Episode 11: A Friend In Need
Sunday, 11th Of Fall, 2000
Nothing interesting to report for today, except in the afternoon, I bought a milker from Saibara, and I bought my first cow from Barley, who I named Dairee (pronounced the same way as "Dairy" as in "dairy cheese" or something like that), and I bought 21 units of fodder for Dairee and Silk. Yep, the more livestock I own, the more I feel like a tried and true farmer. For the rest of the noon and evening, I went fishing at the beach. Somehow Popuri knew I would be there and she kept me company for a few hours. I got real lucky again today! That's right, I caught no litter this time! I caught three large fishes, one medium sized fish, and one small fish. I put them all in my pond back at home. I sold one of my large fishes to Zack.
Monday, 12th Of Fall, 2000
Last night, I had a strange dream. In that dream, I was standing behind the waterfall that hides the entrance to the ore mines. On a strange whim, I threw one of my carrots in the waterfall, and... and... I don't know what happened next, because I woke up. After bathing and brushing my teeth, I was watching the news channel while eating some dumplings. The newscaster said that tomorrow night is the perfect night to see the full moon with a romantic interest.
"Hmmm..." I rubbed my chin, thinking.
I wondered if Popuri would be willing to watch the moon with me tomorrow night. But I should have realized that the answer is a no-brainer. Of course she will! She has no reason to say no to me! But still, I'm nervous. But hey, I gotta do it if I really like Popuri. The fact is, I do like Popuri, I'm just afraid of being rejected by her. I mean, come on, every guy fears rejection from a girl he has a crush on, so I should be no exception, right? After thinking to myself, I turned off the television and went outside. I saw Dash next to me standing to my left, nibbling or sniffing the grass patches, probably looking for a grasshopper or something.
"Morning, Dash. How are you?" I asked him, but he was too busy to neigh, so I brushed his body.
I went into the barn to do the same to Silk and Dairee and feed them. Dariee is a little too young to produce milk, so I have to wait a while before I can use my new milker. Then I went to the hen house to take care of my chickens and put their eggs in the shipping box. Then I entered my garden and picked up 5 carrots and put them in the shipping box. I took the last three with me to the forest. I wonder if my dream is trying to tell me something about that waterfall in front of the ore mine entrance where the hot spring is.
When I got up to the stairs, I saw Ann and Popuri talking to each other near the bamboo forest. They didn't see me, because they are too busy chatting. So I headed to the mine entrance, stopped and turned around, facing the waterfall cascading in front of me. I could feel the cool air breeze and vapors of the water hitting my face, and it felt so good. I dug into my rucksack and pulled out my carrots. I looked at my carrots and the water in front of me. I sighed.
"I hope I'm not wasting these..." I said to myself.
Then I threw the carrot into the waterfall! The carrot sank underwater, pulled down by the force of the waterfall. Then, something strange happened!
I saw a white light flash before my eyes, but I didn't feel my pupils dilate for some strange reason. And then, I saw a transparent figure of a woman floating in front of me in the waterfall! She looked beautiful. Her hair is bright green, her hairstyle reminds me of cinnamon buns because on the sides of her head, her hair is twisted into lumps that resemble cinnamon rolls or cinnamon buns, kinda like you-know-who from Star Wars. She also had a long ponytail in the back of her hair that rests on her left shoulder. She has blue eyes, and she is wearing a nice, sparkling blue dress that covers everything except her slender belly and modest cleavage, and the sleeves of her dress doesn't cover her shoulders either, but covers the half of her arms.
"Well, if it isn't Pete," she said, her voice friendly and cheerful.
I gasped. I just met this woman (at least she looked like a woman to me) and she knows my name?
"How did you know who I am?" I asked her, dumbfounded.
She smiled in a way that shows her pearly white teeth. "That's just the way I am," she replied, with a cheerful shrug.
"Oh, all right," I nodded, but I still found it strange she knew my name even though we've never met.
"Thank you for your offering," she said. "Your offering gave me enough power to talk to you even from great distances," she added.
"No problem, Ms...?"
"You can call me the Harvest Goddess," she replied.
My eyes widened. "Wait, hold the phone. You are THE Harvest Goddess? The Harvest Goddess from legends?" This is too unnatural to be true! I've met a legendary deity! Me, an average farmer!
She nodded. "That's right."
"You look kinda... transparent for some reason," I remarked.
"I'm not really here. I'm trapped somewhere very far away, I believe. Deep in the caverns under Forget-Me-Not-Valley, if memory serves. Your offering gave me enough energy to talk to you regardless of the distance," She said.
"Why are you deep underground under Forget-Me-Not Valley? What happened to you?" I asked her.
Before she could reply, she suddenly melted back into the waterfall, disappearing from my view.
"Hey, wait! Hold on!" I started to jump in the waterfall, but I stopped myself, and thought over Harvest Goddesses' situation carefully.
If she's were trapped in the mines here, I could dig my way down to where she is, but since she is in the underground caverns in Forget-Me-Not Valley, or so she thinks, so there's nothing I can do. If my little brother Jack knows about her predicament, then he is her only hope, if he's doing anything about it, that is. I left, collecting mushrooms and wild grapes.
When I got back home to put everything I collected into the shipping box, I decided to check my mailbox. It's been a while since I checked my mail. And like I suspected, most of it is old. A letter from Popuri wishing me a happy birthday, another letter from the supermarket, telling me the Blue Feather is on sale, another letter from Saibara telling me that I need clippers to get wool from sheep, a letter from Doug telling me that the Inn will be closed at 5:00. Obviously that day has passed. And the last letter is from the Supermarket, letting me know that the large rucksack is on sale. I need a bigger rucksack, but not right now. Anyway, I decided to visit Popuri and her family for a while, then check on Gray and Saibara. After talking to them, my long day ended and I stayed at home writing in my journal and... You know what comes next. I lay in the comfort of my bed sheets.
Tuesday, 13th Of Fall, 2000
I don't know why, but today, I wasn't in the mood to put my newly grown sweet potatoes in the shipping box along with the apples and chicken eggs. Instead, I had this strong desire to offer all my sweet potatoes to the Harvest Goddess so that she can gain the power to communicate with me again. I have so many questions. So that's what I did. After chopping some wood for about a few hours until 10:51 a.m., I took 5 sweet potatoes and went to the spring. I went to the exact same spot where I was when I spoke to her yesterday, and threw all my sweet potatoes into the water in the spot where the water cascaded down into the river. *SPLASH*! Seconds later, the transparent figure of the Harvest Goddess appeared in the waterfall. She smiled at me.
"Well, if it isn't Pete again. I'm glad to see that you're willing to offer me your sweet potatoes to talk to me. Here, have this. Eat it." I thought she was a hologram or something! She's actually going to give me something!
She took out a berry from a pocket somewhere in her long skirt and gently tossed the berry down to me and I deftly caught it with both of my hands. Before eating it, I examined it first. It's a Power Berry! I haven't eaten one of those in a while! I put it in my mouth, chewed it for a few seconds then swallowed. I've forgotten how sweet Power Berries are, and how they improve your stamina and endurance, too!
"Thanks!" I thanked her.
"Don't mention it," she replied.
"So... How are you here when you really aren't...?" I asked her.
"When you offer fruits or vegetables that you've grown in your farm, you give me some energy, and I use that energy to project a transparent image of myself here, even though I'm really somewhere else," she said.
"Why fruits or vegetables?" I asked.
Harvest Goddess put her hands on her hips and smirked at me. "Tell me, why do you eat fruits, vegetables and other foods, Pete?" She asked me.
I blinked in surprise. I didn't immediately reply because I couldn't see how relevant her question was. "... I, uh... I eat foods because my body needs the energy they have...?" I reluctantly said.
"Bingo!" Harvest Goddess said as she snapped the fingers of her right hand and winked at me. "No living creature can sustain themselves, right? They need to eat something. Though I am a deity, I need the energy that fruits and vegetables have in a different way. Without that energy, I have no power to do... well, anything."
From what I've gathered, Harvest Goddess has very limited power to escape the prison underground that she is in, and the power I give her is not enough to help her break free. Someone imprisoned her, but who? What happened? I frowned, puzzled.
"How did you end up like this?" I asked her.
Then the Harvest Goddess's "hologram" disappeared into the waterfall before she could speak.
"No! Wait! Hold on!" I shouted.
Darn it! It's like spending quarters to use in a phone booth! I knew what to do! I ran back to my farm, collected my three remaining sweet potatoes, came back to the waterfall and tossed two of them in. Splash! Splash! There are so many things I want to learn about the Harvest Goddess. She appeared again, this time not with a cheerful, grateful smile, but with an uncomfortable, awkward frown. I guess she feels a bit uneasy to see me so often.
"Hi. it's me again," I smiled nervously.
"Well well. If it isn't Pete... again. You've come so often and offered me so much... Let me do something for you," she said.
"Like what?" I asked her, wondering what she meant.
"Do you have a sweetheart?" H.G. asked me with an expectant smile.
"Sweetheart? Yes, I sure do," I nodded, blushing a bit.
"I understand... Thank you for your offerings. See you later." Then she disappeared.
I scratched my head. Why did she ask me if I had a sweetheart? I headed towards the stairs, scratching my head in confusion.
"What did she meant by that...?" I wondered to myself.
I just couldn't put the pieces together! When I was walking down the stairs, I saw Popuri down below! What's she doing here?
"Popuri!" I called.
Popuri looked up at me as I headed down to her.
"Oh! Pete! ... What are you doing here?" Popuri asked me.
"I could ask you the same thing. I was just hunting for mushrooms like I always do. What about you?" I asked her.
"I came to take a bath in the hot spring. See you," Popuri waved at me, walked past me and headed up the stairs to where the hot spring is.
Its too much of a coincidence to see Popuri here after the Harvest Goddess asked me if I have a sweetheart. I started to walk down the road to my farm, but I stopped because suddenly I began to have second thoughts. I turned around and headed back to the hot spring. Look, don't think of me as a pervert, but the idea of seeing Popuri in a bikini got me feeling excited in a funny way. I headed up the stairs, entered the doorway to the little cabin where you get undressed, I got undressed, wrapping a towel around my waist, then I jumped in the warm water!
"Ahhh... Oohh, that feels good..." I muttered to myself in pleasure as I felt my tense muscles relaxing after all that wood chopping a couple hours ago.
When I opened my eyes, I saw a monkey staring at me!
"Oh...!" I gasped.
The monkey didn't move or make a sound, it just stared at me. I frowned at it and looked around. No sign of Popuri. I thought Popuri said she would be here, but she isn't here. What's going on? Well, my muscles are all calm, so I got out of the hot spring, entered the cabin, got dressed and left the cabin. I felt so confused. This makes no sense. When I looked to my right, I saw Popuri coming at me from among the bamboo forest.
"Oh! ... What are you doing here, Pete?" She asked me in a cheerful way rather than a confused way.
I felt so confused at Popuri's happy expression, I stammered. I didn't know what to say.
"I don't think I'll take a spring bath today after all. See you later," Popuri waved goodbye to me and departed, hopping happily away.
I don't get it! Why is Popuri so happy go lucky when I could have seen her in a bikini?
Most girls get mad when they find out a guy tries to take a peek at them in swimsuits, or worse, but Popuri... She didn't seem offended at all. Why is that? As I headed to Gotz's house, I started thinking of possible reasons. Is it possible that the Harvest Goddess arranged this all with Popuri somehow as a prank on me? Most likely because Popuri seemed too happy to see that I was still at the hot springs even when she told me she would be bathing there. She could have gotten mad like other girls normally would, but she didn't... As a result, I think Popuri is happy to know that I'm interested in seeing her in a bikini and stuff like that. I don't know. She has no reason to get mad about it. I am her boyfriend, after all.
For the next few hours, I talked to almost everybody in the village except Thomas, Greg and Gotz. Mostly everybody said they are staying at home. Mary said that she's leaving the library open until 12:00 p.m. for Gray to visit. Cliff and Ann said that they are staying in the Inn, The Doc said that he's too busy to enjoy moon gazing, including Elli, Rick and Karen are going in the forest behind the church again, and as for me and Popuri... She told me that she will be waiting for me at the summit of Mother's Hill at 6:00 p.m.
"Say, today is Moon-Viewing day. Let's go together. At mother's Hill at 6:00," she told me.
"All right. Sounds cool," I agreed.
As planned, I got there 3 minutes after 6:00 p.m. When I was walking up Mother's Hill, I noticed that the rocky terrain is almost so dark, I stumbled a few times, so I had to watch my footing carefully. When I reached the top, I found myself standing next to Popuri.
"Hey... I'm here," I told her.
She looked at me, smiling.
"I'm glad you're here, Pete. Let's watch the moon... together... the two of us," Popuri said.
"Yeah..." I nodded.
As time passed, the evening sky slowly darkened, to a starry night sky. I looked up at the dark blue, partially cloudy night sky, looking at the full moon above us, shining brightly in its full glory.
"It's beautiful. And it looks so big," Popuri said in awe.
(That's what she said), I remarked in my thoughts, something my brother Jack would say aloud if he were here. I wonder how he is doing?
"I know, right? It feels like it's next to us instead of a hundred thousand miles away..." I said aloud.
As I continued looking up at the moon in amazement at its size, Popuri took something in her hand. She tapped my left shoulder. I looked at her, then at some kind of food wrapped in aluminum foil.
"Here, eat this. It's good," Popuri urged me.
I took the wrapped food, unwrapped it, and saw 2 egg rolls!
"Wow! Egg rolls!" I exclaimed.
As soon as I bit into the first egg roll, I realized that they are my favorite kind, vegetable egg rolls!
"Do you like them?" Popuri asked me, smiling while she watched me chow down.
I nodded in response while chewing, too busy to speak to her.
After eating both of the egg rolls, I gave Popuri back the aluminum foil.
"Thanks, Popuri. I got something for you, too."
"Oh? What is it?" I took an egg out of my pocket and gave it to her.
"It's a boiled egg I cooked recently in the hot spring. Here, you can eat it," I gave it to her.
"Wow, thank you Pete! You're so nice!" Popuri squealed gleefully.
After Popuri ate the egg, we continued looking up at the moon. Popuri took a deep breath and sighed.
"Looking at this moon... gives me a strange feeling... A strange, but good feeling," she said.
"How so?" I asked her.
"It's like we're on another planet," She replied.
I smiled. "I know what you mean. Here we are, in the middle of the night, on top of a hill, looking up at a full moon... Yeah, it does feel like we're in another planet," I said.
Personally, I like the idea of being alone on a planet with Popuri. Normally I'd be depressed being alone on a planet, but if I was alone with her, it wouldn't matter. Being with Popuri makes me feel so happy, I can't describe it in words. Popuri held my hands as we looked at each other in the glowing light of the full moon.
"Pete..."
"Yeah...?"
"Do you really love me...? I mean, really, really love me...?" Popuri asked me, her voice soft as Silk's wool.
"I... I really do love you, Popuri," I said, feeling all of the anxiety draining from my heart as I looked into her ruby colored eyes.
I could see reflections of the stars in them... It made her eyes look even more pretty... Whew... All the sudden I felt a little hot.
"Do you... love me?" I asked her.
"... Y... yes... I really do, Pete," Popuri admitted.
We hugged each other, but we didn't kiss each other, then kissed each other's cheeks. I wanted to kiss her lips, and I'm sure she felt the same way about me, but I had to restrain myself. I know that one day, that time will come. We continued looking up at the moon as it beamed brightly on us. Staying up late can be good sometimes...
Wednesday, 14th Of Fall, 2000
After bathing, I was eating a ham sandwich, sitting on my couch in the living room watching the Song Hour on television until I heard someone knocking on my door.
"Wait a minute! Here I come!" I said with a mouthful of chewed up ham sandwich, licking the soggy pieces of bread off in the roof of my mouth, tasting honey mustard and mayonnaise.
I managed to swallow it as I got up on my feet and headed towards the door. I opened the door and saw a man with white stripes in his hair, and wore a purple vest. It is none other than Duke, wearing a purple striped vest over his white shirt and wearing black suit pants.
"Duke! Good morning!" I shook his hand.
"Good morning, Pete," he replied.
"What's going on? You've never visited my ranch before," I asked him, still having a surprised smile on my face.
"We're going to harvest the grapes on our orchard for wine, starting tomorrow. I was wondering if you could you lend us a hand?" Duke asked me.
"Sure! Of course I'll help out." I said with an honest smile.
Duke chuckled. "Thanks a bunch, Pete, you're a lifesaver. Come by the house around 10:00 a.m. tomorrow. Of course, we'll pay you for your work," he told me with a modest smile.
"Thanks, Duke. I won't let you down," I assured him.
"I don't expect you will," Duke shook his head, smiling.
He walked away. After walking a few steps ahead of me, he turned around. Before I could enter my garden, he called me.
"Oh, Pete!" He shouted.
I turned around.
"What?" I called back.
"If you know anybody else who wants work, let them know. We could use some extra hands," Duke said.
"All right. I'll keep you posted," I replied as I gave him a goodbye salute.
"Thank you," Duke turned around and really left, walking out the open gates.
Before I could enter my garden again, I heard someone say "Hey."
I turned around, facing the gates, and I saw Rick coming into my ranch, holding two plastic kennels in both of his hands! I rushed over to greet him.
"Hey, Rick, buddy! What's up?" I walked up to him and shook his hand.
When I got near him, I heard soft clucking coming from the plastic kennels he is holding, and as he replied to my question, I realized that Rick has a few chickens in the kennels.
"Same thing every day, Pete. But today, I want to ask a favor," Rick said sullenly, and I noticed the friendly smile slowly becoming a near sullen frown.
"Sure, anything. Why the long face, Ricky?" I asked him, getting the sense that this favor is something so important to him, I'd have to be a complete jerk to refuse him.
"Mom's been feeling bad lately, and I want to take care of her, but we're short on help at home, so I can't always be there for her when she needs me... Would you take care of these 5 chickens?" He asked me, referring to the chickens in the kennels he is holding.
"I sure will," I nodded. "I'd have to be a jerk to refuse to help you, and I am not a jerk."
Rick seemed to perk up after I said that.
"Really? Oh, thank you, Pete!"
"Anytime. If you don't mind me asking, what's wrong with Lillia? I've noticed that she rarely leaves Poultry Farm. Why?" I asked.
Rick grimaced, lowering his head as if he is ashamed of something.
"You don't know? No one told you?" He asked me.
"No, no one did. What's wrong?" I asked, trying not to sound forceful.
"Mom is sick, Pete," Rick said.
I blinked in shock. "What?"
"I don't know what kind of sickness she has. No one knows. This strange sickness... it makes her leg bones too weak to support her upper body, Pete. She can't stand up on her feet for twenty minutes or less. If she does, her leg bones might break. She needs a daily dose of Bodegizer medicine from Elli and The Doctor's hospital to briefly strengthen her bones. But it's a temporary fix, though, nothing more. For the past ten years, we've called every doctor we could reach, hoping that one of them had an answer. No one knows how to cure her sickness..."
I was in shock. "Oh my God. Rick... I'm so sorry..." I said sympathetically. "Nothing can cure her sickness?"
Rick slowly shook his head. "No. That's why Dad left us." Rick gritted his teeth. "He should have never left us on a wild goose chase..."
I got the feeling that Rick resented his father for leaving. "Your father... He left Mineral Town to find a cure for Lillia, right?" I asked him.
A tear fell from Rick's eye. He had to put down the kennel in his right hand to wipe the tear from his face.
"Yes. My Dad's name is Rod. He didn't want to believe that Mom's sickness cannot be cured. He refused to believe it. On the day he left town, he vowed that he will search the world thoroughly for a cure, and he will never stop once he finds it."
Rick paused there and groaned in frustration.
"He is completely oblivious to the responsibilities he left me with, Pete! I haven't seen my father for ten years! For ten years I have been taking care of Mom and Popuri all by myself, making sure Popuri stays out of trouble and making sure Mom stays as healthy as she possibly can!"
Rick began to cry more now, and he had to put down the kennel in his left hand too.
"I don't know how much longer I can go on like this, Pete... I don't know..." His voice cracked with grief, falling down on his knees.
I knelt down and put my right hand on his shoulder, and as soon as he felt my hand, he lifted his head and looked at me, his glasses lens had a few tear drops dripping from the inside because he had his head lowered, causing his tears to fall on his glasses.
"You're not alone anymore, Rick. I'm here for you, Lillia and Popuri. If you ever need help with anything, you come to me, alright?" I assured him.
Rick slowly smiled and chuckled.
"You know, when Popuri first told me that you became friends with Kai, I secretly thought that you were a messed up individual. I see now that I thought wrong about you, and I'm sorry. I'll go put these chickens in your hen house. I'll also bring their food," Rick told me.
"I really should be thanking you. I needed five more chickens anyway," I smiled.
Rick chuckled, picked up both kennels and headed over to the hen house. I neither followed him or returned to my house, I just watched him head over to the hen house. Before opening the door, he called to me saying: "I'll close down the store for a while. You can have the eggs the chickens lay."
"Okay, cool," I nodded.
After Rick entered the hen house, I went in the barn to feed Silk and Dairee. Silk's wool has grown back, but I don't feel like cutting it because of the Sheep Festival just around the corner. When I came back out, I entered my garden and began picking my newly grown eggplants. After throwing all the eggplants and apples in the shipping box, I joined Rick in the hen house. When I came inside, I saw Kali, Violet, Red, Popuri and Goldie interacting with the new chickens.
"Pete, I'd like to introduce you to your new chickens. That one over there is Cocka, the brown one over there is Doodle, that one there near the incubator is Doo, that one is BukBuk, and that one over there is Begaak," Rick told me.
"Aha! So that's the chicken who laid the egg Popuri gave to me last time!" I exclaimed, referring to Begaak.
Rick nodded. "Well, I better get going and take care of Mom. See you later, Pete." Rick gave me a "good luck" pat on the back and left the hen house.
I looked around. My hen house is now completely full! All the hens wandered around aimlessly, clucking noisily.
"Well, who's ready to eat?" I shouted out.
All the chickens clucked excitedly. I couldn't help but smile. I put chicken feed in each and every cubicle in the hen house, and my hens began chowing down. I collected Kali, Red, Violet, Popuri, and Goldie's eggs and put them in the shipping box one by one. While I was doing that, I was trying to think of a person who is looking for a job. Gray already seems to be working with his grandfather, Saibara... Kai won't come back until the Summer of 2001, besides, he runs his own lodge at Mineral Beach... Pretty much everyone I know here has some kind of job,even me... But what about Cliff? I have never seen him do any work here in Mineral Town. All he does is stay at the church for some unknown reason.
"Hmm... Let me see what Cliff is up to..." I muttered to myself.
After collecting some mushrooms for a couple hours, I headed into town at 10:00 a.m.
When I passed by the supermarket, I walked by Karen.
"Hey, Pete!"
"What's up, Karen?" We greeted each other as we passed by.
I found the church. I stood in front of the church doors for a few seconds, then pushed them open. Then I walked up the red carpet Carter saw me coming, but Cliff was too depressed to notice me.
"Pete! What brings you over here?" Pastor Carter asked me.
"Oh, I'm here to ask Cliff if he would like to work part-time with me at the Orchard," I replied.
I hoped that Cliff wouldn't hear me, but he seemed unresponsive, so I can stop holding my breath. Carter rubbed his chin in amusement.
"Hmmm... Part-time work at the Orchard sounds like a great job," Carter commented.
"I'll ask Cliff how he feels about it. How do you think he feels about it?" I whispered to Carter, then I turned my attention to Cliff, looking sad and droopy sitting nearby.
"You should ask Cliff about it, not me. He said he was looking for work," Carter whispered back.
I walked over to Cliff.
"Cliff!" I called as I sat next to him.
As soon as he saw me, he immediately sobered up from his depressed mood.
"Hey! What's up?" He asked me with some upbeat energy in his voice.
"I just wanted to let you know that Duke and Manna's Orchard is hiring for a part-time job. I took the position, and I was wondering if you would be interested, too," I said.
"Hmmm... a part-time job at the Orchard?" Cliff repeated.
"Yeah. I hear you're desperate for a job," I remarked.
"Yeah, I am getting pretty low on cash..." Cliff said wryly.
"So, what do you say, buddy?" I asked him.
He smiled.
"Okay, i'll go there tomorrow," he agreed.
"Bang! Yes!" I gave him a high five.
Cliff and I laughed in a cheerful way.
Carter smiled as he watched us full of young energy to get out and prove ourselves in life.
"You were low on money, so that meant you were considering moving out of Mineral Town, right? So where will you go from here now?" I asked him.
"I found a job here, so I may stay here awhile," Cliff announced.
"Wow! Ann and Duke are gonna love to hear this!" I smiled.
I prepared to leave the church alone, walking down the ailse to the exit. Before I could open the doors, Cliff called me.
"Hey, Pete!" I turned around.
Cliff smiled at me, the edges of his lips curving upwards.
"Thanks, man. You really saved my skin. I really didn't want to move away from here. That's why I stayed here almost every single day," Cliff confessed to me.
"Don't mention it, Cliff. See you tomorrow," I nodded modestly and left.
As I walked up the brick road towards the Supermarket with the intent of buying a few things, I walked past The Doc. He had his head lowered towards the ground while walking, as if he seemed bothered about something.
"Hey, Doc. What's wrong with you?" I asked him seconds after he walked past me.
He slowly turned around to face me, with a grim look on his face.
"I've been worrying about something for a long time now... I haven't been able to decide..." He said in a more sullen tone than usual, then entered the Clinic.
I shrugged, then continued heading for the Supermarket. There, I purchased 21 units of fish food, two bags of carrot seeds, one bag of eggplant seeds, one bag of sweet potato seeds, and some bread and dumplings. I carried my groceries home in a paper shopping bag and put my dumplings and bread in my fridge, then I went back outside to plant my seeds and water them. I almost forgot to feed my fish, too. After that, I spent the whole noon and evening chopping wood. By the time I was done, I now have 309 pieces of wood stored up. I also got a blister in my right hand from chopping tree stumps with my axe a lot.
Thursday, 15th Of Fall, 2000
I wasted no time dawdling today. I checked the weather forecast channel, and after I learned it will remain sunny tomorrow, I left the house, not bothering to watch the first match of Star One Sports wrestling. I fed Dairee and Silk, including King and Dash, and watered my eggplant plants, and sweet potato plants, even my recently planted carrot, eggplant and sweet potato seeds. Then I went to the fish food container near my pond, took out some fish food and threw it in the pond, then I went to my hen house to feed all the hens and collect my first 5 hens eggs.
The other five hens that Rick recently gave me haven't laid eggs yet. After that, I spent the next few hours hunting mushrooms and wild grapes as quickly as I could. I found a few poisonous mushrooms, but I left them alone. Who would want to buy a poisonous mushroom anyway? At 9:59 a.m. I hurried on over to the Orchard from my farm.
"I hope I'm not too late..." I whispered to myself, panting as I ran as quickly as I could.
I took my time walking down the stairs, but when I got to the brick road, I started running. By the time I passed by Basil and Anna's house, my legs started aching from fatigue already and I slowed to a walk. When I reached the Orchard and opened the door and walked inside, the time finally hit 10:00 a.m. I checked my watch.
Inside, I found Manna waiting on me. Soon Cliff joined in.
"Hi, Manna," I greeted her.
I noticed Cliff next to me.
"Hey, Cliff. Ready to pick some grapes?" I asked him in an enthusiastic way.
"Oh yeah," He nodded, smiling.
"It'd be nice if you two could help until 5:00 p.m. Can you both do that?" Manna asked us.
"Absolutely," I said.
"No problem," Cliff said.
We both replied at the same time, by the way. Manna smiled happily.
"Good. Duke is waiting for you two in the backyard. Do your best!" She said.
Cliff and I followed Manna as she led us to the back door and we walked out into to the vineyard which is located behind the Orchard. There we met Duke, who was waiting for us in the backyard sitting on a black steel folding chair with padded vinyl. When we looked at the vineyard, we saw lots, and I mean LOTS of grapes needing to be picked off the vines which are covered by bird-netting to prevent birds from eating the grapes.
"Hello, Pete and Cliff," Duke shook our hands.
"Hello, sir," I said.
"What's up?" Cliff said.
"I'm sure you two already know this, but your jobs is to pick as much grapes as you can and give them to me. Payment depends on how many grapes you can harvest. Do your best," Duke instructed us as he handed Cliff and I baskets meant to contain the grapes.
"Yes, sir," Cliff and I said together, then we headed into the vineyard while Duke stood near the exit of the vineyard.
I walked over to the far left row of vines with Cliff. We set our baskets on the ground and lifted the bird-netting off of the vines so we can start picking the grapes. I started picking the grapes on the vines to my left one by one, stuffing them into my basket basket. I looked over at Cliff behind me and I noticed that he was picking grapes on the opposite side of the row we are in, and he is picking grapes happily, which was no surprise to me. He doesn't want to leave Minral Town, and I provided him a way to stay. He looked over his right shoulder at me and smiled.
"This is fun, Pete. Thanks for giving me this opportunity, I really appreciate it," He told me with a joyful smile that kinda reminds me of Popuri a bit.
"Yep," I replied.
We moved down the row of fines inch by inch. It took us 40 minutes to clear the whole row. I moved on over to the next row of vines behind the vines Cliff picked clean. Cliff moved along with me over to the next wall of vines to the right. First I had to lift the bird-netting off of the vines like before, then I reached out at the vines and began picking more and more grapes. This may sound like a boring job to some, if not most people, but picking grapes is fun, to tell you the truth. Every time I glanced over at Cliff, I see a smile on his face. I know that he's happy to finally have a job, and I'm glad to help him out. Soon my fruit basket got full and I headed over to Duke to give him all the grapes in my basket.
"Thank you, Pete. Good job," Duke smiled as he confiscated my basket.
I headed back to the vineyard after Duke handed me a new basket while Cliff came up to Duke with his own collection of grapes. I continued picking the second row of vines by my self for a minute until Cliff rejoined me with his own new basket. We worked diligently together to clear the second row of vines clean, and it took us thirty minutes to finish and move on to the next row.
"Enjoying yourself, Pete?" Cliff asked me.
"Oh yeah. This is great. I gotta tell my parents about this and Jack when I get the chance," I replied.
Cliff and I spent three hours picking grapes. There were so many of them, it seemed like this work will take forever. Duke told us that we will never get finished in a single day, there are 30 rows of grapevines, after all. But this job is definitely worth it. Extra money for me, and plenty of money for Cliff to make a decent living here in Mineral Town. Not enough to build his own house out here, but enough to get by, at least. In the end, at 5:00 p.m. Cliff and I returned to Duke with our last collection of grapes.
"So, you two picked all of them?" Duke asked us.
"Yes sir. This is all we can handle for today," I replied for Cliff.
We handed him the grapes.
"Good job, you two. Then he headed indoors to take the grapes down to the wine cellar. Cliff and I found Manna in the living room watching her favorite soap opera on television to receive our cash.
"Thank you, Pete and Cliff. We'll see you tomorrow. Here's your pay for today." Manna gave us our reward, $60 for me, $60 for Cliff.
"Thank you," I nodded, putting them oney in my wallet.
"Thank you so much," Cliff replied, then placed his newly earned cash in the right pocket of his jeans.
Then Cliff and I went our separate ways after we departed the Orchard.
"See you tomorrow, Pete!" Cliff called out to me as we walked away from each other.
"Alright!" I shouted back.
I headed to my farm and went in my house, took a shower, brushed my teeth and wrote in my diary about my part-time job. I also began to write a letter to my parents and brother, to let them know what is going on, then I put the letters in my mailbox outside, went back in my house and got some good ol' shuteye.
Friday, 16th Of Fall, 2000
Even though I was in a hurry to get to work on my farm before 10:00 a.m., I couldn't resist the urge to watch the 10th episode of Mechabot Ultror. Then I harvested the sweet potatoes and apples, fed my livestock, including King and Dash, and put 10 eggs in the shipping box in the hen house, and I went hunting in the forest for mushrooms and wild grapes to sell before 10:00. when 10:00 showed on my wristwatch, I hurried on over to the Orchard pronto.
"Hello, Pete and Cliff," Manna greeted us in her house.
"Good morning," we said together.
"Can you two pick grapes until 5:00 p.m. again?" Manna asked us.
"Sure we can!" I nodded.
"We'll never say no!" Cliff said.
"Thank you both! And good luck!" Manna smiled at us.
Cliff and I walked out the back door and headed towards the vineyard where Duke waited for us.
"Okay, boys, you know the drill by now, right?" He asked us.
"Yep! Let's just get this party started!" Cliff grinned, rubbing his hands together in anticipation and excitement.
"Wow, Cliff, Pete, you two are pumped and ready to go! Well, I won't get in your way, I'll just be over here, watching. Good luck," Duke said as he took a chair and sat down near the exit of the vineyard.
An empty barrel is next to him, too. "Well, Pete, let's get to work!" Cliff slapped my back playfully.
"Let's rock and roll," I smiled back.
As time passed, Cliff and I picked grapes everywhere we checked in the vineyard. We had loads of fun. Even my farm work was never this fun. I'm not saying that I hate working at my farm, it's just that... When I'm working with someone... When I'm working with Cliff, the job seems more fun. I guess you could say I'm a team player. That's the best way to describe me. Whenever my basket gets full, I returned to Duke and allowed him to fill the empty barrel with grapes I picked, even grapes Cliff picked. At 12:00 p.m., Cliff and I were still hard at work. Duke and Manna's vineyard is huge! Thirty rows of grapevines, and we only cleared four yesterday! It feels like Cliff and I have been working for days, but we still have energy to keep on working.
"You all right, Pete? You're not tired, are you?" Cliff called out to me.
"No. Are you?" I called back.
"Are you kidding? I'm barely breaking a sweat!" Cliff replied with a hearty laugh.
I chuckled as I picked grapes and stuffed them in my basket.
"I'm glad to hear that you're enjoying yourself," I called out to him.
Meanwhile, Manna came outside to see Duke.
"Duke?"
"Hmm?"
"How are Pete and Cliff doing?" Manna asked him.
"Oh, they're doing fine. Those boys are full of raw, enthusiastic energy... I wish I still had that..." Duke said.
Manna smiled, and Duke looked at her.
"Listening to them reminds me of my younger days... I was ambitious... bold... and ready to try out or experience something different... Ahh... memories..." Duke sighed, relaxing in the sunlight.
Manna couldn't help but smile, then she walked back into the house. Cliff and I worked until 5:00 like Manna requested, and in the end, Manna paid us and Cliff returned to the Inn to tell Ann and Doug how much fun he had working at the vineyard and get some rest. As for me, I was reading replied letters from my parents and Jack. Jack was telling me in his letter about his adventures and farm work in Forget-Me-Not Valley. He mentioned a lot of interesting stuff. After reading the letter, I decided to drop by at the Inn and see Doug and Ann.
