Chapter 8

Belief

Some people say it's easy

Some people say it's hard

To live in this small world

Without a God

Some people go forever

Not knowing what it's like

To feel a love that is boundless

Keeps them safe throughout the night

And then there are others

That have known, that have believed

But turned around and left behind

A sense of tranquility

And still there are others

That are true, that hold fast

Keep their faith in their hearts

Keep their mistakes in the past

But it does not matter

To which group you belong

Because the Goddess will still protect you

And take you in Her arms

"So, how do you like it? Are the people nice? What about your farm? Oh! Are there any cute boys? Goddess knows you need to date someone."

Angela's energetic voice came through over the new land phone Molly had purchased for her house the day before from Barbara's general store.

"I like it, it's really a great place Ang and the people are great too. My farm…well it's coming along. I've been keeping busy with it, I'm sure you know how much work it is to keep one up," Molly said, holding the phone between her cheek and shoulder as she made herself breakfast. It was early Saturday morning and, since her trip with Toby, she and Finn had found the last moonstone, successfully restoring Collin's power. As for its stand, they knew it was behind Craig and Ruth's farm. However, Craig wouldn't unlock the gate to let them through for some unknown reason, so Molly was taking Ruth's advice and growing crops for them to sell to get on Craig's good side. Why Craig didn't like her, Molly didn't know but she wasn't going to let it bother her too much; apparently Craig didn't like a lot of people.

"Yeah, do I ever. Do you know how long it took me to grow crops here? I barely got anything good out of the first season, but then again, I didn't know anything. You were always the one to help Grandpa out at the farm, not me. But Molly, you didn't say anything about the boys! Come on, I know you're not completely alone out there, there has to be some guys your own age, right?" said Angela. Molly could practically see her sister waving her arms around in frustration. That was Angela for you; it was always about the boys.

"Yes, there are other guys around my age here. I don't know if they're cute, I guess they are. But it doesn't matter, Ang, I won't date any of them," Molly said, sighing.

"Why not? It'd be perfect!"

"How, exactly?" Molly asked.

"Well, they live there and you do too. See, if you had met anyone back home, who knows if they would've moved out to such a remote island and started a farm with you? Since they're already there, there isn't a problem of them leaving. And you don't plan on leaving either, do you?" Angela said.

Molly smiled. Even though they were so different, she had to admit that Angela really knew her well. She hadn't told her mom when she'd moved out to Castanet how long she planned on staying there, but since the beginning she knew it would be longer than just a couple of years. Her plans were reinforced when she realized how nice it was on Castanet. As for her family and friends...well, they could always come visit and vice versa.

"No, I don't plan on leaving. But, just because they live here too doesn't mean anything," Molly replied.

"What is it with you and boys? It's like you have a grudge against the entire male race."

Molly hadn't voiced her opinion and hesitancy about men and love with anyone other than her best friend from college so she couldn't really tell Angela she wasn't going to marry without having to explain her reasoning. It was also hard to discuss it with her because Angela was part of the reason she felt that way, with Bryant passing away and all. She didn't want Angela to think it was part of her fault, since Molly knew she would.

"I don't have a grudge, really. Although, most of them are players and perverts," Molly said.

"Now, that's not true. You haven't even dated anyone so how would you really know? Take Bryant for example, he was great."

Molly didn't reply for a couple of seconds, a bit shocked that Angela had actually mentioned her late husband. Ever since the incident, Angela hadn't mentioned him to anyone at all and had put away all of their pictures and anything related to him inside a large box that she kept in their closet back at the house.

Molly cleared her throat before saying that Bryant was one of few.

"Plus," Angela said, getting quieter, "there are a lot of nice boys where I live, too."

Molly smiled, hearing a hint of embarrassment in her sister's voice. "Oh?"

"W-well, yeah, I mean I've been here awhile so I know people better and, well, I mean, everyone is nice here so…"

"Okay, okay. If you don't want to talk about it right now, I understand, but I'll be expecting stories the next time you call, okay?" Molly said, laughing at her sister.

Angela didn't reply for a couple of seconds and when she did her voice was low and worried.

"Molly? You…do you think it's wrong for me to love another person after Bryant?"

"No. It's not wrong at all. You're still young Ang, and you have your entire life ahead of you. Bryant would understand, I know it. Like you've said, he was a man among men. He wouldn't want you to be alone forever…and anyways Ang, you never were one to enjoy solitude," Molly said, trying to lighten up the conversation.

Angela laughed and agreed. Then, after a few more minutes of conversation they hung up, promising to call each other next week.

"Your sister sounds nice!" Finn said, coming to help set the table.

"Yeah, she is. A bit loud, but it's always good to have a loud person in your life," Molly said, smiling.

Finn nodded his head in agreement and together they ate breakfast. Then, Molly checked her garden and, gathering the vegetables that looked good, put them in her rucksack and headed to Marimba farm to try and persuade Craig to let them in the back.

Opening the door, a bell chimed signaling their entrance and Ruth turned around from behind the register giving them a tired smile.

"Hi Ruth. We've got more crops for you guys. Is Craig in the house?"

"No, he's out in the back. Here, I'll unlock the gate for you so you can give him the vegetables. I don't care if gets mad. I don't know what you want to do with that stand but I don't see why he won't let you in, not after the help you've given us," said Ruth, leading Molly out to the back of the house.

They entered the fields after Ruth unlocked the gate and soon after saw a small path leading to an area separate from everything else. They were just about to enter the clearing when they heard a man's voice talking quietly.

Molly and Finn walked slowly forward, ducking down to try and keep hidden and saw Craig kneeling in front of the bell stand.

"Please, Harvest Goddess, can't you make our fields healthy again? I feel like I'm failing my family, everything is going to ruin. If you don't help us soon, we might have to leave. Why have you abandoned us? I…I know I haven't prayed to you much lately but can't you forgive us? Please…"

After a few seconds Craig pounded his fist into the ground and let out a grunt of frustration.

"Fine! Fine, if you won't help us then forget it! Why should I pray to a thing I don't even know exists, especially if it doesn't do anything! Where's the proof? Just…just forget it!" Craig shouted at the stand and got up, brushing his clothes off and turning around only to see Molly staring at him from the entrance.

"You!" he said, pointing hysterically and getting red in the face. "Spying, I see? How'd you get back here? Trespassing too, eh?"

"No! Your wife let me through and I…I wasn't spying. At least, I didn't mean to," Molly said, standing her ground. She wasn't going to let Craig push her around again.

"Ruth did? Why that good-for-nothing…"

"You shouldn't say that about your wife," said Molly angrily. Craig spluttered, his ears getting red, but before he could say anything else Molly continued. "And you were asking for proof, right? Well, the proof is all around you. The ground, the sky, the ocean, the animals, everything is here because of the Harvest Goddess. You're wondering why she hasn't helped restore your lands back to the way they once were? Well, maybe if you weren't doubting her power and blaming her for everything then she would have the power to do it! But now…unless everyone believes and prays together, who knows what will happen? If anyone should be blamed for the island's state it's the people that live here, the people, like yourself, that have forgotten about the Harvest Goddess and all of the work she does to keep your lives simple and peaceful!"

Molly was breathing hard and glaring at Craig, she hadn't meant to go off like that but he needed a wake-up call and she was the only one who would do it.

Craig, on the other hand, was silent and staring at her with almost a look of amazement, like he couldn't believe she actually got angry at him.

"And you were the one who threw the bell into the ocean, aren't you?" Molly said, pulling the yellow bell out from her rucksack.

"What? H-how'd you know?"

"Well, I wasn't for sure until just now when you told me."

Craig scowled and crossed his arms. "So what if I did?"

"Do you really think someone who throws this into the ocean deserves to be helped by the Goddess?" Molly asked him.

This seemed to have struck a chord with him because he grunted and looked away in guilt. Molly sighed. She knew he was stressed out and part of this negative energy came from that but there shouldn't be an excuse for abusing the bell nor the Goddess.

"I…I suppose you have a point," Craig said, begrudgingly. "But, I feel like my family has been blaming me for our slump and I didn't know what to do because praying wasn't helping and I just got angry and…"

Molly held her hand up for him to stop and nodded in understanding. "I know. And the Goddess knows, she'll forgive you. I promise the land will get healthy again and soon. Just believe in Her."

"How can you have so much faith when you've only been here for a couple of weeks?" Craig asked.

"Because I know she is real," Molly said simply. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a bell to put back in place. Oh, and here," she said, handing him the vegetables she brought over. "To help you out."

Craig looked at her and took them from her arms, giving a small smile, the first one she'd seen him give since coming there.

"Thank you," he said quietly and walked back to his house.

"That was kind of scary, wasn't it?" Finn said, wringing his hands in stress.

Molly took a deep breath. Actually, she'd been shaking the entire time, but she was glad she said something. Hopefully now he'll think about his actions and maybe repent a little.

"Yeah, a little bit," she said, laughing shakily. "Now, let's ring this bell."

They put Collin's bell back on the stand and he popped out, ready to do his service. He played his song and Molly could hear the voice of the earth in it as it spread out across the island, healing the soil and bringing nutrition back to the land.

"Thank you Collin!" Molly and Finn said together.

"No problem! Thank you for getting me back here! To show my gratitude I'll let you see my next stand-up performance for free!" Collin said, flashing a thumbs up sign.

"Uh, sure. That'd be…awesome," Molly said, not making eye contact.

"Of course! Well, until next time!" he said, disappearing back into his bell.

She looked at Finn and took his hands swinging him around. "Only three more to go!"

Finn laughed and together they went back home to plant some more seeds.

A few mornings later Molly walked out of her house only to find the mayor standing to the side of her front door.

"W-woah! Mayor Hamilton!?" Molly said in surprise, taking a step back and knocking into the door.

"Hello there Molly, good morning. Sorry if I startled you, I was just about to knock on the door," he said cheerfully, bobbing up and down on the balls of his feet.

"Oh, no…uh, it's alright. What can I do for you?

"Well, I just thought I'd stop by and tell you about the Flower Festival coming up. Since you're new you probably don't know about it, right?"

"No, haven't heard about it," Molly said.

"Fantastic!" said Hamilton, clapping his hands together.

Molly didn't know what was so "fantastic" about not knowing about the festival but suspected that the mayor was just happy about having an excuse to talk more.

"You see, the flower festival is a festival held every year on April 14th and the town comes together to admire the beautiful cherry blossoms. It's held at the church grounds and it officially starts at four but people will be in and out all day. If you have someone special, you should bring them," he said, giving her a wink.

Molly smiled back uncomfortably. "Oh, it sounds nice."

"Yes, yes. It'll be smaller this year because not everyone is back on the island but it'll still be a great deal of fun. You should go Molly, even if it's just for a few minutes."

Molly looked at his bright smile and inwardly sighed. How could she refuse someone who so clearly wanted her to just go and have fun?

"Alright, I'll stop by for a little while."

Hamilton clapped his hands together again and smiled. "Great! That's great. I'm glad, it'll be even more fun with you there Molly." He nodded his head, pleased and said goodbye walking back to take care of his mayoral duties.

Molly watched him go and then proceeded to take care of her animals and water the crops. It was noon before she came back to the house and Finn had a sandwich ready for her on the table.

"Aw, Finn you made this for me?" she asked, sitting down at the table.

"Yup! You've been working so hard lately I thought I'd do something to help you out…even though it's just making you food. And it's only a sandwich…maybe I should go spy on Chase to get some cooking tips."

"Oh Finn, this is fine, thanks. But if you go hang around Chase for too long you'll adopt his grumpy personality and I'd rather have a happy Finn than a grumpy one, even if you could make some great mushroom ravioli," said Molly, eating her lunch.

Finn laughed and agreed, sitting down to eat with her.

"So, the flower festival is in a couple days, right? We're going, right!?"

"Yeah…I guess. Even though I was kind of forced into it."

"Aw, Molly, it'll be a blast! I haven't been to any festivals yet so I'm really excited."

"You haven't?" asked Molly.

"No, we harvest sprites don't really go to any festivals…and anyways, technically I'm only three months old."

"Hmmm," she said, contemplating it. She did think it would be weird if they went to a festival where no one could even see them. At least beside the wizard the Goddess had mentioned before. But then again, she hadn't even seen him yet so he probably wouldn't be at a festival anyways.

"But it's okay, because now I'll get to go to all of the festivals with you!" Finn said happily.

Molly swallowed a piece of her sandwich and looked away. Here was yet another source that was forcing her to be social. She didn't know if this was a good or bad thing. Angela had always told her to get out there more but Molly didn't like always being busy and talking to people. But, if she was planning to stay here for, well for however long, then she'd better make friends with everyone. Of course she wanted to make friends, but going places by herself was always nerve racking, no matter how many times she's had to do it.

"Yeah, yeah," she just said, finishing her sandwich and getting her hammer out from her toolbox.

"Are we going mining?" Finn asked.

"Mhmm, the farm is free of weeds and the animals are taken care of so…"

"No fishing?"

"No, not today," she said. Lately, ever since Toby gave her a fishing rod, she'd been taking a little time each day to go improve her skills but fishing took up a lot of time and didn't always bring about a big profit so to make a bit more money she needed to go mining.

"Can we visit the Harvest Goddess on our way up?" asked Finn.

"Of course, we'll stop by there before we go in."

"Yay!" Finn said, spinning around. Molly laughed as always. Finn was forever happy.

Climbing up the mountain that never failed to leave her calves burning, Molly made her way up to the Garmon Mine district. As she crossed the bridge, pausing to admire the only waterfall on the island, she noticed that Bo and Luke were outside of their house talking.

Coming near enough so that they heard her voice she called out to them and waved. They waved back and Luke motioned for her to come over.

"Hey guys, what's up?" she said joining them.

"Just talking about the flower festival this Saturday. It's one of the few calmer festivals that Luke can actually stand," said Bo, grinning at his friend and brother-figure.

"So I like flowers, is that bad?" Luke said, grinning back. "Naw, it's just that events like the firefly festival and the starry night festival are so boringgggg. At least with the flower festival it's guaranteed that Owen will get tipsy and make a fool of himself in front of Kathy."

"Oh, no…I take it this is a yearly occurrence?" Molly asked.

Bo and Luke laughed together. Bo composed himself first and said that it's been happening for four years now.

"Oh, Owen…" Molly said, sighing.

Bo nodded in understanding. Luke just snorted.

"Yeah, he doesn't really know how to win a girl over," Luke said, nodding his head.

"And you do?" Molly said, disbelieving. She bet that Luke's idea of a date was a chopping wood contest in Fugue forest.

"'Course I do."

"What do you know about women, Luke? You've never even been off of this island so it's not like you've had a girlfriend," Bo said.

"Hey!" Luke said blushing and hitting Bo's arm. Bo flinched and rubbed his arm, frowning a little.

Luke glanced at Molly and then quickly looked away, clearing his throat.

"I'll have you know that there have been many tourist girls that have been interested in this guy right here," he said, pointing at himself with his thumbs.

Molly smiled and rolled her eyes. If they were attracted to him it would have been because he has the body of a swimsuit model. Luke was attractive, she had to admit that, but he joked around so much that she couldn't take him seriously.

"What, you don't believe me?" Luke said, pretending to be angry.

"Er, no…I do," Molly said, trying and failing to not smile.

"Can you believe her, Bo?" Luke said, turning to his younger friend. "Molly doesn't think I can be charming."

"I heard it. Molly clearly doesn't know what a gentleman you can be," Bo said sarcastically.

Luke, not noticing the sarcasm, kept nodding his head.

"Yeah, yeah. Okay Molly, I'll prove it to you."

"Huh?" Molly said, suddenly apprehensive.

"Yeah. Come to the flower festival with me and I'll show you how much of a catch I am," Luke said.

"Uhhhhhhhh." Molly looked at Bo for help but Bo just smiled and shrugged.

"Come on Molly, what's the problem?" said Luke, giving her puppy dog eyes.

Molly crossed her arms. "Why does it have to be me? Can't you just prove it by taking someone else?"

"Nope. It has to be you since you're the one that doubted me," Luke said, smiling and grabbing her shoulders lightly. "Come on, you know it'll be fun," he said, shaking her back and forth.

After ten seconds of this Molly yielded and threw up her hands. "Okay, okay fine. I'll go with you, but it's not a real date, okay? I'm just going to observe you."

"Yes! Alright! It's gonna be so AWESOME!" Luke said, pumping his fist in the air.

Bo laughed and Molly couldn't help but crack a smile.

"But just so you know," Molly said, interrupting his celebration, "you'd better bring your A-game because I'm really hard to impress."

Luke just smiled and accepted the challenge. "See you Saturday then," he said, raising his eyebrows and giving her what she figured was supposed to be a seductive look but just made him seem like he was pretending to be Donald Trump.

She rolled her eyes again and waved goodbye, walking down the path to say hi to the Harvest Goddess with Finn before going to the mines.

"Things got interesting, huh?" Finn said, rocking back and forth on her shoulder.

"Yeah…a lot more than I expected to have to deal with for this festival," she said.

"Are you troubled?" Finn asked. He had noticed that when it came to strangers, especially guys, Molly tended to pull herself back. He didn't know why, and it wasn't always noticeable, but he was always around her so he saw things that others probably wouldn't. Sprites loved but they didn't love in the same way that humans did so he didn't understand. But what he did understand was that Molly was afraid of love. Finn thought this was sad, because love was a great thing and everyone deserves to love and be loved but he didn't know how to help her.

"Maybe a little…but it's Luke, so I don't think I need to worry," Molly said.

"Worry about what?" Finn asked.

Molly's eyes widened for a second before shrugging and looking away. "Uh, worry about being quiet. If I go with Luke then he'll want to talk with everyone and be everywhere. At least the mayor will be happy seeing me interact with everyone; Luke will probably make sure there's not a dull moment."

"Hm," said Finn, squinting at her.

"What?"

"Nothing," Finn said, flying off of her shoulder and going to greet the Harvest Goddess.

Molly thought it was weird for Finn to be secretive but she casted the thought aside as she went to the Harvest Goddess for a quick hug. Rather than worrying about her personal life, she just needed to focus on the quest for the bells and her farm and, hopefully, things would go her way. But one thing was for sure – she would be happy if the festival passed without any incidents.