On Our Own
written by Shaun Garin
Harvest Moon Back to Nature and Save the Homeland is owned by Natsume Entertainment. This is my take on Save the Homeland and Back to Nature, which, in my opinion is a very good game, but could have slowed down the passing of time and extended the length of time you need to conceivably save the whole freaking town. Rated E for Everyone, Use of Alcohol.
I hold characterization nothing but sacred. I try to portray the personalities true to both games as best as possible.
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Chapter 2 : First Steps
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Morning came bright and early. Funny how one sees a sunrise from a different place. I couldn't call it home, not just yet. It wasn't home at the moment.
When I woke up and stretched out the kinks in my shoulder that morning, I looked over to where my friends slept. They had given up a lot, leaving Mineral Town and coming here to Sugar Village. Why? I asked myself the same question over and over again. But when I thought about it, the more I got to thinking. I couldn't have done it without them.
That morning began, and I was prepared to work and bring the Farm to fruition. Little did I know though, that Divine and Sprite interferance would pace our little group on a quest that would help this tiny town recover.
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Dawn broke early in Sugar Village. The farm became bathed in golden rays as Jack walked out of the huge tent, yawning widely. There was still a fine layer of morning dew on the ground as he made tracks to the well. Splashing his face, he shivered at the shocking cold water. Shaking his hair and face free of water, he slicked back his hair and tossed on his blue hat with the orange brim. He took a moment to yawn, stretch and crack his back to rid it of tense muscles. Jack's dog walked out of his dog house, yawned and whimpered for food.
Jack removed some dog food from his rucksack, opened the can with a deft pull and scooped it into the dish. The dog yipped its thanks and began to eat. Hushing up the puppy, Jack stretched and yawned.
Shielding his eyes from the glare of the morning light, he dug again into the rucksack that lay at the side of the house and pulled out his watering can. Created by Saibara, the Watering Can was able to hold more water than possible with the least leakage. How it worked, Jack figured it was the way the old blacksmith fused his old watering can with the metal from the mines. Dipping it into the water, he walked over to the seeds and began to water them diligantly and expertly, taking four at a time. While he worked, Jack whistled merrily.
Casting a glance over at the tent and the house, there was no sign of life in the windows of either domicile. Clearly, unlike Jack who had to tend to a whole farm filled with cattle, chickens, sheep and water a huge area of the land, the others did not rise with the sun.
As he poured water over the last of the small batch of crops with an almost negligant toss, a little squeaky voice called up to him. "Hi!"
Jack looked around, wondering where the voice came from. The tone of the voice was friendly, and somewhat familiar.
"Down here." said the voice.
Jack then looked down at his feet and blinked. "Harvest Sprites?"
There were three of them standing at the base of Jack's feet, heads inclined upwards to look at the much larger teenager. Somewhat a bit smaller than the local ones, these ones barely came to his knee while the other ones were stronger and came a little over his knee that lived in Mineral Town. Of course, these ones looked like they haven't worked for anyone recently. "Hello!" chorused the trio of Harvest Sprites.
The first one was a medium sized Sprite wearing red with a pointed cap that had an orange bobble on the top with blue pants, and a brown belt and shoes. He had a tuff of green hair that poked out of the bottom of his cap.
The second one was a much smaller Harvest Sprite. This one wore a light blue color and had a similar hat. His sleeves were cut badly or intentionally as they hung over his hands, hiding them from view. He had rosy cheeks and a brilliant smile on his face.
The last was a roly poly one dressed in yellow. He wore a cap as well with a bobble on the top in an indigo color. He had a rim of hair that went around his head like a green fringe. His eyes were hidden from view as a large nose poked out from the bottom of his fringe of hair.
The red colored one looked up at Jack, seemingly sizing him up. "You look like a nice guy. What's your name bub?"
"It's Jack," Jack replied, crouching to talk to them easier than hunching over. "So this town has Harvest Sprites too, eh? What's your names?"
"I'm Nic, that's Nak in blue, and Flak in yellow." The red one now identified as Nic, replied. "We wanna ask a favor from you."
Jack smirked. "Lemme guess, save the town from being rebuilt into a resort?"
The Harvest Sprites blinked and shared a collective glance. "You know already?" Nak asked curiously, his voice very high pitched from a Sprite so tiny.
Jack nodded as he jerked a thumb back towards the house and the tent. The door had already swung open and Ann had stumbled out of the house, looking bleary for the early morning rise. Rick had comandeered the well and was vigorously dunking his head in and out of the well, despite kicks to the shin from Karen, muttering that he would pollute the well water. They were all still dressed for sleep, mostly in t-shirts and shorts. "We're all here to help the town."
"That's great!" Nak exclaimed, waving his short arms, the sleeves of his coat waggling about. "We'll be able to save the town in no time with everyone helping out!"
Jack shrugged. "We'll do our best. Is there anything we really need to know about before we do anything?"
"Many of the villagers have lost hope," Flak said, shaking his head. "But if you ask the Harvest Goddess up at Goddess Pond, I'm sure you can get some advice on how to proceed."
Jack rolled his eyes. "Don't you guys have any ideas on where we can begin?"
The three Harvest Sprites looked at each other, shrugged and giggled. "Nope," said Nak.
"Hey, Jack." Jack turned to greet Kai who was walking up to him, already dressed in his usual violet shirt and bandanna. He still sported a shiner from where Gwen had slugged him. "I'm headed out to bring Bill and a few things over. I'll be back in a couple of hours, provided your horse doesn't get seasickness."
Jack sniggered at the thought. "All right, Kai. There might not be anyone here when we get back, so can you let Bill into the pasture? We'll be fixing that gate today."
Kai nodded. "No problem," he drawled. "Later."
"Later." Jack then turned down to the Harvest Sprites and blinked. They had vanished when Kai had called over to him. Turning around in a full three sixty rotation, he noticed three blurs of blue, red and yellow vanishing into a cave just near the treeline. He shook his head. "Harvest Sprites. Go figure."
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I had asked myself, why Kai had come early that year. He usually didn't return until the summer. Then I had remembered. Kai, had come to propose to Popuri. But Kai, he lost his nerve. When I asked him why he had chickened out, he said he wasn't ready. Give him more time. I laughed and said it would be two more years before he was ready. He punched me in the shoulder, but was still smiling.
I had known the tanned teenager since the first year he appeared. We became fast friends, though most of the men in town didn't like our friendship. Though, due to a drinking contest and a final showdown between Rick and Kai, things pretty much went back to status quo. Now, Kai came often, not just in the summer time from Flowerbud Village, the place where he lived for most of the year.
He also told us that Flowerbud was so similar to Mineral Town. I had never been to Flowerbud, but I knew my family had a farm there. Last I heard, Cousin Jake had taken over the farm and was doing fine with a lovely girl who looked similar to Karen, but was so much different than the daughter of Sasha and Jeff. Jake had offered to visit, but we never got around to arranging a visit.
Kai had told me that he was working at the Vineyard in the Village throughout most of the spring and fall. He would spend his time here, visiting Popuri and making a general nusance of himself. At least, that's how the men viewed him. The womenfolk loved him and thought he was rough and exotic.
Aw well, I'm getting off track. That morning was an eye opener however, when we found out exactly what we were getting into.
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Ann sipped at her morning coffee, looking rather rumpled from just getting up. Karen gave her friend a look. "So that's how you stay upbeat in the morning."
Ann shrugged as she sipped, paused and added some sugar to the brown mix. "I've stopped growing since I was fifteen and that was before I started drinking coffee."
Rick sniggered under his toast. "You sure that's the only thing that's stopped growing?" he added with a smirk. Cliff went beet red, as with Ann who swatted the chicken farmer on the head with her large stir spoon for the morning miso. Rick ducked the stir spoon attack, only to get smacked by his sister upside the back of his head.
"It's too early in the morning for this," Grey grumbled, grabbing a slice of Power Berry. "Eat up. The Power Berry is becoming overripe."
Elli finished her own portion of berry and stood up, wiping her fingers of juice with a napkin. "Lets get started. What's on the agenda today?"
"First, we finish the repairs," Cliff said, munching on his toast. "That includes fixing up that Henhouse, and the pasture fence. Then, we need to cut some more grass for fodder and then go out and meet some of the people around town to get an idea of what to do."
Mary sipped at her tea and looked out where Jack was busy, tilling the soil with his special hoe. A solid strike would send a miniture shockwave, ripping up dirt into long roads of soft dirt. Jack raised his hoe once again, and struck, and more dirt went flying, along with a few solid G coins and pieces of roots and crystals. "Isn't anyone going to help Jack?"
The boys looked sheepish as they mumbled something about just waking up. The dog yipped and continued eating.
Popuri glared at her brother and got up, smoothing her denim shirt and shorts. She then picked up a hoe and marched out. She sent a look at the boys who withered under her glare. Rick, long immune to his sisters glare, smirked and waved her on.
Jack looked at her as she walked up, hoe slung over her shoulder. "I'm here to help since the BOYS," and with this, she smirked at the boys who watched her while picking at their food, "are claiming that they just got up."
Jack chuckled and shook his head. "It happens. Lets see what you can do."
Popuri grabbed the very tip of the hoe and raised it over her head. She brought it down and it struck the hard ground. People who saw this could have sworn that she shuddered like a Loony Toon for a moment as the hoe handle vibrated out of her hands. "Ouch," she yelped, rubbing her hands.
"Go sis!" Rick shouted, and Karen bonked him on the head.
Jack chuckled as he picked up the hoe and gave it back to Popuri. "It's a strange hoe that Saibara made. You have to focus energy into it. Charge the weapon."
"What do you mean by that?" Popuri asked.
Jack smiled and demonstrated his grip. "Hold it like this, and then bring it over your head. Swing it backwards and imagine it carving a trench forwards. And then...."
The hoe seemed to glint with some transparent energy for half a second. He brought it down and struck the earth. The ground below it burst upwards like something had detonated beneath it and carved a trench of soft plantable earth. "Now you try."
Popuri bit her lip, brought the hoe over her head, braced herself for the solid impact, imagined the trench forming, and struck.
There was a minor detonation accompanying a thunderous crack of energy, concealing the pair. Rick was howling with laughter, as with Cliff and Grey. Elli was stiffling giggles, Mary looked red in embarrasment that she was shaking with silent laughter. Ann and Karen were on Popuri's side, glaring at the men who were still howling.
The dust settled down and Popuri shook dirt out of her hair. "Yuck, I need a bath."
Jack had to agree at the fact. But as he looked over, he whistled. "That is some trench. Nice going Popuri. A bit more control next time on the strike."
The trench stretched across the planting field, all the way towards the end of the cliff where the staircase lead downwards to the harbor. The harbor was merely a dock with a few assorted fishing boats, and the sight of Kai's boat was way in the distance, puttering along. Sugar Village was on a small area of the cluster of islands, and Mineral Town was on another island that was still part of the chain.
"You seem distracted," remarked Popuri as Jack stared out into the Island Chains. "Anything on your mind?"
"Aw, just thinking. I have family on the other islands and in the City." Jack sighed. "I wonder how the farm is doing?"
"I'm sure the Sprites are taking good care of the farmland," reassured the pink haired girl. "And I heard Mayor Thomas talking to his son, Harris. Harris is going to move into your house and help the Sprites out."
"Really? That's good to hear. Their house isn't so big, not with Thomas, Harris and Kano in there. Speaking of which, what DOES Kano do anyways beyond photographing things?"
Popuri giggled. "He's more or less just staying there. We barely see him outside of the Mayor's house. I heard he's the Mayor's brother or something like that but no one has really asked him what he does. I heard though that he once came from Flowerbud Village."
"They don't look alike," said Jack, folding his arms. "Aw well. Lets go and check out this town." His stomach rumbled. "After breakfast."
When Jack sat down to eat, Grey looked at him and said, "So who's doing what today?"
"Well, for one, we need to fix that fence," said Jack. "Then we need to get accustomed to the town, find out stuff to forage and make friends. At least then, we can find out what to do if someone has an idea for saving this place."
"Easier said than done," put in Cliff. "Everyone here seems resigned to their fate."
"But there's got to be some ideas," added Karen ."There's a possibility that there's someone who will come up with something. We can't bring over ideas from Mineral Town. They'll just be credited to our own town as ideas."
Jack rubbed his chin in thought as he dipped his spoon into the miso. "I think the best idea is to make friends with as many people as possible, see what they enjoy. With some luck, we can learn something that might help out later on."
"The day is breaking," said Rick. "Lets get a move on."
"Before everyone leaves," said Elli, "We should really split up and look around at the services. Chickens and Cows are our first priority. We should also make sure that there's enough fodder in the silo and stored food. Mary and I can go and forage in the forests and look for some local fruits to store in the cooler."
"Grey and I can work at getting this farm up to speed," said Cliff. "There's enough lumber around here to fix the fence and restore those shingles on the roof. Then we'll go to the Woodcutter and see if we can order a house extention for the rest of us. We can't live in a tent forever come winter."
"I'll go with Popuri and get a chicken and cow," said Rick, reaching into the stash of G's that they brought. He withdrew three rolls of 10 incriment coins and nodded to himself. "That should be enough."
Jack grinned. "Well, since I finished watering the plants, we should plant some more crops. It's still early enough in the Spring to get Cabbage planted and selling them will jumpstart the economy."
"Let me and Ann handle that," said Karen. "someone has to wait for Kai to return with Bill and that'll free up your chance to look around, Jack."
"Right. The seeds and tools are in the spare rucksack." Jack downed the rest of his soup and sighed. "All right. Lets get to work."
"Yes Sahib," drawled Rick and everyone pelted him with rice crumbs.
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The Road goes ever on and on, Down from the door where it began....
Jack sung to himself quietly as he trekked around the town. It was on an uphil slant mostly, unlike the flat terrain of Mineral Town. He had already stopped in at the Grocery Store and met Ronald.
Swinging towards Walnut Forest, Jack whistled to himself the little ditty he had heard in the movie version of Lord of the Rings when he still lived back in the City.
The forest was full of life with birds singing and the sound of sawing and chopping heard from the Woodcutter's shop. A gruff old man who reminded Jack a bit of Saibara seemed to patrol the area, watching his apprentices work at the wood set before them. Mary and Elli had already swept through the area and were working on picking some of the herbs on the hill and around the area.
"Good morning," Jack greeted the elderly man.
The man looked up through thick bushy eyebrows and his lips twitched into a smile. "Hello young man," the man said, nodding to Jack. "You're one of the kids who took over Tony's farm, eh?"
"Yeah," replied Jack. "I'm Jack."
"Woody," replied the man. "These are my two apprentices, Kurt," the red haired man nodded but didn't reply, "and Joe." Joe grinned and waved. "They'll be working for me until we move out come the winter time."
"That's what we're hoping to stop," Jack said, earning a raised eyebrow from the man. "My Grandpa Tony sent a letter that just reached my place in Mineral Town. He wanted me to come and try and prevent the town from being torn down."
"I see," said Woody. There was a pause as the man looked up, a genuine smile on his face. "Son, it might be a lost cause, but I've seen a lot of wierd stuff in my life. And if you kids can pull this off, then I'll throw my cause behind you."
"Thank you sir!" Jack was astonished. He hadn't earned someone's trust like that in such a short time.
"All right kid, don't get carried away. If you're going into the forest, head towards the lake. There's a nice place to fish. As it stands, Joe loves fish. Every day when he gets off work, he's fishing. Kurt is the exact opposite. He likes Gardening and Tomatoes." Woody shrugged. "I dunno why I told you that, but it might come in handy some day. People around here don't get many gifts except on their birthdays."
"Loves fish, loves tomatoes. Got it," Jack said, memorizing the facts. "Thanks Woody."
"Say," said Woody as Jack was about to move off. "My granddaughter Gwen was complaining about one of your companions. A tall guy, dark skinned and wearing a purple bandanna. Is he still around?"
"That would be Kai," said Jack. "He's one of our group, but he's off in Mineral Town getting my horse. Then, after that, he might go to Flowerbud Village for the rest of the season until Summer."
Woody grunted. "I know Flowerbud. Nice village. Nice people." Woody shrugged. "There's not much excitement in a small town like this, but you're welcome to stir up something."
Jack grinned foolishly. Then, he snapped his fingers. "Oh, one sec." Digging into his rucksack, he pulled out one of the bottles of Wine that he carried around in case he ran into someone who needed a drink, or Karen needed cheering up. "Do you like Wine?"
Woody looked at the bottle and smiled. "Well I'll be. Aja Winery. Good year too. I haven't seen one of those in a long time. Not since they stopped shipping to Sugar Village."
"Take it," Jack insisted, pushing it into Woody's hands. "I have lots at the farm."
Woody laughed. "You're a generous young man, Jack. Thank you." Woody then raised a bushy eyebrow and said, "You'd better get a move on Jack. The day is wasting."
"Ah. Well, enjoy the wine. Nice meeting you Woody." with that, Jack trotted off towards the lake.
Woody shook his head, smiled and put the wine into his tool belt for later drinking. It had been a very long time since they had any Wine in the area. Not since Aja had stopped delivering shipments to the town.
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"You need a Cow and Chicken, huh?" said Bob as he looked at Rick. Rick looked up at Bob a bit nervously. The Rancher was a tremendous man, bigger than Zack and twice as intimidating. Popuri however, just smiled sweetly at him.
"Yes, it would be really great if you could get one for us," she said, half flirting.
Bob cleared his throat, a bit flustered. "Well, it's not that simple. We only have so many cows and chickens here at the farm. Haven't really been doing some breeding lately. Tell you guys what. If you can help out here at the farm today, I'll see about getting you animals."
"What do we need to do?" asked Rick, feeling a bit more in balance with the prospect of farmwork.
"You just need to put feed into their troughs and then brush and milk the cow and brush the horses. It's easy work, but I need to see how you guys handle your animals. Who knows? You might be able to earn a horse sometime."
"That'd be great, thanks!" Rick said. "I accept."
"So do I," said Popuri.
Bob grunted and reached behind the counter and pulled out two sets of brushes, one milker and an empty milk bottle. "These are the stuff you need. You can keep the milk when you're done as well. Well, go to it!"
Once the pair were out of the Ranch, Rick rubbed his forehead and sighed. "It's going to be an uphill battle from here."
"Jack had to face it," remarked Popuri as she rounded the corner and took in the enclosure around a carpet of uneven grass.
"Yeah, but Jack had three years to get the farm up and running," said Rick as he walked up to the nearest horse, pulled out the brush and began to brush it down methodically. The horse whinneyed and neighed but calmed down after Rick untangled its glossy coat. "We have a year and it's the beginning of Spring. We have until next Spring to rebuild the town into something prosperous."
"We could always start some kind of popular buisness here," said Poprui as she milked the cow who mooed loudly at her clumsy treatment of its udder. "Maybe send mail to Manna and Duke and have them send some seeds or something for a Vineyard."
Rick shook his head. "I don't think so," he said as he untangled the horses tail and moved onto the mane. "A Vineyard will take a long time to grow to fruition. I'm thinking though that these horses could help though."
"You two like horses?" Rick and Popuri whirled to look at the tough looking blonde girl that had slugged Kai the day before. She was dressed in strong looking pants and a vest with a red top. Popuri slightly envied her lean muscleculture as she barely did any work on the farm beyond feeding the Chickens. The girl also held a brush in her hands as she walked up to a grey horse and patted it before setting the brush to it. "It's not often someone helps out here at the Brownie Ranch. Names Gwen."
"I'm Rick," said Rick as he untangled the mane with a few strokes of the brush. "And that's my sister Popuri."
"You two are from Mineral Town, huh?" said Gwen as she took care of the grey horse with expert care. "It's a small town. People get around to talking."
"Sounds about right for Mineral Town," remarked Popuri as she finished pouring the milk into the small container.
"The people are also saying that you're here to save this town," said Gwen as she moved onto the next horse. "It sounds impossible, now that the trucks are scheduled to start work on Summer the first."
"There has to be a way," reasoned Rick. "Otherwise, we wouldn't have come. Our friend Jack had to save his Grandfathers farm in three years. Sure it's a long time, but he worked for it with our help. You can't give up so easily without trying. Right?"
Gwen chuckled. "I guess you're right. So, what do you guys need to know?"
Popuri shrugged as she put the milk away into her rucksack and moved onto a horse close by. "Well, for one we need to know if there was some things that made this place famous before it was scheduled for demolition."
"Oh that's easy," said Gwen as she finished with the coat of the horse she was working on. "We used to provide the fastest and best race horses in the whole Island Chain. We were also famous for our throughbreeds going to the races in the City. Maybe if I can convince Bob to give you guys a horse, you could probably raise it to be a champion racer."
"That's no easy task, considering that the champion horse is Cliffguard from Flowerbud Village," said Rick as he moved to another horse. "But with some work and daily races against Bill..."
"Bill?" inquired Gwen.
"Bill is Jack's horse," said Popuri as she finished with her horse. "He's fast since Jack trained him well but we haven't had a chance to race it against anyone since the Horse Races are a couple of weeks away. And with Cliffguard in the running for the local island races, it's going to be murder trying to win against him."
"Cliffguard...." Gwen tapped her lip in thought. "I once visited Flowerbud Village as a kid. I remember this guy named Grey. He was really good at what he did. That was Racing. I remember him, and his sister Ann. Then Grey got into an accident and went all surly."
Rick and Popuri cast glances at each other. "Coincidence?" they chorused.
"Excuse me?" asked Gwen. "Coincidence of what?"
"It's just... never mind. It's just a wonky thought," said Rick, using one of Jack's expressions.
"Wonky. All right. You two going to stand there or finish before three?" Gwen asked, returning to her work.
Rick and Popuri smirked in unison before turning back to their work.
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"It's so beautiful up here," exclaimed Elli as she wandered around the Goddess Pond Summit.
Mary carried a basket that was filled with Veryberries, Blueberries and various herbs. She inhaled and said, "The air is so clear here. It's like people aren't even around."
"Well, except for maybe him," said Elli, pointing to a man who picked up a Veryberry on the other side of the stream and popped it into his mouth. "Hello!"
The man looked up and said, "Oh hello!" The man was dressed similar to Mary's dad, Basil in similar clothing. Elli briefly wondered if people who worked with plants had the same fashion sense.
"I haven't seen you two before," said Parsley. "I'm Parsley. What are you two girls doing in this village?"
"Trying to save it sir," said Mary as she brushed a lock of hair back behind her ear.
"That's an admirable task," said Parsley as he shifted his boots in the dirt. "Is there any reason why you kids came all the way here?"
"It's a long story," said Elli as she picked up some herbs and popped it into the basket she held. "Jack, one of the newcomers to the town took over his Grandfathers farm when he died. We spent a couple of years getting to know him. When his Grandfather Tony died, he sent the deed and comissioned Jack to help save this place. We wanted to help."
"That's very kind of you," said Parsley. "Although, I'm not sure what could save this place, except.... a place called the Sacred Land."
"The Sacred Land?" Mary inquired.
"It's a special place in this town that is so far hidden. I haven't found it yet myself but I just know that there's a clue to unlocking the secret of the town. Woody told me that when he was a younger man, he had to make the remedy to save his family and the town. There's no doctor in this town so good luck for anyone but Woody, Wallace and Martha to know about the remedy."
"Wouldn't a normal sweet potato be usable? If it's just a sweet potato, it should be growable anywhere," said Elli.
Parsley shook his head. "No. It's not that simple. The nutrients in the soil of the Sacred Land gives the Sweet Potato seeds unheard of healing powers. Normal Sweet Potatoes won't do anything but be good for lunch. I've tried growing bags of Sweet Potato seeds everywhere but it doesn't do any good. It may be just a myth, but you kids should check it out with the elders of the town."
"I see." Elli and Mary exchanged glances and Mary said, "Thank you for your time. Please, drop by the farm any time."
"I'll do that." Parsley stood up and stretched. "Oh, here's a little secret that I found out a while ago. See the pond over there?"
Pointing towards the pond, the girls nodded. "Well that pond is the home of the local Harvest Goddess. If you talk to her, she'll tell you some of the things you may need to know. Well, see you later kids."
As Parsley headed down the mountian slope, Jack brushed by him, earning a curious expression from Parsley. Running up to the girls, Jack coughed for a moment and said, "Who was that?"
"That was Parsley," said Mary. "He's a herbologist that's studying the local flora and fauna."
Jack blinked curiously before looking around and saying, "Hey a Goddess Pond!"
Running up to the pond with the girls following behind, he picked up a flower and prepared to toss it into the water. Elli giggled as she said, "You're always doing that from what Karen and Ann say. Even back home. Do you honestly believe..." Jack tossed the flower in and a woman rose from the pond. ".... she will come? Oh my."
The Goddess put her hands on her hips and said crossly, "I'm not a thing of fiction." Then her annoyed expression turned soft as she looked at Jack. "Hello Jack. Thank you for making an offering at my pond."
"Oh my," Mary echoed.
The Goddess giggled as she said, "Not all things shouldn't be taken for granted girls," she admonished like a mother scolding her children. "So. You're some of the kids who are going to help the Homeland. Well, I have some things for you. First of all, I will give you a calendar filled with birthdates. Next, I will give you some advice. Making friends with people will help you on your quest to help this place from becoming a resort because they have the ideas. And thirdly, get Parsley to visit his family once in a while. He goes on enough guilt trips for being gone for so long."
"Boy, it sure feels like talking to my mom," remarked Jack dryly. Elli and Mary punched in him both arms as the Goddess giggled helplessly.
The Goddess reached behind herself and pulled a calendar out of thin air. Handing it to Mary, Mary flipped through it and nodded to herself. "All of the birthdates are here and even markings for normal, dry and rainy seasons. Thank you."
"It's not a big deal. Just what I do." the Goddess smiled and said, "Now, just come and visit me. Oh, and presents every day during the week help as well. Most people don't get any presents a day, so giving things to people every day helps."
"Gee, sounds like Jack's first year here," said Elli as she gave Jack a sideways look. Jack blushed and fidgeted, being dressed down by two girls and the local Divine Personage.
Mary giggled. "I remember when I told him I liked Blue Grass and Poison Mushrooms. He practically showered me with them for my birthday."
"Hey, no one else would take them except your dad," Jack retorted but the girls only laughed harder. "Sheesh, I'm outnumbered."
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"That's the last of em," said Grey as he placed the final box of things from Jack's old house inside the small cabin.
Kai wiped his forehead. "What sucks is that we have to walk up and down that staircase multiple times. I'm surprised I even got Bill up those stairs."
Bill snorted at the remark, giving an intelligant sideways look that plainly read "Of course, was there any doubt?"
Cliff looked over the farm and the girls who were finishing up planting several rows of Corn, Cabbage, Cucumber, Potatoes and Turnips. Ann was bent over, working on sowing the seeds while Karen finished sweeping the rows with the Mysterile Watering Can. Straightening up, Ann stretched her back and there was a loud popping sound. "Ouch," she said, rubbing her back. "Next time you plant," she said to Karen.
Karen stuck her tongue out at Ann who rolled her eyes. "So Kai," said Karen. "Are you headed back to Flowerbud Village?"
"I gotta," said Kai. "I was at Doug's place for lunch and I got a call from Jake. Seems like the Vineyard is kinda short on hands since I took off so early in the year. They had to call in Stu. He's a good kid, but he's still a kid."
"It's remarkable that Mineral Town and Flowerbud Village are so similar, villager wise. It's like someone stole us in our sleep and cloned us." remarked Cliff, earning a look from them. "What? I went to Flowerbud once two years ago while Kai was still there. He was nice enough to show me around, but I keep getting mistaken for another guy named Cliff. He's the cousin of Karen and is married to Ann."
"How'd you survive, being called Cliff2?" Ann teased.
"About the exact amount of time I kept calling you Ann2," Cliff returned deftly. Ann went red and Grey laughed.
"Seriously though, you look similar to Flowerbud Village people but they're so different from us." said Kai as he sat down on the fence. "Miss Karen, well Mrs. Karen is the daughter of Gotz. Those two fought like cats and dogs before Jake was able to help them rebuild the Vineyard. She's a real fireball. Works at the bar with Duke. The first time she met Jake, she blew him off so badly because they were both on short fuses that day."
"Great, she's sounding just like me," Karen said with a smirk.
Kai laughed. "I suppose so. Some things never change, does it?"
"Say, you think we could go visit in the summer? You know, just for a quick one." Everyone looked at Cliff who grinned. "I have an itching to make fun of Cliff if he returned already like you said."
"The inherant insanity," deadpanned Kai. "I shudder in fear." Then, looking at his watch, he said, "I'd best be going. I'll be back on Summer the first if not earlier depending on how much help they need at the Vineyard. With any luck, I'll be toting someone along to meet the crew of the HMSS Insanity."
Ducking a dirt clod that sailed from Karen's location, Kai laughed and ran down the stairs. Soon, the engine started up and his boat roared to life. "Well, there he goes," said Ann as Kai sailed off in a northwestern direction towards Flowerbud Village.
Karen nodded. Then putting down the watering can, she said, "All right people. Lets get moving. This place won't clean itself."
"Yes mother," the three chorused, getting dirt clods flung in their directions.
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Chapter 2 End
Authors notes : To all people who have returned to read this chapter and found it changed all of the time, I appologize. My pre-readers are unfamiliar with Harvest Moon BTN and STH and I only have myself to check things over. Otherwise, they work on the grammar and spelling.
After playing Harvest Moon : Friends of Mineral Town, I was able to discern the name of Lillia's husband. Rod. As of this, I quickly abandoned the whole Parsley idea and put it aside for now for later charecter development.
To the people who have been waiting over a year or so for this chapter, I appologize. I had massive writers block and that also contributed to the many rewrites and postings of this chapter.
The world of Harvest Moon is using the setting of having Flowerbud Village, Mineral Town and Sugar Village on the same group of islands out in the middle of the Pacific. If anyone would care to leave a review with the name of the A Wonderful Life village, it would be much obliged as I can't seem to find it. For future reference, Sugar Village is situated on a small mountainous island while Mineral Town and the AWL village is on a much larger village. Flowerbud is to the northwest of both and Jack's family seems to have a history of running farms in the area as the towns where the GBA games are on the same islands as Sugar Village, Flowerbud Village and Mineral Town.
If anyone asks how there can be two of the same charecter due to Flowerbud and Mineral Town using the same charecters, my answer is this : They are similar, sometimes identical but otherwise their own person. No crazy clone abductions, no twins seperated from birth, it was just a coincidence. Some exceptions are such as Kai who came from Flowerbud each Summer, Kano who after two years in Flowerbud moved to his brothers house in Mineral Town, and Cliff who during his wandering days visited Flowerbud and was mistaken constantly for the local Cliff.
For those fans of the Harvest Moon for Girls for the PlayStation, I would LIKE to use her as a charecter, but it defies the logic of the senario. So unfortunately, barring a cameo, the lead female charecter from For Girls will most often be ignored and otherwise not placed in the story.
Multiple revisions and corrections have been made to this chapter. I hope you like the finished product now that I'm satisfied with it.
written by Shaun Garin
Harvest Moon Back to Nature and Save the Homeland is owned by Natsume Entertainment. This is my take on Save the Homeland and Back to Nature, which, in my opinion is a very good game, but could have slowed down the passing of time and extended the length of time you need to conceivably save the whole freaking town. Rated E for Everyone, Use of Alcohol.
I hold characterization nothing but sacred. I try to portray the personalities true to both games as best as possible.
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Chapter 2 : First Steps
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Morning came bright and early. Funny how one sees a sunrise from a different place. I couldn't call it home, not just yet. It wasn't home at the moment.
When I woke up and stretched out the kinks in my shoulder that morning, I looked over to where my friends slept. They had given up a lot, leaving Mineral Town and coming here to Sugar Village. Why? I asked myself the same question over and over again. But when I thought about it, the more I got to thinking. I couldn't have done it without them.
That morning began, and I was prepared to work and bring the Farm to fruition. Little did I know though, that Divine and Sprite interferance would pace our little group on a quest that would help this tiny town recover.
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Dawn broke early in Sugar Village. The farm became bathed in golden rays as Jack walked out of the huge tent, yawning widely. There was still a fine layer of morning dew on the ground as he made tracks to the well. Splashing his face, he shivered at the shocking cold water. Shaking his hair and face free of water, he slicked back his hair and tossed on his blue hat with the orange brim. He took a moment to yawn, stretch and crack his back to rid it of tense muscles. Jack's dog walked out of his dog house, yawned and whimpered for food.
Jack removed some dog food from his rucksack, opened the can with a deft pull and scooped it into the dish. The dog yipped its thanks and began to eat. Hushing up the puppy, Jack stretched and yawned.
Shielding his eyes from the glare of the morning light, he dug again into the rucksack that lay at the side of the house and pulled out his watering can. Created by Saibara, the Watering Can was able to hold more water than possible with the least leakage. How it worked, Jack figured it was the way the old blacksmith fused his old watering can with the metal from the mines. Dipping it into the water, he walked over to the seeds and began to water them diligantly and expertly, taking four at a time. While he worked, Jack whistled merrily.
Casting a glance over at the tent and the house, there was no sign of life in the windows of either domicile. Clearly, unlike Jack who had to tend to a whole farm filled with cattle, chickens, sheep and water a huge area of the land, the others did not rise with the sun.
As he poured water over the last of the small batch of crops with an almost negligant toss, a little squeaky voice called up to him. "Hi!"
Jack looked around, wondering where the voice came from. The tone of the voice was friendly, and somewhat familiar.
"Down here." said the voice.
Jack then looked down at his feet and blinked. "Harvest Sprites?"
There were three of them standing at the base of Jack's feet, heads inclined upwards to look at the much larger teenager. Somewhat a bit smaller than the local ones, these ones barely came to his knee while the other ones were stronger and came a little over his knee that lived in Mineral Town. Of course, these ones looked like they haven't worked for anyone recently. "Hello!" chorused the trio of Harvest Sprites.
The first one was a medium sized Sprite wearing red with a pointed cap that had an orange bobble on the top with blue pants, and a brown belt and shoes. He had a tuff of green hair that poked out of the bottom of his cap.
The second one was a much smaller Harvest Sprite. This one wore a light blue color and had a similar hat. His sleeves were cut badly or intentionally as they hung over his hands, hiding them from view. He had rosy cheeks and a brilliant smile on his face.
The last was a roly poly one dressed in yellow. He wore a cap as well with a bobble on the top in an indigo color. He had a rim of hair that went around his head like a green fringe. His eyes were hidden from view as a large nose poked out from the bottom of his fringe of hair.
The red colored one looked up at Jack, seemingly sizing him up. "You look like a nice guy. What's your name bub?"
"It's Jack," Jack replied, crouching to talk to them easier than hunching over. "So this town has Harvest Sprites too, eh? What's your names?"
"I'm Nic, that's Nak in blue, and Flak in yellow." The red one now identified as Nic, replied. "We wanna ask a favor from you."
Jack smirked. "Lemme guess, save the town from being rebuilt into a resort?"
The Harvest Sprites blinked and shared a collective glance. "You know already?" Nak asked curiously, his voice very high pitched from a Sprite so tiny.
Jack nodded as he jerked a thumb back towards the house and the tent. The door had already swung open and Ann had stumbled out of the house, looking bleary for the early morning rise. Rick had comandeered the well and was vigorously dunking his head in and out of the well, despite kicks to the shin from Karen, muttering that he would pollute the well water. They were all still dressed for sleep, mostly in t-shirts and shorts. "We're all here to help the town."
"That's great!" Nak exclaimed, waving his short arms, the sleeves of his coat waggling about. "We'll be able to save the town in no time with everyone helping out!"
Jack shrugged. "We'll do our best. Is there anything we really need to know about before we do anything?"
"Many of the villagers have lost hope," Flak said, shaking his head. "But if you ask the Harvest Goddess up at Goddess Pond, I'm sure you can get some advice on how to proceed."
Jack rolled his eyes. "Don't you guys have any ideas on where we can begin?"
The three Harvest Sprites looked at each other, shrugged and giggled. "Nope," said Nak.
"Hey, Jack." Jack turned to greet Kai who was walking up to him, already dressed in his usual violet shirt and bandanna. He still sported a shiner from where Gwen had slugged him. "I'm headed out to bring Bill and a few things over. I'll be back in a couple of hours, provided your horse doesn't get seasickness."
Jack sniggered at the thought. "All right, Kai. There might not be anyone here when we get back, so can you let Bill into the pasture? We'll be fixing that gate today."
Kai nodded. "No problem," he drawled. "Later."
"Later." Jack then turned down to the Harvest Sprites and blinked. They had vanished when Kai had called over to him. Turning around in a full three sixty rotation, he noticed three blurs of blue, red and yellow vanishing into a cave just near the treeline. He shook his head. "Harvest Sprites. Go figure."
===============
I had asked myself, why Kai had come early that year. He usually didn't return until the summer. Then I had remembered. Kai, had come to propose to Popuri. But Kai, he lost his nerve. When I asked him why he had chickened out, he said he wasn't ready. Give him more time. I laughed and said it would be two more years before he was ready. He punched me in the shoulder, but was still smiling.
I had known the tanned teenager since the first year he appeared. We became fast friends, though most of the men in town didn't like our friendship. Though, due to a drinking contest and a final showdown between Rick and Kai, things pretty much went back to status quo. Now, Kai came often, not just in the summer time from Flowerbud Village, the place where he lived for most of the year.
He also told us that Flowerbud was so similar to Mineral Town. I had never been to Flowerbud, but I knew my family had a farm there. Last I heard, Cousin Jake had taken over the farm and was doing fine with a lovely girl who looked similar to Karen, but was so much different than the daughter of Sasha and Jeff. Jake had offered to visit, but we never got around to arranging a visit.
Kai had told me that he was working at the Vineyard in the Village throughout most of the spring and fall. He would spend his time here, visiting Popuri and making a general nusance of himself. At least, that's how the men viewed him. The womenfolk loved him and thought he was rough and exotic.
Aw well, I'm getting off track. That morning was an eye opener however, when we found out exactly what we were getting into.
============
Ann sipped at her morning coffee, looking rather rumpled from just getting up. Karen gave her friend a look. "So that's how you stay upbeat in the morning."
Ann shrugged as she sipped, paused and added some sugar to the brown mix. "I've stopped growing since I was fifteen and that was before I started drinking coffee."
Rick sniggered under his toast. "You sure that's the only thing that's stopped growing?" he added with a smirk. Cliff went beet red, as with Ann who swatted the chicken farmer on the head with her large stir spoon for the morning miso. Rick ducked the stir spoon attack, only to get smacked by his sister upside the back of his head.
"It's too early in the morning for this," Grey grumbled, grabbing a slice of Power Berry. "Eat up. The Power Berry is becoming overripe."
Elli finished her own portion of berry and stood up, wiping her fingers of juice with a napkin. "Lets get started. What's on the agenda today?"
"First, we finish the repairs," Cliff said, munching on his toast. "That includes fixing up that Henhouse, and the pasture fence. Then, we need to cut some more grass for fodder and then go out and meet some of the people around town to get an idea of what to do."
Mary sipped at her tea and looked out where Jack was busy, tilling the soil with his special hoe. A solid strike would send a miniture shockwave, ripping up dirt into long roads of soft dirt. Jack raised his hoe once again, and struck, and more dirt went flying, along with a few solid G coins and pieces of roots and crystals. "Isn't anyone going to help Jack?"
The boys looked sheepish as they mumbled something about just waking up. The dog yipped and continued eating.
Popuri glared at her brother and got up, smoothing her denim shirt and shorts. She then picked up a hoe and marched out. She sent a look at the boys who withered under her glare. Rick, long immune to his sisters glare, smirked and waved her on.
Jack looked at her as she walked up, hoe slung over her shoulder. "I'm here to help since the BOYS," and with this, she smirked at the boys who watched her while picking at their food, "are claiming that they just got up."
Jack chuckled and shook his head. "It happens. Lets see what you can do."
Popuri grabbed the very tip of the hoe and raised it over her head. She brought it down and it struck the hard ground. People who saw this could have sworn that she shuddered like a Loony Toon for a moment as the hoe handle vibrated out of her hands. "Ouch," she yelped, rubbing her hands.
"Go sis!" Rick shouted, and Karen bonked him on the head.
Jack chuckled as he picked up the hoe and gave it back to Popuri. "It's a strange hoe that Saibara made. You have to focus energy into it. Charge the weapon."
"What do you mean by that?" Popuri asked.
Jack smiled and demonstrated his grip. "Hold it like this, and then bring it over your head. Swing it backwards and imagine it carving a trench forwards. And then...."
The hoe seemed to glint with some transparent energy for half a second. He brought it down and struck the earth. The ground below it burst upwards like something had detonated beneath it and carved a trench of soft plantable earth. "Now you try."
Popuri bit her lip, brought the hoe over her head, braced herself for the solid impact, imagined the trench forming, and struck.
There was a minor detonation accompanying a thunderous crack of energy, concealing the pair. Rick was howling with laughter, as with Cliff and Grey. Elli was stiffling giggles, Mary looked red in embarrasment that she was shaking with silent laughter. Ann and Karen were on Popuri's side, glaring at the men who were still howling.
The dust settled down and Popuri shook dirt out of her hair. "Yuck, I need a bath."
Jack had to agree at the fact. But as he looked over, he whistled. "That is some trench. Nice going Popuri. A bit more control next time on the strike."
The trench stretched across the planting field, all the way towards the end of the cliff where the staircase lead downwards to the harbor. The harbor was merely a dock with a few assorted fishing boats, and the sight of Kai's boat was way in the distance, puttering along. Sugar Village was on a small area of the cluster of islands, and Mineral Town was on another island that was still part of the chain.
"You seem distracted," remarked Popuri as Jack stared out into the Island Chains. "Anything on your mind?"
"Aw, just thinking. I have family on the other islands and in the City." Jack sighed. "I wonder how the farm is doing?"
"I'm sure the Sprites are taking good care of the farmland," reassured the pink haired girl. "And I heard Mayor Thomas talking to his son, Harris. Harris is going to move into your house and help the Sprites out."
"Really? That's good to hear. Their house isn't so big, not with Thomas, Harris and Kano in there. Speaking of which, what DOES Kano do anyways beyond photographing things?"
Popuri giggled. "He's more or less just staying there. We barely see him outside of the Mayor's house. I heard he's the Mayor's brother or something like that but no one has really asked him what he does. I heard though that he once came from Flowerbud Village."
"They don't look alike," said Jack, folding his arms. "Aw well. Lets go and check out this town." His stomach rumbled. "After breakfast."
When Jack sat down to eat, Grey looked at him and said, "So who's doing what today?"
"Well, for one, we need to fix that fence," said Jack. "Then we need to get accustomed to the town, find out stuff to forage and make friends. At least then, we can find out what to do if someone has an idea for saving this place."
"Easier said than done," put in Cliff. "Everyone here seems resigned to their fate."
"But there's got to be some ideas," added Karen ."There's a possibility that there's someone who will come up with something. We can't bring over ideas from Mineral Town. They'll just be credited to our own town as ideas."
Jack rubbed his chin in thought as he dipped his spoon into the miso. "I think the best idea is to make friends with as many people as possible, see what they enjoy. With some luck, we can learn something that might help out later on."
"The day is breaking," said Rick. "Lets get a move on."
"Before everyone leaves," said Elli, "We should really split up and look around at the services. Chickens and Cows are our first priority. We should also make sure that there's enough fodder in the silo and stored food. Mary and I can go and forage in the forests and look for some local fruits to store in the cooler."
"Grey and I can work at getting this farm up to speed," said Cliff. "There's enough lumber around here to fix the fence and restore those shingles on the roof. Then we'll go to the Woodcutter and see if we can order a house extention for the rest of us. We can't live in a tent forever come winter."
"I'll go with Popuri and get a chicken and cow," said Rick, reaching into the stash of G's that they brought. He withdrew three rolls of 10 incriment coins and nodded to himself. "That should be enough."
Jack grinned. "Well, since I finished watering the plants, we should plant some more crops. It's still early enough in the Spring to get Cabbage planted and selling them will jumpstart the economy."
"Let me and Ann handle that," said Karen. "someone has to wait for Kai to return with Bill and that'll free up your chance to look around, Jack."
"Right. The seeds and tools are in the spare rucksack." Jack downed the rest of his soup and sighed. "All right. Lets get to work."
"Yes Sahib," drawled Rick and everyone pelted him with rice crumbs.
===============
The Road goes ever on and on, Down from the door where it began....
Jack sung to himself quietly as he trekked around the town. It was on an uphil slant mostly, unlike the flat terrain of Mineral Town. He had already stopped in at the Grocery Store and met Ronald.
Swinging towards Walnut Forest, Jack whistled to himself the little ditty he had heard in the movie version of Lord of the Rings when he still lived back in the City.
The forest was full of life with birds singing and the sound of sawing and chopping heard from the Woodcutter's shop. A gruff old man who reminded Jack a bit of Saibara seemed to patrol the area, watching his apprentices work at the wood set before them. Mary and Elli had already swept through the area and were working on picking some of the herbs on the hill and around the area.
"Good morning," Jack greeted the elderly man.
The man looked up through thick bushy eyebrows and his lips twitched into a smile. "Hello young man," the man said, nodding to Jack. "You're one of the kids who took over Tony's farm, eh?"
"Yeah," replied Jack. "I'm Jack."
"Woody," replied the man. "These are my two apprentices, Kurt," the red haired man nodded but didn't reply, "and Joe." Joe grinned and waved. "They'll be working for me until we move out come the winter time."
"That's what we're hoping to stop," Jack said, earning a raised eyebrow from the man. "My Grandpa Tony sent a letter that just reached my place in Mineral Town. He wanted me to come and try and prevent the town from being torn down."
"I see," said Woody. There was a pause as the man looked up, a genuine smile on his face. "Son, it might be a lost cause, but I've seen a lot of wierd stuff in my life. And if you kids can pull this off, then I'll throw my cause behind you."
"Thank you sir!" Jack was astonished. He hadn't earned someone's trust like that in such a short time.
"All right kid, don't get carried away. If you're going into the forest, head towards the lake. There's a nice place to fish. As it stands, Joe loves fish. Every day when he gets off work, he's fishing. Kurt is the exact opposite. He likes Gardening and Tomatoes." Woody shrugged. "I dunno why I told you that, but it might come in handy some day. People around here don't get many gifts except on their birthdays."
"Loves fish, loves tomatoes. Got it," Jack said, memorizing the facts. "Thanks Woody."
"Say," said Woody as Jack was about to move off. "My granddaughter Gwen was complaining about one of your companions. A tall guy, dark skinned and wearing a purple bandanna. Is he still around?"
"That would be Kai," said Jack. "He's one of our group, but he's off in Mineral Town getting my horse. Then, after that, he might go to Flowerbud Village for the rest of the season until Summer."
Woody grunted. "I know Flowerbud. Nice village. Nice people." Woody shrugged. "There's not much excitement in a small town like this, but you're welcome to stir up something."
Jack grinned foolishly. Then, he snapped his fingers. "Oh, one sec." Digging into his rucksack, he pulled out one of the bottles of Wine that he carried around in case he ran into someone who needed a drink, or Karen needed cheering up. "Do you like Wine?"
Woody looked at the bottle and smiled. "Well I'll be. Aja Winery. Good year too. I haven't seen one of those in a long time. Not since they stopped shipping to Sugar Village."
"Take it," Jack insisted, pushing it into Woody's hands. "I have lots at the farm."
Woody laughed. "You're a generous young man, Jack. Thank you." Woody then raised a bushy eyebrow and said, "You'd better get a move on Jack. The day is wasting."
"Ah. Well, enjoy the wine. Nice meeting you Woody." with that, Jack trotted off towards the lake.
Woody shook his head, smiled and put the wine into his tool belt for later drinking. It had been a very long time since they had any Wine in the area. Not since Aja had stopped delivering shipments to the town.
================
"You need a Cow and Chicken, huh?" said Bob as he looked at Rick. Rick looked up at Bob a bit nervously. The Rancher was a tremendous man, bigger than Zack and twice as intimidating. Popuri however, just smiled sweetly at him.
"Yes, it would be really great if you could get one for us," she said, half flirting.
Bob cleared his throat, a bit flustered. "Well, it's not that simple. We only have so many cows and chickens here at the farm. Haven't really been doing some breeding lately. Tell you guys what. If you can help out here at the farm today, I'll see about getting you animals."
"What do we need to do?" asked Rick, feeling a bit more in balance with the prospect of farmwork.
"You just need to put feed into their troughs and then brush and milk the cow and brush the horses. It's easy work, but I need to see how you guys handle your animals. Who knows? You might be able to earn a horse sometime."
"That'd be great, thanks!" Rick said. "I accept."
"So do I," said Popuri.
Bob grunted and reached behind the counter and pulled out two sets of brushes, one milker and an empty milk bottle. "These are the stuff you need. You can keep the milk when you're done as well. Well, go to it!"
Once the pair were out of the Ranch, Rick rubbed his forehead and sighed. "It's going to be an uphill battle from here."
"Jack had to face it," remarked Popuri as she rounded the corner and took in the enclosure around a carpet of uneven grass.
"Yeah, but Jack had three years to get the farm up and running," said Rick as he walked up to the nearest horse, pulled out the brush and began to brush it down methodically. The horse whinneyed and neighed but calmed down after Rick untangled its glossy coat. "We have a year and it's the beginning of Spring. We have until next Spring to rebuild the town into something prosperous."
"We could always start some kind of popular buisness here," said Poprui as she milked the cow who mooed loudly at her clumsy treatment of its udder. "Maybe send mail to Manna and Duke and have them send some seeds or something for a Vineyard."
Rick shook his head. "I don't think so," he said as he untangled the horses tail and moved onto the mane. "A Vineyard will take a long time to grow to fruition. I'm thinking though that these horses could help though."
"You two like horses?" Rick and Popuri whirled to look at the tough looking blonde girl that had slugged Kai the day before. She was dressed in strong looking pants and a vest with a red top. Popuri slightly envied her lean muscleculture as she barely did any work on the farm beyond feeding the Chickens. The girl also held a brush in her hands as she walked up to a grey horse and patted it before setting the brush to it. "It's not often someone helps out here at the Brownie Ranch. Names Gwen."
"I'm Rick," said Rick as he untangled the mane with a few strokes of the brush. "And that's my sister Popuri."
"You two are from Mineral Town, huh?" said Gwen as she took care of the grey horse with expert care. "It's a small town. People get around to talking."
"Sounds about right for Mineral Town," remarked Popuri as she finished pouring the milk into the small container.
"The people are also saying that you're here to save this town," said Gwen as she moved onto the next horse. "It sounds impossible, now that the trucks are scheduled to start work on Summer the first."
"There has to be a way," reasoned Rick. "Otherwise, we wouldn't have come. Our friend Jack had to save his Grandfathers farm in three years. Sure it's a long time, but he worked for it with our help. You can't give up so easily without trying. Right?"
Gwen chuckled. "I guess you're right. So, what do you guys need to know?"
Popuri shrugged as she put the milk away into her rucksack and moved onto a horse close by. "Well, for one we need to know if there was some things that made this place famous before it was scheduled for demolition."
"Oh that's easy," said Gwen as she finished with the coat of the horse she was working on. "We used to provide the fastest and best race horses in the whole Island Chain. We were also famous for our throughbreeds going to the races in the City. Maybe if I can convince Bob to give you guys a horse, you could probably raise it to be a champion racer."
"That's no easy task, considering that the champion horse is Cliffguard from Flowerbud Village," said Rick as he moved to another horse. "But with some work and daily races against Bill..."
"Bill?" inquired Gwen.
"Bill is Jack's horse," said Popuri as she finished with her horse. "He's fast since Jack trained him well but we haven't had a chance to race it against anyone since the Horse Races are a couple of weeks away. And with Cliffguard in the running for the local island races, it's going to be murder trying to win against him."
"Cliffguard...." Gwen tapped her lip in thought. "I once visited Flowerbud Village as a kid. I remember this guy named Grey. He was really good at what he did. That was Racing. I remember him, and his sister Ann. Then Grey got into an accident and went all surly."
Rick and Popuri cast glances at each other. "Coincidence?" they chorused.
"Excuse me?" asked Gwen. "Coincidence of what?"
"It's just... never mind. It's just a wonky thought," said Rick, using one of Jack's expressions.
"Wonky. All right. You two going to stand there or finish before three?" Gwen asked, returning to her work.
Rick and Popuri smirked in unison before turning back to their work.
=================
"It's so beautiful up here," exclaimed Elli as she wandered around the Goddess Pond Summit.
Mary carried a basket that was filled with Veryberries, Blueberries and various herbs. She inhaled and said, "The air is so clear here. It's like people aren't even around."
"Well, except for maybe him," said Elli, pointing to a man who picked up a Veryberry on the other side of the stream and popped it into his mouth. "Hello!"
The man looked up and said, "Oh hello!" The man was dressed similar to Mary's dad, Basil in similar clothing. Elli briefly wondered if people who worked with plants had the same fashion sense.
"I haven't seen you two before," said Parsley. "I'm Parsley. What are you two girls doing in this village?"
"Trying to save it sir," said Mary as she brushed a lock of hair back behind her ear.
"That's an admirable task," said Parsley as he shifted his boots in the dirt. "Is there any reason why you kids came all the way here?"
"It's a long story," said Elli as she picked up some herbs and popped it into the basket she held. "Jack, one of the newcomers to the town took over his Grandfathers farm when he died. We spent a couple of years getting to know him. When his Grandfather Tony died, he sent the deed and comissioned Jack to help save this place. We wanted to help."
"That's very kind of you," said Parsley. "Although, I'm not sure what could save this place, except.... a place called the Sacred Land."
"The Sacred Land?" Mary inquired.
"It's a special place in this town that is so far hidden. I haven't found it yet myself but I just know that there's a clue to unlocking the secret of the town. Woody told me that when he was a younger man, he had to make the remedy to save his family and the town. There's no doctor in this town so good luck for anyone but Woody, Wallace and Martha to know about the remedy."
"Wouldn't a normal sweet potato be usable? If it's just a sweet potato, it should be growable anywhere," said Elli.
Parsley shook his head. "No. It's not that simple. The nutrients in the soil of the Sacred Land gives the Sweet Potato seeds unheard of healing powers. Normal Sweet Potatoes won't do anything but be good for lunch. I've tried growing bags of Sweet Potato seeds everywhere but it doesn't do any good. It may be just a myth, but you kids should check it out with the elders of the town."
"I see." Elli and Mary exchanged glances and Mary said, "Thank you for your time. Please, drop by the farm any time."
"I'll do that." Parsley stood up and stretched. "Oh, here's a little secret that I found out a while ago. See the pond over there?"
Pointing towards the pond, the girls nodded. "Well that pond is the home of the local Harvest Goddess. If you talk to her, she'll tell you some of the things you may need to know. Well, see you later kids."
As Parsley headed down the mountian slope, Jack brushed by him, earning a curious expression from Parsley. Running up to the girls, Jack coughed for a moment and said, "Who was that?"
"That was Parsley," said Mary. "He's a herbologist that's studying the local flora and fauna."
Jack blinked curiously before looking around and saying, "Hey a Goddess Pond!"
Running up to the pond with the girls following behind, he picked up a flower and prepared to toss it into the water. Elli giggled as she said, "You're always doing that from what Karen and Ann say. Even back home. Do you honestly believe..." Jack tossed the flower in and a woman rose from the pond. ".... she will come? Oh my."
The Goddess put her hands on her hips and said crossly, "I'm not a thing of fiction." Then her annoyed expression turned soft as she looked at Jack. "Hello Jack. Thank you for making an offering at my pond."
"Oh my," Mary echoed.
The Goddess giggled as she said, "Not all things shouldn't be taken for granted girls," she admonished like a mother scolding her children. "So. You're some of the kids who are going to help the Homeland. Well, I have some things for you. First of all, I will give you a calendar filled with birthdates. Next, I will give you some advice. Making friends with people will help you on your quest to help this place from becoming a resort because they have the ideas. And thirdly, get Parsley to visit his family once in a while. He goes on enough guilt trips for being gone for so long."
"Boy, it sure feels like talking to my mom," remarked Jack dryly. Elli and Mary punched in him both arms as the Goddess giggled helplessly.
The Goddess reached behind herself and pulled a calendar out of thin air. Handing it to Mary, Mary flipped through it and nodded to herself. "All of the birthdates are here and even markings for normal, dry and rainy seasons. Thank you."
"It's not a big deal. Just what I do." the Goddess smiled and said, "Now, just come and visit me. Oh, and presents every day during the week help as well. Most people don't get any presents a day, so giving things to people every day helps."
"Gee, sounds like Jack's first year here," said Elli as she gave Jack a sideways look. Jack blushed and fidgeted, being dressed down by two girls and the local Divine Personage.
Mary giggled. "I remember when I told him I liked Blue Grass and Poison Mushrooms. He practically showered me with them for my birthday."
"Hey, no one else would take them except your dad," Jack retorted but the girls only laughed harder. "Sheesh, I'm outnumbered."
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"That's the last of em," said Grey as he placed the final box of things from Jack's old house inside the small cabin.
Kai wiped his forehead. "What sucks is that we have to walk up and down that staircase multiple times. I'm surprised I even got Bill up those stairs."
Bill snorted at the remark, giving an intelligant sideways look that plainly read "Of course, was there any doubt?"
Cliff looked over the farm and the girls who were finishing up planting several rows of Corn, Cabbage, Cucumber, Potatoes and Turnips. Ann was bent over, working on sowing the seeds while Karen finished sweeping the rows with the Mysterile Watering Can. Straightening up, Ann stretched her back and there was a loud popping sound. "Ouch," she said, rubbing her back. "Next time you plant," she said to Karen.
Karen stuck her tongue out at Ann who rolled her eyes. "So Kai," said Karen. "Are you headed back to Flowerbud Village?"
"I gotta," said Kai. "I was at Doug's place for lunch and I got a call from Jake. Seems like the Vineyard is kinda short on hands since I took off so early in the year. They had to call in Stu. He's a good kid, but he's still a kid."
"It's remarkable that Mineral Town and Flowerbud Village are so similar, villager wise. It's like someone stole us in our sleep and cloned us." remarked Cliff, earning a look from them. "What? I went to Flowerbud once two years ago while Kai was still there. He was nice enough to show me around, but I keep getting mistaken for another guy named Cliff. He's the cousin of Karen and is married to Ann."
"How'd you survive, being called Cliff2?" Ann teased.
"About the exact amount of time I kept calling you Ann2," Cliff returned deftly. Ann went red and Grey laughed.
"Seriously though, you look similar to Flowerbud Village people but they're so different from us." said Kai as he sat down on the fence. "Miss Karen, well Mrs. Karen is the daughter of Gotz. Those two fought like cats and dogs before Jake was able to help them rebuild the Vineyard. She's a real fireball. Works at the bar with Duke. The first time she met Jake, she blew him off so badly because they were both on short fuses that day."
"Great, she's sounding just like me," Karen said with a smirk.
Kai laughed. "I suppose so. Some things never change, does it?"
"Say, you think we could go visit in the summer? You know, just for a quick one." Everyone looked at Cliff who grinned. "I have an itching to make fun of Cliff if he returned already like you said."
"The inherant insanity," deadpanned Kai. "I shudder in fear." Then, looking at his watch, he said, "I'd best be going. I'll be back on Summer the first if not earlier depending on how much help they need at the Vineyard. With any luck, I'll be toting someone along to meet the crew of the HMSS Insanity."
Ducking a dirt clod that sailed from Karen's location, Kai laughed and ran down the stairs. Soon, the engine started up and his boat roared to life. "Well, there he goes," said Ann as Kai sailed off in a northwestern direction towards Flowerbud Village.
Karen nodded. Then putting down the watering can, she said, "All right people. Lets get moving. This place won't clean itself."
"Yes mother," the three chorused, getting dirt clods flung in their directions.
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Chapter 2 End
Authors notes : To all people who have returned to read this chapter and found it changed all of the time, I appologize. My pre-readers are unfamiliar with Harvest Moon BTN and STH and I only have myself to check things over. Otherwise, they work on the grammar and spelling.
After playing Harvest Moon : Friends of Mineral Town, I was able to discern the name of Lillia's husband. Rod. As of this, I quickly abandoned the whole Parsley idea and put it aside for now for later charecter development.
To the people who have been waiting over a year or so for this chapter, I appologize. I had massive writers block and that also contributed to the many rewrites and postings of this chapter.
The world of Harvest Moon is using the setting of having Flowerbud Village, Mineral Town and Sugar Village on the same group of islands out in the middle of the Pacific. If anyone would care to leave a review with the name of the A Wonderful Life village, it would be much obliged as I can't seem to find it. For future reference, Sugar Village is situated on a small mountainous island while Mineral Town and the AWL village is on a much larger village. Flowerbud is to the northwest of both and Jack's family seems to have a history of running farms in the area as the towns where the GBA games are on the same islands as Sugar Village, Flowerbud Village and Mineral Town.
If anyone asks how there can be two of the same charecter due to Flowerbud and Mineral Town using the same charecters, my answer is this : They are similar, sometimes identical but otherwise their own person. No crazy clone abductions, no twins seperated from birth, it was just a coincidence. Some exceptions are such as Kai who came from Flowerbud each Summer, Kano who after two years in Flowerbud moved to his brothers house in Mineral Town, and Cliff who during his wandering days visited Flowerbud and was mistaken constantly for the local Cliff.
For those fans of the Harvest Moon for Girls for the PlayStation, I would LIKE to use her as a charecter, but it defies the logic of the senario. So unfortunately, barring a cameo, the lead female charecter from For Girls will most often be ignored and otherwise not placed in the story.
Multiple revisions and corrections have been made to this chapter. I hope you like the finished product now that I'm satisfied with it.