The train ride was a bumpy one that took at least four hours. It was one of those rides that you just want to end as soon as possible, but you know there's no chance of that.
Clare sat squashed up, in the chair closest to the window, her head leaning against it. It was so cold that day as well, so cold that she'd managed to make a mist mark on the window. One of the blobs of water all misty that when you're a child you attempt to draw patterns on the window with or write messages backwards so a passer-by can read it.
A clear voice
sounded out throughout the train. Eagerly Clare sat up with crossed
fingers, looking up at the luggage rack.
"Next stop Mineral
City."
Clare's jaw dropped. "Why cruel, cruel train
driver?!" She banged her head on the window in anger. "Four
hours I've been in here!" She looked up to the person opposite
to her. His face was scarred and he looked slightly insane.
"Hello."
Clare greeted him in sweet tone of voice, wanting to find out more
about him. He turned directly to her and laughed. It wasn't what
Clare would call a normal laugh. If a laugh at all. It was more of an
insane cackle.
I've heard that laugh before somewhere...
--
Clare breathed in the fresh air of the countryside. Many memories of her childhood came flooding back as she entered the farm of Mineral Town. This time she wasn't crying for her parents. There were no animals. There were no crops. And there were no early spring flower anywhere. All there was were weeds, rocks and logs. Plenty of them.
"Do you have business here?" A voice demanded, turning around Clare realised it came from a small, plump man, who wore a large red hat and red robes.
"Yes I do." She pulled out the advertisement and handed it to him.
"You're serious?" He asked, taking off his hat and itching his bald head. Well it wasn't entirely bald. "You're barking mad." He mumbled under his breath. "Nevertheless, if you are entirely serious I must introduce myself, I am Mayor Thomas of this fine town."
Clare nodded. "Nice to meet you Mayor Thomas." She looked over to the small farmhouse near the corner of the yard. "That's my house?" Thomas nodded, and without another word Clare marched over to her house with her luggage and flopped on the bed. Clare looked at the house in more detail. She could remember the days spent in here on her summer holidays. Those were good days.
--
Clare
ran a brush through her sleek blond hair and quickly put on a shirt
and her favourite pair of dungarees which were a shade of deep blue.
Well they were originally till they started to lose it's colour.
Nevertheless Clare exited her new house with her head held high until
she realised she hadn't put her wellies on.
"Damn." She
cursed as she re-entered the house, thanking the Goddess that no one
was there to see her make a fool of herself.
Clare wiped her brow as she admired her handiwork. She had just planted two packets of turnips, and she'd watered them. She remembered when she had done this before under the watchful eye of Joe...
She
waddled back to the field carrying the heavy metal watering cn in
both hands, splashing water about the place as she did so. With a
thud she dropped it on the ground before Joe's feet. He chuckled to
himself as he always did when Clare did something amusing. Joe bent
down to her level and placed in her hand a packet of Corn seeds.
Clare stared at them for a short moment before popping the packet
open... literally. That Summer's harvest was an awkward one.
It was a struggle to find all the ripe corn seeing as not a single
one of them was in the same spot, due to Clare's popping of the
packet...
Glancing at her watch Clare realised she had plenty of time before any shipments would be collected in so the novice farmer decided it was time to revisit the town.
Clare wandered through the suddenly familiar streets of Mineral Town. Not much had changed at all. A few people recognized her, but not many. One of these people was Popuri, the lively pink haired chicken keeper.
As Clare entered the
poultry farm she was greeted with a delighted shriek from Popuri, who
ran swiftly up to Clare and embraced her in a friendly hug.
"Where
have you been?!" She yelled excitedly before putting her hands
on her hips, waiting for a sensible reply.
"My parents died and the care home wouldn't let me visit you." Clare replied, sniffing a little bit, trying to hold back tears.
"Well you must come in, we've got a lot to catch up on!" Popuri took her by the hand and dragged her inside, into her house.
It was
never very easy to forget her house not much had changed since
Clare's childhood. She found herself seated down on a comfy classic
English sofa. One of those patterned ones with several matching
cushions.
"Dad still hasn't returned after all this time. But
I'm sure it isn't as bad as what you've been through Clare."
Popuri sniffed as she sipped a cup of tea. She still had those
adorable puppy dog eyes and that cheeky smile.
"Really? That's terrible! But enough about parents, what's changed?"
"Well, Trent became a doctor, Gray still moans about his Grandpa, Ann helps run the inn, Karen helps out at Jeff's supermarket, Elli became a nurse and Rick is still as nerdy as ever." She exhaled heavily after explaining that all in one breath. Clare's eyes widened.
"I thought they would of all moved away."
"No, it's a lovely place to live, much better then that city where they have metal objects take you places and humongous big birds in the sky made from metal. It's full of fumes and it's terrible for the environment." Popuri tutted, thinking back to that one time when she got to see the city with her own puppy dog eyes. "But I must show you Kai this summer, he's amazing and cute and funny..."
Great,
there she goes again about boys...
"I
must be going Popuri, it's been fab seeing you after all this time
though!" Clare interrupted before she got bored to death from
Popuri's gossip.
Looking up at the sky Clare realized the inn would be open. She'd go... if it weren't for the fact she'd forgotten where it was. She wandered around for a bit before yawning and collapsing on the floor from tiredness, she couldn't keep her self awake...
