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If I ever did anything more with this and the other story I have, it would be a "Choose Your Adventure" kind of thing, where I do multiple options in which he goes after each of the girls, and then the reader could pick which one they want to read. 3nodding



The boat lurched forward, and Jack couldn’t help but cling to the side of the ship for fear that he would fall out of his seat. Wiping a bead of sweat from his brow as the ship leveled off, he turned to the ship quarters, where the captain leaned out the window to address his passenger.

“’Oy there, Jack! You all right?” the captain called.

The twenty-year-old man named Jack sighed a bit and then gave a thumb’s up with his white-gloved hand. Jack was relatively fit—not too thin but not overly-muscular—and was of slightly-above-average height and normal weight. To be approximate, he was a little below 5’9” and weighed about 150 pounds. Jack had abandoned his slightly flashier city attire for something much more plain today, but then, considering where he was going, it was to be expected. His attire could be considered rustic: a pair of overalls made of a sky blue cotton material with shining silver buttons and latches, a white button-up shirt, its loose sleeves rolled up to his elbows, white gloves, and black boots. Upon his head he wore a baseball-esque cap made from the same material as his overalls, the orangeish-yellow brim shading the back of his neck, as he was wearing the cap reversed. Two spiked tufts of his brown hair escaped from underneath his cap in the front, and the rest of his hair was tucked beneath his hat. A red handkerchief was tied around his neck, the knot of which resting on his collarbone, and his orangeish-yellow rucksack sat on the seat beside him.

“Sorry about that, Jack,” the captain apologized. “This sea is usually calm, but occasionally the waves creep up on us. I’ll try to warn you next time!”

“Thanks!” Jack shouted over the splashes of the waves.

“No problem!” the captain replied loudly. “We should arrive at the dock pretty soon, so take it easy for now, okay?”

“Sure thing,” Jack said, gesturing another thumb’s-up. His shoulders slumping a bit, Jack sighed heavily, a sweatdrop poised on his head. ‘How’m I supposed to ‘take it easy’ if I’m already queasy?’ he thought. Holding his slightly-seasick stomach, he looked up at the nearly-cloudless sky, his brown eyes shimmering in the sunlight. Suddenly, he frowned a bit at himself and shook his head. ‘Was it really necessary for me to rhyme there?’ he asked with a raised eyebrow. ‘I’m worried about my role in this story if one of my first few lines is an allusion to Dr. Seuss…’ He sighed heavily with another sweatdrop, his eyebrows furrowing sadly.

Returning his gaze to the clouds, Jack pondered silently for a short while. ‘How long has it been since I visited Mineral Town? I couldn’t have been older than five when I first came…’

Just as he was about to become swallowed in memories, he heard the captain shout, “There it is, Jack—Mineral Town Beach!” A bit surprised, Jack stood and looked off the prow of the ship at the land mass that was steadily growing in size as they approached it.

‘Funny, I remember the beach being bigger…’ he noted to himself. ‘Maybe it’s because I was so small…’ Lost in thought, Jack was completely unprepared for the large wave that sent the ship rocking, and he fell forward, screaming, and crashed into the ship’s broom closet.

“Jack, are you all right?” the captain’s first mate asked, peeking out the door to the helm. He glanced around and spotted the man on the ground, his foot in a mop bucket, the swab still inside it, and another bucket on his head.

Jack peered out from under his second cap and shoved away the broom that was poking him in the back. He didn’t push it with enough force, however, so it fell forward again and rapped the top of his head, sinking the container further over his face.

The first mate let out a robust laugh as he went to help Jack to his feet. “Forgot to hold onto something, didn’t you?” he asked wryly as he grabbed the bucket on Jack’s head and tossed it back into the closet.

“Just lost my balance, that’s all,” Jack said blushing, thoroughly embarrassed.

No less than three minutes later, the tiny ship had landed at the dock, and Jack wobbled down the wooden ramp on uneasy sea legs. Once he had reached the sturdier dock, he turned to the captain of the vessel.

“You going to be all right then, Jack?” the captain asked as he tied his ship to the pier.

“Yeah, I’m just going to see an old friend of mine,” Jack replied with a nod. “I should be back by sunset.”

“Okay then, we’ll be here. May stop in the Inn for a bite t’ eat, though…” he said vaguely, rubbing his chin in contemplation.

“Do that,” Jack advised. “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen him, so we’ll probably be caught up in conversation for a while.”

“Have fun,” the captain said with a warm smile.

“I will,” Jack nodded, returning the expression. “Thanks for taking me out here, Uncle Kirk.”

The old man’s mouth skewed into a half-grin, and he nodded. “Anything for family,” he said. “Now, go on and enjoy yourself. Don’t keep your friend waiting.”

“Oh, he’s not expecting me,” Jack replied, shaking his head.
“Oh?” the old captain named Kirk said in surprise. “Then why did you need to come here?”

“I haven’t had a response to the last letter I wrote a couple months ago, so I decided I’d come pay him a visit and see what’s kept him,” Jack explained with a shrug. He turned to leave. “Anyway, I’ll see you later, uncle!” he called as he set off down the pier.

“Have a good time!” Kirk shouted after him.

‘Wow, everything’s so…different…’ Jack thought in awe as he surveyed the coastline. Adjacent to the dock where they had tied their ship was a wooden cabin and a white shack, both of which unfamiliar to him. Removing one shoulder strap of his bag, Jack flipped his rucksack around and dug through it. “I know it’s in here somewhere…” he muttered. “Aha! There you are!” he cheered as he withdrew a folded pamphlet. Opening it, Jack scanned the new map of Mineral Town he had asked his uncle to pick up for him. “Hmm…” he murmured, concentrating on the chart. “The shape of the town looks the same from what I remember…I just have to cut through the town square and then take the road with the Poultry Farm and Yodel Ranch to the end to get to his farm.” Resolving his quandary, Jack refolded his map and set out across the warm sand on the beach to ascend the stairs.

He walked through the town, which was eerily devoid of life, without really thinking about it too much. He’d been here before, after all, and each step he took brought back his recollections. The vast gathering place named Rose Square was essentially untouched by time, the old wooden notice board covered with flyers.

“I wonder if something’s going on today,” Jack thought aloud as he strolled over to the bulletin board. “Usually there should be more people moving about.” The large manifesto in the center of the board confirmed this. “I forgot that today was the first day of Spring,” he said. “They’re having a festival to eat Soba Noodles tonight. Everyone must be at home getting ready for the festival.” Shrugging, he turned and headed for the south exit. “Good, that means I shouldn’t have to look around town to find him.”
He traversed down the long stretch of brick road beside the two animal farms, the early morning sunlight beaming down on him. The air was still a bit chilly, the last remnants of Winter, no doubt. Still, it was fairly nice weather for visiting a farm, and Jack found himself humming a tune he’d thought he’d forgotten long ago.

He laughed in spite of himself. “Funny that I should remember that song at a time like this,” he said with a grin. He looked up at the sky, his mind wandering. “I wonder if that little girl still lives here…? It’d be funny if she did. I doubt she’d remember me, though.” Reaching the end of the road, he turned and made his way toward the farm.

“I bet he’ll be surprised to see me,” Jack said with a cheesy grin. “I wonder how his farm’s been do—” He stopped in mid-sentence and stood in entranceway to the rural estate, his eyes widening. “…ing?” he finished, unsure of himself.

The lush fields of clean-cut rows of crops in Jack’s memory shattered as he stared at the disaster before him. The entire field was covered in thick weeds, small branches and stones, and larger stumps and boulders. From what he could tell, the entire place was overrun with a complete sense of decay, and it looked like the land hadn’t been tended in quite some time.
His jaw slightly ajar, Jack glanced around, as if to find the culprit for this vandalism. Finding no one, he ran to the door and pounded sharply on it. “Harry-san?” he called.

He received no answer.

He beat harder on the door. “Harry-san! Harry-san, are you there?”
Silence. Distraught, he turned back to the fields and took several faltering steps toward the shipping bin. “How did it turn out this way…?” he asked, perplexed. “Harry-san always took good care of his farm.” He stood beside the shipping crate, his mind full of questions but his voice unable to speak them. “…”

“Hey! You there!” Jack heard a voice shout angrily from the entrance.

To Be Continued...