Weeks passed and the summer festivities dwindled down. As late summer
tumbled into fall, Ann was busying herself more than ever. Along with the
age sixteen came more responsibilities and preparations to make for the
upcoming Local Horse Race on the 28th of the fall. Cliff--the horse--really
wasn't getting much better skillwise, having been living in fool's
paradise. All summer long the horse had been treated as if he was a winner
already, spoiled and not trained as often as usual. Ann really worried
about that.
But it was also strange how the more she went into town, the more she would get disappointments and encouragement all at the same time. She kept running into Cliff frequently up in Moon Mountain and was now purposely avoiding her favorite birdwatching location chiefly to refrain from seeing him and arguing with him. For weeks they hadn't gotten along at all, and she found that the blame was on her behalf too for choosing to dispute over even the smallest things. It was unfathomable to Ann as to why someone who really likes animals would want to kill them off and then observe them the next day ("The falcon is an amazing predator and it can hunt for itself without you killing off half the animal population of Flower Bud Village!", etc.). But when not arguing with Cliff, she would also see Jack during her spare time. They enjoyed themselves and Ann had reason to believe that they had a friendship going on. He was quite cute, and she could have a lot of fun with him. Jack, curious as a schoolboy, would ask the cutest and smartest questions about various birds and animals that he would see, and was sure to point out all of them, so as not to let her miss any.
On the 25th of summer she was going about her skipping happily, thinking of going up to see her best friend Karen when she, yet again, passed Jack's farm and saw him working, ploughing out the fields again. Every so often he would turn his cap around and wipe beads of sweat off his forehead. His arms drooped and judging from his position, his back hurt.
"Awww," Ann said, then she went up to him, becoming self-conscious and trying not to walk in her usual tomboyish sort of way. "Ummm...." and then, when she finally found something to say, "I heard it's your birthday today. From the Potion Shop dealer, I mean. You seem to really be working hard. Here, why don't you have some of this?" She handed him a slice of the strawberry shortcake that she'd brought from Elli's bakery and he accepted it graciously as he looked up.
"Wow, thanks! I love this!" Jack's clear brown eyes widened and he neatly broke off a piece and put it in his mouth. Ann noticed his childish appetite but the way he delicately handled his food; it was quite.... well, cute.
"I didn't know you like sweets," she grinned.
"Yeah, don't you?" His eyes lit up like those of a child. Ann smiled dreamily, unconscious.
"Hmm? Oh, yeah! Gotta love cake, candy....." her voice trailed off, then she snapped to attention. "Oh! I... uh.... didn't mean to keep you like this. Well, happy birthday!" She spun around and walked off fast enough so that he couldn't see her blush. Why was it that she was suddenly blushing and smiling all the time? He made her happy, but it wasn't the same as the fun kind of happiness she'd experienced when they were up in the mountain together.
That night when she was at home, she sat in her pajamas, curled up on her bed and hugging the stuffed horse that Gray got her from a horse race held when she was a child. That's when it hit her in the face--- a child. She was feeling strange simply because she was growing up. Now that she was sixteen, life couldn't be so simple for her anymore as to play up in the mountain with Jack (who knows how much older he was?) or pet horses and sheep on the farm. She remembered how Hall had sometimes told her that her feelings would change over the years-- is this what she was feeling? In the lamplight of her room, these thoughts frightened her and she seized a hold of her stuffed horse's leg and threw it across the room. The toy landed lifelessly on the carpet. Her blue eyes stayed fixed on it for awhile.
"What is going on with me?" Ann half-whispered to herself. She began to feel a burst of compassion in her heart and she dashed off the bed to retrieve her favorite item, and stroked the horse's little head. Besides, it had been a gift from Gray that she'd loved so much and grown up with. And anyway, it's not my place to take it out on a gift from my brother that I have a crush on Jack......
WHAT?!?!?!?!?!
Even though she hadn't said it, Ann clamped her hands over her mouth. "I do NOT have a crush on Jack!!!!!" she burst out, then gasped and checked outside her bedroom door to see if her dad or brother had been in earshot. With a sigh of relief, she placed her hands on her wild beating heart and slid down the door when she closed it, leaning against it.
The cross pendant around her neck tickled her chest again, and she examined it even closer. "Mother...." she subconsciously spoke to it, "what did you mean in giving me this?" Over in her mind she replayed the conversation Hall had told her as a bedtime story in her childhood.
-Ohhh, is this my little daughter Ann? Come on, Hall, let me hold her! She's so sweet. Here.... *takes off necklace* this is for her..... No, no, let her have it! My first little girl.... *places the pendant around the baby's neck*
-What is this for, dear?
-Well, she is my first little girl, after all. A growing girl should always have a cross necklace in hand so that she can have faith and trust that she can hold onto her dreams. In knowing this, God will be there for her when she is in confusion. It's one of the best gifts a mother can give to her daughter.
It was just too bad that an hour later, she would find out from the midwife that she would be dying and didn't have much longer to live. But Hall would never tell her that as part of her favorite bedtime story.
Kneeling before her bed to pray, tears almost appeared in her eyes, even though she had never known her mother. Still, it was not only this that affected her emotionally--- the cross necklace was making everything so clear.
But it was also strange how the more she went into town, the more she would get disappointments and encouragement all at the same time. She kept running into Cliff frequently up in Moon Mountain and was now purposely avoiding her favorite birdwatching location chiefly to refrain from seeing him and arguing with him. For weeks they hadn't gotten along at all, and she found that the blame was on her behalf too for choosing to dispute over even the smallest things. It was unfathomable to Ann as to why someone who really likes animals would want to kill them off and then observe them the next day ("The falcon is an amazing predator and it can hunt for itself without you killing off half the animal population of Flower Bud Village!", etc.). But when not arguing with Cliff, she would also see Jack during her spare time. They enjoyed themselves and Ann had reason to believe that they had a friendship going on. He was quite cute, and she could have a lot of fun with him. Jack, curious as a schoolboy, would ask the cutest and smartest questions about various birds and animals that he would see, and was sure to point out all of them, so as not to let her miss any.
On the 25th of summer she was going about her skipping happily, thinking of going up to see her best friend Karen when she, yet again, passed Jack's farm and saw him working, ploughing out the fields again. Every so often he would turn his cap around and wipe beads of sweat off his forehead. His arms drooped and judging from his position, his back hurt.
"Awww," Ann said, then she went up to him, becoming self-conscious and trying not to walk in her usual tomboyish sort of way. "Ummm...." and then, when she finally found something to say, "I heard it's your birthday today. From the Potion Shop dealer, I mean. You seem to really be working hard. Here, why don't you have some of this?" She handed him a slice of the strawberry shortcake that she'd brought from Elli's bakery and he accepted it graciously as he looked up.
"Wow, thanks! I love this!" Jack's clear brown eyes widened and he neatly broke off a piece and put it in his mouth. Ann noticed his childish appetite but the way he delicately handled his food; it was quite.... well, cute.
"I didn't know you like sweets," she grinned.
"Yeah, don't you?" His eyes lit up like those of a child. Ann smiled dreamily, unconscious.
"Hmm? Oh, yeah! Gotta love cake, candy....." her voice trailed off, then she snapped to attention. "Oh! I... uh.... didn't mean to keep you like this. Well, happy birthday!" She spun around and walked off fast enough so that he couldn't see her blush. Why was it that she was suddenly blushing and smiling all the time? He made her happy, but it wasn't the same as the fun kind of happiness she'd experienced when they were up in the mountain together.
That night when she was at home, she sat in her pajamas, curled up on her bed and hugging the stuffed horse that Gray got her from a horse race held when she was a child. That's when it hit her in the face--- a child. She was feeling strange simply because she was growing up. Now that she was sixteen, life couldn't be so simple for her anymore as to play up in the mountain with Jack (who knows how much older he was?) or pet horses and sheep on the farm. She remembered how Hall had sometimes told her that her feelings would change over the years-- is this what she was feeling? In the lamplight of her room, these thoughts frightened her and she seized a hold of her stuffed horse's leg and threw it across the room. The toy landed lifelessly on the carpet. Her blue eyes stayed fixed on it for awhile.
"What is going on with me?" Ann half-whispered to herself. She began to feel a burst of compassion in her heart and she dashed off the bed to retrieve her favorite item, and stroked the horse's little head. Besides, it had been a gift from Gray that she'd loved so much and grown up with. And anyway, it's not my place to take it out on a gift from my brother that I have a crush on Jack......
WHAT?!?!?!?!?!
Even though she hadn't said it, Ann clamped her hands over her mouth. "I do NOT have a crush on Jack!!!!!" she burst out, then gasped and checked outside her bedroom door to see if her dad or brother had been in earshot. With a sigh of relief, she placed her hands on her wild beating heart and slid down the door when she closed it, leaning against it.
The cross pendant around her neck tickled her chest again, and she examined it even closer. "Mother...." she subconsciously spoke to it, "what did you mean in giving me this?" Over in her mind she replayed the conversation Hall had told her as a bedtime story in her childhood.
-Ohhh, is this my little daughter Ann? Come on, Hall, let me hold her! She's so sweet. Here.... *takes off necklace* this is for her..... No, no, let her have it! My first little girl.... *places the pendant around the baby's neck*
-What is this for, dear?
-Well, she is my first little girl, after all. A growing girl should always have a cross necklace in hand so that she can have faith and trust that she can hold onto her dreams. In knowing this, God will be there for her when she is in confusion. It's one of the best gifts a mother can give to her daughter.
It was just too bad that an hour later, she would find out from the midwife that she would be dying and didn't have much longer to live. But Hall would never tell her that as part of her favorite bedtime story.
Kneeling before her bed to pray, tears almost appeared in her eyes, even though she had never known her mother. Still, it was not only this that affected her emotionally--- the cross necklace was making everything so clear.