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[thefarmersdiary-blog]

Entry 1; 'Welcome to Mineral Town'

He sat alone in a quaint farm house, save for a puppy who was already tuckered out and tired. The silence of the countryside at night… he hadn’t experienced it in years. If it didn’t feel nostalgic, it certainly did feel brand new. He had a journal open, thinking what exactly to write down. After enough thought, he put his pencil to the paper on it and began to write…

                ‘April 1, Year 1

Just a few days ago I was packing my bags for a week long trip in Mineral Town to visit an old friend. It can be surprising how fast your plans can change. It looks like I’ll be staying here for a long time. The farm was apparently left behind for me. It sounded great, and the only way it got better was the comfort of knowing that I wasn’t alone…’

--x--

It was the first day of April. This day was more welcomed to Mineral Town than the actual New Year. The town still celebrated the coming of a new year, but celebrating Spring was much more refreshing. The warmth of the Spring sun, flowers blooming, a gentle breeze in the air… It definitely felt more renewing than going from one Winter day to the next.

A somewhat portly man in a red suit and top hat made his way across the town square. It was great that some many villagers gathered for the festival, but this is one event that he couldn’t stay for. There was business to attend to.

“Mayor Thomas! You’re not staying for the full festival?” A woman in a blue dress wondered as he made his way to the exit of the square.

“No, not this year, Sasha. I’ve got a new resident to welcome… and probably a lot of explaining to do.” The Mayor answered, stuck between being excited or being worried.

“You don’t mean someone is actually trying to move into the farm again, do you?”  she asked. “You wouldn’t have as much explaining to do if you tried a bit to keep it in better shape.”

“Sasha, I’m a mayor, not a gardener. I just hope that she’s not too upset and ends up leaving, like everyone else.” He sighed as he got back on the road that he would follow to the old abandoned farm.

The streets were empty on the way as he expected. Everyone was busy with the festival. After a talk with the new resident, maybe she wouldn’t mind joining everyone at the festival? If she got mad that the farm was actually in awful shape, there was at least some fun to have, right? ….Right.

By the time Thomas reached the gates of what used to be known as the Goddess Farm,  he had noticed that the gate doors were left slightly ajar, that the possible new resident had beat him to his destination. With a slightly fearful gulp, he pushed the doors further. They creaked slowly as they revealed the image of a field covered in weeds and debris left over from storms and blizzards. One thing was out of place, and it was the young man in a blue cap standing among the deserted plot of land. He turned around, his face was clearly filled with confusion as he faced the mayor. Thomas was confused back. He was sure that the new resident was a woman. After a flurry of random thoughts, Thomas collected himself and rationalized that this boy must have been a tourist.

“What do you think you’re doing?” He asked, raising his voice. “The owner of this place died a while ago. It’s disrespectful to just come waltzing in here!”

The young man’s eyes widened with the shocking news. He slouched slightly as he nervously tried to speak. “I-I… I didn’t know that he died…” he admitted sullenly. “He was my friend… I wanted to visit, but I guess I was too late, huh…?”

Thomas frowned as he realized his mistake. That is probably the worst way to learn that someone close has died. “I’m sorry. You say you knew him?”

The young man nodded. “I met him… uh… 8 years ago now?”

Thomas nodded understandingly. “What is your name, lad?”

He was quiet for a second as if he had forgotten his own name before answering. “Peter. Peter Anderson. Though… I prefer being called ‘Pete’, if you may.”

“Ah… so you’re the one he was talking about…” Thomas sauntered over to Pete and held out his hand. “My name is Thomas. I’m the mayor of Mineral Town.”

Pete reached out his hand and shook Thomas’s in turn. “Nice to meet you, I guess.” He said before putting his hand back at his side. Pete looked over his shoulder and looked back at the field that used to grow tall stalks of corn and delicious tomatoes with occasional patches of flowers here and there. It seemed nearly devoid of life now, save for the weeds and the puppy who was wildly frolicking around the lifeless field. Pete whistled the dog over, who then promptly ran to his master’s side.

“Would you mind telling me?” Thomas asked Pete. “How you two met. I would like to hear that story.”

Pete looked back to the mayor and was silent for a second. It was a story he could never forget. “Yes. I’d be glad to tell you.”

--x—

A tired young woman sat at the table of a quiet and clean Inn room. Between the apartment space she had lived in before and this, there was hardly much that she needed to adapt to. However, the silence and serenity was the outstanding difference. Where she had come from, nights were filled with noise such as yelling neighbors, cars buzzing by and honking, or some mysterious thumping. She could never remember a time where she was falling asleep to the sound of an owl hooting accompanied by the rustling of leaves with the wind. There was a diary open in front of her, and she was thinking of what exactly to write down. After a bit of thought, she put her pen the paper and began to scribble down…

                “April 1, year 1

Last week, I was alone and excited in my old apartment. I was ready for a new beginning. I had packed all my clothing, quit my old jobs, and for a bit of a fee, and sold my living space to an old friend. I was ready to spend a long time in a farm house by myself. It’s amazing how fast your plans can change. I was ready for the farm to be mine and mine alone, but it looks like I’m not alone… What a pain…”

--x—

She stepped off of the boat and onto the dock of Mineral Beach. She had some large luggage at each side of her and a large pack on her back to boot. She was clad in a red and white flannel shirt and blue overalls. She was prepared for life on the farm.

After struggling slightly across the sand dunes with her wheeled luggage, she found the pavement that would lead her to Rose Square… and it seemed like there was a party going on. She was still and stared, wondering what the festival could be for. Her thoughts were broken, when a little boy had run into her and severely threw off the balance that she had carefully crafted so that she could easily carry her luggage, and caused her to fall to her side with a squeak.

“H-hey! Be more careful!” she said while posting herself up with her elbow. The little boy looked down at her curiously until he began to laugh.

“Hey sis! Look!” he called out as if he were proud he knocked the stranger down. A woman with short brown hair and a blue dress ran over passed to boy and to the girl who was knocked on the ground.

“Stu! You’d better apologize for that!” she scolded looking at the boy first, and then to the woman on the ground. “I’m sorry for that, ma’am. Are you alright? What’s your name?” she asked reaching out her hand.

“Claire. Claire Wright. Call me whatever you’d like.” Claire introduced herself while reaching put for the stranger’s hand. It took a lot of strength the help Claire back to her feet, considering the weight that she was carrying on her back as well.

“I’m Elli. I’m the nurse in this town and we were in the middle of our New Year’s Festival.” Elli said with a slight curtsey.

“New Year’s? In April?” Claire asked, seeming incredulous.

“It’s a tradition here.” Elli said with a nod. She looked at the ridiculous amount of luggage Claire had and then realized who she was. “Oh! Are you the new girl moving on to the farm? There were rumors floating around that you’d be here today.”

Claire flashed a smile. “In the flesh! I was headed to the farm just now. Mind giving me a pointer, though?”

“I don’t mind at all! If you go on the road of the south exit of the Town Square…” she started, pointing at the exit. “Turn left and keep going until you’re at the end of the road, take another left and you’ll be met with the gates of the farm, though…”

“Though? Though what?” Claire repeated curiously.

“Nothing!” Elli stopped herself hurriedly. “The Mayor was already headed there. He thought you were already here! You should go there now, not to keep him waiting.”

“Oh. Oh right, of course. Thanks, uh… Elli!” Claire said while grabbing her bags and jogging off.

The road was not nearly as populated as what Claire was used to. In the city she was from, there wasn’t a single minute that there wasn’t anyone else on the same road as you. There was nobody there and the thought came to her that maybe all the people in the Square was actually the entire population of the town. It was a small village, it seemed, but the drastic change was something she could deal with.

She took the final turn and the gates of the farm were in sight, though they were fully opened. She stared at the arch that had faded, but not enough that the words were illegible. ‘Goddess Farm’? She’d make sure to change the name, once she had claimed the land as her own.

--x—

                ‘I told the mayor the story I could never forget. I suppose writing it down here would help enforce that I always remember it.

I was eleven and it was Summer. School had let out already, and I was ready for an uneventful break. My mom told be suddenly to pack my bags for a week long trip. My dad had found the time to take us on a short vacation, but nothing like I’d imagined. For the first time in my life I’d be seeing the countryside.

When we had arrived in Mineral Town, my parents were talking about how nice and… small it was. I didn’t find it nearly as intriguing as they did. They were looking for the Inn we’d stay at and before I’d find myself tagging along with them, I was chasing after something. I don’t actually remember what it was, but in my kiddish imagination I thought that it looked like a little elf in a point orange hat. Looking back, it might have just been a squirrel, though.

Whatever it was I chased after, it separated me from my parents and I had no clue where I was. I ran down the brick roads calling for them, only to grow more and more panicked the longer I was separated from them. After further wandering, I found myself standing at the gates of a farm. I remembered my parents said that we’d visit it when we were there, so some part of me thought that maybe they’d already be there, hoping that I’d have caught up already.

I was wrong, of course. I opened the gates, only to find an old man who turned to me and looked with concern.

“What’s the matter, little boy? Why are you crying?”

I didn’t even realize I was crying, but it was the natural effect of being separated from my family. I could hardly answer coherently as my sobs were getting in the way of my speech. The old man walked closer and leaned down.

“Shh, don’t worry.” He said looking over my shoulder. “Ah, what is that number coming out of your bag over here?” he asked, pointing at the tag of my pack.

It’s my dad’s phone number, I found myself able to answer.

“Well why don’t we give him a call and your parents will be here for you in no time at all, yes?”

After the phone call and a few ten minutes later, my mom ran through the gates and scooped me up into a hug. “Oh Pete! I’m so glad you’re safe!”

My dad seemed quite pleased as well that I was unharmed. “Thank you for finding him. How can we repay you?”

The old farmer laughed and shook his head. “There is no need to do that! But if you really insist… well… I don’t have any grandchildren to share my farm with. Maybe your son would appreciate playing around here while you stay?”

I wasn’t sure why I was excited about it, but I was. A big plot of land all for me? Sounds like a sweet deal. For the next few days, I enjoyed chasing chickens, trying to ride the horse, trying (and failing) to ride one of the milk cows, and resting against one of the fluffiest sheep I’d ever see. I wandered a bit before finding the mountains. There was a large open space filled with flowers, and the only movement was due to the breeze and occasional wildlife. I lied down in the field and stared up at the passing clouds. At home in the city, I probably wouldn’t have found pleasure in doing nothing like I was at that very moment. Before long, I had fallen asleep among the grass and flowers.

“Hey!” I woke up with a jerk, now sitting up straight. Flower petals falling down from my head and face. A little girl was now sitting next to me, giggling. “I thought you were dead, and at funerals you toss flowers on the dead person.” She admitted. “But then I saw that you were drooling, so maybe I should wake you up.”

I wiped the side of my mouth and crossed my arms in protest. I’m not dead, dummy.

“Yeah, that’s why you’re talking, dummy.” She teased back. “I normally come and play here alone. I’m used to being alone, but would you like to play with me?”

I agreed, and like that, I made another new friend. This might sound a little sad now, but I actually don’t remember her name but I remember meeting her and making a ridiculous promise to her. I actually promised that one day I’d marry her. It was cute, save for the fact that I only knew her for 3 days. I wonder if she’s still in Mineral Town? I wonder if she remembers me? I wonder if she remembers my promise?

Oh crap, that would be embarrassing, never mind.

After a few days had passed from then, my mother was calling me off the farm’s field as it was time to head back home. The old farmer frowned as I told him it was time to go.

“It’s time to go, isn’t it? I’ll certainly miss you Pete.”

I had a lot of fun.

“I’m glad you did.” He smiled with a nod. “Say, would you mind doing me a favor?”

What is it?

“Could you, perhaps, write an old man a letter?”

I can do that.

“Great! Here’s my address. Hurry along to your mother now.”

As I was about to scurry off, the little girl who had become my friend, looked ready to cry.

“You have to leave? Already?” she said looking down at her hands, fiddling her thumbs nervously. “You can’t leave now! If you leave, then I’ll have nobody and I’ll be alone again. You have to come back, okay?”

“Oh, so you made a little friend too? That’s one more reason to make sure you come back here some day!” The old man chuckled while patting my head. “Your mother is waiting for you, Pete. Don’t keep her waiting.” He said while prompting me forward. I started lightly running away from the farm and to my mom. “I’ll be waiting for your letter!” he called after me.

Okay! I promise to come back and visit you someday too!’

--x—

Thomas stared at Pete, absorbing all the information from the story he told. “Oh, I see. So you two were exchanging letters all these years?”

“Yeah. As soon as I got home I started writing to him.” Pete replied with a nostalgic smile.

“And when he stopped sending letters, you got worried and decided to visit?”

“Yes. I guess I came a little too late, huh?”

“He died about… I’d say 6 months ago.” The Mayor nodded. He looked at the old farm house. “While I was cleaning out his place, I found his will. Among the things he had written down, he stated that he was passing the farm down to a lad named ‘Peter Anderson’. You say that’s you?”

Pete was taken aback by the news. “H-huh? Well… yeah. That’s me.”

Thomas looked at Pete expectantly. “Well? Do you want the farm? You did inherit it, so it’s rightfully yours.”

A storm of various thoughts clouded Pete’s mind at the offer. A farm? For him? To work on? Earn a living? Live a life that he chooses? Move out of the city? Away from his family…?

“Yes! Yes, I accept! I’d be happy to work here!” Pete beamed and cheered, hopping like an excited puppy.

“Great! Then the farm is your—“

“Hold on one minute, you!” The cry of a young woman broke Pete’s excitement, and he stared right into her ultramarine eyes which were filled with frustration.

“Who… who are you?” He asked worriedly.

“I’m Claire!” she said, dropping one of her bags to point her thumb at herself. She stomped closer to Thomas who was still as a nail. He realized that he had made another mistake. “I’m the one who called and said I’d work here! Remember that?” She demanded pointing at the nervous mayor.

Thomas stared at Claire’s accusing finger. “N-now, yes. I do remember that, but there has b-been a change in our plans now!” He announced while he slightly adjusted his top hat. “The farm was open to anyone unless the man who was meant to inherit the farm claimed it first.” Thomas pointed his arm at Pete, who slightly jumped at the gesture. “And that man is Pete, and he’s here and the farm is his!”

Pete stared at Thomas with a frown. Was he really going to be that fast to dump the responsibility on someone else? Some mayor he was. Claire stared at Pete for a second.

“Well, good on you, Pete.” She said caustically before fixing her glare on Thomas once more. “Listen here. I already quit my job and sold my living space and bought all the tools I’d need here. You can’t tell me to leave now.”

“I’m sorry to hear that, but there’s nothing I can do. The farm is Pete’s now.” Thomas apologized.

Claire looked at the desolate field. “And? What kind of farm is this? A rock farm? I was promised a fertile farm teeming with life. The liveliest thing here is the kid over there shaking like no tomorrow.”

Was he shaking? Pete hardly noticed. Something about this girl was quite scary.

“Eheh… heheh… You… you fell for that cheesy advertisement?” Thomas wondered while stifling a laugh before suddenly cackling and hooting in Claire’s face. “Hahaha! Hoo! I can’t believe that! You’ve been tricked!”

Claire stared at the mayor, unsure of how exactly to respond to his laughted. Pete, off to the side, even was thinking ‘Wow. What an asshole.’ If Pete wasn’t sure that he found Claire scary a few seconds ago then, he was just about to find out there. She unzipped one of her long bags and pulled out a hammer with a long pole. Without hesitation, she swung at the mayor, knocking his top hat clean off. Thomas stopped laughing immediately and froze in fright.

“Augh! I’m so sorry! Please stop hitting me!” he begged, covering his head with his arms.

“Fine. But I’d like an explanation. What do you expect me to do now?” Claire asked, the anger in her face slowly melted into an expression of sorrow. “I was going to have this farm, but I have nothing now, like I did just minutes ago…”

Thomas slowly sank his arms to his side. He looked at Pete who was staring at Claire with a sad face. “The decision isn’t mine anymore. At least, not what happens to the farm.” He said quietly.

Pete looked at the mayor and back to Claire. “I’m so sorry about all the trouble.” He said finally after being silent for so long. He walked over to Claire. “I really am.”

Claire’s shoulders sagged. She looked ready to cry. Her dreams of the farm life seemed to have been crushed as quickly as they had been formed.

“This farm is quite the mess, don’t you think?” he continued, gesturing his hands to the field behind him. “It’s going to take a lot of time for one guy to clean it up and actually use it.” He said with a chuckle. Claire lifted her head to find that Pete was staring right into her eyes again. “Not to mention how much harder things will get for him when he starts getting  animals to look after.”

“…Where are you going with this?” she asked, hoping to cut to his point.

“Heh, look at me, miss. I’m one pathetic guy out of my natural habitat. It’d be a miracle if I could operate this farm on my own.” He smiled. “I’m saying that you and I could work together on this thing.”

A smile crept on Claire’s face, seemingly for the first time she had encountered the farm. “No offense, kid, but you probably wouldn’t make it on your own.”

“That’s what I’m saying, aren’t? None taken.” He held his hand out to Claire. “I know you wanted the farm to yourself, but it’s better half the glory than none at all, right? What do you say, miss? Wanna be my work partner?”

Claire stares at his hand almost as if it was weird that he had one. She looked at him dead in the eye before tightly gripping his hand with a grin. “You know what? Sure, I’ll be working with you!” She said shaking his hand firmly. “And call me ‘Claire’, will you, kid? You’re going to grow used to hearing that name. I ain’t going anywhere anytime soon.”

Pete shook his head. “Of course, Claire. And call me Pete, will you?” he laughed.

Mayor Thomas looked over the two glad that that conflict was done and over with. “Oh wait, where will you be living? The farm house only really has room for one person.”

“Oh yeah, thanks for bringing that up, Mayor…” Pete said while looking at the cabin of a house. Yeah, that’s just room for one person. “I guess whoever lives there is up to me too since I inherited the entire place. Well, there’s no harm in giving it to—“

“Let me stop you right there, Pete.” Claire hushed. “You did me enough by letting me stay. I think the Mayor here owes me a favor… don’t you?”

“Wha-wha? Me? Why would I?” Thomas protested.

Claire plucked the top hat off the ground and put her finger over her lip as if it were a mustache. “Dohohoho! You’ve been tricked!” she imitated before slapping the hat back to Thomas. “That sound familiar?”

“To be fair, yeah, I think you owe her for that. Even if I hadn’t shown up, you would have dumped full responsibility of this mess on her.” Pete nodded in agreement.

“Ah dear, you’re ganging up on me…” Thomas sighed. “There really aren’t any other houses open for you to live in… however since I do owe you, I can pay for an Inn room so long as you still need housing.”

“Sounds a bit rinky-dink but I guess beggars aren’t choosers.” Claire shrugged. “But that’s the only alternative?” she pressed.

“I assure you, it isn’t that bad. You might find that you’ll like it indeed!” Thomas persuaded. “A few of our residents live there, and the people who work there are quite likeable and a spirited bunch! I see no downside to living there!”

“Huh… I guess I won’t be alone there either…” Claire mumbled. “Well, that’s your effort, and for all that it’s worth, then fine. It’s a deal.”

“Excellent! I’ll go inform the workers immediately! Welcome to Mineral Town, the two of you!”

--x—

                “It was a lucky break, I guess. I didn’t think for a second that Pete would be so fast to stand up for me back there. For some reason I don’t like that, though. I can live with working on the farm, but I get the feeling that he might see me as second to him.

I’m going to have to let him know that there will be no second best here.”

--x—

Pete carried some of Claire’s bags. He insisted that she leave her tools behind as he had a place to store them at his house. Part of the reason he insisted was because he had the room, the other was that he was secretly scared that she might be swinging at others in a moment’s notice should they set her off like she had to Thomas.

“Welcome!” A spirited girl with braided ginger hair greeted with an excited bounce. “Are you Claire? Thomas told us you’ll be staying with us for a while.”

“Yep. That’s me.” Claire said with a small smile.

“My name is Ann. I’m the maid and waitress at the Inn and the restaurant here. Give me a holler if you need anything, alright?” Ann said while taking one of Claire’s bags from Pete. “Follow me to your room! And, uh… oh, Pete was it?”

“Me?” Pete tilted his head slightly.

“Uh-huh. Wait here. We’ll be back with you shortly after I get Claire to her room. Take a seat over yonder.” She pointed to one of the empty table close to the bar of the room.

Ann seemed to skip right up the stair case with Claire’s bags, whereas Claire was still trying to drag up her own things.  Seeing as she worked here, she was probably used to doing this. After meeting in front of the first room of the second floor, Ann unlocked the door and swung it open, revealing a tidy room with three beds, a neat table with multiple chairs around it, a window and a few night stands.

“This is where the lady visitors normally stay. We haven’t had a lot of those lately though, except for you.”  Ann said while walking Claire into the room, setting her bags down on the table top. “We’re not horribly opposed to you personalizing a bit, but keeping in mind that you rent the place, we just don’t recommend it in case your situation changes.”

“You don’t have to worry about that. I wasn’t counting on doing much even if I got the house. I’d probably do a bit of cleaning, but then you wouldn’t have much of a job.” Claire joked. She zipped open one of her bags and pulled out a few objects and walked over to the bed closest to the window. She opened the drawer on one of the night stands and put a small book inside. Then she propped up what seemed to be a photograph of her family. “There. That’s all I need to feel comfortable.” She smiled, although wistfully at the photograph.  She blinked and then looked back at Ann. “Say, you said you wanted to see Pete and I back downstairs? We shouldn’t keep the guy waiting too long, I guess.”

The two girls left the room and climbed down the stair case. They found Pete not where they had left him, but in the corner of the room where the phone was, attempting to make a call.

“Oh, jeez… finally you picked up…” He stated with a sigh.

“Hello? Pete, dear? Is that you? Did you make it to Mineral Town safely?” An older woman’s voice interrogated on the other end of the phone.

“Yes, yes, yes. I wouldn’t be talking to you otherwise, Mom.” He answered, nodding even though he knew the person on the other end couldn’t see him.

“How are things? Is your friend okay?” His mother asked.

“He’s probably okay, 6 feet under.” He answered with a sigh.

“Oh no, dear. I’m so sorry to hear that.” She was quiet for a second. “When are you going to be coming home?”

“There’s been a change of plans. Like a huge shift.” He started. “I won’t be back for a long time… because he left the farm to me. It’s a wreck now and it’s my plan to fix that.”

“What? You’re moving out?!” His mother exclaimed. “How are you going to care for that farm all on your own? You’re only nineteen, dear…”

“You don’t have to worry about me… because I’m not alone actually. I was just calling so that you wouldn’t have to worry what happened to me all of a sudden, okay?”

“Do you even know how to farm?”  She worried. “Last I checked you knew nothing about it.”

“Yikes, how would you know that? You never asked something like that.” Pete protested. “I might not know a lot, but I could learn a thing or two if I ask the other villagers. Plus that old man wrote about his trade every now and then in his letters. If you could do me a favor… in my old room there was a box and…”

“You kept his letters in there along with the photo album you made as a kid from our little vacation. I know.” She finished for him. “I’ll send those along when I have the time.”

“Thanks for that.” Pete looked out the corner of his eye and noticed that Claire and Ann had been waiting for him. “I’ve got to go now, Mom. I’ll make sure to write to you, okay?”

“Of course. I wonder how your father will feel about this, though?”

“I could honestly care less about that.” Pete stated bluntly. “That’s something you can wonder about on your own. You’ll hear from me later, alright?” He hung up the phone before she could say good-bye. He slowly looked over his shoulder before turning around. “O-oh. Sorry for keeping you two there so long.”

“No, don’t worry about that one bit. Just take a seat now, will you?” Ann requested. Pete left the corner of the room and did just that, seating himself across from wear Claire was now sitting.

“Did you  come from a city too, Claire?” Pete  asked to break her silence.

“Yeah. What’s it to you?” She shot back.

“Nothing, really. I was just curious, you know?” he answered. He looked around the empty room. “This is going to get some getting used to, don’t you think?”

Claire looked around the room as well, unsure of what exactly he was referring to. If it was the fact that things seemed so empty, then… “No. Not at all.”

--x—

                “I used to come home every day after some part-time job or the other calling out ‘I’m home!’ only to get no response in return. Of course I didn’t, though. I hadn’t lived under the same room as someone in years. I don’t know why I called out to anyone even if I knew this. Maybe some part of me wished that someone would call out back ‘Welcome home, Claire’, like how things were before. That was never going to happen unless things changed. Of course, I didn’t plan that I’d be living under the same roof as so many people now, however, I don’t really mind it as much as I think I should.

To say that I don’t care completely, though, would be a complete lie.”

--x—

After being treated to a free meal by Doug, the owner of the Inn and restaurant, Claire left to her room, claiming that the day had left her exhausted. Who could blame her, though, after lugging around those heavy bags all day after a long ride on the ferry there. It was mostly the travel that did her in. She had no complaints about the bags. There was something about traveling by boat that exhausted her that she didn’t like to say.

Pete headed home, then. The thought seemed strange to him. He’d open the door to his house and call out that he had arrived, only for nobody to welcome him back. For him at least, it would take some getting used to. He didn’t even mind that it’d be empty, is the thing. He’d have to learn to wake up on his own early in the morning and take care of his own chores. It looks like he can finally take on responsibilities and yet even then, he’s not alone in his task to reviving the farm. Yet there was a hunch that told him it wasn’t nearly important to Claire as it was to him.

--x—

                ‘The day is over now. Claire and I both agreed that work starts tomorrow and the first thing is clearing the field so that it can be used for something at all. How either one of us are going to earn money is a mystery for now, but after doing whatever chores we have for now, a bit of foraging won’t kill us.

                I brought my dog, Koro, with me to the countryside and he seems to enjoy it. It’s funny because I counted on him being the only one I’d count as my companion, and even then I planned to be here only a week. I’ll say it again, it’s surprising how fast plans can change. I’ll be living here in Mineral Town, from here on out.

                And I’ll be staying to revive my old friend’s farm. This is my dream, now.

                                                                                                                                                                -Pete’

-x-

                “Besides all that, the day is finally over. I agreed that the work will start tomorrow and we should clear the field off first so we can grow things. Of course, I agreed that my real job will be caring for the animals. While we earn money to buy those, though, I guess I’ll be clearing the field so we can grow more things and earn money at a faster rate. It sounds like a good plan.

                It’s sorta weird that I need to come to some terms of agreement with someone. I’ve grown so used to living alone, I think I might have forgotten what it’s like to have to be on common grounds with someone else. Even at any job I worked at, you did things at the pace you needed to be at and nobody cared. Now I have someone to hover over and someone to hover over me. Isn’t that just lovely. I said it before, I’ll say it again. It’s not that I mind, but to say that I care at all would be lying. But however things are, I’ll be living here in Mineral Town from now on.

                I’m here to start the life that I have wanted. A new life that I have dreamed of. It’s time to work and make it come true.

                                                                                                                                -Claire Alyson Wright “

  Chapter 1: Welcome to Mineral Town!

                End

--x--

Notes:

This is the first chapter is a series of writing featuring a story where Pete and Claire need to work on the farm together!

This is actually the rewrite of an older version of the chapter which is somewhere on FF.N but trust me when I say it wasn't great. Did you know that FF.N doesn't have a tag for Pete even though he's the dude for like 7 HM games? As a result, I needed to call him 'Jack' and that is weirdly unsettling.

This one just barely made it past 6,000 words. I'm not sure what happened but I suddenly barfed this from nowhere.

I hope you enjoyed it!

                                                                                             --Puyon