The 14th of summer came faster than anyone thought it would, and Ann
rose early on her sixteenth birthday. Her strawberry-blond hair spilled out
to her shoulder blades as she flipped it out of the yellow shirt she was
pulling over her head. After dressing into the usual overalls and braiding
her hair with a ribbon, she was thinking of her agenda for the day. Hall
and Gray let her go out and enjoy herself on this occasion and she decided
to go birdwatching. Happiness rose and splashed its light upon her just as
the early-morning sun did, and before heading outside she saw a bouquet of
flowers and a huge cake from the Flower Bud Bakery waiting for her on the
kitchen table. Ann rarely ever caught herself blushing before, and she did
so as she picked up the flowers delivered from Lillia's shop and smelled
them, enjoying the feminine fragrance.
When she was out of the house she was skipping along the picket fence that bordered Green Ranch and ran a stick against it all the way down. Her pace slowed down as she neared the Harvest Farm, and she leaned over Jack's picket fence in hopes of catching a glimpse of what he was doing. Her spirits subconsciously drooped as she saw the open pasture and no Jack, then she hung her head. She continued skipping on, though, just not with her usual happy stride.
Ann sprinted all the way to Moon Mountain and then found her favorite sycamore tree behind the carpenters' little log cabin, next to the opening of the cave. She was surprised to see that savage young man that she met yesterday, standing under a tree with a brown bird settled on the muscle of his arm. The image of him made her heart glow with the falcon, and not to mention his attractive muscles, but shattered when she noticed that in his other hand, he held a young white rabbit by its ears. The little rodent kicked its feet desperately and struggled to get its ears out of Cliff's tight, painful grip.
"No, no, no!!!!!!!!"Ann cried, running up to him. "What are you doing!?" Not thinking, she caught Cliff by surprise and kicked him in the shin. Inside, she really hoped she had hurt him because she retracted her foot in pain.
"OW!!!!!!!!" roared Cliff loud enough for the two mountain carpenters to hear and stare at him for. "What are you doing?" He bent to rub his shin and the bird settled himself on a branch of the sycamore. "That's Cain's food!"
"Oh, Cain, is it?" Ann squinted up at the falcon. "That evil thing? Although I don't expect him to realize that him eating this rabbit is a result of your heartlessness!!" Her voice became coarse as she shouted to the man on the ground, and sharp, bitter tears stung her eyes.
"Hey!!" Cliff sprung back up and met her eye level. "Look, I understand that you're trying to be all noble, but really! Cain has to eat too!! Just like this rabbit! It may seem cruel to a sheltered girl like you, but that's really how life works: hunt, or be hunted. The weak are only prey for the stronger, and Cain here-"
"I know, I know!!" shrieked Ann, covering her ears with her hands. "But I still don't like the idea!" She pulled the white rabbit out of Cliff's grasp, stroked its little ears, and set it running for its life. Then she assumed a tough, defiant stance, as if daring him to act like that again.
"That was Cain's food..." he complained, then looked at the bird. "Well, I guess this means I'll have to catch you another fish. Come on." As he began walking, Cain flew out of Ann's sycamore and followed his owner to the river. By this time, Cliff had his back turned and couldn't see tears streaming down the side of Ann's face.
"Ann? Is that you? What's wrong?" Then she hoped that it wasn't the voice of whom she thought it was. Turning around to see Jack behind her, she wiped her tears messily on the palms of her hands and smiled for him.
"Nothing. Are you off today?" she asked him casually, keeping her red eyes on the sycamore.
"Just for a little while. I'm already finished with my work for today." He tilted his head to get a better glance of her, clear brown eyes wondering what was really going on inside her mind.
"Today is my birthday," she proudly announced, choosing to forget all about Cliff and his stupid bird. "I've been allowed to go birdwatching today. And this," she looked up again, "is my favorite tree. I come here all the time when I go up to the mountain."
"Well, then," started Jack, who knelt to pluck up a pretty moondrop- grass flower on the ground. "This is for you, on your birthday. I'm sorry it's not much, but...."
"A birthday gift?" Ann's face lightened up, or perhaps it was reflecting the yellow flower. "It's okay. You've made me happy today. Thank you." Although she did feel rather awkward about being given a flower. It was, after all, the first time any guy outside her family had given her one. She felt like she gave him the impression that she was a feminine girl who liked flowers. Not that she didn't like flowers, but she had never given it much thought. Besides, flowers were such a Popuri-thing. And Popuri was obviously one of the prettier, more feminine girls in the village.....
"It's nothing, really it isn't. I'll just make sure I get you something better next year." Jack smiled politely. "Wow... I didn't realize a sycamore could grow to reach so high."
Next year? Ann lingered on that thought, not hearing the next part about the tree. Something better than a flower? What could that possibly be?
"Can you climb?" Jack turned his head and faced her, with those inquisitive boyish eyes. Jack had the eyes of a young man on a journey for the first time, so innocent and curious. His eyes were dark and those light brown bangs hung in his eyes again. Ann didn't want to make him uncomfortable, but for some reason she felt really urged to brush them out of his eyes and tuck them under his blue cap. He was still thin and milky- white, and when he did have color he was sunburned. Summers would be brutal to the poor guy, if he was going to stay to see more than one. Not a single part of his skin was scarred that Ann could see, but she knew he was serious about restoring his dear grandfather's farm, and he looked like a caring person nonetheless.
It was strange because Ann had never even taken the time to look for the sweetness in a guy. For a long time she thought she wanted to meet someone rugged and tough, but the more Cliff showed her that, the more she was drawn to tender Jack.
"Of course I can climb!" she grinned but her boyish ego snapped in. "It's one of the best things to do in the summer. You should try... if you didn't have so much work to do."
"Yeah, I know." Jack's eyes fell humbly on his shoes, then he glanced at his watch. "Oh, no, look! I've been out here a bit too long. Well, happy birthday, Ann, and I'll see you later!"
When she looked up, all she could see was the back of him running back toward his new home. She sighed, leaned on the tree and wondered about him for a little while. Shadows streaked her face in the shape of tree branches and leaves, and the sun was making its way toward the opposite side.
"Noon," she observed, then subconsciously headed toward home as she stroked the wide yellow petals of the moondrop flower, somewhat in a trance.
When she was out of the house she was skipping along the picket fence that bordered Green Ranch and ran a stick against it all the way down. Her pace slowed down as she neared the Harvest Farm, and she leaned over Jack's picket fence in hopes of catching a glimpse of what he was doing. Her spirits subconsciously drooped as she saw the open pasture and no Jack, then she hung her head. She continued skipping on, though, just not with her usual happy stride.
Ann sprinted all the way to Moon Mountain and then found her favorite sycamore tree behind the carpenters' little log cabin, next to the opening of the cave. She was surprised to see that savage young man that she met yesterday, standing under a tree with a brown bird settled on the muscle of his arm. The image of him made her heart glow with the falcon, and not to mention his attractive muscles, but shattered when she noticed that in his other hand, he held a young white rabbit by its ears. The little rodent kicked its feet desperately and struggled to get its ears out of Cliff's tight, painful grip.
"No, no, no!!!!!!!!"Ann cried, running up to him. "What are you doing!?" Not thinking, she caught Cliff by surprise and kicked him in the shin. Inside, she really hoped she had hurt him because she retracted her foot in pain.
"OW!!!!!!!!" roared Cliff loud enough for the two mountain carpenters to hear and stare at him for. "What are you doing?" He bent to rub his shin and the bird settled himself on a branch of the sycamore. "That's Cain's food!"
"Oh, Cain, is it?" Ann squinted up at the falcon. "That evil thing? Although I don't expect him to realize that him eating this rabbit is a result of your heartlessness!!" Her voice became coarse as she shouted to the man on the ground, and sharp, bitter tears stung her eyes.
"Hey!!" Cliff sprung back up and met her eye level. "Look, I understand that you're trying to be all noble, but really! Cain has to eat too!! Just like this rabbit! It may seem cruel to a sheltered girl like you, but that's really how life works: hunt, or be hunted. The weak are only prey for the stronger, and Cain here-"
"I know, I know!!" shrieked Ann, covering her ears with her hands. "But I still don't like the idea!" She pulled the white rabbit out of Cliff's grasp, stroked its little ears, and set it running for its life. Then she assumed a tough, defiant stance, as if daring him to act like that again.
"That was Cain's food..." he complained, then looked at the bird. "Well, I guess this means I'll have to catch you another fish. Come on." As he began walking, Cain flew out of Ann's sycamore and followed his owner to the river. By this time, Cliff had his back turned and couldn't see tears streaming down the side of Ann's face.
"Ann? Is that you? What's wrong?" Then she hoped that it wasn't the voice of whom she thought it was. Turning around to see Jack behind her, she wiped her tears messily on the palms of her hands and smiled for him.
"Nothing. Are you off today?" she asked him casually, keeping her red eyes on the sycamore.
"Just for a little while. I'm already finished with my work for today." He tilted his head to get a better glance of her, clear brown eyes wondering what was really going on inside her mind.
"Today is my birthday," she proudly announced, choosing to forget all about Cliff and his stupid bird. "I've been allowed to go birdwatching today. And this," she looked up again, "is my favorite tree. I come here all the time when I go up to the mountain."
"Well, then," started Jack, who knelt to pluck up a pretty moondrop- grass flower on the ground. "This is for you, on your birthday. I'm sorry it's not much, but...."
"A birthday gift?" Ann's face lightened up, or perhaps it was reflecting the yellow flower. "It's okay. You've made me happy today. Thank you." Although she did feel rather awkward about being given a flower. It was, after all, the first time any guy outside her family had given her one. She felt like she gave him the impression that she was a feminine girl who liked flowers. Not that she didn't like flowers, but she had never given it much thought. Besides, flowers were such a Popuri-thing. And Popuri was obviously one of the prettier, more feminine girls in the village.....
"It's nothing, really it isn't. I'll just make sure I get you something better next year." Jack smiled politely. "Wow... I didn't realize a sycamore could grow to reach so high."
Next year? Ann lingered on that thought, not hearing the next part about the tree. Something better than a flower? What could that possibly be?
"Can you climb?" Jack turned his head and faced her, with those inquisitive boyish eyes. Jack had the eyes of a young man on a journey for the first time, so innocent and curious. His eyes were dark and those light brown bangs hung in his eyes again. Ann didn't want to make him uncomfortable, but for some reason she felt really urged to brush them out of his eyes and tuck them under his blue cap. He was still thin and milky- white, and when he did have color he was sunburned. Summers would be brutal to the poor guy, if he was going to stay to see more than one. Not a single part of his skin was scarred that Ann could see, but she knew he was serious about restoring his dear grandfather's farm, and he looked like a caring person nonetheless.
It was strange because Ann had never even taken the time to look for the sweetness in a guy. For a long time she thought she wanted to meet someone rugged and tough, but the more Cliff showed her that, the more she was drawn to tender Jack.
"Of course I can climb!" she grinned but her boyish ego snapped in. "It's one of the best things to do in the summer. You should try... if you didn't have so much work to do."
"Yeah, I know." Jack's eyes fell humbly on his shoes, then he glanced at his watch. "Oh, no, look! I've been out here a bit too long. Well, happy birthday, Ann, and I'll see you later!"
When she looked up, all she could see was the back of him running back toward his new home. She sighed, leaned on the tree and wondered about him for a little while. Shadows streaked her face in the shape of tree branches and leaves, and the sun was making its way toward the opposite side.
"Noon," she observed, then subconsciously headed toward home as she stroked the wide yellow petals of the moondrop flower, somewhat in a trance.