Chapter Eleven: The Vegetable Festival
A/N - Right after I finished the last chapter I learned that the Veggie Festival's on the 9^th, and the Firefly Festival's on the 17^th. @.@ lol I haven't played HM64 in awhile! Ah well. Enjoy!
A few days passed. Dawn went on with her daily life, as usual. She planted more plants, harvested the current crops she had, started growing a field, (she wanted a cow and a sheep) chopped some wood in the forest, gathered some food, talked to Ann and Popuri and Jack, and did as she normally would have done before the entire hillbilly episode.
On the thirteenth, Popuri ran into her farm at around ten o-clock. "Dawn!" she said excitedly.
"Yeah?" Dawn asked, dismounting from Dia and walking up to her (she had been galloping around her farm pulling out weeds).
"The fifteenth is Ann's birthday!" Popuri said joyfully.
"And...? You want me to help pick out something to buy for her?"
"No, I was thinking we should have a party."
"A surprise party?"
"Well it won't be THAT!" laughed a voice. Ann was walking towards them.
Dawn grinned. "So, are you gonna hold the party, or should we?"
Ann turned out to hold the party for herself. She invited all her friends: Dawn, Popuri, Jack, Cliff, Karen and Kai ("WHY?!?" Dawn kept protesting) Karen's parents (Another "WHY?!?"), her brother (of course), Elli, Harris, Jeff, and Maria. And then her DAD wanted to invite HIS friends, which were the Mayor, the carpenters, and the bartender. The party itself was outside, like a luau.
At the party, Dawn, Ann, Popuri, Cliff, and Gray all hung out, and Jack did sometimes. The reason why Jack was "sometimes" was because he was still friends with Kai, but Kai didn't like Jack's other friends.
Well, they all hung out and talked and laughed like teenage friends were, except they were a bit...older than teens. (Well, they were all twenty or over...)
Much, much later that day (at night) lots of people started walking home, and Jack and Dawn walked back to her house. Jack told Dawn a funny joke that had her laughing all the way to her front door.
When she finally recovered, she smiled up at Jack. "Well...goodnight."
Jack leaned over and they kissed. When they broke apart, Jack holding Dawn still, his eyes traveled from her to the door and back.
"So...can I come inside?"
Dawn saw what Jack was getting at. She flashed a grin at him and was about to reply when a voice said, "Ahem," right behind them.
Jack and Dawn both jumped nearly a mile, and then relaxed when they saw it was the Mayor.
"Hello, Jack," the Mayor said brightly. He seemed oblivious to what he had just interrupted. "I think you should be heading on home--we should get ready for the Vegetable Festival the day after tomorrow!"
Jack looked extremely annoyed and let out an exasperated sigh, but he said, "Yes, Mr. Mayor," kindly. He smiled down at Dawn. "See you tomorrow. Good night." Then he left.
Dawn's heart jumped around in her chest for awhile as she watched Jack's muscular frame walking away from her farm. He glanced back and smiled at her, waving, before he turned the corner and headed up to Moon Mountain.
The Mayor was frowning at Dawn. "You still remember," he said, "that Jack's your rival, right?"
"Yes," Dawn said, both curiously and defensively.
"Well, do you want to be getting close to him, then?"
"Yes," Dawn said, now fully defensive.
"Okay then." The Mayor smiled at her. "I hope you enter a vegetable in the Vegetable Festival. Your vegetables taste pretty good!" He winked, then left. Dawn was left frowning after him, then she walked inside.
***
The next morning found Dawn looking at all of her vegetables. She couldn't decide which of her vegetables was the best; a really, really red and plump tomato, or a large, juicy-looking corn. When Popuri came over, she asked her what she'd rather like, and Popuri said the tomato. But when Ann came over, she said the corn. Dawn sighed exasperatedly.
She harvested all her crops that were in harvest. This took till lunchtime, since most of her crops were in harvest that day. Then Dawn brushed her horse, played with Kirby, and ate lunch.
After that, Dawn counted up her money. She could buy a cow, and still have enough money left over to live comfortably, counting on today's payment. So she walked over to the ranch and bought a cow. When she went back home, Hal was there with the cow. He gave her a cow brush, a cow bell, and told her to name the cow.
Dawn named the cow Bessie (I name all my first cows that ^_^) and brushed Bessie. She put her out in the field after she built a fence around the field except for the entrance.
When Dawn was finished, it was nearly sundown. She wiped her forehead and sighed. It had been a long, hard day. But she smiled at the sight of her farm when she looked around--she had a cow, a horse, and a dog, and a field, lots of crops, and some flowers, too. It was starting to look a little like the farm it had been before.
Jack came by then. He blinked. "Wow!" he said. "You've improved your farm quite a bit."
"Yep," Dawn smiled. "How's your farm coming?"
"Pretty good. Wanna go see it?"
"Sure," replied Dawn cheerfully.
So Jack and Dawn went over to Jack's farm. When they went inside, her mouth dropped open.
He had six chickens, a sheep, and a LOT more crops than she did. He had only a little bit of flowers though, and he didn't have a kitchen yet, or a fence around her field. He had a horse, a black one, and he had a dog too, a female brown dog named Lyla.
Dawn hadn't known that he had a dog. She smiled and played with his puppy as he told her a little about the farm. The sun had now set, and the last rays of the red sun were just disappearing. Stars were coming out--very, very faintly, in the eastern sky.
"Well, since we've both had a long and hard day," Jack said, grinning, "let's go get some beer!"
"Sounds good!" Dawn agreed enthusiastically. They walked to the bar together, talking about their crops and a little about their farms, and Jack told her about the remaining festivals for Summer.
"Say, I still don't know your birthday," Dawn said sheepishly as they ordered from Karen. Karen didn't seem very cold towards Dawn; she wasn't even trying to show off her body--to ANYONE.
Maybe Jack's talk with her made her see life differently, Dawn thought ponderingly.
"It's Summer 25^th," Jack replied cheerfully. Then he grinned sheepishly also. "When's yours?"
"Spring the 2^nd," Dawn replied.
"Damn, I missed it..."
Karen came back with their beers, and they drank them while talking about the Harvest Festival.
"I'm not sure what to enter, corn or a tomato," Dawn said.
"I'm entering some corn," Jack said. "I think you should enter a tomato."
"Hmm, maybe I will..."
Dawn gazed around the bar and took a huge swig of beer. Not many people were in it tonight--just Karen, the bartender, Hall, Karen's dad, and Tom the shipper.
Dawn finished her beer. She said "goodnight" to Jack just as Kai walked in. Dawn gave him the most scornful glare she could muster. Kai looked startled, and sat down by Jack.
After Dawn left, Kai changed his normally friendly attitude into a slightly scornful, rude look.
"That Dawn," he said, scowling, "She's...I dunno...I don't like her very much."
"Why?" asked Jack.
"Well, sure, she's hot," Kai admitted. "That's probably the only reason why you like her."
"That's not true," Jack said angrily. "She's got a great personality."
"Really?" Kai said, scrunching up his face. "Well, my Karen over here--" Here Karen walked up and he put an arm around her lower waist "--is pretty damn hot." When Karen walked away, Kai said, "And that's why I like her."
Jack frowned. "But...what about her personality?"
"What about it?" Kai snorted, as he took a beer from Karen.
Karen looked like she hadn't heard. But when she walked back tot he counter, Jack saw her face full of distress.
Jack frowned, looking at Kai. "You sure have changed, Kai," he said solemnly.
Kai simply laughed.
"I think you should pay more attention to Karen's personality," Jack went on, drinking some more beer.
Kai frowned. "But...she's beautiful..."
"And she probably has a beautiful mind. Can't you see beauty inside, not just outside?"
Kai looked down at his beer thoughtfully. Jack sighed, shook his head, and finished his beer.
"I'm goin'," he said. "Lots to do for tomorrow." Jack walked out of the bar.
Shortly afterward, Karen did too.
***
The next day was the Vegetable Festival. Dawn washed her tomato and wondered if it was good enough. Then, after she saw to Bessie and watered the plants, she took her tomato and, with Kirby following her, they set off for the Festival.
Dawn met Jack on the road outside her farm. He had his corn in hand, as promised.
"Hey!" Dawn said, smiling.
"Hey," replied Jack, grinning. Dawn noticed his dog Lyla was with him too.
Dawn giggled. "I see your dog decided to come too."
Jack looked back and saw Lyla there. He looked astonished. "I had no idea!" he exclaimed. Then he grinned. "Ah well. It's not like its illegal for the dog to be there." Jack bent down and patted Kirby. "Hiya, Kirby!"
Kirby barked and panted happily. Then he sniffed at Lyla and Lyla sniffed at Kirby, the way all dogs do.
Jack and Dawn proceeded to the Festival place. When they got to the Mayor, Jack and Dawn handed him their vegetables. Then they walked up to the Town Square.
Everyone was there already. Dawn walked over to Popuri and talked to her, telling her she entered a tomato. Popuri grinned and said she hoped that Dawn would win. Then Dawn walked over to Ann and told her the same thing. Ann grinned and wished her luck.
Dawn walked around, looking at all the vegetables. She almost ran into Karen.
"Oh...Sorry," Dawn said awkwardly.
They stood looking at each other awkwardly and silently. Then Karen said, "Umm, I hear you entered a vegetable."
"Yeah." There was more silence.
"What did you enter?"
"A tomato."
"Oh." After a long pause, Karen said shyly, "That's cool. I always liked tomatoes, raw or cooked." She smiled uncertainly at Dawn.
Dawn smiled back. "Oh, that's cool. I have this really good tomato sauce recipie, do you want it? You could try cooking it sometime."
Karen's face reddened. "I'm not so good at cooking," she mumbled.
"Well, you can try it. Here." Dawn scribbled it down on some paper and handed it to Karen. Then, smiling a little, she walked away to talk to Maria and Elli. She had forgotten about Lyla and Kirby, but they were in the corner, "getting acquainted".
Kent and Stu walked up to Dawn and started asking her questions.
"You finally got a cow!"
"I'm glad you're growing pretty flowers on your farm!"
"Are you going to get another cow? Or sheep? Or chickens?"
"Can you grow some more flowers? Please?"
Dawn smiled at them and answered their questions. Then the Mayor announced that the winners had been decided.
"And this year's winner is...Jack, from Joro Farm! Dawn from the Lone Star Farm came in second."
"Umm, Jack's corn was very firm, and very fresh! Perfect, and full of nutrients!" said the test-taster guy.
Everyone clapped. Then everyone started to go home.
Dawn and Jack were about to go home when they noticed that they didn't see Lyla or Kirby anywhere. After they called their names, though, they reappeared and came barking happily up to them.
Dawn smiled. "Guess they were just playing around somewhere."
The Festival had ended around three o'clock, so Dawn and Jack hung out fishing at the mountain river for awhile. They spotted some cute little fuzzy animals, which Kirby chased around nearly immediately after they spotted them each time.
They both caught two fish. Then they said goodbye as the sun set and Dawn went home, Kirby trailing behind, with her heart feeling lighter than it had when she had left.
A/N: Dat's da end of Chapter 11! lol well I really like writing these, there might be ten more chapters O.o;; Oh well. Keep reading!!
A/N - Right after I finished the last chapter I learned that the Veggie Festival's on the 9^th, and the Firefly Festival's on the 17^th. @.@ lol I haven't played HM64 in awhile! Ah well. Enjoy!
A few days passed. Dawn went on with her daily life, as usual. She planted more plants, harvested the current crops she had, started growing a field, (she wanted a cow and a sheep) chopped some wood in the forest, gathered some food, talked to Ann and Popuri and Jack, and did as she normally would have done before the entire hillbilly episode.
On the thirteenth, Popuri ran into her farm at around ten o-clock. "Dawn!" she said excitedly.
"Yeah?" Dawn asked, dismounting from Dia and walking up to her (she had been galloping around her farm pulling out weeds).
"The fifteenth is Ann's birthday!" Popuri said joyfully.
"And...? You want me to help pick out something to buy for her?"
"No, I was thinking we should have a party."
"A surprise party?"
"Well it won't be THAT!" laughed a voice. Ann was walking towards them.
Dawn grinned. "So, are you gonna hold the party, or should we?"
Ann turned out to hold the party for herself. She invited all her friends: Dawn, Popuri, Jack, Cliff, Karen and Kai ("WHY?!?" Dawn kept protesting) Karen's parents (Another "WHY?!?"), her brother (of course), Elli, Harris, Jeff, and Maria. And then her DAD wanted to invite HIS friends, which were the Mayor, the carpenters, and the bartender. The party itself was outside, like a luau.
At the party, Dawn, Ann, Popuri, Cliff, and Gray all hung out, and Jack did sometimes. The reason why Jack was "sometimes" was because he was still friends with Kai, but Kai didn't like Jack's other friends.
Well, they all hung out and talked and laughed like teenage friends were, except they were a bit...older than teens. (Well, they were all twenty or over...)
Much, much later that day (at night) lots of people started walking home, and Jack and Dawn walked back to her house. Jack told Dawn a funny joke that had her laughing all the way to her front door.
When she finally recovered, she smiled up at Jack. "Well...goodnight."
Jack leaned over and they kissed. When they broke apart, Jack holding Dawn still, his eyes traveled from her to the door and back.
"So...can I come inside?"
Dawn saw what Jack was getting at. She flashed a grin at him and was about to reply when a voice said, "Ahem," right behind them.
Jack and Dawn both jumped nearly a mile, and then relaxed when they saw it was the Mayor.
"Hello, Jack," the Mayor said brightly. He seemed oblivious to what he had just interrupted. "I think you should be heading on home--we should get ready for the Vegetable Festival the day after tomorrow!"
Jack looked extremely annoyed and let out an exasperated sigh, but he said, "Yes, Mr. Mayor," kindly. He smiled down at Dawn. "See you tomorrow. Good night." Then he left.
Dawn's heart jumped around in her chest for awhile as she watched Jack's muscular frame walking away from her farm. He glanced back and smiled at her, waving, before he turned the corner and headed up to Moon Mountain.
The Mayor was frowning at Dawn. "You still remember," he said, "that Jack's your rival, right?"
"Yes," Dawn said, both curiously and defensively.
"Well, do you want to be getting close to him, then?"
"Yes," Dawn said, now fully defensive.
"Okay then." The Mayor smiled at her. "I hope you enter a vegetable in the Vegetable Festival. Your vegetables taste pretty good!" He winked, then left. Dawn was left frowning after him, then she walked inside.
***
The next morning found Dawn looking at all of her vegetables. She couldn't decide which of her vegetables was the best; a really, really red and plump tomato, or a large, juicy-looking corn. When Popuri came over, she asked her what she'd rather like, and Popuri said the tomato. But when Ann came over, she said the corn. Dawn sighed exasperatedly.
She harvested all her crops that were in harvest. This took till lunchtime, since most of her crops were in harvest that day. Then Dawn brushed her horse, played with Kirby, and ate lunch.
After that, Dawn counted up her money. She could buy a cow, and still have enough money left over to live comfortably, counting on today's payment. So she walked over to the ranch and bought a cow. When she went back home, Hal was there with the cow. He gave her a cow brush, a cow bell, and told her to name the cow.
Dawn named the cow Bessie (I name all my first cows that ^_^) and brushed Bessie. She put her out in the field after she built a fence around the field except for the entrance.
When Dawn was finished, it was nearly sundown. She wiped her forehead and sighed. It had been a long, hard day. But she smiled at the sight of her farm when she looked around--she had a cow, a horse, and a dog, and a field, lots of crops, and some flowers, too. It was starting to look a little like the farm it had been before.
Jack came by then. He blinked. "Wow!" he said. "You've improved your farm quite a bit."
"Yep," Dawn smiled. "How's your farm coming?"
"Pretty good. Wanna go see it?"
"Sure," replied Dawn cheerfully.
So Jack and Dawn went over to Jack's farm. When they went inside, her mouth dropped open.
He had six chickens, a sheep, and a LOT more crops than she did. He had only a little bit of flowers though, and he didn't have a kitchen yet, or a fence around her field. He had a horse, a black one, and he had a dog too, a female brown dog named Lyla.
Dawn hadn't known that he had a dog. She smiled and played with his puppy as he told her a little about the farm. The sun had now set, and the last rays of the red sun were just disappearing. Stars were coming out--very, very faintly, in the eastern sky.
"Well, since we've both had a long and hard day," Jack said, grinning, "let's go get some beer!"
"Sounds good!" Dawn agreed enthusiastically. They walked to the bar together, talking about their crops and a little about their farms, and Jack told her about the remaining festivals for Summer.
"Say, I still don't know your birthday," Dawn said sheepishly as they ordered from Karen. Karen didn't seem very cold towards Dawn; she wasn't even trying to show off her body--to ANYONE.
Maybe Jack's talk with her made her see life differently, Dawn thought ponderingly.
"It's Summer 25^th," Jack replied cheerfully. Then he grinned sheepishly also. "When's yours?"
"Spring the 2^nd," Dawn replied.
"Damn, I missed it..."
Karen came back with their beers, and they drank them while talking about the Harvest Festival.
"I'm not sure what to enter, corn or a tomato," Dawn said.
"I'm entering some corn," Jack said. "I think you should enter a tomato."
"Hmm, maybe I will..."
Dawn gazed around the bar and took a huge swig of beer. Not many people were in it tonight--just Karen, the bartender, Hall, Karen's dad, and Tom the shipper.
Dawn finished her beer. She said "goodnight" to Jack just as Kai walked in. Dawn gave him the most scornful glare she could muster. Kai looked startled, and sat down by Jack.
After Dawn left, Kai changed his normally friendly attitude into a slightly scornful, rude look.
"That Dawn," he said, scowling, "She's...I dunno...I don't like her very much."
"Why?" asked Jack.
"Well, sure, she's hot," Kai admitted. "That's probably the only reason why you like her."
"That's not true," Jack said angrily. "She's got a great personality."
"Really?" Kai said, scrunching up his face. "Well, my Karen over here--" Here Karen walked up and he put an arm around her lower waist "--is pretty damn hot." When Karen walked away, Kai said, "And that's why I like her."
Jack frowned. "But...what about her personality?"
"What about it?" Kai snorted, as he took a beer from Karen.
Karen looked like she hadn't heard. But when she walked back tot he counter, Jack saw her face full of distress.
Jack frowned, looking at Kai. "You sure have changed, Kai," he said solemnly.
Kai simply laughed.
"I think you should pay more attention to Karen's personality," Jack went on, drinking some more beer.
Kai frowned. "But...she's beautiful..."
"And she probably has a beautiful mind. Can't you see beauty inside, not just outside?"
Kai looked down at his beer thoughtfully. Jack sighed, shook his head, and finished his beer.
"I'm goin'," he said. "Lots to do for tomorrow." Jack walked out of the bar.
Shortly afterward, Karen did too.
***
The next day was the Vegetable Festival. Dawn washed her tomato and wondered if it was good enough. Then, after she saw to Bessie and watered the plants, she took her tomato and, with Kirby following her, they set off for the Festival.
Dawn met Jack on the road outside her farm. He had his corn in hand, as promised.
"Hey!" Dawn said, smiling.
"Hey," replied Jack, grinning. Dawn noticed his dog Lyla was with him too.
Dawn giggled. "I see your dog decided to come too."
Jack looked back and saw Lyla there. He looked astonished. "I had no idea!" he exclaimed. Then he grinned. "Ah well. It's not like its illegal for the dog to be there." Jack bent down and patted Kirby. "Hiya, Kirby!"
Kirby barked and panted happily. Then he sniffed at Lyla and Lyla sniffed at Kirby, the way all dogs do.
Jack and Dawn proceeded to the Festival place. When they got to the Mayor, Jack and Dawn handed him their vegetables. Then they walked up to the Town Square.
Everyone was there already. Dawn walked over to Popuri and talked to her, telling her she entered a tomato. Popuri grinned and said she hoped that Dawn would win. Then Dawn walked over to Ann and told her the same thing. Ann grinned and wished her luck.
Dawn walked around, looking at all the vegetables. She almost ran into Karen.
"Oh...Sorry," Dawn said awkwardly.
They stood looking at each other awkwardly and silently. Then Karen said, "Umm, I hear you entered a vegetable."
"Yeah." There was more silence.
"What did you enter?"
"A tomato."
"Oh." After a long pause, Karen said shyly, "That's cool. I always liked tomatoes, raw or cooked." She smiled uncertainly at Dawn.
Dawn smiled back. "Oh, that's cool. I have this really good tomato sauce recipie, do you want it? You could try cooking it sometime."
Karen's face reddened. "I'm not so good at cooking," she mumbled.
"Well, you can try it. Here." Dawn scribbled it down on some paper and handed it to Karen. Then, smiling a little, she walked away to talk to Maria and Elli. She had forgotten about Lyla and Kirby, but they were in the corner, "getting acquainted".
Kent and Stu walked up to Dawn and started asking her questions.
"You finally got a cow!"
"I'm glad you're growing pretty flowers on your farm!"
"Are you going to get another cow? Or sheep? Or chickens?"
"Can you grow some more flowers? Please?"
Dawn smiled at them and answered their questions. Then the Mayor announced that the winners had been decided.
"And this year's winner is...Jack, from Joro Farm! Dawn from the Lone Star Farm came in second."
"Umm, Jack's corn was very firm, and very fresh! Perfect, and full of nutrients!" said the test-taster guy.
Everyone clapped. Then everyone started to go home.
Dawn and Jack were about to go home when they noticed that they didn't see Lyla or Kirby anywhere. After they called their names, though, they reappeared and came barking happily up to them.
Dawn smiled. "Guess they were just playing around somewhere."
The Festival had ended around three o'clock, so Dawn and Jack hung out fishing at the mountain river for awhile. They spotted some cute little fuzzy animals, which Kirby chased around nearly immediately after they spotted them each time.
They both caught two fish. Then they said goodbye as the sun set and Dawn went home, Kirby trailing behind, with her heart feeling lighter than it had when she had left.
A/N: Dat's da end of Chapter 11! lol well I really like writing these, there might be ten more chapters O.o;; Oh well. Keep reading!!