The Village

The Village

Chapter 3: Me Against The Ocean

Bones woke on that July 3rd morning feeling excited and nervous. Today was the challenge, and today was the day that she was going to prove just how tough he was. Bones woke at 8 am, made some bacon and eggs, and sat and had a nice breakfast. He peered outside his window in his living room, revealing a nice, clear day. He could see Bill, who had just returned from running laps at the beach and Pudge, who was talking to Puddles and laughing.

He finished his plate and put it into the sink, heading to his bedroom. He took his swimming shorts and a plain white shirt and laid them on his freshly made bed. Since he was a little puppy, he had always strived for a clean room, now a house, which was rare for his age. But a clean room was the last thing on his mind this morning, as thoughts raced through his mind for the upcoming game. He could literally taste and hold the 30,000 Bells, money which, if won, could give him a free ride for a while. But, he knew, he couldn't get his hopes up, and the best thing to do was to play the hardest he could and stay on course.

Deciding that he needed some orange juice, he headed for Tom Nook's. Under his store, Nook has a miniature market, complete with all basics and luxuries one could expect to find at more upscale stores.

"Howdy Bones!" greeted Mr. Nook. To Bones, there was something about Tom Nook, something he couldn't quite put his paw on…..

"Hi Mr. Nook. Just came to pick up some orange juice." said Bones.

"Yes, of course. Say, Bones, how is the job hunting coming along?" asked Tom Nook.

Just how in the world could he know that he was looking for a job? Who was he talking to? "Um, good, I guess. I didn't knew that you knew."

"Oh, Bones, Mable is a good friend of mine! Besides, you will soon to find out that I know everything that goes on in my town." Nook had a glee in his eye. Giving an "I-am-scared-for-my-life-so-I-better-get-the-heck-out-of-here" smile, Bones went to the basement, where the store was located.

Isles and isles of food awaited him, from the most simple of fruit, to rich, creamy desserts. Not wanting to stay longer that he would like, Bones got the juice and left. After giving Nook 100 Bells (tax was low), he was on his way. Before he left, though, Nook had something to say.

"Come again! I trust you will be competing today?" Tom Nook asked.

"Yes I will. Will you be coming and watching?" thinking Tom Nook was too old to play.

"Maybe. I trust, though, if you win, I will get a hefty portage payment. I'll look forward to it."

"Okay." He left the store, happy to be out of there. Mornings were quiet in Phaffey, very peaceful, very "low key." Just the way Bones liked them. When he got home, Bones filled a glass with orange juice and sat to watch TV, when……

BLAM, BLAM, BLAM!!

Someone was pounding at his door, like he had never heard before. Bones got up, went to the door, and opened it. It was Bill.

"Oh, your home! Can I use your bathroom?" Bill was doing a funny dance, hopping from one foot to the other.

"Why can't you use yours? You only live a few seconds from me." Bones said.

Before Bill could reply, he bolted into the house, and headed for the bathroom. 10 minutes later, he heard a flush, and Bill walked out to where Bones was watching TV.

"Say, thanks man. I was doing some laps and power squats, and a feeling came over me, like I was going to blow my pants. You are a savior. Say, are you going to the event today?" asked Bill.

"No problem. Glad I could help. Yes, in fact I am. I take it you are too?"

"Oh yea. Wouldn't miss it. My first summer game, so kinda excited. I moved to Phaffey in the winter of last year, so I was too late. Say, now that I am here, I heard it from Whitney, who heard it from Puddles, who probably got it from Jitters that you and Lily are an "item." What's up with that?"

Bones was soon to find out the Phaffey "talked." Almost nothing was kept secret, and all darkness came to light, such as who was dating who and who had money problems. "No, she and I are just friends. She was the first Phaffian to introduce herself to me."

"Sure." Bill gave him a wink and walked out. Geez, though Bones, people in this town sure had a weird way of making greetings and exits.

He decided to watch some TV until 11:30 am. He watched his favorite TV show, Cousins, which had become the most successful television program in the history of the country.

Soon, though, it was time to get ready. He put on his blue and green surf trunks, his white shirt, got a towel, and slid into his brown flip-flops. He locked his door, and went to the beach. When he arrived, Lily and Pudge were already there. Lily was wearing her bathing suit, covered with a long, long white over shirt, and Pudge wore his "swim pants" as he called them and a brown swimming shirt.

"Hey, Bones!" greeted Pudge.

"Hi, Bones, glad you're here," Lily said.

"You kidding? I Wouldn't miss this for the world. So, are we the only ones that have arrived?" asked Bones.

"Yea, for now." Lily answered.

The mayor came a few minutes later, followed by Oskar. Oskar was to be a judge; the mayor was master of ceremonies. It was 11:36. In 5 minutes, the whole village was there. A little stage was set up on the coast of the water so the mayor could address the crowd.

"Ladies and gentlemen! Thanks you for coming to the 3rd annual "Phaffey Summer Challenge", it's a pleasure having you here," A few animals clapped, "The name of the game is "Me Against The Ocean" and the prize if, of course, 30,000 Bells." The Mayor said. Bill smiled.

"Could you explain the rules again, sir?" asked Lily.

"Yes, of course Lillian. In 10 minutes, a boat, supplied by Guardsman Copper, will take you to the eight platforms in the ocean. You have each been randomly assigned a platform. You will climb up, and when I say go, you will stand. The last person standing will win. The rules are no moving, sitting or jumping to another platform. You may talk, but people, let's keep it tasteful, okay? (He looked at Camofrog.) Have fun, and in…….8 minutes, the boat will take you out there. Good luck." The Mayor stepped down from the stage, which was no more then a cardboard box, and joined the crowd. Oskar was wishing everybody good luck and shaking their paws, flippers and wings. The time went quick, and soon they boarded the boat.

Lily, Whitney, Pudge, Bill, Jitters, Bones, Puddles and Camofrog were about to do battle, Phaffey style. The platforms, 15 feet high, we about 30 feet from the shore, enough so any person could swim to safety. Luckily, they could all swim, so there wouldn't be any deaths today. They arrived at the platforms.

Copper spoke first. "Jitters, here you are, the first one, farthest to the right." Jitters, a bird, climbed out the boat and wished everybody good luck.

He rowed to the second platform. "Whitney, you will be here." Refusing help out of the boat, she said, in her "Whitney Way": "Good luck little children."

"I give her 10 minutes." Camofrog joked. Pudge laughed.

"Next to Whitney is Pudge." The brown bear climbed out of the boat and climbed the latter. Game time.

"Bones, you're up next." At least he was by one of his friends, thought Bones.

Puddles was next to Bones, with Bill next to her, Camofrog next to her, and Lily next to him. It was 11:57. Three minutes until it was time "to dance." Bill did jumping jacks, Whitney sat for the last time, Lily prayed, and Camofrog looked into the sky. Sunny, blue skies, and hot.

"Ready?" asked Oskar.

"Yes!" the all said in unison.

"Get ready…three….two…one…..start!" They were underway.

12:06. Time went slowly by, with some singing softly, others staring up at the sky, some looking out at the horizon. One could see all of Phaffey from the platforms. The trees, the houses, even "Nookington's." It was breathtaking. Pelly and Tom Nook came to watch, with Nook bring some chairs.

12:15. Up there for fifteen minutes, Puddles decided to count the number of waves that came into shore. Pudge was thinking what he would spend the money on and Whitney worrying about her makeup. At 42 years old, she had on a tight bikini, with Camofrog quick to notice.

"Say, Whit, you a little old to be wearing that?" asked Camofrog. He was asking for it.

"Excuse me?"

"I just wanted to know why you are wearing that; you're a little old and it's kind of revealing, now if Puddles had that on….."

"You creep! You're my neighbor!" yelled Puddles.

"Don't EVER talk to me like that again. Mind your own business. That's none of your concern what I'm wearing." Whitney was in a huff, looking out into the distance.

Camofrog smirked. It would be an interesting day. Bones turned to Pudge.

"You ever catch the frog you were after this morning?"

"No; he got away. I was close though. Puddles ended up catch one though." Pudge said.

"What? I heard my name?"

"Nothing, Puddles. Nothing at all." Bones told her.

12:28. Whitney was starting to feel it on her legs. She passed pressure from one leg to another.

The Mayor got onto the megaphone. "Good job everyone! You have been up there for almost half an hour. But, to make things interesting, I have 5,000 Bells here. Whoever steps of first can have it." Bill looked to Lily, who looked to Camofrog, who gave her the middle finger. Nobody moved.

12:39. It was now really, really hot, with Bones sweating buckets. "Wish I could jump in and cool off." he thought. The ocean was dark blue, and he could see the faintest outlines of fish swimming below. Whitney was hurting. The pain had spread to her back, and unlike her feet, there was no relief. At 44 minutes into the game, the mayor cam back on the megaphone.

"The 5,000 Bells are still up for grabs! Plus, Mable just bought cheese pizza; winner can have his or her own box!" This proved too temping for Whitney.

"You guys, I'm going for it. It's been a blast, but my feet and back are killing me. I'm much too delicate for this. Good luck!" She jumped off and swam to shore. She was given a check which she could cash at town hall, and her very own cheese pizza. Pizza has never looked so good before thought Pudge, who was hungry.

"Typical, I KNEW she would be the first person out, she's such a piece of chicken shi….." Camofrog was interrupted by Lily.

"Don't say it. Whitney was a team player. She lasted for 45 minutes." Camofrog looked over at Lily, and cursed her under his breath.

12:56. Whitney was almost done with the pizza, and was chatting with Mable.

"I bet Pudge is the next one gone." said Whitney.

"I don't know. Jitters looks like he is in pain." returned Mable.

Jitters could feel it in his wings. At 32, he was the one of the oldest still playing. Always active, he failed to "prep" for the mental part: That is, keeping your body standing against what your mind might want.

Bill was going over each Phaffians age in his head. Lily was 34, he was 27, Puddles was 23, Bones was 25, Pudge was 28, Camofrog was 49, Jitters was 32. Those were the players. Whitney was 42, Tom Nook 53, the Mayor 65, Sable and Mable 39, Pelly 24, and Blathers was 58. Young town, Bill thought. But his mind was on the players. According to age, Camofrog should drop next. But 30 years in the military had made him hard; so he doubted it. Jitters was always working on his body too, but lately, his face was showing signs of pain. Lily was petit; she would go down any hour. Puddles once was said to have lifted twice her body weight, which made Bill nervous. Pudge was a little overweight, so he wouldn't be a problem, and he didn't know too much about Bones. Easy competition, Bill thought.

1:04. "Great job!" yelled the Mayor.

The sky was turning a light shade of grey. Not a good sign.

"You know, for living in Phaffey for almost 3 years, I have almost never seen Tom Nook outside his store. He doesn't come to the town meetings, and for the rare civil celebration that we have, he is there either. It's just weird. Nor does he come to the holiday party in December." Pudge was rambling, and, in fact, Tom Nook rarely did come to any public event. Considering he was a huge source of income for the town.

"Will you shut up?" Camofrog was staring to feel a little throbbing in his back. Pudge smirked and looked away.

Time was slowly going by, made not easier by Puddles singing, which prompted a lot of angry responses from Camofrog, with Lily and Pudge remembering the old days of Phaffey.

"Do you remember Bella?" asked Pudge.

"Oh yea. She was a little bizarre. Do you remember the time that she and Olivia were caught sneaking into the village with clothes from the next town over? Copper had a fit. Maybe that is why we get taxed for bring stuff in…."Lily said.

"Good times, good times. I remember when Kabuki passed out and had to be taken to the hospital. He charged all his bills to the town! The Mayor was ticked." said Pudge.

Despite the stories, time still crawled by.

By two in the afternoon, the Mayor brought out another gift. "Two hours! Doing great. For anyone interested, I have a new Gracie design here! The dress is worth 7,500 Bells AND I also have a 2,500 Bell gift certificate for anything at The Roost. Any takers?" This was tempting.

I really need a new dress, thought Puddles. Very, very tempting. However nobody moved. It was still early in the game.

"Okay, last chance!" yelled the Mayor.

"Bite me!" Camofrog yelled back.

It was 2 pm. Bones shifted from leg to leg, trying to keep busy. Bill was staring straight ahead. Pudge was closing his eyes and practicing mediation techniques.

By three in the afternoon, Pudge was done. Complaining of leg cramps, very hungry and having a headache, he waited for a prize from the Mayor. He got his wish.

"That money and dress is still up in the air!"

"Good bye everybody, it's been really fun." Pudge jumped into the sea, swam to shore, and got his prizes. Luckily for him, Mable brought sandwiches, and he went quickly to work. Only six remained now.

Rain was coming down now, which only added to their misery.

3:28 pm. Bill had kept his mind busy, a key for this challenge. If you let your mind wander, it was over for you. He kept focused on the prize.

When 3:45 came, almost four hours into the game, Jitters was in trouble. He could no longer feel his legs, and his face spoke of agony. He had to win, he really did. It was raining harder now, which only doubled his suffering. He turned to look at Puddles, who looked back at him.

"What's up?" she said.

"It hurts, bad." Jitters said.

Without missing a beat, Puddles simply said: "You know what to do."

At 4:02, after Tom Nook came over the speaker and promised a 10,000 Bell gift card to his shop, Jitters went over. He reached the shore, where the Mayor had a big tent sent up, space heaters working, and apple flavored champagne.

Now it was down to the final five. Surreally, it was Camofrog who spoke next.

"I'm surprised Tom has that kind of money."

Bill turned his heard toward him. "What do you mean?"

Giving a laugh, Camofrog replied: "Nook took out a loan to cover himself. Business was bad, Oskar was gone, the town was falling apart, nobody wanted to be here, and the Mayor considered shutting down for good. It's funny that he is throwing money around like it's going out of style."

"I always shopped in there though." said Lily.

"Sure, but did you spend a lot of money?"

"Well, not always, but…"

"But nothing. Did you know that he only keeps 75 of what he makes? The rest goes to some corporate office. That 75 has to pay him, the upkeep for the shop and help the Phaffey economy?" Camofrog said.

"I didn't know that." said Bill.

"Oh yea. It's so important to us, that we have nearly half of our economy in his shop. It's that bad. So, to put in terms that you thick skulls can understand, without Oskar coming back and us shopping there, we would have to find a new place to live." Camofrog, getting angry with his neighbors, explained.

"Wow, I never looked at it like that. And to think, I've been living here since the beginning." Lily, a little sad, said.

Camofrog laughed at her and went back to the game.

Five hours into the challenge, Bill, usually quiet, was in trouble. Use to harsh training exercises, nothing could prepare him for this. Standing for five hours without moving had taken its toll, and now he was feeling it.

Then, the prize that the Mayor offered caught Bones' ear. He came over the megaphone: "Great job everyone! I have a little something here that you might enjoy! I have discussed this with Mr. Nook, and the first one to step down with get a month's mortgage slashed!" Never before had a prize been calling them like this one. You could see the thinking in all of their faces; they all owed something on their homes. But nobody moved. Except Bones. He was about to take a step forward when he heard a splash. He looked to his left, Puddles and Camofrog were still there, and he looked to his right, Bill and…….

Lily. Without saying anything, she jumped. Crap, thought Bones. It was down to the final four. The rain had stopped by now, but the sun was setting. The sky turned shades of orange and blue. On the shore, Nook brought cooked fish for them all enjoy.

And oh wasn't Bones hungry.

As hour six came upon them, it was 5:47; the shore was having a full blown party.

"Idiots. At least we know who the failures in the town are." said Camofrog.

"Looks like were the idiots, standing up here for……" Camofrog shot Puddles a glare.

Then, another surprise, when Puddles suddenly announced she would be leaving the game. "Good luck, and all the best!" The last woman in the competition took herself out. Only three remained.

Bill, Bones and Camofrog were all in pain. Bones looked into the sea, which was turning a dark, dark shade of blue. Bill counted from 1 to 100 backwards, and Camofrog thought about his time in the military.

7:04 pm. Over 7 hours they had been there. Bones was now so hungry that it consumed his thoughts. Carp, with an orange flavored paste, and sweet tea….Hmmmmm, life was good.

At 7:39, because the Mayor had quit giving prizes, Bill had a breakdown. He broke down into tears. "I can't do this anymore! I am tired, cold, hungry, in pain beyond words, and breaking down." Still sobbing, he took a dive off the platform. Bones and Camofrog looked at each other, and went back to the game. The final two.

By the eighth hour, Bones could hardly stand. His hunger was now a constant, throbbing pain in his stomach. He was tired, losing his vision, and had a terrible headache. His legs wouldn't move, in fact, Bones thought he wouldn't ever be able to move again. The shore was lit up in lights, everybody was playing card games.

At 8:27 pm, Camofrog spoke. "I like your attitude Bones. You play well."

Bones looked at him. "Thanks'. You too."

"Quit, then. Jump off." Camofrog said.

Bones, surprised, said: "What? Why?"

"Because you are young and can work. I can't. It's over for me."

"But don't you get a pension from the military?" asked Bones.

Camofrog was uncomfortable with this. "Not that's its any of your business, but no, not anymore." His eyes were filling with tears.

"What…What happened?" Bones asked.

"They told me that I "have done my service" and that I was on my own. I have been living on what little money I have in my bank account. I was spending it all trying to pay of my home. I have been thinking about moving for a while now." Camofrog looked embarrassed by this.

"It's nothing to be ashamed about. Hey, I don't have any money either! That's why I'm here. To be honest with you Camofrog, I bet most people in this town aren't wealthy, except for Whitney." said Bones. He was touched by his real show of emotion.

Camofrog found humor in the Whitney comment.

By 9 pm, Camofrog spoke again. "You know Bones, your right. I should do something to help my problem, instead of swimming in it. I don't need this money; I'll make it the old fashioned way: By working for it. Good luck; you won."

He took a few steps forward and jumped of. The shore saw this and was shocked. So was Bones.

"You have to stay up there for five more minutes to win Bones!" yelled the Mayor.

It was a long five minutes. When it was over, and he was declared the winner, by several claps and cheering from the residents, he took his first step in nine hours and 13 minutes. When he reached the edge, the unthinkable happened. From the stress on his legs, and not having any food, he fell, and blacked out. Bones crashed into the water, going five feet under. All he remembered was having been pulled up. He could hear voices, and see lights. That was it.

After the game, he woke up. He was in his bed, and the time read "12:47 am." Someone had brought him home. He looked over to his desk, and saw the check for 30,000 Bells and the gold medal. He did it. He was the grand champion.

Tired, he fell back to sleep. As he was going into slumber land, he thought: It was totally worth it.

………………………………………………………………………………………

A/N: That was the longest chapter so far. I really enjoyed writing it. What will Bones finally decide to do with his winnings? Stay tuned. As always, let me know what you think!