Robin woke and readied her self like she would every other day. She ate breakfast walked out to the back yard with Shadow she checked her crops and watered them before collecting what she could. She hummed before walking back in to her house to check the bag the seed came in to make sure she was not doing something wrong.
"This is odd Shadow. Maybe I am being a little too impatient." She smiled and petted Shadow's head. "Let's go for a walk around town maybe some fresh air will clear my head. Besides we have to get ready for the bamboo festival. Will you be my date?"
Robin smiled as her dog barked and yipped happily. She only smiled and tied a short rope to his collar for a leash and they headed out for a long walk and to stop by a few places. She first headed south to the wood cutters house to ask a few quick questions about lumber and other silly simple things.
"Good morning. You open yet?" She entered the main door and saw Joe and Woody working away on plans and such.
"Oh good morning child, come on in. We are open." Woody looked down and saw the puppy at her feet and smiled. "Please leave him outside we don't want any accidents."
"Ok." She quickly tied the rope to the railing and patted Shadow and walked back in. "I just had a few stupid little questions to ask."
"Sure we can help with anything we can." Joe smiled and sat up on a saw horse.
"Well I was looking to barrow and ax so I can start cutting wood for the winter." She blushed a bit and smiled again.
"Ah ok. We don't have any extra but I believe Louis has a few axes for sale in his shop. If you need to expand your house you can ask us or if you need furniture." Joe smiled his legs
swaying under him.
"If you're looking to buy more land talk to the Mayor and then come back to use and we can help you with that too." Woody smiled to her as he stood up. "Anything else my dear?"
"No thank you." Robin walked out side and looked to Shadow who was sitting comfortably in the lap of Kurt who just got back. "Oh hello…You like dogs?
"They are okay." Kurt lifted Shadow and put him down. "I have to get to work now." He walked around her then back in to the house.
Robin looked rather confused at him before she took the rope of Shadows leash and walked across the Road to Spring Farm. She walked in after tying Shadow up outside. She waved to Nina and her mom before she walked over to the counter.
"Hey Nina, how are you?" Robin smiled.
"Well but out crops are not fairing very well right now. We don't know why but they do not seem to be growing very well." Nina pouted. "We even called Basil and he doesn't know."
"You too? Wow mine seem to be having the same problem. They just don't seem to want to grow." Robin hummed before thinking.
"You know it could be him again acting out but he never attacked use before." Nina hummed and pouted again.
"Are there any festivals coming up that involve our crops or something?" Robin questioned out of curiosity.
"That is at the end of next season so attacking now would not be helpful in winning." Nina sighed softly.
"Unless they don't want you to have any chances of winning, but then you couldn't say it is anyone but another farmer."
"Robin you should head home soon there looks like a storm is coming." Liz smiled. "It looks like it might be bad."
"Thank you Liz I will head out now." Robin started to the door when Nina ran over handing her a tarp. "What is this for?"
"Cover your crops just bang a couple of posts in to the ground throw it over then stake the tarp down. It should help keep them from flying away." Nina smiles to Robin before seeing her out as she and her mom were getting ready to start on their field."
"Thanks Nina. Come Shadow we better hurry up" Robin lifted Shadow and started to run back to her house quickly.
When they got to the house she quickly put Shadow down in the yard before she set to work covering her plants to keep them safe. She wasn't so sure how well it would work but if it helped at all she wouldn't object. When she finished she let out a heavy sigh of relief and felt the first drops of rain start to land.
"Inside Shadow quickly" she smiles and quickly rushes the pup inside she wasn't sure how hard this storm would bit but she didn't want to be outside. "Well looks like we are locked up for a while."
Robin got comfortable on her recliner with Shadow in her lap as she watched the Television. It was going to be a long night with out anything to do. The rain picked up and the wind started to really blow around outside. Even lightening cracked in the valley and all the lights in town went out.
"Ahhh, I hate the dark. "Robin sighed softly and got up slowly looking for an oil lamp or
flash light. She moved slowly and kept as calm as possible until she heard a pounding at her door making her scream and jump quickly.
The door opened quickly and she saw a lamp move in fallowed by Ellen. Ellen was wearing a brown slicker and large black rain boots. She smiled a bit before looking around and closed the door.
"Ellen!" Robin held her chest.
"Sorry Robin, but the storm is getting worse we are going to take our live stock up to the caves. We need all the help we can get. We are going to stay up there with our animals and the town." Ellen spoke quickly before pulling Robin out of the house quickly.
"Ah…" Robin quickly grabbed her rain slicker and her boots putting it on then grabbing Shadow and running out across the street with Ellen as she was greeted by Bob and Grey loading the sheep in to a large cart and the few cows tied to the front to pull with the horses.
Robin put Shadow on the cart and started to help heard the sheep up in to the cart. Once loaded then ran after the chicken in the hen house getting them out quickly. Once done Hank quickly started to move them out leaving them to jump in the back as the cart started to move.
"Bob take the other cart and make sure those near the beach are out." Hank yelled back as Bob was already on another cart with another horse. "Make sure you get everyone."
"Alright heading I will need help?" Bob called back.
"I will help" Robin called out quickly as She ran to join him Hank and the other already a good ways away.
Bob snapped the reigns and they took off quickly at a full gallop before they reached a flooding bridge. Slowly he edged the horse across to the other side Robin crawled across the cart and waited till they got to the other side and stopped between the two houses. She jumped down and ran to the wood shop while Bob rushed to the flower shop.
They moved quickly and they had Basil, Nina, Liz, Woody, Joe, and Kurt in the back. They moved quickly east to get to the inn and the café making sure Doug Gwen Katie and Carl were gone. It was quick moving as most of the folks had already moved out and now they were heading back north to get away from the ocean and river and get in to the caves in the north.
When they arrived they were greeted by others and they quickly moved in to the cave. Joe smiled and was quickly assaulted by a cry and scared Katie. Robin quickly looked around before she found Shadow curled up under the Saint Bernard that Doug had in his in. She sighed heavily before she looked up and reached for the kerchief her father gave her and stopped when she did not feel it.
"Oh no." she started to cry as she left the little piece of her father behind in her house. She quickly moved to the entrance and stopped seeing the storm had gotten much worse she saw the roof rip off of Jamie's chicken coop and she back away.
"Robin, get away from the entrance before you get hurt." Ellen spoke out to her.
"I lost something very important behind. I have to go get it." Robin looked back and started to head out when she was lifted off the ground by Bob. "Put me down."
"Your going no where missy, Important or not it's not worth risking your life." Bob moved and put her down next to Ellen.
"I lost my Father's kerchief. I have to find it. It's the only think I have left of him." She stepped by Bob quickly but he proved to be just as fast when he lifted her up again and shook his head. "Let me go I have to go get it."
Bob passed her to Gwen and Ann who took her to the back of the cave where the other were to help comfort her. He sighed as Joe and Kurt started to board up the door way. Joe looked to Kurt as Kurt watched what happened and sighed.
"Do not even think about it Kurt." Joe said putting up another board.
"Who said I was thinking about anything." Kurt Looked back to Joe and smiled putting another board up.
They storm raged all night long and it was hard on
everyone. The cave was cold compared to the hot summer air. Robin shivered lightly. She knew the mining cave would be cooler but she didn't realize they were still half frozen from the winter.
Bob was lying against a sleeping cow while Gwen cuddled next to him. Katie was leaning against the wall with Joe's head in her lap. Alex and Gina were curled up on a blanket with a pillow. Every one had someone to help them feel safe even some of the village elders. Robin sat alone curled unable to sleep from the storm with the lightening and thunder over head. She felt so alone even though there were so many people and animals in the cave with her.
Jamie walked over and sat next to her, he himself up keeping watch. She looked to him and then back to Shadow who lay curled next to her sleeping. He only smiled and put his hand on her shoulder.
"Don't worry the storm is almost over." Jamie smiled again to her. "Get some sleep."
"Yea, why are you still awake?" Robin looked up to him.
"I can't sleep during storms like this. It makes me feel so energized hearing the thunder over head and seeing the white flashes of lightening." Jamie smiled and looked over across the group of people. "Though it is amazing that they can all sleep so soundly like nothing was wrong."
Robin only nodded and looked down closing her eyes as sleep was going to evade her to the bitter end. She leaned her head back and rested it against the wall of the cave. She sighed softly before looking over to Jamie. He looked as though he was in deep thought before he looked back to her humming softly.
"Are you joining the harvest Festival in the fall?" Robin hummed a bit.
"Yea, why? Are you thinking of joining too?" Jamie spoke softly.
"I don't know. My crops are not growing very well right now" Robin hummed softly. "Nina says she is having the same problem with hers. How are yours doing?"
"Better then ever!" Jamie smiled before looking away "Well better then the start of this season I mean."
Robin hummed softly and slowly got up and stretched before looking to her watch in the dark cave and pushed the light button. The time showed 6:00 Am. She was up all night and never knew it. She walked over to the entrance and looked out seeing the raging storm had turned to nothing but a heavy rain. She smiled and sighed happily.
The other soon woke slowly and they pulled the board down from the entrance to let everyone out. They left the cattle and sheep behind to keep them out of the rain till the next good day when they can be brought home. Everyone rushed home to assess the damage done to their homes yards and other things. Woody and Joe walked back to their home to start repair and to start preparing for all the orders that are about to come in with in the next week or so.
Robin held Shadow under her slicker his head poking up under hers through the opening at the top. She walked back to her house and sighed softly seeing it was still standing. She walked in and saw a few windows broke and the rain got in. one of the corners of her kitchen was leaking badly. She walked outside and looked up and noticed that the roof was partially torn up and a good portion of the shingles was missing.
Robin sighed softly before walking back in to her house. She might as well start working on what she can fix before she placed the order for her house. She looked around sighing making a mental list of what needs to be. Clean the water, clean the glass. Tape up the window and throw a tarp over the roof to keep the elements out till it got fixed.
She went to work and most of it went by quickly because it was easy to mop up the water and collect the glass while getting ride of any thing that got in. It was simple work and by midday the sun was out and shining. She walked back out of her house and looked around getting a good look at everything with out the rain. She finished most of the simple things and found she needed to tarp her roof. Looking to the tarp that Nina let her barrow she started to collect it up so it can be used on her roof.
She folded it and started over to her house to figure out how to get up to the room when she saw Kurt perched on her roof already. She let out a shriek and fell backward in to the mud that was her back yard. He jumped down and slightly smirked.
"Sorry." He helped her up and took the tarp and with one good hurl he had in on the roof. "I figured you would need help."
"Yea," she got up and groaned from her now covered back side. "Why did you come to my house so quickly? You have a lot of work at home don't you?"
"No reason, and actually our house wasn't that bad, few missing shingles and a busted window, Woody said he would take care of that while Joe and I went around town." He grabbed hold of her wood box and jumped up climbing on to it them on to her roof quickly. He started to unfold the tarp and cover the roof with it. "You got a few Shingles missing and your back left
corner needs to be fixed."
"Yea and I have two broken windows." Robin called back not daring to climb on to her roof. "Be careful up there."
"I do this for a living don't worry." He finished and climbed down and made sure the tarp was tethered down securely before looking back to her. "Let me check the inside I can get a full damage report and I can tell Woody so we can start getting everything ready to fix your house up."
Robin nodded and walked in to the house with him and removed her boot by the door and showed him everything in the house along as let him look around for anything else that might need to be fixed. With a nod he looked to her.
"That corner should be fine we will replace the wall but the joists should be fine. You might have to replace your stove but I am not and an electrician, you will have to ask Woody. Just don't use it for a while." Kurt looked around at a few more things before and bowed his head and made his leave.
"Thanks Kurt." Robin smiled walking him to the door so he could leave and bit her lower lip. "Hey Kurt will you join me for the Bamboo festival. I know it's not big or anything but I thought it might be nice."
"Hmm?" Kurt looked back and nods. "Would be nice to celebrate together," he walked away pulling a pad from his pocket and writing a few things down as he headed home.
Robin smiled and shut the door and looked to Shadow before she started to giggle and cheer. She lifted Shadow up and dance around bit before she put him down and went to wash up. She couldn't wait the festival was only a two days away. She didn't have much to plan for other them picking up a bamboo boat and making dinner for them. She was so excited she couldn't wait.
The rest of the day and the next flew buy. She managed to pick at least a few tomatoes from her few surviving vines and she put them out to be shipped keeping a few for her self. She didn't have many ears of corn so she shipped them out as well. The day was going great. It was
sunny, she got her first harvest out, and she had a date that night.
She skimmed through her the few books she had and looked for a good recipe for the tomatoes she had. Unfortunately most made then in to a salsa, or sauce so she looked and decided to make something simple and made a couple of sandwiches. She wasn't a big fan of
tomatoes but she still ate them. Humming happily she looked to her clock and saw that it was nearing six at night.
She quickly changed in to a green skirt and vest with a black shirt and brown boots. She still missed her father's kerchief. She couldn't find it in her house and no one in town found it either. She sighed softly and fixed her hair before she headed back to the kitchen to basket
everything up and head out. She took a deep breath when she heard a knock on the door.
She was surprised, a visitor this late. Maybe it was Kurt. She walked to the door and opened it up and Saw Jamie standing waiting. She was confused as to why he was there but she had no reason to tell him to leave.
"Hey Jamie what can I do for you?" Robin smiled.
"I wanted to know if you wanted to float a boat with me." Jamie smiled to her.
"Sorry Jamie I already promised someone else." Robin looked down and felt bad.
"Its ok, I knew I might have been a little late asking. Maybe next time." Jamie smiled and stepped away from the house.
"Sorry again, why don't we plan another time together, I will let you know what my schedule is like?" Robin blushed still feeling bad.
"It's a date then." Jamie smiled and turned quickly walking away looking back a bit till he saw Kurt walking near her house he walked quicker away.
"Evening Robin." Kurt spoke softly from the fence though still loud enough for her to hear.
"Oh Hey Kurt. I was just getting ready to leave to get you." Robin smiled and quickly grabbed the basket she packed and headed out shutting the door. "I hope you don't mind a third with us."
"Third?" Kurt was confused until he heard a bark and yip from Shadow. He only smirked. "Not at all, I hope you don't mind but I brought a bamboo boat to float."
Robin smiled and shook her head as they walked away crossing the bridge to the south then fallowing the river back north on the opposite side cause there were no houses. Robin pulled a clean blanket from the basket and spread it out for them to rest on. The sun was still up and it put a nice glow across the village. They sat relaxing and playing with Shadow not really talking until Robin decided to speak up.
"Kurt why does everyone not like you?" Robin looked back to him not wanting to upset him.
"They believe did something I did not do." Kurt sighed softly. "The farmer that was here before you left because someone was trying to ruin him. They thought it was me because that same farmer married the girl I really liked. They think I am that shallow."
"A girl? They though you did all that because of a girl." Robin as a little shocked "And they didn't believe you at all when you tried to defend yourself."
"Well it was specifically him that got attacked, no one else. And I was caught with the smoking gun. They never suspected me till after that and then they realized everything and it all fell in to place." Kurt sighed softly. "Hey close your eyes I got something for you."
"I am so sorry. I believe you didn't do it. "She smiled to him before nodding and closing her eyes. "Ok don't tease me ok, cause then I will hate you."
Kurt smiled and reached in to his vest pulling out a red kerchief and leaned forward and quickly tied it around her neck before backing away, letting her open her eyes, and look. She looked down and saw the kerchief and reached up taking it in her hand. She looked back to him tears welling in her eyes before she almost tackled him as she hugged him.
"Where did you find it?" Robin blubbered out unable to hold back her joy.
"It was tangled in a shrub just outside my home. I found it and saved it. "He was startled. He didn't think she was jump and hug him like that. He smiled warmly and put an arm around her. It was a good day for him to until his stomach decided to make it self noticed. "Ahh sorry."
"Hehe, its ok I brought us dinner I figured we would be out late." Robin smiled to him before moving to her basket.
She pulled out the sandwiches and they ate still talking about random things. Kurt was really happy with dinner as it was his favorite though he didn't say anything about it. They played with Shadow a bit more before the sun was almost completely set. He pulled out the small boat and they both moved to the river bank and putting their wishes in the boat and placing it in to the water. They watched it sail down the river and they saw other couples doing the same.
Kurt shied away from the river hoping that no one saw him with Robin. He didn't want the girls or the guys to attack him again and tell him to leave her alone. He smiled to her and sat back down on the blanket for a bit longer. He was really enjoying her company and only hoped she was enjoying his. At the end of the night he walked her home before he walked home. Maybe his wish will come and he can be happy again and maybe with a new person beside him.