Friday, 19th of Winter

Alma sipped her coffee as she opened up a package from Jodi:

"Dear Alma,

I ordered too much fertilizer for the garden! I bet you can put it to good use. Take care!

- Jodi"

Included were five packets of fertilizer. Alma thought it was nice of her to share, and she put the fertilizer next to the door for now so she could take it with her to the greenhouse. She gulped the last of her coffee, changed, and went out for work.

During her rounds, Alma saw her pine tapper was full and collected the tar in a bottle. In the greenhouse, too, coffee beans were ready to harvest, which she knew would bring in a nice profit at Pierre's. As she organized her things in the chests, she thought about things she could do today: sell to Pierre, say hi to Harvey as he's getting groceries, get the upgraded hoe from Clint that should be finished today, check with Marnie about the next animal purchase, check with the traveling saleswoman, continue to collect wood for the mill, buy the mill if she can gather the wood, maybe deliver maple syrup to the secret woods for that mysterious letter-writer? Maybe visit the hat mouse? Go to the mines? As the shipping container lid slammed closed and she pulled her bag tighter on her shoulders, she shrugged a little and sighed, "We'll see what all we can get done."

When the door dinged as Alma walked into the store, Harvey turned his head and smiled. "Hey, handsome," she said quietly as she came up next to him and gave him a kiss. She pointed to his basket full of produce and asked, "You reckon this stuff can be incorporated into a healthy diet?"

"Definitely," he answered with a smirk. "You busy today?"

"Kind of. Just running errands. Might buy an animal. Might buy a mill. Might visit some mysterious creatures. Might go to the mines. I'm just gonna do one thing at a time and see what I can get done. You?"

"Also running a few errands," he said, lifting his basket a little, "then getting back to the clinic. No scheduled appointments today, so I'll probably just relax or do some research or something. If you have any free time, you know you can, uh, c-come visit."

"I'll see if I can squeeze you in," she said with a smile. She patted his arm before going to the counter and emptying out her bag.

"Hi," Pierre greeted. "In the mood for a little shopping?"

"I don't think so. Not today. Just selling, thanks." He gave her the gold for her produce, and she said goodbye to both of them before heading out again. She went next to Clint's smithy and picked up her copper hoe. "Thanks, Clint! This looks great. I have a couple other things I need to buy before I can do the next upgrade, but I'll get to it soon, okay? Hopefully before winter is over."

"No worries. The weather doesn't really matter to me. I typically stay near my shop year-round. Depressing, huh?"

"Nah, I bet it's nice and warm in here during these cold months. Plus, you're here earning your money! Nothing depressing about that. I'll see you around!" Alma went through the south side of town to Marnie's shop. "Hi, Marnie," she said, still feeling a little awkward about the other night.

"Hey there, it's good to see ya! What can I do for ya?"

"I got my barn upgraded to its biggest size and wondered what other livestock you might have to go in it."

"Oh, that'd be a pig!"

"A pig! Great! How much?"

"Sixteen thousand."

"Oh, uh …" Alma knew she didn't have quite that much. "Why are they so expensive?"

"Well, these are special pigs! Of course, pigs are great companions and are very intelligent. They can also be sold or slaughtered for pork, of course, if you choose to do that. But their most valuable asset is that they can help you find truffles, which turn a profit very nicely. That's the main reason they're expensive. They will quickly earn their keep!"

"I see," Alma said, considering the price. "Well, I do think I'd like to get one eventually, but I just don't have the money right now."

"That's all right. They'll be here waiting for you whenever you're ready. Feel free to visit any time you please."

"Thanks, Marnie." She gave her regards to Jas and Shane then went back outside, heading west to the woods. She saw the traveling saleswoman in her cart and waved at her as she approached. "Are you sick of seeing me this week yet?"

"Aw, never!" the woman laughed. "My pig doesn't like this cold, though."

"I'm looking into getting a pig myself, but I had no idea they were so expensive!"

"Oh, they're drama queens for sure. But I love 'em. She's my best friend." This made Alma smile, and it did make her want a pig more and more. "Anyway, let's get down to business. See anything you like?"

Alma took a look over her inventory. No batteries, nothing else she needed. "No, not today. But thank you!"

"I'll see you next time then," the woman said with another wave as Alma walked off toward the secret woods.

Alma took her bottle of maple syrup out as she entered the forest, and as she walked in deeper, she felt a presence. She slowly walked toward the lake and to her surprise saw a large grizzly bear standing there. She tried to remember what she was supposed to do in case of a grizzly bear attack: was it play dead? Make yourself large and loud? The bear sniffed the air and turned its head toward Alma. "That smell …" This took Alma aback. Did she imagine it, or did she just hear words coming from the bear in a deep, gravelly voice? "Come closer …" She hesitated a moment then carefully took a few steps in the snow toward the bear. Its eyes looked her up and down, almost seeming just as shocked as she was. Then it snorted with what sounded like a laugh. "It's not every day I get to speak to a human. Looks like you've got a little 'forest magic' in you …."

Now this was beginning to make some sense to Alma. "That - That's right. I'm helping the Junimo out with a few, uh … projects. I suppose you know the wizard in the tower closeby? He, uh … helped me learn some of the languages of the forest."

"I see," the bear said, again looking her up and down. "Now … about my note …."

"You wrote the note?! How did you write? And … mail it to me? And how did you know I had maple syrup?"

"Nevermind all that," growled the bear. His eyes looked at the bottle she held in her hands, and he began to lick his lips. "Did you bring the good stuff?"

"Sure, I don't mind sharing. Here you go," she said, carefully placing the jar in the snow between them then stepping back again.

The bear stepped forward to smell the jar, then he let out a loud, long moan amidst the smacking that sounded like pure contentment. "That smell …!" Alma watched him sit back on his haunches and pull the jar between his back paws, removing the lid and licking haphazardly as the sticky liquid matted against the fur on his face, neck, and paws. "This is really sweet stuff!" he said with a full mouth. "It's my favorite sauce …. It makes me very happy."

"Well, if you're happy, then I'm happy," Alma said, sticking her hands in her coat pockets.

The bear looked up to her, syrup dripping down his jaw. "What is your name, human?"

"Oh, I'm Alma."

His long tongue licked all over his jowls, then he smacked and said, "You've made a friend today, Alma." He got back on all fours and stepped closer to Alma, smelling her. She stepped back, a little uneasy. "I've got something special I want to show you …."

"Oh, you don't have to do that."

"Come here," he said, turning to the bushes behind them. "Humans like to eat berries too, right?"

"Yes, I enjoy berries."

"Then let me leave you with my special knowledge. It will help you find only the really good salmonberries and blackberries."

Alma looked carefully at the berry bushes, and even though there were no berries on them now, she could sense something different about them. She could sense which branches were more fertile, which bushes were more alive. It was as if she could feel the energy of the berries flowing through the roots. "Wow. Thank you very much."

The bear nodded and licked his lips again. "Thank you for the syrup. I'll see you around the forest then." He turned and went back to the syrup, licking straight from the jar. Alma slowly walked away, leaving him to his snack. She walked around Cindersap Forest a bit, picking up felled branches as she went. She saw the hat mouse's dilapidated cabin farther south in the woods, took a breath, and walked that way.

"Hiyo, poke!" the human-sized mouse greeted with a big smile. "Did you bring coins?"

"Um … yes, but - "

"Gud. Me sell hats." He stepped aside and showed her all the hats inside the shop.

"I, uh, actually am not too interested in buying a hat today, thanks. I wanted to … get to know you a little more."

His little beady eyes opened wide, and he blinked several times in surprise. "Me? You wanna chatty-chat with … me, poke?"

"If that's all right."

He lifted his own hat and scratched the top of his head. "Nopokies … wanna just talk with me before. Just buy hats! What, uh … What you wanna knowed?"

"How long have you had your shop here?"

"Oh, me lived here my whole lifey!"

"So how old are you?"

"Hm … Me not old … but not young too. Lessee …" He looked behind him and pulled out a handful of coins. "See these coinies? One coinie, one springie." Alma watched as he put out coin after coin on the counter. "Me see'd this many springies."

Alma counted thirty-one coins. "You're thirty-one years old?" The mouse nodded and twitched his whiskers. Alma did the quick math; that would mean the mouse was born in 1985, long after Mona died but before Quintus disappeared. "Did you live in this house by yourself?"

"Oh no no, me had a fwend poke, Qwintie!"

"Quintus!"

"Ya! Qwintie!"

"How did you know him?"

"Oh, he always here. This his old haus. He teached me how to talk, how to write, how to find things, how to buy and sell things. He wanted me find special things and got mad because me love hats!"

Alma listened carefully, trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together. "Did you ever know someone named Mona?"

His ears twitched, like he was also listening carefully. Then his whiskers twitched again as he said, "It sound familly. But, no, me don't knowed it. Sowwy."

"That's okay. Maybe you've seen pictures of Quintus with a woman or something?"

Again his whiskers twitched as he looked around in thought. "No, Qwintie and me alone. No woman-poke."

"Hm. Okay. You said he wanted you to find special things. What do you mean?"

"Oh, Qwintie loved special things! Shiny things, old things, fancy things, magic things, powerful things. He always looked for special things. Sometimes he stoled them or buyed them from scawwy pokes. He wanted me help him getted the special things, but me scawwed of the scawwy pokes. Me only want hats! This maked Qwintie mad."

Alma didn't quite understand, but she wasn't sure how much more he'd be able to explain. "Was he … mean to you when he was mad? Did he hurt you?"

His ears went down, and he looked at the floor. "Well, no. But … Qwintie no liked me after that. He no beed my fwend any more. He just leaved. Taked all his things, leaved me here in empty old old haus with my hats."

She remembered what Rasmodius said, about how the hat mouse knew not to trust everyone. He seemed to really liked Quintus and saw him as his only friend. But when he wasn't able to do what Quintus wanted (whatever that was exactly), he was totally abandoned. "I'm sorry that happened."

"It's okay, poke. Me sell hats and me get coinies!"

"Do you have any family or friends here?"

"Qwintie was my family, but me know the wizard poke, Razzy! And Krobie, the shadow poke! And Dwarfie!" His face lit up when he listed these, then it fell again. "But they no come see me and talk with me much. Just buy or sell hats. But me no mind muchy." He looked up at Alma, his ears perked up again. "What your name, poke?"

"I'm Alma. And what's your name?"

"Me no have name. Just Hat Mouse."

"Did you ever want a name?"

He stopped a moment and twitched his whiskers again, like he had never thought of this before. "Never thinked about it. Qwintie just called me Mouse, then fwends called me Hat Mouse when me started buy and sell hats." He put a little finger to stroke his whiskers and looked down in thought. "Me with a name …. Huh."

"Well, you've made yourself another friend today, Hat Mouse. Let me know if you think of a name that you like. Or if you just want to be Hat Mouse, that's fine too, of course."

"Thanks, Almie." He looked up and smiled at her straw hat. "Me like your straw hat. You live on the farm?"

"That's right."

"You make cheesie?"

"I do! Do you like cheese?"

"Mm, ya. Me like cheesie."

"Then I'll bring you some sometime. How about that?"

"Ooh, me like that, poke!"

"You come to my cabin any time to get some cheese, okay?"

"Oh thank you, Almie! You be a gud fwend. You wanna hat, you come see me, okay, poke?"

Alma chuckled. "Okay. Thanks for chatting. Have a good night."

"Bye, Almie!" he called after her as she left.

As she left the forest, Alma wondered what she should do next. The winter afternoon sun was starting to go down, so she knew she wouldn't have a whole lot of time to do much. Part of her wanted to go to the mines. She gathered more wood as she went and mulled over what the hat mouse said. It was and wasn't a lot of information at the same time. She couldn't believe that he was alive for that long! Mice didn't have long life spans, but he was obviously no ordinary mouse. And he said Quintus was his family … where did he come from?

She entered the elevator and dropped all the way down to the ninetieth level. Given her interaction with the grizzly bear and the hat mouse, she felt like it was a good spirit day, and it seemed the mines agreed with her; she made her way level to level with quite a bit of ease. She did encounter more monsters that she had never seen before, including the Squid Kid. But surprisingly, once she was able to get close to it and evade its fireballs, it was gone with just one swing of her sword. "Huh. I thought Marlon said you were tough bastards!" She trudged her way through, keeping her energy up with snacks and gathering supplies as she went. At one point when she was fighting some of the shadow brutes, something beautiful dropped from the corpse. It was an iridescent stone with all colors of the rainbow. "Wow," Alma gasped, holding it up to the light of her glow ring. She quickly put it in her backpack before it got lost or taken.

Alma made it all the way to the ninety-ninth level, and though she was really hoping to get to the hundredth, her energy was simply running too low. The cavern seemed to twist and turn, and the end was nowhere in sight. "No, I just can't tonight. It will have to wait," she said, turning and rushing back to the ladder. She went back to the surface, exchanged her weapons for some of her other tools in the chest by the door, and hurried back into town. She stopped by the clinic on her way home but saw that Harvey's lights were already off. He was asleep. She didn't want to wake him up, so she continued down the road to her cabin and collapsed into her bed.