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Post by Juxapose on Jul 21, 2013 14:51:14 GMT -5
Epilogue
"The next thing I remember, you brought me back to life and gave me a second chance at life. Sure, a hundred years had passed since then, and you more or less made me work on this farm. But things are not bad." Kanon then takes his last bite of his sandwich and concludes, "And that's my story, the end."
"Wow, that was a great story!" cheered the witch. "I had no idea that you had that kind of life. I always thought you were only a simple boring farmer."
Kanon laughs and says, "Yeah, but so much has changed since then. Most farms are modernized with machinery. Cities are bigger than they ever were. And everyone I know died a long time ago."
"Speaking of which. . . Your wife passed on a long time ago too. Have you ever considered meeting someone new? Start a fresh brand new life?"
Kanon thinks for a moment and sighs sadly, "I admit, I have. I did date a couple of girls here in the valley, but nothing ever lasts. Thinking about it, I never had a chance to say goodbye to Elli. Maybe things would have been easier if I died slowly, and told her how much she meant to me. Then say farewell as my last words. You know, like the old dramas from back in my day. But I never had the chance. I was too careless with my own life, and I lost the only chance I had with the perfect woman. I guess there is no such thing as Enishi after all."
Seeing that sad look in his face makes the witch feel guilty. Nobody in the world can even imagine what sort of pain Kanon is going through. To die first, and live without the one he loves the most. There is a silent moment, but the witch comes up with an idea.
The witch stands and places her hand on his shoulder and says, "Would you like to see her again?"
Kanon looks up at her and asks, "You can do that?"
The witch smiles and says, "of course. Did you forget who I am. I am the Witch Princess! There isn't much I can't do."
Without a moment to think it over, Kanon stands up and says, "please, I want to see Elli."
The witch nods, and then takes him to her hut. A dark and magical place filled with magical items, potions, and old relics of the ancient days long before Kanon was even born. She leads him to the back of her hut where they find a magical mirror. "Take a look," ordered the witch.
Kanon takes a long hard look at the mirror, but sees nothing other than his reflection. Disappointed, Kanon takes a deep breath and says, "is this some sort of joke? This is not Elli, just our reflections."
"Don't be skeptical, just keep looking," responded the witch.
Kanon decides to give it one more try. He stares long and hard at the mirror, but nothing seems to happen. As he looks deep into the glass, the witch places a finger on the reflection, and the image ripples like water. As the ripples clear, Kanon begins to see a memory of time. Soon enough, he is able to see his wife through the mirror.
Reflecting from the glass, Kanon sees Elli dressed like she always did. But she is older than he remembers her. By her appearance, Elli is now in her mid thirties; roughly ten years after Kanon passed away. Other than the obvious signs of aging, Elli looks the same. Same hair style, same nurse outfit, same beautiful smile.
The witch sighs and says, "the mirror shows you what you want to see. Based on the reflection, you're curious about what happened to her after you passed on?"
Kanon nods and says, "looks like she did fine. She got her old job back, and she's doing what she loves to do. Even after ten years, she still looks beautiful! She's just working there at the clinic. . . Like if I was never there."
A single tear drips from Kanon's eye. He has no idea how to feel. He wonders for a moment if Elli loved him as much as he did, or is there another reason she's doing so well without him? He continues to watch the image for a while looking for something, a single clue. The witch looks at him and asks, "what are you looking for in there?"
"I want to know if maybe Elli got remarried. I know that it was so long ago, and I can't do a thing about the past. But for some reason, I want to know. . ."
The witch smiles for Kanon and says, "I really don't think she needed to."
Kanon turns to the witch and asks, "what does that mean?"
"Mommy!" yelled the voice of a child. Kanon gasps, frozen solid. He then slowly looks into the mirror once more, and sees a small boy run into Elli's arms. A child who looks exactly like Kanon, only smaller. Based on the young boy's size, he must be around nine or ten years old. He never knew, but Elli is holding Kanon's son.
Tears freely flow from Kanon's eyes as he tells himself, "I guess she found out. . . after I died. . . And she had him. . . And raised him. . . All by herself. . ."
Curious to know more, Pete watches scene after scene of how his son grew up. Starting from the day he was born, to his school days, the day he graduated medical school and became a doctor. He even watched the day his son got married, and started a family of his own.
The visions were too much for Kanon to handle; he breaks down and cries tears of sorrow. He only made a single mistake, and it costed him more than he had ever imagined. Not only did he lose his chance to be a loving husband to Elli, but he lost his chance to be a father as well.
The witch tried to comfort Kanon, but nothing she can ever say can even begin to ease the pain he is going through. In a matter of minutes, Kanon watched his own son grow up before his very eyes. A son who had to grow up without him. A son who was raised by a woman without the man she loves. He could only imagine Elli crying every night after looking into her son's face.
After an hour, Kanon sobs one last time and stands up. The witch stood by his side the whole time. Looking into the empty mirror, Kanon makes a final decision.
"Witch Princess. I need you to do something for me."
"Anything Kanon. Just name it."
Kanon takes a deep breath before saying, "I want to go back."
The witch looks puzzled and asks, "What do you mean by 'go back'"?
"I want to go back. . . to the afterlife. I want to be with Elli now."
The witch Gasps and says, "Kanon. . . You can't be serious! I mean, you have a second chance to live a full healthy life. I know that what you missed is hard, but it happened so long ago. Just give it time, you'll love again, and have a new family to call your own."
"No!" Kanon said sternly. "Please unserstand, nobody can take her place in my life. Even if I have a second chance at life; without Elli, I have no life. She was my life, my soul mate. She raised my son on her own without me. It's not fair that I have to be alive, and she is not."
The witch takes a moment, but decides to grant Kanon's request. Undoing the resurrection spell is easy enough. So she brings him back to the place where he was resurrected. Opening her spell book, she begins to recite the same spell she chanted to bring Kanon back from the dead. A gateway between the living and the dead opens in front of them. A white door filled with the spirits of those waiting for their loved ones to join them.
The witch sighs and says, "this is it. Just enter the gate, and you'll be gone forever. But before you go in, I want you to think about this one last time. I cannot bring you back again once you step through."
Before the witch finishes her speech, Kanon embraces her from behind. A warm grateful hug that even touches the soul of a witch. She feels a few teardrops falling from his eyes; she even sheds some of her own.
"Thank you," says Kanon. "Thank you for everything."
Slowly but gracefully, Kanon lets go and walks to the gate. As he gets closer, he begins to run. Finally, he jumps through the white light and enters the world of the afterlife. Inside, he passes the souls of everyone he once knew. His family, his friends, and those he met in Mineral Town. Everyone waves and welcomes him back, but he is not interested in anyone but one person.
Deep inside, he finds his wife dressed in her usual nurse outfit. He rushes to her, and embraces her tenderly. He then looks into her eyes and says, "Elli, I am so sorry, I-"
Elli places her finger on his lips and looks deep into his eyes. They then hold each other like if they never plan to let go, and they kiss. At this point, the witch closes the gate ending Kanon's life forever. She should feel guilty for what she had done, but she finds herself shedding tears of joy. Happy to reunite two souls bound by Enishi. A bond that cannot be broken by time or distance.
"Rest in peace Kanon," said the witch. "May your love shine on for the rest of eternity."
The end.
Credits:
This Fanfic is based off the Harvest Moon: Back to Nature and Harvest Moon: DS games. Juxapose4ever does not assume ownership of copywritten materials or names belonging to Marvelous Interactive, Victor Interactive, Marucome, or Natume.
This entire Fanfic was Written by Juxapose4ever for fans of Harvest Moon, or other people who just love to read. Thanks for reading.
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