A Place To Stay
folder
+G through L › Harvest Moon
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
29
Views:
4,681
Reviews:
5
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Category:
+G through L › Harvest Moon
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
29
Views:
4,681
Reviews:
5
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Disclaimer:
I do not own the rights to Harvest Moon or these characters. Stories are for entertainment only, and I make no profit off of this.
14
Chapter Fourteen - Stormy Weather
The hurricane raged and howled outside. Claire paced the floors of their house, occasionally attempting to look out the windows to see if she could see anything, but Cliff would pull her back, saying it was too dangerous. Claire was desperately worried about her animals. Cliff reassured her that there was nothing they could do right now. When the weather died down a bit, they could go out and make sure everything was all right.
Claire slept fitfully. When sunlight finally streamed in the window, she awoke with a bolt. Pulling on her overalls over her pajamas, she hurried outside to survey the damage, hoping that there wasn’t much.
She wasn’t prepared for what she saw. The fields were a complete disaster. Debris from the storm lay haphazardly everywhere. Their pineapple crops, which had been near their first harvest, were completely destroyed. Claire wandered in a daze to the edge of the field, picking up a broken piece of pineapple. It was unripe, and utterly worthless. Claire dropped it and turned to look towards the chicken coop. She blinked her eyes over and over, not believing what she was seeing
The chicken coop had been completely flattened. She rushed over, picking through the debris. She sobbed as she found the broken bodies of her sweet chickens. Cliff ran up beside her, and stopped, stunned. Claire threw herself on him, sobbing into his chest. “Oh, Cliff, they’re all dead!” Cliff held her tightly as she cried, murmuring comforting words. He stared out over the rubble, noting the brand new mayonnaise maker in a broken heap, ruined.
Claire eventually gained control of herself, and remembered her livestock. She ran over to the barn, Cliff close on her heels. She breathed a sigh of relief as she saw that the barn looked virtually untouched, other than some broken windows. She threw open the barn doors. Running from each animal, checking them out to make sure they were okay, Claire hugged each around the neck , grateful that they were okay. And they were okay, for the most part, other than being very scared and unhappy, and one of the sheep had a cut to the flank from some flying glass.
Cliff and Claire worked industriously in the barn, cleaning up broken glass and tending to the animals. They both knew that the chicken coop and fields were a bigger mess, but those were both a total loss. The barn could be helped.
When they finished in there, they walked out together and stared at the fields, then at the chicken coop. Claire looked at Cliff questioningly. He grimly nodded towards the chicken coop. “Let’s get that over with,” he said.
Claire nodded sadly, and they donned thick work gloves to move the broken boards. Cliff got a shovel, and dug a deep hole on the edge of the fields, which Claire carried the bodies of her chickens to, and buried them carefully. Claire took a thick broom and swept away the scattered chicken feed and broken eggshells, while Cliff piled the boards together on the perimeter of the farm.
They then dealt with the fields. Cliff got the wheelbarrow, and Claire threw bits of unripe pineapple and other debris into it. When it got full, Cliff would roll it to the edge of the field and tip it over, then come back for more.
Hours later, when they had it all straightened up, they surveyed the fields one more time. Two lone pineapple plants were salvageable, out of the 72 they planted. A narrow row of corn had survived the storm for the most part, and the low lying onions were all okay.
Claire and Cliff trudged back to the farmhouse, utterly exhausted. They entered the bathroom together, shedding their clothes silently. Cliff turned on the water and they both got in. Cliff washed Claire off, shampooed her hair, caressing her comfortingly. Claire stood in the warm stream of water and cried. Cliff held her to him, kissing her forehead and saying every soothing thing he could think of. They finished up the shower and dried off. Cliff got a clean pair of pajamas for her, and helped her get dressed in them. Claire’s body was totally limp, overwhelmed with sorrow and exhaustion. Cliff guided her into bed, and then went into the kitchen and made them both some simple sandwiches. He brought one to Claire in bed, along with a glass of milk. Claire devoured it hungrily, drank all the milk, then laid back in bed. Cliff ate his own sandwich and cleaned up the kitchen.
He went back to the bedroom, switching off the lights as he went. He climbed into bed next to Claire and spooned her, holding her tightly. Claire began crying again, and Cliff could no longer hold on. He cried along with her, just letting the tears come. Sobs racked Claire’s small body, and Cliff held her as tightly as he could, aching with sadness himself.
The hurricane raged and howled outside. Claire paced the floors of their house, occasionally attempting to look out the windows to see if she could see anything, but Cliff would pull her back, saying it was too dangerous. Claire was desperately worried about her animals. Cliff reassured her that there was nothing they could do right now. When the weather died down a bit, they could go out and make sure everything was all right.
Claire slept fitfully. When sunlight finally streamed in the window, she awoke with a bolt. Pulling on her overalls over her pajamas, she hurried outside to survey the damage, hoping that there wasn’t much.
She wasn’t prepared for what she saw. The fields were a complete disaster. Debris from the storm lay haphazardly everywhere. Their pineapple crops, which had been near their first harvest, were completely destroyed. Claire wandered in a daze to the edge of the field, picking up a broken piece of pineapple. It was unripe, and utterly worthless. Claire dropped it and turned to look towards the chicken coop. She blinked her eyes over and over, not believing what she was seeing
The chicken coop had been completely flattened. She rushed over, picking through the debris. She sobbed as she found the broken bodies of her sweet chickens. Cliff ran up beside her, and stopped, stunned. Claire threw herself on him, sobbing into his chest. “Oh, Cliff, they’re all dead!” Cliff held her tightly as she cried, murmuring comforting words. He stared out over the rubble, noting the brand new mayonnaise maker in a broken heap, ruined.
Claire eventually gained control of herself, and remembered her livestock. She ran over to the barn, Cliff close on her heels. She breathed a sigh of relief as she saw that the barn looked virtually untouched, other than some broken windows. She threw open the barn doors. Running from each animal, checking them out to make sure they were okay, Claire hugged each around the neck , grateful that they were okay. And they were okay, for the most part, other than being very scared and unhappy, and one of the sheep had a cut to the flank from some flying glass.
Cliff and Claire worked industriously in the barn, cleaning up broken glass and tending to the animals. They both knew that the chicken coop and fields were a bigger mess, but those were both a total loss. The barn could be helped.
When they finished in there, they walked out together and stared at the fields, then at the chicken coop. Claire looked at Cliff questioningly. He grimly nodded towards the chicken coop. “Let’s get that over with,” he said.
Claire nodded sadly, and they donned thick work gloves to move the broken boards. Cliff got a shovel, and dug a deep hole on the edge of the fields, which Claire carried the bodies of her chickens to, and buried them carefully. Claire took a thick broom and swept away the scattered chicken feed and broken eggshells, while Cliff piled the boards together on the perimeter of the farm.
They then dealt with the fields. Cliff got the wheelbarrow, and Claire threw bits of unripe pineapple and other debris into it. When it got full, Cliff would roll it to the edge of the field and tip it over, then come back for more.
Hours later, when they had it all straightened up, they surveyed the fields one more time. Two lone pineapple plants were salvageable, out of the 72 they planted. A narrow row of corn had survived the storm for the most part, and the low lying onions were all okay.
Claire and Cliff trudged back to the farmhouse, utterly exhausted. They entered the bathroom together, shedding their clothes silently. Cliff turned on the water and they both got in. Cliff washed Claire off, shampooed her hair, caressing her comfortingly. Claire stood in the warm stream of water and cried. Cliff held her to him, kissing her forehead and saying every soothing thing he could think of. They finished up the shower and dried off. Cliff got a clean pair of pajamas for her, and helped her get dressed in them. Claire’s body was totally limp, overwhelmed with sorrow and exhaustion. Cliff guided her into bed, and then went into the kitchen and made them both some simple sandwiches. He brought one to Claire in bed, along with a glass of milk. Claire devoured it hungrily, drank all the milk, then laid back in bed. Cliff ate his own sandwich and cleaned up the kitchen.
He went back to the bedroom, switching off the lights as he went. He climbed into bed next to Claire and spooned her, holding her tightly. Claire began crying again, and Cliff could no longer hold on. He cried along with her, just letting the tears come. Sobs racked Claire’s small body, and Cliff held her as tightly as he could, aching with sadness himself.