"Easy does it." Frank said gently as he guided me up the hill to my farm, assisting me to balance whilst my trembling legs readjusted to moving after a couple of days. When I had regained consciousness after being hit by a pang of magic by Witchie, Dessie's witch friend who watched over Lulukoko, I found myself in Westown's clinic being treated by Doctor Ford.

I had anticipated that after a few hours of being awake after the incident that I would be released in time to put my animals away for the night and finish any last chores on the farm that needed completing. Doctor Ford's plans, however, didn't align with my own. He insisted that he couldn't discharge me until he had observed my recovery for a few days as he didn't trust me to not go home and overwork myself immediately after being discharged.

I protested as much as I could, asking to be discharged, begging to be allowed to return to my farm. I couldn't be away from it for a few days. Who would feel the animals? Water and harvest the crops? All I could see were visions of returning to sick animals (who in my imagination would be very angry at me for now feeding them) and dead crops. Ford wouldn't budge. One disapproving and strict gaze from him in response to my protests had me sinking back into my bed and staying quiet for the rest of the evening.

I still panicked, just internally. All I could think about was the second bullet point in the letter full of tasks my father had sent me a couple of days ago. In order to prove myself to him and for my dream to be recognised, I needed to complete the tasks he had thrown at me. The first task my father had assigned me was owning a cow, this was crossed off the list by myself shortly after reading it as I already owned Bella.

The second task, however, was to win the beginner round of the Animal Festival. A monthly festival where farmer's livestocks competed for a judge who would decide on which farmer had the best animal. I had been working hard to follow my Uncle Frank's advice on how to raise the best livestock, and the prospect of missing a few days said goodbye to any chances I had of ranking decently, let alone winning and pleasing my father.

Thankfully that evening, Frank arrived to visit me, insisting he'd do what he could to feed my animals and look after my crops… And let my family know what happened to me. He said it was his job as my only relative here to inform my family that I had an incident and to tell them not to worry. I saw it as a way of announcing to my father that I couldn't cope like he probably expected. Even though Frank had been watching over my farm for the past few days I still felt that my absence had waved goodbye to my chances of ranking in the Animal Festival.

"Thank you for all of your help on the farm, Uncle Frank. I don't know what I'd have done without you these past few days." I said once I had gathered my breath, my energy level still weren't great but I was desperate to get back into my farming routine.

"Don't mention it. We can't help getting sick and hurt from time to time, you just need to be more careful next time." Frank squeezed my shoulder reassuringly then helped me inside my home. Home. Whilst I was in the clinic under Ford's strict bed rest orders I yearned so much to go home. To go here. My newly renovated house on my farm where I could finally make use of the kitchen Ludus had built for me. I told myself that I would make and cook some fish cakes for Ludus to thank him but hadn't yet had to opportunity to.

"I told Megan that I'd help her over at her farm with fixing her barn door but I'll come back later with some food and we can eat together. Make sure you rest, Nami. Everything should be okay here until tomorrow." Frank chuckled, "I don't want Ford to come after me, he's scary when his patients go against his advice."

I smiled and hugged Frank carefully, being mindful of my stomach which was still sore from the impact of Witchie's magic. "Thank you, Uncle Frank. I'll see you later…"

Once Frank had left, I glanced around my house unsure with what to do with myself. I could follow Doctor Ford's orders and rest, or I could anxiously rush around my farm and make sure everything was really okay with it…

As I spend a few moments weighing up the consequences, I heard a quiet whimper from the corner of the room. Turning quickly, I discovered Dessie standing there holding herself and frowning.

"... Witchie said you were probably dead and that I shouldn't be sad and move on quickly but I'm really glad you're not dead…" Dessie sniffled, "I'm sorry that you got hurt, I didn't think this would happen…"

I crouched down slowly and held my arms open for a hug, "It's okay, Dessie. I know you never intended for this to happen, I'm not mad at you. I'm sure Witchie didn't mean it either. I'm not magical like the two of you, I'm human so my body doesn't react as well to magic as yours do. I'm much better now though, so don't be upset."

Dessie ran into my arms and let out a little sob, "I like having you as my friend. You're like the big human sister I never had. Thank you for not dying."

I stroked Dessie's hair reassuringly, trying not to chuckle at how sweet she was being.

"You're like a little sister to me. My own little sister lives a long way away at the moment so I miss having her around, but you remind me of her a little bit. I'm glad I met you, Dessie. Will you tell Witchie not to play the frog game with me in the future?"

Dessie gasped, "Of course! No frog games. Witchie is stubborn and a little scary but I'm going to stand up to her and tell her no!" Dessie wiped her eyes quietly and giggled, "At least your boyfriend visited you, you got to have some alone time together."

I rolled my eyes, "Dessie how many times do I need to tell you, Wayne isn't my boyfriend. He was just making sure I was okay since he was the one that took me to the clinic."

Dessie pouted, "Is the scary doctor your boyfriend then?"

"Ford? What? No. He was overseeing my treatment, Dessie."

Dessie lit up and squealed, "The purple haired guy with the muscles? He's so dreamy. I want him to be my boyfriend but you can have him."

Sighing, I shook my head. "No Dessie, Ludus isn't my boyfriend either. I don't have a boyfriend."

"So… You have a girlfriend?" Dessie cocked her head.

"No, I don't have a girlfriend either. I'm not in a relationship with anyone, I'm just trying to focus on the farm."

"Okay well… Hopefully, the purple haired man will magically gain the power to see me and we can fall in love. I'll have to ask Witchie if she can do something about that…."

"Good cow…" Dessie whispered as she followed my instructions on how to pet Bella properly.

Dessie insisted that she wanted to help me prepare Bella for her first Animal Festival, however, since Dessie was the size of a child and couldn't reach Bella's body to pet and brush her coat. After letting out a frustrated whine, she materialised a stool out of thin air to reach my cow companion. Pleased that she was at a suitable height, she hummed a tune happily as she comforted the cow.

"It's important that Bella feels happy, I bet she's feeling super shy about standing in front of all of those people today. I hope she doesn't get stage fright," said Dessie.

I smiled and nodded in agreement with Dessie, "That's right, I feel shy about competing against other people so I can't imagine how Bella must be feeling. You're being so gentle with her that I'm sure she feels calm."

Dessie glanced up and grinned at me, "Good! Hey, is your family coming to watch you today?"

"No…" I paused, "My family live far away."

"But it's your first animal festival! Couldn't they come visit?"

I shook my head, suddenly feeling homesick.

"My dad didn't want me to become a farmer, he's set me a list of tasks I have to complete in order to prove myself to him. I don't think he'd ever both to visit until I proved myself to him, or if I failed and he came to take me back. I-I think my mum and little sister would come and support me but because of my dad they're probably hesitant to. I'm going to write them a letter this evening telling them how it went, hopefully with some good news…"

Dessie reached over and squeezed my hand, "Well I'll be there to cheer you on, Nami. I made a banner! I had to make one twice since Witchie set fire to the first one…"

"... Did she set it on fire by accident?" I asked.

Dessie giggled nervously, "Ah, well, Witchie never sets fire to things accidentally…"

If I were to ever see Witchie again, I don't think I'd make it out alive this time.