My Worst Day Ever by Popuri

Two events experienced in Harvest Moon Cute DS prompted the following short story by Popuri of Mineral Town. In Popuri's own words:

My Most Worst Day Ever
by Popuri

I always wanted to be taken seriously, you know. In the old days, in Mineral Town, my brother Rick wouldn't let me do anything important. My Mum and brother and I run the local Poultry Farm in Mineral Town. I grew up loving chickens and everything to do with chickens. Rick loves them too. I think my Mum wouldn't have been involved with the business at all except that she had to take charge when my father left.

My Mum isn't well, you know. She is very pretty and fragile and very romantic. She still hopes my father will return someday. Zack is madly in love with her but he hasn't a chance really because of that.

Anyway, Rick is in charge of the Poultry Farm really in Mineral Town but he has given me the chance to run the business we have in Forget-Me-Not Valley. So now I am in charge! I get to take all the orders for chickens and ducks and I am in charge of the Festivals too! I decided I should visit the Valley on my day off every week so that the people there would get to know me and because Takakura promised to teach me how to run the business.

So you can find me in the Valley every Sunday now. Of course, when I decided to visit the Valley every Sunday, Rick decided he had to tag along to spy on me! I hate that about my brother. He's really a sweet guy at heart but he is so interfering and he doesn't like Kai at all. I am mad about Kai and I definitely am going to marry him one day, no matter what my brother says or does to try to stop me.

There's another reason to go to the Valley in the Summer. Kai has opened a new stall on the beach there. He stays at the Inner Inn all Summer now. When Rick and I go to the Valley on Sunday, we stay at the Inner Inn too. Well, there isn't much choice. It's the only place that takes guests but even if there were others, I don't think any one would choose to stay anywhere else. The food at the Inner Inn is fantastic. Ruby is the best cook ever. In fact, Ann from Mineral Town is studying cooking with Ruby. Ann goes to the Valley on HER day off to visit Ruby and learn how to cook. If you visit the Valley, you will see that almost every one from Mineral Town will be there on one day or another! If it weren't for the fact that people visit on different days of the week, Mineral Town would be almost like a ghost town now.

So anyway, I go to the Valley on Sundays and Rick follows me there. Can you believe that he and Kai have to sleep in the same room??? It has to be awful for Kai. All Rick does is tell every one how much he hates Kai! Kai has got to be the sweetest, most easy-going guy in the world. In fact, sometimes I think he's almost too sweet and easy-going because he's friendly to every one and that means all the girls too.

Last Sunday, it was raining in the Valley and that gave me a chance to corner Nami in the kitchen of the Inner Inn. I think Nami is the coolest girl ever. I wanted her to teach me how to be cool. After all, Takakura teaches me how to run a business on Sunday mornings. I thought maybe I could take a class from Nami on how to be cool like her.

I almost thought Nami was trying to avoid me though. It was impossible to find her until it rained that day... but you know what she told me? I couldn't believe it. She told me that she used to be just like me 'back in the day' and that all I had to do to become just like her was to BE MYSELF!
Can you believe it? That's so easy!!! So watch out world because Popuri is going to be the coolest girl ever one day!

Anyway, THAT rainy Sunday wasn't the worst day ever. It was TODAY that was the worst day ever for me.

It started out beautiful. Freya came to see me at the guest room of the Inner Inn at 6.00 a.m. as she does every Sunday to give me a chocolate bar. I absolutely LOVE chocs. We're becoming great friends because she never forgets to give me a chocolate on Sunday. That, and the beautiful weather, made me think it was going to be one of the best days ever.

I went to Takakura's house at after 8.00 a.m. as usual to learn about business. He tells every one now that I am a great student and that Chicken Li'l's is bound to be successful because of me. You can imagine how that makes me feel! Takakura isn't the sort of man who goes easy on any one just to be nice. He tells the truth... so there, Rick! You're going to have to start admitting that you were wrong about me, because I'm doing a good job with the business.

In fact, I have to be honest and say that Rick has said one or two good things about me recently. At the Duck Festival this year, he praised my work. He thought I did a good job of running THAT Festival. The Chicken Festival is coming up tomorrow. You'd think I had enough to worry about without having to go through the worst day of my life the day before the Festival!

It was such a lovely day that Takakura told me to take a break, get some fresh air outside. I thought I'd go up to the Waterfall and Goddess Pond. It is such a beautiful place, as pretty as our Goddess Spring in Mineral Town. All the girls from Mineral Town like to visit the waterfall when they come to the Valley. I usually don't get to spend much time there because of my classes with Takakura but today I was free to enjoy it.

I got up there and who should I find there but the two kids, Kate and Hugh. 'Goody!' I thought. I love to play with kids. In Mineral Town, I often make mud pies with May and Stu and we have wonderful games where I'm the Mum and I pretend that they're my kids. They love to play with me. They say I'm so good at make-believe that they almost forget I'm not a kid like them.

So I thought I'd have a great time with the Valley kids too. I was so excited. As soon as they saw me, though, they called me 'Old Lady!'. I told them I wasn't an old lady but they didn't listen. Both of them got into it, calling me 'Old Lady' over and over. The little boy even said, 'An old lady is an old lady after all.' I couldn't help it, I started to cry... and then I thought, why should I put up with this??? I told them I was going to leave and guess what? They didn't even try to stop me. They didn't even say they were sorry and they didn't try to stop me from crying OR leaving. So that was the first bad thing that happened in the worst day ever. It was 10.00 a.m. when that happened.

You'd think I'd need the rest of the day to pull myself together and recover from that horrid experience. I thought to myself that going to the beach would be the answer, that I'd find Kai there and he could console me and give me something sweet to eat. I love his shaved ices, especially on a hot day and it was growing warmer...

So I walked down to the beach to see Kai. I knew he'd be surprised to see me, because usually I don't have time to go to the beach on Sunday. Oh, he was surprised, all right! And so was I!
Guess what I found when I got to the beach? I found that little flirt Muffy with MY Kai, standing all cozy together by the water. He wasn't even behind his counter where he was supposed to be!

I couldn't believe it. I said, 'Ahh! Kai, what are you doing?!'

He replied: 'What? I'm just talking to Muffy.'

All innocence, Kai... but I knew better!

I cried: 'Liar! You two are acting way too friendly!'

Muffy muttered something about it being a terrible misunderstanding but I know what that little flirt is like! She's always batting her eyelashes at every boy in sight. She's had more boyfriends than we have chickens on our farm!

Well, she left in a hurry. She knew I wouldn't have let her off easy if she had stayed. I knew she had come to the beach just to see MY Kai and not because she wanted to order food from him either. Muffy's always on a 'diet' of one kind or another. She talks about it all the time, that and her make-up. People sometimes think I'm empty-headed but I'm not. I'm a serious businesswoman, I am! Not like Muffy who can't even mix a drink properly without Griffin's help. She 'works' at the Blue Bar, but I don't think she does much work. She certainly can't be trusted to mix the drinks. Griffin does all that. She just stands there looking helpless and pretty. Yes, she is pretty in her own way although she wears as much make-up as a clown. I can't see how Kai could be attracted to a girl like that.

So Muffy ran off as quickly as she could and what did Kai do then? Did he try to comfort ME?

No, he was totally thinking about Muffy.

He cried: 'Hey, wait...'

I was furious with the both of them.

'I'm not done talking!' I exclaimed and finally got his attention!

Kai, of course, acted as though he hadn't done anything wrong.

He protested: 'What? We were just having a friendly chat.'

Right! I'll believe that the day that Van drops a hundred pounds or Murrey turns up in a tuxedo.

All I could say was: 'W-Waah...'

For the second time, I was in tears. So much for finding comfort at the beach.

I couldn't bear another moment. It has been the most worst day of my life and I still have to get ready for the Chicken Festival tomorrow.

Back at the beach, I could hear Kai, still protesting: 'What? Jeeze!'


'My Most Worst Day Ever by Popuri' by Freyashawk
based on Popuri's Event at the Waterfall with Hugh and Kate on Sunday, 6 Summer at 10.00 a.m.
and Popuri's Event with Muffy and Kai at the Beach on Sunday, 6 Summer at 11.20 a.m.