"Yikes, what a MESS! I thought my brother had kept this farm tidy." It was indeed a mess. Stones and stumps littered the field, and there were a lot of weeds. "To think I got myself into this. I guess I better get started. Oh, maybe I should reminisque on the events of the last two hours."
A young woman, looking about 20, walks into the church. She is dressed in black and has a handkerchief to her eyes. The pastor stopped her, "Unless, young lady, you are a family member, you cannot come any farther." She glared at the pastor a second, then her expression softened. "I am Susan Millnes, and I am a family member. I am Jake Millnes' sister." The pastor stood aside and let her walk up to the pedestal. The pastor suddenly reached into Jake's sbirt pocket and pulled out a note. "This was the last thing he wrote, and it has your name on it Susan." Curious, the blue-eyed, blond haired girl read the note.
I feel myself getting weaker, so I must beg of you. Please take over the farm, should the need arise in the instance of my departure. Your one and only brother, Jake!
Susan paces a few times along the length of the room. "My brother." She said almost to herself (kind of like Leia said those words in Return of the Jedi.) She turns and faces the pastor and says six words. "I am taking over the farm."
The pastor looked stunned for a second, then said, "I'll inform the mayor. I am sure that your parents will be checking up on you later. Goodbye miss..."
"Millnes. I shall see you in a week, on Sunday. Good day pastor." She then walked out without a word and headed down the road towards the Firefly Farm. As she reached the farm she said, "Yikes, what a MESS! I thought my brother had kept this farm tidy." (A.N. Back to where we started)
Flashback has ended...
"Well, I guess it shall not help if I don't start." Susan walked into the house and changed into a pair of overalls (blue color), brushed her blonde hair (which was about to waist length) quickly, and then washed her face. There was something strange about her eyes. Once her face was wet, her eyes shone with a crystal blue shine. "Now's not really the time to be staring at my eyes, I have to get to work!" By 9 o'clock am, she was outside and using the axe. She nearly chopped her leg instead of the stumps, but eventually she got the hang of it. Going through the farmer's field, she got all the stumps chopped by about 12:00. By this time, she realized she was getting hungry, but she did not know where the bakery was.
"Good Afternoon!" A voice called from her door. She walked to the door and saw this man that looked sort of like a clown, but she didn't dare tell him that. One reason she didn't say that was because this man was obviously the mayor of the town, because he had a huge star on his vest saying "Mayor". "You may call me Mayor, everyone does." Susan simply nodded, she was a little bit shy around strangers, particularly those who looked like clowns. (LOL, sorry I had to put that in.) "The pastor told me what is now plainly obvious, that you are taking over the Firefly Farm. I have come to ask if you would like a tour of the village." Susan nodded again and spoke to the mayor. "Do you know where the bakery is? I'm really hungry, I've been working all morning to get rid of the stumps."
The mayor simply chuckled and said, "I most certainly do know where it is and I'll even by you something to eat, on me this time." He led her out of her farmyard and down a path. This was the path straight from the farmyard. "To your left is the Green Ranch. The people there raise animals to sell. They raise Chickens, Cows, and Sheep there. They also have a couple of horses that they need to give away, be sure to visit them during this spring to get a horse for yourself."
The mayor (now just Mayor) pointed to their right, "Down that road is the mountain, the Goddess Spring, Carpenter's Cabin, Restaurant (not the Bakery), and also your Rival's farm, don't forget to pay him a visit so he can meet you, which I'm SURE he'll want to." As Mayor said this, he glanced Susan up and down. Susan blushed and said, "Ok I will, but can we continue with the tour."
Mayor kept walking and pointed up a hill to their right. "Up there is the vineyards. The grapes do not get into harvest until the fall, so their farm has to grow a great quantity to keep profits up and stay open. Karen, our local barkeeper, lives there too. Be sure to visit." Mayor walked into the town and immediately bumped into Harris, the mailman. "Hi, I'm the mailman, and you must be Susan?" Susan nodded. "Well, I'll be delivering mail to your mailbox every morning, if there is any mail to be had. Be sure to check your mail at least every three days. There is usually something after three days." Then Harris walked off.
Mayor walked down the road and pointed to a shop on the right, "This is the Florist's shop. Popuri and her mother live and work there. They will be the ones you buy your seeds from, be it plant seeds, or another type of seed. Speak to Popuri, and she'll straighten everything out." He then walked further on and pointed to a building right in front of them, "This is the bar and the inn. The bar opens up at 6 pm and closes at midnight. The inn is open all day long. Karen works in the Bar at night almost every night it is open. This is a good place to sit back and relax after a hard day's work, but be sure to get enough sleep."
He walked left and stood next to a stone staircase. Up here is the Festival Square. It is where we hold most of our festivals. I'll let you know either the day before or on the day of the festival that one is happening. (speaking of festivals does anyone know how to reach the beach? I've tried every time I reach the swimming festival and I have NEVER FOUND THE BEACH! Someone please tell me!) Mayor started to walk along the path and Susan saw an old abandoned building (somewhere you can never go). She said nothing and listened as Mayor pointed out the toolshop. "This is where you'll buy a few items, oh and that reminds me, they've got an ocarina on sale there. You might be able to teach your horse to come to the sound of a certain song on that thing. On we go."
Mayor pointed out the library, his house, the birth-aide's shack, the potion's master house, and the church (she already knew about that place.)
Finally, the last stop, she thought. "Now I know you're tired after all this, but here is the bakery, I'll take you back to your farm after I get you something to eat. Oh yes and Maria is in charge of the Library. Eli works in the bakery here. She also lives here." Mayor walked inside and Susan followed him. She stares at the cakes and cookies and pies in the display case. "Now Susan my friend, what would you like." Susan asked for a cake and a glass of Ginger Ale (the bakery doesn't have any liquor). While they sat eating their meal, a young man rushed in. Mayor lept to his feet and said, "Peter, is something wrong?" Susan stared at the young man (Peter), he had brown hair, and wore a similar outfit to what she had on, except he was wearing a hat backwards on his head. A small tuft of brown hair stuck out of his hat. (Getting the picture? The original main character of Harvest Moon, yep, yep!) Peter whispered something into Mayor's ear. "Oh dear! Well I'll have to leave you now Susan, you know how to reach your farm from here?" Susan shook her head.
Mayor pointed down a path. "You see that road? The one that joins where we walked in from? Well if you go back to the intersection where we entered the bakery from and walk to the left to the end of the path, take a left until you reach the main entrance to the town square, turn right there and walk past the Green Ranch, you'll be there. If you want to, stop by the Green Ranch and pick up a horse. Good Day Susan Millnes, and good luck." Then Mayor walked out, leaving Susan alone with this young man Peter. He walked up to her and smiled, he looked like he was about the same age as her. When he smiled, she felt a little bit dizzy, but she shook it off. "I'm heading that way myself. I'll walk with you a bit if you wish." She smiled and for the first time, she felt comfortable. "I'd be glad to." Peter caught himself staring a second at her and quickly apologized. "Don't worry about it, I get it a lot. Lot's of guys tell me I'm beautiful, but don't really care about who I am." Peter nodded, "I know just what you mean. I've lived her for a while now, while my grandfather was sick." Susan gasped, "Please tell me that you're not from Waterfish farm." Peter sighed, "I am from that farm. Can we still be friends though?"
Susan looked at him for one second and saw how unhappy he looked. She hugged him quickly and said, "Of course we can be friends." Peter beamed and looked at the table. He then realized that in his haste, Mayor had forgotten to pay for the meal. The price for the meal was about 800 fol and Peter plunked down 800 fol, leaving a 100 fol tip. "That's for Eli," He told Susan. "You like her, do you?" She asked tentatively. Peter nodded, "She's a good friend of mine. We're not much closer than that, me and her. Well, shall we go?" Peter and Susan walked down towards Firefly farm and stopped in the Green Ranch. It was starting to get late, around 3 o'clock pm. The gate was open, so Susan and Peter walked in and started to pat the cows. The cows mooed happily at the extra attention. "HEY!" A female voice cried. The two of them jumped and stopped patting the cows. It even looked like the cows might have jumped too. "Sorry, I couldn't see what you two were doing, it's alright to pat the cows. My name is Ann." Susan looked at her and remembered her from the Mayor's tour. "Hi, I'm Susan Millnes and this is Peter..." Peter interrupted, "Peter Hatcher, sorry to interrupt, but I hand't told you my last name yet my friend." Susan nodded and stared at the beautiful ponies Ann had with her. "Oh, you like these ponies Susan? Well we're giving two away, come and see." Peter and Susan followed Ann into the Stable. There she saw a beautiful horse, a black one. "Is that one of them?" She pointed to the black one, which was only a baby. "That is actually one of them. She was bred as a racer. She'll also put a hard day's work in on a farm. It's good training to build her muscles up. There's also that one there." Ann pointed to a beautiful snow white pony. "Both are racing horses. The white one is a boy." Susan walked up to the white one, who shied away. The black one snorted. Susan giggled, "Looks like the black one has an attitude problem." She whispered to Ann. Ann giggled, then told them that the black one needed a good, kind owner to treat her right.
Peter looked at both of the ponies. "I can't decide, they are both so beautiful. Let's see." He pulled a brush out of his bag and started to brush the white pony, the white pony tried to get away. "Let me try." Susan said. Ann handed her a brush and she walked right up to the white one. The pony at first looked like he would run, but then he stopped. Susan put the brush to his coat and started to brush the pony. The pony whinnied happily. "I guess I'm taking the white one. He's only letting me near him." Ann nodded at that and told them that the white one had let none a person near him since he was born. Susan was the first. He only let Ann near enough to feed him, and that was it.
"Maybe he just likes girls." Ann said, then the two girls started to giggle at that. "Maybe, and what about this black one?" Peter said. Ann stopped chuckling, "That black one too is a strange one, she let's no-one near her." Peter walked up to the black pony and touched her head. She instantly settled down and Peter began to brush her. She did the same thing her white friend had down earlier. Susan smiled, "Looks like the black one is going to you Pete." Ann shrugged and told them to wait there. While she was gone, Susan kept brushing the white horse, while Peter kept brushing the black horse. They didn't hear Ann come back with her father. "See daddy? Those two new farmers are brushing them like they've known those two all their lives. Amazing isn't it?" Ann whispered. Her father wispered to Ann that it indeed was strange. (I've forgotten her Father's name, so it's now Bill).
Suddenly the two farmers noticed Ann and Bill staring at them. Gray walked in as well and said hello to Ann. "What do you think Gray? Of these two I mean. Reflexes are good don't you think?" Gray blushed a little while looking at Susan and said, "I guess." Then he walked off. Ann shouted after him, "Gray!" Ann glanced at the two of them, "Sorry, he's normally like that, blunt and to the point." Susan and Peter smirked. Bill looked at them and said, "Well you two, think you can care for these two animals well? They feed themeselves, except in the winter. Be sure to feed them then and remember to give them names and brush them daily. When they get big, then you can race them. They should be fast, because they are racing horses by breed.
The two of them walked the horses out of the ranch, after saying goodbye to the socially challenged Gray, Bill, and the kind Ann. Susan couldn't help noticing that Peter was friendly with Ann, Eli, and herself. "Probably just friendly with all girls." She thought and asked if they should check out the vineyard before heading home. "How about this, I'll drop off our ponies at your farm while you head up there, I'll catch up with you." Peter said and headed towards her farm. She shrugged, then walked to the vineyard. Peter had already caught up with her by the time she reached the vineyard. "Watch it you moron, out of my way." A girl had zoomed by them to be precise. Curious, the two of them headed towards the house. "Sorry about that. That was Karen, the prettiest girl in the town, at least she was for two years running. Maria's close too, but anyways. My name is Kai! I'm a servant here in the vineyard." Susan noticed that he if she had met him in an alley, she might have screamed. He looked sort of like a thief, with that headband on. But he was also kind of cute. "I'm Susan Millnes, and this is Peter Hatcher. We're new around here and we'll proabably be around a while." Peter nodded, but Kai frowned slightly.
"May I ask why you're hanging around with your rival?" Susan felt a little bit defensive about this, "We're just friends. Besides, I know he's my rival, so I'm ok." Peter nodded and said that he was only hanging with her as a friend, "for now" he thought to himself. Kai smiled at Susan and said that they were both welcome back at the vineyard at any time. "Want to head to the bar?" Susan smiled and said that would be lovely. "You two go ahead. I have to head back to pick up my horse and lead her home." Peter said. Susan said, "Could you make sure my horse has some oats before you go?" Peter smiled and nodded. He walked off towards her farm. "Are you sure it's wise to let him walk around your farm like that unsupervised?" Susan said, "I'm positive, he's one of the nicest people I've met here, and I don't think he's the type to hurt me." Kai shrugged and led her to the bar.
When she walked in, she saw the girl that had nearly run her over. "Oh hello there Karen." She said to the girl. Karen looked at her and then ran over, "I'm sorry for knocking you and your friend down. I was in a hurry to get away from my father. He's so rude and controlling sometimes, just because I'm pretty." Susan didn't completely like the way she gloated about being pretty, but she was sure that Karen didn't mean to gloat so she said, "I know what you mean, my father's like that too. It drives me nuts." Karen quickly ran to the counter, got three beers and came back. "Here, on the house." The three sat together, Karen and Susan on one side of the table and Kai on the other. "So you're taking over the Firefly Farm." Karen said. "That's good, I'm sorry about your brother." Susan stiffened slightly, it was the first time someone had mentioned her brother. "Sorry, I didn't mean to hurt your feelings." Susan simply smiled sadly. "You know, he was in here every night, causing a ruckus, it was kind of funny. I'm really going to miss him. He was a good friend of mine." Susan smiled and hugged Karen. "I guess that means I'll be seeing a lot of you then." The two girls laughed at that. Kai suddenly looked at the clock. "You know, it's 10 pm? The shipper isn't here, where is he?" Suddenly, the bar phone rang. Karen excused herself and when to answer it.
"Yes, is a girl named Susan Millnes there? Peter Hatcher said that she wuold be back around 9 pm and she still isn't here." Karen said that Susan was here and that she would send Susan back to the Firefly farm as soon as she was done her drink." Karen hung up and ran back to Susan. "That was the shipper, he needs you back at the farm as soon as your done the drink. I think I'm going to tag along too. My father told me I can't come home until I apologize, so would you mind terribly if?" Susan got the picture. "Not at all Karen, I could use the company." Susan finished the beer and so did Karen. Then they both said goodnight and ran to the Firefly Farm. Waiting by the shipping box was the shipper.
At first glance, he appeared to be about eight feet tall, but when they got closer, Susan discovered that he was more like seven and a half feet tall. "About bloody time! I've been waiting two hours, but that's alright, I can understand as it's your first day here, I am your shipper young lady, I see you already put six eggs into shipment. I'll just pay you accordingly. And my name is Tom, I'm pleased to meet you. I normally come at around 5 and pick up your goods by 5:30. I also leave the money on your porch if you're not home that is. I'm gone by 6:00. If you're here " Susan just smiled and nodded. Tom put 300 fol on top of the shipping box. (50 fol per egg). (A.N. In case you are wondering, I'm not entirely sure what currency they used in Harvest Moon, so I'm using my favourite type of currency, the Fol. It comes from Star Ocean the Second Story, all rights reserved).
Susan shrugged and put the 300 fol into her wallet, then turned towards Karen. "I'm not sure where you're going to sleep, Karen." Karen shrugged and said, "We are both girls right? It won't hurt to be in the same room, same..." Susan got the point. They both changed into their pjs and then climbed into the bed (same bed, but nothing like that you sickos). They said goodnight, then fell asleep in no time.
The next morning, Susan woke up with someone's hair in front of her. Then she remembered that she had shared her bed with Karen last night. (again nothing you sickos). She looked at her watch, "Man why is it only 6 am?" She thought as she climbed out of bed. Karen also jumped out of bed. They changed into their regular clothes and looked outside. The sun was shining brightly. "Today's the 2nd of Spring right Karen?" Karen gave her a thumbs up and walked outside. She grabbed the hammer while she went. By the time Susan got outside with breakfast for the two of them, the stones had all been moved close to the chicken coop and the barn. The big stones were gone. "Karen, you're incredible!" Susan exclaimed. Karen simply grinned and walked up to her. "Mind if we eat? I'm starved." Susan laughed, "You're always hungry pretty one." They laughed and sat down to breakfast, Rice Balls. After they had finished eating, Karen grabbed the hoe. "So where are those cabbage seeds going to be planted? Nine sets per bag." Susan looked into the toolbox, "Why I never bought these? Who?" Then she noticed a note,
There are 3 cabbage bags, 4 potato bags, and 5 turnip bags to help you start on this farm. Good luck my friend.
Love from Peter Hatcher
"Wow, does he really care about me that much?" Susan asked to Karen? Karen smiled and said that he must. The two of them were busy right up til 12 o'clock. Karen got the earth ready and planted the seeds, while Susan watered the seeds. Susan then went over to the stable and looked in on the pony. He was gleaming in the sunlight. Karen gasped at the horse. "Now THAT'S A HORSE." She whispered loudly. "It's BEAUTIFUL! Will he let me pet him?" Susan smiled and said that so far, he had only let her brush him. Susan gave the brush to Karen, who walked up to the pony and started to brush him. "Wow, he likes you, usually he runs away from strangers." Karen giggled and kept brushing him. Finally Susan brushed him and said that he was a good horse and that she would see him soon. She kissed him, then they walked out. Something small and furry jumped into Susan's arms, and Susan nearly dropped it. It was a small Golden Retriever Puppy. "Aw, it's cute." Karen said, "And it's a female too." Susan patted the dog, "How do you figure that?" Karen told her that she had seen the puppy earlier while they were working, and the puppy had taken a leak break (LOL). She knew the difference between a male dog and a female dog. The way she went to the washroom was a female dog way. (I'm talking about the PUPPY here, not the farmer, just to clarify for the sicko readers).
"Well I'll decide what to name her later, what should I name my horse? Snow White?" Susan stated. The two of them giggled madly at that name. The dog yipped happily while they talked. "This dog really seems yappy. I know I'll name her Yip-Yap, naw." They laughed some more. "I know, I remember Star Wars, that was a great movie. I'll name her Leyra!" Karen thought a minute, then said, "I like it, Leyra. What about the pony?" Susan thought some more then decided, "Blizzard." Karen smiled, "Because he's fast and is white right?" Susan nodded. She walked to the pony and said, "Hear that? Your new name is now Blizzard." Then she looked down at the dog at her feet, and said, "Your name is now Leyra." The two animals showed their "appreciation" for the new names. "EW! Crud, now I'll have to change clothes." Karen said. Susan couldn't help it, she broke down laughing. Karen started to laugh too. "Susan, do you have any extra girl clothes?" Susan said, "Of course I do, you don't think I brought only men's clothes here do you?" Then they started to laugh as they went inside and changed into some clothes for the rest of the day.
With Leyra walking at their heels, Susan and Karen walked to the Vineyard, where Karen apologized for her rudeness the other day. Then they walked down to the Green Ranch to talk to Ann. Karen and Ann were also good friends and Ann stared to laugh hysterically when Karen told her what Leyra had done. "Sorry, but I can't help it, it's so funny." Susan started to laugh too. Even Karen started to laugh for the tenth time that day. Ann stopped laughing, "You did wash yourself didn't you?" Karen blushed and said she did that at the vineyard (something I left out for OBVIOUS reasons). Suddenly Susan heard a familiar whistle and saw Peter coming down the road, and he was about to pass Green Ranch. "PETER!" She shouted. Peter poked his head in and saw the three of them standing together. "Hey girls, how's it shaking?" All three of the girls broke down in laughter. Peter smiled and said, "My, my, we are in a happy mood today ladies." All four of them started to laugh at this moment. Susan walked up to him and wrapped her arms around him. She pecked him on the cheek and whispered "Thanks for the seeds."
Peter stopped smiling. "Seeds? Oh right, the seeds. I saw you didn't have any, so I got some for you, with my own money." Susan was not surprised, "Tell me how much it cost you." Peter smiled and said, "4200 Fol" Susan nearly fainted at that. "Peter, you didn't have to do that much for me." Peter smiled and held her close and whispered something, "I wanted to!" Ann nearly fell over when she realized that it was 1 o'clock. "Crap, I promised I'd meet Popuri at 1:30 pm!" The four of them ran, with Leyra following, to Popuri's flower shop and reached it just in time. When the door opened, Susan's mouth dropped open. A beautiful girl came out of it. She had pink hair to her shoulders and had a semi-innocent looking face. "HEY ANN!! Who's the new girl? And that hunk." At those words, Susan felt a bit jealous, but then didn't mind when Peter told her not to be jealous. Popuri told the others about the gathering that was held on the 13th of Spring. "The Horse Races, incredible. Have any of you, besides Ann, got your horses ready yet?" Karen shook her head, and Peter looked at Susan. "We just got our horses yesterday, they are still too little to ride in the races." Popuri smiled and said she knew just what they meant. She was going to prepare some Cat Mint Seeds for the Flower Festival on the 23rd of Spring. "When's your birthday anyways Peter?" Susan whispered to Peter. Peter smiled and told her it was on the 25th of Spring.
By the time they had finished talking about all the festivals, it was getting near 6 o'clock (they had gone to some places too). Karen and Susan ran off towards the bar, while Ann and Popuri ran home. Peter hesitated a minute, then head home to his farm. Little did he know that he should have gone to the bar.
In the bar, Susan was helping Karen wait on tables. (Susan and Karen have become quite a pairing, don't you think?) Kai walked in and stopped to stare at Susan a minute, then sat down at a table. Susan rushed over. "What would you like handsome." (She felt like she was getting pretty good at this). "I would like three beers please, maybe Karen could have a drink with us too." Susan grabbed the beers and motioned for Karen to sit with them. Karen sat next to Susan and put her head onto Susan's shoulder. (She WAS tired after all!!) Susan sighed mainly because it felt good to sit down for a couple of minutes. The three of them started to talk about life and about dates for the Flower Festival. "So who's this year's king anyways." Karen smiled and said "Believe it or not, Kai here is. This means of course that whoever he chooses for the Sowing Festival will get a great view of the world." Kai bent over to kiss Susan and Karen, but the two of them stood up suddenly and he ended up kissing the table. "Goodnight Kai, we'll see you tomorrow." And the two of them ran off to Susan's farm. This time they were very quick in changing and getting into bed because the two of them had their shower together. (THEY'RE GIRLS!! THEY DON'T HAVE TO WORRY TOO MUCH ABOUT SHOWERING TOGETHER!! IT'S NOT LIKE THEY ARE GIRL AND GUY!! ALSO THEY ARE JUST REALLY, REALLY GOOD FRIENDS!!) The two of them were asleep fairly quickly and didn't notice as Peter went over to Blizzard and patted him. "Goodnight Blizzard, I'm going to name your friend Nightstrike. I guess I'll name my dog Latte." Then he walked off into the moonlight towards Waterfish to rest his body, preparing for the next day.
Well, how was it? Long wasn't it? That's only because I had to do the tour, the next ones might be shorter, but there will be no shortage of fun in them. I'm planning to have two days, or maybe three days, per chapter. Big festivals (like the Spring Festival and the Horse Race Festivals, etc...) will probably have one whole chapter devoted to them. Birthdays are another thing that will have a whole chapter devoted to. If someone could tell me the following character's birthdays, I would be mostly appreciative, Maria (library girl), Karen (bar girl), and Eli. I already know Popuri and Ann's birthdays. I also need to know four tbings, how to reach the beach, the dates of all the festivals, (I only know those in the Spring and some in the Summer), the price of seeds (how much for each bag of different seeds), and how much per shipping item (how much per turnip, per potato, per egg, per milk [different sizes], and per wool [both qualities, I think the Best Quality is like 1000 per wool]) Please give me some ideas for the next chapter. If people like this story, I shall speed it up in production.