For Whom the Bell Tolls
~ The Working Man ~
My hands dig into the thick, spongy soil, as I tear up yet another weed. I pack it into my backpack, along with the other hundreds of weeds that I've torn from this island. I know it's not going to net me enough money, but I'll stay hopeful nonetheless, because that's what he wants. That's what Mr. Nook always wants.
Speak of the devil. A large, round stature looms behind me, shrouding me in darkness from the hot, beaming sun.
"Aaaah, good morning Mr. Carrington? Working hard I see, yes, yes?"
He says the same damn thing every day, his high-pitched voice makes my teeth grit.
"Yes Mr. Nook, just trying to pay off my loan." I say with my face looking down at the ground. I can't bare to look him in the eye.
"Hmm? Ah yes, your loan, well before that, surely, you'll renovate the island a bit? Or, perhaps, spend some money at the shop? You know that Nook's Cranny and my island can always be helped with a bit of extra money."
I can hear the glee coming from his voice every time money is mentioned.
"Mr. Nook, you know that I barely have enough bells to feed myself, let alone renovate or pay off my home loan."
"Now now, Russell, surely you can't turn down an old friend like me? After all, who helped you set up the island? Who gave you your home? I thought a friend like you would return the favour." His voice gets more sterner every sentence, and my exhausted ears can only take so much.
"I'll get on it right away, Mr. Nook"
"Yes, see that you do, hmm?"
His veiled threats push me to the edge every day. I zip up my bag of weeds, and head to Nook's Cranny. Weed picking's not much, but it's honest work.
~ The Curse of Capitalism ~
It seems I can't escape the Nook family today. As I swing open Nook's Cranny's doors, I'm immediately greeted by Timmy and Tommy, Tom Nook's nephews.
"Hello Russell, welcome to Nook's – "
The way they speak at the same time I always freaked me out, but today, I'm at my wits ends.
"Yeah yeah, look, I'm here to sell these weeds and turnips, how's the turnip stock prices looking today?"
"Hmm let's see, we're buying turnips at 89 bells per turnip, but we'll definitely take those weeds off you!"
"Wait, 89 bells? You've got to be kidding me, I bought my turnips for 110 each, I can't lose this much money!"
"Oh, awfully sorry Russell! That's the best price we can do! At least you can make your money back with these weeds, yes?" Their jolly, ignorant voices go higher and higher as my day gets worse and worse. I put my bag of weeds and turnips on the counter and take the bells that I had faithfully put into my turnips, but a little less off this time.
~ A Hungry Town ~
As the town clock chimes, it's lunch time. God, I miss meat, I miss a proper meal, I miss anything to eat other than fruit. I lug my body towards the apple tree in front of me, wishing that maybe some money, or anything else, would fall down aside from these damn apples. As I shake away at the tree, little red balls of hell fall from the branches. Time to eat.
I try to swallow down another bite of my apple. I missed when I would love to bite into their crunchy skin and have my mouth fill with it's flavour and juices, but when it's your tenth apple of the day, can you blame a man for going insane?
The other villagers come to sit by me, all looking like they've had just as terrible a day as I had. Their once cheery smiles when they first arrived ashore have long washed away.
"Hey Russell."
"Hey Piper."
"How's it going Russ?"
"Not bad Raymond."
"Hiya Russell."
"Hey there Rodeo."
After all these months living on this island, our greetings for one another have never changed.
Rodeo takes a large bite out of his apple, "Sorry to hear about your turnips Russell, the market's been at an all time low lately. You know, I managed to get lucky with my turnip prices a while back, even got to pay off my home loan, but that bastard Nook, he got his claws in me again, now here I am, a home loan that was double from before."
"You think that's bad," Piper interrupts, "I've been weeding non-stop for the past 5 weeks, just to pay for a table to eat on and a bed to sleep in! My doctor said my back's going to give out any second!"
As the little circle of miserable villagers quietens down, Raymond meekly speaks up.
"I just miss the freedom of meeting new people…discovering new places, not having a care in the world about money, or work, or a house. Just being able to explore. I miss that the most."
Raymond glumly looks down, as we do the same. A thick silence hovers in the air, only cut with the sound of crickets chirping, and apples being chewed.
~ The Wonder of Money ~
I don't know how much more I can take of this. This… never ending loop, it's eating away at my soul. Everything I do, it's for Tom Nook, whether I'm planting fruit trees, fishing and catching bugs to put in his museum, buying random things for my house that I don't even need, it's all for Mr. Nook.
On my way home, I counter another apple tree. I muster up the last of my energy to wrap my hands around the splintering tree and give one more shake, before my hope fully dies out. I just need something. Anything, that's not an apple, of course.
Once again, apples surround my blistered feet, aside from something that glistens in the midst of the evening sun. As I crouch down for a better view, I see a beautiful, golden bell on the dewy grass. I notice my knees beginning to buckle, finally some good fortune!
Alas, my good fortune won't last for long. I feel foolish. I stuff the bell into my pocket, and carry on my way home, with my head down. This bell isn't mine, not for long. It'll be back with its rightful owner.