This chapter is wonderfully late (and was so trying to write ugh). I've made some name changes by the way, to coincide with the Animal Parade translation.
I tried to eat
An orange today, too
But again, it was sour and I cried
Bittersweet
The showdown had begun.
Finn was ready for anything. With eyes of burning passion he stared down his opposition, determined to not show any weakness, determined to prove himself worthy. However, his opponent – Alan, the sprite guardian of the Red Bell – didn't seem the least bit interested, regarding the smaller sprite with nothing more than a shrug.
"Huh, oh it's just the pipsqueak again..."
"W-Who're you calling a pipsqueak?" Finn challenged. His tough-faced façade was quickly cracking, trembling hands clenched tightly into fists by his sides.
Alan turned around and fluttered over to Holly. Ignored, again.
"You really should forget about the shrimp and take me along instead," He told her, pointing at himself with a proud thumb, "I'm an expert when it comes to the Harvest King's bells, seeing as I'm a guardian and all."
"But, but I'm helpful too! I even helped save you!" Finn protested.
This time he managed to provoke a response. The red one turned around, arms folded but still unfazed, "And I'm real appreciative about that. You gotta admit though, rookie, that when it comes down to it you still got a lot to learn."
"Well… yeah, I know that…" He stammered. Disheartened, but then he unexpectedly rebuilt his confidence, "Hmph what do you know anyway? You're just a big headed, big mouthed, big bully –!"
"It's nice of you to offer Alan," Holly said quickly. She hesitated before going on; her words had to be chosen carefully, "But Finn really has been a great help to me so far. He's also become one of my most trusted friends."
"Holly…" The Sprite breathed, voice cracking a little.
Alan just shrugged, "Suit yourself then."
At least his pride hadn't been hurt, she thought with an uneasy chuckle.
"Come now you two, there is no need for envy." The sudden disembodied voice made everyone jump. Momentarily the whole area was bathed by a warm light and when it faded the Harvest Goddess stood before them, ever serene, "Everyone has to work together, for the sake of the island."
Both Sprites flushed, embarrassed. No one was going to argue with the Goddess, the voice of reason.
"Holly. How nice it is to see you again." The ethereal woman smiled gently, resting her calming gaze on the farmer, "Would it be right of me to presume that you've come to hear the location of the next bell?"
And as always, the goddess knew everything.
Truthfully, Holly felt guilty. A few weeks had passed since the Red Bell was rung and in that time she had not once thought about finding the remaining bells. It was selfish of her, she was well aware, but her top priority had been to get her farm up and running properly – and she had failed, yet again. Still dry, still stagnant, still no profits. When that desperation had escalated beyond her control, she knew what she had to do.
Everything fell still when the Harvest Goddess closed her eyes. Her eyebrows creased slightly as she concentrated her power into finding the location of the Yellow Bell of the earth.
"Collin, please answer me," She whispered, "Tell me where you are."
Holly watched on, breathless and trembling.
"He says… he is in a place where the moonlight gathers over the golden earth," The Goddess' eyes fluttered open but her face was taut with worry, "I'm so sorry Holly. My powers are still not strong enough to give you a more accurate description."
"No, it's more than enough," The farmer said.
Even though the clues were vague, after some investigating the exact location of the Yellow Bell of the earth would be known soon enough.
Now that they had their needed information, Holly bid the Goddess goodbye and left the Goddess Pond – but not before Finn got the chance to poke out his tongue at Alan. Holly was lost in her thoughts for most of the walk back, her Sprite companion was unusually quiet too. Only when the trees began to thin and the main path came into view did Finn speak up.
"Did you really mean what you said back there?" He asked. He started to slow down, seeming reluctant, "Am I really your… trusted friend?"
Holly smiled, "Of course you are!"
The sprite flushed slightly. He tried to appear nonchalant but with little success; there was just no stopping the goofy grin that crossed his face.
"W-Well okay then, we have to get to work straight away!" Finn declared with a confident finger pointed towards the sky, "We gotta show that Alan what we can do!"
Holly agreed heartily, feeling more motivated than ever.
"'Where the moonlight gathers over golden earth,'" She repeated, suddenly pensive, "The answer is obvious, but at the same time it's very open ended. We need to narrow down the search, first."
"So we should ask around like last time?" Finn suggested.
She nodded, "I think that would be best."
By now most of the townspeople would be closing up their businesses for the day and getting ready for dinner, making it unlikely that she'd see anyone about the streets. With that in mind, Holly could only think of one place where a lot of people would be gathering at this hour. So, they followed the familiar path to the Sundae Inn.
Something was different about it today, she noted. Not the building itself, nor the sweet scent that hung in the air but…
There was a person, a man – a stranger – outside, sitting beneath the windows on the raised brick garden bed.
His appearance was very much akin to the heroic rugged explorers she always saw in action movies; rustic brown clothing, sleeves rolled up to his elbows and a fedora hat adorned on his head. He seemed to be deep in thought, though his hands still strummed absently at the strings of an acoustic guitar.
Holly took a step forward. The man's head jerked to the side.
"O-Oh I'm sorry, did I startle you?" She uttered.
His surprise melted into a light chuckle, "A little. I didn't think anyone would be listening."
"You're very good," She said, glancing at the instrument in his hands.
The man smiled but shook his head, "It's just a hobby of mine. It helps me think more than anything…" The guitar was placed down against the brick barrier as the man stood up.
He offered her his hand, "My name's Calvin. As you can probably tell, I'm new on the island."
Holly returned the handshake, "It's nice to meet you, Calvin, I'm Holly. I haven't been here that long either. I moved into a farm outside of town a few months ago."
Once again, the astonishment she was used to hearing touched his voice. "You're a farmer huh? That's impressive."
"Oh no, not at all…" She could feel her face grow warmer as her hand found its way into her hair. Fumbling, she tried to change the subject, "Um… so what brings you to Waffle Town?"
"I'm an archaeologist," He replied, "Small communities like these have fascinating mythologies and a lot of it is still needs to be uncovered..."
Holly nodded, attentive and engaged, but Finn was getting bored. He flew down to flower bed for a closer look as Calvin explained the intricacies of his occupation.
"This island has one legend in particular that I'm interested in," He continued on, "Supposedly, there is a set of ancient bells hidden across the land–"
Holly gasped, "You know about the bells?"
"He knows about the bells?" Finn echoed.
Calvin stared, a little taken aback, "Yes, the bells of the Harvest King."
This was unbelievable. Someone – someone who wasn't a magical being only she could see – was actually looking into legends, treating it as if it was more than just a fairytale.
"I shouldn't be surprised that a local knows about it," She heard Calvin's faraway voice say. Whether it was from excitement or apprehension she didn't know, but her mind was having trouble functioning.
It was Finn who finally broke her out of her trance, "Holly you should talk more to this guy! He could help us!"
But what could she say without raising too much suspicion? There was no need for a simple farmer to be asking about the mythologies of out of the way island communities.
Luckily, Calvin was more assertive and apparently on the same wavelength.
"I hope this doesn't sound too forward, but… would you like to discuss this further, over dinner?" He asked, "I'd like to hear as much as I can from the locals."
Even though the same idea had crossed her mind, the blush crept up to her cheeks again and she lowered her head.
"I-I'm not really a local but I'll tell you what I know," Holly finally managed.
For a few seconds, it was awkward but that was dispelled when the inn doors suddenly swung open and a familiar blonde poked her head out, "Mr Calvin? My parents need to talk to you for a second–" Maya paused and her smile widened, "Oh hi Holly!"
Maya held the door open for the archaeologist and he gave her a smile as he passed her by.
The farmer was about to follow him when Maya stopped her with a hand on her arm, "Doesn't he seem really cool? Like someone out of a movie!" She whispered excitedly.
Holly wholeheartedly agreed.
It wasn't dinnertime just yet, so it was rather quiet inside. Maya wandered off in the direction of the kitchen and Holly headed over to Calvin, who was waiting for her by the stairwell.
"I shouldn't be long," He said, gesturing to the nearest table.
Holly took the invitation to sit down. It was a shame the kitchen was so far away; a chat with the cooks would've been nice but she supposed it was better if she didn't distract them. As always they were busy preparing for the upcoming dinner service. Yolanda was stirring a large pot – of what, she couldn't tell but the aroma was already teasing her – and Chase appeared to be in the middle of chopping some ingredients.
The blond man paused to wipe his brow.
She caught his eye and waved. He regarded her with a stiff smile before quickly returning to his work.
Not long after, Calvin came down the stairs, "So, shall we order?"
Dinner was pleasant. They spoke mostly of the legends of the island – Finn was a determined little chaperone; when their conversation strayed off topic, he frantically shook his arms and called her name until it was guided back on track. The archaeologist didn't know a lot of specific details about the legends, the most he knew came from vague mentions in some textbooks. But, he believed the Ganache Mountain held the key to more information.
When Calvin yawned, it signalled the end of the conversation – he needed to be getting to bed since he was in for a busy day tomorrow; it would be his first time investigating the Ganache Mines – they said their goodnights and the archaeologist headed upstairs to his room.
Holly glanced up at the clock on the wall. It was getting late. Many of patrons had long finished their meals and the only customers who remained were those keeping Hayden busy at the bar.
It would be all right to have a chat now, wouldn't it? With a bright smile and that thought in mind, she crossed the room and approached the counter.
The bartender gave her a nod as he skilfully mixed a cocktail. Chase was the only other person there, cleaning up after another successful service.
"Thank you for the lovely meal, Chase," Holly said.
He didn't look up from the dishes. "It was all Yolanda's doing."
"Oh… well do you need any help? We made quite the team last time," She tried again.
Chase plunged the plate he was holding into the sink, spraying droplets of soapy water over the counter top. Hayden glanced over, looking concerned. A tense minute ticked by.
"You've paid for your meal right?" He asked, finally lifting his head to meet her gaze.
Holly was caught off guard. Such coldness.
"I-I have–"
He turned away again. "So you should just leave already."
Her chest tightened. She knew she should've done something, said something, retorted, laughed, been offended – but there was nothing. Only the strange heaviness in the pit of her stomach.
"Don't be so rude to Holly, you, you… you big meanie!" Finn fumed.
Even though no one else could've heard him, she shook her head. The sprite shot her an imploring glance but instead Holly stepped away from the counter, numbly allowing her legs to carry her across the room to the inn's doors and out into the warm evening air.
Finn was still grumbling as they made their way home, "How could you let him speak to you like that Holly? You were a paying customer!"
"It's all right…" She mumbled, really only half hearing him, "I… I shouldn't have bothered him."
"Oh well, forget about that jerk. We have bigger things to worry about, don't we?" Finn said, the usual fire returning to his voice, "We gotta hurry up and find the Yellow Bell for the sake of everyone on the island!"
Holly forced a smile. It was true; there were much bigger, more important issues she needed to be concerning herself with: the location of the next bell, the status of the island, the well being of the townspeople, among things.
So much had happened in the months since she'd arrived on the island. She felt as if she'd made so much progress, in so many different aspects of her current life.
But perhaps she wasn't doing as well as she thought.
