Note: Wow, it has been a long while since I have written for this fanfiction, only because I have been getting my life back into place. But now that I am back on track, I will be writing more often, and longer chapters! (Yay, I get to bore you more). Thank you for your wonderful comments and thank you for reading my fan fiction; it gives me such happiness knowing that I am sharing my ideas and thoughts with you as a reader. Have a wonderful thanksgiving (in Canada).
Chapter 1
The once prosperous farm brought up by the tears and hard labour of his late grandfather became a desolate wasteland; the old pasture fostered many wild weeds that towered towards the sky where healthy animals once grazed on a sunny afternoon. His grandfather's farm was drained of its once resilience and beauty – in its place a barren metaphor relative to his declined health over his last days. It was without a doubt, that the deterioration of the farm inspired Jack's grandfather to act upon a dying man's last chance to pass on the treasure of his life to his only grandson so suddenly.
Jack closed his eyes, and recalled his childhood excursions to his grandfather's farm...
It was spring, where the branches of many trees have already sprouted delicate leafs and tiny pedals of flowers dressed in an array of colours, young Jack was laying peacefully in the cozy blue hammock his grandfather built especially for him. Although the sun was beating furiously down on the earth, the leaves provided young Jack with relief from the scorching rays. His parents were tending the sprouts of various vegetables that stretched from the north end of the farm to the south. During the process, they managed to sneak a kiss or two in with one another – to the eyes of a bystander, their love appeared impenetrable even by death itself. His parents were tending the turnips, cucumbers, potatoes, and Jack's favourite green cabbage; they lined up in rows sorted with dividers made of stone between each type of crop. In the centre of the field dividing the northern and southern part of the field where vegetables were grown was a giant apple tree which every autumn, Jack's grandfather would send them a fresh homemade apple pie to his city daughter and son-in-law.
His grandfather had just finished fixing the shingles on his roof that were damaged through the vigorous storms of early spring. After putting away all his tools back into their proper positions, he hurried towards where Jack was laying and scooped him up with a loving embrace and said, "C'mon there Jack, are you feeling adventurous enough today? Why don't you come help me tend the animals?"
Jack giggled as his grandfather swung him side to side by his shoulders, "Alrighty grandpapa, I want to feed the chickens and brush the moo-cows and then pet the fuzzy sheep and then ride the horse around the farm and have a treasure hunt down by the beach!"
"Whoa, slow down there boy, we will tackle one thing at a time. You know, one of the most important things to remember in life is that we have got to take things slow and easy. Let's do one thing at a time, and when chores are done, I will take you on old Becky down by the beach side and skip stones." His grandfather chuckled.
"Okay grandpa! Anything you say." Jack released himself from his grandfather's grasp, grabbed his hand, and together they skipped towards the fenced area where the chickens happily wandered on this beautiful day.
Jack was given a bucket of corn-based chicken feed made from the crops grown on the farm – mind you, Jack's grandfather was a fan of a self-sustaining lifestyle – and scattered feed about as the chickens raced to feast upon the delightful meal. Next, the two raced towards the green field where cows, sheep, and Becky grazed blissfully in groups as they chattered in their own tongues. Young Jack helped his grandfather brush the cows and sheep, then milked the young mother cows, obviously enjoying being pampered with utmost affection. Finally, the chores were completed as grandpa helped Jack onto the horse.
"Careful dad, you know you have been having problems with your back. Don't strain yourself too much being out and about with Jack, you know he's a little rascal." Martha said, her face beaming with concern, "He is an angel, but he is a pocket full of energy!"
"George, Martha's right. You need to watch out for yourself, and Jack, you be good for the rest of the day out with grandpa. Promise?" Jack's father, Ethan reinforced his wife's concern.
"I'll be good, and I will take care of grandpapa!" Jack's smile was as wide as his tiny jaw allowed, "We are going to the beach and skipping stones!"
Martha and Ethan were so thrilled that their son was a considerate and sweet young boy, truly, they cannot be any happier with their family. George packed two bottles of fresh milk and home-baked bread in his rug sack; he guided Becky to the north-most entrance to the far that led to the heart of Mineral Town.
Jack opened his eyes, and he was standing at the north-most entrance. One could hardly believe that such a haven for a closely knitted family was disrupted by merely two decades of turmoil; what brought Jack from his ecstasy to the borderline nightmare reality he was living in was the question he would stay wide awake in bed at night while the bedside clock ticked away; is it not cruel for life to grant the liberties shared by the smallest population and to take it back so suddenly... Jack was paralyzed in thought.
"I know this isn't much..." Thomas' humble voice broke Jack's trance abruptly, "But since you are George's grandchild, I am positive that you have it in your blood to bring this farm up. I guess I will leave you for the rest of the day to get acquainted with your new quarters. I will drop by in a few days to check on you, be sure to go around town and say hi. Being a small community and all, everyone will be excited to have a new member. If you need any help, just come by my house in town. Take care, Jack."
"Thank you," Jack nodded, still shell shocked by the state of the farm, "I will probably hit the hay."
Thomas grinned, though he was not a particularly intelligent man, he could sense the uneasiness in Jack's voice, "Take your mind off of your worries, do something, it always helps me." He waved goodbye and strutted away.
He was alone again, having the quietness of the farm to penetrate his head with images and constant flashback of his life. Over and over again the images of his father leaving and his mother in the bedroom with her door shut, not a single tear from either of them. Heeding Thomas' advice moments before, Jack decided to put away his luggage and perhaps attempt to sleep for the first time in months.
The house was a single story tall, with an attic where he and his parents used to sleep on their vacation here, the walls were made of lumber stacked in a neat fashion, though the deterioration of his grandfather's health was evident as the roof was poorly maintained, with signs of wear and tear. He opened the faded red wooden door with his key, fingers around the door knob last touched by the entity who removed his grandfather's corpse from his bed. The door squeaked as it opened, the setting sun rays lit the cozy home; every surface was covered by a layer of dust, except the bedside table.
The first room is a single room divided into three sections: the bedroom area, kitchen, and living room. Near the kitchen was the door to the bathroom, with the sign hanging on a nail he and his grandfather carved out of lumber from the Mineral Town forest many years ago. There was a T.V. in the middle of the room where a crimson rug rested underneath the dining table. A single chair was tucked into the table – there was no need for more than one, after the divorce, Jack did not visit his grandfather, nor did his mother or father. Above the dining room table was a light bulb hanging dexterously inches off the ceiling. The bed was covered by the same deep red comforter his grandfather used for more than twenty years; the house brought back too many memories; nothing changed, except for his life, his crummy life. Jack did not sleep at all that night.
The next morning Jack woke up at the peak of dawn, six am as he recalled. Though he had a lack of sleep, Jack got dressed into his blue overalls, white shirt, his black boots, and his beloved blue baseball cap. In his bag, he consumed the remainder of his baguette he kept on his voyage and with a glass of tap water, the only glass he managed to find in the nearly empty cupboards. He turned on the T.V. and skipped through the channels, the only three channels available to him. Neither the weather station nor the two characterless shows stimulated him, so he decided to clean up the fields of his farm.
Weeds and branches dominated the agile field, it devoured several hours of Jack's morning to remove the unwanted organics of a small portion of his farm. Wiping the sweat pouring out of the forehead of the young man, he was determined to relax and enjoy the rest of his day around town.
The distinct lamp posts with brick coloured roads gave the core of Mineral Town its charming aesthetics, not to mention the gorgeous green trees that swayed in the gentle wind of spring. While walking towards the blacksmith, Jack can smell the roses planted along the sides of the road; truly it was a pleasurable to be away from the city once again. Before Jack reached the doorsteps of the blacksmith, the door swung wide open and slammed behind a man in his twenties in a blue, red and black baseball cap with yellow inscriptions, wearing a birch coloured mechanic's suit. Because he walked with his head facing the cracks of the road, he bumped into Jack, almost knocking him off balance.
"Watch where you are going...oh, you don't look too familiar," the peculiar man said, "You must be the replacement."
"What a brilliant deduction," Jack replied with a sarcastic tone, "I am Jack, the new farmer in town. And you are...?"
"Gray, the apprentice to my grandfather, Saibara, the blacksmith. I have to run though, Saibara has asked me to pick up the new products from the docks, and if I don't get back in less than ten minutes, I will disappoint him again." Without waiting for a reply from Jack, he rushed to retrieve the package.
Jack was uncertain about Gray's strange personality and sensed that he feared his grandfather, but he decided to visit Saibara anyway. Opening the door, he saw an elder man with a white beard and moustache, a balding head, and expressive eyebrows that gave him the appearance of a wise yet strict being, as he was in the workshop portion of the store, working on some sort of device. The old man did not raise his head, but yelled "Gray, I thought I told you to run to the docks to fetch my packages that I need. Either you do not have the brains to grasp this simple task I have given you and yet again disappoint me, or, you are beginning to be competent for the very first time."
Jack could understand the fear and anxiety in Gray's voice when speaking briefly about his grandfather, he calmly said, "Gray is on his way. I am Jack, the new farmer south of your shop. It is a great pleasure to meet you."
"I do apologize, I assumed that Gray was slacking off as usual," Saibara's tone, though still firm, became more relaxed knowing that it was not his incompetent grandson, "You know, I am able to see the courage and ability to work hard in you young man, taking on a grand task such as bringing up a worn-down farm of your grandfather. I just wished that Gray had a quarter of your ambition and strength, that boy is an utter failure, a disgraceful waste of time."
"Sir, I am not as great as you seem to think, I have just begun, and know absolutely nothing about farming." Jack paused to examine the changing expression on Saibara's face, "You know, Gray seemed pretty eager to please you from my brief encounter with him."
"Such modesty, from such a young man, Jack, you know, I admire your spirit. I don't want to keep you from your busy day and I need to get back to work on the furnace for Lillia too. Take care young lad." Saibara eyebrows returned to their former place, giving his face a look of concentration and austerity.
Jack continued his trip around the town, suddenly, in the middle of the road; he saw several white fluffy chickens running away from the Poultry farm. The poor animals seemed extremely distressed and frightened, as they scattered in different directions. In the distant were the bark of a dog, and the dissonance of a duet between a male voice and a female voice. Jack rushed to the source of the squabble and saw a gorgeous young woman with wavy pink hair that glistened in the sunlight, in a classy dress that was at the same time informal, with one hand on her hips, and the other pointing at her male counterpart. The man was potentially older than her, with a resembling nose, giant round glasses that magnified the intensity of his concerned eyes, and a green apron over his simple outfit. Not far from the argument was a brown beagle puppy with droopy round ears, and eyes that captivated Jack's interest.
"Rick, do something! Do something about that, that stupid dog that keeps pestering our chickens!" The girl squeaked, her voice matching her physical appearance (or one would imagine it to be akin).
"I am trying my best Popuri, I am truly doing my best. But the pest keeps coming back no matter how many times I shoo him away!" Rick responded, obviously unable to make his sister realize that he sincerely made an attempt.
"Well! We need to get our poor babies back into their pen. I swear, if I see this dog again, I will kick him!" Popuri turned and saw Jack watching the whole commotion, "Oh, I am sorry, you must be the new farmer in town. I am Popuri, and this is my brother Rick. Are you here to buy a chicken? We WOULD be able to sell you one except my brother allowed this pest to bother our chickens, and now they have run off in different directions!"
"I am Jack, nice to meet you both. Don't worry! Why don't I help you two retrieve the little critters? And we can all deal with the dog problem later." Jack tried to play the mediator of the situation.
Rick and Popuri both nodded in defeat, realizing that their bickering was not aiding the problem, so the three of them searched the strip in front of the Poultry farm and one by one, the chickens were returned to their pen. It has been a long time since Jack had held a chicken in his arms, he gently stroked the feathers of the chicken in his embrace, and the chicken responded in a positive manner. Popuri beamed, "I am so happy that you are getting along with Sparky, she is really shy usually. We hatched her on our farm a year ago and she has been a handful, not really getting along with the others."
"Thanks for your help Jack, as my sister said earlier, I am Rick. I am her older brother, and... Can you do something about that beagle over there? We are not too fond of dogs here, they have a tendency to bark and send the chickens scattering."
"I have an idea." It was their mother, Lillia. She was a woman in a fragile frame, walking in a ghost-like manner with light and little steps, coughing periodically as she walked towards Jack. "Why don't you keep this dog, I don't think he has an owner and he has been wandering on our farm for the past little while. He may be more useful to you, than to us."
Although Lillia was sick, she had a great sense of character, which Jack admired very much in her already. He stopped and thought for a while, and realized that Rick, Popuri and Lillia were staring at him intensely, waiting for a response that would relieve them of their current problem. With a beaming smile and a nod, Jack replied to Lillia's proposition, "I will keep this dog and take care of him. Rest assure, he will not be bothering you anymore."
"Finally," Popuri sighed, "A relief from that terrible annoyance that is doing nothing but harm to us! Go on, beat it!"
Jack managed to scoop up the beagle without much resistance from it; it licked Jack in the face automatically and rolled onto its belly, seeking attention.
"Looks like that little dog just wanted a bit of attention, so he thought that by scaring the chickens, he will get it. What a character!" Lillia said in a soothing voice.
"Still, he was nonetheless a pain in the ass!" Rick exclaimed, though glad that the dog will finally stop loitering on their farm and disturbing the chickens.
"What will you name him?" Popuri inquired, "Just so I can tell him to go away if I see him wandering here again!"
Before Jack could take the time to carefully select the perfect name for his new beagle, a voice in the background disrupted the moment between the four individuals.
"Jack! Jack! Is that really you? I really can't believe it's really you!"