Note: Alrighty. This is gonna be a ride. So apparently my therapist thinks this is a good idea. So, we're going to continue!
As 6 o'clock struck, the rooster crowed again to greet the day. Eve stirred a little bit and felt her arms and legs throbbing with pain. She groaned and stretched a little bit while still in the bed.
"Where is that rooster coming fro-oh right…it must be Marnie's huh? I guess she lives closer than I thought." she slowly got out of the old bed. "Guess I'm starting to really feel the burn…but that's good…I think…" she mumbled and looked down at herself. Again, she just was so tired she slept in the clothes that she had worn the previous day. "Man, this is really telling on how this whole new lifestyle is affecting me…though I really haven't taken the time to unpack my things…" the white-haired woman looked outside toward the fields, and instantly something looked different. "No way!" she ran out and went toward the field. Right in front of her house were 15 little sprouts that were breaking through the ground, right where she had planted the parsnips.
"They're…they're really growing!" she mumbled and covered her mouth with her hands in shock. She felt like she was about to cry as she knelt and felt one of the leaves in her fingers. It still needed time to grow, of course, but it was a start…a very encouraging start. Without a second thought, she went to the toolbox and pulled out the tin watering can. It still had some water in it, more then enough to water the crops. Eve lugged the tin can to her field and carefully gave each individual sprout, smiling as she went. "Now…you keep growing okay? Don't die on me…please." She said as put the can back down. She wiped her brow and put the can back in the tool box.
She then took out the pickaxe and the sickle then walked back into the field, holding the pickaxe in her hand and carrying the light sickle on her back. There were several rocks that she wanted to see if she could break, along with more of the weeds that were growing closer to her little plot. Feeling determined, she lifted the pickaxe and brought it down on the rock, which gave and crumbled quickly. She recoiled a bit, but then chuckled as she looked at the handy work. "Wow, that wasn't as bad as cutting down that tree." She said, and then whacked a few more of the rocks in the same fashion. Some of the rocks took more then one swing, but it still was not as bad. After clearing a few rocks, she took up the sickle and started slashing the weeds, finding more fiber and seeds as she went. Between both, she cleared a bit more of the land, and then walked back to get the axe. There were two trees that were in the way of the plot she just cleared, and it was time to try and clear another one of her hurdles. She had to cut down these two trees. She took in a deep breath, and regripped the axe in her hand.
"Alright…I can do this…stay determined." Eve mumbled and let out a cry as she brought the axe to the tree. She swung it again and again with the same vigor until the tree came crashing down. Then, she switched to the second tree. She started to slam the axe into that tree as well until it finally gave and slammed onto the ground with a rousing 'THUD'. Eve started panting and looked at her handywork. She smiled to herself. "I did it…that's…twice what I did yesterday." She did a fist pump and started to chop the wood into smaller pieces, including the stumps. After cleaning up the wood and rocks and putting away whatever spoils she found while weeding into the chest, she started to put away her tools. That's when she noticed that the flag was up on her mailbox.
"Huh? I have mail? But from who?" she walked over and opened it, seeing a single letter inside. She took it out and inspected the parchment. "No return address…this is a little weird." She shrugged and decided to open the letter. "Hello there…okay no name on this letter. Just got back from a fishing trip. You should come down to the beach some time. I've got something for ya…from Willy?" she took a second and thought about that name, but then remembered, "Wait, Mayor Lewis. He said something at the saloon last night. Something about a person named Willy who was away…I guess this is it." She put the letter away and then looked toward the gate. "Well, I guess I'll make a stop to the beach then." And with that, she was off to Pelican Town once again.
A short walk past the old bus later and her feet met with the cobble stone pathing of the town. She passed the Doctor's office and went next store to the bigger wooden building. A sign that read "Pierre's" was next to the glass double doors leading inside. As she was approaching, a pale girl with bright purple hair came walking out of the store and started walking to the stairs that were built in the cliffside going further up. Eve was startled a little, which made the girl turn to face her. A clear look of puzzlement was on her face.
"Who are you?" she asked, turning to face the new farmer girl. Eve cleared her throat and gave her best smile even though this was a little awkward.
"Hi, I'm Eve…and I moved into the old farm. Jaden Turner's farm?" the purple haired girl snapped her fingers as if she remembered something and smiled back.
"Oh, that's right…I heard someone new was moving into that old farm. I'm Abigail. It's nice to meet you." She put her hand up and waved, and Eve just waved back. "It's kind of a shame. I always enjoyed exploring those overgrown fields by myself." She shrugged, making Eve feel a tad bit awkward.
"Well…the farm is still pretty overgrown right now. You can come and walk through them if you'd like." Abigail shook her head and turned around.
"Nah, it's not the same." There was a pause between them. "Alright, well, see ya." And with that she started to walk again. Eve felt a tad bad that she had taken the farm away from the public, but she the property was hers now. She was determined to make it a good farm again. With that, she walked inside of the store and closed the door behind her. Inside was a tiny general store with shelves full of things. Food, supplies, all sorts of stuff. Eve looked amazed as she was browsing and didn't noticed the red headed girl next to her. She looked for a moment and found that their eyes had met. Both stared for a moment, and Eve didn't know how to get out of this. The red headed girl just laughed and gave a big smile.
"Hi! I don't think we've met? It's nice to meet you." She put her hand out for Eve to shake. "I'm Leah, I live in a cottage in the forest near Marnie's farm, by the lake." Eve smiled back and shook her hand. She remembered hearing the name from Lewis back at the saloon.
"Hi, I'm Eve. I just moved into town." Leah nodded and picked up what she was looking for, some paint and a hammer.
"Well you picked a great time of year to move here. The spring is lovely." She said and moved passed her, going toward the counter. "I hope you have a good day!" Eve nodded and smiled back.
"You too." With that her attention was brought back to the shelves as she was browsing. She found that one of the shelves had seed bags, like the parsnip ones that Mayor Lewis had gifted to her. This must have been the place where he got them! She started looking through the seeds that he had and decided to pick up some spare seeds.
"Let's see…potatoes…cauliflower…a bean plant starter…all of these looks good…maybe I should pick up some." She said and started to take a few of the bags.
"Are you finding everything okay?" a higher pitched voice asked the distracted farmer. This startled Eve from her shopping and she nearly dropped her items. She turned and faced a green haired woman with a big smile on her face. "Oh…I'm sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you…hey wait a minute, you must be Eve, the new farmer. I'm Caroline." Eve straightened herself up and smiled back, her hands full of seeds now.
"Yes you're right. It's nice to meet you Caroline! I'd shake your hand, but my hands are getting a little full." Caroline chuckled and then started to look around for something.
"Give me one second. Stay right here." She walked off and Eve was left a little confused with what was going on. A few moments later, Caroline returned with a small yellow bag. "Here. You should be able to carry your items in this. You can keep the bag as a gift from the shop." Eve looked at the bag and then smiled. She slung the strap over her shoulder and put away all the seed bags and starters she was intending to purchase easily.
"Wow, thank you Ms. Caroline, this is really helpful. Do you work here?" Caroline sort of shrugged and smiled a little.
"Oh please, just Caroline!" she giggled. "Anyway, my husband runs the general store here, so I guess you can say I work here. There is a door that leads directly to my home." Then her expression changed a little to one of realization as she remembered something. "And have you met my daughter, Abigail? She's the pale one with the purple hair." Eve nodded and gestured to outside.
"I met her on my way in. She seemed upset that I took over the farm." Caroline chuckled a little.
"Oh yes, she did love going to that old place and seeing what there was to see, but I'm sure she'll get over it. But please, come here when you need something, we are open everyday except for Wednesdays. Oh! And on Tuesdays, the ladies of the town will do an aerobic type class here in our living room. You're more then welcome to join if you'd like." Eve nodded and smiled back, seeing as she had everything she wanted from the store.
"Thank you, Caroline. I'll keep all of that in mind." Eve waved and walked over to the register. Behind it was a brunette man with glasses who perked up when she approached.
"Welcome to Pierre's! Did you find everything okay?" Eve nodded and placed all her items on the counter.
"Yes sir, I did. Here is everything." The man counted everything and ticked a few numbers on his calculator.
"Alright, so some potato seeds, cauliflower, and bean starts huh? Are you starting a garden?" he then took a closer look at Eve. "Wait no…ah I know! Ms. Eve, the new farmer, then right?" Eve nodded and reached her hand out. Pierre shook it rather vigorously. "Well pleasure to meet you. I'm Pierre and this is my store. If you're looking for seeds in the future, my shop is the place to go. And I'll also buy the produce you grow from you for a good price, so keep me in mind when you get things going." Eve nodded and gave him the money for all of the seeds.
"I'll surely do that. Thank you again!" Eve put all of her new seeds back in her small bag and walked out of the store with a smile on her face. Once out of the building she started to head back to the farm. Eve was excited and wanted to plant these new crops right away! She quickly made a beeline for home and got to work.
After another hour and a half, the ground was tilled, and the seeds were all planted carefully in the earth. Eve had gotten the watering can and filled it back up in the nearby pond before going to her new seeds and watering each one carefully. She smiled, though feeling really tired after the long day. Eve let out a yawn and put the watering can back in the tool box. She took a second to relax and checked her phone for the time.
"Wow, it's nearly 4pm already? I need to get to the beach!" with a sudden burst of energy, Eve started jogging back toward the town. She glanced at her map and traced her finger down, seeing the beach was down south of the town. She started to walk down when she spotted an older lady working on some of the town's flowers. The lady looked up and smiled at the girl.
"Why hello, and welcome to our little community dear." The lady walked over and gave Eve a hug, which she was not expecting. However, it wasn't an unwelcomed gesture either. Eve hugged the woman back and smiled.
"Thank you so much. My name is Eve. It's nice to meet you." The older lady looked up at her with a smile.
"Is it short for Evelyn?" she asked. Eve hadn't expected anyone to ask and nodded at her, genuinely surprised.
"How did you know?" the older lady chuckled to herself.
"Because my name is Evelyn as well! Well fancy that, there are two Evelyn's in town." Eve couldn't help but chuckled herself, very surprised.
"Wow really? Well, I go mostly by Eve. So, you can be Evelyn and I'll just be plain ol Eve." The lady took Eve's hand and gave it a gentle pat.
"Oh dearie, don't you worry. You can call me 'Granny' if you'd like. I like to think I'm a lot of people's granny in this town." She let out a hearty laugh. "I heard you took over Jaden's farm…that's so good of you. Please come by the house sometime and I'll make you some chocolate chip cookies!" Eve felt like she was about to cry. This old lady was one of the sweetest people she had met so far. Eve nodded at her.
"That sounds lovely…where do you live?" Granny Evelyn turned and pointed behind the saloon.
"Oh, it's right back there, the light blue house next to Pam's trailer. I live there with my husband George and my grandson Alex. Please come by anytime for a visit, okay dear?" Eve nodded and hugged the older woman again.
"I will. It's really nice to meet you. I have to go, but let's talk again soon!" Granny Evelyn nodded and gestured her off.
"Of course dearie of course. Don't work too hard now." Eve nodded back to her and walked past the cemetery toward the stone bridge, passing another larger house along the way. She took note of a branching path, but still she headed south and crossed the stone bridge. After passing a little cove of palm trees, she got to a small beach. She stopped for a moment as the sound of the waves hit her. It was peaceful and calm…and she started to remember going to the beach as a kid with her parents. Playing, making send castles, swimming in the water…all of it came rushing back to her. Eve shook her head and looked around the small beach. There wasn't too much, a small shack near the tree line and a building on the docks. She walked toward the building on the docks and found an older man smoking at the end of one of them.
"Maybe that's him?" she slowly walked up behind him and watched for a moment as he was very much enjoying the wooden pipe he was smoking.
"Ahoy there girl." He said, without even turning around. Eve just stayed quiet for the time being. "Heard there was a newcomer in town…it's good to finally meet ya." Eve got a little closer to the man.
"My name is Eve. Did Mayor Lewis tell you about me?" the man nodded as he finally put out the pipe and turned to face her. He gave a quick up and down, and then smiled.
"Ah…I'm still tryin' to unwind from a month out on the salty sea…it was a big haul. I sold a lot of good fish this trip." He chuckled and let out a little cough. "Finally saved enough to buy me a new fishing rod." Eve nodded, not really sure where this conversation was going. Willy then picked up something from the end of the dock and put it in Eve's hand. She looked and saw it was an old bamboo fishing rod. She looked up at him in surprise, but the old fisherman just nodded.
"I want you to have my old fishing rod." He said with a smile. "It's important to me that the art o' fishing stays alive. And hoy, maybe you'll buy somethin' from me in the ol' shop once in a while. Come on by if you ever need supplies." He gestured to the building behind them. Eve looked at the building and then at the rod again.
"I…don't know what to say. This is a very generous gift." She hugged the rod. "Thank you…Willy, right?" the man nodded and looked out at the sea again. He took a few steps toward the water and breathed in deep.
"There's good water here in the valley. All kinds o' fish. I'll buy anything you catch. 'If it smells, it sells'..heh heh…that's what my ol' Pappy used to say." Having said that, he took a seat and lit up his pipe again before taking a few more drags. He pats a spot next to him, and Eve put the rod down and took a seat. They two were quiet for a moment before Willy offered the pipe to the girl, whom put her hand up.
"No thank you, I don't smoke." Willy nodded and put the pipe back in his mouth.
"Fair enough there Eve…you know, I knew Jaden for a little while before he passed. Was a good man he was. He'd come by and we'd fish and talk together for hours, just laughing and enjoying the sounds of the sea." He blew out some smoke from his mouth. "When I expressed an interest in opening a shop, he helped me build it. Didn't want no money or reward, just was happy to help me build the ol' place. It never does seem like long ago…but now lookin at it…gosh it's must have been more than a few decades ago." Eve looked at him as he talked and then down at the water. The more she heard, the more she admired her Grandfather, and what kind of person he was. Kind, compassionate…a pillar of the community. She wasn't sure if she'd measure up to be someone like that. Slowly, she got up and took the rod in her hand.
"Did you teach my Grandfather how to fish?" she asked, looking down at him with a smile. Willy looked up and then laughed.
"He knew the basics enough. I taught him a few tricks…would you like me to teach you?" Eve nodded with a smile and looked about ready cast out. Willy got up with a groan and went to get his own fishing rod from behind some crates. "Alright…so first…you stand like this…"
The lesson went on for a little while as Willy taught Eve how fishing worked, how to change out the hooks and the string, how to properly cast out, everything that he could think of. Eve listened intently, trying to make sure everything was committed to memory…or at least close to it. Finally, she cast out right, and waited. Suddenly, she felt a bite.
"Ah! A bite!" Eve pulled and felt the pull on the line. She put one hand on the pole and the other on the reel, starting to reel the fish in. Willy was watching and smiling.
"Alright, now you got to feel where the fish is going, and when to reel in and stop. You'll get it when you start. You can do this Eve." Eve nodded and started to just reel the fish in carefully. The moved the pole back when the line went loose, and Eve sighed. The fish had gotten away.
"Dang it…" Eve stomped her foot in frustration. "I'm never going to get this." Willy put a comforting hand on the girl's shoulder.
"Rome wasn't built in a day, and you won't be good at this for a while. I know you'll be able to catch a real lunker…but you have to build up to it eh? Now, let's try this again." Eve nodded and cast out again after checking the line and hook. She was concentrating very carefully, and Willy just pat her shoulder again. "Relax there Eve, sometimes it's going to take a little while for the fish to bite. If you stand there stiff as a board, you'll be sore a lot quicker." Eve nodded, and her body loosened up a bit.
"Sorry…I just got very frustrated when things aren't perfect…" she huffed. "And sometimes, I feel like if I don't get it right the first time, I won't at all…" Willy laughed and nodded as he took his pipe out again.
"Jaden was the same way my dear. He'd get frustrated too if something didn't go his way." Eve looked over at Willy, surprised.
"Really?" she asked. "I thought he was always calm and cool under pressure. Everyone I knew talked about him so highly…I just hope I can walk in his shoes like that…" Willy nodded at her.
"I wouldn't say it like that Eve. Jaden was human, just like you. He made mistakes, he got angry, and he certainly wasn't perfect." Willy smiled as he took a drag from his pipe. "The people here were fond of him nevertheless however. And he loved us too, and we loved him, despite his imperfections. It's unfair for you to hold yourself to a high standard when you haven't been in the valley for less than a week. He walked in your steps, just like this. He made mistakes, he got frustrated, and he certainly wanted to quit early on as well." Eve paused, and looked at the water for a moment, reflecting on those words. Willy smiled at her. "But the important part was that he didn't give up…and neither have you. You have the same determination as he did. He wanted to get it right early on, and once there was one bit of success, he'd refine the craft. You just have to get over that hump, and then the ol' muscle memory will be there." Eve sighed and shook her head, glancing over to Willy.
"Thank you…I…really needed to hear something like that. I have been putting too much pressure on myself…" she stiffened her body a little bit. "Ever since I got here, I've been feeling like my Grandfather was this…impossible to reach standard, and everyone made him seem like that. But hearing that…that he struggled and that he had a hard time. I feel better." She sighed and suddenly the line on the fishing rod pulled. Eve turned and pulled back, feeling the fish got hooked. "Ah, I got one!" she exclaimed and started to reel it in, trying her hardest to be careful and keep the fish on the line. Willy let out a puff of smoke and watched the water, seeing the top of the fish break the water.
"Hold steady Eve. Keep a steady hold and stay calm. Take a deep breath." Willy advised. Eve nodded and loosened up a bit and let out a deep breath. She kept reeling in and pulled and soon the fish jumped and was flopping around helplessly on the line as it dangled over the water. Eve's eyes widened and moved back so the fish was over the dock. Willy put out the pipe and crossed his arms over his chest, giving a nod of approval.
"Willy…I did it!" Eve said, examining the fish carefully. "I actually caught the fish. Wow look at him!" Willy smiled and helped get the fish off the hook and took it in his hands.
"This is a good fish Eve. A good sardine if I've ever seen one. You should feel proud." he gave the fish back to Eve, who put it in her bag. By this time, the sun had already started to set. "Now you get home before it gets too late okay?" Eve nodded and hugged Willy tightly.
"Thank you...for everything…" she said, and the older man pat the girls back. Eve looked up at him. "Would you mind if I came back here if I ever run into trouble?" Willy nodded and let her go.
"Of course. Now then off with yah. And remember me ol' Pappy's sayin!" he called out. Eve turned back and waved at him with a smile.
"If it smells, it sells! I'll be putting this in the shipping bin tonight! See you!" she sand and dashed off the docks, looking at the time. It really was getting late, and she needed to get home. "I totally lost track of time...but now I have a fishing rod! If I have some off time, I can improve my fishing skills!" As she was distracted, she ran into someone who had just come to the beach. The two collided and both fell to the ground. Eve sat up groaning, and looked over as several books, her fishing rod and her fish were scattered on the ground. Eve gasped and scampered to pick everything up. "I'm so sorry! I wasn't watching where I was going!" she exclaimed, starting to pick the books up. The other person had regained themselves, and also started to pick up everything.
"Please pardon me as well. I was also distracted." came a male voice. As Eve was picking up everything that had fallen, she looked at the person she had bumped into. It was a man with long light brown hair, a red sports jacket and green slacks. Poking out of the red jacket was a green tie as he bent to pick up the fishing rod and fish. Eve stood up, her eyes locked onto the gentleman as he stood up as well, looking down at her with a smile as he handed her back the rod and fish. "Here, please accept my humble apologies." Eve nodded and handed him the books that he'd dropped before taking the rod and fish. She put them back into her big before letting out a light chuckle.
"Oh um...it's okay! You're not hurt are you?" she asked, giving a quick up and down to make sure. The man nodded at her.
"Fortunately, I am unharmed. And you?" Eve gave a thumbs up to him.
"Everything working as advertised." the man gave a laugh and put his hand out, holding all of his books under his other arm.
"You must be the new farmer that we have all been expecting...and whose arrival has sparked many a conversation." he flashed a smile. "My name is Elliot, I live in that little cabin over there on the beach." he gestured to the run down shack. Eve looked back and almost cringed. Compared to that thing, her Grandfather's old cottage was a welcome sight. Eve turned back to him and took his hand, shaking it.
"A pleasure to meet you Elliot. My name is Eve." the man shook her hand and then took his arm back.
"The pleasure is all mine. Perhaps our paths with cross again...although maybe not as violently as this time." both of them laughed and paused. There was a silence between them as neither knew what to say. Eve was awkward and tried to think of something, and Elliot was looking past her at the sky. "The sunset is beautiful tonight, do you not think?" Eve turned and looked at it. This was the first time she really took a second to appreciate the sunset. The sun painted the sea with all sorts of reds, oranges, and yellows, and it seemed to go on forever. Eve took some steps toward it, let out a sigh.
"It's beautiful…" she mumbled to herself, and smiled. Elliot walked next to her and nodded.
"Yes...it is…" there was another pause and Elliot looked over at Eve. "Well, it was a pleasure meeting you, but I need to get back to work. Have a good and safe night, Ms Eve." he gave a bow before going to his cabin and walking through the door. Eve watched him go, and lingered there for a moment.
"What am I doing?" she asked herself, and shook her head. "Geez, I got really...distracted, I need to get home!" She said, and turned to head out.
Eve made her way through the small treeline and headed back to town. As she went, a sudden wave of fatigue and pain overcame her, forcing her to the ground. She let out a gasp as she knelt down, trying to catch her breath, but finding it nearly impossible. All day she'd been running around, working on the farm, and even trying new things like fishing. All the built-up concentration and adrenaline finally wore off, and it left Eve feeling dizzy, nauseous, and on the border of collapse. Using the stone bridge as a crutch, the girl pulled herself up from the ground to her feet. Her legs were shaking and could barely sustain her own weight.
"How…am I going to get home?" she asked herself as she started to slowly walk. "At this pace…I won't get home until late…and I don't want to sleep out here…" she grabbed her chest as she felt another attack coming on. The panic was setting in. She started to cough over the side of the bridge and spat over the edge. The taste of blood was in her mouth and when she opened her eyes and she saw a small splotch of bloody water flow further down the river. Eve knew that the only way to get through this was to not panic. Panic would only make all of this worse. Eve forced herself to breath slowly, though the urge to just hyperventilate was there. It felt like the world was closing in around her more and more with each step she took going across that small bridge. Eve looked forward and saw that the lampposts were just about the only light that she was going to have on this trek home, and it made things all the worse. Her vision blurred in and out as she had to let go of the bridge and start hobbling back toward the farm. One hand clutched her fast beating heart while the other wrapped around her chest, as if that would stop the incoming nausea that was brewing in her chest. She'd look down at the ground to see if her feet were still on the ground and going the right way but would look up to make sure she didn't run into anything.
When she got to the saloon, she leaned against it and started to concentrate on her breathing again. She contemplated going into the saloon for help, but there were a few things stopping her. One was maybe everyone was too drunk to help her, and because she didn't know everyone in town, maybe they would not help her. She looked forward and took another step forward but stopped in her tracks as another coughing fit overtook her. She clutched her eyes closed and slowly slid down the side of the building as she continued to cough. She put one of her hands over her mouth to cough into and remained in that one place as she let the attack pass. As it did, she kept the thought of keeping her breathing steady. The coughing stopped, and that iron taste was back in her mouth. She looked in the palm of her hand. The glow of the nearby lights revealed that her palm was covered in blood. She spat out some of the excess blood from her mouth and forced her legs to get up, only to almost fall and lean on the saloon. With everything happening…she was convinced that this must be a dream. This was never this bad before…so her fatigue must have meant that this was all a dream…or a nightmare. As she got up, she could hear the trash cans in front of her make a sound.
"Oh no…" she muttered to herself, but this startled the person who was at the trash cans. With her vision going in and out, she couldn't really make out who it was, only that they seemed to be wearing…leaves?
"Are you okay?" the person asked as he got closer. Eve shook her head as she was trying to get her eyes to focus on who was in front of her.
"I…need to get home…I'm sick…" she mumbled, or at least she thought so. At this point, she couldn't really hear herself speak. The person looked more concerned and went to her side, making her wrap an arm around his neck so he could support her.
"I will help you. Where is your home?" the man asked. Eve leaned against the man as the two walked slowly across the town square.
"…farm…" Eve mumbled. "I…owe it…" the man didn't seem to answer as he was heading for the other side of the square. She didn't know who this person was or why they were helping her, but she was thankful at the very least. As they were passing the bus, Eve swore that she was starting to hear things. Voices from all around her.
"You've been working really hard on these recently…" a sickening male voice sang in her ears, "How about dinner? Come on, just this one time on me…then we can go back to my place for a little wine…" Eve shook her head, trying to shake the voice from her head. She didn't want to think back to that time, a time where she was stuck with…that man. The man looked over at her.
"Are you okay? You're still with me?" Eve paused and stopped walking, needing a second to breathe and not move.
"Y-yeah…" she muttered back and continued to move. As they were at the gate, another voice plagued the girl's mind.
"I want you to have this sealed envelope…no, no, don't open it now…have patience." Eve knew this voice…it was her Grandfather. "Now listen close…there will come a day when you feel crushed by the burden of modern life. Your bright spirit will face before a growing emptiness…" then the voice faded away. Eve looked forward and her eyes widened. She swore that she saw her Grandfather in front of her.
"Grandpa…" she let out in a weak voice and reached out to try and touch her long lost family member. But soon, he faded into the void that was the darkness in front of her. The man again shook Eve a little, making her recoil.
"I'm not your grandfather…" the man said and readjusted how he was helping her. "Stay with me now…hold on…" they stopped at the gate and the man lowered himself and her down, leaning the young farmer girl against the fence. He put a hand on her forehead and nodded a little. "You have a fever. This may be something more serious then just exhaustion…should I take you to the hospital?" Eve shook her head and forced her eyes open.
"No…I…I just need rest…I'll be okay once I'm home." The man nodded and started to help her up again. "I need to wake up from this nightmare…" there was a pause before the pair started to move again. Once they were through the gate, the cottage was in sight. They moved to the stairs when the final voice was echoing in her ears.
"Now is not the time to cry Eve…now is the time to get up and try again…remember that getting up is the best thing that you can do after a tragedy…right Roger?" Eve started to pant as she was going up the small porch stairs. Her mother's words rang correct. This wasn't the end…and she needed to get up after this and breathe…and try again. The man reached the door and tried to open it.
"It's locked…" he mumbled. Eve was able to register the words and reached into her shirt, pulling out the key. She put it in the lock and the door opened. The pair walked in and the man put Eve onto her bed. Eve kicked her shoes off and laid down in the bed, looking up at the ceiling. "Hold on…let me get something…" the man left her side, and let Eve finally start to relax in her bed. At this point, things were getting very out of focus. She closed her eyes and started to fall asleep when something refreshing and cold was put on her head. Eve opened her eyes again and saw a tiny washcloth was on her head. The man turned off the lamp that was on, and without saying goodbye, he left the home. Eve was now alone in her bed. Slowly, her body got more and more heavy and she closed her eyes again.
"Please…let me wake up from this nightmare…" she said to herself, and at that point, everything went black.