Nightmare in Mineral Town
Chapter 1: Of feathers and apples
by BeelzemonX
“Is today the day?” Jack thought out loud. He was sitting at his living room table, fiddling with a blue feather. Should he propose to his latest love today? Jack didn’t know if he could muster up the courage. He had been turned down so many times before and wasn’t sure if he could take another rejection.
Every time he thought he was finally going to get married to the girl of his dreams, he got crushed. Karen only liked him as a friend. Popuri thought he was pulling a prank. Ann was in love with Cliff. Elli considered Jack to be like her son. There was only one more girl left in town who might even possibly consider marrying him.
“Would Mary even consider marrying me?” Maybe, just maybe she might, but he couldn't’t wait much longer. The other day, Jack happened to stumble across Grey with his own blue feather. He had it held out in front of him, and was about to enter into the library when he got cold feet and quickly ran away. This was his only chance of living a happy life. It was a race between him and Grey. Who would be first to muster up the courage to propose?
“I’m not going to be left alone, I will propose to Mary, and she will accept! I will not let Grey get the best of me! I will not be alone for the rest of my life!” Jack jumped up, blue feather in hand, and ran to the door. He flung open the door and heard a loud thud. “Oh, um, hi there Won. Sorry about that.”
Won glared at Jack “No problem, I only have one life to give in my humble position of door to door salesman.”
”I said I was sorry! Is there anything I can do for you, I’m in a hurry.”
“Yes.” Won pulled an apple out of his pocket, “Would you like to buy one of my apples? They aren’t any ordinary apples. This one is a---“
“---Yeah sure whatever” Jack didn’t have time for this. “How much is it?”
”For a very special apple like this, 500g is a steal.”
“Fine, I’ll take it.” Jack grabbed the apple out of Won’s hand and stuffed a wad of cash back at him. “Keep the change!” Jack said as he ran off.
“Uh, thanks! I didn’t think anyone, wait a sec, there is a 5000g bill in here, and look, a 1000g, and another, and another. I’ll just treat that as a tip.” Won smile smugly as he walked back to his shop with a slight swagger in his step.
Chapter 2: Thrice Short Changed
Here he was, the library. Mary was inside. He could do this, he knew he could. Jack was going to walk in and propose. He held up the blue feather and was terrified by what he saw. When he was getting all frustrated with Won, he must have been clenching his fists. The blue feather was a mangled mess. He’d have to buy a new one. Good thing he had a big harvest yesterday, he had more than enough cash. Time to go shopping!
Jack dashed down to the store. He was about ready to fling open the door when he remembered what happened last time. With a deep breath, he opened the door. “Jeff, I need a blue feather, and now!”
“I’m sorry Jack, you’ll have to wait a minute, I’m trying to help Lillia with her shopping. She took all the effort coming down here, it is the least I can do.”
Lillia looked irritated, “Don’t treat me like that Jeff. I’m fully capable of doing anything I want. That’s why I came down here instead of sending Popuri.”
”But you are sick, I couldn’t stand it if something happened to you because I neglected you.”
Jack couldn’t stand it! Was everyone in the town out to stop him from getting married? Was everyone just trying to keep him away from his goal? “Look, I’m just going to leave my cash on the counter, okay?” He took his money out. Wait, where was it all? He had had some 15,000g, all that he had in his hand now was change. Won! That snake had taken all his money. Won had pick pocketed him. It was the only explanation. But there was no time for that now, he’d deal with Won and pay Jeff back later. Jack dumped the last of his money on the counter, grabbed a blue feather, and ran outside.
Finally he was ready, blue feather in hand, he could see the library down the road. He was ready. Jack was walking confidently down the road to his destiny, when the door to the mayor’s house swung open. “Oh no,” Jack said under his breath, “please, anything but him.” The mayor walked through the door. “If I don’t say anything, just walk straight by, maybe the mayor wouldn’t stop me.” The mayor turned around to close the door behind him. “Please just don’t say anything to me, just walk right by me.”
The mayor stepped out on the street and noticed Jack, “Hey Jack! How’s it going on the farm?”
Jack wanted to say, shut up you fat blob and get out of my way, but he held his tongue, “It’s okay I guess.”
“Yeah… Nice weather isn’t it?”
Why the small talk? Why did the mayor need to waste Jack’s time? “Oh, it’s okay. Fine for growing crops.”
”Yes it is, isn’t it. Well… have you been making any friends?”
Jack couldn’t stand it anymore, “I’m sorry I have to go!” He pushed the mayor to the side, just in time to see Grey come out of the Library, practically dancing down the street. “No… he couldn’t, please tell me he didn’t!”
Jack ran down the street to the library, hoping above all else that he was wrong, praying to the Harvest Goddess that Grey didn’t just do what Jack dreading that he did.
Chapter 3: Lies Hurt, but so Does the Truth
This was it, the moment of truth. Jack walked into the library. Mary was at her desk as usual, writing her novel. She set down her pen looked up at Jack. He stared at her unable to say anything. How could he do it? He wasn’t able to do it.
“Hello Jack!” She sounded genuinely happy. Jack didn’t think he’d ever heard her sound so happy before. Could it be that she liked him as much as he did? He had to propose.
“Mary will you marry me?” Jack blurted out, fumbling with the blue feather and accidentally dropping it. Mary stared back at Jack. She was shocked beyond words. Jack would have done anything for her to just end the silence. Why did she torture him this way? “Please Mary, please marry me, please…”
Mary felt sorry for Jack, but there was nothing she could do, she’d just have to tell him the truth, “… I had no idea that you felt this way about me. But, I’m engaged to Grey. He just proposed to me minutes ago.”
No, she couldn’t have. He must have her. He swore it. “You don’t have to marry him! I love you more than he ever could. Just say the word, and we can be together forever. Turn away from Grey. Don’t make this mistake. I need you to marry me!”
“I’m sorry Jack, but I just don’t feel that way about you. We can still be friends, can’t we?” Mary felt like crying. She didn’t like doing this, hurting people like this. She wished she could say anything else, but the truth was the truth. Lying about it would only make things worse in the end.
Jack answered quietly “Yes, we can still be friends… we can still be friends. We can still be friends…” He head slowly rolled down as he kept repeating himself. Looking down at the ground, he saw the feather lying there. Like all his dreams, it had fallen right where it had begun. “we can still be friends…”
”Jack, are you okay?” This was all to much for her. Mary had never been this mean to anyone in her life, and she wasn’t even trying to. She felt miserable. A tear slowly crawled it’s way down her cheek. “Please Jack, snap out of it.” She stood up and walked over to Jack. Standing in front of him, she placed her hand under his chin and raised his face up to look at her. “Jack, please try to understand…”
“… I understand… I understand everything…” Suddenly great rage swelled up in Jack’s voice, “We can never be friends again!” He slapped her hand away. “I hate you! I hate everybody! Leave me alone!” Jack stomped down hard on the blue feather and twisted his foot, grinding it into the ground. “We can never be friends again!” He turned around and ran out of the library.
Mary gently rubbed her wrist where Jack had hit her. Today had started off so wonderful. She sat down at her desk, buried her face in her hands and let the tears pour down, unable to contain herself any longer. “Jack… Why? I’m so sorry… please forgive me…”
Chapter 4: Confession Session
Jack wandered around Mineral Town in a daze. Why did everyone hate him? What did he ever do to them? His life was miserable because of them. They did everything they could to ruin his life. He hated them. Jack loathed them. Why did he ever come to Mineral Town? Chasing a dream girl which he’ll never find, trying to relive happy childhood memories. A light rain began falling. Figures, matches his mood pretty well.
Jack passed by the winery. Duke, stupid, so what if he was young, why wouldn’t he sell him some alcohol? He could sure use a drink right about now. Jack came to inn and spat at it. Stupid Ann, I love Cliff, why don’t you go get a room? There was the hospital, Jack kicked up a cloud of dust at it. Elli, he wasn’t her son, why did she turn him down? It was that doctor wasn’t it, she loved him all along. He continued walking down towards the church. That jerk Zack, always flashing off his muscles because he is so much better than the rest of us.
The only person in the town who hadn’t wronged him was Carter. That was who Jack was going to see. Carter was the closest thing to a friend he had. He’d be inside since it was raining. Jack pushed open the church doors which let out a great groan. He looked down the long lines of pews to Carter’s empty pulpit. He must be in the confession booth. That was okay with Jack, since that was basically what he was coming to do anyway. He walked up to the confession booth, his footsteps ringing out on the cold stone floor.
Carter greeted him, “Hello Jack, I hope you are in a pleasant mood today.”
”Unfortunately no, I’m quite miserable.” Jack took a seat.
“I know how you feel inside Jack, and I must tell you it isn’t healthy. You come to me all the time with this rage that you just keep building up. One day, you are going to pop, and then where will you be? Anyway, what has upset you today?”
“I went to go propose to Mary,” Carter could hear the anger start to rise in Jack’s voice “but every single person who could got in my way. Those horrible wretched fiends ruined my life again. By the time I managed to wade through all of them, Grey,” Jack spat his name, “had already proposed to Mary. I was just one minute short of being happy for once, and they ruined it. I hate them, I hate them, I hate them, I hate them…” Jack was fuming, almost shaking, just barely able to contain his anger.
“Jack please, calm down. How do you know that getting married will make you happy? Maybe happiness will come when you learn to accept your status in life. Maybe you might be able to bond with the other villagers better if you weren’t so hateful? Are you even sure that Mary would have accepted you proposal if you had reached her first?”
“Of course she would have! Who’s side are you on anyway?”
“I take nobody’s side, I only try to help you see what others might be thinking.”
“I can clearly see what others are thinking! They are all out to get me! They all hate me, and I hate them. That’s the way it has been, that is the way it’s going to be. I wish there was something I could do about it.”
“There is Jack, but it is you who have to do what you have to do. Do not expect others to bend over backwards to be nice to you. Only you can bring about what you want.”
”Who asked you anyway? I don’t want any of you stupid priestly words. I want you to help me! Why won’t you help me?”
“I am trying to Jack. But ultimately, only you can help yourself.”
”Bull! You are just like all the rest! You don’t care about me, you only want to make me miserable!” Jack flew out of the confession booth, slamming the door so hard it came off it’s hinges. Carter could hear his footsteps leave again, not unlike when he came in.
He sighed, “Jack, why do you do this to yourself? Why do you make your life so hard? I wish I could make you understand, but it seems I never will…”
Chapter 5: Cold Kind Heart of Steel
Jack had found his way back home after several more hours of meaningless drifting. He tried to work with his crops, but his heart just wasn’t into it. It made him sick to think that he was nurturing new life into the world, happy new life to mock his own dejected life. Besides, in the rain, there was no reason to water his crops.
Perhaps he should go cut wood. That was always a good way to vent his anger. Jack hefted his axe up on his shoulder and went south into the woods.
There was a good stump. Jack spit in his hands to get a better grip. He took hold of the axe, adjusting his fingers a bit on the handle, and let rip. “This is for Won! Taking all my money!” He emphasized each word with a swing of the axe. The mangled stump lay before him. Time for another. “This is for Mary! Delighting in my anguish!” He could just imagine that the stump was her head that he was splitting open. Ripping apart her head and letting the evil within her seep out. “This is for Carter! Useless bastard!” The third stump shattered quickly under his fierce swings. “This is for everyone who has ever wronged me!” The last stump was little more than splinters by the time he was down with it.
Jack wiped the sweat off of his forehead. He was exhausted and needed to take a break. A nice nap by the lake would be nice. Dragging the axe behind him, he walked down to the lake.
“What should I do, what should I do?” Jack knelt down by the lake and splashed some cool water on his face. He was getting a little hungry. “Oh right, the apple!” Even if that worm Won had stolen his money, at least he had something to eat right now. Jack sat down and fumbled around in his rucksack and pulled out the apple. It looked so juicy and sweet, his mouth was watering. Jack’s stomach growled, well how could he say no? He took a nice big bite, and spit it out quickly.
“What is this! It’s wax! That bastard sold me a worthless wax fruit! I hate him so much!” Jack flung the apple as hard as he could into the lake. What could he do… What could he do?
Out of the corner of his eye, Jack saw a small rabbit. So innocent, with no fear at all. Could he? Jack reached into his rucksack and pulled out his scythe. It would be so easy. The rabbit hopped a bit closer and sniffed at a blade of grass. He would never see it coming. The rabbit chewed a bit on the grass.
Jack slowly raised the scythe over his head. Could he? Would he? There was a little brown spot on the back of the rabbit, calling to Jack. It was like a little target. If he just... The sunlight glinted off of the polished metal of the scythe. To skewer it wouldn’t be hard at all. If he only just… Jack grunted as he swung the scythe as fast as he could over his head, point down at the rabbit. It just had enough time to look up and see the blade whizzing down towards it.
The blade stuck right through Jack’s target and buried itself several inches into the ground. The handle still quivered slightly from the force of the blow. The once little brown patch of fur was quickly become red. Jack looked at it with curiosity. The rabbit’s hide legs was still twitching. “Why are you still trying to run little rabbit? Don’t you realize you aren’t living anymore?”
It slowly dawn upon Jack, the words that Carter had said, “I have to do what I have to do… Only I can bring about what I want…” He looked back at the blade and pulled it loose. In a dreamlike daze, he washed it in the lake, removing the signs of blood. He could make himself happy. What was once his nightmare would become their nightmare.
Jack wandered around Mineral Town in a daze. Why did everyone hate him? What did he ever do to them? His life was miserable because of them. They did everything they could to ruin his life. He hated them. Jack loathed them. Why did he ever come to Mineral Town? Chasing a dream girl which he’ll never find, trying to relive happy childhood memories. A light rain began falling. Figures, matches his mood pretty well.
Jack passed by the winery. Duke, stupid, so what if he was young, why wouldn’t he sell him some alcohol? He could sure use a drink right about now. Jack came to inn and spat at it. Stupid Ann, I love Cliff, why don’t you go get a room? There was the hospital, Jack kicked up a cloud of dust at it. Elli, he wasn’t her son, why did she turn him down? It was that doctor wasn’t it, she loved him all along. He continued walking down towards the church. That jerk Zack, always flashing off his muscles because he is so much better than the rest of us.
The only person in the town who hadn’t wronged him was Carter. That was who Jack was going to see. Carter was the closest thing to a friend he had. He’d be inside since it was raining. Jack pushed open the church doors which let out a great groan. He looked down the long lines of pews to Carter’s empty pulpit. He must be in the confession booth. That was okay with Jack, since that was basically what he was coming to do anyway. He walked up to the confession booth, his footsteps ringing out on the cold stone floor.
Carter greeted him, “Hello Jack, I hope you are in a pleasant mood today.”
”Unfortunately no, I’m quite miserable.” Jack took a seat.
“I know how you feel inside Jack, and I must tell you it isn’t healthy. You come to me all the time with this rage that you just keep building up. One day, you are going to pop, and then where will you be? Anyway, what has upset you today?”
“I went to go propose to Mary,” Carter could hear the anger start to rise in Jack’s voice “but every single person who could got in my way. Those horrible wretched fiends ruined my life again. By the time I managed to wade through all of them, Grey,” Jack spat his name, “had already proposed to Mary. I was just one minute short of being happy for once, and they ruined it. I hate them, I hate them, I hate them, I hate them…” Jack was fuming, almost shaking, just barely able to contain his anger.
“Jack please, calm down. How do you know that getting married will make you happy? Maybe happiness will come when you learn to accept your status in life. Maybe you might be able to bond with the other villagers better if you weren’t so hateful? Are you even sure that Mary would have accepted you proposal if you had reached her first?”
“Of course she would have! Who’s side are you on anyway?”
“I take nobody’s side, I only try to help you see what others might be thinking.”
“I can clearly see what others are thinking! They are all out to get me! They all hate me, and I hate them. That’s the way it has been, that is the way it’s going to be. I wish there was something I could do about it.”
“There is Jack, but it is you who have to do what you have to do. Do not expect others to bend over backwards to be nice to you. Only you can bring about what you want.”
”Who asked you anyway? I don’t want any of you stupid priestly words. I want you to help me! Why won’t you help me?”
“I am trying to Jack. But ultimately, only you can help yourself.”
”Bull! You are just like all the rest! You don’t care about me, you only want to make me miserable!” Jack flew out of the confession booth, slamming the door so hard it came off it’s hinges. Carter could hear his footsteps leave again, not unlike when he came in.
He sighed, “Jack, why do you do this to yourself? Why do you make your life so hard? I wish I could make you understand, but it seems I never will…”
Jack had found his way back home after several more hours of meaningless drifting. He tried to work with his crops, but his heart just wasn’t into it. It made him sick to think that he was nurturing new life into the world, happy new life to mock his own dejected life. Besides, in the rain, there was no reason to water his crops.
Perhaps he should go cut wood. That was always a good way to vent his anger. Jack hefted his axe up on his shoulder and went south into the woods.
There was a good stump. Jack spit in his hands to get a better grip. He took hold of the axe, adjusting his fingers a bit on the handle, and let rip. “This is for Won! Taking all my money!” He emphasized each word with a swing of the axe. The mangled stump lay before him. Time for another. “This is for Mary! Delighting in my anguish!” He could just imagine that the stump was her head that he was splitting open. Ripping apart her head and letting the evil within her seep out. “This is for Carter! Useless bastard!” The third stump shattered quickly under his fierce swings. “This is for everyone who has ever wronged me!” The last stump was little more than splinters by the time he was down with it.
Jack wiped the sweat off of his forehead. He was exhausted and needed to take a break. A nice nap by the lake would be nice. Dragging the axe behind him, he walked down to the lake.
“What should I do, what should I do?” Jack knelt down by the lake and splashed some cool water on his face. He was getting a little hungry. “Oh right, the apple!” Even if that worm Won had stolen his money, at least he had something to eat right now. Jack sat down and fumbled around in his rucksack and pulled out the apple. It looked so juicy and sweet, his mouth was watering. Jack’s stomach growled, well how could he say no? He took a nice big bite, and spit it out quickly.
“What is this! It’s wax! That bastard sold me a worthless wax fruit! I hate him so much!” Jack flung the apple as hard as he could into the lake. What could he do… What could he do?
Out of the corner of his eye, Jack saw a small rabbit. So innocent, with no fear at all. Could he? Jack reached into his rucksack and pulled out his scythe. It would be so easy. The rabbit hopped a bit closer and sniffed at a blade of grass. He would never see it coming. The rabbit chewed a bit on the grass.
Jack slowly raised the scythe over his head. Could he? Would he? There was a little brown spot on the back of the rabbit, calling to Jack. It was like a little target. If he just... The sunlight glinted off of the polished metal of the scythe. To skewer it wouldn’t be hard at all. If he only just… Jack grunted as he swung the scythe as fast as he could over his head, point down at the rabbit. It just had enough time to look up and see the blade whizzing down towards it.
The blade stuck right through Jack’s target and buried itself several inches into the ground. The handle still quivered slightly from the force of the blow. The once little brown patch of fur was quickly become red. Jack looked at it with curiosity. The rabbit’s hide legs was still twitching. “Why are you still trying to run little rabbit? Don’t you realize you aren’t living anymore?”
It slowly dawn upon Jack, the words that Carter had said, “I have to do what I have to do… Only I can bring about what I want…” He looked back at the blade and pulled it loose. In a dreamlike daze, he washed it in the lake, removing the signs of blood. He could make himself happy. What was once his nightmare would become their nightmare.
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