And, after a long wait… I've returned. I'm sorry, guys and girls. Unfortunately, for a long stretch of time there, this story was virtually dead. I'd write a paragraph here and there, but I've found it very hard to write lately thanks to a vast writing slump. However, after some good, hard work and some brainstorming (along with wonderful encouragement by the love of my life) I was able to put this out. And I'm quite satisfied with it too.
Anyway, go ahead and read! And remember—I own very little besides a few copies of video games. I most assuredly don't own Harvest Moon or any characters within—those are owned by Marvelous Interactive, translated by Natsume!
Chapter 5: She Wept
Beep… Beep… Beep… …Beep… …Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeee…
Doctor Tim of Mineral Town frowned. The book he was reading while relaxing in the cushy armchair in his room fell to the ground as he stood. "Doctor!" came a cry from downstairs, in the hospital's lobby. He took off, opening his door and hurrying down the stairs as fast as he could manage, nearly tripping more than once, his face already drained of color.
Tim rushed past Elli, who was standing behind the receptionist's counter. She had frozen at the alarm that sounded both behind the counter and up in Tim's room. Why shouldn't she have?
He threw aside the curtains that closed off old Louis' hospital bed and released a cry. "Elli, I need your help!" Elli shook her head and stood, hurrying, trembling, towards Tim. "Start chest compressions!" Elli did as she was told and Tim squeezed Louis' nose shut, lowering his face to his and breathing.
No response.
"Keep going…!" He breathed again and still no response. He knew—he knew—that there was no chance. But for the town's sake, he continued to breathe into Louis' mouth.
"How does Louis do this every day?" Thomas said with a wheeze, leaning against Louis' house, wiping perspiration mixed with dirt off his forehead. He and three other men had gathered there that day, caring for the crops. Zach, though he was not entirely supportive of the town's decisions, was invaluable, as was Gotz, being the mountain man that he was. Rick, on the other hand, Thomas felt wasn't as helpful as someone like, say, Basil would have been. However, taking turns sometimes meant being paired up with people less helpful than others, and Mayor Thomas didn't view Rick as entirely worthless—just of less worth compared to Gotz and Zach.
"I'd say we've about covered it!" Zach called, having watered the last line of budding vegetables. "Ahh, crap, we lost one!"
"What?" Thomas pulled away from the house and walked over to Zach.
"Yeah, it's dead."
"Here's another one!" Rick cried from behind Thomas and Thomas whirled around.
"We must be missing some of them, then!" he said, a bit angrily now.
"Here's two!"
"Four?"
Zach placed a hand on Thomas' shoulder. "It's more than four, Thomas." Thomas frowned and looked at him. Zach's expression was grave. Thomas looked back at the crops and a wave of dizziness washed over him.
"They're all dying!" Rick cried, stepping back as a bud dried up and shriveled right in front of him. "Every one of them!"
Thomas moaned in agony and turned around slowly, watching as the field of green turned brown. "No…" he whispered and his knees buckled. "It can't be."
He was allowed no time to further ponder it though as the ground beneath them gave a sudden tremble followed by another, worse than the last. "Earthquake!" Gotz yelled as the trembling grew worse and worse until Thomas' legs gave out underneath him. Zach knelt beside him and the other two huddled around soon after.
The sky went dark and Thomas looked up, seeing that the sunny sky had been replaced by black storm clouds. It began to pour and lightning seared across the sky and thunder clapped loudly enough for Thomas to cover his ears. The house Louis lived in groaned and the windows shattered as its foundation shifted.
Weeds sprouted where crops and grass used to be and rocks large and small pushed aside shaking dirt. Another bolt of lightning blinded Thomas and there was a loud crack, followed by a low creek. At the sound of a crash of sorts, Thomas dared to look and found that a large tree that had been in the center of the farm had been struck by lightning near the base. The tree, broken in half by the lightning, fell to the ground, splinters flying in all directions, only the twisted stump remaining in the ground. Another crash signified that the feed silo's roof had caved in.
The wind picked up violently and dirt began to blow all around them, creating a wet dust storm as the rain continued to pour. And, throughout it all, there was a sound—a moan that was both loud and soft. It reverberated off the farm buildings' walls, through the air, in Thomas' skull, rising and falling, yet never changing. It was as if the entire earth was in pain, mourning the loss of a trusted friend.
Thomas began to sob, even as the wind died and the first rays of sunshine pierced the clouds. It was over. Louis was gone. The farm once blessed by the Harvest Goddess had lost all, worse than it had ever been before. Rocks, weeds, and sticks covered every inch of the field; the buildings were destroyed, the crops gone. The trembling stopped, but the rain continued to fall, no longer a storm, but a downpour.
"And so the Goddess weeps," he said softly, standing up and surveying the ruined farm, tears washed away by the rain. "Come on, we have to notify anyone that doesn't know already. Louis is dead and the farm's blessing is gone."
"Did the Goddess…" Rick trailed off, looking solemnly around at the destruction.
Thomas paused, but nodded. "Yes. I believe so. She blessed it while he was alive and now it has been cursed in his death."
Jack watered his tomatoes, a deep frown etched onto his features. Miles barked at his feet, but Jack pushed him away with his foot. "Go away, Miles," he said softly. His watering can ran out of water so he turned and walked towards his spout, filling it up again.
Celia hadn't come that morning.
Jack sighed and finished watering his crops as the early morning chill gave way to the bright sunshine, unbroken by patchy white clouds in the sky. The back of his neck began to roast and he shivered slightly as the temperature changed. Schala lowed from within the barn and he sighed.
"Coming," he muttered, walking to the fence and climbing over it, stepping down onto his grass field, which was still patchy, but now had enough grass to feed Schala by herself. He made his way into the barn and went to Schala, patting her nose gently. "Well, at least you're still around, eh, girl?" he said, with a dry smile.
Schala returned his comment with an emotionless stare.
"No, don't worry, I'm not having steak tonight." The stare remained, unbroken by Jack's poor attempt at humor. "Yeah, fine, I'll take you out." He walked to the door and opened it wide, allowing Schala to lumber out of the barn (the stench of which Jack realized with a grimace that he had gotten used to).
"She give a lot of milk?"
Jack gave a start and looked around, spotting Nami leaning on one of his fence posts, her hair as messy as usual, her face showing little emotion, dressed in shorts and a t-shirt, looking at him expectantly.
"Nami? What are you doing here?"
"No reason. Ignore me—I'm sure you have plenty of work to do." However, instead of leaving, she kneeled on the ground to gently pet Miles, who was panting happily and attempting to jump into her lap.
Jack eyed her for a second, confused as anything, and when she offered no further explanation, he considered telling her to get out. However, upon realizing that it was quite a common thing for people to wander onto his farm when they were bored, he abandoned those thoughts quickly. "Well, fine, whatever," he said, turning back to the barn and grabbing a metal pail off the ground just inside the door.
He sought out Schala again, who was standing near the fence, contently chewing on some grass, and knelt beside her, placing the pail beneath her udders and cracking his knuckles. He got to work on milking her and she gave a low moo, but otherwise remained rooted to her place, eating contentedly.
"What's his name?" Nami asked, not looking up at him.
"Miles," he replied.
"Huh. From you I expected something like Rover, Butch, or Woofy." She glanced up at him and Jack honestly couldn't tell if she was trying to crack a joke or just offend him.
"Did you just come here to insult me?"
Nami paused and shook her head. "No," she said a bit softer than usual. "I saw Muffy today."
"She didn't try to get you to pay for your drink last night, did she?" Jack asked, wondering if Muffy had it in her to cheat Nami out of some extra money.
"She told me what you did last night. I'm here to give you the money for the drink."
Recalling how sad Nami seemed the night before, he shook his head, standing up from Schala and pulling the half-full pail out from underneath her lest she kick it over. "Don't worry about it."
Nami ignored him and dug into her pocket, pulling out some coins—the exact change for the drink, if Jack hadn't miscounted. "Just take the money—I don't want to owe you any favors."
"Nami, I'm serious—"
"Take the money, Jack." When he didn't move, she placed the coins on his fence post and turned, walking towards the exit of his farm. Jack sighed and scrambled over the fence, grabbing the money, and walking after her.
"Listen, Nami, we got off to a bad start…" She stopped and he saw her flinch slightly. He frowned and walked around to stand in front of her.
"I'm not taking that money back."
Jack sighed. "Then I'll give it to Murrey—I'm not keeping it."
"Do what you want," Nami said, crossing her arms over her chest.
"I don't want your money!"
Nami sighed angrily and glared at him. "Fine," she said, taking the money back. "Next time we're at the bar, I'll buy you a drink."
"You don't—"
"You're really beginning to tick me off," she said, cutting him off. Jack opened his mouth to reply, but hesitated and closed it again, nodding in agreement. "Good." Nami nodded in reply and looked down at Miles, who was standing on two legs, his front paws, scrabbling at her bare legs, leaving small, red scratches.
"Miles, get off!" Jack said, nudging him away with his foot.
"Don't worry about it," said Nami as she knelt down again, scratching Miles behind the ears. Miles promptly sat, his tail wagging, and closed his eyes.
"He seems to like you," Jack said, kneeling as well. "When Muffy came over, he kept growling and barking at her. I think she was about ready to run off the farm when I came outside and called him off her."
Nami continued to dote on Miles for a few more seconds before looking up at Jack. "Are you all finished with your chores, then?" Her voice had its typical edge to it, daring him to say something sarcastic. Instead, he nodded.
"I'll finish milking Schala later after she eats some more and I, uh, I won't have to water my crops again for a few hours."
Nami scooped Miles up in her arms and stood, Jack standing up in turn. "Well, I'm bored. Why don't you give me a tour of your farm or something?"
"You want a tour?" Jack asked, blinking in surprise.
"I thought you said we got off on the wrong foot?"
"Well, yes, but…"
Nami sighed, looking annoyed. "Listen, I'm beginning to think that I misjudged you and might have been too harsh. I'm attempting to fix that. If you'd rather not, just say so and I'll be out of your hair. Won't be the first time, anyway."
"No, no," Jack said, a feeling of guilt creeping up inside him, recalling that he had earlier considered telling her to leave. He held out his hand. "Friends?" Nami eyed him with a blank look—one he took to mean as a denial of such terms. "How about just not mortal enemies?"
Nami's lips twitched just slightly. "That's better." She took his hand firmly in hers, cradling Miles in her other arm, and shook it once before releasing it.
"Does this mean that you'll stop insulting me at every turn?"
"Only if you stop giving me things to insult," Nami said and Jack wasn't sure if she was being serious or not. "Are you going to give me this tour or not?"
Jack smiled a bit, feeling that the bitter edge in her voice had let up a bit. "Yeah, sure. Come on, I'll introduce you to my cow."
Jack stared at the entrance to Vesta's farm, the plantation intimidating for more reason than one. The fields empty, Jack figured with a weak sigh that Celia was in one of the two main buildings on the farm—the storeroom in which the farm kept crops waiting to be shipped as well as order forms and such or the two-story ranch house on Jack's right.
He took a deep breath and walked through the archway onto the farm, heading for the house. He reached forward to knock, but it opened before he got the chance, and Marlin, looking sour, stepped out. Marlin coldly looked Jack in the eyes and crossed his arms over his chest.
"Hi, Marlin, I'm here to see Celia," Jack began, growing nervous.
"I don't think that would be good," Marlin replied, looking angrier by the second.
"I just want to apolo—"
"We all agree that you've gotten enough of a start on your farm. Celia won't be coming over any more."
Jack's heart fell and he broke Marlin's glare, looking at his feet.
"Can I at least talk to her?"
"Maybe some other day."
"Let me just see her!" Jack said, a bit angry now. "I just need to talk to her for five minutes, okay?"
Marlin flexed a bit and Jack realized that Marlin was both taller and more muscular than he was. "No. She'll come to you when she wants to talk. Until then, you should leave."
"Just… get her for me, would you?" Jack said with a bit of a snarl, the same daring side that got him into trouble in the first place rising up again.
"I said to leave," Marlin said, more forcefully now. He uncrossed his arms and held them both at his sides, fists tightly clenched. Jack stood rooted in his spot, undaunted by Marlin's silent threat.
"If you don't get out of my way, I'll move you myself, Marlin!"
With that, Marlin acted, stepping forward and shoving Jack backwards. Jack's heel hit a rock and he toppled over hard onto his tailbone. He groaned softly and forced himself back to his feet, feeling a strong urge to rub his backside, but resisted it. However, Marlin, immediately grabbed him by his collar despite Jack's struggle, and pulled him towards the farm's entrance.
"Let go of me!" Jack cried, wrenching free of Marlin's grasp. Marlin glared coldly at him and Jack realized with a heavy heart that he would not be able to apologize to Celia any time soon. He sighed and turned. "Tell her I'm sorry."
Marlin said nothing, and Jack shook his head, walking off the farm with his head down in defeat. Yet he found out just how bad an idea that was moments later when he collided headlong into someone else. Jack yelled out in surprise and the man let out a yelp as they both fell in a heap on the ground.
"Oh, sorry!" Jack said quickly, pushing himself to his feet, his face reddening in further shame. He heard Marlin chuckling behind him, but didn't turn around to give him the satisfaction of seeing Jack's blush.
The man that Jack managed to trample picked up his thin, rectangular glasses and placed them back on the bridge of his long, pointed nose. He had a long face with an angular chin, black, greasy hair that looked like it had never been brushed before, and a white lab coat that was stained in many spots by multicolored substances.
To top it all off, he looked thoroughly annoyed as he stood up, brushing off his lab coat in a purposeful fashion. Jack found that he was nearly an entire head taller than this strange little man. After ridding himself of the specks of dirt, the man looked at Jack, an angry glare in his eyes, but that faded quickly, replaced by an owlish expression, his eyes blinking rapidly.
"You… are new here," he said softly, as if talking more to himself than to Jack. "Do you live here?"
"Uh, yes," Jack said, surprised at the sudden change in attitude. "I took over the farm across the—"
"Oh! The farm!" A strange, hungry look flashed across his eyes and the man looked back at Jack's farm. "So… am I correct to say that you have the cow?"
"Well, yeah…"
"How would you like to have another cow?" the man asked excitedly, peering up at Jack, his eyes magnified vastly by the glasses.
"Why do you…"
"How would you like to have another cow?" Jack opened his mouth to reply, but then frowned and snapped it shut, utterly confused. "If you'll only let me examine the cow, maybe take some blood, DNA samples, urine… I can clone you a brand new cow in a month!"
"Is… is that legal?" Jack asked nervously.
"What part does government play in farming, I ask! No part! Let me do it. No harm will come to your cow!"
"I… don't think so," Jack said, frowning.
"Then let me improve on its milk-giving! I've created a special pill that if taken will increase a cow's milk three-fold in only a week!"
"Has that been tested?"
"That's the beauty of it! I need a test subject and you need money." The man was nearly hopping with excitement now.
"I never said I needed money…"
"Surely you do!" He stuck out his hand eagerly. "I'm Daryl, your new business partner! You help me and I help you…"
"I'm Jack…" Jack said, shaking his hand hesitantly. "But I don't think… well, I really don't need a clone or anything. My cow's fine."
"Well, then, what about—"
"Ah, no… I'm good. And I'd better head back to the farm. Lots of work to do." Jack hurried away from Daryl quickly, leaving the other man to watch him leave with a scowl. Daryl looked over at Vesta's Plantation and at some of the growing crops. With a quick glance around, he shuffled onto the farm and plucked a tiny tomato sprout out of the ground, shoving it in his coat pocket before hurrying away.