Author's note- This story is set after the events of the game, because I don't quite remember when it was when I beat it for the first time. This will start around the end of Fall because it's my favorite Harvest Moon season. Also, I will be using my farmer Alex, because I don't want to call her Rio since I'm not going by what she looks like. Alex has long orange hair, green eyes, and is wearing the red apron.


I stood on the stage next to my yam. I had a pretty high chance of winning, since I used the seeds from last year's harvest. I trusted Emma's judgement, she wouldn't pick me just because we are friends. The rest of Echo Village's judges were like that. The audience was a lot bigger than when I first moved here in Spring around two years ago. I remember when it was just Neil, Emma, Hana, Dunhill, and I. I remember how lonely and empty the place used to be. It was when Rebecca and her son Toni came to town that changes had started. Dunhill was so impressed with my carpentry skills when I built Rebecca's house that he decided that I would be the one to help revive Echo from its downfall. The five big requests, or Town Restoration plans as he called it, took quite a while to complete. The hardest part was getting the materials for the blueprints, not to mention all the crops I grow, and animals I have to take care of. I also made sure to talk to everyone and give them gifts when I can. Combined with the fishing and mining that I do, I was a very busy farmer. All of the hard labor made worth it to see the village my father had loved being complete and I was a lot stronger than I was in my first year here. When I arrived, I never realized how much I would come to love this place. I was contempt with the idea of spending the rest of my life. Hopefully with me here, the town will never go back the way it was. Dunhill never did tell me why the first couple of people deserted Echo in the first place. I was a bit curious, but it didn't matter too much. The past is the past, and everyone has to keep moving forwards.

"The winner is Alex." Emma called my name, causing everyone to clap. I gave a small sigh of relief. Personality I prefered taking care of animals over growing fruits and vegetables. The animal products are quicker to produce and seem to make me a lot more money.

"Here are your prizes: Snowdrop seeds, and Radish seeds." She handed me them with a smile.

The other farmers stood together in the middle of the festival grounds with looks of disappointment on their faces. I honestly didn't even remember their names. They weren't that important to me, and I was just the town farmer to them.

I went to where my best friends were. Tina, Iroha, and Felicity always stood next to each other after the festivals. They were the people in town that I trusted the most. I met Iroha in spring, when she had moved into the empty house that was in the village at the time. She had given me my first hammer and axe. I admired her maturity and manners.

Felicity had moved in when I built the inn. She looked like she could be Clement's daughter, but wasn't. She loved cheese, but hated milk. I thought that was a bit strange.

Tina's house was one of the first places in town. The newspaper girl was bright and colorful, with her orange clothes and positive attitude. We bonded instantly and she is a great source for news. I guess being a journalist would make you want to know secrets.

"Congrats," Tina hugged me, "I had no doubts. You are a good farmer after all."

"Your yam looked good. You could make something tasty out of it," Felicity licked her lips.

"Agreed," Iroha nodded.

After talking to them for a bit, I waltz over to where Rod, Allen, and Neil were. Neil watched the ginger haired friends with a look of complete boredom on his face. I waved to him, but he huffed and looked away. He's been like that since he gave me Oreo, my very first cow. It was silly of me to expect him to change. He wasn't as harsh to me as he was at first, so I guess he's so used to my presence that it doesn't even bother him anymore. I could tell that he wasn't very good with people and was a lot better with his animals.

Rod on the other hand happened to be good with both. His puffy orange jacket and goggles gave the pet seller a childish look to him. He was one of the easiest townsfolk to speak to. His positive attitude made you want to smile around him. It was his best feature. He could be a little naive at times, and that makes it easier to tease him. He taught me many things about cats and dogs that I didn't even know about.

Allen was Rod's childhood friend. The hairdresser came to town around my twenty-first birthday. He didn't have the best people skills and was grumpy as hell in the mornings, but he was the best at his job. When his fingers touched your hair, it was like entering heaven. I've only gotten my hair done with him twice, but I came out of the salon feeling better after. I heard from Tina about all the flashy young women that flood his store. He was quite the lady's man.

"And that's why I think- oh hi Alex!" Rod flashed me a smile, "Nice job! You should have seen Neil. He looked totally grossed out earlier! Maybe someone put something in there that he doesn't like."

"You don't need to tell her that," Neil glared.

"There's nothing wrong with letting Alex know," Allen crossed his arms, "Toni has been complaining all day, and is getting on my nerves. Don't give me that look, I was just kidding."

I shook my head before heading home. I passed Sandra, who looked like she didn't even want to be here. I didn't like the look she was giving me. She was a weird person, but I hoped to become better friends with her.


Author's note: I hope you liked this chapter. I'll try to make the next one a bit longer.