Two Towns and a Mountain of Mistakes
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Hello everyone! I feel that I should reintroduce myself as it has been a lifetime since I've uploaded anything. My name is Sarah and I first joined FanFiction in 2009! I am now 24 and still have a passion for creative writing and the adorable world of Harvest Moon. I last updated this story in 2015 and then life just got in the way of my writing. I still play Harvest Moon in my spare time and I love that this is a platform that I can unleash my imagination on! A lot of my stories were written by baby me and some of them make me want to cringe but I am definitely not going to delete them as I am still proud of the time and effort I devoted to them way back then. This is one story that I have been dying to continue as I have so many ideas for where it is heading. I hope I can pick up some new readers who are willing to catch up with the last 5 chapters, some Tale of Two Towns fans like myself! Anyway, I would really appreciate if you could read and review, It would mean so much to me as I try to get back into the flow of writing regularly. I hope you enjoy chapter 6!
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Chapter 6
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It was a chilly Sunday morning in Konohana. As the wind blew, the last few remaining leaves floated gently down from the now very sparse branches- a sure sign that winter was almost here. The harvest was finally finished and the last of Lillian's crops had been packed into crates and sealed. She was immensely proud of her yield and all her hard, tiresome work from the past weeks had paid off, even if it had meant some time in solitude.
Ever since her date with Dirk, Lillian's mind had been swimming. She had almost been grateful for the work load to clear her head! Her feelings for Cam were indisputable… torturous! But what could she do? She relayed how comfortable Dirk made her feel juxtaposed to how nervous Cam made her feel… but nervous is what she wanted. That heart fluttering, stomach flipping excitement that they talk about in movies, she felt it. So what did that make Dirk? The hopeless best friend?
Lillian had not seen nor heard from Cam since the Moon Viewing and the irregularity of their encounters always caused her to overthink. She wondered if this is the way things would always be, if this was as far as things would go. She frequently dreamt about their embrace, almost as if the sensation of his touch was tattooed on her skin.
She gazed vacantly out the window running her comb gently through her sandy hair, wincing as it snagged on the wind induced knots from her morning's work. For a second her mind wandered to her barren fields and how she must soon visit Gombe for her Winter wheat seeds.
Just at that moment, the door knocked heartily and Lillian's shoulders leapt with the anticipated surprise of a visitor. Grabbing her faithful brown overcoat with haste she flew to the door. A playful gust swirled in blowing back her freshly combed locks.
'Hey!' She chirped, her eyes twinkling in the low morning sun.
Dirk stood in the doorway, beaming from ear to ear. A red hue unashamedly spread across his face. He accepted he would never grow accustomed to her natural beauty. The subtle tint of pink the cold left on the tip of her nose and cheeks was the only makeup she would ever need.
'Ready to go?' He said, patting the top of a stack of cardboard boxes precariously propped up at his side.
The eager-to-please delivery boy felt a knot of anxiety in the pit of his stomach, but he wouldn't let Lillian know as much. He knew he was taking a risk and he had already played through five different permeations of potential arguments with Ina in his head. It would be worth it though… If it made Lillian happy.
'Sure am!' She replied. Her eyes moved to the pile of boxes and she raised a brow inquisitively. 'You have a plan?'
Dirk let out a nervous chuckle, tousling his hair and repositioning his signature burgundy hat.
'Well,' He began 'I managed to gather up some of the not so aesthetic vegetables that had been filtered out of the shipment box! Ash from Bluebell is always so appreciative of them for his animals, and Howard from the café always uses some for his autumnal soups!'
The corners of Lillian's mouth formed a small smile at these notions. It appeared the people of Bluebell were only too happy to receive such a gift from Konohana, regardless of whether Ina knew or not.
'They know that I do it as a favour… Ina would have my head if she knew. Bluebell use majority of their land for animal grazing so they don't have much left for crops.' Dirk continued.
Lillian shook her head in dismay. The towns could benefit so much from trading with each other. The light that shone in Dirk went beyond such a rivalry and Lillian found this part of him to be so admirable. He wanted her to form her own opinion of Bluebell and it's citizens, for that was the only way this rift could somehow, someday, end.
'That's so thoughtful of you Dirk, such a sweet gesture!' Dirk bowed his head bashfully.
'They're not bad folk, just misunderstood. Come on, we should get going while it's still early. Most of the Bluebell citizens will be at church when we get there so you should be able to have a good look without causing too much of a stir.'
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The pair chatted idly as they lugged the boxes of veggies up the mountain side. The anticipation of finally seeing Bluebell had Lillian's stomach in knots. Would it be everything she pictured? Cam strangely hadn't mentioned much about his hometown, at least he never went into detail. Her mind often painted up images of what his floristry might be like, where he sat when he wrote his letters to her, where he went after their meetings.
A harsh wind blew over the peak that day and an occasional snowflake swirled past having danced down from the heavy silver clouds. The cold nipped at Lillian's face and fingers, but it was nothing new to her.
Dirk glanced over his shoulder, his brunette bangs blowing across his eyes. His gaze caught hers for a second and his heart leapt. Her smile and laughter as the wind tousled them was so refreshing.
'Not much further!' He called back to her, readjusting his hold on the boxes. She nodded in acknowledgement. This is it! She thought excitedly.
As they approached the foot on Bluebell's side the weather eased and the sun peeked out between the clouds. Cobble stones began to appear just ahead on the path and the air smelt sweeter somehow.
Dirk stopped beneath a large oak tree and set the boxes down for a brief rest. Hands on his hips he breathed heavily, chuckling at Lillian who looked equally exhausted.
'I'm nervous,' Lillian exclaimed, 'What if this goes horribly wrong? I don't want to get you into serious trouble!'
'Sometimes you have to take a leap of faith right?' He responded. He could see the angst in her eyes and his brow furrowed. He approached her, his jade gaze dropping to her small, delicate hand taking it into his own. Lillian froze at his touch and looked up to meet his comforting visage. She felt instantly calm and this took her by surprise. What is going on with you Lillian?! Her mind raced. Dirk was becoming a very close friend of hers, and whilst she knew his feelings for her were more than just a friendship, she couldn't quite categorise how she felt in return. Things were easy with him. 'It's all going to be fine. I've got this…It'll be fun and quick!' She could tell he was trying to make light of the situation and she appreciated his attempts.
They gathered up the boxes and continued down the path towards a large, beautifully carved wooden sign. Beside the sign were two large stone pillars with busts of animals sitting proudly atop.
Welcome to Bluebell!
'Ash's farm isn't far from here, we'll go there first.' Dirk stated, watching Lillian as she glanced around both with intrigue and concern.
'It's…beautiful!' She uttered. She was looking so hard she could barely take it all in.
The most quaint, peaceful and picturesque town she ever did see. Even with Winter about to take hold, Bluebell still seemed so vibrant. Milk churns sat beneath the bare cherry trees, the paths lined by beautiful white picket fences and old stone walls.
Lillian released a sharp gasp and quickly ducked her head behind one of the boxes she held as a small girl with long auburn hair tied into two bouncy pigtails came running frantically down the path. Her shiny black paten shoes clacked on the cobble stones and she fixed at her red ribbons fiercely so they sat just so.
'Hey Dirk!' She panted as she flew past, skidding around the corner and scurrying up to the most idyllic little church. She paused briefly at the door, smoothing down her dress before heaving open the door and slipping in.
Dirk chuckled under his breath as Lillian peeked hesitantly around the side of the box.
'That's just Cheryl, Ash's little sister! Late for church it would appear.'
'Do you think she noticed me?' Lillian whispered.
'Definitely not! Come on Lillian, you are going to be seen, I'm going to introduce you to Ash and Howard anyway.'
Lillian gulped. This is what she wanted after all and she hated how cowardly she was being. If Dirk was chilled about it then so should she. They were there now anyway so she may as well make the most of it.
They continued on the path eventually coming to some little stone cottages. Vines crept over the walls and their shop signs squeaked softly as they swung in the breeze. The town was totally still and almost sleepy, typical of a Sunday morning Dirk had mentioned.
'Ash is usually in the barn.' Dirk spoke up, leading them towards a blue roofed out building with an adjoining pasture. Some cows moo'd gently, nibbling on the fresh grass and swishing their tails in contentment. Lillian couldn't help but smile as the only livestock in Konohana was Kana's horses.
As they entered the barn a sweet smell of hay swirled in her nostrils, another unfamiliar sensation, and a cloud of dust hung in the air partially concealing the silhouette of a young man with a pitch fork. Dirk shot Lillian a reassuring smile and winked at her, and she somehow felt more settled.
'Hey Ash! Some carrots for ya!' Dirk called out. The man turned with delight and let out a loud guffaw.
'Ah Dirk! That's fantastic pal!' Ash exclaimed, throwing down his pitchfork and hurrying over to accept the boxes. His eyes instantly met Lillian's and she smiled sheepishly. She recognised Ash from the cooking competitions but they had of course never met formally. Tall and lean in stature, with turquoise blue eyes and light ginger hair hidden beneath a red plaid beret, Ash, although a little shocked at first, returned a friendly smile. 'And who might you be?' He inquired.
Lillian opened her mouth to respond but Dirk cut in, 'This is Lillian! She's a vegetable farmer in K-Konohana.' He fumbled over the latter part of the sentence, those nerves he had been harbouring himself scratching at the surface.
Ash's eyes grew wide with a look of realisation but he quickly shook it off and reached out a gloved hand toward her.
'Cool! It's always nice to see a new face round here… doesn't happen too often though. I'm Ash it's great to meet ya!' Lillian set down her boxes and engaged in his exuberant hand shake. 'Sorry about the dirty gloves, although I'm sure you're not a stranger to mud being a fellow farmer.'
Quite thrown off by how welcoming and enthusiastic Ash was towards her, Lillian found herself a little tongue tied. She wondered how anyone could find a reason to dislike somebody like Ash, a further consolidation to her theory that Konohana's spite at Bluebell was not at the individuals but instead a learned behaviour from their ancestors.
'It's so nice to meet you Ash, I'm just helping Dirk with some deliveries today.' She finally spluttered. Dirk smiled softly, proud of her courage.
'Awesome, I'm surprised Ina agreed to that! Hey I really appreciate the veg though, my livestock look forward to this every year!' The pair grimaced at the mention of their mayor but decided not to address the matter.
'You're welcome!' They harmonised, glancing at each other and laughing.
Ash folded his arms and looked back and forth between the two, clearly trying to come up with some sort of narrative.
'Well we'd better get going!' Dirk spoke up, 'We have another delivery to do and then we have to be getting home.' Ash nodded understandingly.
'Well thanks for stopping by! It was a pleasure to meet you Lillian, I hope to see you around here more often!' Lillian smiled and nodded, she wished it was that easy. She could already picture herself making regular trips to Bluebell, making new friends and taking in the lifestyle.
Dirk picked up the remaining boxes and Ash waved them off as they headed further into the town.
Lillian ran excitedly ahead a little, she was feeling more confident after their positive encounter with Ash. A beautiful water fountain to the right of a spacious courtyard shimmered in the sunlight and caught her eye.
'Oh wow!' She gasped, running over and watching in awe as the water cascaded from the spout. She spun around and took in a deep breath, her nose filling with the fresh scent of Winter Honeysuckle. The window boxes on all the buildings were laden with blooming seasonal flowers, and large trees grew high into the sky around the town centre, the sun shining through their bare branches. Bluebell was incredibly well maintained by it's citizens, and their love for it was evident in it's perfect landscape. Lillian of course by no means thought less of Konohana, it was just so very different.
'Howard's is just off the Plaza.' Dirk said, pointing ahead to a set of stone steps.
'This place is a dream!' Lillian sang, 'Dirk don't you love that you can come here so often?' Dirk smiled and nodded. He did feel a little guilty too, almost a sense that they were betraying their hometown that he equally loved, or that he was leading Lillian astray somehow, but he couldn't help but agree that Bluebell was picture perfect.
As they entered the Plaza they headed towards a quaint restaurant with a yellow and red fringed canopy hanging proudly over the entrance. "Howard's Café" was painted in swirling italics across a sandwich board with a delicious looking menu below.
It was just then the most intoxicating aroma hit her… one she felt she recognised. Her amethyst eyes scanned around until they connected with a little market stall. Long vases stood along the counter top brimming with blooms of different species, as well as a plethora of tools and ribbons. Her heart rate began to quicken. Could it be?
'Hey…what's that over there?' She asked, looking to Dirk who was stacking the remaining boxes outside the café door. He dusted off his hands and followed her gaze to the unaccompanied stall.
'Oh, that's the florist's stall! It's a guy called Cam who owns it, he's pretty quiet.' Dirk replied matter-of-factly. Lillian's stomach had started to flip. She was so distracted by the town she almost forgot about the possibility of running into Cam, and there it was! His flower stand that he'd told her about on several of their encounters, just as cute as he had described. She was about to head over for a closer look when Dirk spoke up, 'You ready to go in? Church will be finished soon so we better keep moving.'
Lillian complied and hurried over to his side as he pushed open the door and held it for her.
The café was so cosy and inviting, Lillian instantly pictured herself having a warm cup of tea on a Winter's day and engaging in chit chat with the owner. The smell of freshly baked pie hung in the air and a huge clock on the wall ticked soothingly. They approached the counter but nobody seemed to be in.
'Huh, maybe they're at church,' Dirk said reaching out and dinging the bell by the till a couple of times in an attempt to attract someone's attention. 'I can always leave a note.'
Lillian felt a little relieved, maybe just meeting Ash was enough for today.
'HELLO?' Dirk called out, 'ANYONE IN? I HAVE A DELIVERY!'
Just as they were about to leave, a door towards the back of the restaurant opened.
'Hey Dirk wait-' Lillian froze, lips slightly parted, eyes locked on the face she knew all too well. Cam clocked her instantly and stopped mid sentence, his eyes wide in disbelief.
A heat broke out across the farmer's cheeks and her eyes dropped to her hands which began fumbling nervously with her apron. She peeked up at him from under her lashes, trying to hold back a smile.
Completely oblivious to the situation, Dirk raised a hand and waved at the awe-struck florist who was still trying to work out the scenario which had greeted him in his own home this Sunday morning.
'Oh, hey Cam!' Dirk said, 'We were just dropping off the vegetables for Howard's soups, he must be at church I gather?'
Cam's eyes hadn't left Lillian for a second, he couldn't believe she was here… in Bluebell! Delivering vegetables?
A moment of awkward silence caused Dirk to look back to Lillian who was visibly blushing and awkwardly gnawing her bottom lip. She wanted to run to him and tell him how amazing Bluebell is and how wonderful his shop looks but instead she just stood there, frozen in the strange circumstances of the situation.
'Ehh, this is Lillian!' Dirk continued 'She's a vegetable farmer from Konohana, she's just helping me with my deliveries today.' Little did Dirk know he'd been delivering letters back and forth between the pair for some time.
Cam smirked, his emerald eyes glinting at the hilarity of this encounter.
'Nice to meet you, Lillian.' Cam uttered, his smooth tone sending goosebumps up her arms as he spoke her name.
'The pleasure is mine.' Lillian replied, looking away so as to hide the smile she was fighting. Cam was completely charmed by how shy she appeared when not on neutral ground like they usually were. He had grown accustomed to her electric personality so it was a treat to see this side to her.
Dirk looked back and forth between the two, he could tell something was up. Reaching out he placed a hand on Lillian's shoulder in an attempt to settle her for fear that she was feeling uncomfortable. Dirk always knew the florist to be a little brooding and intimidating, so he wasn't all that enthralled that he was one of her first encounters in Bluebell.
Cam's eyes locked to where Dirk's hand was placed and he shifted agitatedly where he stood.
'The boxes are just outside Cam, can you let Howard know I was here?'
Breaking his trance, Cam nodded, 'Can you bring them through to the kitchen? Howard would appreciate that.' He asked. Always willing to please, Dirk agreed and turned to head out to grab the boxes.
Lillian sniggered as soon as he left the room, her hand clasping over her own mouth so Dirk wouldn't hear.
'What are you doing here?!' Cam whispered, a huge grin spreading across his face.
'I had to see this place for myself!' She whispered back. At that point the café door swung open again and Dirk struggled in with the boxes piled high in his arms.
Cam grabbed a notepad from the counter and began scribbling furiously as Dirk carefully took the delivery through the galley door. He ripped it off the pad and folded it several times before slipping it discretely into Lillian's hand. As their fingers touched Lillian could feel herself weaken at the knees, his scent engulfing her. She slipped the note into her apron pocket, looking up at him a little lost for words. He winked at her from under his peak cap and made his way back towards the door he had emerged from.
As Dirk reappeared the sound of a distant bell began to chime across the tranquil town. Lillian gasped and looked to Dirk with fright.
'We have to go!' She squeaked, Dirk looked equally panicked, 'We really don't need to cause a scene today!'
With one final glance back at the florist who stood, arms folded leaning against the doorway, the pair fled the café.
The church bell tolled again, almost a countdown to when majority of the town would start to flood back into the streets, discussing this morning's sermon.
'We better hurry!' Dirk uttered, grabbing Lillian by the hand and picking up the pace. Looking down to where his hand tightly grasped hers, Lillian's heart thudded in her chest. What sort of mess was she getting herself into?
They ran down the cobbled streets, one hand holding his hat to his head, the other towing Lillian behind him. The pillars were finally in sight and the path wound on ahead to the Mountain summit, the cobbles lessening as it progressed. She glanced back one last time as they passed over the Bluebell threshold.
Will I ever be back? She thought.
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