A/N: I finally found section dividers that actually work when I upload them to this site. Thank you all for your reviews:) Does anyone know where the title came from:P

DoubleKK: Is that a threat:\

Chapter 15: Red is Blue

And just like that, Summer turned into Fall.

The last few days of Summer were the most emotionally painful days Jack had ever experienced in his life thus far. While he had been busy for most of the summer and had not spent much time with Popuri, there was still a huge void in his heart that she used to fill. He instinctively would continue to go up to the Goddess Pond to see her, but she was never there. She would never be there again.

Only one event that happened between Popuri's departure and the beginning of Fall worth remembering to Jack was one day when he went to go to the Goddess Pond. Ann was there; she turned and smiled at him as he approached. Instead of stopping to talk, just being at that place would hurt too much, he smiled back and continued on his way up Mother's Hill.

It must have been a Monday because the first thing he noticed as he continued his walk up the hill was that Mary was there with her family. His usually depressed mood was lifted when he noticed how happy the family seemed together. Mary was laying in the grass either reading a book or writing, he couldn't tell from where he was. Basil, her father, was out there with his magnifying glass examining all of the various plants that grew up there. Anna, Mary's mother, was setting up a blanket. The sight of the happy family made him smile, but he wasn't sure he wanted to talk any of them. He continued on his way past them and towards the top of the hill.

"Hey Jack!"

He was noticed. He stopped to see who was talking to him. Mary had stood up and walked over towards him, a slight smile on her otherwise emotionless face. "It's good to see you Jack, how are you doing?"

"I could be better," he mumbled.

"I'm sorry to hear. I don't mean to bother you, but you know, if you need a quiet place to relax and be alone… the library will welcome you."

"That's nice of you Mary. I'll remember that in the future."

And he did. Every day afterwards Jack would spend the morning doing all his chores and preparing for the fall. Then he would spend the afternoon at the library. Mary always welcomed him with a warm smile and a new book for him to read. It felt good to get his mind off of things and just learn something new. Most of the books Mary had for him were about different plants or farming techniques. He hoped to try out some of those when the fall came.

Now it was Fall and Jack was ready to start a new season. Emotionally, he wasn't ready to venture out into town and be social again. He was ready though to take the next step on his farm. He was finally almost ready to expand his chicken coop. Summer had been very profitable for Jack. That was the only good thing that happened all month.

Jack stood outside his chicken farm and sighed. Since Popuri had broken it off with him, he found it difficult to spend any significant time in the place. Chickens reminded him of Popuri. Popuri, the chicken, reminded him of Popuri. Actually, most things reminded him of Popuri.

It was time for Jack to take control of the situation. After he was done with all his chores on that particularly cool fall day, he picked up Popuri the chicken and took her to Chicken Lil's. He hated to do it, but it was the only way to alleviate the pain.

It was early still, but not too early for Rick to be there. He was outside, bundled in a light jacket and feeding the chickens. He noticed Jack standing there at the gate to the farm and he put down the bag of seed. He hadn't seen Jack since before Popuri left him.

"Hey Jack, what can I do for you."

"Take this."

"What? You want me to buy this chicken off of you?"

Jack sighed, still holding the fluffy white bird. "No, I don't want any of your pity money. I just want you to take her and give her a good home. I can't take care of her anymore."

"Alright Jack, I can do that." Jack handed the chicken over to Rick. He turned around to leave. "Oh Jack! Before you go… what is her name?"

"Popuri."

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The next day was the second day off Fall. Jack had most of what he wanted to get planted done. Fall would be an easier planting season for him. Onions and peppers and maybe a few other vegetables were all he was going to plant this season. There was no use in stressing himself out. He was planning on spending more time concentrating on expanding his animal barns.

Jack was outside watering the last of his seeds when he noticed something coming towards his farm. As it got closer he realized it was a person, it was Karen. He had not seen her in several days, and the sight of her made him smile.

She waved at him from the gates to his farm, and he signaled for her to join him on the field. She was carrying a small bag in her hand. "Hello Jack, how are you doing?"

"Alright I guess, how have you been Karen?"

"I'm fine. I haven't seen you around the bar lately, so I figured I would come stop by and make sure you are doing okay."

"I'm doing alright considering…" he didn't finish what he was going to say and stopped his work to wipe the sweat off his brow. Even though it was cooler outside, the hard work still made him sweat a lot.

"Right… oh! I stopped by also to give you this." She handed him the small bag.

"A bag?"

"They are seeds silly! They are Magic flowers."

Jack looked at the bag, then back at Karen. "What's so magical about them?"

She laughed. "That's their name. Rumor has it that they are blue flowers when you plant them, but some of the seeds are different, and some of the plants will have red flowers. It's fun! You should plant them and see what color flowers you get."

Jack smiled a little. It was hard to be sad around Karen. "Alright Karen, I'll plant them when I get done here."

"Well I was hoping I could help you plant them. It seemed like something fun to do."

"Okay." Jack quickly finished watering the rest of his seeds and took Karen over to fill up the watering can in his small pond. "I'm not sure where to plant them."

"Hmm…" Karen looked around, "how about down at the other end?" Karen pointed towards the end of his field, the side closest to Mother's hill. It had been cleared but Jack had neglected to plant anything there because it was so far away from the shipping bin.

"That's perfect," Jack commented and they walked over towards the spot.

Jacked took his hoe out of his rucksack and began to till the land. Karen watched in admiration of his strength. When he was finished she laid down the seeds and he watered them. They did this whole process in silence.

When they were all done they both stared at the plot of land for a moment before anything was said. "How many days does it take for these to grow?" Jack asked curiously.

"I believe it's a week. It'll take a few days after that for the flowers to bloom though."

"Oh."

"Impatient?" she asked and laughed a bit, looking at the man as he continued to stare at the land.

"I just want to know what color the seeds are already." He smiled at Karen. "Thanks Karen, this really cheered me up."

"I knew it would." She winked at him and Jack swore he could feel his face go flush.

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The third day of fall was the day of the Music Festival. The mayor had come by to ask him if he was planning on playing an instrument. Jack refused, though agreed to attend the festival, but only because he had promised Karen that he would the day before.

The festival didn't begin until after dinner, so Jack took his time getting his chores done. It was a festival day, meaning that everything in town would be closed, including the library. This was a bit of a let down for Jack, as now he had nothing to do in his free time but sit around and think about things.

Finally it was time to go to the church, Jack had left early on purpose just to get out of his house. He took a relaxing stroll through town. It was quiet, just as it was on every other festival day. This time it was a bit different though, the days were starting to get shorter and it was almost dark. He wondered to himself what winter was like in Mineral Town.

He arrived at the church before most of the people, and took a seat in the back pew. He didn't really want anyone talking to him or feeling pity for him for what had happened. He just wanted to enjoy the festival then go home.

Ann snuck into the seat next to Jack before he noticed and whispered to him, "Jack, I'm nervous."

Jack turned and looked at her. "About what?"

"I haven't played the flute since last year's music festival. I'm afraid I'll mess up."

"I'm sure nobody will notice." Jack turned back to face the front of the church. Even though Ann was his closest friend in town, he had even been avoiding her since everything had happened.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bother you Jack." He nodded. "I just miss seeing you around town. I hope you feel better soon." She got up quickly before he could say anything and went to the front of the church where all the other girls were waiting now.

Karen saw Jack sitting way in the back and she waved to him. He nodded his head but didn't return the wave. A few moments later the rest of the residents who were coming arrived and had found their seats. Carter signaled for the music to being and the murmur of voices quickly settled down.

The music was so beautiful. Jack couldn't even find the words to describe it. It was so soothing. Ann and Elli were both playing the flute. Mary was on the pipe organ. She must have had a lot of practice. She played it so elegantly.

Standing in the center in front of the podium was Karen. She wasn't playing an instrument. She had a slight smile on her face and it looked as if she were waiting for a cue. Once she heard it she began to sing.

There were no words to describe the beautiful sounds her voice made when she sang. Karen was perfectly in tune. Jack watched in awe of her talent. He looked around the church and everyone else was enjoying the music.

That voice reminds me of the little girl from long ago…