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Chapter 14: Summer Sun

The dawn of summer presents the next round of challenges for the farm.

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Jazz looked through the shelves, trying to decide what his next prize crop would be. Vesta stood behind him, arms folded with a smile on her face.

"You want my advice?" She asked, reaching over his shoulder and picking up a packet of tomato seeds. "These are a big hit in supermarkets, they grow crazy fast, and they're fun to throw when you get mad."

Jazz laughed, "Anything else? I was thinking more potatoes."

"Not in summer, no; they'll die from the heat, y'know? Corn'll probably work better."

Jazz picked up the packet of corn seeds from the shelf, holding them next to the tomato seeds Vesta had in her hand; the vegetable and fruit found themselves holding little cartoon hands.

"They make a connected picture?" Jazz asked.

"Oh yeah! Celia designed the packaging." Vesta grinned, "The spring crops all run, the summer crops are holding hands, the fall ones are roasting marshmallows, and the winter ones are all invisible!"

"Invisible?" Jazz tilted his head. Vesta paused, before laughing.

"'Cause nothing grows in winter, kid!" she pointed out. Jazz went red in the face, smacking his face with a groan. "It's all good, you're not the first to not get it right away."

"I guess thats a relief..." He sighed, "Anyway, yeah - a couple packets of tomato seeds, a couple of corn... anything else you think I should get?"

"Not really; no point in overworking yourself in this heat." Vesta shrugged, "Hell, I'm having to cut back, too - Marlin's been sick again; can't have him out in the fields in his state."

"Is he going to be okay?"

"Yeah, it's nothing a couple rounds of antibiotics can't fix; he's just mad 'cuz me n' Celia won't let him get out of bed."

"I mean, I'd be mad too if I were bedridden all day..." Jazz chuckled, "Not infectious, right?"

"Nah, just a scrape that got a little too rowdy. Lajos has been visiting him every couple of days... between you and me, I think Marlin appreciates it a lot."

"Definitely a step up from 'please leave me alone you're being weird about wine again,' right?" Jazz chuckled as Vesta smiled.

"Marlin's happiness is what's important to me, you know? I mean, hell, when he moved out here..." Her face fell, "Docs had given him, what, a couple years? Loada horseshit if you ask me. Here he is, about ten years past his expiration date, absolutely whoopin' ass whenever he can muster up the muscles to do it."

"What's he got?"

Vesta shrugged, "Easier to ask what he hasn't caught at this point; his immune system's about as effective as a paper towel in a hurricane, especially during the winter." She said, looking out the window, "The valley air's definitely helped him out a ton, but he still gets the occasional bout of the nasties - we're not even sure what he cut his hand with this time to piss off his body that bad, but by the goddess it's mad about it."

"At least he's doing okay?"

"Oh yeah." She gave a thumbs-up. "The meds've been helping a lot, and we've had the nurse from Mineral Town pop in every couple of days just to make sure he's still recovering okay - a body like his, you never know when you're gonna have to sprint to the hospital with him in a wheelbarrow."

Jazz snickered. "From experience?"

"Only once; still scared me something good, though." she sighed, "One moment, he's fine - the next, he's kneelin' down in a patch of dirt wheezing like a bagpipe. Celia rushed him to Mineral Town in literally a wheelbarrow, and poor Elli had to just... take him inside like that. It was just an asthma attack, thankfully, but it was still.. y'know."

"I bet."

"That was a couple years ago. He makes strides every day..." She smiled, "He's a bucket of scares, but I'm still proud of him. Reckon we all are, you know?"

"Lajos definitely... well, he.... yeah."

"Look, Lajos is not subtle about how much he's smitten with my brother." Vesta laughed, "Marlin... well..." She leaned in to whisper in Jazz's ear. "Don't tell Lajos this, but... he really appreciates Lajos' company."

Jazz grinned, "I won't say a word." The two shook hands, sealing Jazz's promise.

"Now... two bags of tomato seeds, and two bags of corn seeds... that'll be 30 gold." She held out her hand, Jazz depositing a bag of gold in her hand as she handed him the tomato seeds. "Happy planting!"

"You too!" Jazz smiled, waving as he left, walking towards home.

When he got home, Lajos was knelt over something, hands scrambling. Jazz jogged over, looking over his shoulder.

He had cornered a tiny, bony-looking black cat, hands shuffling to try and scoop it up. Eventually, he succeeded, quickly bundling the frail feline and depositing it in a small kennel. "Gotcha!"

"Made a friend, have we?"

"Lumina said it was in her garden; had her butler or whatever bring it over to me, but she's terrified of people... I need to take her to a vet."

"Think there might be one in Mineral Town?" Jazz asked, "Figure if nothing else, they could point you in the right direction."

"Yeah; I was already planning on taking her up there." He picked up the carrier, smiling at Jazz. "Think you'll survive the farm without me?"

Jazz laughed, "Um, of course?? I'll simply crumble into dust without your help."

"Thought so." he joined Jazz's laughter, "Alright; I'll be back, okay?"

"Good luck!" Jazz waved as Lajos jogged down the hill. He jogged into the horse pen, grabbing the hoe and watering can as he prepared to spend the next several hours crumbling into dust.

The sun sucked. The heat sucked. His sweat sucked. He found himself shirtless, overalls still attached, as he worked.

"Jazz?" His head perked up as he heard a familiar voice calling out. He turned, finding Marlin - hand wrapped in a bandage. "Oh, hey. Where's...?"

"He went to Mineral Town a little bit ago; we found a stray cat and he wanted to get it checked out." He said quietly, Marlin nodding in reply.

"Know when he'll be back?"

Jazz shrugged, "Could be right now, could be next week. I'm not gonna worry unless I get a police officer knocking at my door."

Marlin chuckled, "Fair... I'd hoped to see him before Vesta and Celia found me." He shrugged, using his good hand to dig through the bag over his shoulder and pulling out a bottle of wine and a box. "Give this to him when you've got a moment, alright?"

Jazz nodded, taking the package and gently setting it in his rucksack as he heard Vesta and Celia's shouts in the distance. Marlin sighed, shaking his head as the two girls materialized on either side of him, worriedly clucking as Vesta hefted him over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes, carrying him away.

Marlin waved glumly as the three quickly disappeared down the hill. Jazz couldn't help but snicker at the sight.

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version 1.0.4
last updated: aug 24 2022