Jack looked up from his garden work, a smile on his grimy face. He loved the feel of the sun on his back, and the cooling effect the spring breeze had on his sweaty brow and arms, but most of all, he liked the feeling of a job well done.
"Ah, springtime on the farm!" Jack though, pleased with himself. "If there's a finer life, I haven't found it yet!"
He bent back over his work, hoeing the fields in manageable plots, ready for seeds, when he slowly became aware of some incessant noise. Towards the northern edge of his farm, his dog, Bandit, was barking at two figures coming in from the town.
"Bandit!," Jack called, leaning on his hoe. "Get over here!"
"Oh, it's no problem whatsoever! No problem!" The approaching figure resolved into a short, squat man with a partly-bald dome of a head, and brush-like moustache, dressed entirely in red, right down to his top hat. Even then, however, Jack recognized the mayor by his voice. Beside him, Jack saw, was Karen, one of the prettiest girls in town. She was dressed in her familiar and casual denim shorts with hiking boots, in a purple and white top.
Jack nearly stumbled as he dropped his hoe, and felt his cheeks heat up with embarrassment. He stared at his feet, and risked stealing a peek at Karen-and was surprised to find her blushing as well. As she tucked one of her two blonde-highlighted bangs away from her face, he wondered at the fact that he had never seen her do anything remotely feminine before. But, NOW... now, he was learning a lot of other things about her recently....
"Hello, Jack," she said, smiling, and then produced a plate of blackened round things from behind her back. "I made some cookies, uh, for you. I understand if you don't, um, want...to...eat them?" Both her eyes and voice betrayed her doubt in her own cooking ability.
"I'm sure it's fine!" Jack smiled at her confidently as he picked one up, but he did a double-take as he turned to take a bite out of...whatever it was. Did she say it was a cookie?! He scratched his head, perplexed.
"You don't....um, have to eat it," Karen said. "I know I'm still learning, and besides, Ann is a much better cook than I am...."
Jack was about to protest and, to his horror, eat the cookie she'd made just to make her feel better, but suddenly the mayor snatched it out of his hands and tossed it back to the plate.
"No time for that, no time," the mayor said, wiping the charred streaks from his white-gloved fingers on his red coat. "Kai and Jamal, not to mention the other townsfolk, are all waiting for us by the beach!" Experimentally, he licked his fingers and immediately spat in revulsion.
"Uh...a bug flew into my mouth," he said lamely, as Karen looked at him to see what was the matter.
"Oh, it must have been awful!" Karen made a face, and stuck out her tongue.
"It was, it was," the mayor replied, his eyes tearing.
Jack took the plate of cookies from Karen and headed back to his house, but as he passed the mayor, he thought he saw a meaningful wink that seemed to say, "You owe me one, boy." Jack decided not to ask about it.
As Jack joined up with Karen and the mayor, he asked why Kai was in Mineral Village at all. Kai, the dark-skinned sailor from abroad, always came the first day of summer to open the Seaside Lodge, but it was still the 23rd day of Spring! As it turned out, Kai was handing the restaurant over to his brother, Jamal, and wanted to show him the ropes and introduce him to the townspeople before business officially opened.
Jack nodded as the mayor explained all this to him, and Karen gave furtive side-long glances and secret smiles to him, but he was too wrapped up in his own thoughts: What kind of name was Jamal?
"Ah, springtime on the farm!" Jack though, pleased with himself. "If there's a finer life, I haven't found it yet!"
He bent back over his work, hoeing the fields in manageable plots, ready for seeds, when he slowly became aware of some incessant noise. Towards the northern edge of his farm, his dog, Bandit, was barking at two figures coming in from the town.
"Bandit!," Jack called, leaning on his hoe. "Get over here!"
"Oh, it's no problem whatsoever! No problem!" The approaching figure resolved into a short, squat man with a partly-bald dome of a head, and brush-like moustache, dressed entirely in red, right down to his top hat. Even then, however, Jack recognized the mayor by his voice. Beside him, Jack saw, was Karen, one of the prettiest girls in town. She was dressed in her familiar and casual denim shorts with hiking boots, in a purple and white top.
Jack nearly stumbled as he dropped his hoe, and felt his cheeks heat up with embarrassment. He stared at his feet, and risked stealing a peek at Karen-and was surprised to find her blushing as well. As she tucked one of her two blonde-highlighted bangs away from her face, he wondered at the fact that he had never seen her do anything remotely feminine before. But, NOW... now, he was learning a lot of other things about her recently....
"Hello, Jack," she said, smiling, and then produced a plate of blackened round things from behind her back. "I made some cookies, uh, for you. I understand if you don't, um, want...to...eat them?" Both her eyes and voice betrayed her doubt in her own cooking ability.
"I'm sure it's fine!" Jack smiled at her confidently as he picked one up, but he did a double-take as he turned to take a bite out of...whatever it was. Did she say it was a cookie?! He scratched his head, perplexed.
"You don't....um, have to eat it," Karen said. "I know I'm still learning, and besides, Ann is a much better cook than I am...."
Jack was about to protest and, to his horror, eat the cookie she'd made just to make her feel better, but suddenly the mayor snatched it out of his hands and tossed it back to the plate.
"No time for that, no time," the mayor said, wiping the charred streaks from his white-gloved fingers on his red coat. "Kai and Jamal, not to mention the other townsfolk, are all waiting for us by the beach!" Experimentally, he licked his fingers and immediately spat in revulsion.
"Uh...a bug flew into my mouth," he said lamely, as Karen looked at him to see what was the matter.
"Oh, it must have been awful!" Karen made a face, and stuck out her tongue.
"It was, it was," the mayor replied, his eyes tearing.
Jack took the plate of cookies from Karen and headed back to his house, but as he passed the mayor, he thought he saw a meaningful wink that seemed to say, "You owe me one, boy." Jack decided not to ask about it.
As Jack joined up with Karen and the mayor, he asked why Kai was in Mineral Village at all. Kai, the dark-skinned sailor from abroad, always came the first day of summer to open the Seaside Lodge, but it was still the 23rd day of Spring! As it turned out, Kai was handing the restaurant over to his brother, Jamal, and wanted to show him the ropes and introduce him to the townspeople before business officially opened.
Jack nodded as the mayor explained all this to him, and Karen gave furtive side-long glances and secret smiles to him, but he was too wrapped up in his own thoughts: What kind of name was Jamal?