It had been two months since Jill came. She was still wondering over who she would like to marry. The two guys that she loved were both very sweet but she didn't like Gray that much. She was afraid to hurt Gray's feelings. It was around six at night when she sat at the table and thought of her past times with Cliff and Gray. Then there was a knock on the door. She opened the door and smiled. There in front of her was a smiling Gray.
"Hi, Gray. So what can I help you with?"
Gray grinned and said, "Well, what about, you and I take a walk at the beach? How does that sound?"
"It sounds great! Let me get my coat first."
Jill quickly took her jacket from the coat rack and then walked outside. She quickly closed the door while Gray watched her from behind. She turned around and smiled. The weather was so cool. The leaves from the apple tree were falling to the ground, such a nice and romantic look for a farm in autumn. Then she realized that Gray was closing in on her face.
"Umm….what about that walk on the beach, huh?" Jill said nervously.
"Uh, oh yeah come on lets go now," Gray said but inside he felt a bit disappointed.
When they were at the beach they sat on the dock. Jill's long and slender legs that were dangling there made Gray even more attracted to her.
"So, how's t going between you and your grandfather?" Jill asked as she tried to ignore the hungry look in Gray's eyes.
"Huh? Oh, after the advice you gave me, everything has been going smoothly for my grandfather and I," he said.
Jill looked out into the ocean and said softly but sadly to Gray, "I'm sorry, I don't want to break your heart but…..I don't love you as much as I love Cliff. I don't even think I love you, I think it's just a crush. You have Mary, so please don't get angry at me."
Gray was stiff with shock. He felt as though Jill had just taken a knife and cut up his heart into many tiny pieces. He got up and then he looked angrily at Jill.
"I can't believe that even with so much love and affection I gave you, you still won't love me back!" he shouted at Jill.
Jill had begun to cry softly but Gray ignored it. He still thought that she was cute although she was crying. He gave her a push that sent her into the deep waters under the dock. He was frightened as he saw Jill struggling in the water. He fled back to the inn, gathered up his belongings and quickly ran far, far away from Mineral Village, never to come back again. Meanwhile at the beach, Jill was shouting for help.
"Please help me!"
Cliff was passing by the beach when he heard Jill. He quickly ran to the dock and saw Jill struggling there.
"Help me Cliff!"
"But I can't swim!"
He looked around worriedly, hoping that someone was close by to help him. Suddenly he saw Jill stop and saw that she had passed out and was beginning to sink underwater. If I don't save her, she's going to die, Cliff said in his mind. Cliff quickly dived into the water and grabbed Jill by her shirt collar. He quickly pulled her to shore. He checked if she was breathing but to no respond. He knew that she had a lot of water inside her lungs, so he began to perform CPR. In a matter of minutes, Jill's eyes fluttered open.
"Cliff….is that you?" she asked as she felt his cheeks.
"Yes, it's me. Don't move. I'll call the Doctor."
Cliff got up and ran to the clinic. He quickly explained to the doctor about Jill and they both rushed back. Jill was there with her eyes closed.
"Jill, the doctor's here, don't worry, he'll take care of you," Cliff said with tears flowing down his cheeks.
The doctor checked her pulse and checked to see if somehow she hit something.
"She's in a critical condition. I'm afraid that she'll have to stay in the clinic for a moth to make sure that she'll be alright."
"Okay," Cliff said helped the doctor carry Jill to the clinic.
Cliff and some other villagers helped to take care of the farm while Jill was at the clinic. Cliff always visited her at the clinic. She was going to be fine, the doctor told him one day. He saw that Jill was getting better each day. After one month Jill came home.
"So Jill what happened to you?" Cliff and the villagers asked her.
"Gray pushed me into the water after I told him that I didn't like him as much as I loved Cliff," Jill said and looked at Cliff whose face was very serious.
All the villagers were shocked to hear that Gray had done such a thing. Even worse for Mary, she was practically crying so hard over what Jill said.
When all the villagers went back, leaving Cliff and Jill all alone, Jill looked up into Cliff's face. He smiled at her and she smiled back.
"Thanks for rescuing me that time even though you didn't know how to swim. You're my hero!" Jill said as she hugged Cliff happily.
"No problem. After all, I really, really love you."
"Cliff…"
Cliff took out a blue feather from his pocket and held it in front of Jill's face.
"Jill, will you marry me?"
"Yes, yes I accept!" Jill said with tears of joy streaming down her cheeks.
They both hugged each other with so much love. Little did they know, Gray was watching them with sorrow and with so much regret from afar.
The End.
