Post by Pally on Mar 14, 2018 19:17:34 GMT
I know sometimes it seems I am writing to you in the present and sometimes from the past. But you see, I wrote this journal as time allowed me through my time here in Murkland. I wanted it to be perfect for you so have gone over it several times. Somethings I had to take out and others I had to add. Memories are funny things. But let me see, where did I leave off...
I can only really remember at that time the one thing I was feeling was how routine everything had become. I tended my plants, I made cream, I ate fruit. I did not see many people outside of a few I met at the gym. I was trying to get all my plants growing first.
Finally one day I planted the last one in it's old broken toilet, I was using them for planters, and I was going to celebrate by making a fresh batch of cream and then go tell the Mayor of my accomplishment. I only had to water everything first.
Just as I was getting ready to apply my cream, I had another visit from the strange old lady, Kiki was her name. She started in with her riddles. This time she was telling me something about becoming a man and learning to put fear in it's place or loneliness would be my only companion.
Later that evening the first part of the riddle came true. The Mayor had rewarded me with a voucher to get a grow up cake at Scruffy's diner. As soon as I licked the frosting I felt myself grow an inch taller. I wasn't the only one who noticed how I 'blossomed' as they say.
I caught the eye of a few of the female diner guests. The Mayor's own wife was one of them, and although I admit I liked the way she looked at me, I was not going to touch another man's partner. I would not want anyone to touch mine, if I was lucky enough to ever find someone.
I smiled politely at her and then I sloppily started cramming my cake into my mouth making as much of a mess and smacking sounds as I could hoping to gross her out. It worked and she finally left to go eat her meal. Leaving me to finish my 'man' cake.
I wrote a song about my experience. I played it for my trash plants sometimes when I was practicing my guitar skill. They were pretty much my closest friends. I spent most of my free time tending and caring for them.
I did try and make friends with all the other Burners. I was part of their faction so wanted to at least know them all enough to call them friends. Dusty didn't like my stories though. Or maybe I was just not as good of a story teller as you. Either way I found myself becoming more and more of a loner.
At first I didn't mind the loneliness. I tried to keep busy with my tasks. I spent a lot of time in Granite Falls looking for bugs and stuff. The noise of the little woodland creatures filled the void to a certain extent.
If I started feeling too lonely while out in the forest I would go and talk with the hermit. She had many words of wisdom to share and always a story of you when I asked. I liked her company and I think she was fond of me, but there was no spark of what you'd call romance between us.
I always took a good crop of potatoes with me when I'd travel to the Falls. I liked making your recipe. It made me feel closer to you. I know this may seem strange to you now, but in time I hope you will understand. I wanted to follow in your steps. I hoped to be as successful as you had been.
The Mayor checked on my progress from time to time and offered a few words of commendation. He once noticed I had seemed a little down and I mentioned to him I had been having a rather hard time making really good friends. He simple told me, 'Look and you will find.'
I thought a lot about what he said over the next day or so. I soaked alone at the hot springs and tended my plants. One of them had finally become perfect. You'd think I would have been over the moon, but it just seemed like another step toward the unknown. And sometimes I wondered what the point to all these little repetitive tasks was.
I guess I found myself in a bit of a hole. The sad thing was I had dug it and pushed myself in. I remember wishing you would show up and smile and tell me some words of encouragement and help me crawl out. It was in those moments that the words of the sand whisperer, Kiki would creep back into my mind....'put fear in it's place or loneliness would be your only companion...'....Perhaps this would be a good time for us to pause again so I can collect my thoughts. I hate to leave it on a sad note so I will just say that things did change.