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Post by Butterscotch on Aug 14, 2005 17:41:07 GMT -5
Dream About Me: An HM64 Fanfiction
Chapter Seven: Building Fences
When Cliff arrived the Green Ranch, the family was still eating. He could smell the eggs, pancakes and sausage that they were eating. He took in several deep, deep breaths, gulping in the air. After a moment, he went and leaned against the fence, then slowly slid to the ground. He must've dozed off, because the next thing he knew, the door was opening and Gray was leaving the house. By this time the scent of breakfast had faded almost completely.
"You're early," Gray, ever the brilliant conversationalist, said.
"Who are you talking too?" Doug asked, peering over his son's shoulder. "Ah, Cliff! Too bad you didn't show up sooner, you could've have breakfast with us!"
Cliff smiled wanly. "Ah, well..." he said. "When do we start?" he asked Gray.
"Soon," Gray replied. He went to the barn. Cliff rubbed the back of his head, frowning.
"Uh, what he means is, he has to take care of the animals, then you can start," Doug explained.
Cliff nodded and sat back on the ground while he waited. The sun was already beaming down on Flower Bud with all its might. Cliff wiped the thin beads of sweat off his forehead, and squinted up at the sun, which shone on despite, or maybe because of his discomfort. It seemed to be taking pleasure in his suffering. Cliff shook his head. That was crazy, the sun didn't have feelings. Still, all of reality seemed a bit askew to him today.
Gray finally finished his chores, and the two men set off to mend the fence. Cliff trudged behind Gray, barely lifting his feet from the ground. He only half-listened as Gray explained the process of mending the fence; he was more focused on standing upright and not swaying from side to side. Gray gave him an odd look, then handed Cliff a hammer.
"Don't hurt yourself with it," Gray said. Cliff nodded.
The pair set to work. Gray moved quickly, filling in the missing fence sections at a rapid pace. Cliff was far slower. The work was unfamiliar to him, and he made many mistakes. To his surprise, Gray did not get angry, but rather,silently corrected Cliff's many mistakes.
At around noon, a cheerful Popuri and a sullen Ann came bearing trays. Popuri's tray had a pitcher of lemonade and some glasses. Ann carried a tray of sandwiches.
"Lunchtime!" Popuri chirped. She set her tray down and began pouring lemonade, while Ann handed each man two sandwiches. Popuri shot Ann an angry look: while Gray's sandwiches were stuffed full of meat and cheese, Cliff's were positively skimpy.Cliff didn't seem to notice or care. He grabbed one sandwich and shoved it in his mouth. He closed is eyes as he chewed, and leaned back against the fence.
"Gee...you must've been awfully hungry..." Popuri said slowly.
"I...skipped breakfast," Cliff said. He took another huge bite.
Popuri put one hand on her hips and pointed the other at Cliff. "You shouldn't skip breakfast!" she said, shaking her finger at him. "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day!"
"...I also didn't have lunch or dinner yesterday..." he said. "I have no money, and hunting hasn't been good lately."
Ann snorted at the last comment, and opened her mouth to speak, but before she could say a word, Gray reached over to Cliff's plate and took switched one of his own hearty sandwiches for one of Cliff's.
"You didn't have to do that..."Cliff mumbled.
"Darn right he didn't!" Ann snapped. She stomped off mumbling under her breath.
Gray stood up, brushing off the back of his legs. Wordlessly he began to continue the repairs to the fence. Cliff wolfed down the rest of his food, and resumed his work as well. Now that his stomach was full, Cliff found it easier to pay attention to his work. He made less mistakes and worked at a much faster pace than he had in the morning. Gray, on the other hand, was slowing down in his pace. It seemed to Cliff that Gray was limping a little bit, but Cliff didn't remember Gray injuring himself.
The day wore on. The sun somehow seemed to shine with increasing ferocity, and Cliff pulled off his shirt. Gray's only concession to the heat was to unbutton the first few buttons of his shirt. His limp was even worse now, and Gray seemed to have back pains as well. He winced with every tiny movement, and was breathing heavily.
"Hey, man," Cliff said uncertainly. "Why don't you rest? I can finish up here."
Gray glared at him. "I'm fine!" he growled. Cliff frowned, but decided not to push the matter further.
Even the sun lowering in the horizon did not stop its heat from penetrating the dusk. The men finally finished the fence. By now, Gray was barely able to walk. Cliff shook his head. He could not understand that kind of work ethic.
Doug and Popuri were waiting by the house. Gray veered into the barn, and Cliff approached Doug.
"Thank you for helping us, Cliff," Doug said, as he handed Cliff his payment. "Gray couldn't have done it himself..."
"Yeah...he seems to have hurt himself or something..." Cliff said.
Doug shook his head. "No, he actually aggravated an old injury," he said. "You see, several years ago, Gray was badly injured...." Doug's voice was filled with emotion, and he stopped talking for a few moments.
"He almost died, didn't he?" Popuri asked. Doug nodded and Cliff inhaled his breath sharply.
"Yes, he came close to death. But after he was out of death's shadow, it became apparent that Gray might never walk again. He had...shattered his left leg, and injured his back and hips," Doug's voice was soft, but filled with emotion. "A doctor from another town operated on Gray. He was an odd man, with one red eye, but he was a brilliant surgeon. He restored Gray's ability to walk.
"However, even after surgery, Gray's body just wasn't the same....He can't ride anymore, and if he works too long or too hard he can aggravate his old injuries....He'll never admit to it though."
~*~*~*
In the barn, Gray gripped Serena's water trough so tightly that his knuckles were white. He was breathing heavily through clenched teeth. Waves of pained spiraled up his body. Sweat dripped off his face, hitting the water in the trough with a soft splash.
"I'm OK, I'm OK, I'm ok..." he muttered to himself. "I've been in worse pain than this...this is nothing..." He winced as a sudden sharp pain raced up his spine. He stood there for a long time, praying for the Harvest Goddess to take away the pain.
Author's note: Gray's injury...well, I've played HM64 a lot, but I couldn't seem to quite remember why Gray could no longer ride his horse. No one I asked seems to remember either, so I made up the accident Doug recalls. I have no idea what sort of accident it was either, so don't ask!
Anyway, if anyone does actually know why Gray can't ride, I'd be interested in knowing, though I won't change the story.
*waves artistic license*
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8-)good. I really love it. You are a great writer and that says a lot because I myself am a writer and often don't encourage other works in fear they will out do my own. I would really like to see this finished and after that published. You have a lot of drama, and I like that. I also like what put in there about Hardy from AWL. You have a way of reaching people and showing the romance between Popuri and Gray. I recently got Ann and Cliff married, and now I know who to work on next! I respect the time you have out into this story, because I know that it can be hard to give up free time to work on it. I am looking forward to more of your works in the future and I have to say, CARRY ON WITH THE GOOD WORK!