OK, so some people don't think this effort is garbage :-) We'll go ahead.
Hmfan 2.0 - 'preciate you sticking through my stories, especially through my dry spells.
Farmer Jen - If you need a reference for your college applications, drop me a line, I'll be glad to help out. ;-)
Ksim3000 - more thanks to a dedicated reviewer. You're one of the Karen fans I'm trying to appease here without taking Haven somewhere unplanned. :-)
------------------------------------------------
Karen's Diary
Chapter 2
1 Spring
morning - It's New Year's Day, the first day of Spring. Tra-la-la and all that stuff. At least I'm not hungover. Then again, I feel so low that it wouldn't have mattered. Why not greet a bad day with a bad head - I should have gone to the Inn last night after all.
I hope that city guy gets here today so we can get the funeral over with. I hate thinking of that dear old man lying in the middle of the church. Let's get him decently buried. We'll know at ten, when the Princess arrives. Why didn't that fool Thomas at least give him the phone number at the Inn so he could tell us if and when he's coming. I hate this uncertainty.
Dad's was antsy about finances at breakfast. I can't blame him for worrying. Last time I reconciled the books, we were over 25,000G in the red and it can only have gotten worse since. His stomach's really bad today. He was saying that if Erehwon won't be bringing in money anymore, the village will go broke. Period. End of story. I asked who could take it over and he just shrugged. He said nobody here knows how to farm on that scale except Rick and Barley, and they're working up to their limits right now. I could have said that Rick's working past his limit, but I got his point.
late morning - The church bell is ringing, so the grandson must have come and the funeral is on. I'll put on the full-length black dress and...no, I won't be ready. I'll never be ready for this. God, give me strength to get through the next couple of hours.
evening - How can so much change in just a few hours? Let me do this slowly and get it right for once.
The funeral was...moving. Everyone was there except Ellen and Lillia and I'm sure they'd have come if they could have. Carter handled the ceremony perfectly - that man knows how to combine simplicity and grace. "Eighty-five years of loving this village is the best preparation for living in heaven." Just perfect.
The grandson was sitting in front with Thomas. After the ceremony, he joined the pallbearers in carrying him out and placing him in the earth. That was a touch of class. He didn't have to do that. He's about my age, maybe a little younger. I was expecting him to be much older. You know, it's funny how the mind plays tricks on you. I couldn't really tell you what he looks like. It's his eyes that drew all my attention. They looked lost and shattered. They're deep blue - bet they're real pretty when he's happy. Afterwards, I spoke to him in my turn, along with the others. I don't think he really noticed any of us. I can't blame him.
Then it got really interesting. Thomas sent him off to Erehwon and brought the rest of us to the Inn for an emergency town meeting. He went over the facts of how the village couldn't survive without the income from Erehwon. Then he popped the surprise - he wanted to give the farm to the grandson! He reminded us that they're the oldest family in the village and Jack (that's his name) was a direct descendent of the founder and had a right to it. Zack had ridden the Princess with him this morning and had talked with him - told us that he was unemployed and free. He'd been working on that Mars shot that just went off, and as soon as the spaceship left, they fired him. That's really cold - those city people have no loyalty to each other at all.
Well you know everyone had an opinion! At first, I'd say about three-quarters of the people were against it. It was "his father ran away", "he's never lived here", "what does a rocket scientist know about farming" until it was coming out of our ears. Thomas had to shout for order with both Doug and Duke joining in before they quieted down.
Thomas was as mad as I've ever seen him. He was banging the table and shouting back at the objectors. "He's *not* responsible for what his father did! He's 23, bright, and healthy; he can learn how to farm. And he damn well *has* lived here - he spent a whole summer at Erehwon when he was seven." Did he? I don't remember it. Few others did, either.
Mom and Dad both spoke up about how the store was in trouble anyways and we'd go under if we lost that farm. I backed them up on it. Some of the stuffy old-timers don't even want you to speak at a meeting until you're over 30, but everyone knows I keep the books at the store, so they didn't give me any static. Gotz and Saibara had the same story. Then when *both* Doug and Duke talked about hard times coming, the room got pretty quiet.
Carter and Basil started going into this mystical stuff about how the Harvest Goddess won't let anyone outside of the old man's family work that farm. They were impressing the old-timers, but not me. I stopped believing fairy stories when I was 10.
By this time, most people were sorta going along with the idea. Manna was still griping about his father running away. She was so insistent about it, I wonder if he was running away from her. (meow) She got off that old line about 'the apple not falling far from the tree', then Saibara shut her right up with 'the father sure fell far from the grandfather, right?' That's Saibara - he doesn't say much, but when he does, he really makes you stop and think.
Duke was wondering if we should keep looking for another relative to bring in. He was saying, 'What if we give him the farm and he turns out to be a screw-up. We can't take it back!' I thought that was going to open the meeting back up, but Doug saved it by proposing that we let him stay for a trial period, then give him the farm after if he does all right. Most everyone thought that was a grand idea. Duke wasn't too happy but said he could live with it. He proposed a two-year trial. Then Rick spoke up (I *love* him!) saying he knew a little about Erehwon and nobody could get it back up in two years. He proposed four. Thomas then said we'd split the difference and make it three. He went around the room and nobody objected and he called the meeting over.
He was about to go tell Jack our decision, when he turned around and said: "Of course, we're all assuming he'll take it. What if he doesn't want the farm, what are we going to do then? Think about it!" That got us quiet and thoughtful as we left.
I'm *so* proud of Rick. He was brave enough to speak up *and* he made a difference. I'm going to be real sweet to that boy later on :-)
Wow, I'm actually proud of what I just wrote. I've been writing a couple of pages a week of boring personal stuff - now I've done three pages in one day and it's something important about the village. I remember Dad when he was teaching me history telling me that they didn't keep records at the Constitutional Convention. All we know about it is from people who kept diaries.
I'm a historian now :-) :-) :-)
later evening - Jack agreed to work the farm! Thomas said he didn't even stop to think about it. Just came right out with this speech about how the idea of hard times coming to the village was hateful to him and he'd give us his best. Well, I heard this from Dad. Thomas and Jack came by the store - he was giving him the 2G tour of the village - but I was in my room writing the last entry and missed them.
Writing about events makes you miss them? I don't want to be a historian anymore.
But what if Duke is right and he is a screw-up? What *is* his best?
much later evening - I'm so proud of myself again - I went into the Inn to celebrate New Years (yes, Thomas cancelled the dance) and only had *two* drinks. Yes, I'm *not* *not* *not* an alky!!! Everyone was pretty subdued from the funeral and the meeting. I got Rick all cute and blushing when I told him he was the best speaker there. Mr. Big Man in the Village and I took the long way home - smooching under the cherry blossoms, mmm mmm mmm.
Two nights in a row back home before midnight and sober no less (well, just a little tipsy.) I'm going to make a habit of this. Oh, yeah - make it a New Year's resolution.
Right.
Hmfan 2.0 - 'preciate you sticking through my stories, especially through my dry spells.
Farmer Jen - If you need a reference for your college applications, drop me a line, I'll be glad to help out. ;-)
Ksim3000 - more thanks to a dedicated reviewer. You're one of the Karen fans I'm trying to appease here without taking Haven somewhere unplanned. :-)
------------------------------------------------
Karen's Diary
Chapter 2
1 Spring
morning - It's New Year's Day, the first day of Spring. Tra-la-la and all that stuff. At least I'm not hungover. Then again, I feel so low that it wouldn't have mattered. Why not greet a bad day with a bad head - I should have gone to the Inn last night after all.
I hope that city guy gets here today so we can get the funeral over with. I hate thinking of that dear old man lying in the middle of the church. Let's get him decently buried. We'll know at ten, when the Princess arrives. Why didn't that fool Thomas at least give him the phone number at the Inn so he could tell us if and when he's coming. I hate this uncertainty.
Dad's was antsy about finances at breakfast. I can't blame him for worrying. Last time I reconciled the books, we were over 25,000G in the red and it can only have gotten worse since. His stomach's really bad today. He was saying that if Erehwon won't be bringing in money anymore, the village will go broke. Period. End of story. I asked who could take it over and he just shrugged. He said nobody here knows how to farm on that scale except Rick and Barley, and they're working up to their limits right now. I could have said that Rick's working past his limit, but I got his point.
late morning - The church bell is ringing, so the grandson must have come and the funeral is on. I'll put on the full-length black dress and...no, I won't be ready. I'll never be ready for this. God, give me strength to get through the next couple of hours.
evening - How can so much change in just a few hours? Let me do this slowly and get it right for once.
The funeral was...moving. Everyone was there except Ellen and Lillia and I'm sure they'd have come if they could have. Carter handled the ceremony perfectly - that man knows how to combine simplicity and grace. "Eighty-five years of loving this village is the best preparation for living in heaven." Just perfect.
The grandson was sitting in front with Thomas. After the ceremony, he joined the pallbearers in carrying him out and placing him in the earth. That was a touch of class. He didn't have to do that. He's about my age, maybe a little younger. I was expecting him to be much older. You know, it's funny how the mind plays tricks on you. I couldn't really tell you what he looks like. It's his eyes that drew all my attention. They looked lost and shattered. They're deep blue - bet they're real pretty when he's happy. Afterwards, I spoke to him in my turn, along with the others. I don't think he really noticed any of us. I can't blame him.
Then it got really interesting. Thomas sent him off to Erehwon and brought the rest of us to the Inn for an emergency town meeting. He went over the facts of how the village couldn't survive without the income from Erehwon. Then he popped the surprise - he wanted to give the farm to the grandson! He reminded us that they're the oldest family in the village and Jack (that's his name) was a direct descendent of the founder and had a right to it. Zack had ridden the Princess with him this morning and had talked with him - told us that he was unemployed and free. He'd been working on that Mars shot that just went off, and as soon as the spaceship left, they fired him. That's really cold - those city people have no loyalty to each other at all.
Well you know everyone had an opinion! At first, I'd say about three-quarters of the people were against it. It was "his father ran away", "he's never lived here", "what does a rocket scientist know about farming" until it was coming out of our ears. Thomas had to shout for order with both Doug and Duke joining in before they quieted down.
Thomas was as mad as I've ever seen him. He was banging the table and shouting back at the objectors. "He's *not* responsible for what his father did! He's 23, bright, and healthy; he can learn how to farm. And he damn well *has* lived here - he spent a whole summer at Erehwon when he was seven." Did he? I don't remember it. Few others did, either.
Mom and Dad both spoke up about how the store was in trouble anyways and we'd go under if we lost that farm. I backed them up on it. Some of the stuffy old-timers don't even want you to speak at a meeting until you're over 30, but everyone knows I keep the books at the store, so they didn't give me any static. Gotz and Saibara had the same story. Then when *both* Doug and Duke talked about hard times coming, the room got pretty quiet.
Carter and Basil started going into this mystical stuff about how the Harvest Goddess won't let anyone outside of the old man's family work that farm. They were impressing the old-timers, but not me. I stopped believing fairy stories when I was 10.
By this time, most people were sorta going along with the idea. Manna was still griping about his father running away. She was so insistent about it, I wonder if he was running away from her. (meow) She got off that old line about 'the apple not falling far from the tree', then Saibara shut her right up with 'the father sure fell far from the grandfather, right?' That's Saibara - he doesn't say much, but when he does, he really makes you stop and think.
Duke was wondering if we should keep looking for another relative to bring in. He was saying, 'What if we give him the farm and he turns out to be a screw-up. We can't take it back!' I thought that was going to open the meeting back up, but Doug saved it by proposing that we let him stay for a trial period, then give him the farm after if he does all right. Most everyone thought that was a grand idea. Duke wasn't too happy but said he could live with it. He proposed a two-year trial. Then Rick spoke up (I *love* him!) saying he knew a little about Erehwon and nobody could get it back up in two years. He proposed four. Thomas then said we'd split the difference and make it three. He went around the room and nobody objected and he called the meeting over.
He was about to go tell Jack our decision, when he turned around and said: "Of course, we're all assuming he'll take it. What if he doesn't want the farm, what are we going to do then? Think about it!" That got us quiet and thoughtful as we left.
I'm *so* proud of Rick. He was brave enough to speak up *and* he made a difference. I'm going to be real sweet to that boy later on :-)
Wow, I'm actually proud of what I just wrote. I've been writing a couple of pages a week of boring personal stuff - now I've done three pages in one day and it's something important about the village. I remember Dad when he was teaching me history telling me that they didn't keep records at the Constitutional Convention. All we know about it is from people who kept diaries.
I'm a historian now :-) :-) :-)
later evening - Jack agreed to work the farm! Thomas said he didn't even stop to think about it. Just came right out with this speech about how the idea of hard times coming to the village was hateful to him and he'd give us his best. Well, I heard this from Dad. Thomas and Jack came by the store - he was giving him the 2G tour of the village - but I was in my room writing the last entry and missed them.
Writing about events makes you miss them? I don't want to be a historian anymore.
But what if Duke is right and he is a screw-up? What *is* his best?
much later evening - I'm so proud of myself again - I went into the Inn to celebrate New Years (yes, Thomas cancelled the dance) and only had *two* drinks. Yes, I'm *not* *not* *not* an alky!!! Everyone was pretty subdued from the funeral and the meeting. I got Rick all cute and blushing when I told him he was the best speaker there. Mr. Big Man in the Village and I took the long way home - smooching under the cherry blossoms, mmm mmm mmm.
Two nights in a row back home before midnight and sober no less (well, just a little tipsy.) I'm going to make a habit of this. Oh, yeah - make it a New Year's resolution.
Right.