COUSINS
Chapter 5: Violet Meadows

The springtime weather began fading by May 12th, on which the temperature reached 24°C. By this point, the cousins had settled in to Veltron and were becoming more acquainted with its commercial strip and pleasant beach. Occasionally Vesta visited them, bearing sweets and accessories for their garden, such as flamingos and gnomes. Penny baked for them often, and T-Bone loaned them how-to books on maintaining an actively healthy lifestyle, from which he acquired his muscular shape, as he had claimed.

The weather was again agreeable on May 13th: the sun shone intensely, casting short shadows over the sprouting trees growing along the riverbank and drowning the roses and tulips in the heat—the temperature had peaked at 22° by 10:30 AM. The fragrance of freshly cut grass entered the house of the cousins as Cheri, the first to wake that morning, opened the kitchen window, also bringing with it a soft wind. Coffee was brewing and Olive was preparing BLT sandwiches, a favourite of theirs at the expense of the high-priced food products. The radio was on, blasting classical music.

"Good morning, what's that racket for so early in the morning?" Dressed in a robe that blended with her rose fur, Cupcake walked into the kitchen with a broken picture frame in her hand. After placing it in the garbage bin, she took a seat at the table, demanding something to eat. Olive hushed her, stating that she was making BLTs which were nearly ready. Cupcake seemed grumpier than usual for most mornings, and she sighed irritably and stood, returning to her room without an explanation.

"Is she okay?" Cheri asked coolly. "It's bizarre to see her all up in arms in less than three sentences."

Olive eyed Cheri uneasily, tilting her head back and forth in imitation of her cousin, but to a lesser degree than what she had wanted.

"Um, sorry..." Cheri lowered her voice briefly, turning away. A moment later, she muttered an unclear phrase and faced her cousin again. "By the way, I don't know how I forgot, but a letter came from Penny this morning. She wants to take all of us to Violet Meadows today, one of the most beautiful 'scenic locations' in Veltron. It's covered with violets that dance with the spring breezes. It sounds great, doesn't it?" The bear trotted over to the table and lifted the letter from a pile of lined stationery. "Um... at around noon she's going to pick us up."

After seasoning the BLTs and placing them on the table, Olive nodded slowly at Cheri, who was still standing with the letter at the table. Cheri expected her cousin to say something, but she did not, instead returning to the counter and retrieving glasses from the cupboard.

"Are you going, Olive?"

"Of course, it's not like I have many other things to do," Olive responded caringly as she situated three tall glasses on the table. "We need to be back before 8:00 though. T-Bone invited us to his place for dinner and he's cooking stew, something I've been craving for a few days now. Also, I think he'd said something about chocolate cake for desert." The bear gazed into oblivion in an attempt to recall his exact words.

Cheri nodded understandingly. "Yes, I didn't forget, and oh, it's actually a mint-chocolate cake. He didn't tell me why though."

Fifteen minutes later, Cupcake reentered the kitchen, wearing an Argyle Knit, one of the only Tom Nook-designed outfits she liked other than the Bubble Shirt. Her hair was brushed strikingly, revealing white pigments beneath the strands that somehow blended well with the tone of her fur. The apparel was different, if somewhat unique, almost reflecting on the fading winter, yet yearning for it to stay at the same time. Neither of her cousins commented on the outfit, and instead, a stony silence filled the kitchen. The silence was so complete that a faint splash was heard in the distance, likely from the ocean or someplace. Cupcake resumed her seat at the table and looked out the window, admiring the sun above. The summer was fast-approaching, which she was anticipating because it was her favourite season of the year—additionally, the radio had reported that it was going to be one of the hottest summers on record.

"We have a little time before Penny arrives," Olive finally said, mustering her words unfashionably if to suggest disappointment in having plans for the day, but she was not questioned. "I'm thinking of putting on that... nice summer outfit with the orange chest and the red stripe through the middle." She paused gallingly. "...I don't know what it's called."

Cupcake stuck her fist in the air without purpose. "That's the Hippie Shirt!"

---

At quarter to noon, Olive left the house for T-Bone's. She was going to inform him about their day-trip to Violet Meadows and the possibility of them being late that evening. Cheri and Cupcake did not know what they wanted to wear, but both agreed on lower-class outfits so that they did not become filthy. Cheri chose the Spiderweb Shirt because it almost entirely clashed with her fur, while Cupcake picked out the Gray Tartan, a "dry clean only" Gracie design she had owned for several years and seldom wore anymore.

Penny arrived ten minutes later and Olive had yet to return. The mouse cheerfully greeted her neighbours and pulled tiny colourful envelopes from her purse, giving one each to the corresponding bears. She said, "I guess you could say I never even properly introduced myself by bringing housewarming gifts. Well, no, I properly introduced myself, but that was it." Inside the envelopes were not cards or stationery, but instead giant white books, at first which confused the bears. Penny told them to open them, revealing that they were not books, but photo albums, suddenly enlightening both of them significantly. Cheri cried "thank you!" and gave the mouse a big hug.

After another fifteen minutes—it was 12:15—the girls figured that Olive had become caught up with T-Bone in an activity or event of some sort, and they went to his house to fetch her. However, when they got there, there was a sign on the door that read: Out with friends. If you need me, contact me by priority mail. Penny assumed that the two of them had already gone ahead because T-Bone knew Violet Meadows like the inside of his chimney, or at least according to her anyway.

Violet Meadows was located fifteen minutes from T-Bone's house. It was not a colossus on the main land, however, but a somewhat slanted valley connected to the base of Mount Veltron, which was another half hour from the meadows. The decaying trees that inhabited the meadows appeared harshly from the long winter, with few leaves, if any, growing on some of them. The land was fairly large, covering as far as the animals could see and perhaps further. Violets expectantly populated the field, but the vast majority had yet to sprout because it was only mid-May.

"Oh my goodness! This place... is as beautiful as—!" Cheri began, but her voice drowned out at the suddenness of an awkward high-pitched gasp.

"Don't tell me you actually like this never-ending meadow," came a low female voice. "It's disturbingly big with almost no sign of life, save for the violets, which grow in my garden anyway because of the wonderful luxuries I can afford. Coming here has no meaning unless you need a break from work or something dreadful." A midnight-furred kangaroo appeared at the edge of one of the nearby tiny hills, her mahogany-patterned blouse complementing her haircut and physique. Cupcake's eyes widened at her appearance.

Penny turned away at the sight of the kangaroo, her cheeks flushed as red as salsa, equaling its relative temperature too. The cousins did not see this, however, perhaps because they had yet to meet the kangaroo, who marched over to them nobly, placing emphasis on her body shape, which was evident by her peculiar walk. After immobilizing herself in front of them, she extended a hand toward Cupcake, who unexpectedly shivered at its appearance as if it was the mouth of a shark. She took it in her hand and shook it quickly.

"I am pleased to meet you," the kangaroo said plainly. "My name is Mathilda. I am the fashion guru of Veltron."

Cupcake coughed with intense exaggeration and she lowered herself slightly in response to Mathilda's so-called title. Everybody turned to look at her, during which she hastily stood again and nodded uncomprehendingly at Mathilda, to whom she held out her hand and introduced herself. Cheri did the same more traditionally and summarized their recent move to Veltron, to which the kangaroo listened, but it was uncertain whether she had actually retained the information or not. Penny still did not look at her.

"You'll come to like me quite a lot," Mathilda predicted dumbly as she placed her hands on her hips. "Then again, I can't remember one animal who didn't like me because, after all, I'd get through to them as fast as I'd allow myself. That's fast." She relentlessly ranted for some minutes willfully, though at this point Cupcake had intentionally tuned her out, focused on her surroundings. Cheri tried to keep interest, but Penny's unusual aura about Mathilda earned their full attention and the mouse did whatever she could to try looking kosher with her presence. It failed miserably to their silent amusement.

"...The first time I went to the festival, I was changed. Apparently it was very different before I'd moved to Veltron, though I'm sure only someone like Penny can attest to that—but she's here, how did I not notice her before? Penny, my dear! You are friends with these newcomers of Veltron?" Mathilda's voice rose after her discovery and she eyed the mouse uneasily.

Penny turned toward Mathilda gradually, assumed she was looking at her, and sighed timidly. She said, "I've lived here since the town's conscription, which was ten years ago. You, Mathilda, have lived here for four years. That festival has been held in Veltron since conscription, created from the Mayor's desires. I'm glad to see you've noticed me with the cousins. They recently moved here from the capital city, you know." Her voice was hollow and resembled a spooky sound in the darkness. Her eyes emulated that of a monster's.

A mere pause separated Mathilda's response. "I know? I certainly didn't know that, at least not until now. Ah, the city... way too busybody-like for me." She stretched her arms, letting them frail about momentarily before resuming her gaze on Cheri, Cupcake, and Penny. In her mind she knew that the cousins were unlikely to fit in with the mold for an undetermined lengthy period of time because of their lifelong non-association with suburban lifestyles. Although acknowledging this, she did not want to assume that they were total losses, based on the purpose of befriending them for the sake of her renowned social status, as well possibly inviting them to her annual Mode Tropè get-together, which was upcoming.

"Anyway," Penny interjected. "The girls and I were going to Violet Meadows for what's left of the afternoon. We'll see you, Mathilda."

Mathilda sniffed restlessly. "Anyway indeed. I'll see you later then! ...By the way, cousins, I'd suggest better outfits—at your current rate you're doomed if you plan on settling in Veltron. Even that Gracie one—that "dry clean only" get-up—is no longer a hot product. Lose it." Before anybody had time to respond to the kangaroo's sudden if pushy comments, she departed hurriedly, leaving only the drumming of footprints.

An indescribably awkward stretch of silence occupied the surrounding ambiance, uncomfortable like lying bare on cold floor. Cheri was the first to mutter, barely audible, and combined with no sense of thought. Finally, Penny faced the cousins and laughed improbably. This was followed by a short series of indistinguishable syllables that amused and lightened the seriousness.

"Let's just proceed," Cupcake demanded. "We'll... figure on that later", her emphasis on Mathilda as thick as wood.

"I didn't know that you've lived here for so long, Penny," Cheri said, changing the topic nonchalantly. "What was Veltron like for all these years? Did you move in the day it opened to the public? Wow, ten years ago... I don't even remember what we were doing a decade ago, do you, Cupcake?" She looked to her cousin, who responded by shaking her head.

Penny nodded unenthusiastically. "I moved in on the day the train station opened to the public. I was the very first resident, as a matter of fact." Her voice was drab, almost broken. "I've been living in the same house for ten years now and all aspects of my life have become a lot better compared to what it used to be like... well, somewhat. I swear though, if anything happens and I was forced to leave Veltron, I don't know what I'd do. Financially I've never been treated well." The dullness in her voice diminished upon the end of her summary and her focus returned to the path in front of them, on which the three of them had resumed walking.

"I see," Cheri and Cupcake said in unison.

The path began breaking off as the population in the violets maximized, only some patches of grass lacking the purple plant. Rows of trees appeared from the distance and faded into smaller groups as the seemingly endless fields spiraled upward at the entrance of Mount Veltron, where the path ended, rockier terrain beginning its long trek to the peak. A small river made its way through Violet Meadows, the water coming from a higher ledge on the mountain that was not in current view. The river emptied into the ocean below though a tiny waterway.

"Oh wow, Violet Meadows is gorgeous," cooed Cheri again, this time with the addition of the river and various watch spots, some which offered a very clear view of the town, and others escalating in elevation. "It's a really nice place to have a picnic. Why didn't we think of packing some food? Now that I think of it, we ate brunch and dinner isn't for hours. I should've thought of having a picnic earlier!"

Applause came from Penny. "That is why I am here! I think ahead!" The mouse stopped walking, dug into her purse and pulled out several wrapped trays of food: included were pizza rolls, rice balls and several fruits, watermelon being the most prominent. They thanked Penny for preparing a meal and wondered if a blanket was able to fit in her purse too. Penny continued, "I didn't pack anything to drink because I was afraid that it'd spill in my purse. My friend Dizzy will bring some basins of fruit drinks and soda—I'm a health freak, but still, you need to have some soda—in a little while. I told him to meet us near the river around 1:30, so until then we should just enjoy this place. I really like it and I hope the two of you do too... by the way, where's Olive?" Her attention turned to the meadow.

A silhouette of T-Bone spread over most of the grass beside the river. Olive was on the other side, her clothes soaked, and she was trying to catch a butterfly that kept escaping from her grasp. She gasped every few moments, also panting to release her exhaustion. Her hair stretched at lengths unusual even for her, appearing less dense than it had earlier that morning.

"Good afternoon!" Penny exclaimed, nearing the two before Olive's cousins. "I see you decided to get a head start." She chuckled.

Olive shrugged lazily. "T-Bone asked if he could come and I figured, 'why not?' That way we won't have to worry about time issues later in the evening. This is definitely a nice place to be when you want to relax. I like it a lot! Thanks so much for inviting us here today, Penny." The grey bear smiled, but Penny could not see this because of the distance still between them.

Cupcake and Penny arrived next to T-Bone seconds later. As they turned their backs, they noticed Cheri had disappeared over one of the smaller hills, incessantly twisting her head one direction to the next. Her cousins noted her curious nature: though rarely exhibited, there were times when she was unable to control her interests, making decisions based on how she felt about what she was looking at or what she wanted or was going to do.

Violet Meadows was vast, almost expanding to unreachable destinations, such as the point of Mount Veltron, which was never climbed because the temperature at its peak was approximately -12°C on a warm day. Cheri stood at the river's end in Violet Meadows which abruptly changed into a small waterfall that entered a smaller waterway some metres below. As she breathed in the fresh fragrance of violets, her senses tickled and she found herself hysterically laughing at the feeling in her nose, which seemed as though dandellions were dancing on her nostrils. A moment later, the red bear decided to cross the river, leaping successfully over it without touching the water.

---

Dizzy was a moderately-sized elephant and his figure was unbalanced, but he explained that his diet was atypical, consisting of avocados, carrots, and potatoes, but at the same time vanilla-frosted cupcakes. His ears and eyes were very large, and his outfit, according to Cupcake, "wreaked of last decade's fashion lows". Olive did not like the comment, the disapproval in her eyes as she looked at her cousin.

"I welcome the two of you to Veltron!" Dizzy was greeting Olive and Cupcake—Cheri had yet to return to the group. "I hope you like this village. Violet Meadows is probably the most famous thing we've got here, well, other than the dock since it's so big. Please don't leave anytime soon though. Many animals have a stupid habit of doing that before really getting to know Veltron. I've been living here for a couple years now."

"We won't be moving anytime soon," said Olive reassuringly. "We've got an outrageous loan to pay. Our friend helped us with some of it, but it's still up there in the numbers. We promise we'll be staying here for a while." Cupcake nodded in agreement.

Dizzy brought a picnic blanket which Penny had surprisingly lacked. It was big enough to sit more than ten animals, therefore allowing them to place the trays of food, as well as the basins and some cookies Dizzy had baked, on the remainder of it. Cheri was absent from the group when they began eating, and although Penny suggested looking for her, Cupcake said that she would easily forgive them, also using the meadow's size as an excuse to her cousin's unknown location. The others silently put their food on plastic plates Dizzy had also supplied.

Cupcake discussed her family life in the capital city with the others for a little while before Olive detailed hers. Their high school had been one of many suicides, two of whom were close friends with all three cousins. Most of their experiences came at the cost of either somebody's life or status, but they generally made it through the situations without much grieving. They also mentioned that Cheri was nominated for Prom Queen, her loss attributed to a sneaky (and somewhat clichéd) miscount of the votes. Apparently she did not mind though.

"So... if you could describe your life in one word, what would it be?" Dizzy asked fascinatingly.

Silence, but on a thinking level. Olive gazed lovingly at her surroundings and turned to look the elephant in the eyes, coyly sighing. She answered, "Drama. Drama is the best word, without a doubt." Her eyes shifted to Cupcake, who was chewing on a rice ball. "I'm sure Cupcake agrees with me." The pink bear showed no signs of agreement or disagreement.

It was Dizzy's turn to chronicle his life to Olive and Cupcake. He had been working at the Able Sisters design shop for several years, during which he had gained an "impeccable" taste for fashion. Although he refused to tell them from what city he had moved, he spoke about his childhood and adolescence, strengthening what could have been considered loose ends and odd bits. He even commented on his large ears, but noted the accuracy of sounds that it earned him.

"Actually," the elephant continued, "what some animals don't know is that I was a decent artist at one point."

Olive's eyebrows rose with interest, but she did not say anything.

About fifteen minutes later, Cheri appeared, walking leisurely along the riverside, humming an assortment of 1940s jazz songs at once. Initially she failed to see her cousins and friends eating on the picnic blanket in front of her, but her eyes retraced their trajectory, and displayed disappointment entwined with moderate frustration. At the sight of the rice balls, she took a leaping start approximately ten metres from the river and jumped over it, again successfully, but this time landing on a fellow villager, Dizzy, who she had yet to meet. His laughter ridiculed them after Cheri apologized and found her own seat on the blanket.

"Remember this well, please: when there are rice balls, you tell Cheri so that she can eat them!" The red bear referred to herself in third-person for the sake of emphasis on her character and statement altogether. Cupcake made several hand gestures that nobody but the cousins understood, which motivated Cheri to ramble a bit longer because of the meanings and "messages", as she called them. "Anyway, pass the rice balls! Please!" Her plate comprised of slightly less food than the others because of her nonattendance.

The food was strongly complimented by the animals, all using descriptive words to illustrate visuals for it. "Amazing, excellent, fantastic, superb, wicked, and yummy!" Penny had finally memorized the list after many attempts, thanking all her friends also and explaining her desire to hold more picnics in the area because of the unquestionable beauty that was Violet Meadows. The group concurred and T-Bone asked if they could have another one sometime during the summer, to which Penny nodded heedlessly.

---

After the picnic, the animals broke off into smaller groups: Cheri and Dizzy, becoming fast friends, began conversing as they resumed what had been Cheri's lone walk, while Cupcake, Olive and T-Bone made their way to the waterfall where Cheri was earlier. Penny, demanding that she would clean up, remained on the blanket, tying some bags together to throw in the local garbage bins upon return to Veltron.

"That is such an incredible view!" commented Olive as she looked out at the beach, swarmed with residents of Veltron. "It's neat to be capable of watching the village's animals in their daily lives as we just stand aloof, you know? This place is so nice that we might as well just build a cottage here to get away to when we want." Her voice rose at that thought.

Cupcake sat down at the edge of the cliff, which whistled a funky sound. She placed her hand in the running water and let the cool sensation send chills up her spine. "Yeah," she said unexpectedly, even to herself. "I'd really like to come here more often." Beneath her, the cliff shook as though she had gotten on a rollercoaster that was starting up.

"I've been here a lot," T-Bone said. "Each time this seems brand new." He waved a hand in front of him, heated by the sun's rays. The temperature was still rather high for that time of day in mid-May (20°). The sun shone like a massive spotlight on the meadows.

Suddenly, a small portion of the cliff that Cupcake was sitting on began making noises. The awkwardness alerted her, but her movement was not fast enough, and she found herself soaring downward next to the roaring waterfall. Screams echoed in the area, sending piercing vibrations elsewhere over miles. Olive screamed equally loudly, mortified at what was happening. She wondered at that pivotal moment where Cheri was and what she was doing.

"Cupcake! Oh my gosh!" T-Bone gasped.

Olive was petrified. Was her cousin really falling into the flowing river below them?

AUTHOR'S NOTES: I love the dramatics in this story and I hope you do too. Will Cupcake be all right? You will soon find out!