Episode 4: First Festival

Tuesday, 9th of Spring 1976

As usual, I was eating a bread roll as I was watching the news channel, and the weatherwoman said that the rain will pass tonight and it will be sunny tomorrow. That's great and all, but still I got work to do today. The sad thing is, my overalls, cap and gloves have barely dried since yesterday, and the rainfall continues on ever since yesterday, and I have no choice but to get my cap and overalls wet again. I seriously need to go to a shop and buy more clothes for me to wear. After eating my bread roll I stood up out of my chair and glanced down at Koro next to my left leg.

"I'll be back, Koro. Just don't make a mess in here while I'm gone, okay?" I told him before walking towards the door and stepping out.

Stepping out into the rain and feeling the raindrops fall on you is both refreshing, and... as Ann would put it, depressing. I certainly don't think it's depressing, just saying. But the good news is most of the fences are holding up. Only two needed replacing near the entrance to my ranch. No problem there, I just grabbed the hammer from my shed, used my it to destroy the damaged fence poles and then placed some new wood, and fastened the barbed wires around them, connecting them to the rest of the fence poles set up around my ranch. After I was done, I headed into the back hill forest to get another flower for Ellen, then I headed on over to Neighbor Town. Again, this is a bad idea walking out in the rain wearing clothes that have barely dried, but I don't like staying cooped up in my house unless we get a hurricane or tornado watch or warning.

I stopped by the grocery store and gave Ellen another flower, talked to her for a while and left. As soon as I left, Ellen put the flower I gave her in a water filled flower cup on the table as decoration so that the flower can absorb water. Then I decided to visit the mayor and his family. I walked up on their doorstep and knocked on the door.

"Who is it?"

I recognized the voice as the mayor himself.

"It's me, Tony. May I come in?" I replied.

A few seconds later, the door opened up. There was the mayor, dressed in his navy blue suit complete with a black necktie and black leather dress oxford shoes.

"Tony? What are you doing out here at a time like this? You'll catch a cold. Come in." Mayor Stan urged me, stepping aside to let me enter his house.

I stepped inside, made my way to the living room and sat down on the living room couch. Maria and her mother were in the living room too, reading books quietly, but they acknowledged me with a nod, though, and Maria stood up and left the living room for some reason.

"What brings you way out here, young Tony?" the mayor asked, sitting down next to me to my right since Maria and her mother were to my left.

"I just wanted to visit, that's all. I haven't been here since the first day I arrived. Just wanted to see if you folks are all right." I told the mayor and his wife.

"Well, thank you." The mayor's wife said, and at that moment, Maria returned with a glass cup of lemonade in her hand and she offered it to me. I wasn't thirsty, but I didn't have the heart to say no, so I thankfully grabbed the cup from Maria's hand and slowly drank the lemonade. "Incidentally... Have you heard of the water imp?" Maria's mom asked me.

I raised my left eyebrow then lowered the rim of the glass cup away from my lips. "Water imp? No. Not until now. What about it?" I asked, after drinking the lemonade.

"Someone has seen it in the pond of the mountain," She replied.

I arched up my right eyebrow in confusion. "The fishing pond?" I asked.

"No, I believe she means the pond further up the mountain, where the water is so warm and relaxing." The mayor told me.

"Oh. I've never been that far up before. I'll check it out someday... By the way, why is it raining so much?" I asked.

"I know why." Maria said. Before explaining why, she sat down next to me, between me and her mother. "It's a welcome rain. We have a lot of rain here in spring." She said.

"Ohhh..." I said, nodding slowly and then drinking the lemonade.

"So how's the farm?" the mayor asked.

"Oh, it's fine. I made my first shipment a couple days ago. Now I'm planting more turnips. I'm trying to make enough money to grow more grass and buy a chicken from the livestock owner... Oh! look at the time! I gotta go! Thank you for letting me visit! Bye!" I said then headed out.

Even though it is still raining, I headed to the forest instead of directly back home and journeyed up the forest hill to see where that pond is exactly. Fortunately the branches and leaves offered me some partial shelter from the rain. It took me a while to reach it, but I found it. At least, I think I did. It looked like a hot spring in the middle of the forest.

"I wonder... Is this this it?" I wondered. I looked at the sign next to the pond. It said: "Quality: Sulfur spring, Benefits: rheumatism recovery of stamina".

I frowned. "This can't be the pond," I muttered to myself.

Who cares anyway? I decided to give up and head back home.

When I got back home, I decided to take the time to expand the bottom half of the ranch a little bit. It wasn't easy expanding the size of the ranch while it is still raining. It was hard, untangling the barbed wires, setting up the new fence posts and replacing the old ones by uprooting them from the semi soft soil and adding them with the new to expand the size of my ranch. The fence perimeter of my ranch, which is primarily shaped like a horizontal rectangle, used to be 85 feet in width and 53 feet in length, and now it is 98 feet in width and still 53 feet in length. By the time I was finished, there is only 70 pieces of wood left in the woodshed. Now I have more room to grow more crops and more grass whenever I get more seeds. I walked into my house, put on my pajamas, and jumped in my bed. I didn't even bother to pick up my journal. But I felt pride in noticing that I didn't catch a cold.

Wednesday, 10th of Spring 1976

I love the taste of rice balls in the morning! I turned on the TV, and some good news put a smile on my face! It'll still be sunny tomorrow! Great! My overalls and cap are still a little wet from yesterday, but at least the springtime sun will help them dry once I get outside.

"Waff waff! *pant pant*, Waff waff!" Koro barked.

"I know, I know!" I picked up Koro and took him outside with me. As soon as we stepped outside, we saw a dozen birds jumping around and pecking on the ground. Then they all flew off. I took a deep breath then exhaled. "Ahhh... Don't you just love springtime, Koro?" I asked him.

"Woof." Koro replied.

"I know you do."

I set Koro down on the porch then I walked off to the tool shed to get the water can to sprinkle water on the turnips, but eventually I ran out of water. I went to the pond next to the tool shed and filled the can with plenty water to finish watering the turnip seeds. After I was done, I put the watering can back in the tool shed, then I started to leave the ranch.

"Waff waff waf!" Koro barked then whined.

"What?" I turned around.

Koro then walked up to me, whimpering and whining as if he's sad.

"Huh...? Oh, I get it! You want to come with me this time! Okay, come on."

"Waff waff waff!" Koro barked happily.

"First things first, let's go to the back hill forest and get a flower, okay, boy?" I said to Koro.

"Waff!" Koro agreed, happily wagging his tail. We went into the forest to find a daisy then we went on a 2 hour walk towards Neighbor Town. When we passed by this strange statue of a bird on the side of the road, Koro stopped following me, examined that bird statue and started barking at it. "Koro? What now?" I called when I heard him barking. I decided to see what's wrong. I noticed him barking at the bird statue. "What? Its just a statue. Come on." I sighed. Koro gave up barking at it and followed me.

As soon as we were crossing the bridge into Neighbor Town, Eve ran right past me and Koro, she didn't even glance at me.

"Hey! Eve! What's up?" I called after her.

"Sorry, I'm only here to shop today. I'm in no hurry to see you right now." Eve replied quickly and went off.

"Hm. That's out of her character." I mumbled.

"Who cares, though? Come on, Koro. I'm gonna reunite you with an old friend." I told Koro.

Meanwhile, Ellen was just visiting her uncle at his livestock shop. "Okay, bye, uncle!" Ellen called to her uncle before she stepped outside and shut the door. As she was walking back to the grocery store she was scratching her head, probably because her scalp itches a little.

"Ellen! Wait up!" I called from behind her.

As soon as she heard my voice, she turned around. "Tony! You caught me by surprise! How's the ranch?" She asked.

"Oh, it's looking much better than when I first moved here. its looking good. Oh, I brought you another flower." I handed her the flower.

Ellen had this expression on her face that I don't know how to describe. She looked somewhat surprised and confused at the same time.

"Oh. Thank you. It smells very good." She said slowly.

"Oh! I brought you another gift." I said.

"Let me guess. is it another flower?" Ellen asked with a playful smile as she put her hands on her hips.

"Nope. Something better. Come here, boy!" I said then whistled.

Then, from behind the livestock house, Koro came running towards us. Ellen's mouth dropped open in surprise and happiness.

"Koro...!" She said with a growing smile. Koro jumped up at Ellen and she caught him, and Koro started licking her face. "Koro! I haven't seen you in days! I'm glad to see you're doing so well! Has Tony been good to you?"

"Waff waff!"

"That's good to know." Ellen smiled.

"Koro didn't give me any trouble at all. He poops on the floor sometimes, but other than that, he's a good dog. A great one. He kept me company a lot during my lonely days of working in the ranch." I said, then pulled a rice ball out of my pocket and ate it.

"I knew Koro was a good dog for you. I'm glad to hear that he's behaving really well." Ellen said.

"Yeah. By the way, you can come visit us whenever you have free time." I said.

Ellen slowly shook her head. "Sorry, I can't. I have to help Mom take care of the grocery store every day. Dad won't help. If only he could, I would visit you sometime." Ellen said with a small smile.

"He can't help it if he's drunk. I'll tell you this; you'll never see me drinking what he's drinking. Blech!" I said, making a funny face when I said "Blech!", and it made Ellen giggle. "Well, I gotta get back to the ranch. See you around. come on, Koro." I left.

"See you around, Pete!" Ellen waved goodbye before I closed the door shut.

"Later, Ellen!" I called back two seconds before I shut the door.

Back at the ranch, I chopped wood for lumber and broke stones all noon and evening. By nightfall, I was so tired, it's not funny. I could hardly twist the doorknob with my fingers throbbing with mild pain! But at least I didn't get any blisters, so that's something I'm happy about at least. I just jumped in my bed, wrote in my journal a little bit, and fell asleep.

Thursday, 11th Of Spring 1976

This morning is like every other morning, what could possibly be different about it? I ate three buttered bread rolls for breakfast, watched the weather channel for a heads up on tomorrow's weather forecast, watered the turnips- pretty routine, if you ask me. Then I walked to Neighbor Town to chat with everyone. As always, I started out with Ellen. We always had something fun and interesting to talk about. Then I tried talking to her uncle, the livestock owner. He still was a little bitter towards me, asking me have I got enough grass to feed my livestock (I don't have any!) and he claims that I am lazy and don't take his advice! I do take his advice! I'm just not ready to have a cow or chicken yet! Jeez! Then I talked to Ann and her dad. Ann is working on some kind of machine. She tells me that she's going to become a great inventor like her dad. Inventors are not the most trendy occupation, so I have no idea what motivates her to that goal.

She also claims that she likes spring. She doesn't know why, but she says the spring environment gives her the urge to "Give it all you've got!" kind of feeling. Then I talked to Ellen's parents. Ellen's mom was concerned about my health and stamina, working all the time, even in rain. Ellen's dad wasn't very talkative. I asked him why doesn't he help out his family every now and then. He replied saying that there's more to living than working like a dog. I can't argue with that, but still, you have to do work before you can relax. That's what my dad always tells me. I don't like the idea, but those are words I live by. Then I chatted with Maria for a while, who is busy cleaning the stain glass windows of the church, then the little boy who hangs around at the church. Apparently he has a crush on Maria. Can you believe it? A 6 year old boy that has a crush on a 20 year old girl? That ain't right.

But if he were my age, it would be a different story... Then afterwards I talked to Nina. She loves talking about flowers. Flowers are beautiful but I'm not head over heels obsessed with them, so I didn't talk to her long. Then I went into the forest to chop and collect some wood. By nightfall, I was close by the sulfur spring. When I was about to head home, I heard someone going "La-la-la" nearby. I dropped my wheelbarrow and searched for the source of the nose. When I approached the sulfur spring, and peeked over the boulders surrounding the spring, I saw what looked like a monkey or something like that bathing in the spring. It was going "La-la-la-laa..." I decided not to disturb it and go home. I stored the wood in the woodshed then came in my house, got in my pajamas then wrote in my journal before falling asleep. In my journal, I wrote:

"Thursday, 11th of Spring. Thing have been slowly progressing at the ranch. I made the ranch a little bigger, so that I can have more room to plan more crops and make grass fields. I still don't have any money to buy a cow or chicken. Boy are they expensive. And I still can't get along with Ellen's uncle. There are a lot of layers for me to peel through before I reach his friendly side... I wonder if I'll ever get there. But Ellen really brightens my day. As always, she's a nice, upbeat girl, and she's a great cook and loves animals. She received another flower from me today. But I wonder sometimes... Does she consider me as a friend... Or something more? That's a mystery that I want to know the answers to. There are other cute girls in Neighbor Town, Ann, Nina, Eve, and Maria, but Ellen is different... Special. Anyway, I'm tired, so it's time for me to get my rest." That's all I wrote.

Meanwhile Ellen was in her bed writing in her own diary.

"Thursday, 11th of Spring... Where should I start? Pretty much every day the same thing always happens. Helping my Mom take care of the grocery store while my Dad as slacking off and drinking... And in my free time I play with the animals at my uncle's livestock shop, or hang out with Nina, Ann or Maria. Before Tony came to the ranch, it seemed like nothing new and interesting happens here at all. Tony... There's something about him that I admire, but I can't quite describe into words. He likes animals as much as I do, he's sweet and kind, loves to eat foods like rice balls, and the amazing thing is, he is willing to run through the rain from his ranch into town to give me a flower! I can't believe it! I'm surprised he as never caught a cold yet! I've never met anyone like Tony before. I like him, but there's so much about him that I don't know yet. Well, that's all I can write for today." She wrote before putting the diary in her bedside dresser and falling asleep.

And Ellen isn't the only girl in Neighbor Town writing in a diary about me. Eve is, too.

"Thursday, 11th of Spring... Running the bar is boring yet fun. Coming up with my own mixes of berry juices can be really fun. Every night we get customers from here, Mineral Town, and also from Forget-Me-Not Valley. But there is one customer that I've grown to have a particular interest in... His name is Tony. He's a boy who just arrived here, owning a ranch a couple miles outside of town. He doesn't like my kind of drinks, but I can't stress over how cute he is, especially when he's clueless. He isn't very bright, but that's what I find cute about him. One day we ran into each other in the forest. I know it's not coincidence, but... I'll just have to wait and see. So, that's all for today." Eve put the diary up and fell asleep.

Saturday, 13th of Spring 1976

A couple days passed and things are going very good! On Saturday, I shipped 12 more turnips, and me and Ellen continue hanging out with each other, playing with the animals at her uncle's livestock shop, I also got to chat with some of the locals before going back to work. I chopped up more wood. My house seriously needs an upgrade. When I get enough wood and money, I'll be ready. I also tilled more ground with the hoe to plant 6 more turnips, making 18 more to ship the next time I buy some, and I also tilled more ground to plant grass seeds. Too bad i don't have enough money for that yet. The next morning, on Sunday, I spent most of my time chopping wood in the forest. I took a break at midday to go to the church. I sat with Ellen and her mother. Ellen was praying that her dad get well, Ann was yawning out of boredom, and Maria was next to the priest, playing the piano. After a couple hours of staying in the church, I returned to the woods to do more wood chopping. At 4:33 p.m., I got so tired I had this idea to jump in the sulfur spring to relax my tense, stiff muscles.

I walked up into the small wooden shack next to the spring, got out of my overalls, put on my swimming boxers, an jumped in the spring.

"Ahh... This feels great!" I said, closing my eyes in relaxation.

When I opened them, I saw Eve a few feet in front of me!

"WAH!" I gasped in surprise!

Eve is in the spring with me! Fortunately she was sitting down, so certain parts of her body from the neck down are obscured by the densely foggy water, luckily for me, otherwise I would likely faint seeing a woman's naked body.

"Tee-hee.. You're pretty daring, aren't you? Do you want me to wash your back?" Eve asked me as she slowly advanced towards me.

I got so flustered, my brain was thinking random thoughts every second. Eve is in the spring with me, which makes me even more scared! I prayed that Eve doesn't stand up because I don't want to see anything that I'm not supposed to see, know what I mean?

"W-w-wait! I-I-I, ah... N-n-n-no..." I stammered nervously, my face turning all red. Eve stopped advancing towards me.

"Okay, I won't do it then." Eve said, sounding a little sad that I turned her down, but she still looked a little glad, probably because I'm bugging out about being in a hot spring with a cute girl.

"I, ah... I gotta go... P-p-p-pretend you never saw me, okay? Don't stand up, and please close your eyes when I climb out, o-o-o-okay?" I felt like I was going to lose my mind.

"Tee-hee," Eve nodded with a sly grin and winking at me.

When Eve covered her eyes, I climbed out of the spring as fast as I could, dried my body off with a large towel, got dressed into my shirt, pants and overalls and headed back to the ranch with my load of wood as fast as I could.

Monday, 22nd Of Spring 1976

Many days have passed, and life is good and getting better. I have $1420, I have enough to buy my own chicken, so i'm all good. i ate a rice ball and turned on the T.V. and the weatherwoman is talking about something besides the weather. She claims it'll be sunny tomorrow, though. "... And in other news, the Flower Festival is tomorrow. The whole town is covered with the good smell of flowers. Everybody, let's get together at the public square at 3:00. And in other news..." "A festival, huh? Sounds cool. I'm in!" I said to myself. Finally, something interesting happens here! I stepped outside just in time to see Mike, Derek's assistant arriving. "Hey! Tony!" "Mike! What's up?" I called as I met up with him near the shipping box.

"It's the Flower Festival tomorrow. I'll stop work early and come to the square." Mike commented.

"Great. I'll be there too." I nodded.

"Sweet. Remember, 3:00. If you have livestock, you'd better feed them first before you leave the ranch. I'll definitely pick up what you want shipped then." Mike said.

"All right. Take it easy, Mike."

"You too, Tony. Adios," Mike started to leave, but he turned around.

"By the way... I've noticed how close you're getting with Ellen." Mike grinned.

"Ellen? Please. We're just friends." I scoffed.

"Don't give me that. She's cute. I know she's the right one for you." Mike smiled.

"How can you tell?" I asked.

"Just a hunch, that's all. Anyway, good-bye."

"See ya." I said as Mike left, jumping in the pickup truck and driving off down the dirt road. Since I got no livestock to take care of and no turnips or potatoes to water, I headed off to Neighbor Town.

In the town, I quickly met up with Ellen.

"Hi, Ellen."

"Hi, Tony."

"I got you something," I said as I reached behind my back with my right arm and revealed a flower like a magic trick, then gave it to her.

"Oh, wow, it smells so good... Thank you, Tony." Ellen said.

I think its my imagination, but I thought I saw Ellen's cheeks turn a little red. "So, have you heard? about the Flower Festival?" I asked.

Ellen nodded. "Yes, I know. And Tony? Will you do me a favor?"

"Sure. What is it?" I asked.

"Don't buy all that unusual stuff at the festival." Ellen said.

"Okay. I promise. For you." I said.

"I don't like any of that stuff they sell at the festival, so please don't."

"Okay. I gotta go. Bye." I said.

Next I visited Ann and her dad in their shop. When I walked inside, I saw Ann's dad sorting out his new inventory, while on the other side of the room to my left, Ann is in her workspace, tinkering with some big machine that is difficult for me to describe.

"Hey Ann. You ready for the festival?" I said as soon as I stepped in, approaching her.

She is underneath the machine, so I forgot to mention that it has four legs, so Ann is underneath it like a mechanic on a car, tinkering with it using tools I don't recognize other than a hammer and screwdriver. But when she heard my voice, she pulled herself out from underneath the machine, revealing that her face is partially smudged with soot or oil residue.

"Yeah, I know. It's good to relax every one in a while," Ann replied to me, then pulled herself back underneath the machine to make the necessary repairs on it.

"Yeah, well, I hardly ever see you relaxing." I replied, while I squatted down next to Ann, as all I could see were her legs if I stood up.

"Everybody deserves a break once in a while." Ann said with a smile, putting down the hammer then using the screwdriver.

"Well I gotta go. Good luck with... whatever this contraption is," I said then left.

Then I met Maria, who, as usual, is sweeping the dust off the brick road leading to the church's front doors.

"How are you doing, Maria?"

"I'm fine Tony. I know you are busy working, but please try to come to the festival. You'll have a great time there." Maria persuaded me.

I shrugged. "Hey, my schedule is pretty much open, so I'll definitely be coming!" I said.

"Great! Ellen wants you to come too." Maria said.

"Who?" I asked, barely hearing what she said.

"Nothing. Forget I said anything." Maria quickly replied.

Then I visited Nina. She's excited about the festival too, primarily because she loves the flowers and different flower scented perfumes on display there. Then I returned back to the ranch, busting up stones and chopping wood until nightfall, then I fell asleep.

Tuesday, 23rd Of Spring 1976

I woke up early, eating a croissant with strawberry jam. I spent most of my time in my house watching television, watching one of my favorite cartoon shows, a marathon of episodes of "Benny the Cottontail Rabbit". I got ready to leave the ranch at 2:30 p.m. Koro was outside, eating his bowl of dog food and drinking water that I drew up from the well yesterday.

"Hey, Koro, I'm going to the festival. Watch over the ranch for me. Can I count on you to do that?" I asked him.

"Waff waff waff waff!" Koro barked.

I smiled approvingly. "Good boy! You be good, okay?" And then I left, enduring the two mile walk to Neighbor Town.

As soon as I reached the town Square, I was surrounded by dozens of people I've never met before, people from nearby towns like Gueydan and Lake Arthur, and dozens of flowers that I've never seen before! Its like I wandered into a new world or something! In the middle of the town Square, fifteen feet south from the water fountain, I saw a large flower bed with a statue of the Harvest Goddess surrounded by yellow, blue, pink, red and green flowers. The statue of the Harvest Goddess had long green hair stretching down to her back, wore a dress that resembled a wedding dress in a few ways, and had her hands raised up high in the air, her eyes closed and mouth open and smiling joyously. I began looking for people that I know. I noticed Ann's dad wandering around aimlessly like he lost something and is stressed out of where to look for it.

"Dad wanders like that every year," a voice said behind me.

I turned around to see Ann standing behind me with a smile.

"I knew you'd come, Tony. Don't be shy, take a look around." Ann urged me.

I followed her instructions, what other choice did I have? I walked my way through the crowd of people. Its not like the Square is jam packed with people or anything like that, it's just that I've never been around 40 people in one place before. In fact, this is the first festival I've been to. I eventually saw Eve over by the table where these blue, teal, cyan and pink colored flowers are, and went up to her.

"Hey Eve. You look all relaxed, examining those flowers and all that," I commented.

"Heh-heh, I could get relaxed with the smell of flowers." Eve replied with a shameless smile.

I inhaled the fresh aroma of flowers along with her, and I had to admit, those flowers sure smell good! The ones with the cyan colored petals smell almost like peppermint, and the flowers with teal colored petals smell like rosemary. I know this because I recall my mom having a pot of flowers that smell like rosemary in the kitchen back home.

"Ahhh... I agree. I see why Nina is so into flowers now. Speaking of Nina, where is she?" I asked.

"Over by the water fountain." Eve pointed out.

"Okay," I nodded at Eve, then headed for Nina near the center of the Square where the water fountain is, and I found Ellen as well, talking to her. As I approached them I overheard some of what they said.

"... Do you really think I would look great dressed like the Harvest Goddess?" Nina asked Ellen, blushing slightly at the thought.

Ellen smiled a sincere smile at her question. "Of course you would! With your long pink hair, you'd look absolutely stunning!"

Nina looked surprised at Ellen's remark now. "Really? Wow... I never thought of that. So I really would look like a goddess, wouldn't I?"

At that moment, I got close enough to them to speak to them over the indistinct chatter of the people around us.

"Hey, Ellen, Nina. What are you two talking about over here?" I called to them.

"Hey, Tony. have you heard of the Harvest Goddess?" Ellen asked me.

I frowned slightly. My parents never went to church before, and neither have I, so I'm not big on religious figures and whatnot.

"Only from priest Daniel, but I don't know much about her." I said.

"The Harvest Goddess is a deity who protects and watches over nature all over the world," Nina said.

I nodded to show that I understood. "what does the Harvest Goddess have to do with the Flower Festival?" I asked.

Nina smiled and stopped Ellen from speaking. "I'll tell him," she told Ellen. "See, a very, very, very long time ago, flowers did not exist yet."

"What?! Are you serious?!" I exclaimed in surprise.

Nina nodded. "It's true. This festival is meant to thank the Harvest Goddess for creating flowers. Maria's mother told me that the Goddess of Land created flowers to cheer up a woman who lost her boyfriend."

"Really? What happened to her boyfriend?" I asked with curiosity.

"No one knows. It's just a legend, anyway. The Harvest Goddess would know, but no one has ever met her before, unfortunately," Nina said.

I nodded, feeling a bit intrigued by this legend. "... Okay. So, this Harvest Goddess, she protects nature around the world? How is that possible? That's a big job, even for one deity," I remarked.

"I don't think she protects nature alone," Ellen said.

"What?" I frowned in confusion.

Ellen shook her head. "Let me rephrase that. There is a myth that says that she has many daughters in certain locations around the world who are also known as the Harvest Goddess."

"Daughters? How is that possible?" I grew even more confused.

"No one knows for sure. The myth is that since the beginning of humanity's history, the Harvest Goddess, known as the Goddess of Land has fallen in love with certain mortal men who are farmers over time, married them, and had daughters with them. And her half mortal daughters take the name "Harvest Goddess" when they come of age, becoming goddesses themselves and watch over and protect nature in various locations all over the world," Ellen replied.

"I'm sorry, but half of this sounds too insane to be true," I said skeptically. I just couldn't wrap my head around the possibility of a goddess marrying a mortal man and having a child with a mortal man, it doesn't sound possible.

"Well, do you believe that the Harvest Goddess helps flowers like these bloom since she created them?" Ellen asked me.

"I'm not too familiar with mythology. Sorry," I shook my head and shrugged.

"Are you familiar with Mineral Town's festival? In the spring season festival, the girls there dress up as the Harvest Goddess and do a dancing routine. That was what I was telling Nina about. It has been a tradition there for a long time," Ellen said.

"Traditions aren't my thing," I said.

"Well, the tradition from 100 years ago seem nice, I guess," Ellen shrugged.

Then I walked up to the red haired girl who hangs out with Mrs. Fortune and the boy who has a crush on Maria. They were looking at the statue of the Harvest Goddess surrounded by flowers. The little girl turned around and noticed me.

"Beautiful, isn't she?" I asked her by way of greeting.

The girl nodded. "Goddess of Land lives in the mountain. And she is very friendly," she said.

I crossed my arms. "So I take it you've actually met her before?" I asked, sensing that the girl might be over-exaggerating.

"Well... Grandma told me so...But I wonder if its true." The girl said while looking at the statue.

Then I turned my attention to the boy. "What about you? What are you thinking of, little man? I bet you're thinking about buying perfume for Maria, huh?" I softly elbowed him on the shoulder, knowing he has a soft spot for Maria.

"Actually, I want to buy a bottle of perfume for my sister," he corrected me.

I felt like I should wear a cone shaped "dunce" hat like some cartoon characters do once he said that.

"...Oh."

I walked off heading northwest, passing by a few people, saying "excuse me, excuse me" to anyone I brushed by.

As I walked by Ann's dad, I heard him mutter: "When it comes down to it, I can't buy it, I just can't. I never will, no matter how hard I try."

I saw Maria up ahead admiring a picnic table holding three vases containing multicolored flowers. I walked up to her and spoke to her.

"How are you doing?" I asked her.

She turned around to face me and smiled at me. "Great. My heart warms up with joys of spring, when its filled with the smell of flowers. How about you?" She asked me.

"Me? It makes me feel energetic. I feel like running around the square as the aroma climbs into my nostrils," I told Maria.

She smiled again. When I walked up to Nina who happens to be a few yards east from where Maria and I were, and I noticed Eve walking away from her. I know it's eve because she loves wearing bright red dresses. Nina is was dancing around the water fountain in an odd manner, and part of me suspected that she might be intoxicated.

"Nina. What's wrong with you?" I looked closer at her face and I noticed that her eyes seem to be dilated. "Wait a minute. Did you drink Eve's juice?!" I asked, frowning with suspicion.

"...Hahahahahaha! Yes, I had juice, and now I can see butterflies flying. Wheee!" Nina continued dancing.

I left her alone. I noticed nearby that Nina's mother is selling perfume to random interested people. I considered buying one of those perfume bottles, because one of them smells like peppermint and rosemary, but remembered the promise I made to Ellen. I didn't want to break that promise. Then I walked up to Mayor Stan and his wife, they were standing near one of those old school gramophones, the ones back in the 40's.

"It's almost time to dance, soon. Have you picked your dancing partner, yet?" Stan's wife asked me.

"Dancing partner...? No, I haven't." I said slowly.

Nobody told me there will be dancing in the festival!

"Well, think carefully about the girls' tastes and choose a present." the mayor's wife instructed me.

I remembered that Ellen told me not to buy anything here, so I figured that buying her a gift here is not a good idea, so I decided to talk to Stan himself.

"Tony, everyone is beginning to select a dancing partner. Are you ready to dance, Tony?" Stan asked me.

"I... Yes. I'm ready." I said, trying to summon all the confidence in me.

"Now go pick your partner before we begin." Stan instructed me. I began searching for Ellen. She was standing next to Eve in the southern part of the public square. As I approached her, I said: "Um, Ellen...?"

"Yes, Tony...?" Ellen asked. Eve was busy smelling flowers. "Uh, Ellen... Would you..." I froze. I couldn't get the words to come out!

"Calm down, Tony. Take a deep breath and tell me what is it." Ellen said.

Boy, knowing that Ellen is calm and patient made me feel a little better. I took a deep breath and exhaled. Somehow the aroma of flowers gave me courage. "Ellen... Will you be my dance partner?" I asked.

"ACHOO!" Eve sneezed loudly as soon as I said that.

"...Yes... I will." Ellen nodded. I took Ellen's had hand we walked to the center of the square.

Eve was a little upset that I didn't ask her for a dance instead. "Grrr... I can't believe it! I thought he liked me! But who cares? I'm not going to stress over it," Eve said to herself as she continued sniffing the flowers, calming her hurt feelings.

Soon the dancing began. Mayor Stan turned on the gramophone, and everyone with dancing partners began dancing to this song called "Sing, Sing, Sing" performed by Benny Goodman. I knew that Mayor Stan would play a song from before my time, but I can't complain. Besides, my grandpa, may he rest in peace, grew up listening to these kinds of songs. I prefer to dance to funk songs like "Jungle Boogie" by Kool And The Gang. The little boy danced with his sister, Mr. Mayor danced with his wife, Ann's dad danced with Nina's mom,and I danced with Ellen. Everyone in the crowd was clapping and cheering. I started off a little clumsy at first, but I ended up dancing a little better than I expected.

"You're not a bad dancer, Tony." Ellen commented.

"Really?" I asked as I made Ellen spin around over my right hand as she held onto it.

"Really." she said as she looked at me eye to eye. I could get used to this. I made sure my footwork matched Ellen's so I wouldn't trip her by accident.

I wasn't doing too bad. Actually, dancing is easy and fun! I just thought it would be difficult.

"Have you ever danced before?" Ellen asked me after we pulled apart from each other and came back together.

"To be honest with you, this is my first time." I said modestly.

"You're good, for a beginner," Ellen said as she twirled under my right hand again.

"Thanks. Oh, this is a move I learned from watching my Dad dance with my Mom. Let me see if I can do it," I said.

I made Ellen lean back, with her right leg outstretched towards the sky, then I helped her stand back up. The crowd is now focused on us dancing, and they were cheering!

"I don't believe it...!" Ann's father gasped, his mouth nearly dropping open.

"Those two are really dancing!" Nina's mom said.

"Go, Tony!" I heard Mike shout in the crowd.

Along with the rhythm of the music, me and Ellen began tap-dancing as we held hands. I twirled her under my arm again, then she twirled me under her arm. After the music ended, everyone started cheering. I couldn't believe how much attention me and Ellen gathered!

"That is Tony and Ellen, ladies and gentlemen! Give them a big applause!" Mayor Stan exclaimed proudly, and everyone applauded.

Ellen and I bowed to the crowd as they threw red roses and other kinds of flowers to show us how grateful they are for dancing so well. The aromas of the flowers smelled pretty good, too. Later that night, I returned home, dressed into my pajamas and jumped in my bed and began writing in my journal. At the same time, Ellen was writing in her journal as well.

To Be Continued...