Jennifer

Laughter and music drifted through the warm afternoon air as Yuto leaned against a fence, watching the town square glow cheers and happy laughs. Another wedding had just taken place, and the celebration was still in full swing—couples swaying to a gentle melody, friends clinking their champagne together in a toast, children running across the cobbled floor.

It was a sight he had grown used to. Love flourished easily in Mineral Town.

Yuto smiled, though something inside him stirred—a quiet ache that he couldn't quite place. He was genuinely happy for the newlyweds, and for the others who had found love so easily in this town. But as he watched Gray steal a glance at Marie, and he saw Popuri laughing while Kai twirled her around in the dance, a thought surfaced in his mind:

"Will I ever have something like that?"

The thought unsettled him more than he cared to admit. He was still new to Mineral Town, still getting used to the rhythm of farm life, the smell of freshly turned soil, the soreness in his muscles after a long day's work. He told himself that love could wait, that his focus needed to be on his farm, on building a life here.

And yet… everyone got married, leaving him perpetually single. Without really thinking, he turned away from the celebration and started walking.

The music faded as he moved out of Rose Square. As he left town headed into the forest past his farm, his boots crunching softly against the dirt path leading up to Mother's Hill. The climb was familiar, a path he often took when he needed time to clear his mind. Here, the world felt different—quieter, more alive in a way the town wasn't. The wind carried the scent of pine and damp earth, the rustling leaves whispered secrets to one another, and above him, the sun illuminated the path forward.

Today, the air felt heavier, charged with something unspoken. As he neared the summit, he saw her.

A woman sat cross-legged near the cliff's edge, her back to him, golden hair cascading down her shoulders like liquid sunlight. She was utterly still, hands resting gently on her lap, her entire presence exuding an aura of serenity. The moment felt almost sacred, as if he had stumbled upon something not meant to be seen.

Just as he considered stepping away quietly, she spoke."You feel it too, don't you?" Her voice was soft, yet it carried through the air as if it had been waiting for him.

Yuto hesitated. "Feel… what?"

She turned to face him, and for the first time, he took her in fully.

Her features were delicate yet striking—eyes the color of amethysts, filled with something deep and knowing. She wore a loose pair of jeans, pink sneakers, and a red jeweled crop top with a sweater that rippled gently in the breeze. A simple knit cap covered part of her hair with a few strands danced freely around her face.

"The whispers," she said simply.

Yuto blinked. "The… what?"

"The whispers of the earth," she continued, rising gracefully to her feet. "The breath of the wind, the heartbeat of the trees, the Harvest Goddess's gentle love that fills every space."

Yuto shifted uncomfortably. "I, uh… just came up here to get some air."

She smiled, a knowing look in her eyes. "Of course you did."

Something about the way she said it made it feel like she understood more than she let on. "I'm Jennifer," she said, stepping closer. "And you are?"

"Yuto," he answered automatically. "I run the farm just outside of town."

Jennifer clasped her hands together, pleased. "Ah. A farmer—one who works closely with the land, yet does not hear its voice." She sighed wistfully. "That must be lonely."

Yuto frowned. "I don't think it's lonely."

Jennifer tilted her head, studying him like he was a puzzle waiting to be solved. "You don't believe, do you?"

"Believe in what?"

"In the divine energy that surrounds us. In the way the Harvest Goddess watches over us all, how nature breathes and moves in harmony with the universe." She gestured to the sky, the trees, the distant rolling hills. "It's all connected, all alive."

Yuto didn't know how to respond. He'd heard of the Harvest Goddess, of course. The townspeople often spoke of her in reverence, leaving offerings at the sacred pond near the hot springs. But to him, it had always been more of a tradition than a reality. Something people did because it was comforting to believe in a greater force.

Jennifer must have seen the doubt in his eyes because she smiled again, but this time with a spark of mischief.

"I could show you," she said.

Yuto blinked. "Show me what?"

"The truth." She extended her hand toward him.

Yuto hesitated. He didn't know this woman. She was strange—speaking of things he couldn't understand, acting as if she had knowledge he would never possess. And yet, something about her presence, about the way the world felt different around her, made his heart beat just a little faster.

"Come with me," she said, her voice barely more than a whisper. "I want you to see."

Without entirely knowing why, Yuto reached out— And took her hand. Jennifer's fingers were warm against Yuto's own, her grip light but certain, as if she already knew he would follow.

The moment their hands touched, a breeze swept through Mother's Hill—gentle at first, then carrying with it a strange energy, something almost alive. The wind curled through the grass, whispering between the trees, making the leaves tremble as if in anticipation. Yuto shivered. The air wasn't cold, but something in the atmosphere shifted, making his skin prickle.

Jennifer said nothing, only smiled as she led him down the sloping path, her sneakers silent against the earth. The way she moved was effortless, each step light, as if she were more spirit than woman. Yuto kept his eyes on her, half-expecting her to vanish like a dream if he blinked.

They walked in silence, the journey embracing them. The sun above shimmered like a golden gemstone, impossibly bright against the deep blue sky. The trees whispered in hushed tones as they passed, and for the first time, Yuto noticed how the world around him felt—the pulsing of the earth beneath his feet, the gentle hum of something unseen woven into the very air. It was as if the forest was listening.

Then, at the base of the hill, Mother's Lake revealed itself.

Yuto has seen the lake countless times. But today, It was breathtaking. The water stretched wide and still, its surface reflecting the heavens so perfectly that it seemed like another sky lay beneath them. The edges of the lake glowed faintly, touched by an ethereal silver light, as if the Harvest Goddess herself had reached down and kissed the water. Dragonflies darted lazily above the water, their colorful bodies flickering like gemstones of forgotten prayers.

Jennifer let go of Yuto's hand and stepped forward walking toward the lake's edge. The grass parted softly beneath her feet, the air thick with something ancient and unspoken.

"Here," she whispered, voice full of reverence. "This is where she listens."

Yuto swallowed, his skepticism warring with the undeniable feeling that something sacred truly lingered here. Then, without hesitation, Jennifer reached up and removed her knit cap, letting the full length of her golden hair spill freely down her back. She set it gently on the grass, then bent down and slipped off her sneakers, standing barefoot at the water's edge.

She closed her eyes and exhaled, her entire body relaxing, as if she were shedding not just her accessories, but something unseen—something heavier. She took a step forward. Yuto held his breath. Her foot touched the water's surface— And did not sink.

Yuto gasped, stumbling back as Jennifer took another step, and another. The water did not swallow her. It cradled her, supported her, as if she were lighter than air itself.

The ripples spread outward like silver threads, weaving intricate patterns across the lake's surface. The air trembled, charged with something unseen, something powerful. The sun above seemed to pulse in rhythm with the slow rise and fall of the water, and for a moment, Yuto swore he could hear something—

A distant, melodic hum, low and gentle, vibrating through the afternoon. Jennifer opened her eyes, luminous and wild, reflecting the sunlight like twin pools of liquid gold.

Then, she began to dance. Her movements were slow at first, deliberate—a single step, a graceful turn. Her arms rose like the unfolding petals of a flower, and the lake responded.

The water curled and rose around her, tiny streams lifting into the air, swirling like ribbons caught in an unseen wind. Droplets glowed like stardust, catching the light as they moved in harmony with her, a breathtaking display of nature and something far beyond it.

Yuto couldn't breathe. It was not her controlling the water. It was not a trick, nor a performance. It was something else, the Harvest Goddess.

Yuto could feel her now—her presence like a warm embrace, like the whisper of the wind in Spring, like the hush of snowfall in Winter. It was as if she were watching, guiding the water, allowing Jennifer to move as one with the lake.

Jennifer twirled, and the water spiraled upward, forming delicate patterns in the air before cascading back down in shimmering droplets. Her laughter, light and unrestrained, echoed across the lake, blending with the distant hum that now pulsed like a heartbeat through the daylight.

She was radiant. Not human. Not divine. Something in between. Yuto's heart pounded in his chest, an overwhelming sense of wonder washing over him like a tide. He had spent so long believing in the tangible, the things he could hold in his hands, the things he could see and name. But this—this was just as real.

Not a story. Not a legend. The Harvest Goddess was here, and she was listening.

Jennifer slowed, her dance coming to a gentle end. The water stilled, the glow around the lake dimming ever so slightly, as if the magic had reached its peak and was now retreating, slipping back into the quiet embrace of the lake.

Jennifer turned to him, standing in the center of the lake, her golden hair cascading down her back, her eyes still carrying the light of something ancient.

"Do you see now?" she said out loud.

Yuto opened his mouth, but no words came. He did see, and he would never be the same. Yuto swallowed hard. "I… I don't know how to describe it."

"You don't have to." She took a step forward, and the water carried her effortlessly back to shore. "Some things are not meant to be explained. They are meant to be experienced."

As she reached the edge of the lake, she stepped onto the grass, the damp earth clinging softly to her feet. The moment she left the water, the air changed—less heavy, less charged, as if the divine presence had retreated back into the unknown. The lake became just a lake again, though Yuto knew it would never seem ordinary to him anymore.

Jennifer bent down, slipping her sneakers back on, then picked up her knit cap, turning it over in her hands before pulling it back over her golden hair. The moment felt strangely final, as if she were wrapping herself back into the form the world expected her to take—no longer the woman who danced upon the water, but just Jennifer. Just a traveler. Just another soul in Mineral Town.

She turned to Yuto, eyes shimmering like the lake beneath the moonlight. "I'll be staying here for a while," she said. "I've found that I quite like it here." She smiled softly. "Maybe we'll see each other again."

Yuto's chest tightened. "She's staying," he whispered to himself.

The thought stirred something in him—something unfamiliar, something exhilarating. He didn't know what it meant, not yet. But as he looked at her, this woman who had shown him something beyond reason, beyond sight, beyond anything he had ever known—

He knew he wanted to see her again.

His lips parted, but he found himself at a loss for words. Instead, he simply nodded.

Jennifer tilted her head, as if studying him, reading something unspoken in his expression. Then, with a final, radiant smile, she turned and began to walk away, disappearing into the shadows of the trees.

Yuto stood there for a long time after she had gone, staring out at the still, quiet lake. His heart was still racing, not from fear, but from something else. Something new. Something wondrous.

For the first time in his life, he didn't just believe in the Harvest Goddess. He had felt her. And for the first time, his heart beat—not for the idea of love, not for the longing of what others had— But for a woman who had walked upon the water and shown him the beauty of the unseen. And now, Yuto prepares himself for the magical love story that will begin, starting now.

The End.