He wasn't unhappy.

Shutting the door to my small, shack of a house, I stepped out into the darkness, the moon's pale glow shining on my face and showing me the way out of our farmland. A path I had walked so many times, I could follow it with my eyes shut. But still, it was nice to think that the moon was somehow guiding me. I was heading out of my property, over the bridge in the direction of Vesta's farmland. I was heading down to the small field by the elders' house. I was heading to you.

As I stood before your final resting spot, I still recall the words I spoke to you so many years ago, when your children were still alive, when my days were no longer empty and deprived of company. "He wasn't unhappy," I had spoken out to you, like I did most really late nights when sleep couldn't overcome me. "But he didn't seem to have a direction in life."

It was bad, yes, tiring my body like that. Though they had forced me to stop, right now I didn't care if I died. Your children wouldn't be happy with me for doing so, but right now, I just wanted to pass, to be with you and them and watch over the valley peacefully. "One day, I went to see him." I gazed upwards, remembering.

The day I went to see Jack was only a month or two after your funeral. He had been happy to see me, but I could tell there was sorrow behind his smiling eyes, and that it was somehow a bit painful to see me. "I told him about the farm you left to him." As I told him that bit of information, his eyes lit up, but he was still biting his lip. I could tell the idea of farming wasn't his cup of tea. "Your son didn't seem to know much about farming, but he was willing to give it a try."

I remembered him weighing his choices, take on the farm or stay in the city. After a few moments, he somewhat-reluctantly nodded. I gave him a few days to get things together, to sell his apartment and get his things together, but in truth I had needed a few days to get the farm looking like it was in good shape. I would buy him a cow to get him started and let him go on from there.

"So I brought him to Forget-Me-Not Valley."

We were walking down the side of the valley, him rolling two suitcases and me carrying one. It had been a quiet journey, but as we reached the side overlooking the valley I began to ramble. "Your dad and I shared the same dream, you know." I was looking down at my feet as I walked, but I could feel his eyes on me. He was curious, so I added more. "I bet he never told you, but I remember it all." We shuffled our feet down more, leaving the conversation at that, but I could tell he wanted to know more. We walked over the very same bridge I just walked over, but in a different direction, and soon I was showing him the farm.

"This land you see here," I had mumbled. "Your dad and I found it together." Briefly I explained things, showed him around and we dumped his luggage in the house. Your old house. I was a bit nervous he wouldn't be the type for farming, he would mess everything up. But as I showed him the cow, it mooed and walked towards him, already taking a liking to him. All my worries were washed away after that, he seemed to be the type animals liked.

With your daughter, it was more spontaneous. Awhile after the funeral, and awhile after Jack had settled in, I had received a letter in a bright red envelope. At first, I thought it was a love note for Jack, seeing as he was one of the potential bachelors around the valley, but then I saw my name in big, bubbly letters on it. I was surprised. I hadn't gotten a letter in a long time, since Lillia and I were together. Slowly I opened it, and sure enough it was a letter from the daughter of an old friend. A letter from your daughter. I have kept it, to this day, on my bedside table, under the picture of us. The picture that replaced the one of Lillia and I.

She told me a lot about her life in the city, how it had been seeing me and her brother again, but how empty and hollow her life seemed to be now. She asked tons of questions about the farm, how she had heard about her brother taking it over. How she had heard, I didn't know, but I assumed Jack himself had told her. On the last line, she said this: "I want to…try working on the farm."

Maybe she had felt a certain longing to be surrounded by her family again, or maybe a certain calling from the valley. To a city girl, a place like Forget-Me-Not Valley must be interesting, I had thought. But to me, it was sort of like a prison.

The letter reminded me of you, your face, and as I was getting lost in thought, I heard footsteps walking in my direction, and suddenly, there she was. Her brown hair was in a high ponytail, as usual, she had on jeans, a T-shirt and brown shoes, and big brown eyes. The spitting image of you. She seemed kind of shy at first, as she had held back. But then, she called out to me.

"Uh… Tak?" I chuckled and turned towards her. "Jill," I said. She brushed her bangs out of her face and ran towards me, enveloping me in a hug. "Tak! Hey! How have you been, how is my brother?" Her voice had been so cheery, so full of life. I can almost hear it in my head at this moment. I slowly had wrapped my arms around her.

"Hello, Jill. I hadn't expected you to come so soon." To that she had giggled softly.

"Ah, sorry. I wrote to you. You got my letter, yeah?" I had nodded. "Well, even thought you couldn't have gotten it until about… a day or two ago? I was so anxious that I kinda… came by myself. Sorry if I'm intruding, and sorry for being rude!"

I shook my head at that. "No, no, you're definitely not intruding. I'm happy to have you here, and I bet Jack will be too. Come, let me take you to him." I grabbed two of her suitcases and she lugged one, and we headed up to the farm. I knocked on the door of your old house and called for Jack. "Jack, there's someone who wants to see you…"

A few moments later he came out, looking in every direction. "Who is it, Tak?" I had stepped aside, my thin body blocking the petite one of Jill, who was beaming. At first, Jack had looked surprised, but then his face had broken out into a huge smile, so similar to his sister's, and yours. Both of their eyes were sparkling as Jill ran up and squeezed Jack in a huge hug, Jack hugging her back.

"Jill! How'd you get here?" As they broke apart, she stared at him for a moment before replying.

"I heard about the farm and wrote to Tak the other day, but I was too excited to wait for his reply, so I sold my apartment, gathered my things and came here!" Her smile was so wide and permanent; I thought it would stick like that forever.

"Haha! That's great!" His smile had faltered just then. "But there's only one bed, I don't know where you'll stay…"

She didn't seem at all bothered. "It's okay, I can sleep on the floor until I buy a bed."

Just then I had spoken up.

"I'll upgrade the house…and add you a bedroom, Jill." They both turned towards me. Maybe they had forgotten I was there.

"Will you, Tak? Oh, thank you thank you thank you!" Then, she was hugging me again, and after a few moments I awkwardly placed my arms around her.

"Heh, no problem."

But then I realized she would be doing farmwork, working with animals and crops and things, and the worries I had with Jack crept up on me again. But just then, two stray puppies came up, barking at her happily. They, just like Bessie had with Jack, seemed to like her, too. They were both animal people, I observed. Maybe it had run in the family. Jill had bent down and rubbed both of their fur, and I, right there, had found myself blushing. I looked away, embarrassed. I was way too old for her, but I couldn't help myself.

"Aww, look at these puppies!" Her soft giggle was met at the end of the sentence. "Can I keep one? I promise to take care of it, feed it and everything!" Having regained my composure, I looked back at her and chuckled. She sounded like a little kid, begging her parents for a pet. Her big, puppy dog eyes were irresistible.

"Ehh, sure. Choose which ever you like."

After a moment, she turned towards the floppy eared one and picked it up.

"Okay, I'll find a good owner for the other one. You should name it."

"I'll call you… Toby. What a cute name."

"Yeah, it's nice, sis!"

I watched as they headed inside, Jack carrying her luggage and Jill carrying her puppy.

Are you happy, Mark? That your children took over your farm and built their lives here, leaving their old homes and coming to the one thing they left to you. Even though it had been a long, sometimes painful life they had both had here, I think that in the end, they were happy. Do you know that their final resting spots are right next to yours? Maybe someday soon I too, will be added to the tiny family cemetery.

But who knows.

And suddenly, sleep is overcoming me, early this time. But I know it is not sleep that is calling for me.

But I know it is not sleep overcoming me.

As I fall to the ground, as my eyes begin to shut, I remember. The whole period of time that your children were here, the times that I was happy again – they flash before my eyes.