HEY! I edited it so it's a little easier to read. Anyway, back to regular info: the guy in my game who marries Karen is named Li, so throughout this fic, he's name is Li. Hey that rhymed.
DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harvest Moon, Nastume or whatever does. Don't sue; I have only gum in my pocket.
The fic is in Karen's POV (point of view). I'm going to give the main chars last names, but they may be really stupid, so deal with it. Karen Lock, Ann Green (it makes more sense than Whethersfield), Elli Taylor, Popuri Taft, Maria Pastula, Li Bower, Cliff Gold, Jeff (the baker guy I think) Jackson, and Harris Jones. Well, I'll shut up so you all can read the fic.
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"Karen! C'mere!" yelled Ann. We were in Flower Bud Village to check on Elli's mother. I didn't really know her too much, but Ann was a people person. Not saying I'm not, but I only get along with people who earn my respect, or deserve it. But I ran over anyway.
"Hello Mrs. Taylor, how are you feeling today?" asked Ann, putting on a sweet voice.
"Oh… I'm fine, Alexandra," answers Elli's grandma.
"Alexandra was my mother's name, I'm Ann," said Ann, trying hard to keep a sweet voice. I rolled my eyes. She does that every time. Elli came over and started talking to Ann. I got bored and looked around the puny town. If my life doesn't get any better, I'm moving to the city. Suddenly, Mayor Pastula walks in with someone I've never seen before. He had a backwards hat, brown hair, and cute little overalls. He looked at me as he passed, and I returned his gaze. He blushed and turned his head. The mayor took him into the other side of town, and Ann said we could go now. We went to her ranch and just kind of chilled there.
Ann's brother Gray walked over and said, "I hear there's someone taking over the Moon Farm. ((That's the name of the farm in my game)) I saw him with the mayor this morning. It's his first day here, I think."
"Taking over the Moon farm? What makes him think he can do that?" I asked. I liked old Mr. Bower. He was nice, he let me dance in his field if I wanted, and I would help him out sometimes. He wouldn't get mad at me if I dropped any of the eggs either. No stupid guy is going to take over his farm in the blink of an eye.
"It's his grandson," answered Gray. Oh, that explains it. Well, I guess if he's just as nice as Mr. Bower was, I won't mind it. As if on cue, the boy I had seen earlier came in with the mayor.
"And this is Green Ranch. Oh hi, those two are Ann and Gray Green. Is your father here?" asked the mayor.
"Yeah, but he's kind of busy," answered Ann.
"Oh, well this is Li Bower. He's going to revive the Moon Farm," replied Mayor Pastula.
"Good luck, that farm is trashed worse than the vineya—," Gray started, but stopped himself. I glared at him. He was about to say vineyard. If you are clueless, I work at a vineyard, and it's the only vineyard in Flower Bud.
"What was that?" I asked, annoyed.
"Nothing," answered Gray, walking into the field. I looked back at the mayor and uh, what's his name? Oh yeah, Li.
"And that is Karen Lock. She works at the vineyard I pointed out earlier," said Mayor Pastula. Li nodded his head and I tossed my hair. Ann saw my movements and nudged me. "You like him?" she whispered.
"No, I had to fix my hair," I answered sharply. I don't believe this twerp can take over the Moon Farm. He'll never be as good as golden Mr. Bower! Li and the mayor walked out of the ranch after the mayor pointed out where the beach was. I too left; I had a bone to pick with my father.
"Dad! Our vineyard is a wreck! Even Gray Green says so! You have get with the program dad!" I yelled. My father put his whiskey down and stood up.
"We've taken action already! We got Kai, right? Plus you, your mother, and me we can do the work," said my father, and then he sipped his whiskey. I took it from him.
"You're spending all of your money on drinks! Maybe when we get more money in, then you can drink all you want! I have to work at the bar to get the money to pay Kai his earnings! Maybe you should consider helping out with some stuff at the bar so we can keep the house!" I yelled back.
"Karen! Do not raise your voice to me!" my dad shouts.
"Forget this!" I yell, walking out of the house. I hear my father come out of the house too. "Karen!"
"Try being a responsible father!" I yell as I run out of the vineyard. I see Li on my way, but I ignore him.
"What a horrible daughter!" yells my father. I run to the beach making sure Ann doesn't see me. I sit in the sand and look out toward the ocean and I listen to the waves. I put my head on my knees and cry.
In the morning, I get bathed and dressed, and ate breakfast. I went outside and went to the tree in the back of the vineyard and prayed.
"Please Grandmother, we need help! The vineyard is in trouble, I'm afraid we'll lose it!" I pray to the tree. I look at the tree and then walk to the wine house. I pace back and forth thinking about what to do. I don't even notice Li walk into the vineyard. I notice him when he taps my shoulder. I turn around with a harsh, "What?" and Li steps back.
"Uh, hi, Ann said you knew my grandfather," he says. I look at him and then say, "Yeah, I knew Mr. Bower. He was pretty cool."
"Yeah, I remember him only a little. I used to help my grandfather a lot when I was young. I had a bunch of friends here, only I don't really remember them because of…never mind. I do remember one time I slept at my grandpa's house and I couldn't sleep. I thought I saw something out the window so I looked. You might think this is weird, but I saw someone dancing under a harvest moon. The moon made the figure look like she, I think it was a she, was dancing with the wind. I know it's strange," replies Li. I looked at him. That was me. I always used to dance in Mr. Bower's field. He saw me dancing in the moonlight. Dancing with the wind.
"Yeah, well, I have to get back to work, so I can't talk," I say, and then I walk into the wine house.
"Is something wrong Miss Karen?" asks Kai. Oops, I forgot he was in here.
"No, nothing," I answer. I look out the window to see if Li is gone. He just left. I walk out of the house and follow him. He walks into the entrance of the Moon Farm. I stay at the fence as he plays with his dog, but then gets to work. The dog spots me so I run.
"Karen!" yells Ann as I run into Green Ranch.
"Yeah?"
"Who's that Cliff guy?"
"Huh?"
"That guy in the woods."
"I dunno."
"He says he's a traveler and a hunter."
"So was my granddaddy."
"Hey, did you see Li?"
I hesitated.
"Yeah."
"What do you think of him?"
"I dunno."
"I'm not sure about him either. My daddy says he won't last a month in that farm. It's really run down. Unless he is blessed by a goddess, he's out of luck."
"I don't believe that."
"What? But you totally believe in goddesses!"
"I don't mean that, I mean I bet he can do it if he really tries. If he's an idiot, than he won't last."
"Yeah."
The next morning, or Thursday, I went to look for this Cliff guy. I want to meet him. On my way, I saw Popuri. Someone shoot me. I can't stand Popuri.
"Oh hiii, Karen! How are you? What do you think about that new guy?" she asks, in her annoying voice.
"Which one, Cliff or Li?" I ask, not knowing why I even talk to her.
"Like, Li is all I'm interested in. I don't know that other guy, what was his name?" asks Popuri.
"Cliff," I answer.
"What?" asks a voice behind me. I turn around to see a man with dark brown hair with blonde streaks in it.
"Oh are you Cliff?" I ask. He nods. "Oh. Wait a second; I had a cousin named Cliff. What was your grandmother's name?"
"Cassandra."
"You ARE my cousin! I'm Karen!"
"Karen? You live here?"
"Yeah!"
"Cool!"
"Like totally!" Popuri adds. Li walks in chasing his dog. The dog runs up to Cliff.
"Hey there! What's your name?" Cliff asks.
"His name is Pika. My brother named it. It was--," started Li, but I finished.
"Your grandfather's, right?"
"Yeah." I nodded and Popuri stepped up to Li.
"Hiiii! I'm Popuri, from the Flower Shop! Nice to meet you!" She shook his hand, said bye to all of us, and then left.
"Good, now only sensible people are here," I sighed. Li laughs and Cliff says, "Hey, I'm going fishing, see ya Karen." He walks out of the woods too. I stand with Li and he hands me some Very Berries.
"Kyaaaaa! I love this! Thank you so much!" I exclaim. I look at Li and Pika barks a couple of times at a squirrel, breaking me out of my stupor. I couldn't stay any longer.
"Hey, I gotta go, bye," I say. I then speed walk outta there.
That night, I have to work at the bar. I walk to the bar and inside I see Harris, Kai, Gray, and Ann.
"Hey Ann," I say. She waves and then sips some more liquor. Although I knew it would happen, it made me angry, but Li walked in. He greeted some of the guys and went to the bartender. He didn't notice me. After he gets his liquor, I turn to hide my face. Li goes over and sits with Kai and Harris.
"Phew," I whisper. Popuri's dad walks in and sits by me.
"Hey Karen, could you get me a beer?" he asks.
"Sure," I say, hoping Li didn't hear him say my name. I walk to the bartender with the money Mr. Taft gave me to get the beer. Li, of course, chooses that time to get another liquor. He says, "Hi." I didn't want to talk to him so I said with a look, "Don't talk to me so much!" I could tell he was hurt a bit, but I walked around him and handed Mr. Taft his beer and his change. Li sat down with Kai and Harris again and I went up to the bartender.
"I need some really strong liquor, fast."
I walk home a little dizzy. I had three drinks of really strong stuff, and I'm paying the price now. I stumble but regain my balance. I am happy that Li left at 11:30; I didn't have to push him out of the bar like I might have to with Kai. I didn't want to go home right away. I wanted to go to the beach. I don't know why, I just wanted to go there. So I did. When I got there, Li was sitting on the deck. I walked over to the shore and sat down. Li either didn't notice me or he was ignoring me.
"Li?" I asked. He didn't stir.
"Li?" I asked, a little louder this time. He turned his head and looked at me.
"I…I'm sorry about shutting you up like that. I'm not sure how to act around guys. No wonder I don't have a boyfriend," I say, my eyes down at the sand.
"It's all right. I was hanging around you a bit, wasn't I?" Li replied. I didn't answer. "I just want to know about my grandfather. I had an accident when I was fifteen. I was playing near a cliff with my little brother and I slipped and fell down the hill. I didn't wake up for another three hours, and I didn't know anything. My mom's a therapist and she helped me through the next year remembering everything. There were some things I remembered, but the worst of it was my mom was never with me when I was at my grandfather's so I never remembered anything about my visits."
I looked down. Poor guy.
"And yet," he continued, "I only remember the dancing figure."
I looked up at him.
"Li, that dancing figure was me. I used to go to your grandfather's house all of the time and dance. I want to leave Flower Bud and become a professional dancer. But I can't leave because the vineyard is in horrible shape."
"Don't leave."
I looked at Li, puzzled. He went on, "You are the only person who really knows my grandfather, right?"
"Well, the adults knew him, but I'm the only kid that was really close to him. I was so mad when he died."
"Yeah, so could you at least stay until I now about my grandfather better and your vineyard is back to normal?" I looked up at the moon. It was a full moon. I like full moons and crescent moons. Anyway, Li was asking me to stay? I didn't understand it, but my mouth opened and spoke.
"I guess I will," my mouth said. Li smiled and said, "What's your name?"
"Karen Lock." Li nodded, thanked me, and then left the beach. I stood there, looking out upon the waves, wanting the Sea Goddess to tell me why I chose to tell a stranger I would stay for him. All I got back were the sounds of waves.
It was now Summer 1st, and tonight would be the fireworks display. I paced around outside of the wine house. I didn't know whether or not to ask Li to go to the fireworks. I ran back into the house and called Ann.
"I knew it! I knew you liked him!" Ann exclaimed as I told her my dilemma.
"No, it's not that, I just don't know what to," I replied.
"Ask him. I'll hold Popuri back so she can't ask him. My brother will probably ask her any who. Go right now and ask him!" Ann answered.
"Okay, thank you," I said.
"No problem, Mrs. Karen Bower," replied Ann, laughing. Although it had a nice ring to it, I was pissed.
"Ann!"
We said our goodbyes and then I hung up. It would be 6:00 soon. I had to act fast. I ran to Li's house and he was cutting the grass.
"Hey Li!" I called. He looked up and looked happy to see me.
"Hey Karen," he said, walking up to me. We had become really good friends ((green heart)) and we flirted a little. At first I thought Li would be a completely serious-about-his-work guy, but he's happy-go-lucky. With all of the other girls, he's friendly ((blue heart)) although he's around Ann a lot because we are best friends and we are always hanging out.
"Hey Li, the fireworks display is tonight, wanna come with me to the beach to see them? You can see them best there," I asked.
"Sure," he replied. He brought his two chickens in (Mojo and Jojo :-D ) then brought Pika in. Then we walked to the beach together. I could feel my heart pound as we sat down close to each other at the beach. I pulled out some wine and Li laughed.
"You can't have Karen without wine," he said. I laughed too and then poured him some. I spilled because one of the fireworks went off and it made me jump. Li laughed again and I cleaned up the wine I had spilled on my legs.
"Oops," I giggled. Another firework went off and I saw it. It was very pretty, and it shimmered before it disappeared. I looked down at the ocean and saw the reflections of the fireworks. I pointed it out to Li and he smiled. The fireworks stopped for a short period of time and I unpacked a couple of sandwiches. I handed Li one.
"Did you put extra sand in it?" asked Li. I looked at him and he smiled.
"I'm not that bad at cooking, only Ann would do that," I laughed. Li laughed too and then a firework went off, making us both jump. We laughed and had another sip of wine. As the night went on, the cold began to blow in. I snuggled close to Li and continued to watch the fireworks. I could feel his heart pounding as hard as mine was.
After the fireworks were done. Li wanted to walk me home. I accepted and we walked out of the beach.
"Hey Karen?" Li asked as we exited Green Ranch.
"Yeah?" I replied. He stopped walking and faced me.
"I want to thank you for everything," he said.
"I didn't do anything," I replied, looking into his eyes. We started walking again and he said, "But you did. I know about my grandfather more now. I'm very happy, and plus, I've earned a best friend. Ann said to me once that you only gave your trust to someone who deserved it. I'm glad I managed to deserve it."
I smiled and said, "You've helped me too. I've learned to control my temper a bit more, although I still explode sometimes. The vineyard is doing a tiny bit better, although my dad still needs to work harder. But through the most part, you've helped me become what people call a people person. I used to ignore Maria or Elli all the time and I used to just be wrapped up in Ann, the vineyard, or myself. But now, I care whether or not Elli's nice grandma dies, and I care what Maria is reading and what it's about. I even go flower picking with Popuri sometimes, and I used to hate because she was such a ditz. She still is but the point is, I'm so glad I decided to stay. I'm becoming a better person because of you. Course then again, this could be the wine talking."
We laughed and we found ourselves at my door.
"Well, see you," I said, putting my hand on the doorknob to my house.
"Karen?" Li asked. I turned to him.
"I had a good night, thank you," he finished. I let go of the doorknob and said, "Anytime." We looked at each other and leaned forward. I closed my eyes and my lips touched Li's. He held me and I eventually broke the kiss.
"Good night," I said, blushing but happy as a bunny.
"Good night," he replied, blushing as well. He turned and left, and I walked into the house. I ran upstairs and into my room. I jumped on the bed and closed my eyes.
"Yes!!"
Two weeks later, I found that I couldn't get Li out of my mind (golden heart, I think). I woke up early, surprisingly, and I walked downstairs, made my breakfast, and walked outside. A little before dark, Li walked into the vineyard and I decided to show him the wine house. "Hey, I'll give you a tour!" I exclaimed, grabbing his hand and leading him into the house. I showed him the downstairs and he wanted some wine, but I wouldn't give him any of course. We walked upstairs and to my horror Li and I were locked in.
"Great," I moaned. Li looked around, as though he knew we could get out.
"Follow me," he said, and then grabbed my hand. He led me in back of one of the wine machines and we crawled out through the hole that was there. When we got out, it was nighttime.
"Thank you, Li. Has something happened like this before?" I asked.
"Yeah, it feels familiar," Li answered.
"I thought so, so do you remember me from your past?" I asked. Li looked up for a moment, and then exclaimed, "I saw it in a dream! Maybe my memory is coming back! Thank you, Karen!" He comes over and gives me a warm embrace, then picks me up.
"Whoa! Li!" I laugh. He puts me down and we say goodnight and goodbye, and he leaves.
The next morning, I wake up early and a little startled. I had a dream that I was hearing voices coming from the tree in the back of the vineyard.
"Karen…" I looked to the staircase but the voice was not coming from there. So I decided to get dressed quick and run outside.
"Karen…" beckoned the tree. I run but I trip and twist my ankle. The cries from the tree stop, but I cannot get up. Luckily, I see Li came in.
"Help!" I yell. Li sees me and runs over.
"What happened?"
"I…I don't know, I was walking here and I tripped." I lied to him because I don't think he would like me if I told him I was hearing voices from a tree. He picks me up.
"Oh! Li! You don't have to! I'll--," but Li silences me and walks to my house. My mother was inside.
"Oh, just rest her down here. Thank you very much, um," she says.
"I'm Li Bower," Li replies.
"Oh, well you're the boy who came in the spring. Well, thank you Li," my mother says. Li waves and says goodbye, then leaves. A little later that day, Ann came to see me.
"You klutz," says Ann, poking my leg.
"Shut it," I snap back at her. Ann laughs and then hands me something.
"Here, I couldn't give this to you yesterday because it was so busy at the ranch yesterday."
It is an amulet with a phrase on the back: "One of the most beautiful compensations of this life is that no one can sincerely try to help another without helping his or herself." ((A real phrase by Ralph Waldo Emerson o. ~))
"Wow, Ann, thanks! This is really cool!" I exclaim. On the front is a Sakura flower in front of a Tsunami. ((A Cherry Blossom and a Tidal Wave ~.o))
"What's up with the Sakura flower and the Tsunami?" I ask.
"The Sakura is for beauty, and the Tsunami is for power," explains Ann. "The phrase on the back refers to you and Li."
I looked at her but said nothing.
"Oh! Do I sense a BIG relationship happening here? Do tell!" exclaims Ann.
"No way, and not so loud, my father will overhear you," I say, cautiously.
"What? You haven't told him?" asked Ann.
"Are you CRAZY? Of course I haven't--"
"Haven't told me what Karen?" asked of course my father. I looked behind me and there he stood, arms crossed, and face angry.
"Nothing that concerns you," I said, boldly.
"Karen, tell me. If it's you, it MUST concern me," said my father.
"Well it doesn't," I replied.
"I'm sorry Miss Green, but can you go home? I have a bone to pick with my daughter," says my father. Ann whispered, "Sorry!" and then left.
"You better tell me what your up to if you want to go outside ever again besides to work," my father bickered.
"I'm going out with someone," I said.
"What?"
"I'm going out with someone! Li Bower! The one who brought me in this morning!"
"Behind my back?"
"Yeah, 'cause I knew you would overreact."
"WHAT?"
"You OVERREACT!"
My father looked at me and shook his head.
"You can't see Li anymore."
"What?"
"Not with the way you're acting!"
Tears formed in my eyes and gripped my amulet.
"You can't!"
"I can, and you are not to see him."
"No!" The tears streamed down my face. "Dad, no! Please! Take anything but him away from me!"
"No, my mind's made up. You can see him to tell him it's over, unless you want me to."
"I'll do it! I don't want you near him if I can't be!" After my dad left my room, I stuffed my face into my pillow and cried myself.
I knocked at Li's door the next morning. I rubbed my amulet.
"Please, Tsunami, give me strength," I whispered. Li came to the door in his nightclothes.
"Oh, Karen! Um, uh," he exclaimed. I laughed and then remembered my purpose for being here.
"Li, I need to tell you something," I said. He looked at me with a worried look but let me in. He sat down on his bed and I stood in front of him. I couldn't do it. I burst into tears and swung my arms around his neck.
"Li! My father is horrible! He's making me break up with you! But I don't want to! It's horrible! Please forgive me! As soon as my father stops overreacting so much, we can see each other again! I promise!" I cried.
He held me and said, "I understand. I saw your dad at the bar the other night. He was drunk, and he would yell at people for completely stupid things, like he yelled at Popuri's dad for not having a beard."
I laughed a bit but it hurt deep inside.
"I don't know how I'll last without you! You are my other half now! I hate my father!"
"Don't hate him. Hate is strong. I'm sure he'll definitely make it up to you."
"He better!"
Li laughed and leaned back so he could look into my eyes.
"It'll be a short time, and if anything, we can still sneak."
He winked and then kissed me again. I opened my mouth, inviting his tongue in. He gladly accepted and our tongues played around with each other. I felt no more sadness, knowing he would always love me. We didn't stop kissing until there was a knock on the door.
"My father," I said, sadly. "Well, goodbye."
Li looked at me with loving eyes and then whispered, "Meet me at the beach tonight at 10:00, if possible."
I nodded and opened the door. My dad looked inside Li's house. I don't know why, maybe to check to see if he had all of his clothes on. I giggled to myself and my dad led me out. I couldn't wait till 10:00!
I told my mom that I was really tired and I didn't want to be bothered in my sleep. This way, when my father got home from the bar, he wouldn't check my room. He'll probably be too drunk to even think about it anyway. I sat in bed reading a book Maria gave me. I glanced at my watch. 9:56. I put the book on my nightstand. Just in case my dad did look in, I stuffed a couple of stuffed animals and my extra pillow and shaped them looking like my body was curved, which was how I usually slept. I climbed out of the window and then placed my foot on the roof above the kitchen. I jumped down, only hurting a little, and then ran to the beach. Li stood on the deck and I called to him.
"Hey, you made it, good!" he exclaimed, jumping from the deck down to me. We hugged and I cherished the moment. He then led me to the water's edge.
"Close your eyes," he commanded softly. I did as he said.
"Do you have a charm or anything that you consider lucky?" he asked.
"Yeah, this amulet," I said, pointing to the amulet on the chain. Li took it off and then told me to put out my hands as if I was receiving a present. He put the amulet in my hands and then told me to wait and think only of one wish I wanted to come true and to nod when I got the wish.
"Only one?" I thought. I thought for a moment, and then figured one.
"I wish my father would go back to how he was before my grandmother died so he would be nicer."
I nodded and Li held my hips.
"Now, think only of that wish while looking out to the sea."
I opened my eyes and did as he said. Suddenly, I saw tidal wave in the distance. My first reaction was to move, but Li held me tight and I couldn't move. The tsunami came closer and it crashed onto me, or at least I thought it did. I felt the water crash over me, but I didn't get hurt and I didn't get wet. I felt the wave spray me, but I didn't get wet. I felt the water seep away from me. I looked at my amulet, which was glowing.
"Good, now your wish will come true by this time tomorrow night. Don't tell anyone your wish however, otherwise it won't work. You can tell someone when the wish is true," explained Li, letting me go.
"What happened?" I asked. "I felt a wave crash into me! I thought you were going to kill me by keeping me in that position!"
"That was the Sea Goddess blessing you. She would only bless you if your wish wasn't selfish, like for money. Good choice, whatever you chose," Li explained. I smiled and thanked him. I walked with him to his farm and then we hugged and then he walked into his house. I ran home and crawled into bed, undiscovered.
It was raining the next day, and I was sick. Ann came to talk, Maria came to give me a new book to read, Elli baked me a bag of cookies for when I was better, and Popuri gave me a flower and talked about how flowers were happy when it rained.
"Psycho," I thought to myself. After she left, my mother came in and gave me some soup. She too left and I started to read Maria's new book. It was a book of fairy tales. The one I was reading now was the story of Repunzel. I felt just like her, trapped inside a house because the wicked witch, or my father, kept her in captivity. I heard a knock at my door. I put the book down.
"Come in," I said, and then coughed a bit.
"You don't sound good at all," said the person as he came in. It was Li.
"Li! My father let you in?" I asked, looking up to him.
"Yeah, or actually no. I snuck in. Your mother really likes me, so she had no problem and she told me to go up," he said, stepping up to me.
"Not too close, I'm sick after all," I said. Li smiled and then we talked a bit. As it grew to be almost 4:00, Li decided to leave.
"Thank you Li, I feel better already," I said as he opened my door. He said bye and shut my door. I grabbed the fairy tale book again and finished the happy ending of Repunzel's story. I smiled and soon fell asleep.
My father came in at 10:15 that night. He woke me up to talk to me.
"Karen, I'm sorry about keeping you from Li. I know you are probably mad at me, but I want to get your forgiveness," he said to me. I looked at him. The wish! It came true! Thank you Sea Goddess!
"I forgive you dad," I replied. He hugged me and then said, "I'll start working harder to bring this vineyard back to normal. I'm sorry it took me so long to realize to get my act together. Now I'll let you sleep. Good night, Karen."
He left my room and I closed my eyes.
"If I never met Li, my life would certainly suck. I have got to tell him my feelings!"
The next morning, my heart pounded as I walked to the beach. I took off my shoes and stood in the water up to my knees. I looked at my amulet.
"I know how to make the wish, but I'm not sure if you need to be with the one you love most," I said to the blue sea. ((BTW, she has a pink heart toward Li, if you didn't know)) I heard footsteps behind me.
"Karen?" I turned around to see Li.
"Li, I have to ask you something," I said.
"You love somebody here at Flower Bud Village, right?"
"Yes."
"Who is it?"
"You Karen, I love you."
I smiled a big smile and jumped to him and hugged him tightly.
"You do?"
"Of course I do, your wish would only come true with the person you love, and that person loves you."
"I knew it! Well, you must know that I love you as well! And my father, he's changed! That was my wish! I wished that he would be nice like he was before my grandmother died! It came true! He's letting me see you!"
"Yeah, actually, I saw him earlier and we talked about some stuff, and he didn't hold a grudge or anything. In fact, we had a very nice conversation."
"That's great!"
We released our embrace and I dried off my feet and put my socks and shoes back on.
"Hey, by the way, if you ever need any help at your farm, just call me. I'll help out. I remember a little bit from when I helped out your grandfather," I said as we walked out of the beach.
"Karen!" yelled someone. It was Ann. She ran up to me with a huge smile on her face. "What?"
"Cliff! You know how we were going out? Well next Sunday, we're getting married!"
"Ann! Oh my Goddess! You're not!"
"I am!"
I hugged her and we jumped around like little schoolgirls. Ann saw Li and hugged him too. "Sorry, I'm just so happy!" she exclaimed when she let him go. Cliff walked up to us and Li shook his hand and congratulated him. Cliff said something to Li that neither Ann nor I heard. Li blushed a tiny bit but laughed.
"Hey, Cliff, be careful with my friend here; I've taught her well," I said, poking Ann. Ann and I laughed and Cliff smiled.
"Well, c'mon Ann, we've got some invitations to sign. Bye Li, Karen!" said Cliff. Ann skipped next to him as they walked inside Ann's house.
"Oh! That's so great! I'm so excited! Are you going to go to the wedding, Li?" I asked, looking up to him. He smiled and nodded.
I had such a nice dream that night. Instead of Ann running up to me, I ran up to her and told her that I was getting married to Li next Sunday. I SOOOOO (!) wish it was true! I woke up and ate breakfast. It was raining today too.
"Y'know, Karen, I heard that Li is sick today. I think you should visit him," said my mother as she poured some tea for my dad. I nodded and jumped up from the table. I grabbed a coat and ran outside. I ran to the Moon Farm and let myself in Li's unlocked door. I smiled as he silently slept. I walked into his kitchen and made some soup--the soup my mom made for me two days before. I stepped back into Li's first room and knelt before his bed. He stirred and saw me.
"Karen?"
"Hi, I kind of let myself in. Sorry. I made you some soup. It's good, have some."
I scooped up some in the spoon and then brought it to his mouth. He opened up and I put the spoon in.
"Do you want me to make train sounds now?" I giggled. Li smiled and I put another spoonful in. I felt something inside me as I fed him, as if we were married and I had to feed him. It was a very cute scene. After the bowl of soup was empty, I kissed his forehead and went into the kitchen and washed the dishes that I had used. I sighed as I really felt at home. I walked out of the kitchen. Li thanked me and then fell asleep again. I smiled and just looked at him sleeping. I blew him a kiss and then left.
Next Sunday, the wedding ceremony was just about to end.
"Do you, Cliff Gold, take this woman to be your wife?" asked the priest. ((I don't know exactly what they say, sorry!))
"I do," answered Cliff.
"And do you, Ann Green, take this man to be you husband?" asked the priest.
"Of course! I mean, I do," exclaimed Ann. I giggled. I was the best bride's maid. ((Is there such a thing as a best bride's maid? I don't know weddings. O.o'))
"Then I now pronounce you man and wife. You may now kiss the bride," proclaimed the priest. Cliff lifted Ann's veil and kissed her. I clapped my hands once and then everyone cheered. Ann had tears of joy in her eyes as they walked down the aisle of the church. We all went to the Green Ranch, which was decorated beautifully, to have the party. My family supported the wine, Elli and Jeff supported the cake, Maria and her family had helped decorate, and Popuri and her mom and dad gladly grew flowers. Li grew the corn for Ann, as you should know, that is her favorite food. There was dancing and laughter. Ann and I joked around and danced once together, Cliff and Li laughing the whole time. I danced with Cliff to tell him the things that would make Ann mad. This way, he wouldn't act stupid and get her pissed. Li and Ann danced, and I'm not sure what they talked about. Li and I danced a lot and the party continued until about midnight. Ann and Cliff, however, left for their honeymoon at about 6:00. I wouldn't see her for another week! All well, I'm happy for her.
Li was very busy this week. He had four chickens now: Mojo, Jojo, Cluck, and Chika. He also had his horse, Links, which he had gotten from Ann back in spring. He even had a cow named River now. He still had his corn and tomatoes to take care of too. I helped out a lot and rubbed Li's back when he had worked too hard. When it was autumn, he cut the corn stalks and the tomatoes too. Now it was my turn to be busy. I had a lot of work to do, now that it was the grape harvest. One day when I came out, I noticed the tree in the back of the vineyard was a golden color. My attention was brought back to the grapes soon however. I wasn't even able to go to the Cow Festival, and I wanted to see River. She won anyway, so that's good.
Ann and Cliff were back now, and they already got into a fight. Oh boy, I told Cliff to watch what he says. And I told Ann to be easy on him. All well. One night, I noticed some lights coming from the back of the vineyard. I got my clothes on and walked outside. There were fairies dancing in the air above the grapes. I gasped and ran to the Moon Farm. Li was riding Links and I ran up to him.
"Li! C'mere! You have got to see this!"
He got off of Links and I grabbed his hand and ran. Together we gazed at the fairies, our mouths open in wonder with a smile. I did a twirl and exclaimed, "It makes me want to dance!"
Li and I did so and then we gazed into each other's eyes. We embraced and kissed, our tongues again explored each other's mouths. The harvest moon and the fairies adding an extra romantic effect. I felt something inside of me again, and I never wanted that moment to end. In fact, it's funny as I remember it, Li tried to let me go but I held him tight. He had to tickle me for me to let go.
"Sorry, I was caught up in the moment," I explained.
"It's all right, I just was running out of air," Li replied. I giggled and we said goodbye and I walked inside the house.
Two days later, it was the Harvest Festival. I hooked Maria up with Harris and Ann and Cliff were okay today. Yesterday, however, was a different story. Elli came out of the racetrack door and handed all of the guys their cakes. Li was next year's king! I was excited for him and then he asked me to dance. We danced a bunch of times and I noticed Elli and Jeff were flirting. I smiled and then saw that Popuri was dancing with Gray, who looked neither happy nor mad. He was in the middle I guess. After the festival, Li had to go and discuss some things with the mayor. I bet it was about being the king. The next day, I was helping out Maria with writing a letter to Harris and I saw Li come out of Rick's Tool Shop. He probably was buying a brush; he didn't have one yet. After Maria was done, I ran to the vineyard again. Li was there, talking to my father. When he saw me, he ended the conversation and then walked out, saying only, "Hey," to me.
I wondered what was going on and I decided to talk to Ann. When I got to the Green Ranch, she was fighting with Cliff. I didn't bother to go up to her, so I walked to the beach. I stood on the dock, again looking to the Sea Goddess for answers. The only answer I got was a light tap on the shoulder. I turned around to see Li.
"Li, are you okay? You didn't say much to me earlier, what's wrong?" I asked. He looked at me and then held out his hand. I looked at his hand and I saw…I gasped.
"A blue feather! Oh, Li! Of course! Yes! Of course!" I hugged him, almost knocking him off of the deck. He held me and then picked me up and spun around.
"I knew you would be excited. I ordered one from Rick a couple of days ago and it came in today. I had to ask your father first, and he gave us his blessing," said Li. He put me down and we kissed, and you can guess what kind of kiss it was. A large wave crashed onto the shore as we did, spraying us a bit. I bet it was the Sea Goddess giving her blessing as well. Next Sunday, everything would change. Change for the better.
Ann was so excited when I told her, as were Maria, Elli, and Popuri. I couldn't wait. I stayed up all night just thinking about it, and when I did get to sleep, I dreamed only of that. On Saturday night, I went to the bar for the last time as a non-married woman. The guys and Ann were all drinking in honor of Li and I. It was a great feeling inside and when we left, I decided to spend the night at Li's. I slept the best that night; I was close to Li, so I felt all warm and fuzzy. The next day was the best for me. The wedding ceremony seemed to last forever, but finally, Li was able to kiss his new bride. He lifted up my veil and as we kissed, Ann clapped and cheered, as did everyone else. We walked down the isle together, finally as a true couple. The party was at the vineyard, which was beautifully done up, thanks to Maria and her family. It was so much fun, and I was so excited. At 6:00 I hugged all of my friends and bid them farewell. It would be a week before I saw them again. Li and I traveled to the beach and got on the ferry.
"I love you, Li Bower."
"I love you also, Karen Bower." I felt something tingle inside me as he said it. We embraced and French kissed once again as the boat swiftly sailed through the night. Above us was a large harvest moon.
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Well, how did you like it? I'll prolly keep making random changes, so keep yer eyes peeled! Reviews are fun, fun, fun! ::bows and runs away::
DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harvest Moon, Nastume or whatever does. Don't sue; I have only gum in my pocket.
The fic is in Karen's POV (point of view). I'm going to give the main chars last names, but they may be really stupid, so deal with it. Karen Lock, Ann Green (it makes more sense than Whethersfield), Elli Taylor, Popuri Taft, Maria Pastula, Li Bower, Cliff Gold, Jeff (the baker guy I think) Jackson, and Harris Jones. Well, I'll shut up so you all can read the fic.
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"Karen! C'mere!" yelled Ann. We were in Flower Bud Village to check on Elli's mother. I didn't really know her too much, but Ann was a people person. Not saying I'm not, but I only get along with people who earn my respect, or deserve it. But I ran over anyway.
"Hello Mrs. Taylor, how are you feeling today?" asked Ann, putting on a sweet voice.
"Oh… I'm fine, Alexandra," answers Elli's grandma.
"Alexandra was my mother's name, I'm Ann," said Ann, trying hard to keep a sweet voice. I rolled my eyes. She does that every time. Elli came over and started talking to Ann. I got bored and looked around the puny town. If my life doesn't get any better, I'm moving to the city. Suddenly, Mayor Pastula walks in with someone I've never seen before. He had a backwards hat, brown hair, and cute little overalls. He looked at me as he passed, and I returned his gaze. He blushed and turned his head. The mayor took him into the other side of town, and Ann said we could go now. We went to her ranch and just kind of chilled there.
Ann's brother Gray walked over and said, "I hear there's someone taking over the Moon Farm. ((That's the name of the farm in my game)) I saw him with the mayor this morning. It's his first day here, I think."
"Taking over the Moon farm? What makes him think he can do that?" I asked. I liked old Mr. Bower. He was nice, he let me dance in his field if I wanted, and I would help him out sometimes. He wouldn't get mad at me if I dropped any of the eggs either. No stupid guy is going to take over his farm in the blink of an eye.
"It's his grandson," answered Gray. Oh, that explains it. Well, I guess if he's just as nice as Mr. Bower was, I won't mind it. As if on cue, the boy I had seen earlier came in with the mayor.
"And this is Green Ranch. Oh hi, those two are Ann and Gray Green. Is your father here?" asked the mayor.
"Yeah, but he's kind of busy," answered Ann.
"Oh, well this is Li Bower. He's going to revive the Moon Farm," replied Mayor Pastula.
"Good luck, that farm is trashed worse than the vineya—," Gray started, but stopped himself. I glared at him. He was about to say vineyard. If you are clueless, I work at a vineyard, and it's the only vineyard in Flower Bud.
"What was that?" I asked, annoyed.
"Nothing," answered Gray, walking into the field. I looked back at the mayor and uh, what's his name? Oh yeah, Li.
"And that is Karen Lock. She works at the vineyard I pointed out earlier," said Mayor Pastula. Li nodded his head and I tossed my hair. Ann saw my movements and nudged me. "You like him?" she whispered.
"No, I had to fix my hair," I answered sharply. I don't believe this twerp can take over the Moon Farm. He'll never be as good as golden Mr. Bower! Li and the mayor walked out of the ranch after the mayor pointed out where the beach was. I too left; I had a bone to pick with my father.
"Dad! Our vineyard is a wreck! Even Gray Green says so! You have get with the program dad!" I yelled. My father put his whiskey down and stood up.
"We've taken action already! We got Kai, right? Plus you, your mother, and me we can do the work," said my father, and then he sipped his whiskey. I took it from him.
"You're spending all of your money on drinks! Maybe when we get more money in, then you can drink all you want! I have to work at the bar to get the money to pay Kai his earnings! Maybe you should consider helping out with some stuff at the bar so we can keep the house!" I yelled back.
"Karen! Do not raise your voice to me!" my dad shouts.
"Forget this!" I yell, walking out of the house. I hear my father come out of the house too. "Karen!"
"Try being a responsible father!" I yell as I run out of the vineyard. I see Li on my way, but I ignore him.
"What a horrible daughter!" yells my father. I run to the beach making sure Ann doesn't see me. I sit in the sand and look out toward the ocean and I listen to the waves. I put my head on my knees and cry.
In the morning, I get bathed and dressed, and ate breakfast. I went outside and went to the tree in the back of the vineyard and prayed.
"Please Grandmother, we need help! The vineyard is in trouble, I'm afraid we'll lose it!" I pray to the tree. I look at the tree and then walk to the wine house. I pace back and forth thinking about what to do. I don't even notice Li walk into the vineyard. I notice him when he taps my shoulder. I turn around with a harsh, "What?" and Li steps back.
"Uh, hi, Ann said you knew my grandfather," he says. I look at him and then say, "Yeah, I knew Mr. Bower. He was pretty cool."
"Yeah, I remember him only a little. I used to help my grandfather a lot when I was young. I had a bunch of friends here, only I don't really remember them because of…never mind. I do remember one time I slept at my grandpa's house and I couldn't sleep. I thought I saw something out the window so I looked. You might think this is weird, but I saw someone dancing under a harvest moon. The moon made the figure look like she, I think it was a she, was dancing with the wind. I know it's strange," replies Li. I looked at him. That was me. I always used to dance in Mr. Bower's field. He saw me dancing in the moonlight. Dancing with the wind.
"Yeah, well, I have to get back to work, so I can't talk," I say, and then I walk into the wine house.
"Is something wrong Miss Karen?" asks Kai. Oops, I forgot he was in here.
"No, nothing," I answer. I look out the window to see if Li is gone. He just left. I walk out of the house and follow him. He walks into the entrance of the Moon Farm. I stay at the fence as he plays with his dog, but then gets to work. The dog spots me so I run.
"Karen!" yells Ann as I run into Green Ranch.
"Yeah?"
"Who's that Cliff guy?"
"Huh?"
"That guy in the woods."
"I dunno."
"He says he's a traveler and a hunter."
"So was my granddaddy."
"Hey, did you see Li?"
I hesitated.
"Yeah."
"What do you think of him?"
"I dunno."
"I'm not sure about him either. My daddy says he won't last a month in that farm. It's really run down. Unless he is blessed by a goddess, he's out of luck."
"I don't believe that."
"What? But you totally believe in goddesses!"
"I don't mean that, I mean I bet he can do it if he really tries. If he's an idiot, than he won't last."
"Yeah."
The next morning, or Thursday, I went to look for this Cliff guy. I want to meet him. On my way, I saw Popuri. Someone shoot me. I can't stand Popuri.
"Oh hiii, Karen! How are you? What do you think about that new guy?" she asks, in her annoying voice.
"Which one, Cliff or Li?" I ask, not knowing why I even talk to her.
"Like, Li is all I'm interested in. I don't know that other guy, what was his name?" asks Popuri.
"Cliff," I answer.
"What?" asks a voice behind me. I turn around to see a man with dark brown hair with blonde streaks in it.
"Oh are you Cliff?" I ask. He nods. "Oh. Wait a second; I had a cousin named Cliff. What was your grandmother's name?"
"Cassandra."
"You ARE my cousin! I'm Karen!"
"Karen? You live here?"
"Yeah!"
"Cool!"
"Like totally!" Popuri adds. Li walks in chasing his dog. The dog runs up to Cliff.
"Hey there! What's your name?" Cliff asks.
"His name is Pika. My brother named it. It was--," started Li, but I finished.
"Your grandfather's, right?"
"Yeah." I nodded and Popuri stepped up to Li.
"Hiiii! I'm Popuri, from the Flower Shop! Nice to meet you!" She shook his hand, said bye to all of us, and then left.
"Good, now only sensible people are here," I sighed. Li laughs and Cliff says, "Hey, I'm going fishing, see ya Karen." He walks out of the woods too. I stand with Li and he hands me some Very Berries.
"Kyaaaaa! I love this! Thank you so much!" I exclaim. I look at Li and Pika barks a couple of times at a squirrel, breaking me out of my stupor. I couldn't stay any longer.
"Hey, I gotta go, bye," I say. I then speed walk outta there.
That night, I have to work at the bar. I walk to the bar and inside I see Harris, Kai, Gray, and Ann.
"Hey Ann," I say. She waves and then sips some more liquor. Although I knew it would happen, it made me angry, but Li walked in. He greeted some of the guys and went to the bartender. He didn't notice me. After he gets his liquor, I turn to hide my face. Li goes over and sits with Kai and Harris.
"Phew," I whisper. Popuri's dad walks in and sits by me.
"Hey Karen, could you get me a beer?" he asks.
"Sure," I say, hoping Li didn't hear him say my name. I walk to the bartender with the money Mr. Taft gave me to get the beer. Li, of course, chooses that time to get another liquor. He says, "Hi." I didn't want to talk to him so I said with a look, "Don't talk to me so much!" I could tell he was hurt a bit, but I walked around him and handed Mr. Taft his beer and his change. Li sat down with Kai and Harris again and I went up to the bartender.
"I need some really strong liquor, fast."
I walk home a little dizzy. I had three drinks of really strong stuff, and I'm paying the price now. I stumble but regain my balance. I am happy that Li left at 11:30; I didn't have to push him out of the bar like I might have to with Kai. I didn't want to go home right away. I wanted to go to the beach. I don't know why, I just wanted to go there. So I did. When I got there, Li was sitting on the deck. I walked over to the shore and sat down. Li either didn't notice me or he was ignoring me.
"Li?" I asked. He didn't stir.
"Li?" I asked, a little louder this time. He turned his head and looked at me.
"I…I'm sorry about shutting you up like that. I'm not sure how to act around guys. No wonder I don't have a boyfriend," I say, my eyes down at the sand.
"It's all right. I was hanging around you a bit, wasn't I?" Li replied. I didn't answer. "I just want to know about my grandfather. I had an accident when I was fifteen. I was playing near a cliff with my little brother and I slipped and fell down the hill. I didn't wake up for another three hours, and I didn't know anything. My mom's a therapist and she helped me through the next year remembering everything. There were some things I remembered, but the worst of it was my mom was never with me when I was at my grandfather's so I never remembered anything about my visits."
I looked down. Poor guy.
"And yet," he continued, "I only remember the dancing figure."
I looked up at him.
"Li, that dancing figure was me. I used to go to your grandfather's house all of the time and dance. I want to leave Flower Bud and become a professional dancer. But I can't leave because the vineyard is in horrible shape."
"Don't leave."
I looked at Li, puzzled. He went on, "You are the only person who really knows my grandfather, right?"
"Well, the adults knew him, but I'm the only kid that was really close to him. I was so mad when he died."
"Yeah, so could you at least stay until I now about my grandfather better and your vineyard is back to normal?" I looked up at the moon. It was a full moon. I like full moons and crescent moons. Anyway, Li was asking me to stay? I didn't understand it, but my mouth opened and spoke.
"I guess I will," my mouth said. Li smiled and said, "What's your name?"
"Karen Lock." Li nodded, thanked me, and then left the beach. I stood there, looking out upon the waves, wanting the Sea Goddess to tell me why I chose to tell a stranger I would stay for him. All I got back were the sounds of waves.
It was now Summer 1st, and tonight would be the fireworks display. I paced around outside of the wine house. I didn't know whether or not to ask Li to go to the fireworks. I ran back into the house and called Ann.
"I knew it! I knew you liked him!" Ann exclaimed as I told her my dilemma.
"No, it's not that, I just don't know what to," I replied.
"Ask him. I'll hold Popuri back so she can't ask him. My brother will probably ask her any who. Go right now and ask him!" Ann answered.
"Okay, thank you," I said.
"No problem, Mrs. Karen Bower," replied Ann, laughing. Although it had a nice ring to it, I was pissed.
"Ann!"
We said our goodbyes and then I hung up. It would be 6:00 soon. I had to act fast. I ran to Li's house and he was cutting the grass.
"Hey Li!" I called. He looked up and looked happy to see me.
"Hey Karen," he said, walking up to me. We had become really good friends ((green heart)) and we flirted a little. At first I thought Li would be a completely serious-about-his-work guy, but he's happy-go-lucky. With all of the other girls, he's friendly ((blue heart)) although he's around Ann a lot because we are best friends and we are always hanging out.
"Hey Li, the fireworks display is tonight, wanna come with me to the beach to see them? You can see them best there," I asked.
"Sure," he replied. He brought his two chickens in (Mojo and Jojo :-D ) then brought Pika in. Then we walked to the beach together. I could feel my heart pound as we sat down close to each other at the beach. I pulled out some wine and Li laughed.
"You can't have Karen without wine," he said. I laughed too and then poured him some. I spilled because one of the fireworks went off and it made me jump. Li laughed again and I cleaned up the wine I had spilled on my legs.
"Oops," I giggled. Another firework went off and I saw it. It was very pretty, and it shimmered before it disappeared. I looked down at the ocean and saw the reflections of the fireworks. I pointed it out to Li and he smiled. The fireworks stopped for a short period of time and I unpacked a couple of sandwiches. I handed Li one.
"Did you put extra sand in it?" asked Li. I looked at him and he smiled.
"I'm not that bad at cooking, only Ann would do that," I laughed. Li laughed too and then a firework went off, making us both jump. We laughed and had another sip of wine. As the night went on, the cold began to blow in. I snuggled close to Li and continued to watch the fireworks. I could feel his heart pounding as hard as mine was.
After the fireworks were done. Li wanted to walk me home. I accepted and we walked out of the beach.
"Hey Karen?" Li asked as we exited Green Ranch.
"Yeah?" I replied. He stopped walking and faced me.
"I want to thank you for everything," he said.
"I didn't do anything," I replied, looking into his eyes. We started walking again and he said, "But you did. I know about my grandfather more now. I'm very happy, and plus, I've earned a best friend. Ann said to me once that you only gave your trust to someone who deserved it. I'm glad I managed to deserve it."
I smiled and said, "You've helped me too. I've learned to control my temper a bit more, although I still explode sometimes. The vineyard is doing a tiny bit better, although my dad still needs to work harder. But through the most part, you've helped me become what people call a people person. I used to ignore Maria or Elli all the time and I used to just be wrapped up in Ann, the vineyard, or myself. But now, I care whether or not Elli's nice grandma dies, and I care what Maria is reading and what it's about. I even go flower picking with Popuri sometimes, and I used to hate because she was such a ditz. She still is but the point is, I'm so glad I decided to stay. I'm becoming a better person because of you. Course then again, this could be the wine talking."
We laughed and we found ourselves at my door.
"Well, see you," I said, putting my hand on the doorknob to my house.
"Karen?" Li asked. I turned to him.
"I had a good night, thank you," he finished. I let go of the doorknob and said, "Anytime." We looked at each other and leaned forward. I closed my eyes and my lips touched Li's. He held me and I eventually broke the kiss.
"Good night," I said, blushing but happy as a bunny.
"Good night," he replied, blushing as well. He turned and left, and I walked into the house. I ran upstairs and into my room. I jumped on the bed and closed my eyes.
"Yes!!"
Two weeks later, I found that I couldn't get Li out of my mind (golden heart, I think). I woke up early, surprisingly, and I walked downstairs, made my breakfast, and walked outside. A little before dark, Li walked into the vineyard and I decided to show him the wine house. "Hey, I'll give you a tour!" I exclaimed, grabbing his hand and leading him into the house. I showed him the downstairs and he wanted some wine, but I wouldn't give him any of course. We walked upstairs and to my horror Li and I were locked in.
"Great," I moaned. Li looked around, as though he knew we could get out.
"Follow me," he said, and then grabbed my hand. He led me in back of one of the wine machines and we crawled out through the hole that was there. When we got out, it was nighttime.
"Thank you, Li. Has something happened like this before?" I asked.
"Yeah, it feels familiar," Li answered.
"I thought so, so do you remember me from your past?" I asked. Li looked up for a moment, and then exclaimed, "I saw it in a dream! Maybe my memory is coming back! Thank you, Karen!" He comes over and gives me a warm embrace, then picks me up.
"Whoa! Li!" I laugh. He puts me down and we say goodnight and goodbye, and he leaves.
The next morning, I wake up early and a little startled. I had a dream that I was hearing voices coming from the tree in the back of the vineyard.
"Karen…" I looked to the staircase but the voice was not coming from there. So I decided to get dressed quick and run outside.
"Karen…" beckoned the tree. I run but I trip and twist my ankle. The cries from the tree stop, but I cannot get up. Luckily, I see Li came in.
"Help!" I yell. Li sees me and runs over.
"What happened?"
"I…I don't know, I was walking here and I tripped." I lied to him because I don't think he would like me if I told him I was hearing voices from a tree. He picks me up.
"Oh! Li! You don't have to! I'll--," but Li silences me and walks to my house. My mother was inside.
"Oh, just rest her down here. Thank you very much, um," she says.
"I'm Li Bower," Li replies.
"Oh, well you're the boy who came in the spring. Well, thank you Li," my mother says. Li waves and says goodbye, then leaves. A little later that day, Ann came to see me.
"You klutz," says Ann, poking my leg.
"Shut it," I snap back at her. Ann laughs and then hands me something.
"Here, I couldn't give this to you yesterday because it was so busy at the ranch yesterday."
It is an amulet with a phrase on the back: "One of the most beautiful compensations of this life is that no one can sincerely try to help another without helping his or herself." ((A real phrase by Ralph Waldo Emerson o. ~))
"Wow, Ann, thanks! This is really cool!" I exclaim. On the front is a Sakura flower in front of a Tsunami. ((A Cherry Blossom and a Tidal Wave ~.o))
"What's up with the Sakura flower and the Tsunami?" I ask.
"The Sakura is for beauty, and the Tsunami is for power," explains Ann. "The phrase on the back refers to you and Li."
I looked at her but said nothing.
"Oh! Do I sense a BIG relationship happening here? Do tell!" exclaims Ann.
"No way, and not so loud, my father will overhear you," I say, cautiously.
"What? You haven't told him?" asked Ann.
"Are you CRAZY? Of course I haven't--"
"Haven't told me what Karen?" asked of course my father. I looked behind me and there he stood, arms crossed, and face angry.
"Nothing that concerns you," I said, boldly.
"Karen, tell me. If it's you, it MUST concern me," said my father.
"Well it doesn't," I replied.
"I'm sorry Miss Green, but can you go home? I have a bone to pick with my daughter," says my father. Ann whispered, "Sorry!" and then left.
"You better tell me what your up to if you want to go outside ever again besides to work," my father bickered.
"I'm going out with someone," I said.
"What?"
"I'm going out with someone! Li Bower! The one who brought me in this morning!"
"Behind my back?"
"Yeah, 'cause I knew you would overreact."
"WHAT?"
"You OVERREACT!"
My father looked at me and shook his head.
"You can't see Li anymore."
"What?"
"Not with the way you're acting!"
Tears formed in my eyes and gripped my amulet.
"You can't!"
"I can, and you are not to see him."
"No!" The tears streamed down my face. "Dad, no! Please! Take anything but him away from me!"
"No, my mind's made up. You can see him to tell him it's over, unless you want me to."
"I'll do it! I don't want you near him if I can't be!" After my dad left my room, I stuffed my face into my pillow and cried myself.
I knocked at Li's door the next morning. I rubbed my amulet.
"Please, Tsunami, give me strength," I whispered. Li came to the door in his nightclothes.
"Oh, Karen! Um, uh," he exclaimed. I laughed and then remembered my purpose for being here.
"Li, I need to tell you something," I said. He looked at me with a worried look but let me in. He sat down on his bed and I stood in front of him. I couldn't do it. I burst into tears and swung my arms around his neck.
"Li! My father is horrible! He's making me break up with you! But I don't want to! It's horrible! Please forgive me! As soon as my father stops overreacting so much, we can see each other again! I promise!" I cried.
He held me and said, "I understand. I saw your dad at the bar the other night. He was drunk, and he would yell at people for completely stupid things, like he yelled at Popuri's dad for not having a beard."
I laughed a bit but it hurt deep inside.
"I don't know how I'll last without you! You are my other half now! I hate my father!"
"Don't hate him. Hate is strong. I'm sure he'll definitely make it up to you."
"He better!"
Li laughed and leaned back so he could look into my eyes.
"It'll be a short time, and if anything, we can still sneak."
He winked and then kissed me again. I opened my mouth, inviting his tongue in. He gladly accepted and our tongues played around with each other. I felt no more sadness, knowing he would always love me. We didn't stop kissing until there was a knock on the door.
"My father," I said, sadly. "Well, goodbye."
Li looked at me with loving eyes and then whispered, "Meet me at the beach tonight at 10:00, if possible."
I nodded and opened the door. My dad looked inside Li's house. I don't know why, maybe to check to see if he had all of his clothes on. I giggled to myself and my dad led me out. I couldn't wait till 10:00!
I told my mom that I was really tired and I didn't want to be bothered in my sleep. This way, when my father got home from the bar, he wouldn't check my room. He'll probably be too drunk to even think about it anyway. I sat in bed reading a book Maria gave me. I glanced at my watch. 9:56. I put the book on my nightstand. Just in case my dad did look in, I stuffed a couple of stuffed animals and my extra pillow and shaped them looking like my body was curved, which was how I usually slept. I climbed out of the window and then placed my foot on the roof above the kitchen. I jumped down, only hurting a little, and then ran to the beach. Li stood on the deck and I called to him.
"Hey, you made it, good!" he exclaimed, jumping from the deck down to me. We hugged and I cherished the moment. He then led me to the water's edge.
"Close your eyes," he commanded softly. I did as he said.
"Do you have a charm or anything that you consider lucky?" he asked.
"Yeah, this amulet," I said, pointing to the amulet on the chain. Li took it off and then told me to put out my hands as if I was receiving a present. He put the amulet in my hands and then told me to wait and think only of one wish I wanted to come true and to nod when I got the wish.
"Only one?" I thought. I thought for a moment, and then figured one.
"I wish my father would go back to how he was before my grandmother died so he would be nicer."
I nodded and Li held my hips.
"Now, think only of that wish while looking out to the sea."
I opened my eyes and did as he said. Suddenly, I saw tidal wave in the distance. My first reaction was to move, but Li held me tight and I couldn't move. The tsunami came closer and it crashed onto me, or at least I thought it did. I felt the water crash over me, but I didn't get hurt and I didn't get wet. I felt the wave spray me, but I didn't get wet. I felt the water seep away from me. I looked at my amulet, which was glowing.
"Good, now your wish will come true by this time tomorrow night. Don't tell anyone your wish however, otherwise it won't work. You can tell someone when the wish is true," explained Li, letting me go.
"What happened?" I asked. "I felt a wave crash into me! I thought you were going to kill me by keeping me in that position!"
"That was the Sea Goddess blessing you. She would only bless you if your wish wasn't selfish, like for money. Good choice, whatever you chose," Li explained. I smiled and thanked him. I walked with him to his farm and then we hugged and then he walked into his house. I ran home and crawled into bed, undiscovered.
It was raining the next day, and I was sick. Ann came to talk, Maria came to give me a new book to read, Elli baked me a bag of cookies for when I was better, and Popuri gave me a flower and talked about how flowers were happy when it rained.
"Psycho," I thought to myself. After she left, my mother came in and gave me some soup. She too left and I started to read Maria's new book. It was a book of fairy tales. The one I was reading now was the story of Repunzel. I felt just like her, trapped inside a house because the wicked witch, or my father, kept her in captivity. I heard a knock at my door. I put the book down.
"Come in," I said, and then coughed a bit.
"You don't sound good at all," said the person as he came in. It was Li.
"Li! My father let you in?" I asked, looking up to him.
"Yeah, or actually no. I snuck in. Your mother really likes me, so she had no problem and she told me to go up," he said, stepping up to me.
"Not too close, I'm sick after all," I said. Li smiled and then we talked a bit. As it grew to be almost 4:00, Li decided to leave.
"Thank you Li, I feel better already," I said as he opened my door. He said bye and shut my door. I grabbed the fairy tale book again and finished the happy ending of Repunzel's story. I smiled and soon fell asleep.
My father came in at 10:15 that night. He woke me up to talk to me.
"Karen, I'm sorry about keeping you from Li. I know you are probably mad at me, but I want to get your forgiveness," he said to me. I looked at him. The wish! It came true! Thank you Sea Goddess!
"I forgive you dad," I replied. He hugged me and then said, "I'll start working harder to bring this vineyard back to normal. I'm sorry it took me so long to realize to get my act together. Now I'll let you sleep. Good night, Karen."
He left my room and I closed my eyes.
"If I never met Li, my life would certainly suck. I have got to tell him my feelings!"
The next morning, my heart pounded as I walked to the beach. I took off my shoes and stood in the water up to my knees. I looked at my amulet.
"I know how to make the wish, but I'm not sure if you need to be with the one you love most," I said to the blue sea. ((BTW, she has a pink heart toward Li, if you didn't know)) I heard footsteps behind me.
"Karen?" I turned around to see Li.
"Li, I have to ask you something," I said.
"You love somebody here at Flower Bud Village, right?"
"Yes."
"Who is it?"
"You Karen, I love you."
I smiled a big smile and jumped to him and hugged him tightly.
"You do?"
"Of course I do, your wish would only come true with the person you love, and that person loves you."
"I knew it! Well, you must know that I love you as well! And my father, he's changed! That was my wish! I wished that he would be nice like he was before my grandmother died! It came true! He's letting me see you!"
"Yeah, actually, I saw him earlier and we talked about some stuff, and he didn't hold a grudge or anything. In fact, we had a very nice conversation."
"That's great!"
We released our embrace and I dried off my feet and put my socks and shoes back on.
"Hey, by the way, if you ever need any help at your farm, just call me. I'll help out. I remember a little bit from when I helped out your grandfather," I said as we walked out of the beach.
"Karen!" yelled someone. It was Ann. She ran up to me with a huge smile on her face. "What?"
"Cliff! You know how we were going out? Well next Sunday, we're getting married!"
"Ann! Oh my Goddess! You're not!"
"I am!"
I hugged her and we jumped around like little schoolgirls. Ann saw Li and hugged him too. "Sorry, I'm just so happy!" she exclaimed when she let him go. Cliff walked up to us and Li shook his hand and congratulated him. Cliff said something to Li that neither Ann nor I heard. Li blushed a tiny bit but laughed.
"Hey, Cliff, be careful with my friend here; I've taught her well," I said, poking Ann. Ann and I laughed and Cliff smiled.
"Well, c'mon Ann, we've got some invitations to sign. Bye Li, Karen!" said Cliff. Ann skipped next to him as they walked inside Ann's house.
"Oh! That's so great! I'm so excited! Are you going to go to the wedding, Li?" I asked, looking up to him. He smiled and nodded.
I had such a nice dream that night. Instead of Ann running up to me, I ran up to her and told her that I was getting married to Li next Sunday. I SOOOOO (!) wish it was true! I woke up and ate breakfast. It was raining today too.
"Y'know, Karen, I heard that Li is sick today. I think you should visit him," said my mother as she poured some tea for my dad. I nodded and jumped up from the table. I grabbed a coat and ran outside. I ran to the Moon Farm and let myself in Li's unlocked door. I smiled as he silently slept. I walked into his kitchen and made some soup--the soup my mom made for me two days before. I stepped back into Li's first room and knelt before his bed. He stirred and saw me.
"Karen?"
"Hi, I kind of let myself in. Sorry. I made you some soup. It's good, have some."
I scooped up some in the spoon and then brought it to his mouth. He opened up and I put the spoon in.
"Do you want me to make train sounds now?" I giggled. Li smiled and I put another spoonful in. I felt something inside me as I fed him, as if we were married and I had to feed him. It was a very cute scene. After the bowl of soup was empty, I kissed his forehead and went into the kitchen and washed the dishes that I had used. I sighed as I really felt at home. I walked out of the kitchen. Li thanked me and then fell asleep again. I smiled and just looked at him sleeping. I blew him a kiss and then left.
Next Sunday, the wedding ceremony was just about to end.
"Do you, Cliff Gold, take this woman to be your wife?" asked the priest. ((I don't know exactly what they say, sorry!))
"I do," answered Cliff.
"And do you, Ann Green, take this man to be you husband?" asked the priest.
"Of course! I mean, I do," exclaimed Ann. I giggled. I was the best bride's maid. ((Is there such a thing as a best bride's maid? I don't know weddings. O.o'))
"Then I now pronounce you man and wife. You may now kiss the bride," proclaimed the priest. Cliff lifted Ann's veil and kissed her. I clapped my hands once and then everyone cheered. Ann had tears of joy in her eyes as they walked down the aisle of the church. We all went to the Green Ranch, which was decorated beautifully, to have the party. My family supported the wine, Elli and Jeff supported the cake, Maria and her family had helped decorate, and Popuri and her mom and dad gladly grew flowers. Li grew the corn for Ann, as you should know, that is her favorite food. There was dancing and laughter. Ann and I joked around and danced once together, Cliff and Li laughing the whole time. I danced with Cliff to tell him the things that would make Ann mad. This way, he wouldn't act stupid and get her pissed. Li and Ann danced, and I'm not sure what they talked about. Li and I danced a lot and the party continued until about midnight. Ann and Cliff, however, left for their honeymoon at about 6:00. I wouldn't see her for another week! All well, I'm happy for her.
Li was very busy this week. He had four chickens now: Mojo, Jojo, Cluck, and Chika. He also had his horse, Links, which he had gotten from Ann back in spring. He even had a cow named River now. He still had his corn and tomatoes to take care of too. I helped out a lot and rubbed Li's back when he had worked too hard. When it was autumn, he cut the corn stalks and the tomatoes too. Now it was my turn to be busy. I had a lot of work to do, now that it was the grape harvest. One day when I came out, I noticed the tree in the back of the vineyard was a golden color. My attention was brought back to the grapes soon however. I wasn't even able to go to the Cow Festival, and I wanted to see River. She won anyway, so that's good.
Ann and Cliff were back now, and they already got into a fight. Oh boy, I told Cliff to watch what he says. And I told Ann to be easy on him. All well. One night, I noticed some lights coming from the back of the vineyard. I got my clothes on and walked outside. There were fairies dancing in the air above the grapes. I gasped and ran to the Moon Farm. Li was riding Links and I ran up to him.
"Li! C'mere! You have got to see this!"
He got off of Links and I grabbed his hand and ran. Together we gazed at the fairies, our mouths open in wonder with a smile. I did a twirl and exclaimed, "It makes me want to dance!"
Li and I did so and then we gazed into each other's eyes. We embraced and kissed, our tongues again explored each other's mouths. The harvest moon and the fairies adding an extra romantic effect. I felt something inside of me again, and I never wanted that moment to end. In fact, it's funny as I remember it, Li tried to let me go but I held him tight. He had to tickle me for me to let go.
"Sorry, I was caught up in the moment," I explained.
"It's all right, I just was running out of air," Li replied. I giggled and we said goodbye and I walked inside the house.
Two days later, it was the Harvest Festival. I hooked Maria up with Harris and Ann and Cliff were okay today. Yesterday, however, was a different story. Elli came out of the racetrack door and handed all of the guys their cakes. Li was next year's king! I was excited for him and then he asked me to dance. We danced a bunch of times and I noticed Elli and Jeff were flirting. I smiled and then saw that Popuri was dancing with Gray, who looked neither happy nor mad. He was in the middle I guess. After the festival, Li had to go and discuss some things with the mayor. I bet it was about being the king. The next day, I was helping out Maria with writing a letter to Harris and I saw Li come out of Rick's Tool Shop. He probably was buying a brush; he didn't have one yet. After Maria was done, I ran to the vineyard again. Li was there, talking to my father. When he saw me, he ended the conversation and then walked out, saying only, "Hey," to me.
I wondered what was going on and I decided to talk to Ann. When I got to the Green Ranch, she was fighting with Cliff. I didn't bother to go up to her, so I walked to the beach. I stood on the dock, again looking to the Sea Goddess for answers. The only answer I got was a light tap on the shoulder. I turned around to see Li.
"Li, are you okay? You didn't say much to me earlier, what's wrong?" I asked. He looked at me and then held out his hand. I looked at his hand and I saw…I gasped.
"A blue feather! Oh, Li! Of course! Yes! Of course!" I hugged him, almost knocking him off of the deck. He held me and then picked me up and spun around.
"I knew you would be excited. I ordered one from Rick a couple of days ago and it came in today. I had to ask your father first, and he gave us his blessing," said Li. He put me down and we kissed, and you can guess what kind of kiss it was. A large wave crashed onto the shore as we did, spraying us a bit. I bet it was the Sea Goddess giving her blessing as well. Next Sunday, everything would change. Change for the better.
Ann was so excited when I told her, as were Maria, Elli, and Popuri. I couldn't wait. I stayed up all night just thinking about it, and when I did get to sleep, I dreamed only of that. On Saturday night, I went to the bar for the last time as a non-married woman. The guys and Ann were all drinking in honor of Li and I. It was a great feeling inside and when we left, I decided to spend the night at Li's. I slept the best that night; I was close to Li, so I felt all warm and fuzzy. The next day was the best for me. The wedding ceremony seemed to last forever, but finally, Li was able to kiss his new bride. He lifted up my veil and as we kissed, Ann clapped and cheered, as did everyone else. We walked down the isle together, finally as a true couple. The party was at the vineyard, which was beautifully done up, thanks to Maria and her family. It was so much fun, and I was so excited. At 6:00 I hugged all of my friends and bid them farewell. It would be a week before I saw them again. Li and I traveled to the beach and got on the ferry.
"I love you, Li Bower."
"I love you also, Karen Bower." I felt something tingle inside me as he said it. We embraced and French kissed once again as the boat swiftly sailed through the night. Above us was a large harvest moon.
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Well, how did you like it? I'll prolly keep making random changes, so keep yer eyes peeled! Reviews are fun, fun, fun! ::bows and runs away::