Chelsea and the Island Mystery

[Butterscotch]

This is my Nanowrimo project. It's both a Harvest Moom fanfic and a loving parody of the Babysitters Club and Sweet Valley Twins books I devoured as a kid. At least, I'm trying to imitate the writing style of those series. I'll be posting my unedited story here. In december, I'll clean it up.

Current word count: 1989
I'm so behind! ;_;
Ch.1

How did I get myself into this? I mean, really, I just wanted a vacation. So how come I'm suddenly all Laura Ingalls Wilder, running a ranch?

I set my watering can down, and surveyed my farm. Aside from the small area I had already cleared for my vegetable plots it was choked with weeds, rocks and stumps. Clearing the land for my plots had been backbreaking work and I wasn't in any hurry to clear the rest. It wasn't going anywhere.

I walked over to the shipping bin and sat down in the grass. Watering the four vegetable plots was harder work than I had thought and I was famished. I pulled my rucksack off my back and opened it up. The first thing I pulled out was seaweed that I had scraped off a rock by the beach. Although the seaweed was edible raw, it was more nutritious if it was cooked. Unfortunately, I had no way to cook it, so I set it aside. Next I pulled out some flowers, two different kinds, one white and one yellow. They were pretty, but they weren't food. I set them aside too.

Finally I pulled out several colorful herbs from my bag. These were edible, but first I sorted through them, organizing them by color. Some of them were nutritious than others; these were the ones that I would eat first. The herbs had a bitter, unpleasant taste, but I choked them down since I had nothing else to eat, other than the raw seaweed.

Once I finished eating I put the flowers and seaweed in the shipping bin. I held the few remaining herbs in my hands, debating whether or not I should sell them. In the end I threw them in the bin and left the ranch, heading towards what I called the village. If you can call six people besides myself a village. Yes, seven people is the entire population of the island: me, Taro, his daughter Felicia, her children Elliot and Natalie, and Chen and his little boy Charlie. Even though everyone is friendly and kind, it can get lonely sometimes.

There isn't much to see on the Island. Parts of it are inaccessible: to the East, a huge boulder blocks the path, and to the West is a wide river. I have no idea how deep it is, but the current is wicked. There are remnants of a bridge remaining on either bank. The bridge is just one of many signs of the island's previous inhabitants: there are several buildings, a well, roads, even signs. All of them are in poor condition. Even my own house was already standing when I landed on the island.

I often wonder why the Island became a ghost town. Was there a big disaster that made everyone leave all at once? Or was it smaller, more gradual? And I wonder if the island can be the bustling town that Taro and Chen claim it once was.

I decided to pay a visit to Taro. I wasn't sure what to think of him. He was such a strange old man. He could be kind, and tolerant, but he had a forceful personality. Taro was the man reason I was stuck on this island. He also had this bizarrely accurate way of forecasting the weather. Taro claimed he could feel the weather patterns in his body. I've heard that people can feel dampness coming because it hurts their joints, but I don't quite get how you can tell the weather from how your eyebrow twitches. But the amazing thing is, Taro has never been wrong in the week since we came to the island.

I walked right in the house, not even bothering to knock. Felicia had assured me that it was okay to drop by whenever I wanted. I like Felicia. She's kind and warm and has a motherly aura about her.

“Hello Chelsea,” Felicia said, smiling. She was standing at her stove, and delicious smells were coming from it. My mouth watered. How I wished that I had a stove.

“Hi Felicia, Hi Taro,”

“Hello Chelsea,” Taro said. He was sitting on a chair, whittling on a branch. “From the way my eyebrow is twitching, I can tell it will be cloudy tomorrow.”

See what I mean?

“Where are Elliot and Natalie?” I asked.

“Elliot is packing up the goods that we'll be shipping tonight. Natalie is in the bedroom,” Felicia said from the stove.

“I'd better drop in and say hi to her,” I replied.

Natalie is the younger of the two siblings. She's 17 now, but her birthday is in just a few weeks. Natalie isn't exactly friendly, but I try to say he to her at least once a day. There are so few people here to talk to, I can't afford to alienate anyone.

Everyone in Taro's family shared the same bedroom, but each had his or her own bed. Shoving four beds into one room gave it a cramped feel. Natalie was sitting on one of the beds, reading. She nodded at me when I peered in.

“Hey,”

“Hey,”

“Whatcha reading?”

Natalie held up the book so that I could see the cover. It was warped from the water; Natalie must've brought it with her and salvaged it from the shipwreck. I decided that I didn't want to bother her and left the room. I waved to Taro and Felicia and headed back outside, to find Elliot.

Elliot was nearly 19. His personality was less forceful than his sister's and he tended to be rather quiet. Like his mother and sister he had pink hair and a slender build. All in all, Elliot seemed better suited to the book-keeping parts of the family business than the work he actually did, which was usually packing and lifting heavy crates. I walked over and began helping him out. He smiled sheepishly, but didn't object to my help.

We worked quietly together, talking a little about our work. He asked me how I liked working on the farm; I asked him how he liked packing shipping crates. We chatted about the weather and agreed that it's pretty freaky how Taro can predict the weather with such accuracy. By the time we were done, it was late, and I was tired and hungry. Good thing I saved those herbs after all.

In the daytime the abandoned buildings looked sad and lonely. In the dark they took on a sinister appearance. I hurried home,anxious to get away from the shadows that grew as the sun set.

~*~*~*

A few days passed, each not much different than the day I already described to you. My turnips matured, and I picked and shipped some, and planted new seeds in their place. That night I had raw turnips for dinner. I'm not a fan of turnips normally, but they were a welcome change from the bitter herbs.

On Spring 11, someone new finally came to the island. Gannon was a monster of a man, huge and rather ugly. A carpenter by trade, Gannon could do upgrades to my house, build a barn, a chicken coop. But most exciting of all, Gannon could open new areas of the island to me. He had already destroyed the boulder that blocked the road to the east, and he assured me that with enough money and materials he could repair the bridge that led west.

I was excited to see what lay to the East and I rushed through my chores, watering my crops as fast I could. In my rush, I spilled a little extra water on some of the plants and watered some of them twice. I didn't worry about it. Water is good for crops, right?

I rushed through the village, noting in passing that Gannon had moved into the empty building. He was repairing the roof as I hurried past. As I passed, Natalie came out of her house. She waved at me, and I stopped.

“Are you going to the east island?”she asked. I nodded, slightly out of breath. “Mind if I come with?”

“Sure,” I was glad to have company.

We walked past the spot where the boulder had been. There was no trace of it now, and I wondered what Gannon had done with the pieces. Had he taken them all away? Had he pulverised the boulder into dust?

We continued walking, more slowly than before. The area past the boulder had been part of the village once too. Several lonely houses in bad condition stood alongside streets that were overgrown with weeds. Natalie walked over to one of the buildings and peered insded. She grabbed her apron and used it to wipe off the grimy window, then looked inside again. I used my sleeve to do the same.

The inside looked just as bad the outside. Everything looked falling apart and a heavy layer of dust covered everything. It was even worse than the buildings in west town. I grabbed the doorknob, and yanked hard, expecting it too be rusted shut. The door actually pulled off the hinges because the wood was rotten and fellt othe floor. I hesitated a moment, then went inside. Dust swirled around my ankles like tiny tornandoes and I sneezed several times. Natalie followed me in.

It took a few momenst for my eyes to adjust to the gloom, but once I could see, I began inspecting the house. The furniture and applainces were a little old-fashioned, but not exactly antiques. I guessed they were from forty or fifty years ago. I picked up an old rotary phone and dialed my old phine number from before I came to the island. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but nothing happened of course. I didn't even get a dial tone.

“This place gives me the creeps,” Natalie whispered. “I'm going back out.”

“Yeah, me too,” I whispered back.

Back outside, the sun hurt my eyes. I squinted, and saw several patches of flowers and herbs. Jackpot! I started to walk over to them. Natalie followed.

“It's really creepy over here,” she whispered. “I keep thinking that I'm going to see someone over my shoulder.”

“Me too,” I whispered again. “I feel that way back in the village sometimes.”

Natalie nodded, rubbing her arms. I could see goosebumps on her arms, then I realized that I was shivering too. I shoved the herbs and flowers in my bag and stood up.

“Let's go.” I said.

We hurried back to West Town. Neither of us spoke. Several times Natalie looked back over her shoulder, but I kept my head facing forward. If there was anything behind us, I didn't want to know.

~*~*~*

In my own house that night, I sat on my bed, all alone and lonely. Thoughts of the deserted houses crpt through my mind and I wished I had some way to shake them. I had no books, no TV, not even a deck of cards. I buried myself under the blankets, but still, all I could think of was the Island. What had happened here in the past?

Ch. 2

The day after Gannon moved in, two new people arrived, a mother and daughter named Mirabelle and Julia. They planned to run a livestock business.

At first glance there wasn't much resemblnce between the two women. Julia was pretty, taller than her mother, with a slender yet curvy build and blonde hair. Mirabelle was overweight and had shiort brown hair. But they had the same eyes and the same kind smiles. I liked them instantly.

[Banika Conchita]

I like it so far!
I didn't know you could use fanfics for NanoWriMo o.o

[Butterscotch]

Yeah, you can. I checked the rules.

And thanks. ^_^

[Butterscotch]

2773...I should have over 6000.

Once again, I sorted through the herbs and flowers I had gathered. The plants I'd gathered yesterday had more than doubled my usual findings and I knew that I'd have to gather up my courage and head back over to East Town.

I watered my plants again, then headed south. I was hoping to meet up with Elliot or Natalie, but they were nowhere to be seen. Julia was still unpacking, so I didn't bother asking her. I stood near the place the boulder had stood. I knew I had to go past, I needed to gather those herbs, but I couldn't.

“Hey lady!” a voice called out. I turned and saw little Charlie running over.

Charlie was about ten years old. He had messy black hair and bright eyes. I wanted to pinch his cheeks, but resisted the urge.

“You goin' to the East town?” he asked.

“Yeah, I am”
“Can I go with you? I wanted to go yesterday, but...”

“Yeah, sure,” I said smiling. “I'd love the company.”

East Town was as unsettling today as it had been yesterday. Charlie ran ahead of me at first, but soon he slowed to keep pace with me. We approached the building Natalie and I had explored yesterday. Charlie stood on tiptoe to peer inside.

“Wow” he whispered. “It's so old and falling apart-y. Can we go in?”

“Better not,” I said. It was one thing for Natalie and I to go in, it was quite another to let a little boy inside. Charlie frowned, but didn't protest. I pointed to a patch of flowers and herbs nearby. “I'm going right over there. Stay where I can see you.”

The same feeling of being watched kept coming over me. Charlie seemed to feel it too, but it didn't stop him from exploring the area. Despite my unease I was determined to floolw Charlie's example and gather the plants I wanted. Soon my bag was full and I was ready to go.

Charlie was gone.

“Charlie?” I called softly. Darn that kid. I told him to stay where I could see him. I walked over to the area I'd last seen him. No Charlie.

I called again, louder this time. No Charlie. I could feel panic nibbling at my sides, but I pushed it down. I had to keep a calm, rational mind. I yelled his name. There was no answer besides my mocking echo.

Then I heard a faint banging coming from the house that Natalie and I explored yesterday. I moved closer. “Charlie is that you?”

More banging, louder than before.

“...Charlie?”

I heard a new noise. It sounded like a muffled voice. I began to tremble. I wanted more than anything to run away, but I knew I had to find Charlie. I moved even closer to the building and and noticed that the door was back on. I knew it had fallen down yesterday. Swallowing hard, I grabbed the doorknob and tugged. The door had given way yesterday; today I felt resistance. I pulled harder, then I tried pushing. I put my shoulder to the door an used my body weight ti shove it.

The door gave way suddenly. It crashed to the floor, stirring up a cloud of dust. I coughed and sneezed. Soon I was aware that I was not the only one coughing. Charlie sat on the floor near the door. His face was grimy and streaked with tears. He ran at me and threw his arms around my waist.

“I was so scared!” He sobbed. “I yelled and yelled for you. Why didn't you come?”

“I didn't hear you,” I knelt down and hugged him tight, rubbing his back. “I'm so sorry.”

I picked him up, still crying and carried him outside. Though he was small for his age, he was still to heavy for me to carry very far and I set him down outside.

Once we were outside I tried ti calm Charlie down, hugging him and say soothing words. Gradually his sobs ceases, though he did not stop trembling.

“What happened?” I asked.

“I...I know you said not to, but I went in that building,” Charlie sniffled. “i was just looking around, when the door slammed. I didn't care at first, but when I tried to open it, it wouldn't budge.

“I banged on the door and yelled and yelled fir you. Why didn't you come sooner?”

“I didn't hear you,”

“I yelled real loud!”

“I'm sorry, I really didn't hear.”

We started back to town. Charlie's tiny hand was in mine. He was still trembling. So was I.

I wondered how Chen would react when I told him what had happened. Would he be mad? Chen was normally very calm. It was hard to imagine him getting angry and yelling. But this was about his child. What sort of parent wouldn't get upset?

I paused in front of Chen's shop, wishing I didn't have to go inside. But I knew I had to, so I swallowed hard and followed Charlie inside.

The front of Chen's house was actually his store. There were a few shelves stocked with goods, most of them were things I couldn't afford. Chen himself was at the counter. As soon as he saw us he lept up and rushed over.

“What happened, son? He asked. He was kneeling it front of Charlie and had said 'son”, but I knew the question was directed at me. I quickly related the afternoon's events.

“I am so, SO sorry,” I apologized after my story was told. “I only looked away for a minute, I swear!”

“It's okay, Chelsea,” Chen said in his calm, kind voice. “Kids are always getting into scrapes like this. I'm just glad you were there to help him.”

“So you're not mad at me?”

“Not at all,”

“Are you mad at me?” Charlie said in a tiny voice.

Chen hugged him. “Not at all. But you should have listened to Chelsea and not have gone inside.”

“I know,:

“I don't think you should play over there anymore” Chen said.

“I don't think I want to anyway,”

~*~*~*

After the incident with Charlie I avoided going into East town for several days. I just made do with the herbs I had gathered that day. I hoped to supplement my diet with some fresh-grown crops, but to my surprise, several of the plants died.

I knelt down on the ground to check out the remaining plants. They looked scraggly and small. What had gone wrong? I decided to pay a visit to Taro later. I gave the plant more water, then chopped some of the branches that littered the field. Now that O knew I could hire Gannon as a carpenter I wanted to gather as much building material.

By the time I got over to Taro's house it was early afternoon. Taro was the only one there. He was still whittling the same piece of wood,

“Hello Chelsea. MY joints tell me it will be rainy tomorrow” he greeted me, never looking up from his work.

“Hey, Taro,” I said. “Some of my crops died. Any idea why?”

Taro frowned. He stopped whittling as he thought. “Have you given them enough water?”

“Yes, I water them every day,”

“Every day? That could be the problem, You might be watering them too much.”

“Too much? You can water plants too much? I didn't know that,” I groaned.

“They need to get a precise blend of sun and water. It's hard now, but it will get easier,” taro reassured me.

Just then the door slammed open and Elliot and Natalie hurried in. They both looked frightened.

“Are you guys okay?” I asked.

Natale sat down at the table with Taro and me. Her face was white and she was shaking. Elliot joined us.

“We went over to East Town,” Natalie said. “I thought it would be funny to play a prank on Elliot. I was going to hide, then jump out an scare him.

“I know it sounds childish, jumping out and yelling “BOO!”, but I thought it would be funny.

“So we split up. I ducked behind that well, and waited for Elliot to come near.

“Someone touched my shoulder, but I turned around to see, no one was there,” Natalie shuddered at the memory. “For a moment I thought it was Elliot, but he was still where he'd been when I hid. He was too far away.”

There was a long silence. Elliot got up and walked over to the stove. He began heating up some water in a tea kettle.

[Juxapose]

I like it so far. So, is this a ghost story? Those houses in the east side of the village do look kinda scary at first. If I was in Chelsea's situation, I wouldn't know what to do.

[Butterscotch]

Yeah, a ghost story. I'm glad you like it. ^^

[Butterscotch]

Word Count 4024
I almost got to the required amount today!

We drank our tea without speaking. Taro slurped noisisly, while Natalie drank very slowy. She was still slipping long after the reest of us had finished. As of the time I left, Natali was still drinking her tea.

It was starting to get drak. Although West Tiwn wasn't nearly as creepy as East Town, it was still uncomfortable after dark. I was glad I didn't have far to go.

Chapter Three

I put if off as long as I could, but I needed to go to East Town and gather herbs. But I refused to go alone. There was no point in asking Natalie, but I thought that Elliot of Julia might be willing to go with me. When I dropped by Taro's house, Elliot was out, so I headed over to Mirabelle and Julia's house.

Mirabelle was talking to an old man I didn't know. I waved at her and peeked into the other room. This room was a multi-purpose kitchen, dining and bedroom. Julia was not there, so I walked back into the main room, which doubled as the shop.

The man Mirabelle was talking with spoke and I realized that he wasn't old at all. He was in his mid-twenties, but his hair was silver, giving, from the back at least, an appearnace of adavanced age. He had a striking appearance, this man. He was tall, dressed mostly in black cowboy clothes. His most strking feature were his violet eyes. His gaze was peircing even though our eyes met only briefly.

Mirabelle beckoned me over. “Chelsea, this is Vaughn. He's an animal trader. He works with Julia and Me. Vaughn, this is Chelsea. She's the rancher I told you about,” she said.

“It's nice to meet you,” I said cheerfully, holding out my hand.

“Likewise,” he said, tipping his hat. Hiw words and gesture were polite, but his tone of voice was cool and he didn not take my hand. He turned to Mirabelle and tipped his hat at her too, then, without spekaing another word, he walked out the door.

“Geez, what a jerk,” I said.

“Vaughn isn't easy to work with, but he's the best in the business, despite his young age. I'd rather deal with his rudeness than with someone who didn't know what they were doing,” Mirabelle replied.

“Have you worked with him for long then?”

“Several years now,” Mirabelle said. “Believe it or not, what you saw just now was nothing compared to how he used to be.”

“He used to be worse?”

“Hard to believe, huh?” Mirabelle said laughing. “Now, what did you come by here for anyway?”

“Oh! I almost forgot! Is Julia around?”

“I think she's at the beach,”

“I'll go see if I can find her,”

“Should I tell her you were looking for her if I see her?”

“Nah, it's not that important.”

I went outside, and noticed that Vaughn was heading into East Town. I hesitated for a moment. I didn't need company really, I just didn't want to be alone in East Town. I followed him and gathered the herbs and flowers I wanted. I was careful to keep him in my sights, no way was I letting him leave without my knowing. When he started to leave, I followed him. He stopped and faced me.

“Are you following me?” he asked.

“Not...not exactly,” I said. It was the truth. Sort of. I started to say more, but something shoved me from behind. I fell on the rough roud, scraping my hands and knees. Bits of gravel bit into my flesh. I looked back, no one was there.

“What happened?” Vaughn asked.

“Someone pushed me!” I exclaimed.

“No one's there,”

“I know, but someone pushed me,” I insisted.

Vaughn came closer to me and held his hand out to me, then froze. His eyes widened. I turned my head quickly, trying to follow his gaze. Something vaguely human shaped was there...and tyhen it wasn't. I gasped and scrambled to my feet. For a moment we stood there staring, then without speaking we both turned and hurried away. I was nearly running, hardly aware of the pain in my hands and knees.

As I drew near the feed store I came across Elliot and Julia. Julia saw my frightened look, my bloody hands and knees, how fast I was going and quickly assessed the situation. She hurried me inside, urging Vaughn and Elliot to follow. Once we were inside, Mirabelle took over. She made me sit down in the kitchne and began treating my wounds. I felt a little childish sitting there like that, letting Mirabelle pour peroxide on my wounds and apply band-aids, but it was comforting too.

“So what happened?” Julia asked. Like Elliot had done the other day, she had made tea for everyone. Although Julia was not supposed to be a good cook, even she could handle making tea.

“I was at East Town...Vaughn was there too. Anyway, I was gathering herbs and stuff and I saw Vaughn was leaving and I didn't want to be there alone, not after everything that happened,” my words came out sounding a little rushed.

“You were following me then,” Vaughn said.

“Not really,” I protested. “I didn't want to be there alone, is all. Anyway, I...well...I followed Vaughn out,” Everyone smiled a little at this. “When something pushed me and I fell”

“What pushed you?” Julia asked.

“I don't know! I didn't see anyone behind me when I looked, but when I looked back a minute later...something was there! It looked kinda like a person, but it was see through!”

“You saw a ghost!” Elliot exclaimed.

“It was fog,” Vaughn said.

“It's a clear day,” Elliot pointed out.

“We're near the ocean,”

Elliot sighed loudly.

“But why did you want to gather herbs?” Julia aksed. “You can get some right here. You don't need to go all the way over to East Town to get any.”

“I hardly have any money,”I explained. “And my crops aren't growing well and I have no kitchen so I can't cook. All I have to eat are those herbs.” I began to cry. For over two weeks now I'd been barely getting by. I was hungry and tired and scared and now I was in pain too.

Everyone was quite for a minute. Then Mirabelle hugged me. “Poor dear. I had no idea. Now, don't cry, I'll take care of you.”

She walked over to her stove and took the lid of a pot and tatsed the contents. Mirabelle nodded and pulled sevral bowls out of a cupboard and began ladling stew into each bowl. Julia fecthed a bowl and gave it to me, then she served Vaugh and Elliot. I ate the stew eagerly. It was by far the best food I'd had in weeks. I finished before the others and without my having to ask, Mirabelle served me seconds.

After we ate, Elliot decided to return to the previous topic of conversation: the strange goings on in East Town. “We should go over and investigate!”

“Why?” Vaughn asked,

“We need to know what's going on,” Elliot exclaimed. “You're new here...Who are you anyway?”

“Vaughn,”

“He's an animal trader; he works with us in our business,” Julia expalined. She turned to Vaughn. “A lot of strange things have happned in East Town:

[Butterscotch]

Word count 5538
I'm only about 10,000 nehind.

In one of those abandoned houses, something touched Natalie and just now something shoved Chelsea.”

When you put it like that, it sounded pretty lame. I could tell that Vaughn thought so too.

“Something strange is going in over there!” Elliot insisted.

“All right, I'll give you that,” Vaughn said. “Doesn't mean it's a ghost.”

“Whatever is going on, we need to find out,” Elliot said. “If you're right, and it's not a ghost, if everything has a logical explanation then it would set everyone's mind at rest to know that.”

“True.”

“Then are we agreed?” Elliot asked, looking at each of us in turn.

“I...I guess so,” I replied.

“Yeah,” Vaughn said.

“I'm in,” Julia said. “But when do we go?”

“Now!”

“But it's dark!” I squealed.

“Nighttime is the best time for ghosts,” Elliot explained.

“We've had all those experiences in the daytime,” I protested. “And if Vaughn's right and there is an explanation that isn't supernatural, wouldn't it be easier to prove in the daylight?”'

“I don't know,” Julia said. “It might be easier to get it over with now. Come tomorrow, we'll have a reason to put it off till the next day and the next and the next. If we don't do it now, we might never do it.”

I stared at the table, focusing on the wood grain. It swirled at looped around in a strange pattern. I began to shake. Julia touched my back and I jumped.

“You don't have to go,” Vaughn said.

I studied him, trying to determine if he was being kind or cruel. He seemed sincere. I took a deep breath.

“I'll go,” I said.

Chapter Four

Elliot and Vaughn left to scare up some flashlights. Mirabelle had only one, but Elliot thought that his grandfather had several. If not, Chen had some for sale in his shop. Meanwhile, Julia began rummaging through some boxes. After a few minutes she came over with a tape recorder.

“What;'s that for?” I asked.

“It's a tape recorder,” Julia explained. “It records sounds.”

“I know what it is. I just don't know why you brought it out.”

“Oh,” Julia said, blushing. “It's kind of outdated, this thing. I thought maybe you wouldn't know...Anyway, I Hear that it's possible to record sounds you can't hear, like the voices of ghosts or something.”

“I've heard that too, but I thought you needed fancy equipment for that,” I said doubtfully.

“I don't know. It can't hurt.

“Guess not.”

Julia put a fresh tape into the recorder and clicked it shut. As she was putting fresh batteries into the machine, Vaughn and Elliot came back in. Elliot's arms were full of flashlights.

“Where did you get so many flashlights?” Julia said, laughing.

Elliot dumped them on the table. They were cheap flashlights, made of brightly colored plastic. I grabbed a pink one and clicked it on. A bright light shone in Vaughn's face. He squinter and covered his face with his hand.

“Sorry,” I said as I clicked it off.

“But where did you get all them?” Julia repeated.

“Well, uh, Gramps salvaged them from the shipwreck. There's a whole crate of emergency supplies: rain ponchos, dried food, tents, rafts. And a whole butt load of the flashlights,” Elliot said.

I rolled the flashlight in the hand. Taro had a crate of emergency supplies. He had dried food. I had nothing. I was starving. A sudden surge of anger coursed through me and hot tears stung at my eyes.

Elliot saw me wipe away my tears. He lowered his head. “I'm sorry. I didn't know he had that. I...I know you've had it hard. If...if you want...would you like the dried food?”

I had my pride. I wanted to say no. I didn't need charity.

Except I did.

“I'd like that, thank you,” I said.

“Well, shall we go?” Elliot said after a short silence. Everyone grabbed a flashlight. Julia's was blue, Elliot's was yellow and Vaughn took a black one.

We went outside. Night has come and with it a brisk coolness. The sky was full of starts and the m,moon was bright. It was beautiful night, the kind where you wanted to walk hand in hand with a cute boy.

At least I had the cute guy part down.

It was Elliot who led the way. Vaughn was next, then me. I was glad that Julia was last, I sure didn't want to bring up the rear. Or lead the way for that matter.

“There's no clouds,” Elliot said to Vaughn.

“So?”

“There's no fog,”

Vaughn shrugged.

We approached the two buildings. They looked sad and lonely in the daylight and a little eerie but it was nothing compared to the sight of them at night. It was chilling. My hair stood on end and as we walked closer I began to tremble again.

“You can go back,” Julia said gently.

“I'm okay,” I said.

We approached the dark building, the closer one where Charlie had been trapped. As far as I knew no one had explored the other one. Elliot shone his flashlight over the house and I froze in my tracks.

The door was back up. I had knocked it down when I rescued Charlie. I was sure of it.

“What is it?” Elliot asked.

“The door. I knocked it down to get Charlie out, but now it's back up.”

“You knocked it down?” Elliot sounded doubtful.

We were at the house now. Vaughn knelt down and studied the door. He touched the rusty hinges and pulled on the doorknob. It didn't open.

“It's rusted sh*t,” he said. “You sure you knocked it down?”

“The wood is rotten though. The door pulled right off the frame.”

Vaughn pushed and sure enough the rotten wood began to give way. He applied more pressure and the entire door fell with a soft thud. Clouds of dusted billowed up to greet it.

Vaughn shone his flashlight inside. I could see three sets of footprints: mine, Natalie's and Charlie's much smaller prints. We all walked in. The others began poking around the house the same I had on the my first visit.

“They left everything,” Elliot whispered. “Look...books, furniture, appliances...even photos!”

“Who leaves photos behind?” Julie said, frowning.

“People who leave n a hurry,” Vaughn said.

Julia shook her head. “That's not normal. People always take photos with them when they leave in a hurry.”

“Maybe they thought they were coming back?” Elliot suggested. “Or maybe there was some sort of emergency and there was no time to pack?”

“Or maybe they died,” Vaughn said.

“Don't say things like that!” I moaned.

“You're the one who thinks the place is haunted,” he reminded me.

Elliot began flipping switches on the appliances. I remembered how I had dialed the phone the other day. He picked up a blender and studied it closely.

There was a pile of papers on the table. Julia was sorting through them, glancing at each one before setting it aside. I picked up one of the discarded papers. It was an ad for a sale on turnip seeds. The sale had ended over fifty years ago.

“I wonder if this still works?” Elliot said. He was still holding the blender. “We could use one of these.”

“It's over fifty years old!” I whispered.

“MY grandfather had a thirty year old electric mixer that works just fine,” he replied.

“It's been exposed to the elements,” Julia said.

“It's indoors though,” Elliot said.

“The house is falling down,” Vaughn spoke up. “It's probably rusted inside. We're near the ocean, remember. All that salt air.”

“I guess,” Elliot reluctantly set the blender down.

By now Julia had sorted all the papers on the table into two piles. One pile was much larger than the other. Julia picked up the smaller pile, which consisted of only a few papers and folded it in half, then slipped it in her pocket,

“They look like letters,” she explained to me. “Maybe they'll explain what happened here 50 years ago.”

Julia set the tape recorder on the table.

“What's that for?” Elliot asked.

“If there's a ghost or something here, we can try talking to it. Sometimes recorders can pick up sounds that the human ear can't detect.”

Vaughn sighed, but Elliot looked impressed. Julia hit the record button and the whirring sound of tape filled the room.

“Hello, my name is Julia. There are my friends, Chelsea, Elliot and Vaughn. We'd like to talk to you.”

Silence.

“Why did you lock Charlie in here? You really scared him you know.”

Julia paused. Again, the room was silent other than the sound of the recorder and our breathing. Still, I began to get the creeps. I had the feeling that Julia's questions were being answered.

Elliot sat at the table. “Were you the one who touched my sister Natalie? Did you shove Chelsea earlier today?”

[Butterscotch]

word count 7686
for the first time I actually wrote more than the suggested quota! Yay me!
Vaughn looked annoyed with this whole process. He walked over to the wndow and looked out.

“What about that house over there?” he asked me.

“What about it?”

“Anything wier happedn tehre?”

“As far as I know, no one's been in there.”

“I'm going to check it out,” he said.

“I'll go with you,” I said. I was feeling really creeped out by Julia and Elliot's conversation with someone who wasn't there.

The door of the other building was missing entirely, so we had no trouble getting inside. The layout of this building was nearly identical to the first and most of the furniture was arranged in a similar way. It was hard to tell after fifty years of neglect, but the furnishings in this house looked nicer than what was in the other house.

I swept my flashlight over the floor and caught a glimpse of something white. I shone my light back on it.

It was a bone.

I shrieked.

Vaughn came over and knelt on the floor by the bone.

“It's not human,” he said.

“You sure?”I I whispered.

Vaughn moved his flashlight around, shining it into each corner. In the nearest one was a pile of bones. I nearly shrieked again, but managed not too. Vaughn walked over and then knelt on the floor again. He picked up the skull and showed it too me. I'm not an expert on bones, but even I could tell it was not human.

“It's a dog. Was,” he corrected himself.

“How do you know?”

“I work with animals,” he stood up and brushed the dirt off his knees. “I've picked up a lot over the years.”

“I wonder how it died?”

“No idea,” Vaughn said. “I don't see nay signs of wounds on the bones.

I shone my flashlight around the room, passing over the table, the bookshelf, the bed. The bed...there was something there.

I walked over and picked up the object up. It was a small leather bound book with the word “Diary” stamped on the cover. I gasped and tried to open it. Years of damp and mildew had glued the pages sh*t. I put the book in my bag, unopened.

We looked around a little more, but theerw wasn't anything else to see. We went back outside and into the brisk air. It had grown even cooler and I shivered. Up ahead, Julia and Elliot were leaving the other house. They looked a little shaken.

“You guys okay?” I called out.

“I...yeah,” Julia said. “Let's go.”

We hurried back. This time it was Vaughn who brought up the read and Julia who lead the way back. When we arrived the feed store, we stopped.

“Vaughn, Elliot, you guys see that Chelsea gets home safely,” Julia said softly.

“Wh...what about the tape?”i asked pointing at the recorder.

“We'll listen to it tomorrow,” Julia murmured.

Both men escorted me home. I wasn't too keen on staying home alone actually. I really wished I had a dog or a cat to keep me company. Thinking about pets reminded of that dog skeleton. Had it been someone's pet?

“Will you be okay alone?” Elliot asked when we reached my ranch. Was he reading my mind.

“I guess so,” I said reluctantly. I couldn't really ask them to stay th e night, now could I? I mean, even if it was just to keep me company, people would still talk. Besides I had only one bed and no extra pillows or blankets.

I thought I 'd have trouble falling asleep, bu I sailed off the dreamland as soon as my head hit the pillow. My dreams were strange and unsettling, but hwne morning came, I couldn't remember them.

Chapter Five

Julia clicked the play button and her recorded voice filled the room. Vaughn, Elliot, Natalie, Mirabelle, Julia and I were gathered near the table. There wasn't enough room at the table for everyone, so Vaughn and Natalie were sitting on large packing crates nearby.

“Hello, my name is Julia. There are my friends, Chelsea, Elliot and Vaughn. We'd like to talk to you. why did you lock Charlie in here? You really scared him you know.”

I thought I heard something on the tape. I glanced at Elliot. He nodded slightly. Julia rewound the tape and turned the volume up.

“Hello, my name is Julia. There are my friends, Chelsea, Elliot and Vaughn. We'd like to talk to you. why did you lock Charlie in here? You really scared him you know.”

This time I definitely heard something. It was low and raspy, but it sounded like a voice. Natalie made a whimpering sound and drew her feet up onto the crate so that she sat cross legged with her long skirt covering her feet. Julia rewound the tape again and put the volume at maximum.

“Hello, my name is Julia. There are my friends, Chelsea, Elliot and Vaughn. We'd like to talk to you. why did you lock Charlie in here? You really scared him you know.”

Low laughter came from the machine. Chills ran up my spine.

“Were you the one who touched my sister Natalie? Did you shove Chelsea earlier today?” Elliot's voice.

“Yes,” This was the same low raspy voice I had heard before. It sounded a bit stronger now.

“If you were the one who did those things, why did you do it?” This was Julia's voice again. “Do you not want us here?”

“If you don't want us here, give us a sign,”

A recorded thump. Julia paused the machine.

“That thump was the blender Elliot was looking at falling off the counter,” she explained, then resumed playing the tape.

“Was that you?” Julia's recorded voice sounded scared. “Did you make the blender fall? If that was you, make something else fall over.”

There was a loud crash on the tape and Julia paused the tape again.

“That was the blender again. It flew right at my head. I could feel it brushing against my hair,” she said. She paused, her finger hovering over the play button. “Should I go on?”

I nodded, as did Elliot. Vaughn shrugged.

“Natalie?” Julia asked.

“Go on, I'm okay,” she said.

Julia clicked play. Elliot's voice came from the recorder.

“Oh gosh! Are you okay, Julia? Did it hit you?”

“No, it missed. I'm okay. Let's keep going.”

“Okay,”

“Why are you unhappy that we're here? Why don't you want us here?”

“We live on this island now,” Elliot's recorded voice said. “This is our home, not yours. We have a right to be here.”

“No,”

“...did you hear that?” Elliot's voice sounded scared but excited.

“I heard it,”

There was a long period of no sound from the tape. I leaned forward to listen more closely. Mirabelle did the same and Vaughn walked over to the table.

“GET OUT!” an inhuman voice came from the machine. With the sound at full volume, the voice came across loud and clear. I gasped and sat back. Natalie and Mirabelle cried out. Even Vaughn looked shocked.

Julia turned the recorder off. “That's all there is,” she said. “We left after that.”

“Can't say I blame you,” Vaughn said.

We sat quietly for a few minutes, each thinking our own thoughts. I don't know for sure what everyone else was thinking about but my mind was full of the tape and all the strange experiences we'd had over the past few days.

“We need to find out why everyone left. We need to know the island's past,” Elliot said finally.

“Your grandfather used to live here back in the day, didn't he? Ask him,” Vaughn said.

“I've tried,” Elliot said shaking his head. “He changes the subject or talks about his ranch...but he won't tell me why he left and why no one at all lives here anymore.”

“Did you bring that book?” Vaughn asked me. I nodded and brought the mildewy dairy out.

“Ew,” Julia said. “It's got something growing on it.”

Elliot took the book from me and tried to open it. The pages were still stuck together. He pulled harder and the pages slowly gena to pull apart. But the pages were ripping. I gasped and reached for the diary.

“Be careful with that!” I said.

“May I see it?” Mirabelle asked. I handed it to her reluctantly. She examined it closely. “It may be possible to unstick the pages. I have a friend who's daughter is a librarian. I'll write and ask her for advice. It may take a while, but it's better to wait than get impatient and lose the information.”

We all nodded. Julia set a small pile of papers on the table. “I thought these might provide some information, but it's just a bunch of love letters.”

“Those could still be useful,” Elliot said. “Maybe we can track down the people in these letters.”

“I didn't think of that,” Julia sounded impressed. She handed the letters to Elliot. He flipped through them, skimming over the contents. “Maybe we should go back to the house and look for an envelope or an address book or something.”

“No,” Mirabelle said. “I don't want you going back over there.”

“I'm not a child, Mom,” Julia said, frowning.

I Know that, but that place isn't safe. There's something there, and I don't want you going there,” Mirabelle looked at each of us. “I don't want any of you going over there. I know you're all adults and that I'm not your mom, but I don't want any of you to get hurt by whatever is over there.”

“Don't worry about me,” Natalie said. “I have no plans to go back. Ever.”

I wanted to say that too, but I couldn't. I still needed those herbs. It was then that I remembered Elliot's promise to give me the dried food from the salvaged crate. Maybe I could avoid East Town after all.

No one else spoke. Mirabelle sighed. “Fine,” she said. “But don't come crying to me when a ghost eats you.”

“Ghosts don't eat people, Mom,” Julia said with a smile.

“You don't know that. You don't even know if it's a ghost or not,”

“What else could it be?”

“It could be a vampire...or a zombie...or a...a mummy,”

“A mummy?” Julia's mouth twitched as she tried to hide a smile.

Mirabelle laughed at herself. “Well, you don't know. IT could be!”

~*~*~*

Elliot showed me the salvaged crate. It was full of mysterious packages. I picked one up and examined it. It was a rain poncho. Elliot rooted through the crate and pulled out a large box. He held it out to me.I took it from him. It was the dried food.

“there's another box in here still,” Elliot said “if you want it. You can take a poncho or a tent or anything else you want.”

“Are you sure?”

“There's only four of us” he replied “And there's enough here for a dozen or more people. We won't miss what you take.”

I grabbed a few more packages. A tent, a raft, a canteen, a compass, another poncho, and some blankets. I shoved what I could into my bag. Elliot held out the other box of food.

“There's some canned food too,” he said. “Soup, tuna. Maybe chili.”

“I can't use those,” I said. “I don't have a can opener or matches.”

“There's probably a swiss army knife and matches in here,” Elliot said. We began pulling out packages and sure enough I found a box of waterproof matches and after a another minute, Elliot found several swiss army knives wrapped in plastic. He ripped open the package and gave me one and slipped one into his pocket.

I opened the knife. It had a regular blade, a can opener, a bottle opener, a spork and several other doo-dads that I wasn't sure about. I closed it and put it in my jeans pocket. It felt heavy there, but the weight was somehow comforting.

Elliot helped me carry my bounty back to my house. Despite all that had happened recently I had a bounce in my step.I had vital supplies. For the first time since I arrived on the island, I felt like I could make it here.

Elliot didn't stay long. He had chores to do. I put my stuff away on the shelves. It felt good to see all the packages and cans there. To celebrate, I built a small fire outside and heated up a can of soup. I had no bowls, so I ate right from the can, using the spork on my knife to spoon mouthfuls to broth into my mouth. For desert I ate some dried apricots.

Night came again. I sat outside, staring up at the sky. For the first time, I did not feel afraid at night. My belly was full and I had a knife to protect myself with. I had a fire to ward off the cold. I had everything I needed.

Chapter Six

I didn't gpt tp east Town again for a long time. The canned and dried food gave me enough to eat. I was able to tend more crops than I had before now that I didn't have to worry about falling over form hunger. I even had extra crops to give as gifts to my neighbors and by the end of Spring I had won Taro over. He gave me an old fishing rod one day as a gesture of friendship. I had never fished before, but Taro taught me and I caught on quickly. Fishing was fun, profitable and I could eat the fish I caught and save the canned food for later.

[Butterscotch]

Word Count: 8769
Still behind!

Fishing was soothing. I liked the feel of the warm air and the cool grass on my skin. The sight and sound of the bubbling creek appealed to me. Even the smells were nice: the good smell of damp earth, fresh water, grass adn even the smell if fish.

I caught more fish than I could cook and eat. I shipped the surplus. I shipped so many fish that fishermen were attracted to the island, hoping ti get some some of the fishing bounty.

One of the newcomers was a young man named Denny. He came to live in the old shack on the beach. Unlike the other isalnad residents, Denny didn't do many reapris to his house. He fixed the biggest holes in the orof and walls, but he made no cosmetic appearances to the outside of his shack.

Denny and I became good friends quickly. He was bruight and cheereful and we had a mutual love of fishung. We often fished togethere, talking and laughing all th ewhile.

Spring gave way to the heat of summer. New flowers and herbs grew outside; dfferemt fish swam in the river and ocean. Seaweed no longer grew on the rocks by the beach, but I had no use for it now. I had plenty of money and food. Even the crops I could grow in summer were different. Chen now sold corn and tomotoes in his shop. These grew much slower than the turnips and potatoes I grew in spirng, but hey sold for more money.

I was flush with cash, so I went to Gannon's shop tpo see what I could hire him to build for me. I could afford several items on his list, but what interested me the most were the banr an dchicken coop. With livestock I'd be on my way to running a real racnh. I couldn't choose between the two, so I decided to sleep on it.

On my way home , I aws Felicia. She waved me over to her.

“Chelsea, I had the most wonderful idea,” she greeted me.

“What is it?” I asked.

“Wouldn't it be fun to hold festivals on the island?”

“Festvals? What kind of festivals?”

“I was thuinking contest. Crop judging, animal best in show. Oh, lots of things!”

“That sounds pertty fun,” I agrreed. “Where wold we hold them?”

“My father said that when he lived on the island there was a large meadow where the used to hold festivals. The meadow is just east of town. We'd need a bridge to get there.”

I froze. Yes, that was a lovely idea. Let's hold festivals right by the area of town that was hauneted. What fun.

“I know that a lot of people have had strange experiances in East Town, but nothing's happned in a few weeks, right? Maybe things have calmed down some,” Felicai said.

“Nothing has happned bewcause no one has been to East Town since that day,” I snapped. I felt bad for snapping as soon as the words left my mouth.

“Well, think about it, okay?” Felcia murmured.

She walked away, leaving me alone. In the short weeks since the night Elliot, Julia, Vaughn and I had visted East Town at night, I had nearly managed to forget the starnge things I had experianced. I'd been so busy fishing and farming that I had not asked Elliot about the letters, or what his grandfather remembered. I had not checked with Mirabeel to see about the diary. My life was almost normal.

I walked home slowly. I hadn't gotten very far, before Elliot came running up to me.

“Chelsea!” he called. “Wait up!”

I stopped and waited for Elliot to catch up.

“My mom just told me what she asked you,” he said. “I'm so sorry. She had no business asking that of you. But I guess, in a way, this is my fault. I started asking Gramps about whne he used to luve on the island. He started talking about the festivals they used to have, and Mom loved the idea. I'm sorry, really.”

“It's okay,”

“But...I was thinking...maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea,”

My jaw dropped open. I shut it, then opened it again. Words would not come.

“I know ut sounds crazy, but maybe if East Town became more active, the ghosts would be more active too,” Elliot explained.

“That sounds like a great idea,” I said.

“You don't have to be sarcastic,” Elliot mumbled.

“Why would it be a good thing for the ghosts to be more active, Elliot? Why?”

“Well...I thought it would help us solve the mystery,” he said.

“We have other ways to solve it. We have clues. We hav ethe diary, the letters. We have your grandfather! You need to play Sherlock Holmes, not...not...damn, who hunts ghosts?”

“Abbott and Costello?”

“I thought they met Frakenstien,”

“I think they met ghosts too,”

“Well, anyway, you need to use the clues we've gathered,” I said.

Elliot sighed. “I guess so. I'll ask Mirabelle if she heard from her friend yet.”

Back at the ranch, I sat down onmy bed. I pulled the diary out of bag. The smell of mildew and mold filled my nose. It wasn't entirely unpleasant. I gently tried to pry the pages apart, but they were still stuck. I got off the bed and put the book on my shelf and grabbed a can of soup.

I went outside and wahsed the mildew off my hands,thengathered some branches. I carried them over to my fire pit and made a small fire.I heated the soup over the fire.

As I ate I thought about what Felicia had asked me. As frightend as I was over East Tiwn, I did like the idea of festivals. I cuold picture myself winning an award for Best Crop. Maybe I could even get my hands on a Wonderful Stone. By the time I'd eaten all my soup, I'd made up my mind. Next morning I went to Gannon's shop and asked him to build a bridge to the Meadow.

[Butterscotch]

9975
Just short of a milestone!

Gannon promised that the bridge would be built by the next day. I had my doubts about that; Gannon's a string guy and all, but building a bridge in a single night? Impossible!

It turned out that I was right, but not for the reasons I thought.

Gannon got started right away. Even though he had heard of everything that had happened in East Town, he had no fear. Gannon didn't believe in ghosts; like Vaughn, he thought there was a logical, rational explanation for everything that had happened. He gathered up all his tools, packed a lunch box and went off to work, whistling a cheerful tune.

Denny and I went fishing that day. I had blown most of my savings on the bridge, and I was eager to gain back what I had spent. The fish weren't biting at the beach though and after a few hours I was ready to call it quits. Denny had other ideas.

“Why not fish in the river in East Town?” he suggested.

“No way,” I said.

“Oh come one. Ghosts don't come out in the day,”

“This ghost does,”

“Well, I'm going. You can stay here or do what you want,” Denny said. He reeled in his lure and packed up his fishing equipment, then began to walk away. I watched him go, then packed up my own stuff. I still hadn't decided whether or not I wanted to follow him.

I knew that sooner or later I'd have to face my fears about East Town. If I wanted to attend festivals, I'd have to cross that bridge. Then again, this is an island. Couldn't I just use the raft from taro's crate and paddle my way around the si;and to get to the meadow? That sounded safer and more reasonable to me.

I dumped my fish in Taro's shipping box. As I was wiping my hands on the back of my shorts, I saw Mirabelle. She was standing outside her house, sweeping the sidewalk. I hurried over.

“Hello, Chelsea,” she said.

“Hi, Mirabelle,” I replied. “Um, I was wondering...Did you ever write to your friend? The one who is a librarian?”

“It's her daughter who is the librarian, but no, I forgot. I'll write that letter as soon as I'm done here. Maybe I'll ask Vaughn to deliver it for me. He has business in Mineral Town this week.”

“What business does he have there?” I asked.

“There are several large farms in Mineral Town,” she explained. “When they want to sell animal, they work with Vaughn. The chickens I sell came from Chicken Lil's Poultry Farm, although the cows I have came from Forget Me Not Valley.”

“I've never heard of that place,” I said.

“It's not far from Mineral Town, actually. I've been there a few times. It's a pretty place,”

We chatted a bit more. Mirabelle told me about the ranches in Forget Me Not Valley and Mineral Town. Apparently these ranches were being run by young people about my age. I hadn't heard of this before, and was curious to learn more. Mirabelle suggested I should visit Mineral Town myself and meet the rancher, so in the end, it was I who would deliver the letter to the librarian. Mirabelle promised me that she would get Vaughn to show me around Mineral Town since he was familiar with it.

Just then, Denny came running up as fast as he could.

“It's Gannon!” he exclaimed. He was breathing heavily, and this gasp was all he could manage. It was all I needed though. I ran down the path towards the meadow. I could hear Mirabelle shouting for help and soon Chen and Elliot, as well as Mirabelle and Denny were following me.

Gannon lay face down on the ground near the bridge. He was bleeding heavily from his head. I was afraid to actually touch him in case I made it worse. Chen arrived right on my heels. He knelt down by Gannon and felt for a pulse. I held my breath.

“He's alive,” Chen said. I exhaled.

The others arrived. Julia and Vaughn had joined them. I hadn't even realized that Vaughn was actually on the Island until just then.

“Should we move him back?” Elliot asked. “It might not be safe...”

“Can we move him?” I asked. “He's so huge.”

Mirabelle was carrying a first aid kit. She opened it and pulled out some anti-septic wipes. She began wiping the wound. “I don't think it's very deep. Head wounds bleed a lot,” she said.

She continued cleaning the wound, then she dressed it. Through it all, Gannon did not stir once.

“He needs to see a doctor,” she said, frowning.

“But we don't have a Doctor,” Elliot said. His voice sounded small and scared.

“There's a doctor in Mineral Town. Chelsea and Vaughn were going there anyway. They can take Gannon,” Mirabelle said in a matter of fact voice.

“I'm not sure we can move him,” I repeated.

'We'll have to try. We can't very well leave him here,” Mirabelle replied.

It took the combined efforts of all four men to move Gannon. It was an awkward thing to watch. Vaughn and Denny, who were the strongest of the four men, carried Gannon by the arms. Gannon was much larger in his upper body than his lower, so Chen and Elliot carried him by the legs. Gannon's head dangled a little and we all worried that it would bump into a rock or something while he was being carried, but the men manged to keep Gannon just high enough to prevent this.

The boat to Mineral Town wasn't supposed to leave until much later, but because this was an emergency, the ship left in less than an hour after they carried Gannon back. He still had not stirred in all this time and his already shallow breathing was even harder to detect.

We boarded the ship. I had not had time to go home and pack a change of clothes, but Julia had lent me a pair of jeans and a shirt to change into. I'd have to wear the same pair of underwear though. To be honest, I would have rather borrowed clothes from Natalie. She was closer to my size. Julia was a light taller and curvier than I am.

The sailors carried Gannon below deck. I stayed above and waved to everyone as we left. With the hand that wasn't waving I gripped the railing until my knuckles were white. I was scared sh*tless. I hadn't been on a boat since the shipwreck that had left me stranded on Sunny Island. I hadn't realized how scared I was to sail until I was actually boarding the sip, but by then it was too late.

Although the sea was calm, the movement of the ship beneath me frightened me. I gripped the railing with both hands, praying to the Harvest Goddess that this trip would go smoother than my last.

“You seasick?” a voice said. I jumped a mile and spun around. Vaughn was standing there.

“I'm not sick,” I replied. “I just don't like sailing.”

“Then why are you going to Mineral Town?” he asked.

[Juxapose]

I just finished reading the story. I am not going to complain about the spelling errors or the skips in story because it's only a rough draft.

I do like the story though. Especially how Chelsea grinded through the first season of her Harvest Moon adventure. It reminds me so much on how Mark from my game suffered from starvation as he did his best to work in the island.

I am curious about the mystery of the island. I hope to see more of this story.

[Butterscotch]

Glad you're enjoying it Juxapose. I'll be ironing out all the mistakes in december.
Whoo, yeah, the first few seasons in IoH were brutal. I mean, all you have to eat are weeds!
Current word count: 10556.
I passed the 10k mark!

“I'm not seasick,” I said. “I just don't like sailing.”



“Didn't know you were such good friends with Gannon that you'd go all the way to Mineral Town for him,” Vaughn said. He leaned against the railing and stared out at the sea.

“I'm not. I mean, I care, I just have my own reasons for going to Mineral Town .”

Silence.

“I want to see the librarian. Mirabelle thinks she can help me with the diary. And maybe I can look up paranormal stuff in th library.” That idea occurred to me just then.

Vaughn nodded slightly. He was still starting out at the ocean, not at me. I wondered if I was boring him.

If we'd been on the other side of the boat, we could've watched the sunset. Instead we watched the sky and ocean grow gradually darker. It was a clear night and we could see millions of starts. The moon was just a tiny sliver; it's reflection shimmered in the waves.

Neither of us talked. The only sound was the boat's engine and the ocean. The air was cool and damp. I shivered and rubbed my arms.

“How long will it take to get to Mineral Town?” I asked.

“We'll arrive tomorrow afternoon,” Vaughn replied.

“That long?” I wshiepred.

“There's no other way,” Vaughn said.

“We should have a doctor on the island,”

“Agreed,” Vaughn said. After a short pause, he added, “Let's go below deck.”

I followed Vaughn below. This ship was a cargo ship, not a luxury cruise ship so there weren't any fancy cabins to sleep in. The captain had given up his own bed for Gannon, but I was going to sleep in the animal hold. This was where Vaughn normally slept; tonight he was going to bunk with the crew. I wasn't thrilled about sleeping by the animals, but the captain was an old-fashioned man who didn't think it was proper for a young woman to bunk with the men.

The only animals in the pen were a few chickens. They were being shipped in roomy wooden crates. Nit a bad way to travel. I helped Vaughn give them fresh food and water. The hens were really cute and I wished I had built a chicken coop instead after all. If I'd made that choice, maybe Gannon wouldn't have gotten hurt.

I'd imagined the animal pen as a foul smelling cramped place. It was actually quite large and there wasn't much of a smell. The pens were clean and a layer of fresh straw was strewn over the floor.

My bunk was at the ran end o the pen. The mattress was thin and the blankets were scratchy, but they were clean. I set my bag on the bunk. Only then did I realize that I had pajamas. And only one change of clothes and I'd be gone for...I counted the days in my head. We'd get there tomorrow; that was one day Since we'd arrive there in the afternoon, I'd probably need another whole day to do my research, so I wouldn't get home till the day after that. I felt gross just thinking about it.

Luckily I had brought all my money. I might be able to buy fresh clothes in Mineral town.

A crewman walked in carrying a large tray. There were twp bowls, two rolls and two cups of coffee, along with cream and sugar on the tray,. He set it down on an empty crate.

[Pickle]

Congratulations, butter!

[Butterscotch]

on what? I never finished