10:00am. Why is there a bell ringing? I ask myself. Hana comes to the shop door and flips the sign to read OPEN. She smiles at me through the window. She doesn't seem surprised by the bell-ringing, I note. What could it mean? I reach for the doorknob.
"NEIL'S ANIMALS IS NOW OPEN!" a gruff voice announces over a loudspeaker. "My animals have a quality guarantee. Don't quibble, just buy!" I scoff. Why do I feel like this is typical for him? I walk into Hana's shop.
"'Don't quibble, just buy.' That guy… What do you know about Neil, Hana?" I hoist myself up onto the counter next to some seed pouches. Each little pouch is tied up and labeled by Hana herself, reminding me a lot of jarred goods your grandma would bring over. Hana walks over to a shelf and begins straightening items.
"Neil is a strange boy. He hasn't lived here long; he just moved next door not too long before you showed up." She knocks down a sack of flour and I go to grab the broom and dust pan from behind the counter as she picks the sack up and places it back on the shelf. I walk over to where she stands and begin sweeping up the flour that puffed out of the sack when it fell.
"Really? Dunhill told me he had just been out of town helping a client, but I didn't realize he was also a new resident," I remark. "I guess there's something we have in common. But how is he strange, Hana?"
Hana finishes straightening her products and walks back over the counter, pulling a container filled with craft supplies and seeds from under the counter. She begins setting seeds in the middle of the fabric and tying them into little pouches. "No one really knows anything about Neil. One day he walked into town and he came into my store. He purchased a few bottles of water and asked if there was any property for sale. At the time, there was only Dunhill, Emma, and myself in town, with my husband out of town. I noted the two abandoned houses: the one next door and the one up by Dunhill's house. He asked who could show him the properties and I told him where he could find Dunhill. He left without thanks and, within the next few days, he began to move in next door. I haven't talked to the boy aside from when he comes into the store to make purchases—during which there is no small talk. None of us really know anything about him aside from the fact that he's an animal dealer." She begins pinning labels to the little pouches. Grass Seed, the labels read. I look down at my watch, 11:50.
"Oh man, it's almost noon!" I exclaim. "Can I grab some of these grass seeds, Hana? That's actually why I came in. Neil gave me a cow, and I kind of have to feed it."
Hana pushes a few pouches toward me. "Why of course, dear! A cow! How exciting! I'm excited to sell your products in my shop!" I hand her some money and toss the pouches into my rucksack.
"Thanks, Hana! I'll talk to you later!" I turn and begin to walk out of the store.
"Any time, dear! And you let me know what you find out about that Neil character! He can't be too much of a wet rag if he gave you one of his cows!" I nod my head and exit the store, smiling back at her.
He did give me one of his cows… Why? I question. I don't even know him, and he doesn't know me. I don't think he even really wants to know me. I hadn't thought about that yet. I begin walking over to the Plaza, where I heard the loudspeaker announce his shop opening. Curiosity gets the best of me. I'm going to ask him why he gave me Bessie, I decide. I don't care if he's a bit of an ass.