Breaking Away From Here-Harvest Moon Animal Parade Fan fiction

Unavailable, Away, or Missing?

After the day Father took my sapphire away, it was hard to forgive him. "C'mon, Beatrice. He needed the money!" Finn kept trying to convince me to not stay angry at him. I shook my head. "He only meant well...," he kept trying to explain. I ignored him. Why should I forgive Father? Every one in this house didn't forgive me for getting lost in Agon Forest for the longest, I thought.

"Beatrice, can you help set table?" Mother called. I climbed down the ladder and did as she told. She set the food down in the middle of the table, then we both sat down. Unexpectedly,  we had to wait for Father. We never had to wait for Father. He always swung in right when we were setting table. What could possibly be keeping him?

We waited until 18:20, then Mother said he was probably working over time and we could just start without him. We ate, but kept picking at our food. Every once in awhile Mother would get up and look out the window, pace, then sit down to try and eat again. Finn and I would glance at each other worriedly.

After dinner, I picked up everything while Mother studied the outside world through the window. When the table was nicely cleared off and clean, Mother asked me to watch the window so she could do her sewing. I kept watch, not admiring the swirl of snow falling everywhere now that Father was possibly out there. "Where do you think he is?" Finn asked. I ignored the question. "If you aren't sure, why don't you ask your mother?" I shook my head. Asking would only stress her out much more.

I would glance at the clock every once in awhile. 19:10. Next time I looked it was 19:40. Finn told me it would be alright and he'd be home soon. The snow swirled rougher through the air. Resting my head on my hand and my elbow on the windowsill, I patiently waited. He'll be here. Soon I'll see him through the snow, and I'll excitedly tell Mother. She'll get up briskly and he'll swing the door open. Mother will fret at him, and he'll explain in a joking manner what took him soo long. Then Mother will act like she's still angry, but she'll really be relieved. Then we'll get Father his dinner and all will be well. Right?

"Beatrice, it's 20:50. Go get ready for bed. I'll watch the window," Mother called from her rocking chair. I glanced out the window once more, then climbed up to my room. "It's alright. He'll be here when you wake up," Finn assured me. But assurance was far from what I felt at the moment. I stared at the ceiling listening to Mother's pacing on the hard wood floor. She stopped every once in awhile probably to look out the window. "Go to sleep, Beatrice. You'll need it," Finn told me. But I couldn't fall asleep for a long time.

I woke up and heard blizzard winds outside the walls. Finn had better be right and Father better be home, I thought as I got out of bed. When I was down the ladder, I could tell by Mother's worn out expression that Finn was wrong. "Morning, Beatrice..." I bowed respectfully. "I didn't make breakfast... because I'm not hungry..." Finn and I went to the cupboard and I got some bread and a mushroom for Finn. We sat at the table and silently ate.

"Mother, are the morning chores done?" It took her awhile before responding. I waited patiently looking at the clock, which said it was 6:10. "No, it's too cold out to get them done. All the crops are probably ripped from their roots, anyway." I got up and bravely walked out into the frosty outdoors. Finn loyally followed me to the shed where Father left extra tools he didn't keep in his rucksack. I got an old watering can and filled it with snow. Though I wasn't used to the freezing temperature, it was surprisingly easy to ignore. I went back in the house and heated the snow in my Mother's pot.

Soon it was water. Finn and I rushed out there again and I watered what crops were still there. It took lots of stamina. Soon I was really tired! I ran back inside, ate a couple mushrooms like Father had in the mines, then went back in the blistering cold to finish the watering. Eventually it was finished, and I was really proud of myself. Then I noticed there was buckwheat to harvest. I picked them up, noticing I wasted my time watering those spots.