Eli gaped back at her, aghast. And then he chortled at her overdramatic expression.
"It won't be so bad. We have a kitchen, so we don't need a microwave, and besides, you know I'm not a bad cook. We have a mailbox for communicating to the outside world, anyhow. And if it comes down to it, we'll get a radio or something so we're not cut off completely from news. If we're lucky, someone will have a television somewhere."
Then he wagged a finger at her in jest, clearly enjoying Aly's deprivation of technology.
"No more 'Desperate Manwives' for you!"
The blond brought a hand to her heart and scoffed, "'Desperate Manwives' is the kind of show millions of girls such as myself live on. A boy like you wouldn't understand." She was lightly thrown a duster in retaliation, and Aly was too late to throw it back after Eli ducked smartly away and out the door in a flash to retrieve their belongings in the moving van.
At the first sweep of dusting, the girl squinted her eyes and coughed when the little particles floated in the fresh spring air. And the more she dusted, the more dust floated around the house and slowly towards the door. "Oh, come on! You're like those little old ladies on the freeway! Get a move on!" urged Aly, waving out her unwanted guests. Continuing in her little chore, she grumbled, "Guy who lived here must've been a slob!"
In time, Aly finally chased all the dust out of the premises and Eli came back with the truck loaded high and the moving men in tow. The four of them labored in moving furniture around carefully, taking out the old bed and putting in a new mattress, setting up cabinets and drawers and the like. Aly pretended to help with the lifting at first, but then mostly she gave encouragement while waving in whatever general direction the three men were going in with whatever heavy furniture piece they were lugging around. She obliged with much lighter belongings like putting clothes and books in their proper places. Slowly but surely, the little empty house began to look more like someone was really going to live there again. Curious villagers paused in front of the run-down farm to view the spectacle from time to time, one villager in particular.
"Thanks a bunch, guys," the young male exhaled in relief much later in the day. The two siblings looked around the house in exhausted satisfaction one last time before moving out of the house to say goodbye to the moving men.
"It's no problem, sir," the men replied, one of them touching the lid of his cap obligingly. "You take care now. I can't imagine living and working on a farm, but good luck to you both!"
Eli paid the men for their services and the rent on the truck, and the man and woman waved until the truck rumbled out of sight.
Aly dropped her arm first. "I'm starving… We didn't take a single break from all that work," she pouted. "It's way past noon already."
Eli rubbed a hand against his forehead and did his best to ignore the aches in the lower regions of his back. "We were too busy to notice, I guess. Oof, I'm gonna feel this tomorrow for sure. I'm too tired to cook. Let's go buy something, yeah?"
"But it's New Year's. Is anything open?"
"Dunno. Let's take a look around the village and see what we get."
"I see you're all moved in," interrupted a young man pleasantly. At the sound of this new voice and the soft crunch of hard dirt, the new farmers turned on the spot.
He was clad in business attire, dress shirt and dress pants and striped tie and all, freshly ironed and pressed. His light orange hair ruffled a bit in the incoming breeze and only added to the youth of his figure. With a smile etched onto his face, the mystery man said, "I hope I'm not intruding?"
"Er, no, not at all," exclaimed Eli. What a polite guy. "But who are you?"
"Ah, forgive me. I am the mayor of Kestrel Village. Just call me Ben. Everyone here does," answered the young mayor. In fact, he looked suspiciously younger than the twins, but Eli was too polite to inquire about his age this early into the conversation. Aly piped up, "If you don't mind, how old are you?"
Ben chuckled easily at her question and at Eli's reaction. "No, no, it's quite all right. I turned eighteen this past autumn. Yes, I know, I'm quite young, but I manage."
"Sorry, Ben. I'm Eli and the loudmouth is Aly. Good to meet you," said the older brother, extending a hand in greeting and ignoring Aly's playful punch to his shoulder. Ben obliged, and Eli was surprised at the mayor's iron grip.
"Reason why I'm here," continued Ben, while shaking Eli's hand, "is because I need to ask something of you.
You are farmers, correct?"
Eli tried to get out Ben's grip and the continual handshaking at this point, but it was impossible.
"Um…"
"Oh my, are you not farmers?" Ben said all this in his mildly pleasant tone and that gentle smile. "Well, well, well, that brings you into quite a lot of trouble, doesn't it?"
Eli struggled to get out of the vice grip as politely as he could. He was starting to lose the feeling in his fingers.
"You see, I love this whole village. Not too many like it left in the area. Not only that, I love the people. They're all such adorable, hardworking cavemen," Ben emphasized, not noticing Aly had covered her mouth in mute embarrassment. "I'd hate to see something happen to them, don't you think?"
Not waiting for an answer, Ben went on, "I did not expect people like you two, from the city, to inquire about the farm, but it is even more of a surprise you are not farmers. That's such a shame, really. You'll have lots to learn.
You know the last man who lived here? Will. Everyone loved Will. He was with us since I was a very small child. He helped make Kestrel Village thrive. But as you can see, Kestrel Village is not what it once was, and I would love it if it became what I know it has the potential for.
Why is Will not here anymore? Oh, he died." Ben gave a warm chuckle. It sounded ominous to the twins.
"But that was then, and this is now." Ben never stopped smiling in that secretly angelic way.
I do expect you two will stay here and make the farm work. Won't you?
WON'T YOU?"
Were they making a pact with the devil?
"YES!" Eli and Aly unintentionally screamed out.
"Wonderful." Eli was saved at last.
"I'll see you two later. I'll drop off the deeds to the house and land in your mailbox. Look forward to it." And with his mission accomplished, Ben sauntered off and towards the village, humming a soft, haunting tune with his hands in his pockets.
The two siblings looked at each other in fear.
"He scared the living crap out of me," Eli whimpered, nursing his numb, throbbing hand.
"How'd he know I said 'cavemen'? I didn't say it that loud, I swear. Maybe he was spying on us?" Aly panicked.
"Don't say it like that! Don't! That makes him even scarier!"
Luckily, the hand was sore but otherwise not injured in any way, shape, or form. Aly checked twice before she was satisfied. "Come on, let's go get something to eat. It'll make you feel better," she encouraged, trying to lighten the mood.
"It'll make my stomach feel better, but definitely not my hand," retorted Eli. "I thought it was gonna turn blue at any second." What were the other villagers like?
The duo walked easily on the dirt path and was led into the quaint village. As they had thought, most of the shops were closed for the holiday. There were also very few passerby. They did pass a tiny poultry shop, the blacksmith's, an animal ranch, and a general store, among other buildings. There were no restaurants or cafes to be found in Kestrel Village, they discovered, but there was the village inn. And mercifully, by the time the two had found it, tucked away towards the northeastern part of the area, it was open.
"Oh thank god! Food!" Aly gave the doors a hefty push.
Despite outer appearances, it was quite a large inn on the inside. Lunch hour was over. There were a few stragglers here and there amongst the spread out tables of worn oak and pine, and lingering scents of their downed meals hovered in the thick air.
"Oh, newcomers! Here for a late lunch?" Mitch called out, grinning his bearish-like grin. "Step on up to the bar! What can I get for ya?" His grizzly dark blonde beard was twisted into a single scruffy braid, and his moustache was curled at just the right angle.
"Um, what do you have?" The two strode up to the bar and took their places at the stools, grateful that the next villager they were meeting was much more normal. Mitch bent both of his hairy, hairy arms and put his hands on his broad waist in thought, reciting the day's menu.
"Day's special is Asparagus and Potato Omelette with Cheese. If ya want somethin' else, there's always Mixed Salad, Spring Rolls, Vegetable Stir Fry, Stew… And if you don't want those, as long as the ingredients are in season, I can whip somethin' up for you. As for drinks, I've got Strawberry Juice or Water. And if you have room for dessert, I'll tell you that menu as soon as I remember it. So what'd you like?"
"Oh, oh, oh! The omelette! And make it super huge!" Aly exclaimed in glee. "And strawberry juice for two! We're starving!"
"I like your attitude, missy!" Mitch gave out a rough, burly laugh. "Not too many young maidens have a big appetite nowadays. And what can I get for you, lad?"
"I'll get the stew. We've been busy moving in for half the day, so we are pretty hungry," Eli laughed at Aly's enthusiasm.
"Alrighty, then! Omelette and Stew it is! Hm…" Mitch stroked his beard for a moment. "Oh! You mean you're those people who moved into the farm? Job well done!"
The siblings blinked in surprise. "How'd you know we were the ones moving in?"
"Eh, it's not a big village, this is. Word gets around fast. Ben didn't scare you lot too much, did he now?"
Eli paled at the fresh memory. "He was… intimidating."
"Nah, don't it let get to ya." Mitch clapped a heartening, albeit large, hand on Eli's shoulder, and if he hadn't been sitting, his knees would have buckled at the sheer weight. "Lad means well, through and through. Just got a funny of showin' it."
"Now, enough yappin', I'll get your lunches out in a jiff. Roxy, can ya get 'em their juices, please an' thank ya," the large man called out, heading to the kitchen through the swinging back door. With that, the twins took a proper look around the first floor of the inn to see who else was here.
Over in the corner sat a somewhat overweight young man in need of a haircut. His messy ebony hair hung down over his eyes, and his bangs touched the top rim of his thick glasses drooping down upon his thick greasy nose. On his black t-shirt was clumsily drawn what looked like a white turnip, leaves and all, and his dark navy jeans needed a trip to the laundry bin. Clutched in his hands was a 3ES, the latest model (not a single scratch or stain!), and the man was mumbling to no one but himself, "Come on, come on, come on..!"
A few tables over was a much older man in his early thirties, and he looked even worse for wear. His beady black eyes scrutinized his pile of scratched playing cards in a game of solitaire. His brown, gnarled hands, his pepper-grey hair, that long nose, those yellow teeth! Chancing a sneak over at the bar, he dug quickly into his pants, took out a cigarette and a lighter, and flicked the lighter on. He stuffed the tip of the cigarette into his mouth and lit the other end. A swirl of smoke began to rise.
"ED! Put it out! Out!"
The twins jumped at the yell, and then they jumped once again when their strawberry juice was slammed onto the bar with frightening force. Roxy paid no attention to the newcomers' reactions and stomped over to where Ed was sitting. Like Mitch, she wore a similar cook outfit and gripped a very sharp knife in her left hand.
"Ed! How many times do I have to tell you? Out with it or go outside!" Her dark red glasses gleamed in fury and she waved the knife point threateningly under Ed's nostrils.
"But! Roxy! It's not like I'm going to light the place on fire! It's just one," whined Ed, his dark eyes looking straight at that knife.
"It's not that, it's the SMELL! THE SMELL! People can't eat here if they're choking to death on YOUR smoke! I can smell it a mile away," she tossed her short, dark red hair. "Put it out or go out or else I'll cut you!" She seemed very keen on carrying the threat out.
"Alright, alright! Don't get your little panties in a bunch!" Roxy chased Ed out the door, yelling out obscenities and further threats, while inside, Nicholas screamed out, "OH GOD YES! I DID IT!"
He abruptly leapt onto his sneakers, laid his 3ES carefully onto the table, and began dancing, shaking his butt to the rhythm. "I got to the end of the mine! End of the mine!" He threw his hands up in the air in jubilation. "Nine hundred ninety-nine thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nine floors! Two hundred and eighty-six hours of GRINDING!" He clenched his fists and began to swing his hips in gusto.
"I am the champion! I am the champion! The KING of the MINE!"
"Nick, shut yer trap!"
