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Post by Juxapose on Aug 20, 2009 19:30:41 GMT -5
I finally was able to get some time to work on this fic, and this chapter is now complete. Please note, that this chapter is divided into 2 parts, I'll have the second part done soon.
Chapter 4
Changes In The Past, And In The Future
Summer 29, 2008 (Mineral Town)
The weather was smiling for our novice farmers in Mineral Town. Rain has fallen, allowing nature to water the crops for Karen and Cliff for several days. This has freed them of some work, and gave them the rest they desperately needed. Yesterday, they have harvested the final crops of the seasons, which freed them of some time today as well. The only thing they need to take care of now are the animals in the barn, coop, and stable. Between them both, they were able to get the job done quickly, and with as little effort as possible.
But concerns grow in the spring of the Harvest Goddess. Ever since Gray and Mary has sort of paired up, she has been feeling something dark lurking in Mineral Town. Because Eric is not in Mineral Town, she cannot ask him for help to see what may be going on. But as time continues to pass, the darkness seem to grow, and she can also feel it in other people as well. Primarily in Mary and Gray. But lately, there has been darkness growing in Rick as well.
At first glance, they seem to be happy and normal. But something inside them seems to be controlling their emotions. Gray continues to be jolly and cheerful, quite the opposite of what he used to be. Mary's thoughts seem to be erasing Eric from it against her own will. Rick, who was always supporting Gray from the beginning, is now trying everything in his power to get them together. These three people seem to have completely forgotten about Eric completely.
But what scares the Harvest Goddess the most is the dark aura of another person she has never felt before. An intruder in Mineral Town who is secretly poisoning the emotions of the villagers she knows. The Harvest Goddess tries her best to see who might this stranger be, but it's not easy for her. This stranger has the ability to block it's presence from anyone in Mineral Town. Whoever he or she is, the stranger doesn't want anyone to know that she is around.
There is only one way she can find out who this stranger is, she will need to get into direct or indirect contact with the person. But since the Harvest Goddess can't simply leave the pond to investigate, she will have to rely on magic to identify the stranger. But because the stranger's aura is being blocked, she has no choice but to try to cast spells blindly.
Cliff and Karen get done with their farm work at around noon, and they have a few hours before they need to go home to do their own work. Rather than napping the mid-day away, they both decide to go spy on the new couple, Gray and Mary. They spot the couple talking to each other holding hands in front of the library. They both hide in the bushes watching them closely. To most people, they just look like any normal boyfriend and girlfriend having a good time. But nothing gets past Karen's intuition, she can see that something is wrong with the situation.
“Something doesn't feel right.” whispered Karen in a low tone so that they don't get spotted. “They look close. . . Too close.”
“So? I don't get it. Why is it such a shock to see them together?” asked Cliff in a lower tone.
Karen continues to whisper, “Well, I can definitely see Gray totally getting into Mary, but this seems too easy for him. I know Mary has been upset for a while, but I know that Mary wouldn't just jump into Gray's arms so easily. At first, I thought that she was using him as an emotional crutch. But things seems to be different now. She's totally into him now, like if they were dating for years. But they have only been seeing one another for less than a month. If I didn't know any better, they seem close enough to get married now.
“Also, these two people seem to be a little different. Gray seems a bit too proud and confident of himself. And I've been hearing rumors that he has been skipping out on his blacksmith training. Mary is another one that is skipping out on her job. I heard that while we were slaving with the farm and our jobs, the library has been closed very often. Plus, I notice that Mary is not too shy and reserved anymore. I know that things change over time, but this is too much!”
Cliff thinks for a moment, and replies, “I see what you mean. But you act like if someone else is pushing this change. Who do you think is doing this?”
Little that these two spies know, they are not the only people that are watching the couple. In the distance, the Witch Princess watches them hidden in a tree through a magical looking glass. She doesn't notice that Cliff and Karen are also hiding watching them in some bushes from the opposite end.
As she watches their relationship get deeper by the minute, she laughs as she says, “Looks like my little potion is working. It worked so well with the stupid boy, that I just had to feed it to the little library girl as well. They are like puppets, and as long as the farmer is gone, my spell can't be broken.”
Soon enough, Rick comes around the corner, and walks towards Gray and Mary. As he gets closer, the Witch Princess snickers and says to herself, “Well, looks like my third pawn has finally arrived!”
Rick continues to walk, acting casual like if nothing is unusual. He then stop at the library to have a chat with Gray and Mary. “Hey there! How's the perfect couple doing today?” he asked.
Mary gives Gray a kiss on the cheek and says, “Oh, we're fine. Just perfect!”
The kiss sends shock to Karen and Cliff. They know that Mary was acting less shy lately, but this is the first time she has been so forward. They can't believe what they are seeing with their own eyes. Even the look in Mary's eyes has changed, she looks at Gray so much differently than she has ever towards Eric. She looks at him with such desire, like a teenage girl in heat. At that moment, they know that this isn't the Mary that they grew up with.
“That's great to hear!” said Rick acting if nothing is unusual. “Well, I have to get going, mom needs her medicine. See you around!” Gray and Rick then shakes hands. But as they shake hands, Rick secretly passes Gray some money, and walks away. As Rick walks away, Gray pockets the money and says, “Hey Mary. Why don't we go on a date, right now. I have some money, I'll take you anywhere you want to go.”
Mary nods cheerfully, and they walk away. The Witch Princess grins as she watches her plan bear fruit. But it doesn't take long until she sees trouble in her plans. Not so long after Rick walked away from Gray, she sees a couple of arms stick out of the bushes, and pulls the unsuspecting Rick inside.
“What the? This isn't part of the plan!” yelled the Witch princess. She then snaps her fingers, and teleports herself near the bushes where Rick has vanished to investigate. She walks around behind the bushes until she hears some rustling. She doesn't want to make herself seen yet, so she stands by and listens.
Inside the bushes, Rick is being muffled by Cliff, and Karen is trying to get him to be quiet. They also don't want to get caught by anyone. But they have no idea that the Witch Princess is only a few feet away watching them. As Cliff struggles with Rick, he whispers in his ear, “Stop moving so much! Now, you're going to cooperate, and you are going to tell us what's going on. Is that clear?”
Rick nods, and Cliff releases him. But he stands by, just in case Rick decides to make a run for it. Karen decides to ask the questions. Since Rick and Karen are childhood friends, if anyone can get the truth out of him, she can. “Rick, what's going on between Gray and Mary? I know you know something, so tell me!”
“I have no idea what you're talking about.” answered Rick. “Eric is gone, Gray likes Mary, and Mary needs to get over Eric and date someone else. What's wrong with that?”
“Oh really?” asked Cliff. “We saw you hand Gray some money, and a lot of it. What was that about?”
Rick was speechless. He tried his best to hide the money from Mary, he had no idea others were watching him. “I. . . Uh. . . I owed Gray some money, and I paid him back. That's all.”
“Why are you lying to us?” asked Karen in an upset tone. “Gray has not been working lately, where did he get the money to loan you? And when did he loan you that money anyway? You have never borrowed any money before.”
“I don't know where he gets the money.” answered Rick in a nervous tone. “Some extra expenses came up at the chicken farm, and I need some money. Gray volunteered to help, that's all.”
“Really?” asked Cliff. “Then why did you hand the money to him so discreetly? It almost looks like you didn't want anyone to know that you gave him money. Tell the truth, or I'll-”
“Stop it Cliff!” yelled Karen. She then takes a deep breath and says, “Rick, why are you helping them so much? This isn't like you.”
Rick remains silent. He doesn't know why he is doing it, all he knows is that deep inside, he has to do it. But he couldn't just tell her that. So he nods down in shame, and remains silent.
Cliff notices something odd, so he grabs Rick from behind, and says, “Karen! Didn't he tell Gray that he was going to deliver some medicine to his mother Lillia? I just noticed that he doesn't have any medicine on him!”
At this point, Rick quickly breaks free, and runs out of the bushes to escape, Cliff jumps out and yells, “Come back here you traitor!”
“Let him go.” said Karen as she climbs out of the bushes as well. “He's not going to tell us anything, so just leave him alone. It looks like we're on our own now.”
Karen looks down sadly. She knows something strange is going on, but she is powerless to do anything about it. But Cliff rests his hand on her shoulder, and says, “Don't be so down. We'll figure this out, I promise. Even if I have to go to church, and pray to the goddess for an answer, we'll get to the bottom of this. So cheer up.”
Karen nods, and they both go their separate ways. When they are out of range, the Witch Princess steps out of her hiding spot and says, “Well, looks like I have some enemies who are trying to get in my way. I don't think they can stop my plans, but I would rather not have anyone snooping around.” She then begins to cast a spell and says, “I'll just put them to sleep, and make them my slaves, just like I did to the other three. At least this way, things will only get a little easier.”
As the Witch Princess casts her spell, the Harvest Goddess notices, and is able to pinpoint her location. At that same moment, she decides to cast a spell of her own. After the Witch Princess finishes casting her spell, she decides that she should put Karen to sleep first. But before she is able to take a step, a root catches her leg stopping her from moving.
She struggles to get free, but the root is too thick to break. So she cancels her sleep spell, and casts a fire spell to burn the roots. After she beaks free, she realizes that she lost track of both Karen and Cliff. She decides to deal with them both later, but the root that caught her concerns her.
“That's odd, roots don't just grow out of the ground, and traps people. This looks like a spell that a Harvest Goddess can cast. . .” After putting one and one together, she says, “Of course! There's a farm in this town, so there must be another Goddess here. My sleep spell must have given me away. I should have been more careful.”
Luckily for the Goddess, The Witch Princess doesn't know where her pond is. And because the root spell touched the Witch Princess, the Goddess was able to take a look at the intruder which has been haunting Mineral Town for some time.
“A witch?” said the Goddess. “Who is this witch? Why is there a witch in Mineral Town? Why is she controlling Gray, Mary, and Rick? What was she about to do with that spell? I don't get it, why is this happening right now? I can't deal with all this by myself, but I don't have any help. My sprites are missing, Flik has not found Eric yet, and I can't call the Harvest God for help. What am I going to do?”
Fall 10, 2108 (Forget-Me-Not Valley)
“Achoo!!” sneezed Eric. It's been a long time since he has been in the valley. One thing he has noticed that things get colder in Forget-Me-Not Valley. The Spring and Summer seasons have passed, and the Winter season is coming soon. He has gotten some new clothes when he first arrived, but he has yet to get anything to help him in the colder seasons.
New clothes sounds like a good idea, but even though he has a place to stay, money is still an issue. He doesn't dare to charge Lumina for Piano classes, and he doesn't work. Usually, his farming clothes are good enough for him, but he can already tell that it will be a very cold Winter, colder than he has ever felt.
Even though he has the cold Winter to worry about, something else floats around in his mind. Ever since he saw that statue of the goddess at the pond in Forget-Me-Not Valley, he has been hearing voices in his head. Sounds similar, but not the same as the goddess in Mineral Town. Most of the time, it sounds like a mumble, but lately, he can make out a few words here and there. Sometimes, it sounds like cries for help.
Between the fact that Eric is staying at Lumina's home, money issues, and these voices that plague his mind, stress is starting to build up. Eric needs to get away from everything, take his mind off things. So he decides to take a rest at the Blue Bar. He doesn't have much money, but he has enough to have a few drinks.
As he is about to leave, Lumina sees him, and gives him a scarf to keep warm. The scarf is really warm, and quite expensive looking. The six foot long scarf is hand woven, and made of pure sheep's wool. The problem is that the scarf's color is tan, which doesn't really match any of Eric's clothing.
As he walks around the valley, the scarf does help a lot, but he still feels cold in his arms, and lower body. Although tolerable, it's not going to work for much longer as it gets colder. The beaches are just too close, and there is nothing blocking the chilly winds that passes through the open valley.
He can't complain too much. Even though the weather is a bit harsher than Mineral Town, the scenery is much more beautiful in Forget-Me-Not Valley. The leaves that turn golden brown, red, and yellow gives the town beauty that he has never seen before. When he first came to Mineral town, the foliage of Fall left him in awe. He never knew that there was a place that is even more beautiful in Fall.
He only wishes that Mary was with him. But the cold shoulder that used to be warmed by Mary's embrace reminds him of what he no longer has. Time after time, he also thinks of Flora. But he continues to kick himself after every though of Flora. He can't simply just forget about his former feelings for her, but he needs to remind himself that Mary is more important to him.
Before entering the bar, he takes a look downhill, and sees the beach. At this point, he gets an idea on how he can make some money. When he was new at Mineral town, he used to do some fishing to make a few bucks here and there. If only he can get a fishing rod, he should be able to catch some fish, and use Marty's shipping crate to sell them.
After planning out his idea, he walks into the bar. This is the first time coming into the Blue Bar. He has noticed it many times before, but never gave much thought about going in. Eric is not a drinker, but he has a few when special holidays came around in Mineral Town. After all that has happened since he arrived, he feels that he needs something to drink to forget his troubles, even if only for a moment.
The bar is relatively small, and not very busy. There are only enough seating for about half dozen people, and it's hardly decorated as a bar. There is a shelf that displays all sorts of liquors used to mix the drinks, and a long pub table where drinks are served and enjoyed. Other than that, you can hardly tell that it's a bar at all.
Other than Eric, there are only two other people in the bar. A middle aged man who was mixing some drinks, and a fairly young blond woman with a red dress cleaning the pub table. It doesn't take long until these two notice that they have a guest. The blond woman puts away her cleaning rag, and says, “Welcome to the Blue Bar, my name is Muffy! Have a seat, I'll get you a menu!”
Eric nods, and takes a seat. A moment later, the blond woman hands him a menu, and allows him a moment to read it. The drinks listed in the menu shocks Eric. In Mineral Town, the selection is limited, with only wine and liquor as available drinks, along with juice and water. For a small village, the menu is pretty big, with over a dozen different drink mixes, and no non-alcoholic drinks except water.
“So, what will you have?” asked Muffy.
“I'll need a moment to decide.” answered Eric as he buries his nose into the menu.
“By any chance, is your name Eric?” asked Muffy.
Eric Places the menu down and answers, “Yes I am, how did you know?”
Muffy giggles and says, “I knew it! You look just like how Flora described you! She talks about you all the time.”
“I see. . .” said Eric while hiding his embarrassed face with the menu.
Muffy pushes the menu down and says, “Hey, don't be so bashful! Talk to me, no one else is here, and I could sure use someone to talk to.”
He looks up at Muffy, and notices how attractive she is. She has creamy smooth skin, large green eyes, a tempting smile with small lips, long wavy hair that curls at the ends, a beautiful hourglass figure, and a black hair band. She is obviously flirting with him, so he looks back down at the menu and points at a random item. “I'll have that!” he said trying not to look at her.
“Right away!” said Muffy. Eric has nothing against Muffy, but the last thing he needs is another girl in his life. There are already enough to distract him from Mary.
Soon afterwards, someone else comes into the bar. Eric is too distracted to notice the other person coming in. Eric fails to notice until she hears Muffy's cheerful voice yell, “Hey Flora! Have a seat, I'll get to you in a sec.”
Eris looks to his right and finds Flora taking a seat next to him. She looks at him, and gently says, “Hi” to him. Eric tried to greet her back, but he finds himself speechless. Flora can kinda understand why he's being a bit shy, so she just sits there silently.
Soon afterwards, Muffy comes back with a martini glass and places it in front of Eric. She then turns to Flora and says, “So, this is the legendary Eric you told me all about! He's a lot cuter than I thought!”
They both turn red in embarrassment. Eric takes his glass, and swallows the whole thing in one gulp. The drink is stronger than anything he is used to, but he is able to handle it. It burned a little as it goes down, but it made Eric feel a bit better.
Flora leans over, and whispers to Muffy's ear, “Muffy, please take it easy. He's going through a lot right now, so try not to upset him.”
Muffy nods, but doesn't exactly back away. She then turns to Eric, and rests her chin against her crossed fingers and says, “So, what's your story? Where did you come from? How do you like the valley? You planning on staying forever?”
“Muffy!!” yelled Flora.
“What? I'm just trying to be friendly.” Said Muffy. She then notices Eric's glass empty, and says, “You want seconds? Don't worry, it'll be on me!” She then reaches for the glass, and touches his fingers by mistake. She pulls away and says, “Oh my, your fingers are like ice! Are you okay?”
“It's cold here.” answered Eric.
“I bet!” answered Muffy. “It's Fall already, and you're not exactly dressed for the cold weather.”
Eric looks at Muffy's clothing, with a short skirt, and a small blue jacket that hardly covers her arms, Eric replies, “You don't look bundled up either you know.”
Muffy laughs and says, “Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. I've been living here for years, I'm used to it.”
No matter how much Muffy tries to liven the mood, things still seem depressing. Eric doesn't look to lively, and Flora is keeping quiet for a change. Muffy has heard some time ago that they used to live together, and there was some feelings between them. She has not heard why are they not together anymore, but she feels that whatever happened is the cause of the blue atmosphere.
Muffy thinks for a moment. She desperately wants to liven the mood, but doesn't know how at first. She then looks at Eric's clothing, nothing warm other than his scarf that doesn't match his clothing. This sparks an idea. Before anyone knew what Muffy had planned, she walks up to her boss and says, “Griffin, is it possible that I can have the rest of the day off.”
Griffin thinks for a moment and says, “Sure, it's not too busy today. Have fun.”
She then runs to the other side of the pub table and pulls Eric's cold arm saying, “Okay, lets go! You're coming with me!”
Eric gets off his seat and says, “Wait! Where am I going?”
“Your coming to the city with me, and you're going to get some new clothes! I won't take no for an answer!”
Eric tries to interject, but Muffy continues to pull him out of the Bar until he is finally outside. Flora is speechless, her best friend has just kidnapped Eric right in front of her eyes. She wonders if she should stop them, or maybe follow them. But before long, Muffy comes back and says, “Come on, you're coming too!”
“Me?” asked Flora. “Why me?”
“You're going to help me pay for the clothes, now come on!” answered Muffy. Flora also tried to interject, but it was no use. Muffy has already decided to go shopping, and that's exactly what they are going to do.
Similar to the way Eric takes to go to Mineral Town, him, Muffy and Flora takes a ferry to the other direction to the nearest city. As they get close to the city, Eric becomes astounded at what he saw. Unlike Mineral Town that hardly changed, and Forget-Me-Not Valley that is still old fashioned, the city looks highly advanced. Nothing exaggerated, like flying cars, or moving walkways. But the cars use water or electricity instead of gas as fuel. Buildings are twice as high, and many of them connect through tube-like walkways. For the future, everything is energy efficient, and pollution has dropped severely over the past 100 years.
Muffy takes them to a nearby mall in the city where she can get some new clothes for Eric. Surprisingly, the clothes are not like the science fiction movies he's seen when he was younger. Everyone buys the same clothes that they once wore 100 years ago, but with better styles and quality. The style that is popular for in that year is a punk/casual/dressy mix including dark colors such as black, gray, deep blue, and some red. Leather is in style, but for summer. Cotton and suede are more in for Fall and Winter.
Flora and Eric just watch Muffy with amazement as she zips from one pile of clothes to another as she picks out some clothes that may look good on her new friend Eric. Flora wanted to help, but she's not very fashion conscious like her friend Muffy is, so she allows her to do the shopping.
After about an hour, Muffy piles some clothes on Eric's arms, and shoves him into a changing room so he can try them on. At first, he had some trouble trying to figure out what shirts go with what pants, but he is able to figure it out after a while. Soon enough, he opens the changing room, showing off his new self.
The first outfit he tries on is a black shirt with three open buttons at the collar. Over the shirt, there is a red jacket that is decorated with dark scarlet flames. He also wears a black leather laced rope with onyx pieces hanging off of it spaced one inch apart. His pants are light gray jeans with Japanese style patterns on his left leg. His shoes are brown casual boots no higher than his ankle.
Muffy claps as she sees the newly transformed Eric before him. Even Flora nods in appraisal, but tries hard not to look at him too much. Seeing him look so good only makes her feel attracted to him all over again.
The other set of clothes he tries on afterwards is something used for winter. A long black coat that reaches only a foot above the floor. A dirty blue sweater that matches perfectly with the coat and the scarf that Lumina gave him. He also wears a pair of black-brown heavy cotton pants that should keep him warm in those cold winter days. He uses the same boots for either set of clothes.
Muffy jumps up and down while clapping as she sees Eric in his Winter clothes. Flora also praises Eric, and tells him that he looks great in his new clothes. Eric does try on other clothes, but his two favorite styles are the first two he showed them. And with that out of the way, both Muffy and Flora paid for the clothes and left for the valley. Eric did promise to pay them back, but the girls try to tell them that he doesn't have to.
By the end of the shopping spree, evening has already come. Because it got a little bit colder, Eric decides to wear his Fall outfit home. After thinking about it for a moment, since Muffy has kidnapped him to go to the city, he has forgotten his troubles for the day, and had a little bit of fun.
He thanks Muffy after they go back to the valley, and he walks Flora back to the tent. He then returns to the Mansion, and quickly falls asleep. It was a long day for Eric, but at least he has the chance to rest now. Meanwhile, Flick is going absolutely bananas trying to look for Eric, but still couldn't find him. He searched through the mansion earlier, but Eric was not even in town for the day.
Flick takes a few deep breaths while standing on top of Marty's house and yells, “Damn you! Eric, where are you! If I don't find you, I won't get my date with the beautiful Goddess from Mineral Town!”
To be continued.
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