Wednesday, 3rd of Fall

"Omelet!" the queen exclaimed. "This is such a simple dish, but so often done incorrectly!"

"No kidding," Alma muttered, pulling out her notepad. She knew for sure if she tried to cook an omelet on a gas stove, she would overcook it. She paid close attention and took detailed notes. When the show was over, she got dressed and stepped outside. She felt a warmth rise up inside her, and it spilled out as a contented sigh. Fall was her favorite season, and it just felt so good to get out in the autumn sun with the crisp, cool air and the golden leaves falling all around. She went to her mailbox and saw she had a few letters. One was from Robin: a gift of some lumber she had "lying around." The other was from Marnie:

"Dear Alma,

I'd like to give my cows a special treat. They're such good girls and hungry, too. Could you bring me one bunch of amaranth? They love the stuff.

Thanks, Dear.

Marnie"

Alma looked out at her crops and saw the amaranth growing, but it looked like it was going to be a while before it would be ready to harvest. But no problem, she thought; as soon as it was ready, she'd make sure to take some to Marnie. She made a note of it in her journal.

When Alma went to get her watering can out from her chest, she noticed that her preserves jar was finished pickling the hops she had thrown in the other day. She opened the lid and was hit hard with the smell of yeasty vinegar. "Whoo!" She got a pickling jar and poured the pickled hops inside, making sure to seal it tight before she put it in her bag. Then she continued with the work on the crops.

As Alma was taking care of the animals, she noticed that Poppy had gotten quite plump, and her udders were looking rather full too. She went to the goat and petted her gently. "Easy, girl." Alma set down the milk pail under her and crouched by her hip, squeezing and pulling at one of the teats. Sure enough, thick and yellow colostrum flowed first, and then a nice, white milk. "Poppy! Good girl!" She got enough to fill up the pail and petted the goat again before heading off to do something else.

Alma went and put her things away in the chests, and when she turned around, she looked over the farm and saw that the grass had become out of control - even with the animals grazing on it! She really needed to see Robin about building a silo. She went inside and called Robin at her shop to remind herself what supplies she would need. "One hundred stones, ten bricks of clay, and five copper bars."

"All right. Thanks, Robin! I'll get that to you as soon as I can." Alma hung up the phone and wasn't sure if she had that much stone after building the cheese presses, mayonnaise machines, and preserves jar. She looked in the chest and, just as she thought, she didn't have very much stone. "Well, there's an excuse to go to the mines," she told herself. She packed up her things and went into town.

Alma went and sold her produce to Pierre at his store, and when she came out, she saw Mr. Mullner at his mailbox, struggling to reach inside from his wheelchair. He sighed and grumbled to himself, "How am I going to reach that letter in the back?" Alma was about to approach him, when she saw Penny rush over.

"Here, let me help you, Mr. Mullner." She went around him and pushed his wheelchair out of the way so she could get to the mailbox. "There you go!" she said with a smile as she handed the letter to him.

"Hmph. I could've done it myself!" he growled. "And I can certainly move around on my own!" he yelled, shaking the letter at her. "How feeble do you think I am?"

Alma stepped forward. "Hi, excuse me …."

"Alma?" Penny called, turning to her. "You were watching us?"

Alma wondered how she should respond. Penny did a kind thing, but maybe she should have asked George instead of assuming he wanted help. Or maybe she should just say she was going for a walk, minding her own business and not paying attention. "I was," she answered. "I was just coming out of the store, and I saw what happened. You did a kind thing there, Penny."

Penny smiled and answered, "Thank you. … I just wish George wasn't so upset," she said quietly, looking at him from the corner of her eye. "I was only trying to help."

Mr. Mullner dropped his head and sighed. "No, no," he said, waving his hand. "I'm sorry, miss. I shouldn't have gotten so angry. It was actually very kind of you to help me out."

Penny faced him and smiled again. "That's okay, Mr. Mullner. I understand." He nodded a little to both of them then turned his chair and went back inside his house. Penny sighed and turned to Alma. "It must be difficult to grow old."

Alma wondered what the best thing would be to say. She shrugged and said, "It's just a different part of life. It has its pros and cons."

Penny nodded. "You're right. We shouldn't ignore the reality of aging." She looked toward the Mullners' house. "I guess the sooner we come to terms with our mortality, the more time we can spend really living in the here-and-now."

"I guess so," Alma answered with a smirk.

"Well," Penny said with a sigh, "it was … interesting talking to you, Alma. I should go."

"Okay, Penny. Have a good day!" She watched as Penny walked on into the town square. As she turned to go north toward the mines, she happened to see Harvey standing south of town, just next to the bridge going to the beach. She smiled and walked that way. "Found a new spot to watch planes from?" she said as she came up behind him.

Harvey turned and smiled at her. "It's nice to be next to the river, and I can see the ocean a bit from here too, in and out of the treeline." She put her head on his shoulder, and he rested his on hers too. "How's Paradise today?"

"Good! I got my first milk from my goat! Oh, and did I tell you that I've made … well, I guess you'd call them appliances? Like a cheese press, a mayonnaise-maker, and a preserves jar?"

"No, but that all sounds good. I'm sure it brings in a bit more money than just the raw produce, right?"

"Yeah, Pierre gives me a bit more. Check it out. I kept this one." She took off her backpack and started rummaging through it. She pulled out the jar of pickled hops and held it up to him.

Harvey's face lit up as he looked it over. "Yum, I love pickles! But … what are these?"

"Hops, from the last of the summer harvest."

He handed the jar back to her and said, "I bet that's delicious as a garnish with some of the other vegetables."

She pushed it back to him gently. "No, you keep it, if you love pickles so much."

Again, his face beamed. "It's for me?"

"Sure! You enjoy it," she said, patting his arm.

His smile widened. "This is my favorite stuff! It's like you read my mind."

"Then let me see what else I can pick up," she said, placing her fingers to her temples. "You're thinking … of all the medicinal benefits pickles have."

He laughed. "Well, you're not wrong. Fermented and pickled foods have a lot of probiotics that can help digestion, and some studies seem to suggest that pickles can help alleviate muscle cramps and normalize blood sugar levels. But, no, more than anything, I think they're just plain delicious." He looked over the jar. "I've never had pickled hops, though."

"Well, why don't you try some now?"

He raised his eyebrows and started twisting the lid, hearing its nice pop. He handed the jar to her first to let her take a sprout, and then he took one. They popped them in their mouths together and looked at the other for their response. "Mm! Delicious!"

Alma's face scrunched. "Well … I'm glad you like them," she chuckled. He laughed as he closed the lid back again and stuck the jar in his coat pocket. "It's always interesting to hear about the medicinal uses for plants and foods. That's kind of your specialty, isn't it?"

"I wouldn't say that necessarily, but I am interested in natural medicine, yes. When you eat certain foods you'll perform better. For example, eating a 'Farmer's Lunch' will give you the nutrition you need to water and harvest crops better!"

"Oh yeah? I guess that makes sense."

"Too bad there's not a, uh, 'Boyfriend's Lunch' to help me out," he said, smiling down at her.

"I thought you didn't like 'boyfriend' and 'girlfriend?'"

He shrugged. "They're growing on me. Makes me feel young."

"Well," she said, putting her head on his shoulder again and looping her arm in his, "I don't think you need anything to help you out. You're doing just fine." They stood there together for a little while, listening to the river and chatting, then Alma sighed and asked, "When were you planning to go back home?"

"Maybe around five. But I'm not in any hurry. Why? What do you have planned?"

"I need to go to the mines to get some rock. I'm wanting Robin to build a silo to store some of the wild grass on the land as hay for the winter."

He sighed and twitched his mustache. "Sounds like that's a necessity, so I guess I can't ask you to stay out. B-But please be careful," he said, putting his hand on hers. "And, uh, stay away from bats?"

"Yes, Doctor," she answered with a smirk.

She lifted her head and started to pull her arm away from him, and he squeezed her hand a little and pulled her back in. "You're going now?" The pitiful expression on his face made her heart melt.

"Yeah, I think I should so I can get some good work done before it gets too late."

"How about I walk you then?"

She smiled. "All right."

"And here," he said, reaching his hand out, "let me carry your bag." She handed it to him, and he threw it over one shoulder. "You carry this thing around with you everywhere?" he asked as they started walking into town. "No doubt you have some subluxations in your back!"

"I don't know what I'd do without that bag, though. It holds so much - it's like magic! Pierre has another size up, and I'd like to get it eventually, if I ever feel like that one is not big enough."

"You'd want one that's heavier?!"

"Not necessarily heavier; just able to hold more stuff."

"Is there a difference?"

"Yes," she laughed, "called strong back muscles."

They continued walking arm in arm up into the mountains, and Harvey said, "You know, I - I really do worry about you going into the mines by yourself. So many things could happen. How would you reach out if there was an emergency?"

"Well, in times past, someone like Linus has always been around."

"But that has just been coincidence! What if n-no one is there when you really need help? The deeper you go, the more dangerous it is."

Alma was quiet for a minute then said, "I'm actually not too worried about it anymore. The Junimo are around, and as weird as it sounds, I feel like someone expects me to be in the mines, like they're waiting for me."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you see these boots I'm wearing? I got them at the tenth level of the mines, where there were no monsters, no rocks to mine through, and just a chest in the middle of the cavern with these boots inside - in my size. That's not coincidence."

"So, what, you think you have some - some guardian angel in the mines? Tell that to people like George or Marlon who have been seriously injured there!"

"I know it sounds a little ridiculous, but … I mean it. I'm not worried." Harvey shook his head, amazed at her courage - or gall. "You're always welcome to come with me. Medical standby. Or is that just for aerobics classes?" she chuckled.

But Harvey wasn't laughing. "If it meant keeping you safe, I would go. But you seem so sure that nothing is going to happen to you. I'd just slow you down and … maybe put you in more danger by being a responsibility. No, you need to be focused on keeping yourself safe. But know this," he said, stopping in his tracks for a moment. Alma stopped and turned around, cocking one hand on her hip. His face was serious, and he stepped close to her. "If you ever felt unsafe and needed my assistance in there, I would come in a heartbeat. I would - p-put my fears aside and do it."

She dropped her hand down and scanned his face. He was serious. She smiled and put her hand on his cheek, stroking his face with her thumb. "See? You don't need any 'Boyfriend's Lunch.'" He looked over her shoulder at the cave entrance across the bridge from where they stood. She could see his countenance fall and the fear set in. "Hey. I'll be okay. I'm just getting some rocks." She reached her hand out for her bag, and he hesitantly took it off and handed it to her. "Want me to throw a rock at your window when I'm on my way home?"

"Yes please."

She pulled her bag over her shoulders. "You got it." Then she waved and turned to go into the cave. He watched her go in then took a breath before turning back to walk to the clinic.

Alma started at the uppermost levels; she was just after rock and not a bunch of trouble. She fought off a few slimes here and there but didn't have much difficulty. After a couple of hours mining, though, she grew increasingly tired. She had gotten about a hundred rocks, so she knew that was more than enough for now. It was getting late, and she was ready for her bed and cuddles with Bisclavret. She climbed back up the ladders and returned to the surface.

On her way home, she stopped at the clinic, pulled out a small rock, and threw it up at Harvey's apartment. He came quickly and opened the window. "Alma! E-Everything okay? Are you hurt?" he called down. She gave a thumbs up, and he breathed a sigh of relief. "Okay, good. Have a good night!"

"You too! Goodnight!" She waved and turned to go home. He watched her go down the road until he couldn't see her anymore, then he closed his window, turned off the light, and went to bed.