My first official day as a farmer did not start off well.
When I woke up, I didn't open my eyes at first. "I just had the craziest dream..." I said aloud. I think I had moved to this decrepit little house with the crazy idea of starting a farm...
I bolted straight up as realization hit me.
And there was a sharp thud as something hit the floor by my bed.
"Ow..." said a tiny little voice. "That really hurt, you know!"
A saw a flash of red, another of yellow, and a third of blue. Thinking to myself that I just had to be dreaming, I peered over the edge of the bed...
..and came face to face with a little man all dressed in yellow.
"AHHHHHHH!!!!!" we both screamed. He jumped back and I attempted to do the same, but I only got myself tangled up in my bedsheets. Now I could see that there were three of them, all staring at me in terror.
"Who are you and what are you doing in my house?!" I shrieked.
"Y-you can see us?!" the red one squeaked.
"She can see us?" the blue one whispered to the yellow one.
"Uh, yeah, I can see you," I said, slightly sarcastic.
"Uh oh..." they said simultaneously.
I didn't give them time to keep rambling before I untangled myself and scooped up the red one in my hand and held him up to eye level. "Okay, now answer me a couple of questions: who the heck are you, what are you doing in my house, and how did you get into my house?"
"Um, that's three questions..." the blue one said. I glared at him and he fell silent.
"We're Harvest Sprites!" the red one said. "I'm Arthur, this is Billy-"
"Hi," the blue one said weakly.
"-and he's Carlos."
Hi," echoed the yellow one.
"We just wanted to see who the new arrival to the Village was!" Arthur whimpered. "You didn't answer when we knocked...and your front door was open, so we came right on in!"
"Safety isn't as important here as in the city," Carlos pointed out.
"One more question: what are you doing here?" I asked.
"Well-" Arthur began. He didn't get far, though.
KNOCK, KNOCK
"Hello, Jill? Are you there?" called a woman's voice from outside.
"Yes, just one minute!" I responded. I put Arthur back on the ground and pulled myself up to full height-about six times bigger than his. "Hurry up and go hide!"
"No need!" Billy smiled as he bounded for the door. "Normal people can't see us!" I raced him there and threw it open, hoping my visitor would ignore the tiny elfish creatures having free reign of my house.
It was Ellen, standing there and holding in her arms a little puppy. "Good morning, Jill," she greeted.
"Good morning."
"I...have a favor to ask of you."
"Sure, anything!" I answered, remembering that people here were extremely friendly, so I may as well follow suit.
"This puppy is a stray...he came here a little while before you did. I'd keep him, but I'm too busy with the our ranch and helping Hank and Blue."
I took a mental register. If I remembered rightly, Hank was her dad, and Blue was her cousin.
Ellen continued, "And I figured that since you're working on a farm now, you might like some help when you get animals to herd. He's a nice dog, doesn't bite, and he's cute as a button!"
As if to make the point clear, the dog stuck his cold little nose out of Ellen's coat and his floppy orange ears wiggled. "Awww..." I said, my soft spot for dogs taking over. "I guess I'll take him off your hands."
"Oh, thank you!" Ellen exclaimed. "Here's his leash, and you can get dog food at our store. We won't charge you for it though. Don't tell my dad," she teasingly winked at me.
After Ellen had left I took the dog back into my house and frowned at the Harvest Sprites vegetating on my bed.
"Puppy!" Billy squeaked as I set myself down next to them.
"Yeah, he's mine now," I informed them.
"What's his name?" Arthur said.
I thought about it for a few moments before deciding on the perfect name. "Roscoe."
"Such a great name! Are you going to walk him? We need to take you somewhere, anyway..." Arthur said, his voice trailing off.
By this point, I had pretty much decided that the Harvest Sprites weren't mass murderers who'd throw me into Sunny Lake as soon as they got the chance, and I'd trust Roscoe to eat them in case that did happen. "Why not..." I answered rhetorically. I nabbed my coat and hooked the leash to Roscoe's collar, and followed the Harvest Sprites out the door.
They didn't, I'm happy to say, lead me to the Lake. Instead, they took me north towards the mountain. I passed a few people on the way, and I guess to them I just looked like a young girl walking her puppy.
"We're almost there!" Carlos told me from his perch on my shoulder. "Just head up that mountain ramp and we're be there."
Roscoe suddenly stopped and started looking around. "What is it?" I asked him.
The puppy's nose wrinkled and he started yipping. "Knock it off!" I scolded firmly. But Roscoe was going to have his own way. He suddenly bolted, and I, in surprise, had the leash yanked from my hand. "Roscoe!" I called. "Come back here!"
Roscoe ducked under a nearby fence. I vaulted over it, adrenaline supplying all of my energy. Carlos was holding onto my shirt for dear life, but I didn't notice him as I gave chase.
Finally, Roscoe stopped, and to my horror, right in front of a mean-looking black dog. They were growling brutally at each other, but I bounded forward and scooped him up into my arms. "Shoo!" I waved my hand at the other dog, who instead growled at me!
"Shawn!" A male voice hissed, and the black dog fell silent instantly. The owner of the voice stepped out from a building which I think was a barn...and then I recognized him.
"Oh, crap," I said to myself.
It was the same guy who had glared at me so bitterly yesterday. His face was tinged an angry red as he stormed up to me. I backed away and made myself smaller until I felt the fence pressing against my back, but he just kept coming. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to trespass!" The words came out quickly and in a tiny, fearful voice. "It won't happen again!"
"What do you want here?" Jamie hissed, now upon me like a snake ready to strike.
"My dog must've s-s-smelled yours and he got away from me. I'm really, really sorry!" I stammered.
"Don't you ever come near-" Jamie suddenly stopped, and I saw his eyes dart to my shoulder. I heard Carlos whimper in my ear and felt Arthur and Billy clinging to my legs. Jamie's eyes grew a fraction wider and became hard as they turned to me. "You can see them, can't you?" he said, a little quieter but still with the same intensity.
"Y-yes," I choked out.
Jamie didn't talk for a moment or two. "Listen to me, and you too, Sprites! I will be the one to free her. And don't forget that! Now get off my property and don't show your face here again."
I had no idea what he was talking about.
With Roscoe firmly in my arms and the Sprites attached to my clothes, I sprinted as hard as I could go away from Jamie. I could feel his cold eyes staring at me the whole way, and I didn't stop until he was gone from sight.
"Explain," I gasped.
"Once we get to the Spring, we will," Carlos said, the usual bounce gone from his voice.
"Go across that bridge," Aruthur instructed. I did as I was told, and found a cave. All three jumped down and began to walk into the cave. I didn't have much choice, so, with Roscoe in tow, I followed.
"Damn it!" Jamie yelled, slamming his door behind him. Shawn ducked in the door just before it closed, and looked up at his master. Jamie took no notice, and instead grabbed the nearest thing-a vase-and threw it against the wall. It smashed against the wood and the pieces fell to the floor. He stood there, breathing hard, before finally collapsing onto a chair. He put his face in his hands, swearing again.
"Why her?" he wondered aloud.