Saturday, Spring 7th
Saturday, Spring 7th

I pulled back the covers at six just like he had been doing every morning since I had arrived.

'Six? Last week I was sleeping in until noon each day! Well, it's morning… technically, if you want to sweat the details.'

I hauled myself out of bed and fixed my favorite sandwich- usually Miracle Whip and colby cheese with a slice of lettuce. Taking it over to the television, I flipped on the news and watched while I ate.

"..today is the seventh of the Spring Season. Tomorrow is the Spring Goddess Festival in Rose Square- which means if you want to ask someone for a date, today's the day."

As soon as the news finished, I flipped the channel to that stupid puppet show- even if it looked like something my six-year-old cousin would watch, it actually had been teaching me about farming. Today's subject was how to plow- though I had figured it out maybe the first day I started farming. I flipped the channel again- this time to check what the "Feature Station" was showing.

"…and now, it's time for 'What's Your Passion?', with your hosts, Justa Hasbin and Mako Mizuda!"

The television audience cheered, and the two hosts started talking about something or other. Apparently, today's subject was a letter from Leaf City- about fishing.

I started thinking while munching on his sandwich. 'Hmmm… fishing… fish breeding's always been a profitable job- at least Grandpa said all you had to do was catch the blasted things in the first place and feed them every day. Maybe it's time I put my fishing skills to good use. Now… where would I go about getting a fishing rod?'

I put the thought on his mental "to-do" list, and flipped the channel to the weather station.

"…tomorrow's forecast. Sunny and getting warmer, with blue skies all day!"

I shut the set off with a quick button push.

'Let's see… on today's schedule, we have… watering those plots of potatoes, brushing Racer, and letting the dog out so he doesn't mess on the rug again.'

I got up and walked outside, letting Blazer rush past me and out among the weeds and rocks. 'Stupid dog', I thought, and went over to the fish pond for some water.

It took me maybe about an hour to water the four or five plots of potatoes. Then it was time to visit the horse and let him out.

"How you doing, Racer?"

The horse whinnied and neighed at my entrance. It walked over to me and got a good brushing for the effort, running right past me and out the door.

"Let's see… now, I think I'll go gather that grass and those bamboo shoots. Not to mention I have to go over that story for Mary before tomorrow. Let's see…

I started walking along the side of the field, letting the warmth of the sun fill my bones as I walked over the bridge and up the path. I stopped when I heard voices from up the trail.

"…so what do you think of the new guy? He isn't my type, but I think he's attracted to me. At least Dad thinks he'd be quite a catch for me."

"Well, he's much too boring. How can he even stand to live on that run-down old farm and grow turnips and potatoes all day long? But those Toy Flowers he picked for me in the mountain smell so nice…"

"What?! He gave you flowers? When?"

"Yesterday, when he came to the house to inquire about the cost of hens. You should have seen his eyes when Mom told him a hen was fifteen hundred gold. I thought he was going to keel over right there!"

I muttered to myself. I had made a nice impression on Popuri's family two days ago- I had wandered over to Chicken Lil's to check on the current price of a hen. I admit I might have gone overboard, but thankfully Rick and Lillia both laughed and told me not to worry about it.

"You think too much. You'll have fifteen hundred in no time. Don't try to do everything your first year."

Rick had been the one with the advice- I think he already considered me a friend, and occasionally we'd both take a break around lunch to swap stories about our sisters and try to make the other collapse over in laughter.

I returned to my present state of thinking.

"So… have you decided on who to go with to the Goddess Festival? Dad wants me to go with someone- but the fact of the matter is that I don't see anyone I'd like to go to the festival with. What about you, Popuri?"

"Hmmm… I might have to go it alone this year. Rick said he was asking Karen, even though she turned him down for the past couple of years, and I have a feeling Jason might be after Karen, too. Rick said there was a large bouquet or whatever of Moondrops in her hands and one in her hair. She said Jason brought them over as a gift to her when he picked up the potato seeds. I get the feeling he's either going to ask me or Karen if he can escort one of us to the festival."

'That reminds me… I have to ask Karen, Popuri, and Ann to see if they already agreed to go with someone. How could I forget? Go figure.'

"Well, Mom's waiting for me to get back- she wants to go over the dance one last time, so I don't forget."

"Don't remind me! Dad's been making me practice for the last three days!"

With a slight laugh and a promise to see each other tomorrow, Popuri and Ann both walked down the train and back to their houses. I quickly ran up the stairs, picked up the three bamboo shoots, and ran them back to my farm. I rushed back quickly and grabbed both of the blue grass-like plants, and I threw those into the shipping bin next to the bamboo. Then I walked back inside and over to the mirror in the bathroom.

'Let's see if I can use my charm to get myself a date for tomorrow… three girls, one's bound to say 'yes', right?'

I slicked my hair back and pulled my hat on over it. I wiped my face clean of sweat and set off to town.

"Let's see… first stop is Chicken Lil's. Hopefully Popuri will go with me. If not, there's always Karen and Ann, so no worries."

I walked up to the door and gave it a knock.

"It's open! Come on in!"

I turned the knob and walked on in. Popuri was there, sweeping the floor, with her mother nowhere in sight.

"Oh! Jason! How are you today?"

"I'm fine, thanks. Actually, I wanted to ask you something…"

I pulled the Toy Flower from my pack and gave it to her. Her eyes lit up and her smile got brighter.

"Thanks, I love these! What did you want to ask me?"

"Well, it's only a suggestion, you don't have to if you don't want to, but…"

"What is it?"

"I was kind of wondering if I could escort you to the Goddess Festival tomorrow. That is, if you aren't going with anyone else…"

"Well… it's nice of you to offer, but I already have a date for tomorrow."

I managed to keep my smile on my face. 'That's one down…'

"Well, thank you for considering me in the first place, Jason. Maybe next year?"

"Sure… well, I'll be seeing you, then."

"Bye, then. Thanks for the flower!"

I stepped outside and let my face droop.

Popuri watched as her mother came down the stairs, carrying a new pad of receipts for her business.

"Who was that, dear? And where did you get that flower from?"

"It was only Jason, mom. He gave me it and asked if he could take me to the Goddess Festival."

"And did you accept? It's embarrassing to go alone, you know."

"No… I just didn't feel right. I mean, he's a friend, and all, but I don't consider him much of a possible love interest."

"Well, at least he asked. That much means he must like you."

"What?! But… but… he's just a farmer! His life's so boring it's a wonder he doesn't fall over asleep!"

I walked up the path to the Inn. Ann was next on my list- and with one name after this, I was still feeling kind of confident. I walked up the steps and opened the door, walking into the large common room.

"Hey, Jason! What's up?"

I looked over and saw Ann walking towards me.

"Hi, how are you doing? I just came by for a second. I might be in later tonight, though."

"Well, that's all right. What do you need?"

I reached into my pack and pulled out the third Bamboo Shoot, and handed it to her.

"First off, I wanted to give you a gift of friendship. Just a little something."

"Wow, I love cooking with these! I haven't been able to buy any, and Dad says it's bad manners to take the ones that grow around the hot spring. Thanks a lot!"

"Well, I was going to ask you something, too… if that's all right with you?"

"Go for it."

"Well… I was wondering… if I could escort you… to the Goddess Festival… if you don't have any other engagements…?"

"Hmmm… I'd love to go with you, Jason, but I already agreed to go with someone. Sorry…"

'Well, that's two. I couldn't strike out totally, could I?'

"Well, it's all right. I'll be by later tonight. See you then."

I walked out of the Inn, my steps a little less sure, and my face a bit more exasperated.

Ann walked back into the kitchen of the Inn and placed the shoot in the refrigerator. Her father, who had been working on lunch for the two of them, looked up.

"Who was that? I heard you talking to someone out there."

"It was Jason, Dad. He wanted to know if he could escort me to the Goddess Festival tomorrow."

"So what time will he be by here to pick you up?"

Ann sighed. "I refused him, Dad. I'm already going with Cliff. Just like the last three years."

"Well, you have to go out and look at everyone, dear. A man who owns his own farm is a nice catch, if you can get him."

"Dad, PLEASE stop planning my life out for me!"

My feet stopped in front of the store. This was it- my last shot.

'Saving the best for last, it seems. Karen was awfully happy to get that bouquet of Moondrops a few days ago. So, let's see how I fare here.'

I opened the door to the supermarket and stepped in. I heard voices over in the corner.

"Well, do you want me to escort you to the Festival again this year? I can be here at the usual time if you want…"

"That'd be nice, Rick. I accept your offer. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Great! I'll see you tonight, at the bar, then! Thanks!"

My heart almost fell out of my chest. All three, and they were all taken. Popuri woth someone, Ann was most likely going with that Cliff guy, and Rick had talked Karen into going with him.

I turned around and walked back out, leaving the Moondrop on the front table.

Karen watched from the corner of her eye as a flash of blue stepped out the door and ran on down the pathway back towards the old farm. Rick bowed out, saying he had to get back to work, and then her father returned from the storeroom, setting out more bread and oil.

"Who was that?"

"It was Rick, making the arrangements for the two of us to go to the festival tomorrow. But I thought I saw Jason out of the corner of my eye. He looked kind of distraught."

"Well, he'll be fine. It's most likely that he's homesick."

"If you say so…"

Karen turned around to go back into her house through the door, when her nose detected the aroma of a Moondrop flower. She looked around, green eyes spotting a cut Moondrop on the table next to the wrapping paper. She walked over and picked it up- it still had the freshness of a freshly cut flower, and the thorns on it held small pieces of blue denim.

She picked up the flower and put it in her hair.

"Where'd the flower come from?"

She turned to her mother, who had just returned from gossiping with the other women in the square.

"I'm not sure… but I think Jason brought it by."

"Did you say thank you to him?"

"Well, by the time I found it, he was gone. I think he was planning to ask me to the Goddess Festival. But Rick came here first and I think he heard me accepting to go with him. He looked kind of sad."

"Maybe because he wanted to ask you first. He's lovesick."

"You should go talk to him… after the Festival."

It was about six or seven by the time I got back from having a drink at the bar (which I learned served anyone here older than sixteen, depending nobody opened their mouth when the federal officials were there). I put Racer back in the stable, and carried Blazer back into the house, and I flopped down on my bed.

"Go figure," I said out loud. "I thought I made a decent impression on all three of them. What happened?"

"Arf."

"Oh, be quiet."

I laid back and flipped open Mary's story. It was the first chapter about some people who got abducted by a UFO. I read over it, and marked out a few errors. Then I shut it, set the alarm for six-thirty the next morning, and went to sleep.

I awoke the next morning at seven- after I swiped at the alarm clock at six-thirty and nearly sent it through the window. As it was, I had to order another one of the blasted things- but destroying it made me feel a tiny bit better.

'Well, today's the Goddess Festival. Karen, Ann, and Popuri are going to be there. But why even go? I don't have a date. I look like I was up all night. And I highly doubt any of them want to talk to me.'

I sighed, and rolled out of bed, ending up face-down on the floor.

'If this is an indicator of how the day's going to go, then I don't want to even step outside.'

I rolled over and prepared to get up, when my eye caught a small sliver of something sticking out of the mattress. I reached over and pulled on it, and to my surprise, it came out- and I found I was holding a small shoebox. I lifted the top off of it, and almost fell back to the floor.

It was half-filled with money- apparently Grandpa had neglected to tell anyone about his secret savings. I lifted it up onto the bed and began counting.

"Nineteen-hundred ninety-nine… Two thousand." I couldn't believe my eyes.

Here I was, strapped for cash, and by simply falling out of bed, I solved one of my problems. Maybe I was making my problems bigger than they appear.

'I think I'll go to the festival. So I'm going to see Karen, Ann, and Popuri. Big deal.

I got up, put the money in my own hiding place, and went to work outside.

After completing my chores, I washed up, picked a Moondrop, a Toy Flower, and another bamboo shoot. Then I headed down the trail to Chicken Lil's, and from there to the Square.

"Hey! He came!" I looked over my shoulder and was blindsided by a form wreathed in pink hair and purple.

"Hi, Popuri. What's all this? I thought you were busy getting ready!"

"Well… Karen came over last night and said you were feeling kind of down after everyone turned you down. I thought you were only asking because you didn't want to go alone."

"Well, that was nice of her. Oh, by the way… I got this for you. Kind of like a peace offering."

I pulled the Toy Flower out of my pack and gave it to her. She giggled and put it up in her hair.

"Thanks! I told Rick I needed more flowers… but he didn't want to go out again after dark!"

"Well… you look all right now. Thanks for the spirit-lifter."

"Sure, no problem." With a giggle, she ran back to her friends.

I looked at her, until I was blind-sided yet again.

"Hey, you didn't show up last night!" a voice said, as I pulled myself to my feet.

"Oh. Hi, Ann."

"I heard about what happened from Popuri- after she came to the Inn to get some cookies for her mother. I didn't realize you'd been turned down by everyone you asked."

"Well, after you turned me down, I wasn't thinking clearly. I mean, getting turned down isn't usually what happens when I ask a girl to a dance of something. I guess I'm not used to being on my own yet."

"Well, you'll get used to it. It's a small town, and I hope you like it."

"Well… thanks for your concern. I'll see you at the Inn tomorrow night. Count on it."

"Sure! I'll catch you then."

She went to move away, but then I pulled out the bamboo sprout and tossed it to her.

"Hey, thanks! Come down to the Inn sometime, I'll make you something. Count on it!"

She ran over to her father, and then I walked around, letting the smell of all the flowers fill my head.

'Maybe it won't be as bad as I feared. I'm making mountains out of molehills.'

I stepped down towards the beach and sat on a box by the shore. I saw a few gulls diving for some baitfish, and then the smell of flowers came through the air.

"Jason?"

"Whoa!" I shouted, falling over backwards and down onto the wet sand.

"Are you all right?" Karen stood over me, looking concerned.

"Yeah, I was, until you decided to scare me half to death." I said, with a half-serious look on my face. "What's up?"

I hauled myself up.

"Well… I kind of saw you run from the store yesterday. I think you must have heard me accepting Rick's invitation."

I turned away from her- I wasn't going to show embarrassment in front of a cute girl, was I?

"I put it together after I found the cut Moondrop on the shelf of the store. You're the only one in town who remembers I like Moondrops, I think."

"Well… I saw you with the vase of them in the store. I admit they make you look incredible when you weave them in your hair."

"Thanks," she said, her face coloring a little. "You know… I heard that Rick has to get back to work right after the festival… seems there's a hatching predicted for sometime today. Would you like to go somewhere and maybe talk after the festival? Maybe you just need to get it out of your system. I'll be here at the beach, waiting for you."

"Well… I'll meet you after the festival. But what if Rick sees us? He's a friend, and I saw how close you two are."

"That? Oh, it's nothing. We just grew up together- and since his sister's such an airhead, we used to play together all the time."

I looked at my watch. It was about eleven.

"Well, I have to get back and get ready for the dance. At least think about my offer, will you?"

"Sure."

Karen walked back up the stairs and back to the Square. I just sat there, a dazed look on my face.

"There you are!"

I looked up, and there's Popuri, running down the stairs.

"I've been looking all over for you. I just wanted to ask you if you wanted to go somewhere after the festival. Maybe the top of Mother's Hill? I love the sunsets from up there."

"Maybe. I'll think about it."

"Great, then I'll meet you there!"

She ran off, and I walked back up to the Square, and bumped into Ann, making her way down the path.

"You know, you can be really hard to get ahold of sometimes."

I blushed. "It's just me, I think."

"Well, I was thinking… if you're not doing anything tonight, why don't you come on by the Inn? I'll make you something and you can tell me about the city."

"I'll think about it."

"Great! I'll see you there!"

She ran off, back to the other girls.

"And now, ladies and gentlemen… the Dance of the Spring Goddess!"

An old music box started up, playing a lively theme. The five girls in their Goddess costumes began to do their dance, but my mind went wandering as I watched.

'Three reasonably good offers. I could spend time with Popuri- but then again, she IS a bit of an airhead… but she IS pretty… or I could go over to the Inn… Ann promised to fix up some stuff and let me talk to her about the city… or I could go down to the beach with Karen and talk life with her. That's the upside.

The downside? If I go with Popuri, it's an hour and a half hike up Mother's Hill, and we wouldn't get back until way after sunset. I go with Ann, I irritate that guy who escorted her here, and I don't want to step on anybody's toes too much. And if I go with Karen, I have to make sure Rick doesn't catch me with her, or he might get the wrong idea.'

I sighed.

'Then again, I could just go on home and ignore them. Nothing ventured, no friends irritated. Hoo boy… what to do?'

And there you have it. Your second poll! Isn't life wonderful! ^.^

For Poll #2, the options are…

A) Go with Popuri to the top of Mother's Hill, and risk oversleeping.

B) Go with Ann to the Inn, and risk irritating the guy who escorted her (Cliff),

C) Go with Karen to the beach and hope Rick doesn't ever find out about it

D) Just go home and collapse into bed.

I take either review votes or E-Mail votes, but I like e-mail votes a lot better. Why? Mail from you lets you tell me what you think of the story, and lets you give suggestions on where it should go. Not to mention it's always nice to get fan mail.

I read every piece of mail I get sent, and I try to reply to most of them (unless it's a piece of spam, or a flame, in which case it gets immediately trashed and/or fed to my pet turtle)

Even if you don't vote, I'd still love to hear your opinions. My new mail address is:

Jayson_Four@yahoo.com

I changed it because I was sick of plowing through twenty pieces of junk mail every time I went to check it. But it's still the same old Jayson (a good thing, right?)

Well, thanks a lot for listening to me drone on and on. End date for this poll is midnight this coming Sunday- that means 12:00 in the morning on Sunday. (I know it's a shorter time. But I can't wait to write more to entertain you guys!)

Catch you later,

Jayson 4