that involved work. She could only remember two pieces of advice from her step-grandmother, who tended mostly to the fields while her husband cared for the livestock: dispose of any weeds that pop up and water the crops every day—except on rainy days when they don't need it. But these were obvious, common-sense things that even the inexperienced Tina figured out herself.
Luckily, Liz and Nina, the mother and daughter who ran Spring Farm together, had given her a notebook full of useful information about planting crops. Tina had spent her first two afternoons at Flower Bud reading and absorbing all she could.
Now she stood up from the ground, wiped the sweat off her brow, and exhaled a half-tired, half-contented sigh under the sun as she surveyed her two neat rows of growing turnip sprouts. It'd taken her a little while, but she'd done it!
She looked up at the spring sky with excitement, waiting for the clouds to drop a musical note. Surely this was an accomplishment worthy of one!
Nothing happened, though. The clouds, white and puffy as ever, continued to move at the same leisurely pace.
Tina pouted.
"What are you doing?"
Tina turned towards her fence at the familiar, unfriendly male voice. Jamie stood on the opposite side, sneering at her. She'd met him on the same day that the sprites had taken her to the spring. He'd given her the most piercing of glares after learning that she, too, was going to collect notes for the sake of the Goddess.
"I'm the one who'll rescue her," he'd spat. "You'll see."
Needless to say, Tina was a little intimidated by him. Why did he seem to hate her so much when they barely even knew each other? Maybe I did something unforgivable to him in a past life?
But they were living in their present lifetimes, and the poor girl hadn't even gotten a chance to introduce herself yet. In fact, this was going to be her first time talking to him…
"O-oh, you know! Just looking at the clouds." Approaching the fence, she returned his unpleasant sneer with a sunny smile. "It's a nice day, isn't it? Very spring-y!"
Jamie's expression didn't change. He looked at her like her good mood disgusted him—like he'd rather see her in distress. Tina shifted her eyes to the tall mora trees behind him instead. "So how's your day going, Jamie? Oh… Is it okay if I call you Jamie? You can call me Tina, by the way!" She blabbered, trying to hide her growing discomfort at his lack of reaction. "T-that's my name." I don't know why he has a bad impression of me, but I'm sure I can fix it somehow…
"Would you shut up?" He finally spoke. Tina flinched at the harshness in his tone. Speechless, she could only stare at him in disbelief. "I'm not here on some friendly neighbor drop-by, all right? I'm here to tell you to give up."
It took Tina a moment to recover from astonishment. She blinked at him, slowly registering his words. "Give up?" she repeated. "You want me to leave Flower Bud?" But I just got here!
Jamie's scowl deepened and Tina gulped. He was clearly growing more and more frustrated with her. "No, you idiot!" His fists slammed down on the fence, and Tina took an immediate step back. He paused to take in a slow breath, but it did nothing to relax him—a vein was still visibly bulging on his neck. "I don't care if you leave, but I know you won't.
"I meant, give up on finding the notes. I'll do it. I'll save her myself. You hear me?"
But… I don't get it. Why can't I help him? Wouldn't it be easier that way? Tina's mind was filled with confusion, but she didn't dare voice her thoughts aloud. So she just bit her lip and nodded.
Jamie didn't seem relieved or satisfied with her easy compliance. His lips formed a small smirk, but his narrowed eyes were still intense as they glared at her. He made as if to leave, but quickly turned as if forgetting something. In a low voice that gave Tina goosebumps, he told her, "Don't get in my way, you stupid farm girl."
Tina cast her eyes at the ground as he walked away. When he was finally gone, she released the breath she'd been holding in ever since he'd hit her fence with his fists. Their first conversation couldn't have gone any worse. Now what would she do if she ran into him around town? Hide? Run? Try to talk to him again because he wasn't making any sense to her?
Oh, hell, who was she kidding? That was probably the last conversation they'd ever have.
Tina sat underneath the mora tree, watching its bright pink blossoms fall gently to the ground. She thought of the Goddess, trapped in stone, a profound sorrow etched on her face. She thought of Arthur, Billy, and Carlos, and of how excited they were that there was someone else in the village who could see them. Someone else who could help them…
Stupid farm girl.
Tina closed her eyes. The thoughts beat down on her like raindrops.
Exciting Ranch Plan? By yourself? Tina, you can't even boil an egg!
Are you crazy? Why do you want to live on a farm?
You? But you'd never make it out there…
Okay, you go ahead and do that. I'll be waiting right here, ready to say "I told you so."
She liked to think of herself as an optimistic girl. Not one to be easily discouraged. Not by rain, weeds or the doubts of her family.
But before Tina could remind herself of this, she was crying. It was the first time she'd cried since she'd run away from home.