Disclaimer: Harvest Moon is the property of Natsume. Not that I need a
disclaimer, considering that the whole purpose of this site is to write
about things owned by other people. This is the super-new version of this
story. It's the same thing, but devoid of author's notes, punctuation
errors, and the problems in my personal life during freshman year. I'm
older now, if not by very much, and I understand that it's tedious to read
so much of that. This is the only note from me in the whole story. Read on.
Jack walked away from his crying mother. His dad had been lecturing him all day, talking about "responsibility" and "mortgage" and "why didn't you go to college?" Jack was tired of it. No more lectures. No more wet spots on his shirt from Mom. He was going to that farm, and he was going now.
He waited at the bus stop, thinking over his life. A couple of summers on Grandpa's farm had permanently glued themselves to his brain. A small town, a lovely mountainside, old tales of a Harvest Goddess, and nice people: how could life get any better? During the school year, he would let his mind wander back to the farm. His grades dropped severely, and nobody ever talked to the "Space Case" in the corner of the room. Jack was not a very sociable man. He tended to let others begin their conversations. In fact, he rarely said anything to people. It seemed that every time he walked up to someone, they would talk to him...it was almost as if Jack were pushing a button.
Jack just couldn't stand the city life. It seemed like nobody understood him. So when he heard that Grandpa had died and needed a successor, he grabbed the opportunity. Sure, all he had done as a child was milk a cow or two, and gather the mountain's gifts for his grandfather to sell, but he could do it! Many people would think the job too lonely, but not Jack! The Weirdo, the Freak, the Outcaste...he was leaving all of that behind, and returning to the place where he belonged.
Jack packed up his belongings and hopped a bus to that far off village he loved. He didn't bring too much with him; Grandpa had everything Jack needed at that little shack of his. As the bus drove slowly across the countryside, he stared out of the window, dreaming. 'It's all over now,' he thought. 'Now, my life is really gonna begin! I'll settle down on a quiet farm, make friends, buy some livestock...might even raise my own family!' Jack's dreaming went on like this for the whole trip. Finally, he could be happy!
Soon, or so it seemed to Jack, the bus arrived at his stop. It was approximately five miles to the old farm from the stop, but it was nothing to Jack's well-rested feet. He dreamed as he went, wondering if anyone would remember him, or if he would remember them. Soon, the silo on the farm loomed up before him. Jack smiled a rare smile, and half-ran into the little shack that was his grandfather's. He choked on the dust clouds that flew up to greet him. 'I've got to get this place cleaned up,' he thought as he cleared his throat of dust.
He emerged a few hours later, covered in the grime from inside his home. He looked up, and was startled to find a boy standing on his farm. "Hey," said the guy. "You're the guy who bought the farm, right?"
Jack nodded, and wondered at this guy's choice of words. "What's your name?"
"Jack," said Jack, actually speaking. The boy nodded. "I'm the shipper. Why don't you come to town with me and meet the villagers?"
Before Jack could reply, he found himself in the shipper's truck, driving the extremely short distance to town. He couldn't remember getting out of the truck, but was suddenly standing inside of the town, with the shipper blocking the exit.
"Why don't you go meet the villagers?" he asked in a commanding tone. Jack sighed and walked off to the closest building, a flower shop.
A lady with pink hair was at the counter. Jack's eyes widened. "Oh, you must be Jack," said the lady, smiling. Jack's eyes widened even more. The lady laughed. "Of course you wouldn't remember me," she said. "You were just a little boy the last time you came. It's been fifteen years...that would make you twenty-one now, right?"
Jack nodded. "So big now! My Nina's grown quite a bit, too. She's in her room, if you'd like to talk to her." The florist shot him a glance. Jack shrugged and headed toward the room, wondering how people could give such commanding looks.
***
As soon as he walked in the room, Jack was pounced on by a pink ball of doom that looked disturbingly like the lady at the counter. He assumed that this was Nina. "MAN!!!" she screamed, and started tearing at his shirt.
Jack decided that this would be a good time to say something. "AHHH! RAPE!!" he yelled. He socked the girl in the chin, and she flew to the other side of the room, landing, frog-like, on all fours. "Nina need man!" screamed the girl.
Jack now had time to see what she looked like. She was thin, with bright pink hair like her mother's. The difference was that the florist's hair was short and well kept, and this girl's was long and tangled. She wore a pink dress that looked like it used to be quite pretty, but was now reduced to shreds of dirty pink fabric. Her eyes burned a blazing, lustful red, and she was frothing at the mouth.
"Give Nina man!" she shrieked. Nina crawled toward him. Jack backed away, feeling the wall. 'Good Nina,' thought Jack reaching for something to throw at her.
His hands encountered a flower, and he thrust it out in front of him. Nina stopped advancing, and her eyes widened in interest. "Flower...Ooooo," she said.
Jack thought quickly. "Yeah," he said. "For you." Nina took the flower, and stroked it happily. "You...like Nina?" she asked hopefully. Jack nodded. Nina smiled, revealing sharp, gleaming fangs. "Nina like cake," she said.
Jack nodded again. "I'll...get cake for you, then," he said. Nina backed off, and started to run around like a hyper child. "Cake for Nina! Cake for Nina! Yay!" Jack slowly edged away, and slipped out of the room, closing the door gently behind him.
"Have a good time?" asked the florist. Jack nodded, scared as hell. The florist smiled. "Here, have a watering can," she said. He took it, nodded thankfully, and then ran out of there as fast as legs could carry him.
The next building he saw was the church. 'Thank God,' he thought. 'There's gotta be somebody normal in there.' A man with a long face and blue robes stood outside of the church. He had a cross printed over his heart, and a little white collar. Jack figured that he was a priest. "Hello, my son," said the priest, turning his head to face him. "You must be Jack." Jack nodded. "Welcome." Jack smiled and walked past the priest, who continued standing and staring off in the same direction. 'Weird people,' thought Jack.
As Jack approached the church, he heard noises off to the side. "Ohh...ahh..." said the voice. 'Oh no! Someone's hurt!' Jack rushed off, running behind the church. A little blonde boy was sitting on a rock, jacking off. "Ohhh....Maria....oh yeah..." Jack's eyes widened. He slowly backed away and entered the church.
A girl with blue hair stood in the center aisle. She was dressed like a nun. Jack wondered about the strange hair colors here. "Hello," said the girl. "My name is Maria. Nice to meet you." Jack smiled uneasily and waved. "Have you come here to pray?" He thought about what he had just seen, and decided that praying would be a good idea. He nodded. "You're very pious," said Maria with a gleam in her eye. Jack walked over to the statue of the Harvest Goddess and knelt down to pray.
'Mother Goddess, forgive me...I have seen something so horrible...'
Jack thought he heard a voice. 'Why are you sorry you saw something? It wasn't your fault, you dumbass! It wasn't like you could help it! I mean really, what were you supposed to do, gouge your eyes out to avoid seeing? What the fuck is wrong with you?!?'
Jack's eyes widened, startled. 'Well...um...Mother Goddess...I...' This time, the voice screamed at him. 'You what? I'm so fuckin' tired of people coming in here and complaining about their stupid little "mistakes"! "Mother Goddess, I saw something naughty!" "Mother Goddess, I didn't take a shower last night!" "Mother Goddess, I was born a man!" It's not your fuckin' FAULT! If you kill someone or commit adultery, that'd be good, as long as you told me alllll about it! But no! You have to come complain about some dumbass problem! Well, you know what? I don't give a damn! Go tell your fuckin' mommy!'
Jack slowly backed away from the statue. Maria turned to him. "Did the Goddess forgive your sins?" she asked. Jack nodded. "Isn't she so gracious?" Jack smiled and ran out of the church.
Jack walked away from his crying mother. His dad had been lecturing him all day, talking about "responsibility" and "mortgage" and "why didn't you go to college?" Jack was tired of it. No more lectures. No more wet spots on his shirt from Mom. He was going to that farm, and he was going now.
He waited at the bus stop, thinking over his life. A couple of summers on Grandpa's farm had permanently glued themselves to his brain. A small town, a lovely mountainside, old tales of a Harvest Goddess, and nice people: how could life get any better? During the school year, he would let his mind wander back to the farm. His grades dropped severely, and nobody ever talked to the "Space Case" in the corner of the room. Jack was not a very sociable man. He tended to let others begin their conversations. In fact, he rarely said anything to people. It seemed that every time he walked up to someone, they would talk to him...it was almost as if Jack were pushing a button.
Jack just couldn't stand the city life. It seemed like nobody understood him. So when he heard that Grandpa had died and needed a successor, he grabbed the opportunity. Sure, all he had done as a child was milk a cow or two, and gather the mountain's gifts for his grandfather to sell, but he could do it! Many people would think the job too lonely, but not Jack! The Weirdo, the Freak, the Outcaste...he was leaving all of that behind, and returning to the place where he belonged.
Jack packed up his belongings and hopped a bus to that far off village he loved. He didn't bring too much with him; Grandpa had everything Jack needed at that little shack of his. As the bus drove slowly across the countryside, he stared out of the window, dreaming. 'It's all over now,' he thought. 'Now, my life is really gonna begin! I'll settle down on a quiet farm, make friends, buy some livestock...might even raise my own family!' Jack's dreaming went on like this for the whole trip. Finally, he could be happy!
Soon, or so it seemed to Jack, the bus arrived at his stop. It was approximately five miles to the old farm from the stop, but it was nothing to Jack's well-rested feet. He dreamed as he went, wondering if anyone would remember him, or if he would remember them. Soon, the silo on the farm loomed up before him. Jack smiled a rare smile, and half-ran into the little shack that was his grandfather's. He choked on the dust clouds that flew up to greet him. 'I've got to get this place cleaned up,' he thought as he cleared his throat of dust.
He emerged a few hours later, covered in the grime from inside his home. He looked up, and was startled to find a boy standing on his farm. "Hey," said the guy. "You're the guy who bought the farm, right?"
Jack nodded, and wondered at this guy's choice of words. "What's your name?"
"Jack," said Jack, actually speaking. The boy nodded. "I'm the shipper. Why don't you come to town with me and meet the villagers?"
Before Jack could reply, he found himself in the shipper's truck, driving the extremely short distance to town. He couldn't remember getting out of the truck, but was suddenly standing inside of the town, with the shipper blocking the exit.
"Why don't you go meet the villagers?" he asked in a commanding tone. Jack sighed and walked off to the closest building, a flower shop.
A lady with pink hair was at the counter. Jack's eyes widened. "Oh, you must be Jack," said the lady, smiling. Jack's eyes widened even more. The lady laughed. "Of course you wouldn't remember me," she said. "You were just a little boy the last time you came. It's been fifteen years...that would make you twenty-one now, right?"
Jack nodded. "So big now! My Nina's grown quite a bit, too. She's in her room, if you'd like to talk to her." The florist shot him a glance. Jack shrugged and headed toward the room, wondering how people could give such commanding looks.
***
As soon as he walked in the room, Jack was pounced on by a pink ball of doom that looked disturbingly like the lady at the counter. He assumed that this was Nina. "MAN!!!" she screamed, and started tearing at his shirt.
Jack decided that this would be a good time to say something. "AHHH! RAPE!!" he yelled. He socked the girl in the chin, and she flew to the other side of the room, landing, frog-like, on all fours. "Nina need man!" screamed the girl.
Jack now had time to see what she looked like. She was thin, with bright pink hair like her mother's. The difference was that the florist's hair was short and well kept, and this girl's was long and tangled. She wore a pink dress that looked like it used to be quite pretty, but was now reduced to shreds of dirty pink fabric. Her eyes burned a blazing, lustful red, and she was frothing at the mouth.
"Give Nina man!" she shrieked. Nina crawled toward him. Jack backed away, feeling the wall. 'Good Nina,' thought Jack reaching for something to throw at her.
His hands encountered a flower, and he thrust it out in front of him. Nina stopped advancing, and her eyes widened in interest. "Flower...Ooooo," she said.
Jack thought quickly. "Yeah," he said. "For you." Nina took the flower, and stroked it happily. "You...like Nina?" she asked hopefully. Jack nodded. Nina smiled, revealing sharp, gleaming fangs. "Nina like cake," she said.
Jack nodded again. "I'll...get cake for you, then," he said. Nina backed off, and started to run around like a hyper child. "Cake for Nina! Cake for Nina! Yay!" Jack slowly edged away, and slipped out of the room, closing the door gently behind him.
"Have a good time?" asked the florist. Jack nodded, scared as hell. The florist smiled. "Here, have a watering can," she said. He took it, nodded thankfully, and then ran out of there as fast as legs could carry him.
The next building he saw was the church. 'Thank God,' he thought. 'There's gotta be somebody normal in there.' A man with a long face and blue robes stood outside of the church. He had a cross printed over his heart, and a little white collar. Jack figured that he was a priest. "Hello, my son," said the priest, turning his head to face him. "You must be Jack." Jack nodded. "Welcome." Jack smiled and walked past the priest, who continued standing and staring off in the same direction. 'Weird people,' thought Jack.
As Jack approached the church, he heard noises off to the side. "Ohh...ahh..." said the voice. 'Oh no! Someone's hurt!' Jack rushed off, running behind the church. A little blonde boy was sitting on a rock, jacking off. "Ohhh....Maria....oh yeah..." Jack's eyes widened. He slowly backed away and entered the church.
A girl with blue hair stood in the center aisle. She was dressed like a nun. Jack wondered about the strange hair colors here. "Hello," said the girl. "My name is Maria. Nice to meet you." Jack smiled uneasily and waved. "Have you come here to pray?" He thought about what he had just seen, and decided that praying would be a good idea. He nodded. "You're very pious," said Maria with a gleam in her eye. Jack walked over to the statue of the Harvest Goddess and knelt down to pray.
'Mother Goddess, forgive me...I have seen something so horrible...'
Jack thought he heard a voice. 'Why are you sorry you saw something? It wasn't your fault, you dumbass! It wasn't like you could help it! I mean really, what were you supposed to do, gouge your eyes out to avoid seeing? What the fuck is wrong with you?!?'
Jack's eyes widened, startled. 'Well...um...Mother Goddess...I...' This time, the voice screamed at him. 'You what? I'm so fuckin' tired of people coming in here and complaining about their stupid little "mistakes"! "Mother Goddess, I saw something naughty!" "Mother Goddess, I didn't take a shower last night!" "Mother Goddess, I was born a man!" It's not your fuckin' FAULT! If you kill someone or commit adultery, that'd be good, as long as you told me alllll about it! But no! You have to come complain about some dumbass problem! Well, you know what? I don't give a damn! Go tell your fuckin' mommy!'
Jack slowly backed away from the statue. Maria turned to him. "Did the Goddess forgive your sins?" she asked. Jack nodded. "Isn't she so gracious?" Jack smiled and ran out of the church.