Elly

One fall afternoon, a group of people are walking up Mother’s Hill. These people are Yuto the farmer of Mineral Town, Elly the town nurse, her younger brother Yu, and their grandmother Ellen. Yu is running around in anticipation while Yuto is pushing Ellen in a wheelchair, and Elly is carrying a basket for a picnic. Yuto’s dog Milo is also running around playing with Yu barking excitedly. They are all headed up the hill looking for a clearing they love to have picnics at. Yuto and Elly’s job makes it difficult for them to find time to enjoy themselves, but they’ve managed just fine.

Once they find a great spot to set up, Yuto pulls a blanket out of his rucksack and lays it on the grass. Elly places the basket on the blanket, then fans her long blue skirt to sit and prepare the picnic. Today is a very important day for both Yuto and Elly. They both have something to say to the other, but neither of them knows what the other is going to say. Until they are ready to say what they need to, they continue to prepare the picnic.

“Come on Yuto, let’s play with the dog now,” shouted Yu holding a frisbee.

“Coming,” answered Yuto. He then gives Elly a kiss on the cheek and tells her, “I’ll be right back. I’m going to tire Yu out for a bit.”

Yuto then runs off to play with Yu and Milo. They toss the frisbee back and forth as Milo tries to jump and catch it. Elly and Ellen just sit and watch the boys play from the blanket. Ellen smiles proudly watching the young play cheerfully. Elly on the other hand sighs sadly.

“Look at those two, they are like brothers. Yu has been so happy ever since Yuto came into our lives,” said Ellen. She then turns to Elly and asks, “how long has it been since you two been dating?”

“Three years,” answered Elly.

“That long, eh? I can only imagine him proposing to you sooner than later. I can’t wait to see you wearing a wedding dress while walking down the aisle with him.”

Elly, doesn’t respond, she only watches Yuto looking sad while holding a pressed flower. She wanted to give it to Yuto years ago, but she couldn’t find the courage to do so. It was a gift from her parents before they passed away, and she wanted to give it to him when they became a couple.

Ellen notices her granddaughter’s sad expression, so she asks, “my dear Elly, what is the matter?”

Elly moves a couple strands of hair off her face before admitting, “today, I am going to break up with Yuto.”

“Really? But why? I thought you two were getting along so well.”

“We do grandma. I love him so much. I would love nothing more than to be his wife.” She then takes another deep breath as she continues, “but if I do marry him, I’ll have to leave you and my brother behind. I can’t be a proper wife and take care of you two at the same time. I’ve been thinking about it for a while, and I made my decision. It will break his heart, but this is the best for everyone.”

“Are you sure about this? Maybe you should talk to him, I’m sure you two can come up with something.”

Elly shakes her head no, “you two need me more than he does. I’m sure he’ll understand.”

She then takes another look at Yuto and Yu playing with Milo together. Tears start to well up in her eyes as she begins to recall all the wonderful memories that she had shared with him. All the times they’ve spent, even though her job as a nurse makes it hard to find the time. Before she met him, she always believed that she could never find love in Mineral Town. All that changed when Yuto moved into town a few years ago.

Elly clearly remembers the day she first met Yuto early one spring. She was busy taking inventory of the medicine in the clinic when Yu came in holding something behind his back. He tugged at her dress calling her name to get her attention. Their parents passed away shortly after he was born, and Ellen is too ill to watch him. So Elly had to watch him while she worked at the clinic. Yu often gets bored, so he played pranks on his sister.

“Yes? What is it Yu?” asked Elly.

“I just want to show you something,” said Yu as he presents a beetle to her.

Elly screams as soon as she sees the bug and drops a bottle of medicine she had in her hands. Yu knew at that moment that he was in trouble, so he turns around and tries to run off before his sister can get him. As he is about to reach the front door, Yuto walks into the clinic for the first time. Yu and Yuto bump into each other. Yu fell on to the ground, but he wasn’t hurt.

Yuto helped Yu up from the ground and said, “hey there, where’s the fire? You should really be more careful!”

Elly approached them and said, “I’m sorry about him, are you okay?”

Yuto smiled for Elly and answered, “I’m good. My name is Yuto by the way. I just moved into my grandfather’s farm. Is this little guy your kid?”

Elly blushed with embarrassment. Most strangers assumed that Yu was her son because of the great age difference between them. No matter how many times it happened, it’s not something she could or wanted to get used to.

“No, he’s my younger brother. I take care of him, but he can get a bit mischievous at times.”

“I see.” Yuto then looks down at Yu and asks, “so what’s your name little guy?”

Yu smiled as he answered, “I’m Yu. She is my big sister Elly. I was just showing her a bug before I ran into you.”

Yuto smiled back at him, “Yu, eh? Sounds pretty close to my name! Tell you what, why don’t you hang out at my farm. You can catch all the bugs you want there.”

Yu looked back at her sister and asked, “big sis, can I hang out with Yuto?”

Elly took a deep stressful sigh. She then looked at Yuto and asked, “I don’t mind, but will it be too much trouble to look after him?”

“It’s no trouble at all. I can tell that Yu and I are going to be good friends!”

She nodded at Yuto, then looked down at Yu to say, “please be home in time for dinner, and don’t cause too much trouble for Yuto.”

“I won’t, I promise!”

The boys then left the clinic and headed to the farm where Yu could play. Elly did worry about letting Yu play at the farm, he always did tend to get out of hand when he was excited. But she did notice a look of confidence and trust in Yuto’s eyes. So she went back to work and cleaned up the mess Yu made earlier.

Later that evening, Yu and Yuto arrived at Elly’s house in time for dinner. Yu bragged about how much fun he had in the farm. He hoped that she would allow him to play there again. Elly promised that if Yu was in his best behavior, she would let him hang out at Yuto’s farm again.

“Well, take care. I’ll come to the clinic and visit you guys sometime,” said Yuto.

“Wait,” said Elly. “Umm, would you like to have dinner with us? It’s the least I could do for taking care of Yu today.”

Yuto smiled as he answered, “sure! I would love to join you.”

That evening, Yuto spent the evening with Elly and her family. He also met Elly’s grandmother Ellen who is ill and unable to walk. As they eat, Yuto shared many stories about the time he was Yu’s age and played in the farm with his grandfather when he was still alive. They all laughed and joked about many things, especially about Yu’s many pranks he pulled. They all had a great time.

Back at the farm, Yuto laid on his bed thinking about Elly and her family. He really enjoyed spending the day with Elly, Yu, and Ellen. He also found Elly very attractive. He couldn’t get her sweet mature voice out of her head. He hoped that they can get to know each other better.

A few days later, Elly came over to the farm with Yu. It was her day off, and Yu begged her to take him to the farm. Yuto didn’t expect them, but he was happy to get the company. Even though he didn’t have many animals for Yu to play with, he did have a horse and dog. So Yuto and Elly sat together so they could chat while Yu played in the farm.

“Sorry I came by so unexpectedly,” said Elly. “Yu really wanted to play in the farm, and it was my day off. I hope you don’t mind.”

“It’s no trouble at all! Yu can come over and play anytime he wants,” reassured Yuto with a smile.

As Yu continued to play with Milo, Yuto and Elly spent time getting to know each other. Yuto told Elly about his time in the city before he arrived at Mineral Town. Elly talked to Yuto about her nursing job, and her family. She explained the situation about her parents and Ellen who is ill and can’t watch Yu. She did feel bad that she didn’t have anything else cheerful to talk about, but Yuto assures her that he was enjoying himself.

Before Elly went home, Yuto dared himself to ask Elly on a date. She was happy to learn that Yuto likes her, but she respectfully turned him down. She explained that she is far too busy caring for Yu and Ellen to be romantically involved with him. Yuto understood, but he refused to give up on her just yet.

One summer day during Elly’s day off, Yuto came by to her house with a surprise. He brought a wheelchair with him as a gift for Ellen. He understood that Elly can’t date because she is caring for Yu and Ellen, so he decided to take them along as well. Elly wanted to turn him down again, but Ellen encourages her to give him a chance. And so, Yuto and Elly’s family spent the day hanging out at the beach. Yu was happy that he was able to hang out with Yuto, and Ellen was glad to get out of the house for a change.

Ever since then, Yuto and Elly go out on dates at least once a week. Yu and Ellen had to come along as well, but nobody complained. Elly did feel bad that Yuto had to spend so much time with her family, but he reassures her that he enjoys spending time with everyone. Everyone laughed and played as the four of them spent time together.

One evening later that fall, Yu and Ellen were in their rooms napping while Yuto and Elly were in the living room alone. They both had fallen hard for each other, and they spent the evening holding hands and kissing. Yuto then pulled out a preserved flower and offered it to Elly to ask her to be his girlfriend. She hesitated, but her heart told her to accept it. So that evening, Yuto and Elly became an official couple.

Elly wanted to give Yuto the pressed Flower. It was a gift from her mother before she passed away. She was told that the pressed flower was a good luck charm. If she gave it to someone she loved, they will be together forever. But even though she wanted to give it to Yuto, she couldn’t bring herself to do it. Even though she loves Yuto, she isn’t quite sure if Yuto will stay with her. So she decided to hold on to it until she is ready.

Time passed, Yuto and Elly’s relationship was hard but remained strong. Elly only gets a single day off a week, and she can’t always find the time to spend it with Yuto. But Yuto did his absolute best to spend whatever little time they have together. He also makes her life a bit easier by helping care for Yu and Ellen when she is working. He also goes to the clinic with Yu to deliver flowers. Elli can’t help but to fall deeper in love with him.

After a couple of years has passed, Ellen started to ask about the possibility that Elly would marry Yuto eventually. Elly found the idea comforting, but she then began to worry about her family. Elli had been able to work and provide for Ellen and Yu. If she married Yuto, then who would take care of them? Elly wouldn’t be able to handle a full time job, be a wife and mother, and care for her family all at the same time. These thoughts weighed in her mind ever since.

Yu is now tired from playing with Milo and napping on the picnic blanket. Ellen is watching over Yu while Yuto and Elly can spend some time together alone. As they walk, Yuto plucks a magic red flower from the ground and hands it to Elly. Moments like this is what made her fall in love with him. It breaks her heart knowing that she will need to end her relationship before they get any closer.

She takes a deep breath before saying, “listen Yuto, I have something important to tell you.”

“Wait, I have something important to tell you too. Can I please go first?”

Elly nods. Yuto then gets down on one knee and pulls out a blue feather for her. She gasps as soon as she realizes that he is doing. She wants to stop him but she can’t find the courage to move or say anything.

“Ever since the day I met you, I can’t get you off my mind. We have been dating for a long time, and I am ready to be your husband. Will you do me the honor of being my wife?”

Yuto was expecting an excited “yes”, but Elly remained frozen. Her eyes quickly fill up with tears. She can’t help herself, she really wants to marry him, but she feels that she can’t. All she can do is just cry as she desperately tries to wipe her tears. Yuto then lowers the feather and asks, “Elly, what’s wrong?”

“I’m sorry. I know that I should be happy. But I’m sorry, I can’t marry you.”

“What? But why?” asked Yuto as he stands back up.

She turns around as she continues to wipe her tears. She can’t even bring herself to look at him. “I can’t marry you because I can’t leave my family behind. They need me to support them and my grandmother can’t take care of Yu all by herself. I know I should have said something sooner, but I wanted to end our relationship today. I love you, I really do. I want to thank you for all that you’ve done for us.

“It makes me happy to know that you love me so much. I do feel the same way about you. Nothing would make me happier than to be your wife. But I also love my family as well. That’s why I have to end this now. Please forgive me.”

Before Elly realizes it, Yuto’s strong arms embrace her from behind. His hug is very warm and comforting, she feels so safe in his arms. She wishes that she can remain by his side. Yuto does understand why she wants to end their relationship, but he refuses to give up on her. He already knew that her family means everything to her, so he already included them in his plan.

“Elly, you misunderstood me. I care deeply about Yu and Ellen too. I will not separate you from them, and I will not leave them behind. They both can come live with us at the farm too. That way, I can help you take care of them. I want to.”

Elly turns around so she can finally face him. There is a look of honesty and sincerity in his eyes. She becomes emotional as she imagines a life with Yuto and her family living in the farm as one big happy family. She always believed that she would never be able to find love, she felt that no one could love someone with so much responsibility bound to her. But once again, Yuto has found a way to give her hope and a shot at the dream every young girl dreams about.

Now, Elly feels confident enough to pull out the pressed flower and hands it to Yuto. “This was a gift from my mother. She told me that if I found someone I love, I should give it to him. This charm symbolizes my undying love for you. I’m sorry I couldn’t give it to you sooner, but I am ready to be your wife.”

Yuto nods, then tries to propose once again. Elly cries, but this time she sheds tears of joy. She says “yes” and accepts the blue feather. They then quickly go back to the picnic blanket and announces their engagement to Yu and Ellen. They both are happy about the news, so they quickly return home and make preparations for the wedding.

A week later, Elly and Yuto march down the aisle in the Mineral Town church. The whole population of Mineral Town and Yuto’s family fills the church as the happy couple approach Carter to make their vows. Yu is following close behind carrying a pillow with the wedding rings. Ellen is sitting with the crowd as she watches her only granddaughter get married with the man she loves.

Once they’ve said their vows, Yu holds up the pillow and presents the rings. Elly places the ring on Yuto’s finger, and he does the same for her.

“I now pronounce you both, husband and wife! You may now kiss the bride,” said Carter.

Yuto and Elly holds hands as they kiss each other as a married couple for the first time. Everyone in the church cheers loudly for them. Ellen cries tears of joy, she can only imagine how proud her parents are up in heaven.

Elly, Yuto, Yu, and Ellen are now standing in front of the farm house shortly after the festivities are over. They all enter the house together as a family where they will spend the rest of their lives living happily ever after.

The end.