Part 3: Dateless...... for the Spring Goddess Festival!
The sun was extremely bright on that morning of Spring 7th. The rays shone through the only window in Jack's house, waking him up at exactly 6 a.m. that morning. "I hate getting up so early, " He mumbled to himself and he slowly rose out of his bed.
Sitting on his table was the sandwich he made the day before. He starred at it for a while as he waited for his eyes to focus. Once he could clearly see he leisurely walked over to the table and ate his sandwich, most likely his only meal for the day.
Jack stepped outside and observed his farm. For only a week's worth of work, it looked very good. He walked over to the mailbox and pulled it open with a loud CREAK. "I'm gunna have to oil that now," Jack groaned. He reached inside, and to his surprise, he found a small note. It read:
NOTICE! The Spring Goddess Festival will be held on Spring 8th at 10 a.m. in Rose Square. It will be a time of fun and dancing. Ladies please don't forget to wear your costumes for the Spring Goddess Dance. Men- escort your favorite lady to the festival. Everyone's invited! Come and have fun! -The Mayor
Spring Goddess Festival? Never heard of it, Jack thought to himself. Maybe I can ask Karen to go with me..
Jack hastily finished his farm chores so that he could go to the grocery store early, before anyone else could ask Karen. He put his watering can away in his rucksack and walked over to the grocery store...
He was there within ten minutes. I've never walked so fast in my life, Jack thought. He slowed his pace down as he approached the grocery store, and Karen came into view. She looked more beautiful than ever that day, or so Jack thought.
The sunlight reflected off her hair, making it look absolutely perfect. She wore her little purple vest and jean shorts. Karen sat on the bench next to her parents store, and she looked as if she were waiting for someone. She smiled slightly, and Jack beamed.
Just as Jack was about to open his mouth to speak to Karen, a bolt of red went soaring past him, knocking him to the ground.
"Karen will you go to the Goddess Festival with me tomorrow?!" The bolt of red was Rick. He now stood in front of Karen, with a big stupid grin on his face. Jack was angry. Not only did the jerk knock him over, but he also asked out the girl he wanted to!
Jack got up off the ground. Rick looked over at him after he realized what he had done. "Oh I'm so sorry Jack." He turned back to Karen to wait for his answer.
"Sure I'll go with you," She smiled a little until she saw Jack. She looked at him sympatheticly. "Are you okay?"
"Yeh I'm fine." He turned and walked towards the clinic. I wonder if Elli has a date yet? He wondered to himself...
Inside the clinic Elli had just walked out from the Doctor's "office". Her face was a light shade of red. She looked at Jack, surprised.
"Oh Jack, are you here to see the doctor??"
"Well no...." Jack replied, his eyes shifting around the room. "I was wondering if I could escort you to the Spring Goddess Festival tomorrow?"
Elli frowned. "That's so nice of you Jack, but I already have a date."
Jack shrugged. "That's okay, I just thought I would give it a shot. Bye Elli."
"Goodbye Jack!" Jack turned around and walked out the door.
So Karen and Elli both already have dates. I wonder who I could ask to go with me now? Jack thought. Maybe Mary....
Jack walked down the street towards the library. He pulled open the door and...
"All that was left was a weed covered field,"
Mary stood inside the library, her back facing Jack. Her dark hair was pulled back in a braid, and it looked like she was reading something out loud from a piece of paper. The noise from the door shutting made her jump. She turned around to see Jack standing there.
"Oh! Hello Jack, have you come to read a book?"
"Were you writing something just now?" Jack asked curiously.
Mary replied, "Well.... yes I was. I like to write in my free time."
"Do you think I could read it?"
"No! I mean, it's not done yet."
"I understand," Jack replied, and he smiled. Mary looked so embarrassed, and Jack couldn't figure out why. "So Mary, have you found a date for the Goddess Festival tomorrow?"
"Yes I have. Gray asked if he could escort me tomorrow and I said yes."
"That's really good," Jack replied, trying not to seem disappointed. That was strike three for him. Good thing there were still two more girls he could ask.
"Did you come to read a book Jack?"
"You'll let me read what you wrote when you are done, won't you?" Jack requested.
"If I like it, then yes you may read it."
"Alright, cool." Jack responded. "I'll talk to you later Mary!" He then walked out of the library.
Well, Karen, Elli, and Mary all have dates. This sucks, Jack thought to himself. He didn't want to seem desperate, but it would be nice to have a date for the festival. Maybe he could somehow fit in with the townspeople. It may have only been a week, but he couldn't help feeling secluded from the townsfolk. They all already knew each other, and he was just the new guy. I guess I'll have to try a little harder, Jack thought.
His next stop would be the Poultry Farm, home of Popuri and that jerk Rick. Jack would be alright as long as he was able to avoid seeing Rick. He walked up to the door and was just about to open it when the doors came flying open.
"Oh! Hello Jack,"
It was Rick. The one person Jack just did not want to see right that moment. "Hello Rick," He replied dryly.
"Have you come to give us some business?"
"Not exactly..." Jack began.
"Oh well, hey, I'm sorry about what happened this morning. I usually don't run people over, especially nice guys like you. I probably would purposely run over guys like Kai. He's the only person I don't like in this village. He comes for the summer, disrupts everything, and then leaves once fall comes. What was I saying? Oh yeh, I'm really sorry about that. It's just that I always take Karen to the Goddess Festival, and I was afraid someone else was going to ask her this year." Rick explained. "
You didn't think I was going to ask her, did you? I was just doing some shopping this morning, that's all..." he lied.
"That's cool, so why are you here anyways, if you aren't going to buy anything? Oh wait! You want to ask my little sister to the Goddess Festival!"
This guy was quick. To avoid wasting anymore time, Jack walked past Rick and partly through the door.
"You have my permission to ask Popuri!" Rick yelled to Jack. Jack continued on into the house. Rick grinned. Hopefully she'll fall for him and forget about that loser Kai, Rick thought to himself.
Inside Popuri was walking around the house. Her pink hair was slightly curled, and she was wearing a cute pink dress. This girl loved the color pink. She looked as if she wasn't doing anything really, just amusing herself by walking around the room. Occasionally she looked at her mother, who was standing by the sink doing the dishes.
"Hey Popuri," Jack smiled at her.
She placed her hand on her hip and rolled her eyes. "Hello." Now that he thought about it, Popuri wasn't very pleasant. Maybe she wasn't the right girl to ask to the Goddess Festival.
"Uhhh you found a date for the festival tomorrow?"
"As a matter of fact, I have." The girl responded.
Popuri still had her hand on her hip. She acted as if she didn't really want to talk to Jack. Now he had to find a way to get out of this situation.
Just then, Popuri's mother turned around. "Popuri! You should be nicer to our costumers. Hello Jack, could I get you anything?"
"Uhhh yes! Could you tell me how much chickens are?"
"They are 1,500 G." Lilia replied.
"Okay thank you." Jack quickly turned around and walked out the door. Then he made a mad dash towards to road so that he would not have to talk to Rick.
Jack continued down the road, almost lost in thought. He still had no date for the festival, but that wasn't too bad. Being rejected by four girls in a row was hurting his ego though. He looked at his watch. It was late in the afternoon. He decided to stop by the Inn to see how Ann and Doug were doing.
He pulled open the large inn doors and walked in. Inside Harris the policeman was standing, starring at a picture on the wall. A few feet away from him stood the weirdo salesman Won. Behind the counter was Doug, sitting on a stool. He looked as serious as ever.
Jack looked over at Doug and nodded his head. "How ya doin Doug?"
"I'm doing fine, but I don't know about Ann. She still doesn't have a date for the festival tomorrow." Doug replied.
"Really? Why are you so worried about her getting a date?" Jack questioned.
"Because I want her to find someone and get married. I think it would be best for her to get married and have a family. I just want the best for her, but she isn't interested in getting married. What do you think Jack?"
"Ummm well... I think that you should let Ann decide for herself," Jack replied.
"No no, what I meant was, what do you think about asking her to the Festival?"
Great, this guy is already making plans for his daughter, without even talking to her first! Next he'll probably plan out her marriage too. "I'm not so sure about that," Jack began. "Don't you think you should talk to Ann first before you plan stuff out like that? Maybe she has someone else in mind. Oh look at the time! I have to go ummm finish the farmwork!" And with that Jack left the Inn.
Standing at the top of the stairs was Ann. She had heard the whole thing, and her mouth was wide open. She couldn't believe her dad just did that! And this time it was worse, he tried talking a guy into dating her that she didn't even know! He really needed to stop interfering with her love life.....
Jack walked down the street and through Rose Square until he came upon the beach. By now it was getting dark. He had spent the whole day trying to find a date for the festival, and with no success. He walked across the beach and to the end of the dock. Standing there fishing was the old man Greg. Jack sat down next to him and starred out at the water.
"Hey there Jack. You catch any large fish yet?" Jack shook his head. "I see. Hey what's wrong with you boy? You look a little distant today."
"I'm fine," Jack replied.
"If you say so."
Jack pulled out his fishing line and cast it into the water. He sat starring at the water, waiting for a bite. He remembered that old saying his father once told him, "There are plently of fish in the sea" and that made him smile.
Just then he felt a tug at his line. Jack pulled the line out of the water, with some difficulty. At the end was an extremely large fish.
"Oh look what you got there," Greg said. "That's a pretty big fish."
Jack took it off the hook and examined it. He wasn't a very big fan of fish, so holding one in his hand kind of grossed him out.
"So what are you going to do with it now?" Greg asked him while examining the fish.
Jack shrugged. "I can't do much with this," He held it out towards Greg. "Here, you take it. I know you can do something with it."
Greg smiled. "Thank you Jack! That was very nice of you!"
"It's no big deal." Jack replied. Greg still had a smile on his face as he began to clean off his new fish. Jack made a face and put away his fishing pole.
Across the sea the sun was setting. The sky looked as if it was painted in several shades of red, orange, and yellow. A flock of seagulls flew overhead and Jack stood up.
"I'm going to be heading home now, Goodnight Greg." Jack turned and walked off.
The next day was another bright and sunny day. Jack woke up early again, and finished his farmwork quickly. The only thing he had to do today was water anyways.
Even though he didn't have a date he decided to go to this Spring Goddess Festival anyways. It would be a good opportunity to meet with the other people from the town, and find out more about the customs. Jack put away his tools and cleaned himself up. Then he walked to Rose Square.
When Jack first got to the square the first thing he noticed was the five girls. EAch of them were standing in a different area, but they were all very noticable. Each girl had on a pink dress. Flowers decorated their hair and the tops of the dresses. Jack wandered around the square admiring all of the costumes.
Manna and Duke stood together, talking to themselves. "Our daughter never liked this festival," Duke said sadly.
"Yes I know dear. Aja would have looked so good in one of those costumes, but we could never get it on her! She was never into girly stuff like that, now that I think about it. She always enjoyed sports and guy things more. It's a good thing she left her goddess costume here when she left the village. If she didn't then little Mary wouldn't have anything to wear. Look at her over there Duke! She looks so adorable in that costume. And without her glasses, she looks even more elegant!"
Jack glanced over at Mary to see what Manna was fusing over. Mary stood a few feet away from her parents. The costume fit her just right, and flowers were decorated in her hair, just like all the other girls. On this particular day she was not wearing her glasses. Jack walked over to her and smiled.
"You look nice today Mary."
"Thank you Jack. I hate these gaudy clothes though, but it's good to see what different customs are like." She replied.
Jack continued wadering around the square. The next group of people he came upon were Rick, Karen, and Popuri. To Jack, Karen looked absolutely beautiful. The costume fit her perfectly and the flowers were decorated in her hair so that the two blonde streaks of hair were able to hang down in front. She had a soft smile on her face.
Standing across from her was Popuri. She also had on the Goddess Costume and flowers in her hair, but something just didn't look right. Maybe it was her hair. It just seemed like too much pink to him. Jack walked over to talk to the group.
Popuri spoke up first. "This is the Goddess costume!" She said happily.
"Look's nice," Jack lied. Then he turned to Karen. "You look great Karen!"
"Thanks Jack. Will you be staying to watch the dance? I love to dance!"
"Of course I'll stay and watch," Jack replied, and continued around the square.
Next Jack came upon Doug, who was standing all alone. Feeling almost sorry for him, Jack decided to chat with him.
When Doug saw Jack approaching he smiled a little. It was odd to see him smile. Acctually, it was probably the first time Jack had seen him smile since the first day he came here. "Hey Jack, it's good of you to come. Did you talk to Ann yet? Look at her over there. She reminds me of her mother." Jack looked over at Ann.
Ann was standing with Elli in the corner of the square. Her costume fit her loosely and her hair looked exactly the same except for a few flowers here and there.
"I think I'll go talk to her now," Jack said and walked over to where Ann was standing.
Ann looked at him and sighed. "I hate wearing skirts!" She complained.
"I think it's fun dressing up," Elli added.
As soon as Elli finished speaking, the mayor's voice could be heard above all the others. "Please everyone listen. The dance will be starting in a few minutes. All the girls please meet in the middle and get ready."
"Oh I'm so nervous. I hope I don't mess up!" Elli said, and the girls all walked to the middle of Rose Square.
The five girls all stood in a line with bright smiles on their faces. As soon as the music began, they started to move, back and forth and twirling around. Karen was really getting into the dance, and Ann looked as if she wasn't trying at all. The other girls danced normally, neither looking like they liked the dance, or hated it. When the dance ended everyone began to applaud. The girls bowed, and walked off in seperate directions. The mayor walked into the middle of Rose Square.
"That will conclude the Spring Goddess Festival. You all may go home now, unless you have a date or other things to do. Thanks for coming everybody!"
Everyone walked off in their own directions, leaving Jack standing all alone. He wasn't ready to go home yet. It was his first festival in his new town, and it was pretty interesting. It didn't matter that he didn't have a date, he still had fun.
While he was lost in thought, a person walked up behind him and tapped his shoulder. Jack turned around to find Ann standing and smiling at him. He smiled back.
"Hi Jack, did you have fun at the festival." She asked.
"Yeh I did. You looked nice."
"Oh, yeh right! I hate skirts." She looked down at the ground. "That's not really what I came back here to talk to you about. I heard you talking to my dad yesterday..."
"Oh," Jack replied.
"But that was a good thing! I mean.... what I really want to say is, thank you for sticking up for me, even though you don't really know me or my dad."
"Oh that. It wasn't a big deal."
"But it was!" Ann said. "He's always interfering with my love life, and it drives me crazy. I know he wants the best for me, but I don't want to get married! I'm happy the way I am now."
"I understand," Jack replied.
"Thanks Jack. You don't have a date tonight, do you?"
"No..." Jack admitted.
"Well me either. If your not busy, would you like to go to the Goddess Pond with me?"
"Sure sounds like fun." Jack replied, and grinned.
She turned to lead him to the pond.
When they got there everything was dark, and extremely quiet. They walked to the Goddess Pond and starred into the water.
"This is the Goddess pond," Ann said to Jack. "She's probably sleeping now though." Jack nodded his head. "You know, this is my favorite spot to go. I come up here every morning and hang out over there by the river." She pointed to the river and the spot where she hangs out.
"Really? I'll have to come up here and visit you in the mornings then."
"It's really late," Ann stated. "Should we go home now?"
"I guess so. Do you want me to walk you home Ann?"
"Umm no thanks. I think I can make it back by myself." She grinned.
"Okay, bye Ann. Thanks for showing me this place."
"I should be thanking you again, for sticking up for me and keeping me company up here." Ann said.
They both turned and walked their seperate ways. Jack returned to his house. He pet his dog and smiled.
Today was a really fun day. I got to attend my first festival. It was really interesting to see how old traditions are still around. Ann was fun to hang out with too. She even looked cute in that skirt...
Author's note: So what do you guys think so far? I know it's not the most exciting story ever, but hopefully it will get better. Please be kind and review! If I get enough positive feedback from you guys then I'll continue putting up more parts on this site.