The road to town was long and quiet. Celia hardly met anyone along the way. Having set out around noon, she reach town around one. The change from the quiet countryside to the bustling city never ceased to surprise Celia. Everything was so different here. It was hard to remember what it was like when she used to live here. She had gotten so used to life in the Valley. Much to Celia's despair, her country clothes made her stick out like a sore thumb. It made her feel like everyone was looking at her. This, of course, made her very uncomfortable as she made her way through the busy streets to the store. She made it a point to get in and out as quickly as humanly possible. She got Vesta's milk, butter, and flour as well as a few personal items and a basket to carry it all. Having a little extra money, she decided to treat herself to a delicious apple tart to eat on the way home. She looked up at the sky nervously. It was clear the sun was setting. Marlin and Vesta were going to be mad when she came back after dark. So, she hurried through the streets, trying her best to at least be out of the city before dark. She was in such a rush, however, that she failed to see that the crosswalk sign had changed to "Don't Walk" and stepped out into the road just a truck came barreling in. Before she realized what was happening, Celia felt someone grab the back of her dress and pull her back onto the sidewalk. Celia gasped and stumbled back into the young man who had saved her and was about to protest until she saw the truck speed right over the spot she had been standing. Her eyes widened and she looked back to see the young man looking at her, concerned.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

Celia blushed a little. There were a million perfectly lovely things she could have said and, when she looked back on that encounter, she often cursed herself for being so blunt.

"Could you let go of my dress please?" she asked absently.

The man smiled and chuckled a bit. He released his death grip on the fabric and patted her back softly.

"I'd say you're no worse for wear." He said softly.

Celia blinked rapidly as she regained her senses.

"Um, th-thank you!" She said quickly.

She looked at the ground, embarrassed.

"I guess I should have said that first." She mumbled.

But the man just laughed.

"Don't worry about it." He reassured her.

Celia shifted back and forth on her feet nervously as they waited for the light to change. It seemed to take forever. Just as it was about to, the man spoke up.

"Um, miss? I couldn't help but notice that you're traveling alone and, this is just a guess but I think, you don't live around here do you?." He prodded gently.

Celia felt the blood rush to her cheeks. Was it that obvious? She nodded slowly. The man's brow furrowed into a worried expression.

"Well, perhaps this is a bit forward of me but, I'd feel much better if you let me escort you. At least until reach the edge of town?" he offered.

Just then, the light turned. Celia turned back to him, giving him an apologetic smile.

"Thank you, b-but I'm fine." she said quickly before going on her way.

If only she had known how the man had watched her walk away. If only she had know that he didn't sleep well that night. If only she had known how soon she would see him again, she might have happily accepted the escort. But, for now, she was too shaken up and in too much of a hurry to consider these things. She had to get home before Vesta had a cow. The rest of her journey went without incident and she ended up getting back just after dark. Sure enough, when she opened the door, Vesta was sitting at the table, waiting. As soon as Celia shut the door, Vesta stood up.

"Where have you been? You said you'd be back before dark." Vesta inquired worriedly.

Celia set the basket on the table and gave Vesta an apologetic look.

"I know, I'm sorry. But there was so much traffic and the store was packed. I really am sorry, Vesta." She pleaded.

Vesta sighed and shook her head.

"Well, you're home and safe. That's what matters." She said with a small smile.

She nodded up at the loft.

"Now get to bed. I'll put this away."

Celia smiled and gave Vesta a quick hug before heading up to her room in the loft. She was exhausted from the day's events. From the tiresome chore of planting all those strawberries to her near death experience, it had been quite the day. She was just about to climb in bed when she heard Marlin calling up to her.

"Celia? Are you up there?"

Celia looked in the direction of the stairs.

"Yes, Marlin, what is it?" she asked.

"Did you run into any trouble in town? You were back late."

Celia bit her lip. She didn't want to lie to Marlin but, if she told him about almost being run over, he might never let her go anywhere alone again.

"No, Marlin. Just bad traffic." She replied.

It was half of the truth. It seemed to satisfy him though.

"Okay, maybe you ought to leave earlier next time." He suggested.

Celia giggled.

"Of course, I will. Goodnight, Marlin" she called as she settled into bed.

"Goodnight." Marlin replied.

The house fell silent as everyone settled into bed. Celia stared at the ceiling as she waited to drift off. Scenes from the day floated around in her head. She thought about Marlin, the Harvest Sprites, the strawberries, and her trip to town. But the one thing that circled in her head was the young man who had saved her. She hadn't even got a good glimpse of his face but, somehow, she couldn't stop thinking about him. It puzzled her endlessly and she drifted off.

The morning was fairly uneventful. She weeded and watered the strawberries, fixed a nice, hearty lunch for Marlin, Vesta and herself, and did inventory. It was just after noon when she was finished, so she decided to head up to the spring. She sat down among the bed of flowers and made circles in the dirt with her fingers.

"I love this place so much. I can come here and loose myself in the song of the birds and the wind through the trees. It's nice. Maybe that's why you live here, right? The quiet?" she said aloud.

She looked around to see if she could spot the Sprites. But there was nothing. All of a sudden, she became aware of someone watching her. She looked around to see Marlin standing at the edge of the clearing, looking at her with a smile on his face. Celia blushed and looked at the ground.

"D-does Vesta need me?" she stammered.

How long had he been standing there? Had he heard her talking to the Sprites? Did he think she was talking to him? Oh, she was so embarrassed! Marlin shook he head and strolled over toward her.

"No. I saw you heading up here and I thought I would join you." He said with a smile.

Celia's blush deepened.

"O-oh…I see…" she said quietly.

Marlin stood next to her, gazing into the water. The two were quiet for a long time.

"Celia?" Marlin started.

Celia's heartbeat began to quicken.

"Yes, Marlin?" she asked cautiously.

He hesitated for a moment and then continued.

"It's been a while since you came here…almost five years, right?" he said.

Celia nodded.

"Next summer." She added.

Marlin smiled.

"Yeah. Five years next summer." He affirmed.

He was silent for a long time. Celia could tell he was struggling with the words. He shoved his hands in his pockets and looked up at the sky.

"You know...things are so much different here in the Valley. Everything is so much simpler. At first, I didn't want to move out here because I thought it would be too boring. But now I see...that's the beauty of the Valley. It doesn't need to be flashy or busy to be exciting. Its perfectly beautiful...just the way it is."

Celia looked up and blushed when she saw that Marlin was looking at her as he said all these wonderful things. He was blushing a little too. He knelt down beside her, his eyes locked on hers. Celia could feel her heartbeat quicken and all the blood rush to her face as he gently grabbed her trembling hand. Her heart ached. She wanted to say something, anything, to make him stop. To prevent him from saying the words she knew were on his lips. But her mouth was dry and her lips refused to part and enable her to speak. So, he continued.

"Celia...I...I lo-"

But he couldn't finish as a coughing fit erupted. He covered his mouth and turned his head away. Celia sprang into action. She stood and helped him up.

"You didn't take your medicine, did you?" She stated as she started helping him down the path toward Vesta's.

Marlin shook his head in between coughs. Celia, though she was never glad to see Marlin in pain, was grateful for the timing of the attack. As they came up to the house, Vesta came out of the storeroom. She looked at Marlin, worried.

"An attack? He hasn't had one in so long." she said as she went to help them.

Celia opened the door as Vesta helped her brother inside.

"He forgot to take his medicine." Celia clarified.

Vesta gave Marlin a stern look as she helped him into bed.

"I even reminded you before I went out." she scolded.

Celia grabbed the small brown bottle off the shelf in the kitchen and a spoon from the drawer and came to Marlin's bedside. She pulled the cork out of the bottle and held the spoon out in front of her as she poured the dark red liquid on it. Steadily as she could, she brought the spoon down to Marlin's mouth and waited for a break in the coughing. When the opportunity came, she gently poured the liquid into his mouth. Marlin closed his mouth and swallowed, making a face as the bitter-tasting medicine went down. Celia put the cork back in the bottle and put it back up on the shelf.

"That's something you can't afford to forget, Marlin." Vesta reiterated.

Marlin nodded.

"Sorry, sis….I'll be more careful about it…" he said hoarsely.

Vesta chuckled lightly.

"You'd better." She said as she got up.

"Come on, Celia. Let's let him rest for a bit."

Celia nodded and followed Vesta out of the house, shutting the door behind her. She gave a sigh of relief as soon as they were outside. Vesta ran her hand through her hair.

"I wish he would be better about that. No matter how many times that happens, it scares the daylights out of me." She mumbled.

Celia nodded in agreement. When Celia first came, Marlin used to have attacks almost daily. It was so bad that he was often bedridden for days at a time. It was scary. He got better, though, when Dr. Hardy prescribed his medicine. Now his coughing fits were rare except when, like today, he forgot to take his medicine.

Vesta and Celia went about their work. The rest of the day passed without incident; until just before dusk, when Takakura stopped by to introduce his friend's son. Celia was in the store house when they came. Vesta called her and she came out. When she saw the boy's face, something nagged at the back of her mind. She'd seen him before, she knew it.

"That's Celia. She works for Vesta and Marlin." Takakura explained to the young man.

Celia smiled and waved at him. Why was he so familiar? She noticed him staring at her and blushed. Why was he looking at her like that? After a moment, he smiled and waaved back.

"Hi, my name is Jack." He said in a friendly manner.

Celia's eyes widened. His voice! Now she knew where she knew him from. He was the boy who saved her from being run over. Celia opened her mouth to say something, but no words came out. So, she just shut her mouth and looked at the ground.

"I can honestly say: It's a pleasure to meet you, Celia."