Lightning-Dono: I still actually don't know what Rick's going to do, but it's always fun to see what can come out of typing it out directly.
Ann Fan - Thank you so much for those evaluating comments that you have me! Those have helped me a lot and I enjoy reading this. It's always great to know someone out there finds pleasure in reading my works! I'm a big fan of your writing, also, so don't stop those fingers! =D
------
"Gah, Rick, first it was Popuri, now it's me," Karen joked as we walked out of the small straw hut. It was like walking out of a rainbow, the hut was so colorful.
"Well, you know how it is," I replied, listening uneasily to the insults that Stu and May were throwing at Kane and Rose. "I can't stop worrying about people once I know them. The only one that I'm not going to bother worrying about right now is Jack." I shuddered.
"What's wrong with him? He's always been dedicated to his farm."
"Yeah, and dedicated to kissing Ann, too."
"Whuuuuutttt?"
"Here, I'll tell you what happened."
I explained everything that he had done that day. From when I arrived and every detail inbetween. Karen didn't complain - she always had a liking for stories, especially ones with an interesting ending.
"Wow, that's harsh," she observed as we walked towards the small lake where Kappa lived. I just wanted to show her a simple thing that might bring back a memory or two.
"Yes, I know. I don't know how Doug's going to take it when Officer Harris tells him about it."
"Ha, if you had a brain that was as big as mine, you'd assume that he PROBABLY won't let Ann around Jack anymore," she teased, poking me in the shoulder. "That's a reasonable thing to do, isn't it? I mean, you don't just do that to people."
"Right."
We rounded the bend, both silent and listening to the chattering squirrels.
"Karen, do you remember this tree?" I asked her once we were at the miniature lake. I was leaned on a tree, feeling the wetness of it's bark on my skin.
"Not really," she admitted, surveying it with her eyes.
Well, memories don't always come easy.
"Don't you remember that time when we were climbing this tree and I fell off?"
"Yes...You broke your arm when you fell. I remember you were on that really thick branch right there when I told you to turn around to look at a robin that was up in the tree. Then I tried to get to the robin and you told me to stop and then you fell." Karen glanced at the ground and kept her eyes there. I could tell that she was still ashamed about doing that.
"It's okay. It happened a long time ago, anyhow."
"I do remember, though, that I nearly drowned in that stupid lake." Karen let out the laugh of a person looking at funny pictures in a photo album.
"Oh, yeah...You bragged to me that you could swim so I said 'Show me' and then you jumped into the lake. I couldn't swim to I screamed for help."
Karen smiled. "And Kappa saved me."
"I couldn't stand seeing you being touched by that green guy. He was so...slimy. Covered in algae when he carried you out, he was."
"Heh, I smelled like fish food for a week. My mom was so mad - we were going to a wedding reception that week."
I touched the water lightly with my fingertips and watched the ripples widen slowly. There was an astonishingly long silence after this. I could hear my own evened breathing and Karen fondling the grass between her fingers.
Then, she broke the silence. I was glad, as it felt slightly awkward - I had no clue what to say.
"You know, I still remember when you came to Mineral Town."
"Seriously?" I flushed a beet red. Those years hadn't been very fun.
"Yeah. You were always teased because you were just so...out there. You weren't really interested in what everyone else was."
"I know." I watched the small lake nervously, watching a thorned vine slide slowly down in coils down into the lake. "Did you think I was weird, like all the rest?"
"No, you dork, I always saw a strange light in you that no one else did. Inside you were actually pretty normal, it's just that no one understood you."
I wanted this moment to last forever. Me, watching the lake with my elbow resting lightly on my knee and my other hand half dipped into the cool water. Karen, weaving the grass into a weak but fitting crown. The scenery and our actions were just so serene that it felt like it had been when we were younger. Of course, I was still constantly tormented by the fact that Karen would sneak drinks. I didn't feel that Aqua had very much power over her, as he was just a tiny sprite. Maybe he could teach her arts and crafts.
A brown, furry figure thumped by me. But suddenly, the thumping stopped as it went around me. I turned and saw Karen holding the rabbit upside-down by it's cotton-like tail, waving it back and forth. The rabbit let out a surprised squeak and struggled to get away from her tight grip.
"Karen, let it go!" I got up and tried to untangle her stubborn fingers from around the rabbit's tail. Through my years hanging around Karen, I had learned that she seemed to enjoy manipulating animals.
"Why should I?" She drew her arm back, as though to throw the poor creature into the lake.
"Stop it! Can't you see that it's just a harmless rabit!?" I started breathing hard, which didn't seem to scare Karen one bit. Not that I had expected it to, but it should atleast give her some hints as to what I expected from her.
At that moment, I had a very impulsive thought that I didn't want to help her anymore.
------
I know, it was a short chapter, but the next chapter, I felt, needed to be on it's own and not added into this one. The next chapter, I promise you, will be be a very long one! =)
Ann Fan - Thank you so much for those evaluating comments that you have me! Those have helped me a lot and I enjoy reading this. It's always great to know someone out there finds pleasure in reading my works! I'm a big fan of your writing, also, so don't stop those fingers! =D
------
"Gah, Rick, first it was Popuri, now it's me," Karen joked as we walked out of the small straw hut. It was like walking out of a rainbow, the hut was so colorful.
"Well, you know how it is," I replied, listening uneasily to the insults that Stu and May were throwing at Kane and Rose. "I can't stop worrying about people once I know them. The only one that I'm not going to bother worrying about right now is Jack." I shuddered.
"What's wrong with him? He's always been dedicated to his farm."
"Yeah, and dedicated to kissing Ann, too."
"Whuuuuutttt?"
"Here, I'll tell you what happened."
I explained everything that he had done that day. From when I arrived and every detail inbetween. Karen didn't complain - she always had a liking for stories, especially ones with an interesting ending.
"Wow, that's harsh," she observed as we walked towards the small lake where Kappa lived. I just wanted to show her a simple thing that might bring back a memory or two.
"Yes, I know. I don't know how Doug's going to take it when Officer Harris tells him about it."
"Ha, if you had a brain that was as big as mine, you'd assume that he PROBABLY won't let Ann around Jack anymore," she teased, poking me in the shoulder. "That's a reasonable thing to do, isn't it? I mean, you don't just do that to people."
"Right."
We rounded the bend, both silent and listening to the chattering squirrels.
"Karen, do you remember this tree?" I asked her once we were at the miniature lake. I was leaned on a tree, feeling the wetness of it's bark on my skin.
"Not really," she admitted, surveying it with her eyes.
Well, memories don't always come easy.
"Don't you remember that time when we were climbing this tree and I fell off?"
"Yes...You broke your arm when you fell. I remember you were on that really thick branch right there when I told you to turn around to look at a robin that was up in the tree. Then I tried to get to the robin and you told me to stop and then you fell." Karen glanced at the ground and kept her eyes there. I could tell that she was still ashamed about doing that.
"It's okay. It happened a long time ago, anyhow."
"I do remember, though, that I nearly drowned in that stupid lake." Karen let out the laugh of a person looking at funny pictures in a photo album.
"Oh, yeah...You bragged to me that you could swim so I said 'Show me' and then you jumped into the lake. I couldn't swim to I screamed for help."
Karen smiled. "And Kappa saved me."
"I couldn't stand seeing you being touched by that green guy. He was so...slimy. Covered in algae when he carried you out, he was."
"Heh, I smelled like fish food for a week. My mom was so mad - we were going to a wedding reception that week."
I touched the water lightly with my fingertips and watched the ripples widen slowly. There was an astonishingly long silence after this. I could hear my own evened breathing and Karen fondling the grass between her fingers.
Then, she broke the silence. I was glad, as it felt slightly awkward - I had no clue what to say.
"You know, I still remember when you came to Mineral Town."
"Seriously?" I flushed a beet red. Those years hadn't been very fun.
"Yeah. You were always teased because you were just so...out there. You weren't really interested in what everyone else was."
"I know." I watched the small lake nervously, watching a thorned vine slide slowly down in coils down into the lake. "Did you think I was weird, like all the rest?"
"No, you dork, I always saw a strange light in you that no one else did. Inside you were actually pretty normal, it's just that no one understood you."
I wanted this moment to last forever. Me, watching the lake with my elbow resting lightly on my knee and my other hand half dipped into the cool water. Karen, weaving the grass into a weak but fitting crown. The scenery and our actions were just so serene that it felt like it had been when we were younger. Of course, I was still constantly tormented by the fact that Karen would sneak drinks. I didn't feel that Aqua had very much power over her, as he was just a tiny sprite. Maybe he could teach her arts and crafts.
A brown, furry figure thumped by me. But suddenly, the thumping stopped as it went around me. I turned and saw Karen holding the rabbit upside-down by it's cotton-like tail, waving it back and forth. The rabbit let out a surprised squeak and struggled to get away from her tight grip.
"Karen, let it go!" I got up and tried to untangle her stubborn fingers from around the rabbit's tail. Through my years hanging around Karen, I had learned that she seemed to enjoy manipulating animals.
"Why should I?" She drew her arm back, as though to throw the poor creature into the lake.
"Stop it! Can't you see that it's just a harmless rabit!?" I started breathing hard, which didn't seem to scare Karen one bit. Not that I had expected it to, but it should atleast give her some hints as to what I expected from her.
At that moment, I had a very impulsive thought that I didn't want to help her anymore.
------
I know, it was a short chapter, but the next chapter, I felt, needed to be on it's own and not added into this one. The next chapter, I promise you, will be be a very long one! =)