The following morning, when Jack opened his door, he found a timid
and vulnerable Cliff staring back at him, bird companion resting once more
on his dog house. Securing the left strap of his overalls, Jack displayed a
quaint smile and, leaning against the frame of the door, inquired,
"Made a decision?"
Cliff nodded. "I decided..." He let out a tentative breath of air. "That I'll stay here."
Jack's smile broadened until it consumed his whole visage. "Welcome," He chirped, moving to the side so that Cliff could enter the sparsely furnished shack. "I know it isn't the largest space, but..." He moved to his bed and pulled out a wad of blankets and other assortments of cloth that had been stashed beneath it. There was a relatively thick comforter which he laid down on the floor, followed by two other layers of blanketing, a pillow, and a final, complimenting sheet. "I think that'll be pretty comfortable."
"Listen Jack, I can't thank you enough for all this—"
"Save it, Cliff." He grinned. "You've got work to do."
"So, uh...how many times do I hit this thing?" Cliff inquired, staring down at the stump that lay before him.
"About six," Jack grunted, smashing another rock. "It should split up after about six good whacks. Then you take it over to lumber storage."
"Six GOOD whacks or six...OK whacks?"
"Six good whacks." Jack reiterated, bringing the hammer once more from behind his shoulder to come crashing down upon the rock.
Tentatively, Cliff raised the axe he'd been given and arched it behind his shoulder. With all the force he could muster, he brought it down upon the immobile object and was pleased as a resounding crack was emitted from it. Grinning inwardly, Cliff began pulling on the axe to get in position for another chop, when he found that it was...lodged...within the stump. He gave a sideways glance to Jack to see if the farmer had noticed his predicament, but Jack was immersed in breaking up rocks.
"Uhh..." Cliff murmured, yanking on the wooden end of the tool vehemently. It wouldn't budge. "Jack..." He muttered. Cliff continued tugging and pulling on the axe, eventually propping one foot against the stump in which it was secured within and proceeded in yanking upward with all his might.
Then, suddenly, it ripped from the stump, sending pieces of wood flying, and smacked Cliff smack dab in the middle of the forehead.
He swayed, and then fell on his back, unconscious, without a word.
"Hey, look at the little birds."
...A bird's nest in the tree...
"They're so cute..."
"I hope they grow up fast so they can fly!"
...The happy girl...
"...Oh! Kyaaaa!"
She got too excited and fell...then...
...then?
"Cliff! Cliff (is that his name?) Cliff, wake up!"
"Hey, Cliff! (Yeah, that's it) Cliff, you with me, man?"
"Do something if you can understand me!"
I've been in this situation before...he thought. With the same voice...Jack...? Is that you...?
But there was someone else with Jack; a sweet coo of a voice that Cliff couldn't match to a face. It was angelic almost...
He opened his eyes to see a woman outlined in a radiant light, hovering over him like a guardian seraphim. Her eyes were so...deep...as if there was so much behind them, so much substance, concealed by a gorgeous sea-blue wall. Her beautiful, fiery hair fell in fragrant strands about those luminescent eyes, the remainder resting over her shoulder in an elegant braid, and her curvaceous body was mere inches from his, causing his cheeks to grow increasingly warm with passion. He didn't even know her name, but he wanted to embrace her, caress the frown in her brow away and just...gaze into those eyes.
"Cliff?" Jack inquired, bringing him back to the present.
The ethereal light that surrounded her faded, giving Cliff a better view of her face. Though it was splotched with freckles and might've appeared childlike to most, it still emanated an attribute of refinement...of regality that he was immediately attracted to.
"You feel ok?" She inquired sweetly.
"I...who..."
"This is Ann," Jack explained. "I was so frantic when you knocked yourself out that I grabbed the first person I saw to help."
"I had some of the potion dealer's medicine on me, luckily." She mused, bringing herself to an erect sitting position. "Looks like you're going to be ok."
Cliff peered at Jack and saw he was missing his handkerchief. Bringing his hand up gradually, the vagabond felt it had been secured about his forehead to conceal the inevitable bruise that had formed there. Jack chuckled lightly.
"You look like a martial artist."
Ann chortled. Her laugh wasn't feminine, but it was appealing nonetheless.
"Well, thanks for helping, Ann." Jack commented.
"Oh, my pleasure. By the way, nice to meet you, Jack...and though I would rather have met you in a conscious state, it was nice to meet you too, Cliff." She smiled. It was a warm smile.
"Nice...to meet you..." Cliff murmured, entranced.
"Well, I'd better get going. My brother is going to need my help feeding the animals, no doubt. Stop by the farm sometime, Jacky."
"I'll make sure to, Ann."
"I'll be waitin' for ya. Well, so long, fellas!"
She stood and wandered through the field, out through the exit and back to the Green Ranch, Cliff's eyes following her departing figure with intense longing.
"Maybe you're not cut out for this kind of farm work," Jack suggested, standing up and extending an arm. Cliff grasped it absently and, with difficulty, propped himself up on a pair of wobbly limbs that felt as if they'd never walked before.
"Who...was that...?"
"The daughter of the owner of Green Ranch. Seems like a nice girl."
"She's beautiful..." Cliff murmured.
"Well, someone's certainly impressed with her," Jack chuckled.
"Did you see her?" Cliff inquired, still staring off to the exit of the farm as if her figure were still present there. "Her eyes...and that hair...and...that body..."
"...I suppose this attraction is more lustful than anything..."
"No!" Cliff insisted, turning to Jack with a fire in his eyes. "I've never felt this way before. She's so...amazing!" He paused. "What was her name again?"
Jack smirked in amusement, performing his quirk of having his hands shoved within his pockets. "Ann. Her name is Ann."
"Ann..." Cliff murmured. "Jack, you've got to help me win her."
"Whoa...easy cowboy, you're still repaying your last debt. And you just met her. What if it turns out you two don't have compatible personalities?"
"I don't care. I need to be with her."
"You're taking a leap for a girl you just met." Jack murmured, his face construing skepticism.
"And you took a leap for me by letting me stay in your house. I could be a murderer, you wouldn't know."
"Your outlook has changed very quickly. If I remember correctly it was I who had to beg you to stay at MY farm."
"I feel like I'm meant for her, Jack...I just...I have to know. Please, help me!"
"...Well, all right. I'll try. But I don't know if I'll be able to do all that much. I'm not that great of a matchmaker."
"Thank you, Jack. I'll work extra hard to repay you."
"No, I think you need to rest for now. Tomorrow I'll work on clearing out the field while you go gather things from the mountain to sell, ok?"
"Ok."
Jack, who had set his hammer down in the middle of the field, began to saunter away to retrieve it when Cliff called his name.
"Hmm?" The farmer responded, arching his head over his right shoulder.
"I don't...well, I don't really attach to that many people and..." Cliff paused, scratching his arm nervously. "I just wanted to say thank you. Again. For...everything. Especially for this. I've...never felt like this about anyone before and I...I would do anything to feel that sensation again..." He stopped. "Do you...know what I'm saying?"
"...I know, Cliff." Jack said quietly. "And you're welcome."
"Made a decision?"
Cliff nodded. "I decided..." He let out a tentative breath of air. "That I'll stay here."
Jack's smile broadened until it consumed his whole visage. "Welcome," He chirped, moving to the side so that Cliff could enter the sparsely furnished shack. "I know it isn't the largest space, but..." He moved to his bed and pulled out a wad of blankets and other assortments of cloth that had been stashed beneath it. There was a relatively thick comforter which he laid down on the floor, followed by two other layers of blanketing, a pillow, and a final, complimenting sheet. "I think that'll be pretty comfortable."
"Listen Jack, I can't thank you enough for all this—"
"Save it, Cliff." He grinned. "You've got work to do."
"So, uh...how many times do I hit this thing?" Cliff inquired, staring down at the stump that lay before him.
"About six," Jack grunted, smashing another rock. "It should split up after about six good whacks. Then you take it over to lumber storage."
"Six GOOD whacks or six...OK whacks?"
"Six good whacks." Jack reiterated, bringing the hammer once more from behind his shoulder to come crashing down upon the rock.
Tentatively, Cliff raised the axe he'd been given and arched it behind his shoulder. With all the force he could muster, he brought it down upon the immobile object and was pleased as a resounding crack was emitted from it. Grinning inwardly, Cliff began pulling on the axe to get in position for another chop, when he found that it was...lodged...within the stump. He gave a sideways glance to Jack to see if the farmer had noticed his predicament, but Jack was immersed in breaking up rocks.
"Uhh..." Cliff murmured, yanking on the wooden end of the tool vehemently. It wouldn't budge. "Jack..." He muttered. Cliff continued tugging and pulling on the axe, eventually propping one foot against the stump in which it was secured within and proceeded in yanking upward with all his might.
Then, suddenly, it ripped from the stump, sending pieces of wood flying, and smacked Cliff smack dab in the middle of the forehead.
He swayed, and then fell on his back, unconscious, without a word.
"Hey, look at the little birds."
...A bird's nest in the tree...
"They're so cute..."
"I hope they grow up fast so they can fly!"
...The happy girl...
"...Oh! Kyaaaa!"
She got too excited and fell...then...
...then?
"Cliff! Cliff (is that his name?) Cliff, wake up!"
"Hey, Cliff! (Yeah, that's it) Cliff, you with me, man?"
"Do something if you can understand me!"
I've been in this situation before...he thought. With the same voice...Jack...? Is that you...?
But there was someone else with Jack; a sweet coo of a voice that Cliff couldn't match to a face. It was angelic almost...
He opened his eyes to see a woman outlined in a radiant light, hovering over him like a guardian seraphim. Her eyes were so...deep...as if there was so much behind them, so much substance, concealed by a gorgeous sea-blue wall. Her beautiful, fiery hair fell in fragrant strands about those luminescent eyes, the remainder resting over her shoulder in an elegant braid, and her curvaceous body was mere inches from his, causing his cheeks to grow increasingly warm with passion. He didn't even know her name, but he wanted to embrace her, caress the frown in her brow away and just...gaze into those eyes.
"Cliff?" Jack inquired, bringing him back to the present.
The ethereal light that surrounded her faded, giving Cliff a better view of her face. Though it was splotched with freckles and might've appeared childlike to most, it still emanated an attribute of refinement...of regality that he was immediately attracted to.
"You feel ok?" She inquired sweetly.
"I...who..."
"This is Ann," Jack explained. "I was so frantic when you knocked yourself out that I grabbed the first person I saw to help."
"I had some of the potion dealer's medicine on me, luckily." She mused, bringing herself to an erect sitting position. "Looks like you're going to be ok."
Cliff peered at Jack and saw he was missing his handkerchief. Bringing his hand up gradually, the vagabond felt it had been secured about his forehead to conceal the inevitable bruise that had formed there. Jack chuckled lightly.
"You look like a martial artist."
Ann chortled. Her laugh wasn't feminine, but it was appealing nonetheless.
"Well, thanks for helping, Ann." Jack commented.
"Oh, my pleasure. By the way, nice to meet you, Jack...and though I would rather have met you in a conscious state, it was nice to meet you too, Cliff." She smiled. It was a warm smile.
"Nice...to meet you..." Cliff murmured, entranced.
"Well, I'd better get going. My brother is going to need my help feeding the animals, no doubt. Stop by the farm sometime, Jacky."
"I'll make sure to, Ann."
"I'll be waitin' for ya. Well, so long, fellas!"
She stood and wandered through the field, out through the exit and back to the Green Ranch, Cliff's eyes following her departing figure with intense longing.
"Maybe you're not cut out for this kind of farm work," Jack suggested, standing up and extending an arm. Cliff grasped it absently and, with difficulty, propped himself up on a pair of wobbly limbs that felt as if they'd never walked before.
"Who...was that...?"
"The daughter of the owner of Green Ranch. Seems like a nice girl."
"She's beautiful..." Cliff murmured.
"Well, someone's certainly impressed with her," Jack chuckled.
"Did you see her?" Cliff inquired, still staring off to the exit of the farm as if her figure were still present there. "Her eyes...and that hair...and...that body..."
"...I suppose this attraction is more lustful than anything..."
"No!" Cliff insisted, turning to Jack with a fire in his eyes. "I've never felt this way before. She's so...amazing!" He paused. "What was her name again?"
Jack smirked in amusement, performing his quirk of having his hands shoved within his pockets. "Ann. Her name is Ann."
"Ann..." Cliff murmured. "Jack, you've got to help me win her."
"Whoa...easy cowboy, you're still repaying your last debt. And you just met her. What if it turns out you two don't have compatible personalities?"
"I don't care. I need to be with her."
"You're taking a leap for a girl you just met." Jack murmured, his face construing skepticism.
"And you took a leap for me by letting me stay in your house. I could be a murderer, you wouldn't know."
"Your outlook has changed very quickly. If I remember correctly it was I who had to beg you to stay at MY farm."
"I feel like I'm meant for her, Jack...I just...I have to know. Please, help me!"
"...Well, all right. I'll try. But I don't know if I'll be able to do all that much. I'm not that great of a matchmaker."
"Thank you, Jack. I'll work extra hard to repay you."
"No, I think you need to rest for now. Tomorrow I'll work on clearing out the field while you go gather things from the mountain to sell, ok?"
"Ok."
Jack, who had set his hammer down in the middle of the field, began to saunter away to retrieve it when Cliff called his name.
"Hmm?" The farmer responded, arching his head over his right shoulder.
"I don't...well, I don't really attach to that many people and..." Cliff paused, scratching his arm nervously. "I just wanted to say thank you. Again. For...everything. Especially for this. I've...never felt like this about anyone before and I...I would do anything to feel that sensation again..." He stopped. "Do you...know what I'm saying?"
"...I know, Cliff." Jack said quietly. "And you're welcome."