The Goddess that everyone in the village believed in had a way of
ensuring that festival days were always clear and the temperature was
perfect, even if a summer monsoon was expected or the village received the
biggest snowfall in years. As always, the 28th of Fall was fairly warm with
no chill, and Ann could walk outside wearing her favorite short-sleeved
yellow shirt and overalls. Even Green Ranch looked different this morning--
the leaves on the ground were golden, brown, red, orange, and a few were
barely losing their green chlorophyll color.
Glancing at her watch, she saw that it was 9:45 in the morning and the races would start in fifteen minutes. Her red and yellow tennis shoes crunched through these crispy leaves, and for a moment she thought she could smell the refreshments coming all the way from the village square.
When she did finally reach the square, she pounded up the wide stone slabs and ran across the cobblestone floor of the large platform, placed a generous bet on Jack's horse Bright and opened the doors to the track, where she saw her father helping the racers prepare. Other people from the village began filing in and scattering about to spectate the event, and she greeted Elli, Karen, and Popuri, but when she saw Cliff her heart dropped and she suddenly remembered that the horse Cliff was also running in the first place. Bright's name was first on the list at the mayor's wife's stand and naturally she didn't see Cliffgard of Green Ranch. Even more disappointing was that one of the hired hands on Green Ranch was riding him, someone she didn't know.
"Hi! Ready to lose?" Cliff the traveler came up and asked her. Although he said it jokingly, it really hurt to hear him say that because she knew she would lose the bet.
"Yeah," she responded gloomily.
"You look... disappointed," he observed, keeping his hands behind his back and his distance from her.
"I do? No, no, everything's fine. Haaa........." Her voice trailed off and she leaned against the fence, laying her head across her folded arms. At least Jack would win, hopefully. He deserved to win.
When the race began, he looked even hotter up there on Bright, she observed. The race wouldn't be such a disappointment after all because he was racing, and he was already in the lead thirty seconds in. Bright had the adorable horse look on his face as well, concentrating with his hooves hammering into the track. She just had to give him a carrot and scratch between his ears when the race was over. This horse was just the pony she had given to Jack in the spring, Cliff's brother, in fact.
Ann turned around to look at her brother's expression, and it was one that she had never seen before. This change in her brother was scaring her-- at first she thought it was the worst when he showed signs of a crush on Popuri-- but at the same time she was happy that he felt excited for Jack. His face seemed somewhat brighter and anticipation was shining brightly in his eyes. He hadn't been this happy since the last time he was on a horse, which was before the tragic accident that kept her brother from riding horses again. He could get on a horse now, but he still wasn't well enough to race again.
Bright dashed fiercely through the red ribbon for the finish line, tearing it straight in half. Several people in the crowd whooped, hollered, and whistled, and some hung their heads and grunted. It was obvious to tell who placed bets on the winning horse and who didn't, and Ann wanted to laugh and cry at the same time in all this excitement. This was the race that she felt apprehensive about since the first day of summer, and it was exactly what she expected it to be-- a happy and festive day in which she'd have a really good time, except Bright would win. Cliffgard tried his hardest and did better than ever before, trotting in at third place out of the six race horses, and she felt happy for the both of them. Even in her heart she tried to say he was a winner, but it was deception-- her thoughts were now on Bright and the awesome boy who won the race with him, Jack.
Both Ann and her father ran out there to congratulate them both, even though Ann wasn't supposed to. Ever since her father agreed to help run the Horse Races when she was very young, Ann and Gray had special privileges to come and see the horses afterward and congratulate the racers. Ann avoided the camera flashes and waited for the Mayor to finish his speech, then she pulled a large carrot out of her pocket (the one that she had been saving for Cliffgard) and fed it to Bright. When Hall took Bright back to the stables, Ann came up to shyly congratulate Jack, yelling words of praise and encouragement.
"Just as I expected! Man, you're the coolest! And you were, um..... You were really good, and I... Well, thank you! And... congratulations." Ann blushed and grinned. "I'm glad I bet on you."
"Did you, really?" Jack's face lit up like an excited little boy on Christmas morning. "Wow... thanks, Ann! I didn't know you expected me to win!" He slapped her a high five but Ann wished that he could hug her, even just once.
"Brother!!" Kent and Stu, the Potion Shop dealer's grandsons, ran up to him and began congratulating him, retelling the story of how he won as if he didn't already know. Jack laughed and smiled, then Ann walked off, sighing as she remembered her bet with Cliff.
"Alright, alright!" she moaned, crabbily. "I know I lost the bet, I know. And I couldn't help it. I really wanted Jack to win. I even bet gold medals on him."
Cliff looked at her, almost pleased. "That doesn't matter anymore. We can call the deal off. I know how it must feel for you, and I just agreed to the bet so I could see you today. I'm glad Jack won, too."
"You really mean that?"
"Yeah. So you don't have to go through with it."
"No, no, no!!!" Ann nearly jumped up and down childlishly. "Don't!! I always go through with my bets!"
"Stubborn," he smirked. "Well, I'll let you have it your way. Do you want to go to the bar tonight? Not with only me, I mean. Jack will be there, of course, to celebrate, so I thought that... maybe..."
How sweet! He wants to help me out! Ann smiled and figured that maybe Cliff really could be a good guy sometimes.
"Sure, I'll go."
"Of course I had no idea that I would have to sit through all this!!" Ann found herself yelling nearly an hour later. It seemed that all of the adults at the horse race had come to the bar to congratulate Jack, which annoyed her, because most just came to finally make his acquaintance! She felt as if all she wanted to say to him wasn't said at the Horse Race.
All the yelling from everyone didn't help her headache, which rooted from her sitting in her room before she arrived, looking in the mirror and taking better care of her hair than usual, because she wasn't sure if she was doing her hair for Jack or for Cliff. She had ended up pulling her hair several times down to the orange-red roots, and it only resulted in giving up and just braiding it like she usually did.
"Here, I bought you this." Cliff finally made his way through the big group of people huddling around Jack and asking the stupidest questions. In his large, rough hands he held one beer and a veryberry wine, giving the wine to Ann.
"Oh, thank you," she said almost carelessly, stretching her neck to even get a glimpse of Jack. "Haaa..."
"Are you okay?" he asked, slumping down into a chair adjacent to her.
"Yeah," she said. "I'm just waiting to get a chance to talk to Jack. Look at everyone up there!" She pointed to the Potion Shop dealer, Rick from the Tool Shop, Jeff the Bakery Master, and even her father.
"I know. But look over there." Cliff pulled her up by her wrist so that she got a better look. Elli and Popuri were on each of his sides, the two most feminine girls in the village laughing, flipping their hair, and smiling. Ann's heart plummeted. She should have known that she wouldn't have a chance with him. Over the summer, Jack had made no moves to indicate his intentions with her. She had never seen him even speak to Popuri until the Harvest Festival, and when he danced with her, it was still more than he had ever done with Ann. Seeing Elli and Popuri by his sides and flirting like crazy, it looked like---- well, it was only obvious what it looked like.
Ann only swallowed audibly in reply.
"Don't feel bad." Cliff looked down on the top of her little head as she sat back down.
"What do you know," she declared more than asked. "I can't imagine you having affairs like that. I think I've almost been rejected."
Cliff's tone of voice got rougher. "Listen, Ann. I've seen and been through different things than you have, but I still know how it is to like someone and you feel too distant to even say two words to the person."
Ann decided not to even ask. She was getting dizzy with the alcohol, lamplight, and noisy celebration.
"I'll walk you home, if you want. You look sick."
"Why?" asked Ann. She knew it was rude, but she had a tendency to get irritable when she wasn't feeling that well. Cliff was starting to look extremely cute.
"Because someone's got to take the responsibility for your father getting mad at me for letting you get too drunk. Let's go."
Glancing at her watch, she saw that it was 9:45 in the morning and the races would start in fifteen minutes. Her red and yellow tennis shoes crunched through these crispy leaves, and for a moment she thought she could smell the refreshments coming all the way from the village square.
When she did finally reach the square, she pounded up the wide stone slabs and ran across the cobblestone floor of the large platform, placed a generous bet on Jack's horse Bright and opened the doors to the track, where she saw her father helping the racers prepare. Other people from the village began filing in and scattering about to spectate the event, and she greeted Elli, Karen, and Popuri, but when she saw Cliff her heart dropped and she suddenly remembered that the horse Cliff was also running in the first place. Bright's name was first on the list at the mayor's wife's stand and naturally she didn't see Cliffgard of Green Ranch. Even more disappointing was that one of the hired hands on Green Ranch was riding him, someone she didn't know.
"Hi! Ready to lose?" Cliff the traveler came up and asked her. Although he said it jokingly, it really hurt to hear him say that because she knew she would lose the bet.
"Yeah," she responded gloomily.
"You look... disappointed," he observed, keeping his hands behind his back and his distance from her.
"I do? No, no, everything's fine. Haaa........." Her voice trailed off and she leaned against the fence, laying her head across her folded arms. At least Jack would win, hopefully. He deserved to win.
When the race began, he looked even hotter up there on Bright, she observed. The race wouldn't be such a disappointment after all because he was racing, and he was already in the lead thirty seconds in. Bright had the adorable horse look on his face as well, concentrating with his hooves hammering into the track. She just had to give him a carrot and scratch between his ears when the race was over. This horse was just the pony she had given to Jack in the spring, Cliff's brother, in fact.
Ann turned around to look at her brother's expression, and it was one that she had never seen before. This change in her brother was scaring her-- at first she thought it was the worst when he showed signs of a crush on Popuri-- but at the same time she was happy that he felt excited for Jack. His face seemed somewhat brighter and anticipation was shining brightly in his eyes. He hadn't been this happy since the last time he was on a horse, which was before the tragic accident that kept her brother from riding horses again. He could get on a horse now, but he still wasn't well enough to race again.
Bright dashed fiercely through the red ribbon for the finish line, tearing it straight in half. Several people in the crowd whooped, hollered, and whistled, and some hung their heads and grunted. It was obvious to tell who placed bets on the winning horse and who didn't, and Ann wanted to laugh and cry at the same time in all this excitement. This was the race that she felt apprehensive about since the first day of summer, and it was exactly what she expected it to be-- a happy and festive day in which she'd have a really good time, except Bright would win. Cliffgard tried his hardest and did better than ever before, trotting in at third place out of the six race horses, and she felt happy for the both of them. Even in her heart she tried to say he was a winner, but it was deception-- her thoughts were now on Bright and the awesome boy who won the race with him, Jack.
Both Ann and her father ran out there to congratulate them both, even though Ann wasn't supposed to. Ever since her father agreed to help run the Horse Races when she was very young, Ann and Gray had special privileges to come and see the horses afterward and congratulate the racers. Ann avoided the camera flashes and waited for the Mayor to finish his speech, then she pulled a large carrot out of her pocket (the one that she had been saving for Cliffgard) and fed it to Bright. When Hall took Bright back to the stables, Ann came up to shyly congratulate Jack, yelling words of praise and encouragement.
"Just as I expected! Man, you're the coolest! And you were, um..... You were really good, and I... Well, thank you! And... congratulations." Ann blushed and grinned. "I'm glad I bet on you."
"Did you, really?" Jack's face lit up like an excited little boy on Christmas morning. "Wow... thanks, Ann! I didn't know you expected me to win!" He slapped her a high five but Ann wished that he could hug her, even just once.
"Brother!!" Kent and Stu, the Potion Shop dealer's grandsons, ran up to him and began congratulating him, retelling the story of how he won as if he didn't already know. Jack laughed and smiled, then Ann walked off, sighing as she remembered her bet with Cliff.
"Alright, alright!" she moaned, crabbily. "I know I lost the bet, I know. And I couldn't help it. I really wanted Jack to win. I even bet gold medals on him."
Cliff looked at her, almost pleased. "That doesn't matter anymore. We can call the deal off. I know how it must feel for you, and I just agreed to the bet so I could see you today. I'm glad Jack won, too."
"You really mean that?"
"Yeah. So you don't have to go through with it."
"No, no, no!!!" Ann nearly jumped up and down childlishly. "Don't!! I always go through with my bets!"
"Stubborn," he smirked. "Well, I'll let you have it your way. Do you want to go to the bar tonight? Not with only me, I mean. Jack will be there, of course, to celebrate, so I thought that... maybe..."
How sweet! He wants to help me out! Ann smiled and figured that maybe Cliff really could be a good guy sometimes.
"Sure, I'll go."
"Of course I had no idea that I would have to sit through all this!!" Ann found herself yelling nearly an hour later. It seemed that all of the adults at the horse race had come to the bar to congratulate Jack, which annoyed her, because most just came to finally make his acquaintance! She felt as if all she wanted to say to him wasn't said at the Horse Race.
All the yelling from everyone didn't help her headache, which rooted from her sitting in her room before she arrived, looking in the mirror and taking better care of her hair than usual, because she wasn't sure if she was doing her hair for Jack or for Cliff. She had ended up pulling her hair several times down to the orange-red roots, and it only resulted in giving up and just braiding it like she usually did.
"Here, I bought you this." Cliff finally made his way through the big group of people huddling around Jack and asking the stupidest questions. In his large, rough hands he held one beer and a veryberry wine, giving the wine to Ann.
"Oh, thank you," she said almost carelessly, stretching her neck to even get a glimpse of Jack. "Haaa..."
"Are you okay?" he asked, slumping down into a chair adjacent to her.
"Yeah," she said. "I'm just waiting to get a chance to talk to Jack. Look at everyone up there!" She pointed to the Potion Shop dealer, Rick from the Tool Shop, Jeff the Bakery Master, and even her father.
"I know. But look over there." Cliff pulled her up by her wrist so that she got a better look. Elli and Popuri were on each of his sides, the two most feminine girls in the village laughing, flipping their hair, and smiling. Ann's heart plummeted. She should have known that she wouldn't have a chance with him. Over the summer, Jack had made no moves to indicate his intentions with her. She had never seen him even speak to Popuri until the Harvest Festival, and when he danced with her, it was still more than he had ever done with Ann. Seeing Elli and Popuri by his sides and flirting like crazy, it looked like---- well, it was only obvious what it looked like.
Ann only swallowed audibly in reply.
"Don't feel bad." Cliff looked down on the top of her little head as she sat back down.
"What do you know," she declared more than asked. "I can't imagine you having affairs like that. I think I've almost been rejected."
Cliff's tone of voice got rougher. "Listen, Ann. I've seen and been through different things than you have, but I still know how it is to like someone and you feel too distant to even say two words to the person."
Ann decided not to even ask. She was getting dizzy with the alcohol, lamplight, and noisy celebration.
"I'll walk you home, if you want. You look sick."
"Why?" asked Ann. She knew it was rude, but she had a tendency to get irritable when she wasn't feeling that well. Cliff was starting to look extremely cute.
"Because someone's got to take the responsibility for your father getting mad at me for letting you get too drunk. Let's go."