A Place To Stay
folder
+G through L › Harvest Moon
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
29
Views:
4,667
Reviews:
5
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Category:
+G through L › Harvest Moon
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
29
Views:
4,667
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.
2
The next day, Claire showed Cliff around the farm. He was very quiet and eager to learn. She left him doing some tasks for her in the barn, and went into town to get a few supplies. As she was walking back through Rose Square, she passed the “Gossip Girls,” namely Sasha, Manna, and Anna, doing their daily thing. Just as she walked by, she heard Manna say, “Oh, that poor boy Cliff. He ran out of money and he had to leave town. I wonder where he is now, poor thing.”
Claire stopped and turned. “Oh, Manna, he didn’t leave town. I gave him a job at my farm.”
All three women looked stunned, and immediately started murmuring. Manna raised her eyebrows at Claire innocently. “Don’t you have a one-bedroom house, dear? Where will he sleep, in the barn?”
Claire’s face burned. “He’s sleeping on the couch.” She straightened herself up. “He’s really going to be a big help to me, and I’m glad he’s staying in Mineral Town.”
Manna just smiled. “That’s nice, dear.”
As Claire walked away, she heard the frenzied whispering, but she had no idea what she just set in motion.
That evening, as Claire prepared dinner, she was startled by a very loud rapping at her door.
Wiping her hands on a dish towel, she glanced at Cliff, who was doing some repairs to the floor. He just shook his head at her and looked puzzled.
Claire opened the door. There stood Mayor Thomas, looking very perturbed. He cleared his throat noisily and looked pointedly at Claire, then over at Cliff, then back at Claire.
“My dear, I have heard some rather,” here he cleared his throat loudly again, “some rather disturbing reports that you have invited a man into your house. May I remind you that the terms of agreement of the conditional lease of this farm only allow for cohabitation between related or married residents?”
Claire got scared for a moment, then as she looked at Mayor Thomas in his silly little suit and hat, she got bold. “I understand that, Mayor Thomas. But, owing to the poor condition that you handed this farm over to me in, I require the assistance of a farm hand to right things.” She gestured at Cliff, who had frozen over his work when Mayor Thomas arrived, but began busily hammering away to show that he was being useful. “I cannot ask him to sleep in the barn, the chicken coop, the silo or the doghouse. And as this house is small, which may I add you were not entirely truthful as to the square footage in the advertisement, he cannot have his own bedroom, but instead has to sleep out here on the couch.”
Mayor Thomas reddened, choked, and fiddled with his mustache. “Well then, I see. Good day to you!” He spun around on his silly little heels and ran off into the night. Claire slammed the door after him.
Cliff rolled back on the floor, laughing uncontrollably. “Oh, Claire,” he wiped the tears of laughter from his eyes. “You told him! The look on his face! I thought his big head was going to pop off!”
Claire started laughing too and went back to fixing dinner. “He did look pretty ridiculous.” She stopped laughing and mused for a minute. “I wonder who gave him that ‘disturbing report’?” She thought for a while, stirring the pot. “Oh no…” she mumbled.
“What?” Cliff asked.
Claire looked at him and winced. “I told Manna that you were staying here.”
Cliff groaned. “Oh, that woman’s notorious! She even gossips in church! Well, at least everybody knows where I am and that I’m still alive.”
Claire nodded and shrugged. “I wonder if any more of the ‘Welcome Wagon’ is going to come by for you?”
As if on cue, there was a loud knocking at the door. “What now?” Claire sighed, putting down the spoon and heading for the door, opening it.
On the porch was Ann, the vivacious redheaded daughter of Doug, the innkeeper. “Hi, Claire,” she smirked. Spotting Cliff inside, she yelled, “What are you doing, Cliff?!”
Cliff looked scared and nervous. “Um, I’m fixing this floorboard?”
“You’re living with Claire now? What is going on?” Ann bellowed angrily.
Cliff flinched, and then cocked his head. “Hey, it was your dad that kicked me out when I ran out of money.”
“Well, Dad has a business to run, after all. You dummy! What, is she your girlfriend?”
Cliff shook his head wildly, his ponytail swishing from side to side. “No, it’s not like that at all! Claire just hired me to work here so that I wouldn’t have to leave town!”
Ann looked Claire up and down. “Oh, that was reeeeal nice of you,” she sneered. “Well, whatever. You guys just play house then.” Ann stormed off into the night.
Claire closed the door and turned around to Cliff, scrunching up her nose.
Cliff sighed. “I’m sorry about that, Claire.”
Claire went back to cooking dinner. “Is she your girlfriend?”
“I don’t know,” Cliff mumbled. Claire’s heart sank. “She wants me to be, but all she ever does is yell at me.” That made Claire feel a little bit better.
“Well, dinner’s ready. Let’s just hope that’s our last visitor of the night. I can’t take any more drama!”
Cliff rolled his eyes. “Me neither!”
Claire stopped and turned. “Oh, Manna, he didn’t leave town. I gave him a job at my farm.”
All three women looked stunned, and immediately started murmuring. Manna raised her eyebrows at Claire innocently. “Don’t you have a one-bedroom house, dear? Where will he sleep, in the barn?”
Claire’s face burned. “He’s sleeping on the couch.” She straightened herself up. “He’s really going to be a big help to me, and I’m glad he’s staying in Mineral Town.”
Manna just smiled. “That’s nice, dear.”
As Claire walked away, she heard the frenzied whispering, but she had no idea what she just set in motion.
That evening, as Claire prepared dinner, she was startled by a very loud rapping at her door.
Wiping her hands on a dish towel, she glanced at Cliff, who was doing some repairs to the floor. He just shook his head at her and looked puzzled.
Claire opened the door. There stood Mayor Thomas, looking very perturbed. He cleared his throat noisily and looked pointedly at Claire, then over at Cliff, then back at Claire.
“My dear, I have heard some rather,” here he cleared his throat loudly again, “some rather disturbing reports that you have invited a man into your house. May I remind you that the terms of agreement of the conditional lease of this farm only allow for cohabitation between related or married residents?”
Claire got scared for a moment, then as she looked at Mayor Thomas in his silly little suit and hat, she got bold. “I understand that, Mayor Thomas. But, owing to the poor condition that you handed this farm over to me in, I require the assistance of a farm hand to right things.” She gestured at Cliff, who had frozen over his work when Mayor Thomas arrived, but began busily hammering away to show that he was being useful. “I cannot ask him to sleep in the barn, the chicken coop, the silo or the doghouse. And as this house is small, which may I add you were not entirely truthful as to the square footage in the advertisement, he cannot have his own bedroom, but instead has to sleep out here on the couch.”
Mayor Thomas reddened, choked, and fiddled with his mustache. “Well then, I see. Good day to you!” He spun around on his silly little heels and ran off into the night. Claire slammed the door after him.
Cliff rolled back on the floor, laughing uncontrollably. “Oh, Claire,” he wiped the tears of laughter from his eyes. “You told him! The look on his face! I thought his big head was going to pop off!”
Claire started laughing too and went back to fixing dinner. “He did look pretty ridiculous.” She stopped laughing and mused for a minute. “I wonder who gave him that ‘disturbing report’?” She thought for a while, stirring the pot. “Oh no…” she mumbled.
“What?” Cliff asked.
Claire looked at him and winced. “I told Manna that you were staying here.”
Cliff groaned. “Oh, that woman’s notorious! She even gossips in church! Well, at least everybody knows where I am and that I’m still alive.”
Claire nodded and shrugged. “I wonder if any more of the ‘Welcome Wagon’ is going to come by for you?”
As if on cue, there was a loud knocking at the door. “What now?” Claire sighed, putting down the spoon and heading for the door, opening it.
On the porch was Ann, the vivacious redheaded daughter of Doug, the innkeeper. “Hi, Claire,” she smirked. Spotting Cliff inside, she yelled, “What are you doing, Cliff?!”
Cliff looked scared and nervous. “Um, I’m fixing this floorboard?”
“You’re living with Claire now? What is going on?” Ann bellowed angrily.
Cliff flinched, and then cocked his head. “Hey, it was your dad that kicked me out when I ran out of money.”
“Well, Dad has a business to run, after all. You dummy! What, is she your girlfriend?”
Cliff shook his head wildly, his ponytail swishing from side to side. “No, it’s not like that at all! Claire just hired me to work here so that I wouldn’t have to leave town!”
Ann looked Claire up and down. “Oh, that was reeeeal nice of you,” she sneered. “Well, whatever. You guys just play house then.” Ann stormed off into the night.
Claire closed the door and turned around to Cliff, scrunching up her nose.
Cliff sighed. “I’m sorry about that, Claire.”
Claire went back to cooking dinner. “Is she your girlfriend?”
“I don’t know,” Cliff mumbled. Claire’s heart sank. “She wants me to be, but all she ever does is yell at me.” That made Claire feel a little bit better.
“Well, dinner’s ready. Let’s just hope that’s our last visitor of the night. I can’t take any more drama!”
Cliff rolled his eyes. “Me neither!”