A Dream. A Hope. A Scar. A Mission
Chapter 8: Somewhere Out There
It had been a week since the Harvest Festival now, and Karen's attitude was still boggling me. I hadn't seen her since the festival, but I preferred to keep to myself anyways at the moment. The days were starting to get chilly, and I preferred not to be out and about so much. I was already spending a good portion of my day working on my eggplants that I was beginning to hate. I tried biting into a couple of them on occasion. That just proved why there wasn't much demand for them. But I did have something to look forward too. The Egg Festival would be tomorrow, and I felt compelled, or rather destined, to win this contest of speed.
I was hoping Karen's father wouldn't make a scene of me at this festival. The Cow Festival was a disaster and a miracle at the same time, but I didn't want to relive it. The truth was, I was scared stiff of Karen's father, and I wanted to avoid him at all costs. He had some unsung hostility towards me, but I really didn't care if I knew or not. If I tried to find out, that would mean getting close to him, which was something I wanted to avoid.
My new calf that I affectionately named Nora was turning out to be a chore. She ate a lot more fodder than my sheep, and grass could no longer be planted in the ground. I feared that I might have to resort to buying fodder, which would end up being quite expensive. I shuddered at the thought, but at least Doug was on good terms with me.
I ran my usual drills with Biff, who seemed to be improving everyday. Deep inside though, I knew I didn't have a chance against the upper class riders who's hobby was training their horse to win at the races. At least I could compete though.
The daylight seemed to begin to wane sooner now that Fall was in full swing as well. I had less time to get everything done that I would like to. I had been meaning to visit Cliff again some time, but the sun would collapse over the horizon before I ever got the chance. It was almost like the days were working against me. Odd as that sounds, what if there was a Higher Power at work? It sounded funny, but Pastor Brown said that this was the case all the time. Regardless, the nights were getting longer and I didn't like it one bit.
...
I woke up the next day excited, hope filled, and ready to beat this town at its own game! Today would be the day of the Egg Festival, and today would be the day I would finally come home victorious from one of these silly festivals.
As I approached the village I heard someone move behind me. I turned around only moments before a flying-Cliff tackled me into the ground.
" What was that for!?" I almost shouted at Cliff, who was now staring down in my face.
" What was that for?" Cliff repeated. " That was for everything you've done for me!" Cliff shouted as he jumped up off of me.
" Cliff, you're talking yourself into a corner again" I said dryly.
" No, no, its not that at all! I'm in love!" Cliff reminded me of Sparky, my dog.
" Oh my sweet savior Cliff, what have you done!?" I figured Cliff had a death wish or something.
" Ann loves me! She said it herself! And I know she does! I can feel it!" Cliff's mind was running like a racehorse.
" Erm-" I tried to say something. I was simply stunned though. I would never see either of them going out and saying 'I love you' to someone, but maybe it was meant to be that way. This was boggling my mind.
" And for celebration, you and I are going to have a night to remember tomorrow at the Inn!" Cliff said, overjoyed.
" I'm happy for you Cliff" I told him as I got a grasp on the situation. " Then tomorrow we will celebrate. Sounds like it could be fun" I told him with a grin.
...
We strolled into town, which had covered boxes all around. I peeked into one, only to have my hand slapped by none other than Maria herself.
" Shame on you, trying to cheat!" she scolded.
" What?" I asked, dumbfounded.
" Those are where the eggs are hidden! So you're cheating if you look!" Maria reinforced.
" Erm, sorry" I apologized. I felt myself go red in the face.
The festival was having quite the turnout already. Almost everyone was in the village from the surrounding area. I supposed this would be more exciting than the Cow Festival anyways, which didn't have nearly as many people as this in attendance. I looked around to see my competition. I saw Cliff, who was warming up to Ann's father, probably trying to get on his good side. Harris was strolling around quietly, but he seemed to be eyeing up Maria. Rick was on the other side of the crowd, and probably had some invention to identify the eggs from yards away. And of course there was Kai. He beat me in the last test of endurance, but I swore he wouldn't beat me in this one. He was now my silent rival. Sure, I didn't personally like him, but its not like I hated the guy either. He seemed to have an eye on Karen at all times, however. One side of me said that I shouldn't really care, but the other side was jealous.
" Ok folks! Listen Up!" the mayor announced. " Let's get this party started, eh?"
I smirked at the idea that the mayor was trying to sound fun.
" I will hold out a certain colored egg, and you guys have to search the boxes for an egg of the same color over three rounds of physical endurance. It's not too hard, so don't worry all you newcomers! Well, it's not too hard for me anyways! Ha ha!" the mayor gave out a chuckle with the rest of the crowd. Simultaneously the mayor had pulled a pearly white egg out of his pocket and held it up. I dashed off away from the bustling crowd, who was still jeering at the mayor's joke, unaware that he had pulled out an egg.
I dashed around, looking into every crate I saw. The crowd was slowly realizing the mayor's trick and were joining me in the hunt. Eventually the whole crowd was out and about looking through crates that I had already checked. But as I peered into the next crate near the corner of town by the bakery I found a pearly white egg that had the same hue as the one in the mayor's hand. I threw my arm up in victory. This was the first step. I only had to find one more egg and this festival was in the bag.
" Congratulations Jack!" the mayor cheered me on.
" You tricked us!" came and angry voice from the crowd.
" Athletics are as much mental as they are physical, you know!" the major gave with a smile. " Now if you want me to be bluntly honest, find this pastel purple egg!" the mayor shouted as he displayed, just as he described it, a pastel purple egg.
I dashed in and out of the crowd, searching all of the boxes, but to no victory. I just couldn't find the stupid thing. The time just kept ticking on and on. Time was running out, but I didn't want to accept the fact that it was.
Suddenly, someone behind the mayor announced " I found it!" Worst of all, it was Kai.
I didn't realize that there was a box behind the mayor, which angered me very much. This next and final round would have to be decisive. It was my last shot at winning. This was it, I was facing fate, staring at him in the eye. I won.
The mayor pulled out a fiery orange egg without any warning. I sprinted around, looking through all the crates besides the ones that already contained previous winners. Time was running out once more. I had looked through every single box in town, but I didn't find a replica of the egg in the mayor's hand. There was one last place I thought there could have been a crate. I ran behind the Church and looked down the alley behind the seed and flower shop to see one last crate, the crate that contained that fiery orange egg. I felt something moving behind me however. It was something fast too. It was making a dead sprint towards the box. Instinctively, I started sprinting as well. My opponent already had his speed built up however, and passed me. Of course it was Kai. It was always Kai. I was catching up to him, but there was no way I could catch him in time. I was going to lose to him yet again.
Yet, something began to click in my head. Every time I came up against this guy I was always second best. But not this time. I wasn't going to let it happen this time. He wasn't going to humiliate me again. I couldn't live with myself if he beat me again. I yelled inside my mind and gave the best burst of speed I could.
My body was screaming, but I had to give more. Faster was all that was going through my head. Faster! Faster! Faster! Is all that ran through my mind as I closed in on my rival. I was going to beat him. I pushed myself beyond the envelope of my physical limit. A mere second after I passed Kai I slammed myself up against the crate. I threw the top off, grasped the egg inside, and raised my arm in victory.
The orange egg gleamed in the Fall sun. I began to laugh to myself, and I realized I couldn't remember my own name. But I had won, and that was all that mattered at the moment. I collapsed into someone's arms at that moment. I didn't realize who caught me, but they pulled me up and told me to keep walking. I knew the drill. The lactic acid in my legs needed to be flushed out, and I had to keep walking to do that.
My reward was a strange power berry that I gobbled the moment I got it and a plush turtle, which would look great in my house if I had any other decorations. I had won though, and I beat Kai. Tomorrow would be something to celebrate about for both Cliff and myself.
...
The next day the carpenters began attaching a kitchen to my house, something that was long over due. They would be back late at the tail end of Fall to add a bathroom on as well, which I was, needless to say, very excited about.
While working on the new addition a carpentry master asked a peculiar question.
" How bout' you pay us back once we wrap things up here, eh?" the master asked.
" Whats the task?" I asked him.
" We need to repair the old bridge to the top of the mountain. It's been out of commision since last Spring" the master informed me. " We'll pay ya."
" Sounds good. I'd be glad to help" I informed him.
...
That night was a blast with Cliff. We sat around and joked with each other at the Inn and congratulated each other on our successes. Kai gave an ominous look over to the table we were sitting at that said " this isn't over between us." Karen seemed nice to me again tonight, which startled me. I couldn't tell what exactly, but it was almost like she was using me as a shield. I didn't want to upset Cliff's good mood though, so I just kept it to myself. I was always good at bottling up my emotions, which probably explained my seldom seen, yet explosive temper.
...
The work on the bridge was uneventful, but the carpenters were an easy going bunch of guys. It was fun to work with them on this project with them. They were the sort of rough-neck, yet easy going guys that reminded me of Cliff. I took us five days to finish the bridge, and when we completed it we were shocked to find the old restraunt that was assumed to be blown away last Winter in a blizzard. The poor old couple. They said that food wasn't a problem, but they did get lonely. I promised I would remember to stop at their restraunt sometime for a quick bite to eat.
...
With the work on the bridge I completely forgot about the upcomming horse race that was sure to be a spectacle. The day after the bridge was completed I was headed off with Biff to the races. I realized this would be more of a learning experience than anything else. I didn't expect to do well at all, but I was going to give it my best shot.
I was in the first race and I was placed in block one. I was given a blue dearby helmet that matched my hat. I saw Cliff sitting with Ann, Rick, and Karen in the stands, watching anxiously for the start of the race. I waved to them all, and they waved back. Well, all of them except for Karen, but that was expected. I searched for Kai, hoping that he wasn't here to see me get smacked around by some folks that live for the derby. Luckily, I couldn't find him anywhere.
" Gentlemen, on your marks!" the redman announced.
Kapow! Off went the gun, and so did the competition. I followed suite, but the front runners were killing me. I was competing with the fifth place horse fairly well, which pleased me, and the fourth horse wasn't out of reach. I held onto the tail end of things, planning on having Biff surge the last quarter of the course.
With the last quarter beginning to dawn on Biff and I, I spurred him onward to nab the fifth place position. My biggest competitor wasn't going to lose so easily, however. He kept up with me quite well, but I still held out in front of him. Much to my surprise, the horse in front of me began to fall apart andfall abck, giving me the opportunity to nab the fourth place position just before crossing the line. I trampled across that red line and threw one of my arms into the air. This was a victory for me. I never expected to come here and take fourth in my race.
I dismounted from my horse and saw Cliff, Rick, and Ann all cheering me on.
" You did it awesome, buddy!" Cliff yelled.
" I knew you would be a good horse racer! I knew it!" Ann shouted out!
" You really took those last two in a snap Jack!" Rick congratulated me.
The walk home that night with Biff was one of the most thrilling ever. I had just competed in my first race and gone beyond all expectations. Biff deserved a good rest now, and so did I. I was just curious why Karen was so cold at the races. She didn't even congratualate me.
...
The last two days of Fall found me caring for a woman's cows while she was in town until she got settled down someplace. It was odd having a full barn with five more animals in it, but I realized that I was eventaully going to have too as well. I decided one thing was for sure though. I definatly prefer sheep over cows. I also relaized something else. Fall was ending, and so was a chapter in my life.
Chapter 8: Somewhere Out There
It had been a week since the Harvest Festival now, and Karen's attitude was still boggling me. I hadn't seen her since the festival, but I preferred to keep to myself anyways at the moment. The days were starting to get chilly, and I preferred not to be out and about so much. I was already spending a good portion of my day working on my eggplants that I was beginning to hate. I tried biting into a couple of them on occasion. That just proved why there wasn't much demand for them. But I did have something to look forward too. The Egg Festival would be tomorrow, and I felt compelled, or rather destined, to win this contest of speed.
I was hoping Karen's father wouldn't make a scene of me at this festival. The Cow Festival was a disaster and a miracle at the same time, but I didn't want to relive it. The truth was, I was scared stiff of Karen's father, and I wanted to avoid him at all costs. He had some unsung hostility towards me, but I really didn't care if I knew or not. If I tried to find out, that would mean getting close to him, which was something I wanted to avoid.
My new calf that I affectionately named Nora was turning out to be a chore. She ate a lot more fodder than my sheep, and grass could no longer be planted in the ground. I feared that I might have to resort to buying fodder, which would end up being quite expensive. I shuddered at the thought, but at least Doug was on good terms with me.
I ran my usual drills with Biff, who seemed to be improving everyday. Deep inside though, I knew I didn't have a chance against the upper class riders who's hobby was training their horse to win at the races. At least I could compete though.
The daylight seemed to begin to wane sooner now that Fall was in full swing as well. I had less time to get everything done that I would like to. I had been meaning to visit Cliff again some time, but the sun would collapse over the horizon before I ever got the chance. It was almost like the days were working against me. Odd as that sounds, what if there was a Higher Power at work? It sounded funny, but Pastor Brown said that this was the case all the time. Regardless, the nights were getting longer and I didn't like it one bit.
...
I woke up the next day excited, hope filled, and ready to beat this town at its own game! Today would be the day of the Egg Festival, and today would be the day I would finally come home victorious from one of these silly festivals.
As I approached the village I heard someone move behind me. I turned around only moments before a flying-Cliff tackled me into the ground.
" What was that for!?" I almost shouted at Cliff, who was now staring down in my face.
" What was that for?" Cliff repeated. " That was for everything you've done for me!" Cliff shouted as he jumped up off of me.
" Cliff, you're talking yourself into a corner again" I said dryly.
" No, no, its not that at all! I'm in love!" Cliff reminded me of Sparky, my dog.
" Oh my sweet savior Cliff, what have you done!?" I figured Cliff had a death wish or something.
" Ann loves me! She said it herself! And I know she does! I can feel it!" Cliff's mind was running like a racehorse.
" Erm-" I tried to say something. I was simply stunned though. I would never see either of them going out and saying 'I love you' to someone, but maybe it was meant to be that way. This was boggling my mind.
" And for celebration, you and I are going to have a night to remember tomorrow at the Inn!" Cliff said, overjoyed.
" I'm happy for you Cliff" I told him as I got a grasp on the situation. " Then tomorrow we will celebrate. Sounds like it could be fun" I told him with a grin.
...
We strolled into town, which had covered boxes all around. I peeked into one, only to have my hand slapped by none other than Maria herself.
" Shame on you, trying to cheat!" she scolded.
" What?" I asked, dumbfounded.
" Those are where the eggs are hidden! So you're cheating if you look!" Maria reinforced.
" Erm, sorry" I apologized. I felt myself go red in the face.
The festival was having quite the turnout already. Almost everyone was in the village from the surrounding area. I supposed this would be more exciting than the Cow Festival anyways, which didn't have nearly as many people as this in attendance. I looked around to see my competition. I saw Cliff, who was warming up to Ann's father, probably trying to get on his good side. Harris was strolling around quietly, but he seemed to be eyeing up Maria. Rick was on the other side of the crowd, and probably had some invention to identify the eggs from yards away. And of course there was Kai. He beat me in the last test of endurance, but I swore he wouldn't beat me in this one. He was now my silent rival. Sure, I didn't personally like him, but its not like I hated the guy either. He seemed to have an eye on Karen at all times, however. One side of me said that I shouldn't really care, but the other side was jealous.
" Ok folks! Listen Up!" the mayor announced. " Let's get this party started, eh?"
I smirked at the idea that the mayor was trying to sound fun.
" I will hold out a certain colored egg, and you guys have to search the boxes for an egg of the same color over three rounds of physical endurance. It's not too hard, so don't worry all you newcomers! Well, it's not too hard for me anyways! Ha ha!" the mayor gave out a chuckle with the rest of the crowd. Simultaneously the mayor had pulled a pearly white egg out of his pocket and held it up. I dashed off away from the bustling crowd, who was still jeering at the mayor's joke, unaware that he had pulled out an egg.
I dashed around, looking into every crate I saw. The crowd was slowly realizing the mayor's trick and were joining me in the hunt. Eventually the whole crowd was out and about looking through crates that I had already checked. But as I peered into the next crate near the corner of town by the bakery I found a pearly white egg that had the same hue as the one in the mayor's hand. I threw my arm up in victory. This was the first step. I only had to find one more egg and this festival was in the bag.
" Congratulations Jack!" the mayor cheered me on.
" You tricked us!" came and angry voice from the crowd.
" Athletics are as much mental as they are physical, you know!" the major gave with a smile. " Now if you want me to be bluntly honest, find this pastel purple egg!" the mayor shouted as he displayed, just as he described it, a pastel purple egg.
I dashed in and out of the crowd, searching all of the boxes, but to no victory. I just couldn't find the stupid thing. The time just kept ticking on and on. Time was running out, but I didn't want to accept the fact that it was.
Suddenly, someone behind the mayor announced " I found it!" Worst of all, it was Kai.
I didn't realize that there was a box behind the mayor, which angered me very much. This next and final round would have to be decisive. It was my last shot at winning. This was it, I was facing fate, staring at him in the eye. I won.
The mayor pulled out a fiery orange egg without any warning. I sprinted around, looking through all the crates besides the ones that already contained previous winners. Time was running out once more. I had looked through every single box in town, but I didn't find a replica of the egg in the mayor's hand. There was one last place I thought there could have been a crate. I ran behind the Church and looked down the alley behind the seed and flower shop to see one last crate, the crate that contained that fiery orange egg. I felt something moving behind me however. It was something fast too. It was making a dead sprint towards the box. Instinctively, I started sprinting as well. My opponent already had his speed built up however, and passed me. Of course it was Kai. It was always Kai. I was catching up to him, but there was no way I could catch him in time. I was going to lose to him yet again.
Yet, something began to click in my head. Every time I came up against this guy I was always second best. But not this time. I wasn't going to let it happen this time. He wasn't going to humiliate me again. I couldn't live with myself if he beat me again. I yelled inside my mind and gave the best burst of speed I could.
My body was screaming, but I had to give more. Faster was all that was going through my head. Faster! Faster! Faster! Is all that ran through my mind as I closed in on my rival. I was going to beat him. I pushed myself beyond the envelope of my physical limit. A mere second after I passed Kai I slammed myself up against the crate. I threw the top off, grasped the egg inside, and raised my arm in victory.
The orange egg gleamed in the Fall sun. I began to laugh to myself, and I realized I couldn't remember my own name. But I had won, and that was all that mattered at the moment. I collapsed into someone's arms at that moment. I didn't realize who caught me, but they pulled me up and told me to keep walking. I knew the drill. The lactic acid in my legs needed to be flushed out, and I had to keep walking to do that.
My reward was a strange power berry that I gobbled the moment I got it and a plush turtle, which would look great in my house if I had any other decorations. I had won though, and I beat Kai. Tomorrow would be something to celebrate about for both Cliff and myself.
...
The next day the carpenters began attaching a kitchen to my house, something that was long over due. They would be back late at the tail end of Fall to add a bathroom on as well, which I was, needless to say, very excited about.
While working on the new addition a carpentry master asked a peculiar question.
" How bout' you pay us back once we wrap things up here, eh?" the master asked.
" Whats the task?" I asked him.
" We need to repair the old bridge to the top of the mountain. It's been out of commision since last Spring" the master informed me. " We'll pay ya."
" Sounds good. I'd be glad to help" I informed him.
...
That night was a blast with Cliff. We sat around and joked with each other at the Inn and congratulated each other on our successes. Kai gave an ominous look over to the table we were sitting at that said " this isn't over between us." Karen seemed nice to me again tonight, which startled me. I couldn't tell what exactly, but it was almost like she was using me as a shield. I didn't want to upset Cliff's good mood though, so I just kept it to myself. I was always good at bottling up my emotions, which probably explained my seldom seen, yet explosive temper.
...
The work on the bridge was uneventful, but the carpenters were an easy going bunch of guys. It was fun to work with them on this project with them. They were the sort of rough-neck, yet easy going guys that reminded me of Cliff. I took us five days to finish the bridge, and when we completed it we were shocked to find the old restraunt that was assumed to be blown away last Winter in a blizzard. The poor old couple. They said that food wasn't a problem, but they did get lonely. I promised I would remember to stop at their restraunt sometime for a quick bite to eat.
...
With the work on the bridge I completely forgot about the upcomming horse race that was sure to be a spectacle. The day after the bridge was completed I was headed off with Biff to the races. I realized this would be more of a learning experience than anything else. I didn't expect to do well at all, but I was going to give it my best shot.
I was in the first race and I was placed in block one. I was given a blue dearby helmet that matched my hat. I saw Cliff sitting with Ann, Rick, and Karen in the stands, watching anxiously for the start of the race. I waved to them all, and they waved back. Well, all of them except for Karen, but that was expected. I searched for Kai, hoping that he wasn't here to see me get smacked around by some folks that live for the derby. Luckily, I couldn't find him anywhere.
" Gentlemen, on your marks!" the redman announced.
Kapow! Off went the gun, and so did the competition. I followed suite, but the front runners were killing me. I was competing with the fifth place horse fairly well, which pleased me, and the fourth horse wasn't out of reach. I held onto the tail end of things, planning on having Biff surge the last quarter of the course.
With the last quarter beginning to dawn on Biff and I, I spurred him onward to nab the fifth place position. My biggest competitor wasn't going to lose so easily, however. He kept up with me quite well, but I still held out in front of him. Much to my surprise, the horse in front of me began to fall apart andfall abck, giving me the opportunity to nab the fourth place position just before crossing the line. I trampled across that red line and threw one of my arms into the air. This was a victory for me. I never expected to come here and take fourth in my race.
I dismounted from my horse and saw Cliff, Rick, and Ann all cheering me on.
" You did it awesome, buddy!" Cliff yelled.
" I knew you would be a good horse racer! I knew it!" Ann shouted out!
" You really took those last two in a snap Jack!" Rick congratulated me.
The walk home that night with Biff was one of the most thrilling ever. I had just competed in my first race and gone beyond all expectations. Biff deserved a good rest now, and so did I. I was just curious why Karen was so cold at the races. She didn't even congratualate me.
...
The last two days of Fall found me caring for a woman's cows while she was in town until she got settled down someplace. It was odd having a full barn with five more animals in it, but I realized that I was eventaully going to have too as well. I decided one thing was for sure though. I definatly prefer sheep over cows. I also relaized something else. Fall was ending, and so was a chapter in my life.