Year: OneSeason: Spring
Day: One
Takakura led me into a small valley green with the touch of spring. A soft wind blew across the valley floor and the sun shone brightly overhead. I didn’t know the reason why Takakura brought me to this peaceful place. As we walked towards an unknown destination, we passed a farm with three rows of greenhouses and turning windmills in the background. We crossed a small wooden bridge that led us over a bubbling stream so clear and blue that it sparkled like a gem in the sunlight. We turned up a dirt road and at its end, revealed a farm with green pastures, unplowed fields, and a few old buildings. Takakura saw the surprised look on my face and laughed. He asked me what I thought of the place. I gave a slight nod, it was a beautiful land filled with life and joy. He asked me if I would work the farm and live here in this valley. I could only stare at Takakura as I tried to process his request. Seeing how my mind was whirling, he began to explain himself. When he and my father were young they had stumbled upon this serene place called Forget-Me-Not Valley. They dreamed of moving here and working the land with their own hands. After my father passed on, Takakura had hoped that I would keep both his and my father’s dream alive by taking up the task of working the farm.
I gazed upon the old farm; it needed a lot of dedication and work to get it functioning again. I wasn’t raised a farmer and didn’t know where to even begin. But the forlorn look in Takakura’s eyes and the responsibility I felt in keeping my father’s wishes helped me to find the courage I needed to attempt this monumental task. I nodded my head in confidence and joy spread across Takakura’s face. He was ecstatic with my decision and promised to assist me in any way that he could. His suntanned skin showed that he had spent many years outdoors and his black hair was trimmed short to deal with the summer heat. I had faith that he could help me very much with the farm. The first order of business was to name my new farm. After much deliberation, I finally made my choice – Hyde Farm. Takakura then took me around the valley and introduced me to the locals. I won’t get into too much detail about these folks yet, but safe to say, they are all friendly and a great group of people.
After we returned from our tour of the valley, Takakura introduced me to the cow he bought for me. A Normal Cow, black and white in color, Miel is very friendly and eats a lot. She likes to have a set schedule and hates it when I’m late. He showed me how to milk Miel and where to put the items I wished to sell. As Takakura finished explaining a few of the particulars of running a farm, two stray dogs approached us. One was blonde in color with pointy ears and a blue bandana around its neck. The other looked orange, had floppy ears, and wore a red bandana. Takakura stated that he wasn’t too fond of dogs so I could only have one. I picked the one with the red bandana because I loved his floppy ears. I named him Hiei and Takakura said he would build him a dog house later that afternoon. The first day of spring wasn’t even over and I already had two animals in my care. I had a feeling that I would get many more as the seasons passed by. Takakura took his leave to build the dog house and I was officially left on my own to run Hyde Farm.
The first thing I did was pick up my tools in the shed that stood next to the barn. There were two Tomato Seeds on the shelf as well as a Heavy Hoe and Heavy Sickle hanging on the wall. I put them into my Rucksack and entered the barn. Because of the nice weather, I called Miel outside to the pastures to graze. After making sure that she and Hiei were alright on their own, I hurried down the road and back over the bridge. It was late afternoon and most of the day was gone, I had no time to lose. I approached the farm with the greenhouses and windmills and knocked on the door of the main house. The people welcomed me warmly and invited me in. Takakura had introduced us earlier when he took me on a tour of the valley. The farm is owned by Vesta who grows many crops to sell in town and to ship to the city. She is a large woman who was built to work in the fields. Her reddish-orange hair fits her boisterous personality. Her brother, Marlin, helps with the farm work. His curly black hair doesn’t seem to fit the look of a farmer and you can never tell when he’s joking or being sarcastic, the former is usually true. Celia, a family friend, recently moved in to help them. She holds her light brown hair back with a handkerchief to keep it from getting in the way of her work. Her quiet and kind personality seems to be the total opposite of Vesta who is always outgoing. Takakura had clearly pointed out that Celia was one of four eligible women in Forget-Me-Not Valley and that I should try to find a bride before the year was out. I ignored the comment knowing very well that I had little time on my hands for such things. The one important piece of information Takakura did offer was that I could buy seeds from Vesta . . . and that was the very reason for the visit.
When I walked inside, Vesta was nowhere to be found. Marlin and Celia explained that she was in the storage house that sat near the greenhouses. Celia told me that she would be happy to fulfill my seed orders. I had a very serious choice in my hands. Should I buy seeds for only the spring season and hope to turn a quick profit or should I plan ahead and prepare for the winter and next spring? After much careful thought, I decided to go with the latter, knowing that Miel wouldn’t provide milk forever. So I spent my 3000g startup money on a variety of fruit trees that would take roughly a full year to mature. I had two unplowed fields on the farm. The closest to my house had relatively unfertile soil and it would be unwise to use it to produce the normal seasonal crops. Fruit trees however, are much sturdier and should survive just fine in that field. The field itself was seven squares long and five squares high. Because of the size of fruit trees, I couldn’t plant them too close together. I devised a pattern that would maximize field yet allow for the necessary space for the trees to grow.
5 x o x o x o x
4 o x o x o x o
3 x o x o x o x
2 o x o x o x o
1 x o x o x o x
I bought six Peach Seeds which I planted in rows two, four, and six. I also bought three Apple Seeds which I planted in row one, three Grape Seeds which I planted in row three, and three Banana Seeds which I planted in row seven. I couldn’t afford to pick up everything that I wanted so I decided to put off planting Orange Seeds for a few days. In addition to everything mentioned, I also bought three more Tomato Seeds as well as two bags of Fertilizer. Once I had made all of my purchases, I bid Marlin and Celia adieu and hurried back home. I plowed the first field and planted all of my fruit seeds. I was surprised at how heavy the hoe was and I found myself exhausted after every row. But I couldn’t rest and quickly moved onto the next field. The second field is much more fertile and is five squares across and seven squares long. To save on time and to save my body, I only plowed the first five squares and planted my Tomato Seeds.
It was only 5:30pm but I was beat. I watered the Tomato Seeds (fruit trees do not need to be individually watered), fertilized the pastures, and went to see how Miel was doing. I called her inside, milked her again, and fed her. I left the barn and entered the storage house where I put the milk for Takakura to take to the city and sell. I’m grateful that he’s willing to leave every morning at 5:30am and take the long hike to the city to sell all the goods that the farm produces. I could sell my products in town but it saves me so much time to have Takakura take care of the business side of things. After preparing the milk for shipping, I exited the storage house and slowly walked towards my house. Hiei came bounding up to me and I gave him a pat on the head. I saw that Takakura finished his dog house and reminded myself to thank him in the morning. Before I could enter my house, I was approached by three curious looking creatures. “Sprite” is the only word that comes to mind to describe them. They announced themselves as Nik, Nak, and Flak and welcomed me to Forget-Me-Not Valley. They said that they were Harvest Sprites and would watch over my progress with much interest. After they left, I entered my house and recorded my progress of the day in my journal. I was so profoundly exhausted that once I laid my head on my pillow, I fell soundly asleep.
