A/N: Chapter 2 is up! It took me a while to finish, the imagery in this story is difficult to do, but I think it turned out pretty good!
I hope everyone likes it. This chapter is a little on the dramatic side, but for those of you who don't like it don't worry, it will get funny again soon!
So I hope you enjoy it!
Disclaimer: I don't own Harvest Moon Animal Parade. If I did, Luke and Selena would never be together. In fact, Selena would be dead. Mwa ha ha ha!
BOOM!
CRASH!
That was what I was awakened to. I woke with a loud yelp and sat straight up in bed, eyes wide. I sat, panting, pale-faced, eyes darting around the room. Maybe I had just dreamt it…
BOOM!
I shut my eyes tight as a huge clap of thunder rolled across the sky, followed by blinding light. I could hear rain fearlessly beating against my window and wind howling, making the house creak. A typhoon.
I gulped down a lump in my throat and resisted the urge to hide under my covers like a child.
I glanced at Bo, still sound asleep. I swear, that guy could sleep through the apocalypse…
CRASH!
I yelped again, shivering, squeezing my eyes tight. Typhoons weren't common on the island, but when they did hit, they hit bad.
I had always been afraid of them. But I used to feel better when my mom would comfort me during a storm, telling me everything was alright, that there was nothing to be afraid of, that the bestest (A/N: Yes, people, I know that's not a real word, but Luke used it when I met him so I decided to add it) axmen ever shouldn't fear a storm. And I believed her. She always made it better.
But that was a long time ago. Before she got caught in a storm while in Fugue Forest. Before the lightning had struck that tree she was standing just a little too close to…
BOOM!
The room was momentarily illuminated by the flash of light, and then went dark again. Taking in deep breaths, casting one last glance at the sleeping silhouette of Bo, I gathered my quilt around me and slid my bare feet onto the wooden floor of my bedroom. My eyes were slowly adapting to the darkness; I stood up shakily and headed to the doorway of my room. I needed my dad right now.
CRASH!
BANG!
It sounded as though all the trees near us were trying to knock the poor house over. Wide-awake by now, I opened the door to my dad's room. It took me a second to realize he wasn't in bed either. Knowing instantly where he was, I crept though his room and out the other door.
I was in the woodshop. The store. More thunder filled my ears, impossibly loud, and lightning lit up the scene. All the machines in the room looked strangely alive. The saws all glinted evilly. The vices looked as though they were frowning. Shadows of unknown… things… danced on the walls.
I'm the bestest axmen in the world, I'm the bestest axmen in the world, I'm the bestest axmen in the-
BOOM!
Without meaning to, I let out a strangled yelp of fear. I stood frozen for a second, heavy quilt wrapped around me. Then I heard a voice from the kitchen.
"Luke? That you?"
It was barely audible because of the roaring rain and howling wind, but I heard it. Sighing with relief, I scrabbled up a few steps to get to the kitchen landing. I saw a small flame flickering slightly on the table, and my dad's gruff face cast in orange above it. "Power's out." He grunted. I had to strain my ears to hear him. Another blast of thunder and lightning made my jump. "Had to light a candle." He continued. "Are, uh, you ok?"
Dad knew how sensitive the whole matter was. It was hard to believe mom had… left… a whole six years ago. But six years wasn't enough, and typhoons still brought painful memories. I'm sure it did for him, too.
I nodded, probably extremely unconvincing. He nodded in response. He's not a man of many words, but he can make anyone feel better just with that nod of his.
"Thunder wake you up, too?"
I nodded again. Then I sank down in the chair across from him, not wanting to meet his eyes. His blue hair was tied back in a ponytail just like mine. Only he had a mustache to go with it. I hope I got a mustache someday…
BOOM!
CRACK!
I flinched, and I could have sworn my dad did, too. We sat in silence for a while. I'm usually not a very quiet person, so eventually I broke the silence with a yawn and said, "What time is it, anyways?"
He lifted up his left wrist to the candlelight and read his watch. "A little past 5:30, why?"
5:30… 5:30… 5:30? "Oh… Oh no!" I groaned, pounding my fist on the wooded table.
My dad looked at me, probably wondering if I was ok-in-the-head. "What's wrong with 5:30?"
What was wrong with 5:30? Nothing, if you didn't have a present to give to the cutest girl in the world at exactly 6 o'clock! She always woke up at 6 o'clock (don't ask how I know that), so I needed to give the honey to her at 6 o'clock! Why? Well, remember when I said I wasn't known for my patience? Yeah, well that's why!
I was about to jump out of the seat, whip some decent clothes on, and run to her house as fast as I could, when another blast of thunder sounded and lightning lit the sky. Oh, right.
My dad continued to watch me as I weighed my options. On one side, there was a cute girl waiting for her honey, and expecting it at exactly 6 o'clock. (A/N: Don't you just love his imagination?) On the other, a very scary storm making trees attack our house. And there are a lot of trees near our house.
Cute girl wins, any day!
I stood up, letting my quilt fall to the ground. "Dad, there's something I need to do. I'll be right back."
He looked surprised. "You're not going out there?"
I took a deep breath. "Yeah, I am."
"Ok."
That definitely caught me off guard. I mean, he was never a very strict parent, but this just took me aback. I mean, a typhoon? What about mom?
He saw my expression. "You're not that good at containing your excitement, son. I know something's been up. I know you have to do this. But just promise me you'll be careful."
A huge smile broke over my face, and my shoulders relaxed (until more thunder boomed). "I promise!"
Then I hopped down the stairs, whipped open door after door, and ran into my room. I tied on my usual flaming bandana, put a clean pair of pants on, and stuck a breath mint into my mouth. (You never know when a kiss could come on!) Then I grabbed the jar of honey and ran back to the main room.
BOOM!
I gave my dad one last wave, grabbed my awesome axe, waiting patiently by the door, (because if there was one thing I liked more than my bandana, it was my axe). After securing the axe in a belt loop, I took a breath and stepped out into the storm.
Garmon Mines looked terrible. Tree branches littered the ground. The rain was falling so hard the dirt floor had turned to mud. No animals were out, let alone people. In reality, I could hardly see anyways because of the thick rain. And I couldn't even hear anything because of the wind. I though if some random attacker, say Craig for example (that guy is so sketchy), were to sneak up on me, now would be a great time to do it.
And I set off, holding the honey tight against my chest, and mentally thanking the Harvest Goddess this stupid jar had a lid! It was hard to walk against the wind. I felt like I was going to fall into the rough ocean down below when I walked past the ledge.
BANG!
I swallowed and continued "walking" until I reached the rope bridge that went over the waterfall and the river. The water had risen in volume and was making a great deal of noise. The wind was making the bridge sway in the air, and it honestly looked like it couldn't support even Chloe. I took a breath as thunder boomed again and a lightning bolt appeared in the horizon. The storm was even scarier outside. And I was close to water, which someone had once told me conducted energy real good.
I needed to hurry.
I took a breath, mentally telling myself to man up, and ran for the bridge. I took a cautious step. The plank underneath my foot creaked eerily, but didn't fall, so that was a good sign. I took another step, then another. The bridge continued to sway in the wind and rain, but it seemed… sort of safe. Ok, not really. I broke into a run.
I was doing pretty good. The water was high and loud, which sort of distracted me from how loud the wooden planks were creaking. So the good news is nothing bad happened until I was halfway across the bridge. The bad news?
While running, pretty much blinded by thick rain and flashes of lightning, my foot had caught on a loose board. I tripped and felt myself falling, heading straight towards a face full of splinters. My natural instinct was to throw my arms out in front of me to stop the fall. So I did. But that made the honey slip from my grasp, role off the side of the bridge, and fall into the roaring water down below. And in a second it was gone.
And I could do nothing but watch.
A/N: Aww, poor Luke! I'm sorry that had to happen :(
But I promise, his luck will increase ;D
So did you like it? Hate it? Want me to die in a hole with no one but my kittens to keep me company? Please tell me what you think! Reviews make me the happiest person ever! Helpful criticism is encouraged!
No reviews, no updates! That's my policy!
Thanks!
~blue-eyed-cow
