Chapter 2: Taking up the Mantle!

"Hey! What are you doing there?" shouted a voice from behind him.

"Hmmm…?" Pete turned around. Who's that? He saw a man of short stature angrily walking towards him. He wore a formal red suit. What caught his attention the most was the comically long red hat on his bald head. Is he compensating for something…?

"The owner of this farm died a while back!" The man fumed, tipping his glasses.

"… What?" Pete froze, his eyes widening to impossible standards. Did he just say the owner is…?

"You can't just come waltzing in here as you please!" He exclaimed.

"Wait, wait!" Pete raised his palms. I'm trying to process the situation here! "Did you just say the owner… died?"

"Yes, I did." The man huffed. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh…" Pete cast his gaze to his feet. His chest tightened. He's… not here anymore. It made sense now why no one answered the door, why his letters were still in the mailbox, why the fields looked the way they did. I didn't want to acknowledge it. In the back of his mind, he might have already reached that conclusion but was too scared to face it. He was holding on to a string of hope. Hope that he could have been wrong. But his reality was… shattered.

Tears welled up in his eyes at the sad revelation. I wish I had come sooner… so I could have at least bidden him goodbye. He sighed deeply and rubbed his eyes, burying his emotions back in.

"I… actually knew the owner." Pete faced the man. "I was looking for him."

"What? You knew him?" The man's eyes widened in surprise. Shouting at him may not have been the best way to break the news. "I'm… so sorry to hear that. You didn't know that he died?"

"No, I didn't." Pete shook his head. "That's why I'm here."

"I see." The man fixated a friendly gaze. "He died about… oh, six months ago, I reckon."

Six months ago…? That was rather recent. And I had no idea all this time. It was roughly six months ago as well when he didn't receive any replies from the owner. If only I visited last year…

"When I was cleaning out his place, I found his will."

"He left a will…?" Pete asked and raised a brow, curious.

"Yes." He nodded. "In the will, he said 'I am leaving my farm to Pete.' So, until whoever that is shows up, I'm taking care of the farm."

"Huh? To Pete?" His eyes blinked a few times. He pointed at himself. "He left the farm to… me?"

"What? To you?" The man's brows arched. He adjusted his glasses. "Do you mean to say you are the person he's referring to in the will?"

"That's me." He rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "My name is Pete."

"Well, this is a pleasant surprise." He studied Pete's appearance. "I was always wondering who this Pete person was."

"Well, you've met him now." Pete chuckled weakly. "… May I ask who you are?"

"Oh, my apologies." The man cleared his throat and offered his hand. "I forgot to introduce myself! My name is Thomas, I am the mayor of Mineral Town."

"Mayor Thomas…" Pete gave him a firm handshake. He looks the part. "Nice to meet you."

"Likewise, Pete." Thomas smiled. "Would you mind telling me how you met the old man…?"

"Oh, sure." Pete nodded. "It's… actually a long time ago. I came to Mineral Town when I was a little boy."

…

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"What about it, Pete? Aren't you glad you came on this trip?" Pete's mother smiled.

"I'm glad for the vacation, too. Hey, what do you say about going fishing in the river?" His father asked.

But there was no response from the little boy. He was nowhere to be seen.

"Oh, dear! I can't find Pete!" The mother cried out, worries seeping through her voice.

"What…?" The father frantically looked around. Their son wasn't anywhere nearby! Where could he be?

…

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"Mommy? Daddy?" The little boy sniffed as he wandered around. He didn't realize when he separated from his parents. He was scared and all alone.

"Hey, young man." An elderly man greeted him. "Why are you crying?"

"I can't find my mommy and daddy." He rubbed his eyes which appeared red.

"Did you get lost?" The man calmly approached him and crouched down. "Don't worry, young man. I'm sure we can find your parents."

"Really?" He sniffed.

"Oh, what's this?" The man smiled warmly and pointed at the boy's bag. "Is that a phone number on your bag?"

The little boy took off his bag. Sure enough, there was a phone number on it.

"Come with me, young man." He offered his hand. "Let's go to the inn nearby and call your parents. I'm sure they're looking for you."

"O-Okay…" He gently took hold of his hand. The old man seemed kind and reassuring.

…

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"Oh, Pete!" The mother rushed to her son with open arms. "Thank God, you're safe!"

"Mommy! Daddy!" The little boy ran and jumped into his mother's embrace.

"Jeez, you had us worried sick!" The father playfully ruffled his son's hair.

After hugging her son, she noticed an old man approaching them. He must have been the one who called them. She stood and bowed to him. "Thank you so much for helping us find our son!"

"You're most welcome." The old man smiled warmly and bowed back. "Are you new here?"

"We live in the city, but we wanted to show our son the country on this trip." The father replied. "We're here on vacation."

"Is that so?" The old man nodded in understanding. "In that case, why not come spend a few days on my farm?"

"… You really mean it?" The father asked, surprised by such an offer. That would be a fun experience for their son. "We wouldn't want to bother you, though…"

"Sure, I don't mind!" The old man grinned. He crouched in front of the little boy. "I live alone, so you wouldn't bother anybody. I'd love the company."

"What do you think, dear?" The father turned to his wife who gave an approving smile.

"Isn't this lovely, Pete?" The mother patted his son. "Now, you'll have a whole farm to play on!"

"Wow, a farm…!" The little boy's eyes sparkled with wonder.

…

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Those few days were the most fun days the little boy ever experienced. He had never been on a farm before. The old man let him experience what it was like to be a farmer. He introduced him to many of his farm animals.

There were so many notable moments. He rode a cow as it grazed, and then he fell off its back. The old man taught him how to ride a horse; it was a thrilling ride. He chased a chicken with a stick, only for a flock of chickens to chase him back (a terrible decision, in hindsight.) He was also taken to the beach to go fishing. He bonded with the old man's dog and played fetch, and so much more.

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The little boy explored the forests behind the farm and discovered an area known as Mother's Hill. Cool winds flew through him. The sounds of waterfalls and rustling trees filled the environment. Flowers and herbs were scattered among the lush greenery. He laid down and looked at the sky far above, seeing the white clouds that looked fluffy to touch. The view was breathtaking; the environment was calming. He closed his small eyes, fully immersing himself one with Mother Nature…

"Na na Na na na…"

The little boy opened his eyes, woken up by the sound of a lullaby. It was so gentle to his ears. He pushed himself up and noticed a little girl was sitting beside him, curiously studying his expression. Her face lit up.

"Hey!" the girl grinned brightly, inching closer to his face. "You were so quiet I thought you were dead! You're not from around here, are you?"

The boy simply stared at her, perplexed. She seemed to be right around his age.

"This is perfect." The girl clapped her hands. "I was looking for someone to play with together!"

The boy pointed at himself. Does she want to play with him…?

"Yep!" she bobbed her head. "I guess you'll do. It's not fun if you just sit there and say nothing!"

"Uhm…" the boy took a step back. She was quite forward with him, but he didn't sense any malicious intent behind her words.

"Why don't you tell me about yourself? Tell me some stories about your life and the city!"

The little boy made a new friend. They shared stories; they ran and played around. It was a fun time. Afterward, they walked to the top of Mother Hill, known as the summit. The two sat side-by-side, enjoying the magnificent view of the skies far above them. They stayed in comfortable silence.

"Na na Na na na…"

The little girl began singing the same lullaby that had woken him up. It was soothing to his senses. It brought his heart a sense of peacefulness he couldn't describe.

He found himself singing together with her, joining in the lullaby. Their voices harmonized and traveled through the blue skies, etching a permanent memory into Mother Nature.

"Na na Na na na… Na na Na na na…"

…

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"Did you have fun, young man?" The old man asked.

"Yeah, I had lots of fun!" the little boy grinned.

"I sure had fun with you, too." He smiled. "I don't have any grandkids of my own, you know… so it was lovely having you here."

The old man didn't have any family. He lived alone on the farm. Having the little boy instilled a sense of fatherhood in him. In the little time he got to know him, he already saw the little boy as his own grandson.

"Well, you have to go now. Tell your parents I enjoyed having you here." The old man patted the little boy's head. "Farewell… and take care of yourself."

"Thank you so much, mister!" he wrapped his little arms around the old man as best as he could.

"… I'll miss having you around." The old man shed a few tears as he returned the hug. "Is there any chance of you writing an old man a letter once in a while?"

"Yeah!" he nodded. "I can do that!"

"Really?" The old man took a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to him. "Here's my address, then."

The little boy took the address and put it in his bag. After saying goodbyes, he turned around and walked to the farm's entrance.

"Hey, hold it right there!" The little girl cried out, appearing before him. "You're leaving already?"

He nodded, sad he would be parting away from his new friend so soon. Though they didn't spend much time together, she was dear to his heart.

"If you go, I'll be lonely and bored again." She pouted. "You have to come back again, okay?"

"Looks like you've made a friend!" The old man folded his arms, smiling at the two children. "Just one more reason to return, I guess."

The little boy left the farm, waving back at his new friends. He was going to return, for sure.

"Promise me you'll return!" The girl cried out, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"I'll be waiting for your letter..." The old man waved goodbye.

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"… You were writing letters to each other, eh?" Thomas asked, his expression downturned.

"Yes, we kept in touch." Pete glanced at the mailbox.

"And when he stopped writing back, you came to check on him, didn't you?"

"Right." Pete nodded. He frowned and sighed deeply, shoulders slumped. "I came to see him but I didn't expect he had… that he…"

"I'm… so sorry." Thomas lowered his gaze and scratched his cheek. Maybe he shouldn't have shouted at him. "I suppose this isn't how you wanted to find out the news…"

"Don't worry about it." He forced a smile. "Thank you… for telling me what happened to him."

Pete felt… lost. He came to Mineral Town to visit someone he would consider his own grandfather. And he's… no longer here. He wished he could have been with him in his last moments. I hope you're in a better place, old man. He stared off into the distance. It's a shame the farm turned into this and lost its charm. He always took great care of it.

"Since he left you the farm…" Thomas stroked his chin. "It's yours if you want it."

"Huh…?" His eyes snapped to him.

"The farm… isn't what it used to be." Thomas looked at the fields. "He brought life to this farm and made Mineral Town a brighter place."

Pete crossed his arms and tilted his head to the side. Me…? Raising the farm…? He never considered it until Thomas brought it up.

"Well, what do you think?" Thomas asked. "Would you like to try your hand at farming?"

"I…"

This was certainly an unexpected decision. Pete had planned to leave Mineral Town after spending time with the old man. But what would I do after that? Where do I go from there? He didn't have anything set in stone for his future.

But the old man stated it in his will. That he would leave the farm to him. Even in his final moments, he still thought of Pete. He clenched his fists in determination. He decided. He'd carry on the legacy his grandfather left him.

"I'll do it."

"Wow." The mayor's eyes widened at his answer. "Are you sure? It's a great responsibility."

"He left the farm in my name." He grinned. "I'll take care of this farm, just as my… old man did."

"Well, that's great to hear!" Thomas drew his hands to his waist. "From here on out, this place is yours. I'm sure you'll do a wonderful job like your old man."

"I will!" Pete slammed a fist to his chest in a proud display.

"It won't be easy, but I believe in you." Thomas patted his shoulder. "I have no doubts you'll make him proud."

Pete cast his gaze to the morning skies. He stretched his arm toward it, imagining he could grab the Sun in his fist. Coming here was no mistake. He might not be able to see his old man anymore, but he'll keep his memory alive on the farm. I don't know if I can achieve what you did, but that won't stop me from trying! I'll make you proud, old ma–

"Excuse me, is this the farm MT Realtor sold to me?"