"Earth to Toby. Where've you spaced off to, son?"
The fisherman's nephew lifted his head from where it had lain on his hand in a daze. He glanced between his uncle and cousin briefly across the table before turning a faint shade of pink.
"Sorry, I... I was thinking of something," the young man said, returning his attention to the untouched meal in front of him. Ozzie took a healthy bite of the smoked salmon on his own plate and regarded his nephew a moment. Toby had always been the quiet, daydreamer type, keeping to himself and out of the way most of the time, but he seemed particularly out of it lately. It was as though his mind wasn't just wandering as usual. Like he said, it was as if he was absently pondering something in particular. "You were saying something, Uncle...?"
"I was asking if you were looking forward to the fishing tournament this week." Toby looked a little startled.
"The fishing tournament, right. I hadn't realized it was so close," he replied. Now both Ozzie and his son, Paolo, gave Toby a glance. If his distracted behavior hadn't been an indicator of something strange, than his forgetfulness about one of his favorite events of the year definitely was. Fishing was more or less Toby's favorite thing to do; so much so that he used to sneak out at night when he was young just to do a little night casting. It was the one thing he did consistently every day, and the idea that it might not be the primary thought on his mind was puzzling.
"Are you feeling alright, Toby?" Ozzie asked with genuine concern.
"Yes," he replied with a nod. "The summer air always makes me a bit sleepy. I think I might go to bed early tonight."
"Alright. Well, you let me know if you need anything," Ozzie replied as Toby gave him a polite nod and excused himself from the table. The older fisherman watched him retreat to the back of the fish shop and into his room. "If I didn't know any better I'd think he had met someone."
Little Paolo, always the observant type, tapped his toes against the floor and said,"He did." Ozzie turned his attention to his son now, brows raised in surprise.
"He has? Who?" he asked. Paolo gave his father a mischievous grin.
"Angela, of course!" he said as though it was perfectly obvious.
"The rancher girl?" Ozzie said and then appeared to consider it. "Now that you mention it, she does stop by a lot, and she never really buys anything but the occasional boat ticket."
"Mmhmm!" said Paolo around a large mouthful of salmon.
"She's a nice girl. Hard worker. Quiet, though." Ozzie paused.
"Toby's quiet," Paolo pointed out as he shuffled the greens around on his plate.
"True. You know, it might do him some good being around that girl. ….Don't think I won't notice you haven't eaten any of that cabbage if you spread it around." Paolo paused and silently grumbled in his head.
In the bedroom, Toby didn't bother with the covers as he settled down on his bed. It was too warm for blankets, and he wasn't really tired as he had said. He just wanted some quiet to let his thoughts drift freely, watching them go by just like the river down by the watermill...just like at the Firefly Festival.
It had been a few days since the Firefly Festival, but it was still clear in his mind. He'd been so nervous when he asked her along, but as usual she easily quelled his fears with a bright smile and a nod. She was still rather new in town and wasn't terribly knowledgeable about all their customs, so he thought he might offer to show her. She had mentioned that the mayor liked to occasionally drop by and give her a run down of these things, but she said enjoying them with someone was much better than just being told about them. That had made him smile, and blush, as much as he tried not to. It happened a lot lately and it only seemed to happen more these days.
He really couldn't help it, though. There was just something about her and there had been since the first day they'd met. She was the talk of the town the first two weeks after her arrival and he'd done nothing but catch a glimpse of her from time to time, bustling about with seemingly ceaseless energy. Considering that Harmonica Town had fallen into a rut as of late he imagined that everyone was just excited to have a change; see someone different. Sometimes he'd thought to say hello or ask her how she liked the area, but she always seemed so busy he didn't want to interrupt. So he stayed at the dock or by the river and continued fishing, almost having given up on the chance to talk to her at all.
And then all of a sudden, there she was, standing by him on the dock. He almost hadn't noticed she was there she had been so quiet. He had glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, immediately looking forward again when she looked at him.
"Hello," she said in a soft, though friendly tone.
"Hello," he replied. "You must be the new rancher."
"Yeah," she said and beamed a little. "I'm trying my best anyway. I'm Angela. You're Toby..., right?"
"Yes. How did you know?"
"Ozzie told me," she said. Her eyes darted to the left. "Um, I think you've caught something."
"What? Oh," he said, suddenly becoming aware of the tug on his line. Pulling on the rod he reeled in his catch and was greeted with the sight of a pitiful sardine. It was rather embarrassing; he knew he could catch much better fish than this, but the rivers hadn't been the same in a long time so he really wasn't to blame. Angela didn't seem to notice his disappointment.
"Wow! What a good catch!" she said, clapping her hands together and looking at the tiny fish as if it was the most fascinating thing in the world. Toby was never the type to argue, so he merely gave her a crooked smile. "You must fish a lot."
"All the time. Ever since I was little," he said. "Do you fish?" He watched her shuffle a foot against the dock as she shook her head with a hint of shyness.
"No. Never have. I came from out in the city so there wasn't a lot of places to fish. I always wanted to, though."
"It's a good hobby. Very relaxing," he said. She smiled again and he decided it was a very pleasant sight.
"I'll definitely try. I get so wrapped up in my farming I hardly have a spare moment. Oh!" She startled as thought she'd just remembered something. "I have to get over to Horn Ranch before they close! I completely forgot I was out of feed! My chickens will be so mad at me!" She had already made it halfway down the dock before Toby realized what was going on, though she turned in a backwards jog to offer him a wave goodbye. He gave her a small wave back.
That might have been the end of it for all he knew, but she had only visited him more and more. No matter where he was, she seemed to find him, though her visits were usually all-too-brief. The life of a rancher certainly seemed hectic to him, but she seemed happy enough, and frequently brought him things that she'd grown herself. That first day she'd brought him a small handful of Cosmos flowers she had been so adorably proud of herself.
And just when it seemed that she couldn't have made life seem better, the town actually began to thrive. The fires started to burn brighter and the water began to flow stronger, bringing healthy fish along with the traveling boats. Toby could hardly believe it that day down by the watermill when he was watching the river rush across the shore, and she showed up again, just as she had the knack of doing. Why it was, he wasn't sure, but he was almost certain this was her doing. The telltale glint in her eye, coupled with an almost sheepish expression only confirmed it for him. He didn't know how she had done it, but he never had the habit of questioning miracles.
He'd given her his old fishing pole that day in the hopes of seeing her more often. Naturally, she would still have her daily chores, but maybe, just maybe, she'd take a moment to cast her line somewhere he might be. At first she didn't dare venture to his usual fishing grounds, and he spotted her on her own in others. She fumbled and came up fishless more often than not, but she tried so hard. Toby politely kept his distance. He had done the same thing when he started fishing, running off somewhere secluded during odd hours because he was to embarrassed to fish with his more skilled cousins. If she really wanted his help, she would ask.
She continued to visit him, sometimes seeming like she was just on the edge of asking him a question or two, but changing her mind and bidding him a chipper farewell. Then, finally, one day while he was down at the watermill again, she came down the path with her fishing pole in hand and quite a determined look on her face.
"Teach me to fish, Toby," she said with such seriousness and with such a deep bow he couldn't help but crack a smile. That day they spent most of the afternoon trying to get something on her line. Sometimes she would look disappointed and he would assure her that sometimes the fish just got away, that it was nothing she did wrong. That seemed to console her and she would square her shoulders and cast again.
"Relax," Toby said. "This is supposed to be fun."
"Right. Fun," she said with a nod and shook out her hands one by one. Toby chuckled at her obviously-too-focused tone.
"What's your favorite fish dish, Toby?" she asked and he raised his brows.
"Sashimi," he said after considering a moment. "Yes, definitely sashimi."
"I don't think I've ever tried making that," she said. "Is it good?"
"Very. At least, I think so," he said, giving his line a testing tug.
"I'll try to make it for you sometime," she said, concentrating on her own pole. Toby glanced at her a little, feeling something inside him flutter as he smiled.
"I'd like that."
"I said 'I'll try'," she laughed a little. "I can't guarantee it will be very good."
"You're a very determined person. I'm sure it will be great," he assured her.
"Toby."
"I mean it. You'll be just fine. Just take it slow."
"No, Toby! My line!" Angela said, a little more excited. When he looked over she was holding the pole with both hands tightly against her chest as the length of it bowed against the weight of her catch. Instantly, he dropped his own pole to the ground and rounded her, grabbing a hold of the handle around her hands.
"What do I do, Toby?" she asked, frantic. "It's going to get away!"
"No, you're fine," he said calmly, though his heart was beating out of his chest as he felt the strength of the pull on her line. "Give it a little slack or your line's going to break." Angela nodded and did as she was told and put herself in Toby's capable hands as they both wrestled with the fish in the river. It wasn't until about halfway through their battle that Toby realized that he had Angela in an embrace, hands clamped firmly on hers. She was pleasantly warm against him and had an earthy smell, he supposed from working in her garden. He felt his face begin to flush but kept himself focused on not losing her first big catch.
When the fish made the mistake of leaping out of the water and into the air, both Angela and Toby saw the opportunity and began to reel, falling clumsily backward with the sudden momentum. They fell into a pile on one another, as the largest steelhead Toby had ever seen flopped into the girl's lap. Angela squirmed in Toby's lap unsure of what to do at first. In the end, she opted to let go of the pole and grab hold of the fish, hugging it as it flapped about.
Toby started to laugh and couldn't bring himself to stop as he leaned back on his hands. Angela glanced back at him as if he was crazy and then realized how hilarious the whole predicament was and began to laugh along. After a moment, once the fish had stopped moving, they untangled themselves and Angela got up to retrieve her fishing pole.
"I can't believe it!" she grinned, hoisting the fish in her arm. "I'm going to grill this for dinner!"
"Good job," Toby chuckled. "I told you you could do it."
"Yeah, thanks," she said and her smile softened. "I... I should probably get home. It's getting late." Toby nodded and thought he might have seen her blush if not for the dim light around them. She bid him a bowed goodbye, fish and all, and departed. Toby smiled to himself and brushed off his jacket and pants where they had gotten wet and dirty from his fall.
It was about then that he looked up to see his discarded pole get ripped off the shore and into the water. Without a second thought he scrambled after it, splashing into the water and diving after it with a loud crash.
He'd been anxious as the sun began to set and he crossed the bridge towards Flute Fields. She had told him she would meet him there at dusk, but he couldn't stop his stomach from flopping like a fish until he finally saw her amongst the other Harmonica Town residents. She was standing down on the shore looking around tentatively with a hand to her mouth. Was she looking for him, he wondered. When she caught sight of him and smiled he felt relief rush through him. She also looked comforted as he approached.
"Sorry if I'm late," he said with a chuckle. She shook her head.
"No, it's fine. I just got here a few minutes ago."
"Good. So, have you heard anything about the festival yet?"
"Just that it has something to do with honoring our ancestors," she said. Toby nodded.
"Yes. We send lanterns down the river to do just that." He walked over to the stand that had the lanterns available for the townsfolk and picked up a couple of them, handing one to her. She took it carefully, as though it might break in her hands. "They light these with moonstones."
"It's lovely," she said, admiring the subtle glow.
"Always makes me feel a little whimsical," he admitted with a smile. Behind them, Hamilton officially began the festival and people began to send the lanterns on their way. Toby looked to Angela and she nodded at his silent question and they stepped down to the shore. "It's important to remember your ancestors." Toby squatted down and settled the lantern gently on the water. Angela followed his lead and did the same. They both rose to watch the small floral lanterns glide down the waterway, glimmering in the darkness.
Toby thought that the breeze had picked up a little, but noticed that he was mistaken when the tickling feeling on his hand grew warmer and fingers slid cautiously between his. His heart skipped a beat in his chest as he felt Angela's hand grasp his and he gradually closed his fingers in against hers. They didn't look at each other directly, opting to stare out down the river for a time until their lanterns were out of sight. Even a few minutes after they had vanished, they only managed to look at their feet.
"It's pretty dark. Would you like me to walk you home...?" Toby heard himself ask softly. Out the corner of his eye, Angela nodded and clasped a hand to her chest.
"Hey, you two," Simon's voice startled them and they quickly separated their hands and whirled around to see the photographer. He blinked a couple of times, not having meant to scare them, but smiled nonetheless. "Would you like a photo to help celebrate?"
"Uh..," Toby said, face feeling as though it was scalding as he rubbed the back of his neck.
"Yes, please!" Angela said, seeming to keep her wits about her. She finally shared a look with Toby who gave her a small shrug and smiled when he saw he wasn't the only one that had gone red. They both turned and posed for their first picture together.
Now back in his room, Toby retrieved the photo from his inside pocket and looked at it again. They looked like a happy couple, he thought, heart fluttering again. Though he usually took things day by day, he couldn't wait for the next festival to come.