Gamer To Farmer

Chapter 2: Welcome To Mineral Town

A/N: Thanks for the feedback! I was sort of surprised by how much of a liking everybody took to this fic. Because of that, I'm updating ahead of schedule. I was planning on once a week on Thursdays, but if the reviews keep up expect two chapters a week. Once again, thanks and enjoy.

Speech and text are regular text, Thoughts are italicized

(----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------)

"Welcome to Mineral Town." Mayor Thomas announced with a big smile covering his face.

"My parents were right! The game did really make me insane!" My brain screamed. I was feeling a little woozy, not sure if this was reality or not. "Are you sure that you're OK? You did take a bad fall back there." Mayor Thomas asked.

"I'm fine." I answered. A shrill shriek beside me caused me to jump. Mayor Thomas chuckled, "Sure you are. You're probably just a little hung over from the New Year's celebration last night. I'll take you to your place so you can sleep it off."

The Mayor beckoned for me to follow him. To my left was a large cruise ship, just pulling out of port. "I must have been on that ship." I thought as I stepped onto the sandy beach. We climbed a flight of stairs and entered the town square. There was a whole bunch of people my age celebrating. A couple of people waved to the Mayor as we passed.

It had been at least seven months since I had played the game. I had completely forgotten what everything and everyone looked like. I couldn't tell who anyone was. I knew one thing though; this place was beautiful.

The Mayor caught me admiring the surroundings. "It sure is beautiful today." He commented. I nodded my head in agreement. "We had a long Winter, but today's the first day of Spring and a new year."

"New Year! Wasn't it the end of Summer not very long ago? Meh, who cares. This place is so much better than home." I thought as we walked along a dirt path behind the square. Birds sang with an air of newborn happiness.

Mayor Thomas interrupted my thought process, explaining the surroundings as he passes by the locations. "This here is the Yodel Ranch. And up this way is Gotz's place. This is the Poultry Farm."

The path came to an intersection. To my right were a couple of buildings from the town. We turned to the right and into the farm area. It was exactly like the game, down to the smallest detail. Of course, the field was a total mess. We stopped in front of the house that I was going to be living in. "Your Grandfather would have been really proud of how you turned out. You've grown so much since you visited Mineral Town so very long ago." Thomas commented.

It would probably be best if I played along with the storyline of the game. "I remember it like it was yesterday." I lied while in my mind the screenshots of the flashback played silently. I wish my childhood had been as fun as Jack's. Too bad that I lived in the real world.

The Mayor pulled a key out of his jacket pocket and unlocked the door to the house. The door swung open noiselessly. The Mayor handed me the key. "Your stuff arrived yesterday. It's already inside. I'll be back tomorrow morning to give you a tour of the town." With that said the Mayor tipped his hat and walked away.

I looked out at the field. "Do I really want to do this?" I thought. There was so much work to be done. I'm not used to doing work, and this might be too much for me to handle. I walked into the house, shutting the door behind me.

The house was just like the game. A bed in the corner, a rucksack was hanging from the wall, a nice TV, toolbox, bookcase, and a table. On the table was a letter. I picked it up and stared at it. It said "To my Grandson, Tint." "Weird." I was somewhat scared by the fact that the game actually thought that I was the real person who was supposed to be inhabiting this role.

As I opened the letter, a small slip of paper slipped out. I bent over and picked it up. It was a picture of an old man standing underneath the apple tree outside. "Must be my 'Grandfather.'" I thought. That's when I saw the little kid beside him. It was me as a child.

"It can't be me!" I protested, "It's just a coincidence that the kid looks like me as a kid. There is no way that it can be me!" I needed to read the letter to make sure. My hands trembled as I unfolded the paper.

Dear Tint. Feel free to name the farm whatever you feel like. Thank you for keeping the farm in the family. You are the only one I can trust in keeping the family tradition alive. I know that you are extremely confused by what is happening. You are probably thinking that this is only a dream that you will wake out of at any second. You're wrong. This is not a game! Your parents have been afraid of this day ever since they sent you here many years ago. They tried to brainwash you into believing that it never happened. I knew that one day you would realize the truth. The copy of Harvest Moon that Mage gave you contained a special device that would transport you to Mineral Town once I died. That teardrop that fell onto the disc activated it and now you're here! You probably don't believe any of this, so I enclosed a picture of us from when you visited. Good luck and take good care of my farm. Grandpa.

I nearly collapsed. I sat down on the edge of the bed. "Everything that I thought I knew was a lie. My entire life was a lie. But why would my parents brainwash me? What had happened here that they didn't want me to remember?" My brain was full of questions.

I had never known my Grandfather. My parents told me that he lived very far away and we could never visit him. There was a chance that this farm was really his. Suddenly I felt very tired. The Mayor was right; I should take the day off and rest. I lay back on the bed and closed my eyes. The next thing I knew, I was asleep.

I was awakened by a scratching sound at the door. I glanced over at the alarm clock sitting on the bedside table. I must have fallen asleep with my glasses on because I could clearly see that the time was 3:00 AM. I had slept all day without realizing it. The scratching persisted.

There was a small lamp on the counter so I flicked it on. I got up and trudged over to the door. I opened the door a crack and peeped outside. It was raining pretty hard but there was nobody there.

The light got turned off and I made my way back to bed. I set my glasses on the counter and tugged the blankets over top of me and settled in to sleep. The floorboards creaked a bit as tiny little feet scampered across the floor. Something had got inside.

Once again, I got up, put on my glasses and turned on the light. I looked around the room. I saw some movement over in the corner behind the toolbox. Cautiously, I crept over to the box and looked behind it. Sitting there was a soaked, frightened puppy. In his mouth he held a letter. I reached over to him in order to grab the letter. The puppy backed away from my hand.

"I'll see if I have some food for you, little guy." I called to the puppy as I headed to the table. I had seen some food there earlier. The patter of the puppy's footsteps followed me. I searched through the assortment of cans, bread and produce. I found a small chub of ham and a couple of bowls. I put the ham in one and set it on the ground in front of the puppy. I took the other one outside and filled it with water. By the time I got back inside, the ham was gone.

I put the water bowl beside the other bowl. Then I got a towel and proceeded to dry the little fellow off. "I think I'll call you Homer." I commented. Homer barked in reply.

I had forgotten about the letter. Homer had dropped it before he started eating. "I hope this isn't as traumatizing as the first one."

Dear Brett. We are sorry that you had to find out this way. We had planned on telling you when you turned 18. Guess there's no stopping you now. Good luck managing the farm. We'll make sure to visit one day. Mom and Dad. P.S.: Here's a little something to get you started.

"They found out pretty quickly." I stated as I counted out the 500 gold they sent me. I must have gone missing over the Fall and Winter. My mind was blank about what happened before today. I didn't have to worry about it, at least till they visited.

The whole thing had taken half an hour. I had a couple of hours left for sleep. Homer had already curled up at the foot of the bed. The rest of the night went peacefully.

My alarm awakened me at six that morning. To my surprise I found a plate full of flapjacks sitting on the table. I ate the food heartily, not caring where it came from. I hadn't had a decent meal in a long time.

"The Mayor will probably be here any second." I thought as I flicked the TV on. There were only four channels, which didn't bother me because my family had peasant vision. Weather, News, New Year Celebration, and a farming advice show. Nothing was on this early in the day. I turned the TV off and went over to the toolbox.

I knew what I needed for the day. I added the sickle, the axe, and the hammer to my inventory. The field was a mess, so I would need to use these to clean it up. There was a knock on the door.

It was Mayor Thomas, of course. "Good morning Tint! Did you get a good night's rest?" He was way too happy for this early in the morning. Something behind me had caught his eye. "Is that a puppy?" He asked.

"The little fellow woke me up last night. Is it ok if I keep him?" I asked as Homer trotted outside.

"Of course you can keep him. He was originally supposed to be a welcome gift from the town to you, but he ran away. I can't believe that you tamed him in one day." Thomas was all smiles, which ticked me off. I was used to waking up after noon.

"Does everyone wake up at six?" I asked, hoping that the answer was no.

"Yup. Six marks the beginning of a new day round here. So you had better get used to it."

I groaned at the answer. That meant I wouldn't be sleeping in any day soon. "How bout that tour?" I inquired, trying to change the subject.

"Oh, of course! Just follow me." I made sure to shut the door behind me before leaving the farm.

This time we went along the cobblestone path. The Mayor pointed out the Blacksmith's and the Winery. I had seen these places as we walked by yesterday. AS we passed the Winery, the door to the cellar slammed open. I watched as a man struggled up the stairs, arms laden with an assortment of wines. One of the bottles began to slip and fall. I reacted quickly, making a diving catch right before the bottle hit the ground.

"Nice catch, kid." The man said. I offered to take a couple of bottles and he gladly accepted. The man's wife had opened the door to the house, letting us in. We placed the bottles in a wine rack. "Thanks for the help. I'm Duke and this is my wife Manna. You must be the kid that moved into the old man's farm. Tint, I believe?" The man extended his hand, which I shook.

"That's right. Good to meet you." I said as politely as I could for the time of day. Duke bid me farewell, but not before giving me the bottle I had rescued. I added it to the rucksack.

The Mayor was waiting for me outside. "You won't find it hard to make friends in this town if you keep doing things like that." He stated as we continued the tour. We passed the Library with its adjoining house. I was introduced to a kind old woman named Ellen. His house was next door.

We continued along the path. The Mayor introduced me to Jeff and Sasha, who owned the Supermarket. While there, I purchased four bags of turnip seeds and used the rest of my money on puppy chow. My rucksack weighed a ton from the tools and food.

Next, the Mayor showed me the Clinic. When he offered to introduce me to the doctor and nurse, I refused. "I don't like hospitals." I explained. It wasn't a lie. Every time I passed a hospital, my heart cringed. The loss of Mage still weighed heavily on my heart.

Thomas pointed along the path. "Over that way is the church and the Harvest Sprites' home. If you ever need help on the farm, they are sure to help." The Mayor then headed across the road. To our right was a large Inn.

"What's the legal drinking age here?" I asked, praying it wasn't 18. It would suck to live alone and not be able to drink.

The Mayor chuckled at my question. "Everyone asks that when they first come to Mineral Town. The legal age for everything is 16."

If I hadn't spent all my money on seeds, I would be sitting at the bar with a little devil sitting on my shoulder chanting "Chug, chug, chug!" But it wasn't so.

The Mayor led me back to my farm. Homer ran up to greet us as soon as we stepped into view. "I have a few matters to discuss with you before I take leave. First, could you please answer this questionnaire for official records?" Thomas handed me a clipboard and a pen.

#1. When is your birthday? Spring 27

#2. What is the name of the farm? Mage's Farm

The Mayor looked over my answers quickly before tucking away the clipboard. "Mage's Farm? Nice name. Now for the not very fun part. The town received notice from a very wealthy businessman that he intends to purchase the town. He said something about paving the whole place down and building a mega-mall."

"That's horrible! What can I do to stop him?" This was unexpected. I thought that I was going to have a worry free stay.

"He laid down a challenge for you. He set a lofty goal for the farm and you have to do it entirely by yourself. If you don't reach his goal, he gets the town. That's means the entire town is depending on you."

"Talk about pressure!" I swallowed nervously before asking, "How long do I have?"

"Three years. He'll come on New Year's Eve on the third year and judge your farm. For your information, he also stated that if you angered the villagers, we could kick you out at a moments notice. Chances are that won't happen, but I will warn you; if you slack off, putting us in jeopardy, we will find someone else to manage the farm."

During this, Homer had somehow gotten inside. The next thing I knew, Homer was at our feet, pushing two wine glasses along with his nose. "Good idea." I told Homer as I picked up the two glasses. I pulled out the wine that I got from Duke and filled the two glasses. Offering one to Thomas, I raised my glass in the air. "A toast to a new future."
"For Mineral Town!" The two glasses clicked together, signaling the official beginning of a new chapter in my life.

(----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------)

A/N: Tell me one thing. Did this chapter live up to the quality of the first? I think that I changed Tint a bit, making him a lot more social. Opinions? Please review, it doesn't matter if they're good or bad. Thanks.