#I'm flying Japan Air and it is not clear to me that they're going to have a vegetarian option so I don't even need to stay up for the meal

[random2908]

Why can I never seem to go to bed the night before a trip.

[emeraldeyes23]

Fictober Fantober2020 -

Day 16 - Pumpkin Patch🎃

"A trip to Hokkaido?"

Ash looked at Eiji in surprise. "Why do you want to go there? And why now?"

"Because Hokkaido is famous for its beautiful landscape and its fall leaves in the most beautiful colors. There's even a National Park with a lake that changes into five different colors. I could take some great photos there for my photo projects."Eiji patiently explained to him.

"And the best time to see the beautiful leaves in fall in mid-to-late October. There's also a beautiful mountain similar to Mt. Fuji. You can see it from the lake, but only if the sky and the air are crystal clear, especially in the mornings.", Eiji added, his eyes sparkling with excitement.

"That sounds beautiful.", Ash replied. "But what are you hiding from me?"

"Nothing. It's just... we have to fly there. It's 800 km away from here." When Ash's eye widened in surprise, and he looked utterly shocked, Eiji continued quickly.

"But it's still summer break, and we should enjoy it. It's the last weekend before college starts again. Besides, I promised you to show you my country."

"It's that far away? Japan always looks so small on a map. Compared to the US, I mean."

"It is, but we have many little islands. Hokkaido is the northernmost of Japan's main islands. It's also known for its volcanoes, natural hot springs and ski areas. The flight takes 3 hours to New Chitose Airport."

"Fine, let's go then.", Ash said.

"Really, you mean it?", Eiji beamed at him. "I thought it would be harder to convince you.", he admitted honestly.

"Well, you're right. It's the last weekend before our summer break is over. Besides, I can't say no to you if you're so enthusiastic and excited about something. And I'd really like to see more of Japan."

_____________________________

When they arrived in Hokkaido, the weather was great, so they enjoyed the sun and made a little walk through Akan National Park, where he took a lot of photos, and Ash admired the park's surroundings. The National Park offered leaves in all shapes and colors, which looked beautiful. Still, fall arrived here the earliest, so he was relieved that Ash had listened to him and had taken a warm coat with him. The wind was colder here, and the sun didn't spend as much warmth anymore.

The next day, Eiji dragged Ash out of bed early and had breakfast with a grumpy cat. However, it was worth it since the best view of the mountain was when the morning air was crystal clear. Later, clouds would cover most of the mountain, and it would be impossible to take some fantastic shots with his new camera.

Eiji took some photos of the mountain in perfect weather while Ash was more or less sleepwalking but slowly started looking around with interest. He stared at the Mt. Fuji look-alike and the lake in front of him.

"So, what do you think? Wasn't it a great idea to come here? I think it's the perfect end of our summer break." Eiji pinched his cheek when he didn't answer.

"Ouch! What was that for?", Ash complained, rubbing his cheek.

"To check if you're still alive and capable of understanding human speech.", Eiji grinned in amusement at him. "Wake up, ok? The area is too beautiful to miss it. Let's walk around for a bit.", he suggested while Ash rubbed his eyes. Eiji put an arm around his waist, and they walked along the lake and enjoyed the sun.

"Wow, it's true that the lake has different colors. It depends on the time of day and from which angle the sun reflects the water. It's so beautiful." Ash smiled at him.

"I hope my mood wasn't that bad.", he apologized to him. "You know I'm not an early riser."

"Yes, I know that, but don't worry. I'll get my revenge soon.", Eiji smirked at him devilishly before he took some more photos of the lake. Ash looked questioningly at him but didn't ask him what he had meant by that.

"Let's take a photo of us together, ok? A great photo of our trip together that we can hang in our apartment. I'd like to create countless precious memories together with you."

After a while, they left the National Park and took the train to a town near Sapporo. Eiji had read about a fall festival that was celebrated there. With regional and seasonal food, arts and crafts, music and much more. They walked through the town, and Ash saw that many stalls and products had pumpkins on them. "Eiji, what's with all the pumpkins here?", he asked anxiously, walking faster and gripping his hand more tightly. Eiji wondered if that had been such a good idea to bring Ash here. But the pumpkin patches here were an incredible sight, and he wanted to take some photos. At the same time, he wondered if Ash's fear of pumpkins was just superficial and based on a bad memory or if he would panic when spotting them. He didn't know how he'd react because the pumpkins in Hokkaido looked different from those in the US. They were much smaller, so he thought Ash would be ok. He had always wanted to come here, to Hokkaido, but he also knew that Hokkaido was famous for its pumpkins. Everyone knew that in Japan. However, he had failed to mention that little detail to Ash... "Hokkaido is also famous for its pumpkins.", Eiji explained, feeling guilty at once. "I'm sorry that I haven't told you. I thought you'd say no to this trip if you knew.", Eiji explained it to him honestly. Ash let go of his hand and turned around to him, fists clenched and eyes burning dangerously before he gave up controlling his temper. "I knew it! That there was something you were hiding!", Ash burst out furiously. "And of course I would have said no; those damn things sent shivers down my spine. I want them as far away from me as possi - " Ash abruptly stopped mid-sentence and stood there, frozen up, staring at the field ahead of them that had just come into view. While walking on through the little town, they had reached the outskirts where many different things were cultivated and harvested. In front of them lay a vast pumpkin patch. Ok, to be honest, pumpkin patch was a massive understatement. Nearly all the fields in front of them were covered in pumpkins. It looked more like a sea of pumpkins. The pumpkin patches were endlessly and reached as far as the eye could see. Eiji had noticed that Ash had frozen up entirely and stared at the sight in front of him in disbelief, his eyes wide open in shock. Eiji watched him carefully. He wasn't any less surprised. He had assumed that they had some smaller pumpkin patches here, but he hadn't expected they would stretch that far. He would have warned Ash or wouldn't have brought him here if he had known. He felt like the worst person on the planet right now. What had he done? "Please tell me I imagine that, Eiji. That's a p-p-pumpkin patch. And not one, but the whole area is full of pumpkins. They're everywhere.", Ash exclaimed, clenching his hands into fists so hard they were shaking. "No, you don't imagine it. I thought it would help you overcome your fear of them if I brought you here. But I didn't know there would be so many. I'm so sorry, Ash." "I don't want to overcome my damn fear!", Ash scowled at him angrily. Ash stubbornly turned around and went back the way he had come. Eiji ran after him and took his hand. That's when he noticed that his hand was sweaty and that Ash looked even paler than usual. He was shivering and looked uncomfortable as his eyes darted nervously around for a way to escape. His whole posture screamed that he wanted to get out of here. Eiji hugged him tightly. "It's fine, Ash. Please calm down. Do you want to leave?" Ash nodded at him quietly while a single tear ran down his face. Eiji gently stroked the back of his head. "I'm sorry, Ash. I didn't know there would be so many here. I assumed it would be a small pumpkin patch.", he apologized honestly to him. " "I didn't know that you were that afraid of pumpkins. To me, you're the strongest and bravest person I know. So I didn't take your fear of pumpkins seriously. He pulled out of the hug and instead grabbed his hand again. "Let's go somewhere else, ok?”