Chapter 01
"Dear Jack,
As I write this letter, I see you outside, playing with Karen. You two seem to get along so well, and yet, there is just something I can't quite put my finger on. I was so overjoyed when your father told me you would be able to come down here for the summer. It is not very often I get to see you. As a matter in fact, I haven't seen you since you were about 2 years of age. My goodness, has it actually been that long? As I am writing this letter, you are about six.
I wish to tell you many story's, story's of my life, and how I came to know the Lord. Unfortunately, you are not yet ready to hear them. It is such a burden having to restrain from telling you these things. However, I fear that by the time you are old enough, I will be gone, and my story's will be gone with me. As you may know, I have been suffering from some heart disease that even the doctors on mainland don't entirely understand. It has one of these really long, and seemingly meaningless names that virtually nobody will take the time, or effort to remember.
This is the reason I am leaving you this letter. I sincerely doubt that by the time you receive this letter, you will have come to know Jesus. I know your father never accepted the idea that there could be a god. "No," he used to say, "you can't prove it." To top it off, there is another religion on this island which hindered his spiritual growth. This religion worships someone they call 'the goddess'. It was some old religion followed by farmers from some other place, a place far, far away."
The old wooden door burst open as Jack and his friend, Karen Miller, ran across the hardwood floor towards the kindly old grandfather. The room was well lit by sunlight shining through the window. This house was of the sort that had seen many days, and weathered many a storm. A house in which children had grown up, and now, grandchildren. It was rather old, but warm, and cozy, and altogether a friendly house.
"Grandpa!" cried little Jack as his tugged at his grandfathers leg. "Grandpa, will you please come and play with us? Please!" He begged, his brown eyes looking expectantly up at his grandfather. His grandfather's face had many wrinkles, and Jack had always wondered why old people had wrinkles.
The elderly man smiled warmly, his old eyes twinkling in the sunlight as he looked down at his grandson. He was a spitting image of himself at Jack's age. He was a small critter, and a tuft of his brown hair always seemed to stick out from under his navy blue cap. "All right," Jack's grandfather answered as he put down his pen and paper. "What would you like to play?"
Karen boldly stepped forward. "We wanna play house," she promptly responded as she folded her hands behind her back. Karen had brown hair with blond streaked bangs. She actually quite liked her hair that way. Her mother had always told her what a lucky girl she was to have hair like that.
"All right," Jack's grandfather agreed as he got down on his hands and knee's.
"Goody!" Karen squealed with glee as she jumped up and down excitedly and clapped her hands. "You get to be the horsy!"
"I want to be the daddy!" Jack said.
"Okay, and I'll be the Mom!" Karen replied. "Just a sec," Karen said as she ran over to her white knapsack, which was sitting on a chair in the far corner of the room, and began rummaging around it for something. She quickly returned with her stuffed bunny rabbit. "Jenny can be our baby, okay?"
Jack smiled as he nodded in response.
"Let's say we're all out of food, okay?" said Karen.
"Lets eat the baby!" exclaimed Jack.
"No!" Karen Hollered. "We can ride the horsy into town and get some food," she said, climbing onto the old man's back. Jack promptly followed. "Giddy up," she shouted.
* * * * * * * * * * * ". and now, we dedicate Farmer Jack's ashes, to the earth," pastor Brown concluded. "May his soul, rest in peace."
Jack sighed as he watch some men lower the wooden box that contained the ashes of his grandfather, the man after whom he had been named, into the earth. It had been nearly twelve years since he had last visited this island. He hadn't seen much of his grandfather because his dad seemed to hate the man for some reason, yet Jack was unsure of why. His train of thought was suddenly interrupted by a sweet, yet familiar feminine voice.
"Um, Hello."
Jack spun around to face a brown haired girl, with streaks of blond in her bangs. She appeared to be about his age. "Hello," he responded, forcing a smile, and wiping a lone tear from his eye.
"My name's Karen," the girl said. "What's yours?"
"Jack, Jack Davis," he said as he stretched out his hand.
Karen tried to put on a smile as she shook Jack's hand. "I'm sorry about your grandpa and all."
Jack's half hearted smile quickly vanished. "So am I," he replied, obviously feeling quite sorry for himself. "Um, you know, you look awful familiar, have we met at all before?" Jack asked, trying to change the subject.
Karen grinned broadly. "You don't remember me at all, do you?" Jack shook his head in response. "We used to play together when you came down to visit your grandpa one summer. Oh, I must have been about five at the time."
Jack slowly nodded. His face began to light up. "Yes, now I remember," he said smiling. "As I recall you kept on making grandpa play as the horse." He chuckled at the memory, as did Karen. There was an uneasy moment of silence. It was broken by a distant rumble. Thunder, Jack thought instinctively. Droplets of rain began to splatter on the soft graveyard soil, as the wind began to pick up, playfully tossing the odd leafs here and there.
Karen pulled her thin Jacket tightly around her, and shivered. "Ooh," Karen groaned. "Look's like a storm is brewing. Do you have anywhere to stay?"
Jack shook his head. "No, but I could always go to the bar."
It was Karen's turn to shake her head. "It's closed today. Say, how about you come to my house until the reading of the will."
"Sounds like a plan," replied Jack as they began to walk. There was a loud clap of thunder, and the rain began to beat down even harder than before. Karen and Jack changed from a walking pace to running. As they ran, the wind picked up, and the falling rain felt like hail against Jacks cold flesh. They ran on as the storm worsened.
Another deafening clap of thunder rang out, and the two still had about a mile to go before they reached Karen's house.
"This way!" Karen screamed against the wind. They saw a girl with a long, blond ponytail enter the shack that was just a short distance away. They ran up to the shack, and Karen began to pound on the door. "Ann! Ann!" she screamed. The door opened up.
"Karen. Come in," she promptly invited as soon as she saw who it was. Neither Karen nor Jack hesitated with their entry. Ann pushed the door shut, and took the soaking wet coats of Jack and Karen. "Who's your friend?" she asked Karen.
"Oh, his name is Jack. I know him from about 12 years back when he came to visit his grandpa Jack,"
Ann nodded as she pulled back a curtain and peered out the window. The storm was growing ever worse. The trees were swaying back and fourth ferociously. The little shack which they were in creaked loudly. They would most likely have to cancel the reading of the will as far as Ann was concerned. The lights flickered, and then went out all together. Ann blurted out an extremely colourful swearword as she felt around the room for a candle.
A/N: Well, how was that for a first chapter? Many of you are probably saying "No! Not another Christian Harvest Moon Story!" Well, I just had a new idea for a story, and this was the best category in FF.net to post it under. Believe me, I am going to make this story different from REVIVAL IN FLOWERBUD, and SEARCH FOR SALVATION. (Those are good story's too. Go and read them.) But that's all I am going to say for now, otherwise I may give away too much of the plot. Please Read & Review!
"Dear Jack,
As I write this letter, I see you outside, playing with Karen. You two seem to get along so well, and yet, there is just something I can't quite put my finger on. I was so overjoyed when your father told me you would be able to come down here for the summer. It is not very often I get to see you. As a matter in fact, I haven't seen you since you were about 2 years of age. My goodness, has it actually been that long? As I am writing this letter, you are about six.
I wish to tell you many story's, story's of my life, and how I came to know the Lord. Unfortunately, you are not yet ready to hear them. It is such a burden having to restrain from telling you these things. However, I fear that by the time you are old enough, I will be gone, and my story's will be gone with me. As you may know, I have been suffering from some heart disease that even the doctors on mainland don't entirely understand. It has one of these really long, and seemingly meaningless names that virtually nobody will take the time, or effort to remember.
This is the reason I am leaving you this letter. I sincerely doubt that by the time you receive this letter, you will have come to know Jesus. I know your father never accepted the idea that there could be a god. "No," he used to say, "you can't prove it." To top it off, there is another religion on this island which hindered his spiritual growth. This religion worships someone they call 'the goddess'. It was some old religion followed by farmers from some other place, a place far, far away."
The old wooden door burst open as Jack and his friend, Karen Miller, ran across the hardwood floor towards the kindly old grandfather. The room was well lit by sunlight shining through the window. This house was of the sort that had seen many days, and weathered many a storm. A house in which children had grown up, and now, grandchildren. It was rather old, but warm, and cozy, and altogether a friendly house.
"Grandpa!" cried little Jack as his tugged at his grandfathers leg. "Grandpa, will you please come and play with us? Please!" He begged, his brown eyes looking expectantly up at his grandfather. His grandfather's face had many wrinkles, and Jack had always wondered why old people had wrinkles.
The elderly man smiled warmly, his old eyes twinkling in the sunlight as he looked down at his grandson. He was a spitting image of himself at Jack's age. He was a small critter, and a tuft of his brown hair always seemed to stick out from under his navy blue cap. "All right," Jack's grandfather answered as he put down his pen and paper. "What would you like to play?"
Karen boldly stepped forward. "We wanna play house," she promptly responded as she folded her hands behind her back. Karen had brown hair with blond streaked bangs. She actually quite liked her hair that way. Her mother had always told her what a lucky girl she was to have hair like that.
"All right," Jack's grandfather agreed as he got down on his hands and knee's.
"Goody!" Karen squealed with glee as she jumped up and down excitedly and clapped her hands. "You get to be the horsy!"
"I want to be the daddy!" Jack said.
"Okay, and I'll be the Mom!" Karen replied. "Just a sec," Karen said as she ran over to her white knapsack, which was sitting on a chair in the far corner of the room, and began rummaging around it for something. She quickly returned with her stuffed bunny rabbit. "Jenny can be our baby, okay?"
Jack smiled as he nodded in response.
"Let's say we're all out of food, okay?" said Karen.
"Lets eat the baby!" exclaimed Jack.
"No!" Karen Hollered. "We can ride the horsy into town and get some food," she said, climbing onto the old man's back. Jack promptly followed. "Giddy up," she shouted.
* * * * * * * * * * * ". and now, we dedicate Farmer Jack's ashes, to the earth," pastor Brown concluded. "May his soul, rest in peace."
Jack sighed as he watch some men lower the wooden box that contained the ashes of his grandfather, the man after whom he had been named, into the earth. It had been nearly twelve years since he had last visited this island. He hadn't seen much of his grandfather because his dad seemed to hate the man for some reason, yet Jack was unsure of why. His train of thought was suddenly interrupted by a sweet, yet familiar feminine voice.
"Um, Hello."
Jack spun around to face a brown haired girl, with streaks of blond in her bangs. She appeared to be about his age. "Hello," he responded, forcing a smile, and wiping a lone tear from his eye.
"My name's Karen," the girl said. "What's yours?"
"Jack, Jack Davis," he said as he stretched out his hand.
Karen tried to put on a smile as she shook Jack's hand. "I'm sorry about your grandpa and all."
Jack's half hearted smile quickly vanished. "So am I," he replied, obviously feeling quite sorry for himself. "Um, you know, you look awful familiar, have we met at all before?" Jack asked, trying to change the subject.
Karen grinned broadly. "You don't remember me at all, do you?" Jack shook his head in response. "We used to play together when you came down to visit your grandpa one summer. Oh, I must have been about five at the time."
Jack slowly nodded. His face began to light up. "Yes, now I remember," he said smiling. "As I recall you kept on making grandpa play as the horse." He chuckled at the memory, as did Karen. There was an uneasy moment of silence. It was broken by a distant rumble. Thunder, Jack thought instinctively. Droplets of rain began to splatter on the soft graveyard soil, as the wind began to pick up, playfully tossing the odd leafs here and there.
Karen pulled her thin Jacket tightly around her, and shivered. "Ooh," Karen groaned. "Look's like a storm is brewing. Do you have anywhere to stay?"
Jack shook his head. "No, but I could always go to the bar."
It was Karen's turn to shake her head. "It's closed today. Say, how about you come to my house until the reading of the will."
"Sounds like a plan," replied Jack as they began to walk. There was a loud clap of thunder, and the rain began to beat down even harder than before. Karen and Jack changed from a walking pace to running. As they ran, the wind picked up, and the falling rain felt like hail against Jacks cold flesh. They ran on as the storm worsened.
Another deafening clap of thunder rang out, and the two still had about a mile to go before they reached Karen's house.
"This way!" Karen screamed against the wind. They saw a girl with a long, blond ponytail enter the shack that was just a short distance away. They ran up to the shack, and Karen began to pound on the door. "Ann! Ann!" she screamed. The door opened up.
"Karen. Come in," she promptly invited as soon as she saw who it was. Neither Karen nor Jack hesitated with their entry. Ann pushed the door shut, and took the soaking wet coats of Jack and Karen. "Who's your friend?" she asked Karen.
"Oh, his name is Jack. I know him from about 12 years back when he came to visit his grandpa Jack,"
Ann nodded as she pulled back a curtain and peered out the window. The storm was growing ever worse. The trees were swaying back and fourth ferociously. The little shack which they were in creaked loudly. They would most likely have to cancel the reading of the will as far as Ann was concerned. The lights flickered, and then went out all together. Ann blurted out an extremely colourful swearword as she felt around the room for a candle.
A/N: Well, how was that for a first chapter? Many of you are probably saying "No! Not another Christian Harvest Moon Story!" Well, I just had a new idea for a story, and this was the best category in FF.net to post it under. Believe me, I am going to make this story different from REVIVAL IN FLOWERBUD, and SEARCH FOR SALVATION. (Those are good story's too. Go and read them.) But that's all I am going to say for now, otherwise I may give away too much of the plot. Please Read & Review!