Harvest Moon

Through My Eyes

By: Belldandy'sKeiichi

Here is the second installment of the story. As some, if not, all of you know, I am NOTORIOUSLY known to NOT finish stories. It's a bad habit of mine. Usually school takes up my time and in my free time I'm out with friends or with my girlfriend. As a result I lose interest in my stories or I completely forget where I was going with it. So if that were to happen to this story, then I apologize in advance. I plan to use my profile page as an update on my current status on my stories/stories-to-be. I do plan to write a Love Hina story in the future.

Tl;dr: Sorry if I don't finish this story. Check out my profile for story updates.

Disclaimer: You know the drill, I own Harvest Moon...


Harvest 001: The Goddess Festival Eve

As a farmer, one of the first lessons I've learn is that time isn't my friend. On average, it takes me about eight hours to finish doing my rounds around the farm. These rounds include morning rituals like eating breakfast and showering, to actual farm work like watering the crops. But on some days it takes a little bit longer than that. I have a special name for those days: harvest days. And today is one of those days.

"Oh my goddess…would you look at the field…" I said aloud as I stood outside my small log home and looked at my field.

I planted turnip seeds four days ago. After watering them every day they were finally ready to be harvested. I guess I went a little overboard with the turnips though…since I covered half my field with them.

"This is going to take me forever!" I said, placing my hands on top of my head as I walked to my first patch of turnips.

Don't get me wrong, I love harvest days. These are the days when I get paid for all the hard work I'm doing. I guess you can say it is what keeps me going. The problem is the time factor. You see, I moved here seven days ago and since then all I have been doing was work. I only met a handful of people here and it was my goal at the end of the spring season to talk to everyone in town. But with work and farm maintenance it is difficult to schedule time to just wander around town.

"Hey Jack! You there?"

Looking over and wondering who in the world would come to my farm at seven in the morning, I saw Cliff, one of the villagers. He's a man in his mid-twenties wearing a brown tunic with matching moccasins. His hair is dark brown and has a small pony tail. It's a little girlie in my own opinion…but whatever floats his boat.

"Hey there Cliff. What are you doing here so early in the morning?" I asked him as I took the bundle of turnips and walked towards the shipping box.

I met Cliff at The Inn, a local bed and bar that is owned by Doug. His daughter, Ann, is a waitress there and they work around the clock. Even though I've been there countless times, I never see Doug's wife around. Maybe she's in the back cooking…who knows.

"I came by to tell you that the guys are meeting at the Inn at three. We're going over some 'official' business." Cliff said to me as I placed the turnips in the bin and walked back to the turnip patch.

"What do you mean 'official' business?" I asked as I knelt down and continued to pick up the turnips.

"Well…you know what tomorrow is right?" He asked me as my mind drew blanks. I turned to him and gave him a look that shouted 'I'm new here you idiot'. But then I decided to do a more vocal expression.

"I'm new here you idiot…"

"Oh! Right…well tomorrow is the Goddess Festival!" He said with some enjoyment in his voice. I got up with another bundle of turnips in my arms and made my way towards the shipping box. "We celebrate it every year. We pay respect to the Goddess for giving us another fruitful harvest and good health." He continued as he followed me this time to the next patch of turnips. "This is an excellent time to meet the villagers you know. Afterall everyone goes there to pay respects…" He said as I continued to harvest.

Truth be told it sounds like fun plus it beats the hell out of farming all day. But the way Cliff was explaining it, it sounds like a fancy tea party where everyone sits around and talks about how their lives are. If I wanted that I would just go to the Inn at night and listen to everyone whine about how bad their lives are…but then something Cliff said caught my attention.

"…and the girls will be there in their Goddess outfits. It's a perfect time to ask them to be an escort."

"Excuse me?"

"I see you're paying attention to me afterall Jackie boy." Cliff said as he lightly punched my shoulder.

"Well of course I will listen to you if girls are involved. It is like a trigger word for men." Jack said as he brought the bundle of turnips he just picked to the shipping bin.

Heh, little does he know I took a turnip. Afterall, man needs to eat breakfast. Besides, look at this field. It's going to take him all day to finish harvesting all these turnips! I'm sure I'm doing him a favor by taking one.

"Cliff! So what's this about girls?" Jack asked as I watched him worked.

"Right!" I said, walking to the nearest fence and sitting down on it. "You met the girls right? At least the five I told you to meet."

"Yeah…Ann, Popuri, Mary, Elli, and your cousin Karen. I met them." He said but then I noticed him zoning out. Maybe it was because he was thinking about one of them or maybe he's imagining them naked, who knows.

"Well, every year those five girls dance in their Goddess costumes. It has to do with something about appeasing the Goddess or entertaining her or something like that. But I can tell you this, each girl has to bring an escort to dance with them." I explained as I took out the turnip I 'took' from Jack and started eating it. "You see, they do two dances in total. One is the ritual dance. They dance in this strange formation and spin…and…something. I'm not too big with the details of it…"

"Is that my turnip!?" Jack yelled at me as I looked down and shook my head.

"Nah! I got this from the Inn. Now where was I…" I said as I saw him shake his head and return to work. "Oh! The second dance is a couple dance. The girls dance with their partners to show harmony or fertility or something. Again, I'm not too big with the details. Either way, if you be an escort for one of the girls then you're a shoo in with her!"

Jack laughed as he dumped his next batch of turnips in the bin and turned to me with his arms crossed. "That's great and all but I hardly know those girls, let alone they don't know me well enough."

I finished the turnip and laughed at him. "True but that's the beauty of it! You see, there are five bachelorettes and there are five bachelors…" I said trailing off as I saw his head rise from hung to inspired.

"That means I'm guaranteed to get a gril!" He said as I snapped my fingers at him.

"Exactly. But which girl will you get? That's what the 'official' business meeting is about at three." I said, reminding him of why I'm here in the first place.

"Wait, 5 girls and 5 boys. Are we having a meeting to see who goes with who?"

"Yeah. That's about the meeting in a nutshell."

I know it's a little insensitive but it is the only way it would be fair. But it is a whole lot better than leaving a girl unpaired at the festival. It is even worse when the unpaired girl is going with her dad…poor poor Ann…

"Well…As soon as I'm done with this I'll be there. I still have a lot of work to do and you're no help at all." Jack said as he approached me and tapped me hard enough to make me lose balance on the fence I was sitting on. I fell on my back and looked along the ground to see him walk away.

"Hey! That's not cool!" Cliff said to me as I picked up my watering can.

"Oh, and I wouldn't stay in there if I were you…"

"Why?"

"Because that's where I keep my chicken…" I said to him as I looked over at my fenced off area. I placed my only chicken there to feed on the worms.

My only chicken... It was a welcoming gift from the poultry farm. I also received a pony from the farm next to that one. Poor guy didn't like it there but he seems a lot happier here.

"Oh, and Cliff? I keep my puppy in there to guard my chicken. He's in his teething phase right now!" I called as I saw him running around the perimeter of the fence, screaming.

"Call him off Jack! Call him off!" He cried as I laughed.

"That's good. Give him some exercise. Oh, and don't let him bite you either. He has a mouth like a bear trap. Once locked he will not let go."


I finished work at two fifty with just enough time to swing by the poultry farm and say hi to Lillia. She is the owner of the farm and the mother to Popuri and Rick. She has pink hair like Popuri and quite possibly the most caring person I have met. But due to her rare illness she can't walk around town. So out of sympathy I like to see her at least once a day to see how she's doing. As for her husband, Lillia told me that he went out to find a cure for her illness. He sends mail once in awhile but the last letter came last winter.

After my little visit, I made my way to the Inn where everyone was waiting. The Inn is a big place. It is two stories tall and it has its own bar, kitchen, dining room, and rentable rooms on the second floor. The neat thing about the second floor is that it has a balcony to the first floor so it is possible to watch everyone at the bar get drunk and rowdy. I walked inside and I saw a table 

where four men sat with three pitchers of beer in the center. I found a seat near Cliff as they pushed me a glass and filled it to the brim with beer.

"Drink."

Without looking who said that I took the mug and started to drink. I finished a sixth of it before putting it down and exhaling with a loud 'ahh'. Looking around, I recognized the four guys. There was Cliff who had a few chicken scratches and bite marks, the Doctor who was staring intently at me, Rick who as fixing his watch, and Gray who just said quietly in his seat.

"So you're our fifth?" the Doctor asked as I nodded.

"Yeah. Cliff filled me in about the festival and what's going on." I said as he looked at him and gave him a nod.

I met these other three before. The Doctor is someone you cannot forget. Other than being the town's doctor, he is one of the most arrogant, self-centered doctors you can find on the planet. He is so invested in his work that sometimes I think that he believes he's the savior of the town. But I guess with having that responsibility comes a giant ego. Afterall, I think I will rather have a confident doctor than a scared doctor.

Rick, after meeting him several times, isn't a jerk that I thought he was. He is actually a hard working man that enjoys his job at the poultry farm. The reason he shows hostility towards me is because…well…we have this timing problem. For instance, I was visiting Lillia and we were talking about how hard her kids work. He happens to walk in when I made a joke about how he has chicken feed in his ass. Of course it didn't end well.

Lastly we have Gray. Gray is actually from the city. He came here to be a blacksmith like his grandfather, Saibara. Hopefully he won't inherit his grandfather's angry spirit. I remember meeting Saibara at the blacksmith in hopes that he could make my axe sharper so I can cut those damn tree stumps on my field. Instead of sharpening the blade, he told me I was weak and to chop harder. As for Gray, he is a disciplined man and I've seen him around the bar at night and heading toward the library where Mary works. Mary is a different story...

"Jack! Stop zoning out will you?" I heard Cliff say as he pushed me.

"Sorry sorry. So how are we doing this?" Jack asked as I took my glass and drank out of it.

I swear…sometimes I wonder what's going on in that guy's mind…

"Well, it is simple…" the Doctor started as he filled everyone's glass. "We have five men here…some more of a man than others, but that's alright, and we have five women that needs dates. We were going to draw names out of a hat to see who gets who. BUT because Cliff here is worried about incest, we're going to do this the manly way…"

"Hey! I would rather NOT go on a date with my cousin, ok? It's bad enough that she is constantly over my shoulder making fun of me. I rather not put up with her for the entire day let alone dance with her." I said, defending my position.

"And exactly what is this 'manly' way of deciding who goes with who?" Jack asked the Doctor as he placed the pitcher of beer down and lifted his glass in the air. I lifted my glass up and soon everyone had their glass in the air.

"Last one conscious gets first pick. Cheers."

"Cheers!"

"Now what just a minute!" Jack yelled as everyone tapped mugs and began to drink. "We can't just decide on that? There are too many uncertainties like what if the girl we ask doesn't say yes? Or if she wants to go with someone else? Who are we to judge…"

"Will you just shut the hell up and drink?" The Doctor said as he pushed Jack's mug closer to him. Jack reluctantly grab hold and started to drink. But within the first few minutes, Jack fell face first on the table and dropped his glass on the ground. We all looked at him as we lowered our glasses and inspected him.

"Well Doctor?" Gray asked as the Doctor prodded him with his finger.

"He's out. He gets Ann." He said as he placed his beer down and took out a notepad. He wrote down Ann's name and placed under his chin. "Now that that's settled, why don't we get down to business?"

Again, it is insensate to force Jack to take Ann, but for the past ten years Ann has been going with her father. We even offered to be her escorts but she refuses every time. Her father even suggests that she should go with one of us but to no avail. It is either she goes with her dad or she isn't going at all. We figured Jack had the best shot of making her go with him since all of use failed in the past.

"Alright, so here's the deal. Gray, you already asked Mary right?" the Doctor asked as Gray nodded. "Good. I will ask Elli, Rick you can ask Karen, and Cliff? You got Popuri." He said as I sighed.

"Why does the Doctor in charge anyways?" I asked as everyone looked at him.

"Well because I'm the most experience man in this group." He said with his arms crossed. "Though, I'm not one to brag on how many women I've slept with…"

"Four…"

One… "Six"

"Seven"

"Ten, but that's not the point. It is because I'm the only one who understands women. Now I suggest we go out to find our girls. They don't like to wait all day for a date."

"You better treat her right Cliff or else I'm coming after your ass." Rick said as he wagged his finger at me. Laughing, I reached for the pitcher of beer to refill my glass.

"Says you. You're the one dating my cousin. Treat her right or…"

"Or what? You're going to teach me a lesson?"

"What?" I asked, filling my glass to the top. "No. I mean you better treat her right because not only will you have her fiery wraith to face but the wraith of Ann and her mother." I looked over at Jack who seems to be making a small pool of drool around his mouth. "Is he going to be ok?" I asked the Doctor. I saw him tilt his head and then nodded.

"He'll be fine. Though someone should watch him. I put enough sedatives in his drink to knock out a rhino…" He said as we all looked at our drinks. "Don't worry. Just don't drink out of that specific pitcher. Well, have a good one you guys. I'm going to head back to the clinic." The doctor said as we watched him leave.

I saw everyone else get up and started making their way to the door. I figured they were getting a head start on asking out their girl. Shrugging, I should do the same. As I walked towards the exit, I saw Ann enter the Inn. She must be coming back from her afternoon break. Smirking, I raised my hand in the air to give her a high five, but instead, I would miss it and slap her ass.

"Hey there Cliff what's-OW! Too hard!" I yelled as I fell for the classic high five trap. Rubbing my butt, I walked to the counter to grab my apron and to redo my ponytail. "Damn you Cliff with your inability to keep your hands to yourself…" I untied my hair and let it fall past my shoulders. As I placed the apron over my head, I heard a voice echo throughout the Inn.

"Ann!" I heard my dad call.

"Y-Yes daddy!" I responded back as I turned to face him. He came out of the kitchen with several plates, ready for the afternoon rush. But whatever he was going to said must have escaped him. His business face suddenly turned into a smile. "Well look at you with your hair down. Your mom loved to keep her hair down during the spring season…"

It's strange, but to me that was a complement. It's a known fear that no girl wants to grow up like their mother. But for me, it was a dream.

"Thanks dad." I said as I scanned the room. No one was in the Inn except for the new farmer who appears to have passed out from beer. "Um…how long has he been here?" I asked my dad as I saw him shrug.

"I am not sure. But if he doesn't wake up during the night shift then we gotta call the Doctor…" Dad said as he handed me a plate of ravioli. "Eat up dear. You worked through lunch again."

Tomorrow is the Goddess Festival and instead of cooking for those who come in here, we are catering the festival. So all night my dad and I will be preparing food for the upcoming event. But I also had to watch what I eat. Goddess forbid I don't fit into my goddess costume. I took a few bites before looking back at my dad with a smile.

"So dad. Will you escort me to the festival tomorrow?" I asked as he shook his head.

"Honey, I love you. I really do, but I cannot escort you every year. We've had this conversation in the past." He said to me as I scoffed.

"Please dad? This is a family tradition! Besides, no one else knows our unique dance routine." I said, wagging my fork of ravioli at him. He shook his head still as he open the register.

"I know honey, I know. But sooner or later you're going to have to take someone else." He said as he looked over in Jack's direction. "Like that man over there. He left his comfy home of the city to live here in a small village. If he can make a big step then you can easily make this step."

I sighed as I looked over at the passed out Jack. He sure is brave to leave a secure home to a world of uncertainty. But it really isn't about tradition. In fact, it really isn't about me. It's about…

"Why not ask him?" I heard my dad say as I looked at Jack. I laughed as I finished my ravioli and picked up the plate.

"If he wakes up in time, maybe." I said as I got up and walked to his table. I picked up the glasses and the pitchers that were left behind and brought them to the kitchen. After cleaning the cups, I walked back to the table where Jack was laying and wiped whatever area that was not blocked by his head.

For a farmer, he's kinda cute…in a weird passed out sorta way. My goddess I need some help if I think guys are cute when they are passed out…

Shaking my head, I patted Jack on the shoulder and walked away to wipe down the other tables.


I felt myself finally coming around again. I pushed off the table where my head has been for…who knows how many hours. I looked around and started to remember where I was and what I was doing.

"Oh yeah…the Inn. The meeting…wait a minute." I suddenly realized that I passed out first. I searched my body and found a piece of paper with the name 'Ann' written on it. Sighing, I realize that this with my girl. "Well…at least I'm already here."

At first I was excited to go ask out a girl who was going to say yes…but then I realize something. If I was the first one to go down, there has to be a reason they saved Ann for last. Maybe she has a weird eating habit? Or maybe she has this annoying laugh? Or maybe they're scared of her father…bottom line was I passed out first and I got the bottom of the barrel. I got up and staggered toward the register where Doug stood as he smiled at me.

"Hey there Jack. Rough day?"

"You don't know the half of it…" I said, rubbing my head. "I feel like I've been in a coma for the past week. Have you seen your daughter anywhere?" I asked as he pointed towards the rooms upstairs. I waved as I made my way upstairs.

There is nothing wrong with her. I mean…I met Ann in the past and she was pretty cool. She's a bit of a tomboy, sure. And there are vibes where I think she's actually a lesbian…but I'm sure that's not it. I don't know why they pawn her off to me. As I got upstairs, I saw her walking out of a room and headed towards me.

"Oh, evening Jack." She said as my eyes widen.

"Evening?"

"It's almost nine at night."

Oh my goddess…I was really out cold. Refocus! "Um…listen Ann. I know we don't know each other than well, but…"

For one reason or another I couldn't ask her. Maybe it was the guilt of knowing that she was defaulted to me or that I was incredibly embarrassed for blacking out on their table for the past six hours…I don't know.

"Jack? Where you going to ask me to be my escort for tomorrow?" She asked me as I blinked before nodding in confirmation. "I'll save you the trouble and say 'no'."

"What? Why?" I asked as I followed her downstairs.

"Well, it is because I always ask my dad to escort me. It is sorta like a family tradition. He used to do it with mom when they were young. Now that I'm of age, I ask him to take me. Besides, all guys are born with two left feet." She said to me, pointing at my work boots.

"What? Oh no. I'm born with normal feet. See?" I said as I pretended to tap dance. She laughed as she walked towards a mirror. Ann undid her ponytail and allowed it to fall freely past her shoulders.

So that's why they gave me Ann. They knew she would say no. Damn!

"You ok?" She asked.

"Yeah. I'm good."

As she fixed her hair, I noticed a picture on a table. I walked towards it and picked it up. In the picture was a young Doug and what I can assume to be his wife. In her arms was a baby. They were both sitting down and looking down at baby Ann. After careful inspection, Ann looks like her mom in this picture. I wonder where she is. I would ask…but that's just not my place.

"Cute picture right? That's me a couple months old." Ann said as she walked up next to me, tying her hair back into a ponytail. "My dad loves that picture too. It's the only picture of all of us together. He has a lot of pictures of them in their younger years. He doesn't want me to see some because he's scared that I might steal her image."

Smiling, I placed the picture back on the table and looked at Ann. "So it's a no for the festival, right?" Ann nodded as I sighed.

"Sorry Jack. It's family tradition. But still come by. I'll save a dance for you after the first two performances."

"Alright. It's a date." I said as I headed towards the door.

Well, in the end I couldn't get a date…but I got a dance. That's definitely something. As I approached the door, I heard Doug calling me over.

"Jack! Come here, I gotta ask you something." He said to me as I walked near him. "So did you ask my daughter to the festival?"

"I tried sir, but she is really devoted to family traditions. She really wants to go with you." I said to him, a little bit surprised that he would ask me if I would take his daughter.

"Just like her mother…stubborn to the end. But like mother, like daughter. She has really grown up to be just like her, you know?"

It is then it hit me… 'He used to do it with mom when they were young. Now that I'm of age, I ask him to take me.' 'My dad loves that picture too. It's the only picture of all of us together. He has a lot of pictures of them in their younger years. He doesn't want me to see some because he's scared that I might steal her image.' 'She has really grown up to be just like her, you know?'…The reason I never see Doug's wife…Ann's mom…is because she's dead.

"You ok son?" Doug said to me as I blinked a few times to refocus.

"Sorry sir. Just zoned out a bit." I said as I drummed the counter. "Well, I better get going. I'll see you at the festival tomorrow." I said to him as I walked out of the Inn.

It must have been hard for Ann to grow up without a mom. It must have been even harder for Doug. His favorite photo is the photo of them as a family. So that means she must have died when Ann was really young. Goddess only knows what is going through Ann's head while she was growing up. So I guess it is a good thing I got Ann during the draft…it help me learn about them and part of their history. Though I'm sure their history will be a lot more interesting if I were to see it through their eyes.

But that doesn't matter now. Tomorrow is a new day. One I'm sure I'll never forget.