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Twilight Princess Pretear
Join Date: Jan 2008
Posts: 5,042
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Moving forward
Jack had never left his mark in the world.
He'd never been famous, never ridden to work in a limousine, never written a best-selling novel... His grandest adventure had began in a small coastal village with roughly the population of a small apartment.
One would wonder what kind of father leaves his son a decaying plot of land and a few crumbling buildings in his will. When Jack had first arrived, he'd have said "A crazy one."
He'd have been right.
Jack also thought he must be even crazier to leave behind everything he knew for it. Not that he had much to begin with. Struggling to pass entrance exams and get into his choice college had done nothing but shatter his confidence, made him believe he was useless.
Inheriting his father's property seemed like a small ray of hope in a pit of despair, he didn't care if he had to work the farm to make money, anything was better than the hell he was facing. He wanted nothig more than some means of escape.
Despite the trials and tribulations of farm work, he was convinced he had it easy. Life had finally given him the break he so justly deserved.
All that only to have it taken away.
His plants wilted, he had to battle for control when it came to his animals, and it seemed like no matter how many times he tried, his handiwork just wasn't solid enough to fix the hole in the roof, or the drafty door of the barn. By the time Winter came, his profit margins were almost dry. There was nothing to harvest, and the river had frozen over so he couldn't fish.
Even his part-time job had offered more financial security, food was beginning to look more and more expensive. Some nights, he went without, stomach growling even as he dreamed. he even dreamed of being hungry. Before long, he lacked the funds to make the trip home again.
The final blow came with a passing Winter blizzard. The barn was torn open, and the chicken coup was completely levelled, his birds were nowhere to be found. He broke down. Even after doing his best to restore and fortify the farm buildings, they could not withstand the mighty winds.
Next he knew, he was following his feet. Not knowing where he'd end up, not caring.
A light snow was falling when he approached a familiar building. An old church. Completely numb, he staggered through it's doors and slumped down on the floor. He had failed. He couldn't live his father's dream. He hung his head as warm tears began to fall from his eyes. He should've stayed home. He wasn't ready to be on his own. He was still just a child.
He remembered when his father was still alive. He'd been a crybaby, and had trouble making friends. Yet whenever he came home sad and defeated, his father would always say "No matter how difficult things get, even if it seems hopeless and there's no way out, you must always keep moving forward."
Well, things sure looked hopeless. Jack sighed, and looked up towards the rafters.
"Dad..." He said softly. "I have nothing left. How can I move forward?"
At that moment, the door to the church creaked open behind him, allowing a breeze to come in. The ground was now covered with a crisp, sparkling white snow. The wind whistled in his ears, sounding distinctly like 'go on.'
That's exactly what he did.
Jack stepped out into the snow, and began to follow his feet once more. Every step made a soft crunching sound. It was packing snow, the same as when he used to make forts, snowmen and angels with as a kid.
Surprizingly, his feet lead him right back where he started. The farm had also been covered with snow. He took a deep breath, and continued onward. This was his farm now, and he vowed to work even harder at it.
From then on every time he messed up, every time he failed, he kept trying. Many more plants died, many more animals tested his patience, even the buildings seemed to be working against him, but he still never gave up. Slowly at first, his plants started to grow. One day, he woke up to find a big, ruby red tomato in his garden.
It wouldn't fetch a high price in the marketplace, so he tasted his <em>own</em> legacy. Nothing had ever been sweeter.
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