Long time no publish, I know. But I had sudden inspiration and I have a new headcanon now, so that's cool. I have a few projects on the go, maybe you'll see them soon!
Disclaimer: I do not claim to own Harvest Moon in any way, and I make no profit from this fan fiction.
Forget-Me-Not Valley was usually sunny. Rainy days were rare but not unheard of, and yet the river constantly flowed at a constant height, and the residents did not question it. Only two did; Nina and Galen, an elderly couple who had moved to the Valley for their retirement. They often took to standing by the river and simply watching it flow, sometimes exchanging words, but more often enjoying each other's company.
Nina was friends with everyone. Galen, however, was not. He preferred to keep to himself, and he had Nina; he didn't need friends. He had Dr. Hardy, and he had a few other friends, but he mostly kept to himself. Take the new farmer, for example; Jack, his name was. He was a hardworking boy, and he was very good friends with Nina, but he didn't attempt to be friends with Galen. No, he didn't give him gifts like he did Nina, and he spoke to him once or twice a week if he was lucky. He always fished, and Galen had seen him giving his catches to others, but never the old man of the Valley. Galen would have gladly taken it; fish were his soft spot, and he would maybe even lighten up if any effort came from the farmer.
Sometimes Galen thought it could be his fault for being grumpy, but couldn't they see it was a vicious cycle? No one made attempts of friendship, so he was lonely, and he was upset at this; when they did try, he was annoyed that they didn't do so earlier, and he drove them away. Nina often told him that it was not his fault, and her comfort kept him open. It wouldn't take much to make friends with him once you began trying, but no one tried.
And then Nina passed away.
The farmer had recently married and had a son named Markus, who very much resembled his mother. Nina had been ecstatic, and for about two years she was like a grandmother to the young boy, along with Ramona, who lived in the villa upon the hill. Galen had tried, but the farmer didn't seem to need him there; instead, Sebastian, the butler at the villa, filled the grandfather role. Galen became distant, while Nina spent time with the child. And then one day, she had taken a heart attack while Hardy was not in town, and had died in her husband's arms. She could not have been saved, as she took it in her sleep, right after spending the day playing with Markus. It had been too much on her old body, and Galen had warned her, but she laughed it off. And it had cost her in the end.
At first Galen remained in their old house across from the Blue Bar, but the memories had been too much. The house smelled of her, and he half expected her to walk in laughing, wanting to tell him about the days adventures. He missed her cooking, her light teasing when they were alone, her small hand in his bigger one. Her laugh was the one sound he missed most, and she had laughed often... Galen sat on his bed holding her ladybug cap many hours a day, tears falling down his face, wishing it was just a long nap she had been taking. Slowly, the scent faded from the house, and it was too big for one old man. The stairs were harder, and his footsteps echoed. There was no more soft singing to the songs on the radio, and the little cottage became cold. After only 2 months, Galen couldn't take it anymore, and he put the house up for sale. Hardy bought it within a month, and the villagers built a small hut on the hill Nina was buried on. They pitied him, Galen knew, and he hated it.
But once he moved, Jack tried. He offered up fish to the old man, which would have once made him quite happy, but a grudge had blossomed when his wife had died. It was this man's son's fault that she had had that heart attack. And now he pitied him, and that was completely unnecessary. Sure, he was alone now, but he resented the farmer. He did not open up, and sometimes when he sat by her grave, Nina's voice entered his mind, gently scolding him for being so closed up. He knew in his heart that it was no ones fault but he didn't care, his life was gone. The river next to his new home offered him solitude, and he continued staring at it, contemplating anything and everything.
No, he would not make friends with Jack. As many times as he tried, the farmer had hurt him deeply in more ways than one, and Galen would rather be lonely.
Soon, he would see Nina again. Soon, her laugh would welcome him and bring him to the light. Soon he would feel her again, and soon, he would forgive the family that took his wife from him.