At the time when I started writing fanfiction, I was trying to hone my skills, and I was playing and very involved with the FoMT community. I therefore wrote FoMT stories. The truth, however, is that HM64 is my absolute favorite Harvest Moon Game. Therefore, here's a one-off for you. It's not as long as Elpitha, but I hope you like it just the same.The Flower Festival
Every spring, the single girls in Flower Bud Village became the center of attention. At the end of the season, the Flower Festival was held, and one lucky young lady would be crowned goddess for the day. Every eligible maiden was automatically entered as a candidate, and in the days leading up to the festival, the villagers voted on who they wanted to star in the festivities.
Some girls, like the baker’s apprentice and the florist’s daughter, took the attention with polite, but subdued enthusiasm. The rancher’s daughter happily soaked up the popularity and reveled in watching her overprotective brother’s blood pressure rise as different male villagers promised her their votes. The young mistress of the village’s world famous vineyard, on the other hand, openly scorned the festivities. This didn’t stop her from repeatedly asking her father’s farmhand who he intended to vote for in an increasingly threatening manner until the poor boy took to answering any question posed to him with her name.
Of course, not every young woman in the village got caught up in Flower Bud’s version of spring fever. Maria, the mayor’s daughter, treated spring just like any other time of year. It wasn’t as though she didn’t have any interest in the festival. As the village librarian, she found the premise behind the festival fascinating. The goddess in the festival represented the Harvest Goddess, the deity responsible for all of nature and for the bounty of the harvest season.
In past years, the Harvest Goddess’ role in the village had been somewhat diminished and the festival had felt trivial due to the fact that the village’s only farm had been closed. This year, however, a young new villager had moved into the farm – the grandson of the previous owner. Many of the villagers felt that this year’s festival would determine Flower Bud’s newest farmer’s success and that an extra special candidate needed to be selected for this reason. In the previous years, Maria had barely even been considered a candidate. Now that the villagers were looking to make a spectacular show of the Flower Festival, Maria wouldn’t be surprised if they didn’t even bother to put her name on the ballot.
No one paid any attention to Maria. Most people didn’t even notice that she was around, and this unfortunate quality made her privy to a lot of gossip around the village - whether she wanted to hear it or not.
“Elli is a sweet as her cakes! She’s the most mature of the group. She deserves to win!”
“No, Popuri is the best! She’s even sweeter, and she always smells just like a flower!”
“Ann’s braids are adorable! She’s the one for me. She’s so wild and carefree!”
“Karen! I’m voting for Karen! Please don’t hurt me!”
Maria had heard it all. Hearing these things didn’t particularly bother her. She sometimes wondered if anyone talked about her special qualities, but if they had, it wasn’t within her earshot. Sometimes, Maria’s mother would encourage her to talk to Harris, the town’s mailman. Maria knew better than to try. Her mother’s insistence that Harris had a crush on Maria was just another attempt to boost Maria’s confidence. Harris was just being nice. It was part of his job to be friendly while he delivered the mail. It was just the way things were. Another festival would come and Maria would spend it hiding in one of the village square’s corners so that she wouldn’t have to face that awful pressure that came after the goddess had been crowned and all the eligible bachelorettes were asked to dance by the village’s many bachelors.
One day, about a week before the festival was scheduled to take place, the new farmer visited the library. He was looking for any books on raising crops. Maria was so shy around Jack that she could barely speak to him. This was usually the case with young men. The villagers were used to her laconic nature. They put in their requests and left with their reading material. Maria may as well have been an ATM that spit out books. She expected Jack to disappear in the same way, but he stuck around. He sat at the tiny library’s only table and looked through the different manuals. He asked Maria questions that elicited stammered replies from her. Maria didn’t know what to do with herself.
When it was finally time for the library to close, Jack thanked Maria and left with several books under his arm. Although she knew that he was just being friendly, Maria was thrilled by the attention that Jack had given her. The mayor’s wife was very concerned about her daughter that night at dinner. Maria was very distracted and barely touched her food. Maria told her mother that she was just tired and went to bed early. As she brushed her teeth, Maria examined herself in the bathroom mirror. She was very plain. Her black hair was straight fell down to her waist. Her glasses magnified her large, dark eyes, and her pale features were thrown into sharp relief by her flushed cheeks. She lay in bed late into the night, going over the day in her mind. She went over the things that Jack had said to her and reimagined what she should have said to him.
The next day, Maria was surprised to see Jack waiting for her to open the library. Her heart skipped a beat when Jack smiled at her and presented her with a small cabbage. He explained that his crops were growing very slowly and that he was trying to figure out how to make them healthier. For some reason Maria blurted out that cabbages were her favorite vegetable. Then, to cover her embarrassment, she began to ramble on about a cabbage roll recipe that was her favorite meal. She was so flustered that she spent several moments trying unsuccessfully to open the library door. Jack took pity on her and suggested that she use the key in her hand to unlock the door. Maria almost cried with embarrassment.
Jack spent the entire day in the library again. By the time he left, Maria was almost able to hold a conversation with him without blushing and hiding behind her desk. Jack spent the following day at the library as well. On the fourth day, Maria was looking forward to seeing Jack again. Sure enough, he was waiting for her to open up when she arrived at the library. Maria was beginning to wonder what else they would have to talk about. The topic of cabbages had worn pretty thin after three days. Fortunately, Jack did have a new topic in mind. Unfortunately for Maria, that new topic was the Flower Festival.
Maria dutifully pulled down the large book containing Flower Bud’s history. She flipped to the section containing information on the Harvest Goddess and went through the festival’s origins. The goddess was a spirit that had settled on the island many generations ago. She had become powerful by absorbing the energy given off by the fertile land and the village’s many water sources. Vengeful spirits had done this in the past and wreaked havoc on anyone who settled on their lands, but the Harvest
Goddess was a peaceful spirit who welcomed anyone who took care of and cultivated the land around the village. The villagers who settled in Flower Bud dropped offerings for her in her pond and in return, the Harvest Goddess blessed their land. It was for this reason that the villagers honored her with a yearly festival.
Mundane as they were, the details of the festival’s history brought unwanted memories of Maria’s invisibility to mind. Mentally exhausted, she took a seat at the table where Jack was sitting. It took a moment for Maria to register what she had done. She had taken the chair right next to Jack. Maria had never willingly put herself in such close proximity to any male that wasn’t a blood relative. She glanced up and was shocked to see Jack smiling at her. Jack reached over, grabbed the book, and got up. Maria watched as he put it back up on its shelf. He turned and smiled at her again.
“You still haven’t told me about the festival. I want to know how it works.” Jack said.
Maria opened her mouth to reply, but her voice had disappeared. She looked up at Jack wide-eyed. Jack sat down next to her.
“Don’t tell me you can’t talk to me again. I thought we’d gotten past that.” He continued.
“I can talk.” Maria managed, trying desperately to hide her embarrassment. She had the sudden urge to burst into tears.
“Okay, well then tell me about the festival. I heard the other men talking about it. They said something about one of the girls in town playing the goddess in the festival and that the townsfolk all voted. You’re the right age. You must’ve been in a few festivals by now.”
Maria wanted to crawl into a dark corner and disappear. Jack seemed to sense that he was making her uncomfortable.
“I’m sorry.” He said. “I can see you’re shy about things like that. I didn’t mean to embarrass you. I’m just curious about how the festival works.”
Maria found her voice and forced herself to answer. “You’re right.” She said timidly. “All the townspeople vote on which girl they want to play the goddess. The voting booth will be open through Monday. On Tuesday morning, they’ll tally up all the votes and announce the winner at the festival.”
“What happens after that?”
“Well, the girl chosen gets dressed up in the goddess costume and they have a small ceremony. After that, there’s a dance.”
“Oh yeah? What lucky guy gets to dance with the goddess?”
“Nobody. The goddess is a maiden, so it’s forbidden for her to accept any male attention – at least during the festival. The winners usually get a lot of attention after the festival.”
“I see. Is that all?”
“Well there are lots of stands and shops at the festival with products that you don’t get to see any other time of year. There are also food and drink stands. There’s lots to see and do.”
“Got it. What’s today? The twenty-first? I guess I have to cast my vote soon. The festival’s in two days. It’s already gotten so late. It’s about time to close. I don’t want to keep you.”
“It’s okay. I don’t mind.”
“You’re just being nice. If I give you the opportunity to get rid of me, you should take it. Besides, you should watch that nice streak of yours. Give a guy like me your time, and I’m liable to take full advantage.”
Maria didn’t know what to say. Jack winked at her and she almost fell off her chair.
“Alright. I’ll get out of your hair. Can I stop by tomorrow if I have any questions about the voting process?”
“Oh, we’re closed on Mondays.” Maria said. She wanted to tell him that she usually spent her days off in the woods, but she couldn’t find the courage.
“That’s a shame. I’ll see you at the festival then!”
Maria usually enjoyed her days off. It was a rainy day, so she didn’t spend it in the woods after all. She often liked to spend rainy days off at the church, but instead opted to hole up in her bedroom and relive the past few days. Maria’s mother almost dragged her off to the clinic when she refused to come out for meals and wouldn’t offer any explanation why. Maria just couldn’t bring herself to talk about the turmoil inside of her. She was confused and frightened. The past few days had been like a dream, and yet, now that they were over, had become a nightmare. It was as though Maria was going through some sort of withdrawal.
Maria knew better than to entertain the idea that Jack actually liked her. This didn’t stop her heart from aching every time she thought of Jack’s smile. Why had he decided to tease her like this? He didn’t seem like the cruel type. Jack had spent four entire days in the library with her. Surely he had gotten the information that he needed on cabbages on the first day. He couldn’t have needed an entire day to find out about the Flower Festival. Any of the villagers could have told him how to vote. The logical side of Maria told her that Jack had to have had some sort of interest in her if he was spending so much time at the library.
There was another, nasty voice inside her head that insisted on shattering that logic. No one showed interest in Maria. The only people who bothered with her were relatives. Jack’s time at the library may have been unusual, but only an idiot would believe that his motives were fueled by hidden feelings for Maria. He was just being nice to her. If Maria had any brains at all, she would take that as a consolation prize and forget about Jack before she ran into true heartbreak. The problem was that Maria simply couldn’t let it go.
Maria became so restless, that she couldn’t stand to stay indoors any longer. She ran down the stairs and out the door, ignoring her mother’s concerned inquiry as to where she was going. Maria was soaked by the time she arrived at the library. She tried opening the door only to realize that she had forgotten the key. Cursing herself, Maria turned to head back home.
“Hey!” Called a familiar voice. “I’ve just been to the voting booth!”
Maria was horrified to see Jack striding towards her. He’d want to go inside to get out of the rain but, like an idiot, she had forgotten the key. Maria’s nerves were at the breaking point. What little confidence that she could muster failed her, and she turned and fled like a frightened child. Maria hadn’t gotten very far when she slipped on a puddle and fell. Her ankle hurt. It wasn’t serious – she probably could have hobbled her way home. Maria was preparing to stand up when she felt hands slip under her armpits. Jack had run over to her when she fell, and he hoisted her back up into a standing position. Maria tried to step back from him and stumbled. Jack caught her and, before she could protest, hoisted her up into his arms.
“What… What are you doing?!” Maria cried, alarmed.
“Taking you home.” Jack replied calmly as he began walking towards the mayor’s house. “I can see that I’m making you uncomfortable. I’m sorry. I’ll put you down as soon as I get you inside.”
Maria didn’t answer. When Jack reached the house and knocked on the door, Maria’s mother wrenched it open.
“There you are! What made you rush out so… Oh!”
Jack couldn’t help but grin as he set Maria down. Maria put an arm around her mother’s shoulder and hobbled over to the couch.
“Can I get you a towel? You must be soaked through. I’ll put some nice hot tea on to get the chill out of your bones.” Maria’s mother said.
“No, no. Thank you, but don’t trouble yourself. I have to get going.” Jack replied. “Thanks for all of your help this week, Maria. I’ll see you at the festival.”
The mayor’s wife rounded on her daughter as soon as she had closed the door behind Jack.
“You sly little thing! When were you going to tell me about this? Oh, of course it all makes sense now…”
“There’s nothing to tell, mother.”
“The loss of appetite. Staying up in your room all the time. No wonder. You’ve been thinking about a special someone.”
“Mother!”
“Oh, Maria. It’s nothing to be ashamed of!”
“I’m not ashamed! It’s just that you’ve got it all wrong. He just wanted information about growing cabbages. There’s nothing going on between us.”
“It looked like more than that to me.”
“I slipped and twisted my ankle. He was just being nice.”
“Maria, you have to let people in sometimes. That poor boy won’t get far if you don’t meet him halfway.”
“He’s not trying to meet me anywhere, mother.”
The mayor’s wife sighed. “Okay, Maria. Let’s soak your ankle. We want you in good shape for the festival in case some dashing young man wants to dance with you.”
“No one ever wants to dance with me.” Maria mumbled at her mother’s back as she went into the kitchen to fetch a basin.
Maria’s ankle was better the next day. She went to the village square early with her parents to help set up for the festival. As she worked, Maria began scouting out good hiding places. She was in charge of telling the vendors where to set up their stands, and she intentionally set two stands close together in one of the corners so that she would be hidden from view as well as out of the way when it came time to dance. Maria was just about to help setting up the last stand when her mother approached to check on her progress. Maria turned, intending to preempt her mother’s status inquiry.
“Jack! Thank you so much for helping! I hope we didn’t pull you away from your farm chores.” The mayor’s wife called. Maria turned around in horror to see Jack helping the last vendor carry over a food stand. The mayor’s wife was smiling mischievously at her daughter. She had clearly asked Jack to help.
“Oh, it’s no problem at all. I got my work done early.” Jack replied.
“Yes, but it still feels shameful asking you for another favor after you were kind enough to rescue Maria yesterday.”
The stand had several dozen ears of corn on sticks ready to be roasted, and Maria had a sudden urge to grab one and stuff it in her mother’s mouth to keep her quiet. Maria was furious and ecstatic at the same time. She watched as Jack finished up the stand’s setup. Did he wink at her as he went off to join the stand owner in a drink of water? It had to have been her imagination.
As people began filling the square, Maria was counting down the seconds until she could disappear. Normally this wasn’t a problem. Even her parents lost track of her once the festivities started. She was inching her way back towards her hiding spot when she felt a hand on her shoulder.
“Hey. Mind if I join you?” Jack asked.
“No… No, of course not.”
Maria was mesmerized by the warmth of his hand on her shoulder. She couldn’t help noticing how big his hands were compared to hers and how much taller he seemed now that he wasn’t hunched over the library’s tiny table.
“Can I have everyone’s attention?” The mayor called. “We will now begin the festival.”
Horrified, Maria knew that she had only a minute or so to escape before the dancing started. She was right in the middle of the space where everyone danced. The last thing that she wanted to do was to have to awkwardly slink off in front of everyone once the music started. She hastily retreated to the edge of the crowd and Jack followed her.
“Where are you going?” Jack asked.
“We have tallied up the votes.” The mayor continued, saving Maria the trouble of having to answer. “May I have the results, my dear? Thank you. This year’s winner is… Karen!”
Maria saw the vineyard’s farmyard give a great sigh of relief. She was also relieved and slightly disappointed.
“Aw, it’s a shame you didn’t win. I was routing for you.” Jack said.
Maria was shocked. “You voted for me?”
Jack laughed as though she had said the most ridiculous thing in the world. “Vote for you? Of course not!”
Maria felt as if the wind had been knocked out of her. It had been stupid of her to ask. Why on earth would he have voted for her? The shame and rejection that she felt at that moment was greater than anything that she had felt before. Panic rose up in her throat as she heard the dance music start up. This was all that she needed to cap off her humiliation. Maria was about to throw caution to the wind and escape when she felt Jack take her hand.
“I was routing for you, but I’ll admit that I’m glad you didn’t win. I’ve been thinking about dancing with you all week.” Jack said as he led her into the center of the square where the other dancers were lining up. Maria could see her mother beaming at her from the sideline. “That is if you’ll have me, of course.”
Maria couldn’t speak. She nodded at him and joined the line of young ladies facing their dance partners. Jack danced well considering that he was a newcomer. The village children were taught this dance from a young age, so they all knew it by heart. When the dance was over, Maria and Jack wandered the village square and enjoyed the rest of the festival together. As evening fell, Maria went over to help her parents begin the cleanup process. Her mother wouldn’t hear of it. Instead, she asked Jack if he would see Maria home.
“How’s your ankle? You didn’t injure it again dancing, did you? I could carry you again.” Jack said as they walked back towards Maria’s house.
“No, I’m feeling much better, thanks.”
“You sure? If you’re uncomfortable with that, I could give you a piggy back ride.” Jack offered.
Maria giggled. “No, that’s alright.”
“You’re pretty when you smile. You should do it more often.”
Maria didn’t know what to say to that, and they walked on in silence for a few minutes.
“Who did you vote for?” Maria asked.
“What?”
“To be the goddess. You said you voted and that you didn’t vote for me. Who did you vote for?”
“Oh! I voted for Karen. I felt bad for that vineyard kid. He looked about ready to cry when the guy before me voted for someone else.”
Maria giggled again. They had reached her house. Jack smiled as she made her way up the front steps.
“Well, I had a great time today thanks to you. Will you be at the library tomorrow?”
“Yes, of course.”
“Great. Your mother gave me a recipe for cabbage rolls and I want you to tell me if they’re any good.”
Maria blushed. “Oh… Okay.”
“Well, thanks again. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Yes. And thank you!”
Maria watched as Jack disappeared around the corner. She half expected this to be a dream and that she would wake up only to find that the festival hadn’t started yet. It was real, however, and Maria practically floated up the stairs to her bedroom. She hurried with her nightly ritual, eager to get into bed and fall asleep. It felt like Christmas Eve, and she couldn’t wait to find out what surprises would be waiting for her the next day.
The End.
