In My Life- Now comes in a new, freeze-dried form. Instructions- Add water.
--------
"I've been going over last night in my mind. Yeah, it was pretty great. I had a great time just sitting with her. We didn't talk much at all after the fireworks began, they were crap, it was great.
Which brings me around now. I've been thinking about her, and how she's really perceptive. What if she figures out I have some kind of damn crush on her? Then what'll I do? No no, don't want to lead to anything now. I must be a jerk next time I see her!"
--From Makoto's Journal
The humidity of the entire season had given way to damp, cloudy days and people lamenting about it all. The seaside lounge was boarded up and the proprietor long gone onto another seafaring adventure, or wherever he went. In turn, the boozers at the Inn grunted their unanimous pleasure in seeing Kai gone. Especially Rick, who was irritated as it was from his last corn harvest down at Chicken Lil's, one that turned into an vicious verbal skirmish between him and Popuri over the seafarer.
Summer was fizzling out like Alka-seltzer in a tall glass of water. Makoto stared from his porch out into the rain at his pineapples, just another day or two shy of being ready for the harvest. This was certainly cutting it close; it was already half-way through the twenty-seventh.
--------
"A hurricane? So late in the season??"
The villagers congregated at the Inn were thrown into a chaotic frenzy upon the sudden news of a nearby hurricane. Some of them were three-quarters ready to throw down every chair and table in their path to dash to Jeff's and purchase all the necessary supplies. When a hurricane hasn't shown its face in Mineral Town for over ten years, the villagers tend to get a little lax in preparation.
And then the worst of it came.
"It's a Category 5-er," Zack announced from the front of the Inn. Mayor Thomas fainted behind him. Then a lot of chairs and tables were toppled over, leaving a swinging ceiling light and a cursing Ann and Doug left to do some post human hurricane cleaning.
Of course, the congestion at Jeff's Supermarket was fully alleviated when Won announced that he was stocked with a whole array of supplies—half price. Jeff slumped into his house to fret about his array of overdue payments while Sasha nagged about tabs and Karen boarded up the front windows with a frown.
Harsher breezes became gusts and drizzle turned to a gush that got everyone to run and hide their heads. Makoto still stared at his pineapples as if watching them would make them ripen faster. But there were thoughts piled up in his brain, his head was filled with things to say.
Things like "Jeez, why are you here when you could be home showering?" when Elli hopped onto his porch with an armful of boards.
"You weren't at the Inn," she replied with an instant glare. "So I got you these. Merry Christmas."
She dumped the boards at Makoto's feet.
"You carried those here?" the farmer boy asked incredulously.
With a shrug, Elli said: "Not at all. Rick helped me on the way to his house. Seems we were the only ones who didn't fall for Won's half-off scam."
"You bought them at full price?" By this time, Makoto's eyebrow couldn't possibly arch any further up his forehead without forcing his hairline to recede. "Why?"
Now Elli let out a heave of a sigh.
"You ask why… because of what he did to you. I haven't bought a thing from the rat!"
"Okay, okay!" Makoto grumbled with the wave of his hand. "I didn't ask for an explanation. Now go put your damn boards up."
Elli was already halfway down the stairs. "Don't forget to duct tape the windows too." she called with a small wave over her shoulder as she disappeared off the farm.
Makoto let out a sigh as he watched her leave. Once she was long gone, he bent down and scooped up the boards. There was a sufficient amount for his small house; after all, there was just the front window and the bedroom window that allowed sunlight, on other days, to poke in through the side of the house.
No wonder the boy was so prone to sunburn.
With the unconscious duct taping of the boards and windows, the thought of the animal's safety took a rightful spot in Makoto's mind. The little money-making spiteful chickens and the placid Pixy Dust would have to stay in their respective dwellings so Makoto could head out to feed them, while Ein could hang around in the house as the pooch preferred to.
Then again, the house always gave Makoto the suspicion that one day, it would collapse at even the slam of the door. The coop and barn were by far the sturdiest structures on the farm. However the old man managed to live in that dilapidated shack was beyond Makoto, remembering back to the day he moved in.
He was lucky to have functional water pipes after fixing them.
Pineapples would probably be swimming soon, if pineapples could swim. Makoto had gotten a good amount of money back from the last corn and tomato harvest, but the quality of the crops weren't at all up to par with what the old man used to ship out, as Zack dutifully reminded him. At least there was enough for Makoto to pay Elli back for the boards, even after buying some food.
There wasn't much else left to do after the preparations. Most of the town was probably plunged into panic, residents dashing around like decapitated chickens, one track minds left on the floor of the Inn. But they still had the brighter side of things; they received a nifty discount from Won.
--------
While the residents of Mineral Town didn't wake up in a mysterious land or with their houses turned upside down, they still had to face the facts. It was imminent that they'd have to learn how to row, row, row their boats in a day, or build them first. They'd have plenty of time on their hands; there wasn't much else to do. The curtain of rain distorted vision, about everything electronic was knocked out, and the town was too panicked to engage in any activity anyway.
"What they need's a damn good whacking," Makoto muttered as he splashed and sploshed his way out of the chicken coop, only to be knocked back into the door by a hostile zephyr.
A sturdy structure it was. The house wasn't gonna make it past the hurricane, or if it was in one piece, it'd probably crush the nearest witch.
There wasn't much left to do. It would take a while before the waters reached the elevated doors of the barn and chicken coop, but Makoto got to duct taping the doors shut as soon as he was done feeding them. He figured if the chickens were smart enough to have a concept of animosity, and if Pixy Dust endured Bo Peep, then they could weather a hurricane just fine.
So Makoto watched the rain cascade off the eaves of his house from the porch for the next day, watching the shingles of his roof float around aimlessly. But after a while, he was struck to get up. The pineapples were doomed to face a mushy uprooting soon. They still weren't ripe, and were for the most part learning to float.
Makoto found himself splashing around the pineapple bog, grumbling a couple of curse words in the knee high water as he scrutinized what was left of the field. Everything came up with either a ruined pineapple, or one that wasn't ripe.
Out of the what would be the whole harvest, he salvaged one pineapple, but Zack wouldn't even come around to purchase it. The following day was the same as the hurricane slowly fizzled into a wash-out. On the start of the forth day it ceased, and Makoto started an etude on his piano.
It collapsed onto one leg.
With Gotz inspecting the piano, Makoto sat on his stoop with a sigh and a sleeping Ein, staring hopelessly out at the bog that was once Strawberry Fields. His hens and Pixy Dust endured the storm without a hitch, and the house was still standing. With another sigh, he slumped his shoulders forward and tossed himself flat on his back, only to crash through the planks of the porch.
He held perfectly still, grumbling out a few more curse words with his face now inside the porch. Ein took no action, but gave his owner an acknowledging glance. From above, Makoto heard someone hopping up the stairs, and managed a muffled greeting.
"Whoever's there, buzz off!"
"Well, bottom of the morning to you too," came the reply, from Elli no less.
Makoto yanked his face out from the hole, and indeed, there was Elli's face in front of pale sky. He gave an acknowledging, slow wave, and came the question.
"What are you doing here?"
Elli let out a sigh, giving Makoto a glare.
"I don't know, just maybe checking up on you?" she answered, folding her arms.
With a shrug, Makoto muttered out a response. "I'm dandy."
And without time for a reaction, Gotz stepped out of the house with a grim expression, sending it in Makoto's direction. For a moment, both Makoto and Elli waited for the carpenter to speak.
"Makoto, you have a termite infestation," Gotz announced as he gave the door a shove shut. Makoto stared up at him with nothing in reply, not even giving a glance to the door that finally decided to collapse inward.
Gotz continued.
"It's pretty severe, so I'm gong to have to rebuild most of the house." He paused. "Guess you can get a room at the Inn for… about a season." He headed down the stairs. "Get your stuff out before the afternoon, and I'll start work ASAP."
They watched him leave.
"Great," Makoto groaned as he pulled himself off the stoop. He wandered out onto the fields, hands in his pockets in a slouch. Looking up at the sky, he let out another groan. "Luckily I'm not losing much in that house… 'cept for the piano."
Elli followed him out, splashing through the bog as Makoto continued.
"But I have no money, I have no house, my soil is ruined…" He let out a sigh, knowing not to name the last item on that list. "What am I gonna do?"
Elli's eyes fell with a sigh, and Makoto turned to face her.
"Look," he said. "You don't have to hang around. I'm not fond of pity." Again, she said nothing in reply and turned her gaze up, Makoto going on. "I guess I can build myself a mud castle," he muttered, digging his foot into the mud.
For a moment, he let out another sigh, and continued to wander. But he slowed down, and held his head up.
"Or I could…" he said half-aloud. "Perpetuate the Asian stereotype… and grow rice."
He looked down at the almost knee-high marsh, and looked back up at Elli, who was whole-heartedly baffled.
"Well," he said. "Gotta get to work."
----------
Doug and Ann were in nothing less of shock when they found out Makoto had to stay at the Inn, Makoto shrugging with their questions. Finally, Makoto was up in his room with his canvas bag tossed on the bed on one side, and Cliff sitting on the bed with his guitar on the other.
"Hey," Cliff greeted, stopping to give a quick wave. Makoto nodded, muttering incomprehensible about rice as he headed back out the door. Ein stayed behind, slumping down at the foot of Cliff's bed.
And Makoto came into the empty Supermarket the same way, passing by the display of sweet potato, eggplant, and carrot seeds. He came up to the counter, slapping a small pouch of gold before Jeff.
"Rice, and enough of it to cover the field."
Jeff looked up with his usual meek expression and a newfound wan shade.
"We don't stock rice here," he replied weakly. "I'd have to order it for you."
Makoto shrugged. "Okay. Just as long as it comes fast."
--------
Makoto never did notice that most every window in town was smashed, but the angry mob of villagers certainly acknowledged the fact. They marched down the streets of the town, of course led by Duke, and clutched any bludgeon they could find in their homes. Duke strung them down to the beach, and they stood around with looks as vacant as the setting.
"He's not here!" Manna moaned. "I guess we'll have to look somewhere else."
There were a couple of grumbles that sunk into the ground, a few about Manna. But from somewhere around came the flash of yellow.
"THERE HE IS!!" Duke erupted, his face overly ripe. Won yelped in response, dashing and scurrying up the wall that lead back up to the town square. The mob scrambled around before finally straightening out and zooming up the stairs after him.
Won cut a diagonal path through the town square, passing the sanctuary the church could have offered and a waving Carter. The mob soon followed, leaving Carter with a shrug as he got back to sweeping the path to the church entrance.
His shrieks got the Doctor to look up from his desk, and then just shrug and take a sip of his coffee. Won rounded up to the Supermarket just as Makoto stepped out, taking the lanky boy straight down to the cobblestone. Won wriggled his way out of Makoto's long limbs, leaving the dazed farmer boy to be trampled by the mob.
Instinctively, the mob dispersed into every possible direction, passing a huge oak tree two ways without shifting their focus. After the coast looked clear, Won poked his head out of the tree, his cap and braid dropping to the ground. With a mutter, he jumped down, snatched up his hat, and bounded off to sanctuary in the nearest building, the library.
He was only to be chased out by a silently fuming Gray, and once Won was out of sight, Gray pulled the brim of his cap low and went back inside with a huff.
From ahead came Barley, smoke pouring out of his ears. Once Won took notice to the pair of sheep shearers the old man wielded, he let out a puppy dog yelp and took off in the other direction keeping one hand to defend himself from the sheer thought.
He jumped over the low fence of the Inn, coming to a spacious back yard. Cliff was fiddling around with a guitar riff from upstairs, but Won's focus came to Ann and the Louisville Slugger she gripped. Without a thought, Won shoved past her and towards the front entrance to the Inn. He yanked open the doors, leaving no time for them to shut as Ann barreled in and found him dashing up the stairs.
Doug hopped out from the first room in an attempt to trip Won, but the rat jumped and dashed into the second room. He heard the slugger smash into the doorframe, nearly taking his fake braid with it, and he frantically unlatched the window. Just as Ann took another swing, Won plowed out the window.
He was graciously caught by Officer Harris. For a moment, Won stared up into the constable's loveable brown eyes with a chuckle, Harris retaliating with an admonishing glare. All until Ann came plummeting down, bat ready to slug. She took Harris and Won down with a muddy tackle, and Won took the chance to slip away. It took a near minute for Harris and Ann to come to their senses, and when they finally did, Won was far off. Ann gripped her bat and continued the chase, and Harris followed with the harsh toot of his whistle.
Won managed to find his way to Strawberry Fields, dashing past the flooded fields. He crossed the small bridge over the river, and no one could figure out where he went.
They eventually gave up, knowing their windows had to be fixed.
--------
Makoto dragged his legs with an uneven gait through town, bruises and scrapes poking out from his short sleeves. He passed the houses, and past the vineyard where Manna was idly staring at the vines. As Makoto passed with a groan, she spun around.
"Makoto!" she exclaimed, Makoto's back to her. With a grumble, Makoto turned around, and seeing Manna's hand drawing him forward forced him to remember his sentencing.
It was the last day of summer.
"Could I ask you a favor?" she asked, putting on a smile. Makoto shrugged. "Duke never wants me asking anyone at all now, but it's harvest time, and I know Duke doesn't like this, but you know, we really, really need help with the harvest!" Makoto had no time to react. "Now, could you drop by around the fourteenth, and bring someone else too??" Makoto half-way nodded. "We've been short on help ever since… well…" She trailed, looking away.
"Fine," Makoto piped up. Manna certainly was relieved.
"Oh, thank you so much! You're a dear!"
"Uh-huh."
Summer drizzled and fizzled out.
"I'm getting worried. My money's running out, and I still haven't found a job here. Makoto gave me a good pay, but that's only a temporary relief. I know he doesn't have enough money to pay me again. Ann and Doug have been great to me, giving me free meals and all, but I can't take the room for free. I don't know what I'll do. Pretty soon, I'll be broke."
--From Cliff's Journal
Cliff shut his journal, his forlorn sigh echoing all the way through the cavernous church. He turned his gaze up to the stained glass windows all around, getting lost in the spectrum of lights that crept over his face.
--------
Oh dear, a storm.
Thanks to Zomaelgustar the Wanker, who shall rightfully receive his cookie. A big, yummy, chocolate chip cookie.
Knowing this is a little late, Anime26Angel, but I hope you enjoyed the trip.