Chapter 5

Eric has been keeping the teleport stone a secret for the past couple of days. He mainly uses it to make his job at the farm much easier. After he wakes up in the morning, he goes to the bathroom to wash up and comb his long hair. Then he eats breakfast like he usually does, and then changes his clothes.

But the way he has been taking care of the farm is much different than he usually does. Rather than walking out the door and running to the barn, he teleports straight to the cows. First he would brush the cows one by one, and teleport to the next one. When all the cows are done, he starts over doing the next chore. But this time, he is milking the cows, teleporting to the shipping bin, then teleporting to the next cow. When he talks to the cows, he takes his time and spends a few minutes with each one. He then spent time with Dash and Lightning before moving on to the coop.

After he is done with the cows and pets, he teleports right to the chicken coop. Using the power of the stone, he instantly teleports to the spout to gather chicken feed. He then moves to the bins one by one pouring the feed into the bins. This moves each chicken off the eggs where Eric could just quickly gather them. Some eggs would go to the mayonnaise maker, some would go into the spa to make spa-boiled eggs, and the rest goes in as normal eggs. This way, he knows that Mineral Town has enough of each produce to go around.

By the time he is done, the time is then 10:00am. It is still the middle of Winter, so he has no crops that need to be watered. The shops are opening, and Eric begins his shopping before the morning rush of customers. But rather than walking, he uses the teleport stone to instantly go to wherever he needs to. Luckily, he can move around without discovery because he uses the stone to go to places where he cannot be seen.

First he pays a visit to the chicken shop where he places an order for chicken feed. Then he goes to the ranch where places an order for some fodder. Then he goes to the supermarket to check out the deals for Spring seeds that he may need soon. Finally, he goes to the inn where he can have a lunch.

Afterwards, he wanted to go to the mines, but he changes his mind. It is still early, so he decides to go back home and make a home-made lunch for Mary. He makes some mushroom rice, a vegetable latte for a drink. By the time he is done, the noon bell rings and Eric is off to visit Mary at the Library.

He uses the stone to get inside the library, but he doesn't find Mary inside. He checks the door, and he finds a sign that says, “closed for lunch”. He is slightly too late, but at least he can surprise her with an early visit as soon as she is done with lunch. In top of her desk, he found a book lying open. It's written in her handwriting, so Eric thought that it is one of Mary's stories shat she wrote. He takes a peek inside to see what is she working on this time, but he quickly notices that it's her diary. He wanted to leave it alone, but something that is written there keeps his eyes glued to the pages.

Dear Diary,

I had a hard time sleeping again. I can't stop thinking about the time Gray confessed his feelings for me that day. I don't know why, but it's been bothering me a lot lately. I guess I feel kinda sad for him because we've been friends for many years, and I had no idea he felt that way about me. I guess I'm also kind of scared because I like Gray, and I don't want to lose his friendship. I want to talk to Eric about how I feel, but I think that it would make him feel jealous. After all, Eric and Gray are also friends too. I don't know what to do anymore. I think I need some help, but I don't know who to turn to. Maybe I'll talk to Carter about my problem on Monday.

Just then, Eric hears a door open from the second floor, He quickly closes the book shut, and pretends that he saw nothing. Mary looks down from the second floor and sees Eric standing there smiling suspiciously. She looks at him awkwardly and says, “Hi Eric, how did you get in the library? I thought I locked the door?”

Eric sweats nervously and says, “You must have forgotten, because it wasn't locked when I got here. I locked the door behind me, so there's no need to worry.”

Mary was just too happy to see Eric to care about minor details. So she walks up to him ans says, “I haven't seen you here this early in a long time. What's the occasion?”

“Actually, I made you some lunch. But I guess you already had some.” said Eric.
Mary accepts the packed lunch, and kissed him on the cheek. “Don't worry, I'll save it for later. You're always so good to me.” she said.

Mary unlocks the door, and flips the sign to let everyone know that the library is open. Eric then asked for a couple of books to read, just to spend some time with her. The library is quiet as he read with Mary, but he still can not concentrate very well at what he is reading. The entry in the diary distracted him to the point that reading straight is not possible.

Eventually, he could not stay quiet about it. So he looks up at Mary and says, “Mary, can I ask you a personal question?”

“Sure, what it it?” answered Mary.

“It's about Gray, how do you feel about him?”

Mary is shocked that he asked a question like that. At first, she hesitated to answer. But the look on his face tells her that he needs an honest answer. “Gray and I are friends. I mean, I used to like him before I met you. But nothing happened between me and him. He just remained friends.” Mary looks at him and says, “Why do you ask?”

“I was just curious. I mean, he is one of the few people who come see you other than me. I know that my question sounded odd, but I needed to ask anyway.”

Mary takes a seat next to him, and moved her chair close to him. Eric wraps his right arm around her, and she places her head against his shoulder. The Winter air is cold, but sitting like this makes them feel warm. Mary looks at Eric and says, “You don't have to worry about a thing, my heart only belongs to you. I promise.”

Eric leaves the library at 4:00pm. Before he does, he gives her a long tender kiss. Rather than using the teleport stone, he walks home instead. On the way there, he stops in front of the blacksmith's shop. The diary entry is still bothering him, and looking at the blacksmith shop only makes him wonder what was Gray thinking. He knows that Mary and him are going out, and he is a a good friend to him. he wonders why would he confess to the girl his friend is dating?

He tries to open the door but it's locked. The shops of Mineral Town all close at 4:00pm. He knows that he should wait until the next day, but he knows that if he does not settle this now, it's going to bother him. So he holds the teleport stone in his pocket, and asks it to take him inside. He knows it's risky, but his mind is made up already.

Inside the shop, he finds nobody inside the blacksmith area. He hears the voices of Gray and Saibara in the back where the bedrooms are located. He is about to knock on the door, but the conversation between Saibara and Gray caught his attention. He decides to listen before making his presence known.

“Are you sure you want to do this Gray? Maybe you should think about it a little bit longer before you make such a decision.” said Saibara's voice.

“Grandfather, I can't wait any longer. If I miss this chance, I may lose her. I just don't think I can live with myself if I just let it pass.” said Gray's voice.

“I understand what you are saying. But still, don't you think proposing is still a bit much? And of all people, why does it have to be Mary? Mary has feelings for Eric after all. Don't you think it's a bit wrong to do that? I mean, there are other women in Mineral Town you can date.”

“I don't want anyone else! I already told you, I'm only doing my best because I want to be with her. If I don't do this, then what was the point of it all? I'm sorry grandfather, but even if you don't approve, I'm still going to do it. I'll propose on her birthday, that's five days from now.”

Eric can hear Saibara sigh before saying, “Have you ever thought about what will you do if she turns you down?”

“She is not! I know her much better than anyone else. If I do it on her birthday, I know she will accept.”

“What about Eric? Isn't he a friend of yours? How do you think he will feel about this?” asked Saibara.

“I'm sorry, but Mary is more important than he is to me!”

Those words shocks Eric. He always thought of Gray as a good friend. But now he sees that when it comes to Mary, he is very selfish. He grasps the teleport stone, and asks it to take him back to the farm. It is still early, but he still wants to sleep to get his mind off of Gray. His feelings are hurt, but there isn't anything he could do about it. Gray may be his friend, but he is also his rival for Mary's affection.

The next day, Eric finishes his work early. He returns home, and starts making some lunch for himself. He checks the calendar, and sees that there are only four more days before Mary's birthday. He sighs, and wonder's how Mary will answer to Gray's proposal. He is sure that she will turn down Gray, but Gray is also sure that he will accept.

Just then, an advertisement on the TV catches his attention. “Hello everyone! Today we have a Blue Feather! Most small villages and town use this to propose to your special loved one. These things are very rare, but we have a few for sale at a very affordable rate! Give us a call to place an order today!”

The advertisement gives Eric a very good idea. If Gray thinks that Mary will definitely accept the feather on her birthday, then he should propose before he does. Eric remembers that there used to be a blue feather for sale in the supermarket, but it disappeared some time ago. Since Gray spoke of proposing, he now knows that he must have it. Using the teleport stone, he goes to the Inn to make an order for a feather of his own.

He puts in a 10g coin in the phone, and dials the number on the television. “Hello, this is TV Shopping channel. What can I do for you today?”

“Hi, I want a Blue Feather delivered to Mineral Town. How soon can I get it?” asked Eric.

“It'll take three days to receive the payment through the mail, and another three days for shipping. So expect about six days.”

“Six days? That's too long! I need it before the 20th of Winter!” yelled Eric.

“I'm sorry sir, but things are a bit slower in the winter. Especially with all the snow, and the large orders for the holiday season.”

Eric thinks for a moment, then he has an idea. “How about if I go to pick it up personally. Could I do that?”

“I don't see why not.”

“Okay, then give me the address, and I'll be right there soon.” Eric writes down the address where he could get the feather, and returns home.

At home, he tells the stone to take him to the address that he got from the TV Shopping channel. He vanishes for a couple of minutes, and returns with the feather in his hands. Luckily, he teleported to a place where nobody saw him, so his stone was not discovered.

He knows that he is taking too many risks with the teleport stone. But love and rivalry is blinding his judgment. All he cares about at that moment is not losing Mary to Gray. So he continues the day like nothing has happened, and hopes for the best when he proposes.