Author's Note/Disclaimer:

Akeno: Hi! I don't own Harvest Moon, or anything else copyrighted by law that may or may not appear in this fanfiction. Now, welcome back to "Friends of Mineral Town: The Beginning"! Today's chapter is Wednesday: Day 3; the third day of Jack's adventures in Mineral Town. Now, I'm here with Inu-kun to talk about things.

Inu-kun: Yip, woof, yip bark, arf.

Akeno: Good idea! Why don't we talk about this fanfiction? I was originally planning on making a comedy; however, when making the first chapter, it veered away from the original comedic idea. While I still like to believe that it has traces of comedic ideas in it, this fanfiction has a more drama-ish feel, with out being to soap opera-like. This is why I labeled it under 'general'.

Inu-kun: (pants excitedly)

Akeno: Okay! Let's finish off this Author's Note/Disclaimer by reading the review! jasonresno writes "very well written, I like your style…it reminds me of Robin Hobb.". Thanks! I appreciate every review I get. Now, without further ado, I present to you, the third chapter in "Friends of Mineral Town: The Beginning". Please enjoy!

Wednesday: Day 3

I woke up the next morning almost happy. Almost. Not quite. I felt as if I had made no progress on the farm. Of course, it had only been two days since I had started, and it would take much longer than that to make some notable progress. I got up and smiled at Inu-kun. After wiping up the mess he had made with the shirt I had worn during the rain, I had expected the floor to be covered with dog urine this morning. It wasn't. I whistled, but Inu-kun didn't come. Instead, he whimpered and began scratching the door.

"Oh!" He needed to pee. I threw on some clothes and opened the door. Inu-kun ran through it like a bolt of lightning. I looked up and saw an old, bald man with glasses standing there with a foal. "Um…hello? Can I help you, sir?" I asked. The old man just smiled.

"I hope you can help me. You are Jack, are you not?" I nodded, wondering what this was getting to. "Thomas mentioned you a few days back." He sighed and looked at the foal with sad eyes. "My name is Barley; I run the Yodel Farm. You see, this foal is…not doing well. He is very sickly. I would nurse him back to health, but I'm getting very old; almost so old that I can barely take care of the cattle and sheep. And my granddaughter, May, is far too young to take care of this one by herself…she can barely take care of her own, healthy pony." Then I realized where this was going to. "So…would you mind taking care of him?" Barley smiled. I thought about it for a few seconds.

"Yeah…what the heck, sure," I smiled.

"Oh wonderful, simply marvelous! In that case, you can even name him!"

"Um…alright. How about…Chestnut?" I said, wondering if that was a good name for a horse.

"Oh! Perfect! I'll be back in about a year to see how he's doing. Who knows…if you take extra-good care of him, I might even let you keep him!" Barley smiled. "Just make sure to talk to him every day. You can let him outside to play as well, and if you have a brush, it would be a good idea to brush him each day." He looked at the foal. "Good-bye Chestnut…Jack will take good care of you." He looked at me and smiled. "Take care, Jack. Come visit sometime soon now!" And with that, he walked away.

I looked at my new horse. "Well, Chestnut. You should run around a bit. Get some exercise. Get big and strong, now." Chestnut neighed in delight and began running across the fields. I smiled. Inu-kun walked up towards me and barked. I crouched down and began petting him. He seemed to like it at first, but then he ran towards the shipping bin. I opened up the bin to find another letter.

Jack or Current Resident:

As you are not available at the moment, I have decided to address you in this letter. You did not have anything for shipment today. I come by at 5:00 PM everyday. Please deposit all items you wish to ship before this designated time. Thank you.

Mineral Town's Shipper,

Zack

Darn. I had forgotten to ship anything yesterday. Telling myself that I needed to shape up if I wanted to make any progress on the farm, I pulled out my watering can, filled it up, and began watering my plants. Every so often, Chestnut of Inu-kun would come by, and I'd chat a bit with them. Talk about trivial things. I had read somewhere that talking to animals regularly raised their affection towards the speaker.

At about 8:00 AM, I was finished watering my plants. I set out for the supermarket to get the seeds Karen had promised me. I was trying to get there without meeting anybody, but as I neared the supermarket, someone called my name.

"Jack! Jack! Are you busy?" I knew it was Thomas. But why? I thought. Why did it have to be Thomas? Why did Thomas have to live directly on the way to the supermarket? Maybe I can ignore him. But I didn't want to be rude, so I turned and gave a nice, big, completely fake smile.

"Uh…no, Thomas, not at all," I said as I shook my head. So much for not meeting anybody on the way to the supermarket.

"Well then! Why don't you join me for breakfast with Ellen? It would be a great opportunity for you to meet more of the townsfolk." I nodded, but inwardly was thinking that I had made enough acquaintances in the last two days, and I really didn't need more. I didn't say that, of course.

I followed Thomas sullenly. He was chirping away about mayors and how they depend on farmers for food and blah, blah, blah. I smiled as he opened the door to the house we were going to. Just because I was being forced to meet these people didn't mean I had to be rude to them. Inside the house was an old woman in a rocking chair and a small boy with a mushroom hair cut running around. The old woman looked up. "Why, hello Thomas. Who is this young man?" The old woman's voice was soft and pretty. Thomas smiled and pulled me closer as if I was his most prized trophy.

"This, Ellen, is Jack Hawthorne. He is taking over the Alexandria farm. We are very pleased to have him here in Mineral Town." Thomas boasted. Ellen looked up and smiled.

"Well then. It's very nice to meet you, Jack. It's also very nice to hear that you're taking over the old farm. It's been out of use for so long…" Her eyes went misty for a while, as if she was remembering something, but she snapped back to the present quickly. "I do hope Elli has enough food for an extra visitor today…we were only expecting Thomas, you see." I smiled, happy for the excuse to avoid a social obligation with strangers I had just met.

"That's alright, I don't have to stay, and the farm is waiting, so…" I was cut off quickly by both Thomas and Ellen.

"Nonsense!" They both exclaimed at once. Thomas looked flustered, as if he hadn't expected me to offer to leave, but I didn't really care. What got me was the look in Ellen's eyes; it was as if she had offended me; as if she thought that I thought she wanted me to leave. Well that was nonsense, and I'd prove it.

"Okay, I'll stay." I said faster than they had cut me off. Suddenly, the little boy, who had been quietly standing in the corner since I came in, suddenly went hyper.

"Yay! Grandma, Grandma, Grandma! Can I play with him?" He bouncing up and down, running all around, and twirling in circles. Ellen smiled.

"Stu, maybe Jack will come play with you another day. In the meantime, why don't you go get ready for breakfast? Elli will be back any minute now with the groceries, and she'll want to get straight to work without having to worry about you." Stu obediently went, and I was left with a question on my mind. I decided to voice it.

"Is Elli Stu's mother?" It was Thomas, however, who answered.

"Actually, she's his sister…but she might as well be his mother. You see…Stu and Elli's parents died a while back. Elli has been taking care of Stu as best as she could since then. She's only eighteen…but she's so mature for her age. And very kind."

"I told her that I could take care of Stu just fine, but she wouldn't hear of it," said Ellen. "She said, 'Grandma, with your bad leg you can barely take care of yourself, much less a ten year old boy.'. I hate to admit it, but she's right. She's not only become a mother for Stu, but also my caretaker. And that's much too much pressure to put on a teenager. Not to mention the fact that she's studying medicine with the local doctor. She says she wants to find a way to help me with my leg." Ellen shook her head. "She's a wonderful girl. She deserves the best."

We were all silent for a while, until a girl walked in through the door. "Hi Grandma, hello Thomas, hi Stu…and who are you?" The girl turned towards me. She was in a light blue and white dress, with short cut hair. Her voice was soft and pretty, just like Ellen's, but sounded much younger. Needless to say, she was pretty. I saw she was carrying some grocery bags.

"Elli! This is Jack Hawthorne! He is taking over old Don's farm and going to live there! We are all very pleased to have him in Mineral Town!" This was Thomas, of course. I wondered why he didn't let me introduce myself; I guess he was afraid that I wouldn't overemphasize my own importance. Either way, I stepped closer and reached for the grocery bags.

"Here…let me help you with those," I said, while taking both bags of her hands. She suddenly looked embarrassed.

"Oh…no…I couldn't have a guest help me with the groceries…did my grandmother invite you over?" Elli looked a bit puzzled. I didn't know whether to tell her that Thomas was the one who invited me over. Luckily, Ellen answered quicker than I could make up my mind.

"Yes, dear. I thought, 'what better way to make a newcomer feel welcome than by having him over for Elli's delicious meals?' I just hope he'll agree to stay…" Ellen looked at my with a devious twinkle in her eye, and I realized what she had just done. I couldn't leave now; Ellen had just said she invited me over. It would seem very rude if I just got up and left. I smiled at Ellen.

"Of course, ma'am. I'd be delighted to stay." Elli showed me where to put the grocery bags, and I went back to the living room. Once I sat down next to Thomas, he chuckled knowingly, pulled me down to his mouth, and whispered into my ear.

"Be careful of Ellen; she may have a bad leg, but she has a sharp mind!" he said, while chuckling.

"I'll keep that in mind, Thomas." I looked up just in time to see Stu running around in the kitchen. The same kitchen where Elli was cooking. She seemed exasperated. I frowned.

"Hey Stu! You still want to play?" Every one in the house looked at me with a puzzled look. Except Stu. His eyes grew big, and he ran towards me, and in a split second was running around my legs telling me all his favorite games. I looked up at Elli and smiled. She smiled back, shook her head, and went back to cooking.

By the time Elli said it was time to eat, I was beat. Stu had at least eight different games which involved me carrying him for long periods of time. If you've ever carried a ten year old for an hour without stopping, then you know how I felt. I sat down with others, Thomas on one side, Stu on the other, and we began to eat. Conversations were going on; I wasn't part of them. Elli was asking Stu how his week went, Thomas was talking to Ellen about the old days, Ellen was asking how studying medicine was going for Elli, Thomas was commenting on how Stu would make a great mayor when he grew up. Finally, when I was reaching for my third strip of bacon, someone said something to me.

"So, Jack. How is the farm treating you?" It was Ellen. I looked up. She was talking to me, that much I knew, but I had only been on the farm two days. I didn't know how to answer; that is, until Thomas jabbed me in the stomach with his elbow.

"Ow-o-o-ookay! It's treating me fine, ma'am." I smiled, hoped this answer would suffice, and was picking up my strip of bacon when someone else asked a question.

"So Jack. Do you have any animals yet?" Elli. I put down my strip of bacon; I probably wouldn't be getting to it anytime soon. I nodded.

"Wow! D'ya have any cows?" Stu smiled and looked at me with big eager eyes.

"Uh…no. Just a horse and a dog." I smiled back, but he seemed a bit disappointed. It was Thomas' turn to say something.

"Well, livestock can be pretty expensive. But, how could you afford a horse?"

"It was a sickly one, and it's only a foal. Barley gave it to me in return for my word that I'd take care of him." I looked around briefly, saw that Ellen was going to say something, and focused on her.

"Well that's very nice of Barley; and very lucky for you if you can make it healthy again! What did you name the foal?"

"Chestnut," I said simply.

"Wow…what a beautiful name…I'd like to see him some time…" This was Elli. She was probably talking to herself, but I answered her question anyway.

"You can, if you ever find the time. I'm sure he'd be happy to see more faces. After all, Barley said I should talk to him every day to make him happy, so imagine what two people talking would do!" I said. Elli smiled.

"Thanks, Jack. I'll remember that," she whispered blushingly. Thomas must have felt left out from the conversation, because he came rolling back in.

"You said you had a dog, right, Jack? I remember Don said Bertha had had a litter. What did you name him?"

"Inu-kun."

"That's a nice name, Jack!" It was Stu. "Grandma! I'm done with my food. Can I go to May's house?"

Ellen nodded. "Go wash up first, though. I don't think Mr. Barley needs greasy handprints in the farmhouse!" I took advantage of the moment to finish my strip of bacon. I felt like I couldn't eat anymore. Thomas looked at me and nodded. I took it as the sign that we should go. He stood up.

"Well Ellen, thanks for having Jack and I over. And Elli, thank you for the delicious meal. Each time I eat it, it gets better and better!" Elli smiled at the compliment.

"Well Jack, I assume you're going back to the farm?" Ellen asked.

"No, ma'am," I said, shaking my head, "I have to pick up something at the supermarket."

"Oh! I knew I had forgotten something at the supermarket! I still have to pay the doctor's tab!" Elli looked frantic.

"Um…why don't you come with me?" I suggested. "We're both going to the same place, no reason to go alone when we can go together."

"Really? Thanks! Okay grandma. I'll only be gone a little while. Can you handle Stu alone until I get back?" Ellen said that she was picking the orchard trees for fruit when she was eight years old so she could contribute to 'the war', and if she couldn't handle a ten year old boy after all her years of experience than she couldn't very well call herself a grandmother, could she? Elli took that as a yes, and, along with Thomas, we set off. In front of Thomas' house, he turned into go inside, but before he did he said:

"Jack, I hope the farm goes well for you. I'll be checking by regularly to see how you're doing. And Elli, I'll see you next Wednesday." He cheerily walked up the path to his house and went inside. I looked at Elli.

"Why does Thomas go to your house each Wednesday?" I asked. Elli smiled, as if she had been expecting the question.

"Well for starters it's not my house. I live in the doctor's guest bedroom above the clinic. Secondly, he says it's because the old people of this town need to see each other more often. And finally, he used to go on some other day of the week. But, once he couldn't make it and came on a Wednesday, which is my day off. Once he tasted my bacon he declared that he would come over on that day and that day only. I personally don't think my breakfast is all that great." She smiled. I realized that now would be the perfect time to compliment her on her cooking, but I thought about it to long, and the perfect moment became and awkward silence much too quickly.

We chatted once or twice on the way to the supermarket, she about medicinal things and me about agricultural things. It seemed that the clinic had run out of their best medicine, which needed some kinds of grasses in the forest that were very difficult to find. I told her that when I got the chance I'd try to pick some up and ship them. She smiled and said that'd be great.

When we got to the supermarket, Jeff was behind the counter.

"Jack! Elli! I bet I can guess what both of you want." He smiled and we walked over. "First, I bet Elli wants to pay off the doctor's debt." Elli nodded and pulled out the money. "And then, I bet Jack wants these!" He pulled some seeds out from underneath the counter and leaned in so Elli wouldn't hear. "Don't tell anyone about this. Karen and Sasha wore me out last night. But don't expect it to happen again!" He laughed good-naturedly, so I knew it was a joke. I laughed too, a bit nervously, and put the seeds in by rucksack. Elli smiled and put the money on the counter.

"I believe this will cover the doctor's debt." I looked at the money on the counter. It looked like a lot of money, and I wondered how the doctor could spend so much in only one week. Jeff looked worried.

"Um…Elli, I don't think…that is, this amount is too much…" he stammered. Elli just looked at him sternly.

"Is it, Jeff? I don't think it is." There was an icy air to her voice that hadn't been there before. Jeff stammered a bit, took the money, and thanked us both for our patronage. We nodded and walked outside. I had a question for Elli, but she obviously had one for me, and she beat me to the punch.

"Why did he say, 'Thank you for your patronage'? He never used to say that before; and anyway, he's the only shop in town. Where else could we take our business?" I already knew the answer to this question, but it had just dawned on me when we were leaving the building

"It's this Chinese man named Won. He's a traveling business man, and supposedly has exotic products. I haven't been there before, but it seems some people in town have." She nodded, and we walked in silence for a bit. However, my question hadn't been answered, and as we neared Ellen's house, I asked Elli, "Um…about back in the store. Why did you talk so firmly to Jeff? It did seem like a lot of money, and he would have been saving you some…" I stopped, because Elli was shaking her head.

"I'm sure you've noticed this already, but Jeff has no backbone. There's a man in town called Duke; he runs the winery. He's a decent, hardworking man, and fairly kind. But my grandmother says that when he was a boy, he used to bully Jeff around. Seems that he never stopped. He doesn't let the fists fly any more; but he runs up huge tabs at the supermarket. And Jeff doesn't know what to say, and so he lets him. Duke probably doesn't realize he's bullying Jeff, but the rest of the townsfolk do; including his wife, Manna. So, every once in a while, we add some extra money to our bill, to even out Duke's debt. Jeff would never accept out money on normal conditions, so we have to bully him into taking the money. It's a necessary evil." She sighed, but before I could say anything, she was walking down the path to her grandmother's house. Before she went in, though, she turned and said, "I had a nice time today, Jack. When you get the chance, you should come over some other Wednesday." I nodded, and she smiled and went inside.

When walking home I thought back on everything that had happened over the last few days. I thought that this place was going to be boring. I thought that Mineral Town, being in the middle of the boondocks, would be dull. That the city was the only place you could have any fun. But, it turns out I was wrong. I could find little dramas anywhere, as long as I looked hard enough.

At five o'clock, I had finished all my foraging for the day. My shipping bin was half full from the variety of grasses I had found scattered over the mountain. I had talked for a while with Inu-kun and Chestnut; I thought I was pretty good with them, considering the fact that I was horrible with animals back in the city. Now, I was waiting for this shipper guy, Zack, to come pick up my shipment. From his notes, I had an image of how he looked in my mind; medium-height, thin, and formal. The second he walked onto my land, however, I realized how off I was. He was tall. Very tall. Muscular. Not formal at all. In short, the exact opposite of how I pictured him.

"Oi! Jack! How are you doing?" He had a loud, friendly voice. "You have anything for me to ship today?" I smiled. He wasn't anything like I pictured him, but it wasn't a big disappointment.

"Yup. A whole bin-full of grasses. Took me a while to find them all, but I bet the profit will make up for all the work!" I said cheerfully. Zack opened up the bin and whistled.

"This is a good shipment; especially for a new farmer! I wish all the other farmers shipped this well when they first started out; but then again, I wouldn't expect less from Don's grandson!" Zack chuckled and I smiled. People actually thought that I was a natural farmer. For some reason, Zack's compliment meant more than I thought it would. When I first moved here, I thought I'd be an outsider, just like back home in the city; but I was making friends all over the place. Zack gave me 1000 G for my shipment, and then we chatted a bit about the weather, and he told me a bit about some other farmers that were on his route. Then, he told me about an old, abandoned farm.

"You know, it used to be a good farm. It was called the Nagasaki Farm. Its produce was the best every year; its livestock won every contest…but one day, a tornado came through. Plunged the Nagasaki Farm right into the ground. They gave it a good run for a few more months…but at the end, the Abe family gave up and left. It's free for the taking, but nobody wants it. Some people say it's cursed, but that's silly. I think that the people who do want to take it are afraid the same thing will happen to them, but that's just as silly. A tornado could happen anywhere. Nothing ventured, nothing gained." He sighed, and a cold wind whipped up. Inu-kun whimpered. I looked down at him and saw him shivering.

"Sorry, Zack, but it looks like Inu-kun is cold, I should get him and Chestnut inside." Zack nodded.

"Yeah. The cold winds keep up like this for a few weeks into spring. Well, I'll see you tomorrow, Jack!" He walked away whistling. I whistled for Chestnut, and when he came, I led him into the stable on the far end of my farm. On the way, we passed my farm. It looked so old and weathered. I frowned. I'd have to ask Gotz to fix it up before I got some livestock. After putting Chestnut inside, I picked up Inu-kun and we went inside. As he curled up on the floor in the middle of the room, I listened to the whistling winds outside. Then, sitting on my bed, I opened up my notebook, pulled out my pencil, and began my letter to John.

Dear John.

What's up? Not much here. Farm life is a bit repetitive, but I'm making a lot of acquaintances. My grandfather left the farm in a state of disrepair, but I made friends with the woodcutter, and he'll probably help me fix up some of it. Life here is very different from the city, and I would expect that life in Forget-Me-Not Valley is even more different. There are a few nice girls I've made friends with, and some other people. The mayor is very happy I'm here, although from what I gather there are a lot of farmers around Mineral Town.

Anyway, how's life in Forget-Me-Not Valley going? I hope all is well with you. I have a dog, Inu-kun, and horse, Chestnut, already. I am also planning on getting some livestock as soon as I have enough money.

Mineral Town's Newest Farmer,

Jack Hawthorne

I smiled, folded the letter, went outside and put it in my mailbox. Then, walking back inside, I stripped down to my underwear and went to sleep.