On Horseback
Chapter 14: Autumn Out
Everyday was feeling chillier and chillier. Forecasts started calling for flurries and the mornings became my least favourite time of the day. I couldn't handle the cold. Actually, I could handle it, I just didn't want to go out in it.
The day after the Autumn Horse Races (Which I did win! Yay!), Jack came by and asked me if I wanted to go on our monthly picnic the following day. I thought about it a lot. What if it was too cold?
"I suppose," I answered him. "But only if the weather co-operates. I don't want to be stranded on the beach like an ice monument." Jack nodded. "Alright, I understand. I'll meet you at your ranch tomorrow at...oh...say, 12 noon?"
After Jack and I agreed on the time, I waved him goodbye.
I was going to town. I had promised Lillia that I was going to help her with all of her autumn harvesting. Lillia owned a small patch of land up in the mountains that she had to tend to every sunny day from Spring to the end of Fall. Since Popuri wasn't around to help her, she asked me if I could. I said yes, since there wasn't anything else that I could really do.
I entered the shop a few minutes later to be greeted by Lillia's warm smile.
"Hello, Ann, how are things going for you?" she asked me. I waved to her and walked up to the counter saying, "Everything's fine. Shall we go up into the mountains now?" Lillia nodded and put on her winter jacket. "Okay. Let's go!"
Lillia and I walked up into the mountains. We passed many mushrooms along the way, which she scooped up. We also passed by many medicinal herbs, which she sold to the Potion Shop Owner whenever he came by her shop.
"Where is your private garden, Lillia?" I asked the florist. The two of us walked a little bit past the pond where vegetables were thrown into to make wishes. Lillia pulled a bush aside and said, "Right here, Ann."
WOW! Talk about a lot of space for vegetables to grow! The land was at least, at an estimate, 16 acres. I hadn't seen such a big plot of land for just growing vegetables until now. It was most impressive. There had to be over one thousand eggplants growing out there. I smiled, looked at Popuri's mother and said, "Let's get harvesting!"
Lillia and I both knew that there was no way that we were going to finish the harvest by the end of the day. We'd probably only get half of the land cleared, as long as we didn't stop working.
"Will it be possible for you to help me tomorrow?" Lillia asked me as we were harvesting. I looked over at the pink-headed mother and shook my head. "I've already made plans for tomorrow. I would come if I could, but sorry, I just can't." Lillia began chuckling for a moment. "It's okay, you don't have to go into rapid speed 'maybe next times'!" she exclaimed as she picked a ripe eggplant off of its stem.
During the harvest, I heard a rustling sound in the bushes every minute or so, and it seemed to have been calling my name. For the whole day I heard that sound, which eventually was leading into a migraine. There was someone around the fields that wanted to talk to me, I assumed, but I just couldn't make out where the sound was coming from.
"ANN!" a girl's voice bellowed all of a sudden.
My head spun around, and I saw Karen standing next to me.
"Karen! Why did you keep calling me from the bushes? You could have just came right in! It's not like Lillia would mind, or anything." Karen nodded and said, "The reason I came to find you was because I want you to come to the bar on the evening of Winter 1st."
I began laughing. "Why couldn't you wait to tell me this until later?" Karen shrugged. "I just wanted to tell you once I heard the date of the Blow Away the Bills evening." My jaw dropped. "You want me to go to THAT?!" I gasped. Karen nodded. "I'm the only girl in the bar on that day. Wait, I'm almost always the only girl, but on that night I am always the only girl. This year, I could use your company. Your father wouldn't mind, would he? You're twenty-one-years-old now!"
It did sound like an interesting evening, with only men around the bar, so I decided that I'd visit Karen on Winter 1st. But only for a small portion of the time, as I didn't like to remain in bars too long, as it would always begin to get a tad bit scary.
"Anyways," continued Karen, "are you going on that monthly thing with Jack tomorrow?"
I shrugged. "Weather permitting. I don't want to go out picnicking in a white blanket."
Lillia came over to the two of us a moment later and exclaimed, "Why, Karen! Hello! I didn't know that Ann needed some extra help!" She giggled at her comment. I cursed her under my breath. "No, actually, Lillia, Karen just came by to chat with me and talk about that big event happening on Sunday night."
The florist sighed. "I'm actually glad that Basil's never around in the winter to go to the bar and blow all of his money before I can get around to Festive shopping. Of course, it doesn't matter anymore. He's not here and Popuri isn't coming home. I'm gonna be having a fun Star Night Festival." Lillia sighed again and then said, "You can go, now, Ann, I'll finish up on my own.
"Thanks!" I cried.
Karen and I split up once we got to the vineyard. I waved her off and she blew me a kiss. After she was out of my sight, I entered the ranch and saw my father feeding the horses outside the barn.
"Hey, Dad! Need any help?" I called out to him.
"It's okay," he replied. "You can go in. I'll come and make you dinner in a little while."
I checked my watch. Holy smokes! It was almost 6 o' clock in the evening! I was a little surprised, actually, that I'd been working all of that time. I hadn't even taken a break of any sort for lunch. I was really hungry too. Reality figures.
I woke up the next morning with a good feeling inside of me. I had a dream that the weather was going to be absolutely fabulous! I quickly peered out my window to see shades of red, brown and orange. Falling leaves. The sun was poking through a few clouds, though, so it looked like it was going to be a pretty nice day.
"The weather, father?" I asked Dad once I entered the shop. My father turned on the television and meteorologist May came on.
"...Expect showers at around dusk through dawn. Current temperature is 6 degrees Celsius, expect a high of 12 degrees for today. Your news is next with Ivan Letterman."
My father shut off the television and said, "Well, I guess the weather's going to be fair enough for your picnic. Do you know what Jack's going to be making?" I nodded. "Yeah, he told me this time. Coleslaw, again, along with fried chicken soup and a bowl of hash browns and brownies."
Dad looked like he was about to choke.
"Cut the sarcasm, dear, and tell me what you're really having."
I repeated the same menu.
"ANN!" my father screamed. I shrugged. "Fine, don't believe me." Dad shook his head. "Kids these days."
I hated it when he made that remark.
My day with Jack went pretty well, actually. Better than what I had expected. First, we quickly ate all of our food (and yes, the food WAS what I had told my father!), then we decided to get a little mischievous. We dove off the dock several times, even though we were completely aware of the fact that the water was freezing cold. After that, I put on a skirt and we did some beach dancing for a while. Then, Karen came by with Kai and said that they were going to join us. They brought a record player that played a song called, 'Dance Under The Moon'. I was curious when I heard that song play. It was the song from the Flower Festival. Hell, yeah, was it ever.
Then it was time for us to head on home. It was getting late. I waved goodbye to my three friends and jogged back to the ranch. Dad was waiting for me in the fields. He was riding on Cliffguard.
"Hey! How was your day? ... And why are you wet?" were his first words. I laughed. "Not a big deal, Dad. Rub it off. I know that Winter is tomorrow, and that it'll probably snow in a few days, but please don't get all up in arms, okay?" Dad looked at me as if I were crazy. "Are you okay?" he questioned me with a worried expression plastered on his face.
I nodded. "I'm great! If you asked anyone, they'd say I'm in a great mood, too!" I put on a huge grin, and Dad told me to go inside. I complied and danced into our house.
I poured myself a large cup of tea, and drank it within a few sips. I was going to be hyper the following night anyways, and Dad didn't mind the fact that I was going, so I figured that I'd start now. As long as I didn't drink too much.
"Tea is not an alcohol," he told me.
I shrugged. "Big deal!" I held up my empty glass and said, "Cheers!"
AUTHOR'S NOTES:
Sorry that it took me so long to update! I've been quite busy lately. I'll post the next chapter ASAP! :)