AUTHOR'S NOTE: Well, what do you know? It seems like this story has been brought back from the dead. If you're wondering who to thank, then SladesDaughter should get your props. It was her review that came out of no where that got me thinking about the story again. So I think we've stalled long enough. Let's continue.

((PS: To answer your question, Slades, the festivals are real ones taken from Harvest Moon: Back to Nature for the PS1. This is one of my favorite versions of the game.))

Chapter 9: What's Mine is Mine.

Fall 1

I suppose that I should count myself lucky that Jack hasn't brought up the Fireworks Festival since. I still feel embarrassed about what I have done that day. Actually, maybe it's more anger then embarrassment. I should have more control over myself then I have been having lately, but for some reason when I get that close to Jack I just lose myself; my mind seems to go into another world and my body does whatever it pleases. If I continue on like this I fear that I may admit my feeling before I am ready to do so. It's not that I'm afraid to do so, I can tell him whenever I feel like it. I just don't feel like it right now, that's all.

Maybe I'm going about this all wrong. Perhaps I should stop trying to reason this out on my own and ask for some advise, but I wonder who? I could ask my parents but they would most likely just become so happy over the matter they their little girl is in love that I wouldn't get the best from them. I suppose I could ask Karen, she is my closest friend. I do like all of the girls here, we are all friends, but I felt as though I got along best with her. I guess that sounds kind of strange since she is the most outgoing person here (unless you count Popuri, but that's more of a bubbly outgoingness) and I'm the shyest. Opposites do attract, it seems. I would love more then anything to go talk to her now, but since I got into the habit of writing at night before bed, I feel that it is much to late to disturb her at home. So tomorrow then.

-Mary-

Fall 2

I had trouble sleeping last night. I think I spent a good two hours just looking up at the ceiling. I suppose I finally feel to sleep somewhere in the AM hours. I'm having second thoughts about visiting Karen. It's been raining all day, maybe I should take that as a sign? No, I'm just looking for an excuse to put off seeing her. I will do it. It's now eight AM and I have to get back to the library by ten, I better just go. I'll write about the events that will transpire later.

-Mary-

The rain is still coming down and I'm a still a little wet. I would have wrote as soon as I returned home about Karen's advise, but my umbrella didn't do much to help me from the rain and the last thing I wanted to do was to soak the pages and leave them unreadable.

"Smart move, Mom." Leo remarked.

So I had to dry myself and change clothes before returning to this. I arrived at the supermarket. Karen and her family live behind it and their home connects right into the store front. I gladly came inside and shut the door behind me, closing off the rain and the chill it at brought with it, killing the last of the summer warmth.

I used to wonder if there ever was such a thing as fate, but lately I'm beginning to believe more and more that there is, and it has a quite a mean streak. As I closed the door behind me I was greeted by Jeff, the shop owner and Karen's father. He's a very nice man, but too much of a push-over for his own good. There are so many people in this village that owe him money for their bills (Duke, who runs the Aja Winery owes the most, or so Karen's told me.) Karen has tried to convince her father so many times to make people pay their bills, but the poor man can never bring himself around to do it.

Sorry, I seem to have gotten off track. As I was saying I stepped inside and Jeff said hello and I greeted him back just the same. I had not looked over at him yet because I was still closing my umbrella; it's very old, you see, and sometimes it sticks when I use it. It was then that I was greeted by another voice, a familiar one. I looked up and there was Jack standing at the counter. He was looking back at me, smiling. My face turned red right away. I don't know if you can really understand this, but I wasn't ready to see him. I didn't have a change to really prepare myself to speak to him. Its pretty sad that I'm so shy that I have to actually mentally prep myself before I can talk to someone that I love as much as him.

I wanted to just run back out in the rain then, umbrella or no. However, I held my ground. I smiled back at him and said my own hello. Jack said a goodbye to Jeff and came over to me. I saw that in his left hand was several bags of seeds. He saw where my eyes had landed lifted the bags slightly.

"I had to cut down the summer crops and make way for the new ones." He remarked.

"You're always so busy." I said. "It seems like every time I see you your running off somewhere."

"A farmer's work is never done. Sorry to cut and run, but I better get going or else the day will get away from me. Goodbye, Mary."

"Goodbye."

And with that he left. I stood there looking at the door he left through, thinking how strange it was that he didn't even bother himself with an umbrella, he just ran right out into the rain. He was just asking for a cold.

I was so lost in thought that I didn't even hear Jeff calling to me until he had to really raise his voice.

"Mary!"

"Huh?" I turned around to him sounding as thought I was just snapped out of a trance. Maybe I was.

"I said: what can I get for you?"

"Oh, sorry. Is Karen in?" I asked as I approached the counter.

"Yes. She's in her room, practicing for the Music Festival. She'll be singing this year, same as last."

"She really does have a wonderful singing voice."

It was true. She was a great singer. He voice had a kind of angel like quality. She had been singing at the festival for a few years now. I don't think I'm a bad singer myself but Karen is much better by far, better then anyone else in in Mineral Village I'd say.

"So, Mary. Will you still be playing the organ this year?"

"Yes, sir."

"Been practicing?"

"Yes, sir."

"Dad, stop bugging her."

Karen's voice started me as well as her father. I saw that she had been leaning in the door that connect the house to the store. I wonder how long she had been there.

"Mary's going to do great, the same as every year, so don't worry her."

"Yes, Honey, I know she will."

"Oh, dad." Karen smiled and shook her head back and forth. She and her father got into it sometimes, but they both loved each other very much. "Come on, Mary. We can talk in my room."

I followed her though the living room and into her room. She closed the door after I came in and made herself comfortable on her bed. Next to her was sheet music for tomorrow.

"Am I interrupting anything, Karen? If so I can leave-"

"Sit down, girl. I need to take a break anyway. The last thing on Earth I need is to lose my voice before the big day."

She laughed at that slightly and tossed a stand of blond hair for her eye. She was quite possibly the second biggest tomboy in Mineral Village. I think Ann would easily win first on that. Karen once made me wear one of her outfits once: high socks with work shoes, jean shorts, a white t-shirt and a sleeveless vest. Oh, I looked terrible in it, but we both did get a good laugh out of it. She started to chuckle and then that blew into full laugher. I tried to act upset, but I couldn't. I stared to laugh too and it came down to both of us, on the floor, laughing till tears came out of our eyes. Then we both finally calmed, but only for a minute. She got another look at me and a fresh wave a laughter came rolling over us like the tide. Karen told me to go change back before she laughed herself to death. I still remember that day fondly, I think I always will.

"What's up?" Karen asked.

"Well, I wanted to talk about………something."

"Yea, I kinda figured that out. Now what would that something be?"

I found myself becoming scared again. I just can't stop myself. I thought that maybe I could make something up and just hurry my way through this and leave before I embarrassed myself further.

"Wait, Mary. Stop. You're making that face. That one where you're trying to say something, but you can't."

"Can you really read me that easily, Karen?"

"I've know you since we were kids, I've just learned to know you work, that's all. Now sit down here next to me and talk."

She push the sheet music off her bed and right onto the floor. She then patted the bed till I sat down. I decided that I better tell the truth, there was no way Karen would let me leave till I do.

"So what is this something?" she asked.

"Well……it's not so much a something as it is as someone."

"Really?"

"You see, there's this……person……and lately I've felt very strong feelings towards this person and ………and I don't really know what to say or how to say it……"

I was blushing again, I couldn't believe that I was actually talking about this! It had no idea what Karen would say or do and that scared me. But what scared me more was what she did next. Karen took my hand and squeezed it tightly and brought it up in between us. She spoke very softly to me.

"I see. I'm not surprised. I'm happy that you finally managed to come to me about this."

"You are?" I asked. I didn't understand her.

"Yes. I am. You see I've know for a long time."

Her voice was still soft, however, mine had grown panicked. If she knew, that then meant anyone could know, even Jack! I wouldn't be ready for that.

"What! How! I-I didn't say anything to anyone!"

"It's okay, Mary. I feel the same way. It's been hard, but I'm managed to keep quiet, for your sake."

My stomach sank like a rock. It was so clear then, Karen loved him too. I knew it then as clearly as I knew my own name. It was all so obvious, I wondered how could I be so dense? I should have saw it: Karen was also in love with Jack.

TO BE CONTINUED