Family-Part 1 of the Outcasts series

[zero]

All the fics I've seen are mostly about some harvest moon couple. So from what I've noticed, noone's ever really done anything about Jack's family, so I've decided to change that. This will be a BTN fanfic set before Jack arrives, and how he got along with his parents before he goes out to take over the farm.

This is part of a series I'm gonna call the Outcasts. Basically, it'll tell the stories of Jack, Cliff, Kai, and Gray before the lived in the village. Next up is Cliff, in which the title is Traveler

Move along

Jack Harvest sighed as he opened up another book on law and how to be a defense attorney. Although he was quite good at law, it didn't feel like the kind of job he wanted to do for the rest of his life. Yet his father was very stubborn in him becoming a lawyer. He argued that it was a good job, with good money, and it will bring you happiness. To Jack, happiness was not being cooped up inside an office or a courtroom for most of the day trying to prove a clients innocence.

No, to Jack, happiness in a job was him being out in the wide open sun, doing the only other thing he was good at, which was farming. His grandfather had introduced to him as a child, and he fell in love with it instantly. It was fun, it was a chance to be free, and you could do pretty much what you want, when you want when the harvest wasn't ready yet.

His father didn't exactly see eye to eye with his dream, or his grandfather. Sure, they had gotten along when he was a child, but when Grandpa had tried to get his Dad to convince him to let him take over the farm when he graduated, that's where his father had drawn the line. His poor mother suffered from their arguements every day.

If anything, his mother was the one bright light in the darkened world he was thrown into. She would always be the sole reasoning voice in the insane battle between her husband and her father. However, even she had her limits. She soon gave up trying to be the mediator between them, but she always made sure to show Jack how to garden and take care of things, whenever his father was out.

Just as he was wondering how his mother was doing, he got a phone call.

"This is Jack Harvest speaking," he said.

"Hello Jack." A soft, feminine voice said.

"Hi mom. I was just thinking about calling you. Is everything ok?" he asked.

"No, and that's why I called. I'm glad you're still worrying about me though and not throwing yourself into your studies like you father." His mother said with a laugh at the end.

"What's wrong? Is dad alright?" Jack asked. Although he and his father never really saw eye to eye, he was still worried about him and his workaholic ways.

"No, it isn't your father, it's your grandfather. Jack, I'm sorry, but he was found inside his house. He passed away. I.....I have his last words written down if you want to hear them," his mother said, her voice beginning to get shaky.

Jack's own eyes were beginning to fill up with tears. "No....that's ok. I'm coming home soon." he said, and hung up the phone. He looked at the law textbook in front of him. His finals were in 2 days. If he didn't take them, his father would be furious at him. However, if he did take them, he might never get the time to go back home, and he'll miss the funeral, leaving him with a guilty conscience. After thinking it over, he closed the textbook and took out his suitcase. He had a lot of packing to do.

2 days later

Jack drove up to the driveway of his family home, and he found his mother waiting for him by the door. The minute he turned off his car, he got out and ran up to her, hugging her tightly. Grandpa had meant a lot to her, and he meant a lot to him too. He could feel his mother crying over the material of his shirt, and he couldn't blame her for her tears. His father was never around, and his mother was never one for weeping alone.

"Mom.....I know you're upset, but....what were grandpa's last words?" Jack asked softly, patting her back to calm her down.

"....They were, 'I hope you will carry on my torch Jack.'" his mother replied before bursting into another round of tears.

"Carry on his torch? He wanted me to take his place?" Jack asked as he led his mother inside and sat her down on a couch, and place a box of tissues next to her. When she finally let go of him, he went into the kitchen and began to make them some tea to soothe her.

"*sniff*Maybe.....I always told him how you loved our time gardening and how you absorbed the knowledge like a sponge.*sniff*" His mother said as he blew her nose on a tissue.

4 minutes later, the tea was ready and Jack handed a cup to his mother.

"Did you recieve any notice about his will or anything?" he asked her.

"No.....Nothing yet." his mother confirmed, shaking her head before taking a sip of tea.

Jack sighed as he finally got a good look at her. Her usually tamed long brown hair was frizzled and dirty, looking like a mess. Her lively brown eyes were red and puffy from all the crying, and she looked like she lost some weight as well. Grandpa's death was hard on her.

As he took a sip of his own tea, the phone rang. His mother stood up to get it, but Jack had her sit back down so he could answer the phone. She was already a sad wreck. No need for anything else to set her off further.

"Hello. Harvest Residence, Jack speaking," he said as he picked up the phone.

"Jack? Is that you? What are you doing home? Aren't your finals today?" A deep male voice said over the reciever.

Jack scowled knowing that it was his father. "Yes, it is. But I'm not taking them due to family grieveance," he responded.

"Jack, that final is a no excuse must take test. Go back to that school, and take it!" His father shouted over the reciever.

"No. Grandpa's dead, and I'm gonna respect his last words," Jack said.

"Grieve for him after.....wait, last words?" his fahter asked.

"Yes. He wanted me to take over his farm, and I have no doubt in my mind that's gonna be in his will." Jack said.

"NO! I will not have my son go out to a backwater country and become a farmer! You are gonna be a lawyer and take over my firm when I can't go on anymore!" his father shouted.

"Sorry dad. That choice isn't yours to make," Jack said as he hung up the phone. He turned around and saw his mother looking at him. Although she was still crying, she smiled at him. She was proud of him for choosing his own path for himself, and not what his father wanted him to be.

3 weeks later......

It had taken several threats, the reading of a final will, and 10 arguements (6 of which that turned into fist fights) for Jack's father to relent and let him take over his grandfather's farm. However, it would only be on a trial basis. He thought his son would know next to nothing about farming, so he gave him 3 years.

3 years to make that farm successful and make friends and business partners with the surrounding townspeople, or he'd come home and become a lawyer.

Jack sighed as he boarded the boat to Mineral Town. He was wearing his grandfather's favorite cap (given to him in the will reading, along with the farm as he thought), some overalls, a white shirt, boots, and a red bandanna. The clothing of a farmer. It was hard to believe that he had to turn his grandfather's farm, a wreck from what he heard, into a thriving business in 3 years.

Those were some big shoes to fill, but he'd do it. He had to do it. Farming was what he had always wanted to do. Ever since that first visit. Now that he had this chance, he wasn't going to waste it. He would make his grandfather and mother proud, while knocking down his dad's ego a few notches.

So when the boat landed on the Mineral Town dock, Jack Harvest took his first steps Back To Nature.

[butterflyflutterby]

Nice! I like the idea!

[zero]

thanks. For some reason, I whenever I think about Jack's parents, I would see him not getting along very well with his father, but he got along very well with his mother.

[CottonSoap]

Ha I like Jack's last name.
This is a good idea for a story, I really like it. :]

[zero]

thank you

[Butterscotch]

Really neat idea, and well done. I love seeing back-stories for the characters.

One minor gripe (very minor) but I think it would be more correct to write out the numbers.
Like here:

4 minutes later, the tea was ready and Jack handed a cup to his mother.

I think "four minutes later" would be correct. I think. It's a minor thing though.

[Pickle]

That is kinda correct, ateast in writing resumes: numbers nine and under you should type out, but higher numbers no.

Though...I really don't care.

[moko]

Sept 20, 2008 7:02:47 GMT -5 Pickle said:

That is kinda correct, ateast in writing resumes: numbers nine and under you should type out, but higher numbers no.

true, but the number also must be spelled out if it's the start of a sentence. you can't start a sentence with numerals.

[zero]

It's a fanfic that I made, so I don't really care how I use the numbers since either way the person will understand what I'm trying to tell them.

The only time I'll use letters for numbers is during serious fanfics, or when using Roman Numerals.

[zero]

This will be presented in First Person View

Traveler- Part 2 in the Outcast series

"It's been a long time since I thought about the events that brought me to this little town in the middle of the countryside. Normally I just kinda tune everything out that isn't about the here and now, but since this years subject is how we ended up in Mineral Town. I guess I have to share my story next. Probably started about 3 years ago now.......but I better start at the origin of me."

I wasn't born to what one would call a 'fuctional' family. My dad left not too long after I was born. Couldn't even remember what the upper half of his face looked like. I don't know why he left either. So for whatever reason, he walked out of the door and never came back. It devestated my mother, and things changed. I can vaugely remember the times she would give me a smile and call me her 'little angel'.

After he left, she became bitter and detatched. She degraded herself by drinking, smoking, and hooking up with a lot of guys. Most times I just kind of tuned things out, since by then, which was when I was 7, I was already a mini-housekeeper. Eventually, she slipped up, and got pregnant with my sister.

She didn't do anything during the pregnancy, but after Melissa was born, boy did she ever get pissed off at me. She blamed me for her birth and would punish me regularly for the most little of things, even for sneezing when in hearing range of her. However, she never vented her rage towards Melissa. I made sure of that.

As the years passed, I kept quiet, but held a desire to run away and live my life on my own. Education wasn't all that great, I barely passed all my classes since I had to do everything myself. The only time I can remember seeing my mother smile during that time, was when a complete stranger knocked on the door. She greeted him with the most sincere smile I'd ever seen her use. She even took me and Melissa with him out to a park, where we got the picture I keep with me taken.

However, it was only for a day. After that, she became the wicked witch again, and when I was 15, that's when I drew the line.

One night, I went, stole a bunch of money from her wallet, grabbed the clothing you see on me now, although much baggier back then, and bolted. I ran and ran and ran for a good couple of miles, not stopping till I was in a small alleyway. Slept there for the night, using a cardboard box as a cover. It gave me enough cover that she couldn't find me the next day, and by the time she called the police, I was long gone.

That's how I ended up traveling.

From there, I hitchiked to wherever the wind took me. Small jobs, odd jobs, big jobs, I took whatever was available. Saw a lot of different places, ate a lot of different foods, made a bunch of friends. It wasn't a very pleasent life, and it was very demanding. But it was my life, so I took every day I was free as a blessing. I also never stayed in any place for too long, in fear my mother's search for me went past my hometown.

In the 5 years I have been traveling, I learned so many different things, that school seemed like they were teaching you nothing. I learned how to hunt, math by being an accountant assisstant, science from being a delivery boy to a nuclear power plant. Heck, I even learned some cooking from a traveling chef!

However, as the years passed, I found myself wanting to settle down someplace quiet and mostly unseen. With a permanent job, a family I could call my own. I would always send letters to my sister, my original family, but I lost touch with her a long time ago.

So as I was working as a dockhand in a port town, I began to ask about places I could call home that were 'almost out of reach' by today's standards. At first, no hits turned up, and then I found Zack. He came by one day to sell some fish at the wharf. I was on the shift at that time, and I asked if he knew if there was a place I could live in.

From there, he began to tell me about Mineral Town, the people, and that work was available, but it'd take a lot of searching to do so. I was kinda lonely, since most of my friends just stopped talking to me due to my never staying in one place too long policy.

So the next time he visited, I quit my job, got my paycheck for the year I worked there, and left with him. He had his own boat, which I plan to get from him someday. He told me that while travelers were welcomed in Mineral Town, that I had to make sure I didn't push my luck and be respectful to everyone.

I promised I would do that, but then I kept thinking about the life I left behind. The mother and sister I would never get to see again. I felt kind of guilty, you know? Which is why I would always talk to Carter so much.

Still, when we reached land, I could tell Mineral Town was the place for me. The place a lone Traveler could call home.

"Not too long after I came, Jack came. From there, well, you guys know the rest of my story."

Part 3 is Gray's turn, and his city life, which drove him to Mineral Town.

Part 3 will be called 'hammer' - and I don't mean the hammer that blacksmith use.

[Juxapose]

It's pretty good. I could see this about Cliff's past. I di wish that Cliff would give us more insight of his past. I would have to say that this is a mayor flaw in the Harvest moon games, not knowing the background history of our favorite characters. Leaves us guessing, and making up stories about them.

I should really get work on that Gotz request eventually. My friend stopped asking me about it, but I should do it anyway.

And now that I think about it, I really should do something on that Harvest Moon: 64 Mana WIP. I have a rough draft, but I completely forgot about it. After I clear out some projects, I should publish that fic as well.

[violet]

I can't wait for Gray's story!
Gray's my favorite character. (The Gray from 64)

[Pickle]

This is me saying nice chapter.

Get a move on, you!