Disclaimer: I don't own Harvest Moon, Karen, or any related characters or
events; to the best of my knowledge, they're all owned by Natsume. Any
resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or events is purely
coincidental. This story is based primarily on the plot of Harvest Moon 64.
Wine Red no Kokoro
by flame mage
Part 18: Happy Birthday to Me
**********
I stopped by the ranch to pick up the eggs a few mornings after the wedding, and I got halfway through the crossroads when I heard Ann yelling. Ann yells a lot, but only the loud, cheerful, genki kind of yelling. She almost never yells when she's angry, and I figured it had to mean trouble. I hurled myself in the direction of the ranch and ran as fast as I could.
I was just inside the gate of the ranch when a grooming brush slammed straight into the side of my head. I went down like a rock.
I think I blacked out for a second there, but the next thing I knew Gray was helping me up.
"What the hell is going on?!" I demanded. "A war?!"
Gray laughed, a low chuckle that I rarely heard from him. He'd never been the same since the accident, but he was always protective of Ann, and as her best friend, I got to see a side of Gray that few other people knew.
"You could say that," he said. "They'll be at it for hours."
"At what?" I asked warily, not really sure I wanted to know.
He gestured to the pasture. "Take a look."
I did. Ann and Cliff were standing out there, shouting at each other and hurling things. I watched for a moment, then picked up the brush and chucked it back. They didn't even notice. "Is this normal?" I asked.
Gray shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine. Normal for them, I guess." He started for his shack. "Come on. I'll get you the eggs and make sure your head is okay."
He made me a cup of tea, put the eggs in a carton, and parted my hair to look at the side of my head where the brush had hit me. I figured I'd have a bruise, but no concussion, which was good. I was sipping my tea and starting to think about going to see Jack when Gray said, "I have a question."
"Shoot."
He looked down into his cup. "How...how do you get a girl to like you?"
What, just because I had a boyfriend I was now the Advice Person? First Ann, then Gray. The whole family seemed to want my input. If Rick ever got interested in girls, I was gonna lock my door and hibernate. "Any girl in particular," I asked.
I couldn't see his face under the hat, but I would've bet my wine racks he was blushing. "Popuri," he muttered finally.
Whoa. Bubble saccharine chick. Last person I would've thought of for the strong, silent type like Gray--I would've figured on Maria or someone--but for all I knew, her sweet energy was why he liked her.
"Umm, okay." I was thinking...well, no, I was winging it. "She likes flowers. A lot." It was almost disturbing sometimes. You have to worry about someone who spends her free time watering a sidewalk. "So...you should buy some flowers. Maybe one snowy day when she's in the shop? You'll have to ask. They usually don't have much stock left by the end of planting season, and what packages of seeds they do have are kept in storage. Get her to get it out for you. You can talk to her some then. And plant them on the ranch in the Spring." What else? "Oh, yeah, she likes it if you're nice to Lillia."
"Thanks," he said.
"Any time," I replied, picking up the eggs. "See you later."
Ann and Cliff were still arguing when I left. I headed for the farm. I really needed to see someone normal.
The morning of Winter 27th was normal, actually. It was a cold, clear day, one of those mornings where the sky seems a million miles away and no matter what you're doing, you feel like you're being too loud.
It's the kind of day where you want to wander aimlessly, which was pretty much what I was doing in the vineyard that day, wandering among the grapevines. Wondering abstractedly if it was going to snow later in the day.
His footsteps startled me at first--everything makes you jump on a silent winter day, and even more so at night. But then I turned around and saw the smile first thing, so I realized pretty quickly it was Jack.
"Hey, Karen," he called.
"Hey, Jack," I replied, coming toward him. "How are you?"
"I feel good." He gave me a hug. "How are you doing? You look great today."
I'd been out in the snow for a while and my hair was probably a wreck, but he said it with sincerity and it made me feel better. "Thanks. Just another day, I guess."
"Actually, tonight is the Spirit Festival. The mayor sent me around to talk to the people I want to help me drive away the spirits. I was wondering if you'd dance," he asked.
"Sure!" I agreed.
"And...who else should I ask, do you think? I already know I want Cliff to back me up on the ocarina, but we need someone singing."
I thought. "Well, Ann mostly plays the flute. Popuri's a decent singer, but the best one of us might be Maria. And I don't remember her ever getting to drive away the spirits before anyway. See, Ann and I took on this project to try to get her to be more outgoing..." I explained about our project, finishing with, "...I bet she'd love it if you asked her."
He nodded. "All right. Thanks. I'll see you tonight!"
I made my way down to the square at six-thirty, dragging Kai with me. My parents were coming later. We thought we were the first people there until we heard annoyed muttering coming from the corner and were greeted with some kind of demon in overalls and an upside-down mask. The mayor and I eventually got the mask to look right and sit so Jack could play the ocarina, and he and I took our places at the center of the square while everyone came in.
Cliff joined us, carrying a blue clay ocarina ("Gray lent it to me," he mouthed), and he and I were wondering who else was going to play when Maria walked shyly up to join us. I looked at Jack, who smiled and gave me a thumbs-up sign. Maria was smiling, and she looked so happy. I noticed Harris was watching her, and then Ann gave me a glance that dragged my eyes over to him. So she'd noticed it too. That would bear watching.
When the crowd was silent, Jack started the first low note on the ocarina. I started to move, slowly, spinning and trying to make myself look like a leaf falling in the wind. Cliff and Maria came in together, his deep, full pitch contrasting with her higher one. I whirled around, my face to the sky. It seemed almost like we were glowing.
Finally, it was over. Everyone was cheering. Kai in the front was shouting, and even my parents were smiling. Ann jumped up and down, yelling our names. Even Maria smiled, her eyes shining. They'd no sooner quieted down than the mayor made them all cheer again, and I felt like we'd never see evil spirits again.
I woke up late the Sunday after the wedding. The sun was already high in the sky. I bolted. My father was going to kill me. I set a land-speed record getting dressed and hurtling downstairs. I was halfway down when I realized what day it was. Winter 29th. My birthday.
My parents and Kai were sitting downstairs, and I could smell Veryberry tea. "I'm sorry I--" No one looked up. "I said, I'm sorry I woke up late!" I tried again a little louder.
"It's all right, dear," my mother said absently, reaching for the sugar. Dad grunted behind the newspaper. Kai was studiously avoiding my glance.
"I'm going out now, okay?" I asked.
"Fine," Mom said.
Right. No 'happy birthday,' no 'go get yourself a cake,' no 'you're getting to be so grown up.' They didn't even offer me tea. I stalked out. At least there were some people who'd appreciate me more than my own family. And I was feeling a little better about saying no to Kai, too--come on, who wants a guy who can't even remember your birthday?
"Oh, shoot!" Ann smacked her forehead. "Is it your birthday? I'm sorry, with the wedding and getting Cliff all moved in and everything, it totally slipped my mind. We'll hang out together tomorrow night, okay?"
"Your birthday?" Cliff asked when I cornered him. "Karen, I've been wandering across the world for years. You expect me to remember my cousin's birthday? I was worried about not getting killed."
I tried Jack's farm a couple times, but he was either hiding or doing a pretty good job of avoiding the place. Even Duke was nowhere to be found. And nobody--not the mailman, not even one of the girls, not the Mayor--remembered my birthday. By six o'clock, I was ready to snap.
I ran into Jack at the crossroads. "Oh, hey, Karen," he greeted me. "What's up?"
"I'll tell you what's up," I snapped. "Today is my birthday, and no one--not my parents, not my cousin, not my best friend, no one--remembered."
"It's your birthday?" He blinked. "Oh, damn! Why didn't you tell me? I was gonna take you to dinner or something."
"No, forget about it. Everyone else has." I stalked off toward the vineyard.
He caught up with me. "Hey! Hey, I left something in the bar last night. I asked around today, but no one found it. Is there anyway you could get in?"
"Bar's closed. Go tomorrow." I shrugged and kept walking.
"I can't. It's one of my tools, and tomorrow is the last day of Winter. I really need it tonight."
I sighed. "Duke's gonna kill me if he hears about this."
"Please, Karen? I swear it'll only take a second to look." He was doing the puppy-dog face. I hate the puppy-dog face.
"All right!" I doubled back and headed for town, still smoldering. "But you're gonna be in and out in two minutes, and unless you want to get me fired, you tell no one I let you in, you got it? And stay away from the bar."
I fumbled in my pocket for the keys, found the right one, and unlocked the door. "Fast," I hissed, and stepped aside so he could get in while I groped on the wall for the light switch.
"Surprise!" a chorus of voices shouted.
I blinked around the bar. There was Ann, Kai, Cliff, my parents, the other girls...all looking at me? There were balloons bobbing around the ceiling, the bar was obviously open, and the tables were stacked high with presents and a cake.
Jack grinned. "Sorry, Karen. It was the only way I could think of to get you here."
"I should've known better than to think that you guys would really forget my birthday," I told them. "I mean, I could see Cliff forgetting it--" Cliff stuck his tongue out at me "--but not all of you."
Ann pushed me toward the table with the cake, and everyone started singing. As the last note rang out, Elli, Popuri, and Ann struck a well-rehearsed chord. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and blew the candles out slowly, wishing.
A cheer went up, and then Elli started slicing and serving the cake. Duke already had the wine flowing, and for once he insisted that I sit down and let him serve it. We were up partying half the night, and I remember thinking that it turned out to be a pretty good birthday after all.
Wine Red no Kokoro
by flame mage
Part 18: Happy Birthday to Me
**********
I stopped by the ranch to pick up the eggs a few mornings after the wedding, and I got halfway through the crossroads when I heard Ann yelling. Ann yells a lot, but only the loud, cheerful, genki kind of yelling. She almost never yells when she's angry, and I figured it had to mean trouble. I hurled myself in the direction of the ranch and ran as fast as I could.
I was just inside the gate of the ranch when a grooming brush slammed straight into the side of my head. I went down like a rock.
I think I blacked out for a second there, but the next thing I knew Gray was helping me up.
"What the hell is going on?!" I demanded. "A war?!"
Gray laughed, a low chuckle that I rarely heard from him. He'd never been the same since the accident, but he was always protective of Ann, and as her best friend, I got to see a side of Gray that few other people knew.
"You could say that," he said. "They'll be at it for hours."
"At what?" I asked warily, not really sure I wanted to know.
He gestured to the pasture. "Take a look."
I did. Ann and Cliff were standing out there, shouting at each other and hurling things. I watched for a moment, then picked up the brush and chucked it back. They didn't even notice. "Is this normal?" I asked.
Gray shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine. Normal for them, I guess." He started for his shack. "Come on. I'll get you the eggs and make sure your head is okay."
He made me a cup of tea, put the eggs in a carton, and parted my hair to look at the side of my head where the brush had hit me. I figured I'd have a bruise, but no concussion, which was good. I was sipping my tea and starting to think about going to see Jack when Gray said, "I have a question."
"Shoot."
He looked down into his cup. "How...how do you get a girl to like you?"
What, just because I had a boyfriend I was now the Advice Person? First Ann, then Gray. The whole family seemed to want my input. If Rick ever got interested in girls, I was gonna lock my door and hibernate. "Any girl in particular," I asked.
I couldn't see his face under the hat, but I would've bet my wine racks he was blushing. "Popuri," he muttered finally.
Whoa. Bubble saccharine chick. Last person I would've thought of for the strong, silent type like Gray--I would've figured on Maria or someone--but for all I knew, her sweet energy was why he liked her.
"Umm, okay." I was thinking...well, no, I was winging it. "She likes flowers. A lot." It was almost disturbing sometimes. You have to worry about someone who spends her free time watering a sidewalk. "So...you should buy some flowers. Maybe one snowy day when she's in the shop? You'll have to ask. They usually don't have much stock left by the end of planting season, and what packages of seeds they do have are kept in storage. Get her to get it out for you. You can talk to her some then. And plant them on the ranch in the Spring." What else? "Oh, yeah, she likes it if you're nice to Lillia."
"Thanks," he said.
"Any time," I replied, picking up the eggs. "See you later."
Ann and Cliff were still arguing when I left. I headed for the farm. I really needed to see someone normal.
The morning of Winter 27th was normal, actually. It was a cold, clear day, one of those mornings where the sky seems a million miles away and no matter what you're doing, you feel like you're being too loud.
It's the kind of day where you want to wander aimlessly, which was pretty much what I was doing in the vineyard that day, wandering among the grapevines. Wondering abstractedly if it was going to snow later in the day.
His footsteps startled me at first--everything makes you jump on a silent winter day, and even more so at night. But then I turned around and saw the smile first thing, so I realized pretty quickly it was Jack.
"Hey, Karen," he called.
"Hey, Jack," I replied, coming toward him. "How are you?"
"I feel good." He gave me a hug. "How are you doing? You look great today."
I'd been out in the snow for a while and my hair was probably a wreck, but he said it with sincerity and it made me feel better. "Thanks. Just another day, I guess."
"Actually, tonight is the Spirit Festival. The mayor sent me around to talk to the people I want to help me drive away the spirits. I was wondering if you'd dance," he asked.
"Sure!" I agreed.
"And...who else should I ask, do you think? I already know I want Cliff to back me up on the ocarina, but we need someone singing."
I thought. "Well, Ann mostly plays the flute. Popuri's a decent singer, but the best one of us might be Maria. And I don't remember her ever getting to drive away the spirits before anyway. See, Ann and I took on this project to try to get her to be more outgoing..." I explained about our project, finishing with, "...I bet she'd love it if you asked her."
He nodded. "All right. Thanks. I'll see you tonight!"
I made my way down to the square at six-thirty, dragging Kai with me. My parents were coming later. We thought we were the first people there until we heard annoyed muttering coming from the corner and were greeted with some kind of demon in overalls and an upside-down mask. The mayor and I eventually got the mask to look right and sit so Jack could play the ocarina, and he and I took our places at the center of the square while everyone came in.
Cliff joined us, carrying a blue clay ocarina ("Gray lent it to me," he mouthed), and he and I were wondering who else was going to play when Maria walked shyly up to join us. I looked at Jack, who smiled and gave me a thumbs-up sign. Maria was smiling, and she looked so happy. I noticed Harris was watching her, and then Ann gave me a glance that dragged my eyes over to him. So she'd noticed it too. That would bear watching.
When the crowd was silent, Jack started the first low note on the ocarina. I started to move, slowly, spinning and trying to make myself look like a leaf falling in the wind. Cliff and Maria came in together, his deep, full pitch contrasting with her higher one. I whirled around, my face to the sky. It seemed almost like we were glowing.
Finally, it was over. Everyone was cheering. Kai in the front was shouting, and even my parents were smiling. Ann jumped up and down, yelling our names. Even Maria smiled, her eyes shining. They'd no sooner quieted down than the mayor made them all cheer again, and I felt like we'd never see evil spirits again.
I woke up late the Sunday after the wedding. The sun was already high in the sky. I bolted. My father was going to kill me. I set a land-speed record getting dressed and hurtling downstairs. I was halfway down when I realized what day it was. Winter 29th. My birthday.
My parents and Kai were sitting downstairs, and I could smell Veryberry tea. "I'm sorry I--" No one looked up. "I said, I'm sorry I woke up late!" I tried again a little louder.
"It's all right, dear," my mother said absently, reaching for the sugar. Dad grunted behind the newspaper. Kai was studiously avoiding my glance.
"I'm going out now, okay?" I asked.
"Fine," Mom said.
Right. No 'happy birthday,' no 'go get yourself a cake,' no 'you're getting to be so grown up.' They didn't even offer me tea. I stalked out. At least there were some people who'd appreciate me more than my own family. And I was feeling a little better about saying no to Kai, too--come on, who wants a guy who can't even remember your birthday?
"Oh, shoot!" Ann smacked her forehead. "Is it your birthday? I'm sorry, with the wedding and getting Cliff all moved in and everything, it totally slipped my mind. We'll hang out together tomorrow night, okay?"
"Your birthday?" Cliff asked when I cornered him. "Karen, I've been wandering across the world for years. You expect me to remember my cousin's birthday? I was worried about not getting killed."
I tried Jack's farm a couple times, but he was either hiding or doing a pretty good job of avoiding the place. Even Duke was nowhere to be found. And nobody--not the mailman, not even one of the girls, not the Mayor--remembered my birthday. By six o'clock, I was ready to snap.
I ran into Jack at the crossroads. "Oh, hey, Karen," he greeted me. "What's up?"
"I'll tell you what's up," I snapped. "Today is my birthday, and no one--not my parents, not my cousin, not my best friend, no one--remembered."
"It's your birthday?" He blinked. "Oh, damn! Why didn't you tell me? I was gonna take you to dinner or something."
"No, forget about it. Everyone else has." I stalked off toward the vineyard.
He caught up with me. "Hey! Hey, I left something in the bar last night. I asked around today, but no one found it. Is there anyway you could get in?"
"Bar's closed. Go tomorrow." I shrugged and kept walking.
"I can't. It's one of my tools, and tomorrow is the last day of Winter. I really need it tonight."
I sighed. "Duke's gonna kill me if he hears about this."
"Please, Karen? I swear it'll only take a second to look." He was doing the puppy-dog face. I hate the puppy-dog face.
"All right!" I doubled back and headed for town, still smoldering. "But you're gonna be in and out in two minutes, and unless you want to get me fired, you tell no one I let you in, you got it? And stay away from the bar."
I fumbled in my pocket for the keys, found the right one, and unlocked the door. "Fast," I hissed, and stepped aside so he could get in while I groped on the wall for the light switch.
"Surprise!" a chorus of voices shouted.
I blinked around the bar. There was Ann, Kai, Cliff, my parents, the other girls...all looking at me? There were balloons bobbing around the ceiling, the bar was obviously open, and the tables were stacked high with presents and a cake.
Jack grinned. "Sorry, Karen. It was the only way I could think of to get you here."
"I should've known better than to think that you guys would really forget my birthday," I told them. "I mean, I could see Cliff forgetting it--" Cliff stuck his tongue out at me "--but not all of you."
Ann pushed me toward the table with the cake, and everyone started singing. As the last note rang out, Elli, Popuri, and Ann struck a well-rehearsed chord. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and blew the candles out slowly, wishing.
A cheer went up, and then Elli started slicing and serving the cake. Duke already had the wine flowing, and for once he insisted that I sit down and let him serve it. We were up partying half the night, and I remember thinking that it turned out to be a pretty good birthday after all.