Chapter 9

The next morning, Popuri arrives at Jill’s farm dressed and ready to work. Jill showers Popuri with compliments about her new farmer look, dressed in her red and white plaid shirt, blue work jeans, brown sneakers, and braided hair. Even Popuri is impressed with the changes. Many residents of Mineral Town and Forget-Me-Not Valley are also shocked. Many heads were turned as they watched Popuri pass by them. But no matter how much her looks might have changed, she is still the same girl just trying to see her chickens.

They get to work right away. Popuri quickly notices how much easier it is to work without her traditional dress. Her outfit is not as heavy as her long red skirt, which made moving around the farm much easier. Her clothes keep her much cooler, which lets her keep working longer before getting tired and sweaty. Her braided hair doesn’t get in the way of her job, yet still looks cute. The job is so much easier than last time, she is glad that she was able to go shopping with Jill to get it.

Lillia has been very supportive of Popuri and her job. She packs a daily lunch for her daughter, and she helps rebraid her hair once it gets loose. Even though watching her only daughter travel to Forget-Me-Not Valley to work worries her, she is very happy that Popuri is growing into a hardworking independent young woman who is pursuing her dreams. She can only pray for her safety as Popuri leaves the safety of her nest.

Takakura also watches over Jill and Popuri work on the farm he worked so hard to build with his best friend. As he watches them from a distance, he wonders if Jill’s father is smiling over them. The world has changed so much since he and Jill’s father ran the farm together so long ago when they were their ages. He looks up at the clear fall sky, and hopes that the world keeps changes for the better long after the day he joins his friend up in heaven.

As the days pass one by one, they only get colder as the season of winter draws closer. The crops begin to wilt and die one by one, the grass stop growing so much, and the animals stay in their buildings more often. Once winter arrives, Popuri’s job will be over and she will make the trip to Sunny Island.

On the last day of fall, Jill hands over Popuri’s final paycheck. All the harvests have been successful, and Popuri has been paid very well for her help. She has earned enough to pay for her trip in full, and even some extra for spending. On the way back home, she undoes her braid and lets her hair loose once again. She liked the braided hair, but she prefers her usual hairstyle a lot better. Everything is going very well, and everything has been planned for the trip. Her room is reserved, she ordered a boat to take her to the island, and it seems like nothing can stop her now. Unfortunately, there is one last hurdle that she needs to deal with.

“Absolutely not,” said Lillia sternly as Popuri finally gains the courage to tell her mother about the trip to Sunny Island.

“But mama, I want to go to Sunny Island to see my chickens. Why can’t I go?” asked Popuri.

“I understand, and I have given you plenty of freedom to travel to Forget-Me-Not Valley all on your own. But Sunny Island is so far away, I am not comfortable letting you go there all by yourself. The world is a dangerous place for a young lady. What would happen if you get lost or hurt out there?”

Popuri’s eyes well up with tears as she responds, “but that’s not fair. I worked really hard so I can go and see them. I didn’t even ask anyone for a single penny, I made all the money on my own. Please, let me go see them?”

Lillia takes a long and stressful sigh. She knows that everything Popuri is telling her is true. She did work hard all season long and paid for the trip all by herself. She only wished that Popuri told her sooner so she could be prepared to let her go. She shouldn’t stop her, but Sunny Island is much further away than Forget-Me-Not Valley. She would never forgive herself if anything were to happen to her. “If only Rod was here, he could go with her and make sure that my baby comes home safely,” she thought to herself. At that moment, she came up with an idea. A compromise that will allow Popuri to travel, without Lillia constantly fearing that something will happen to her.

Lillia crosses her arms as she answers, “fine, you can go. But under one condition. Take Rick with you. I’m sure that I can get Jack to watch the chickens while you two are gone.”

“No, I refuse,” exclaims Popuri as she crosses her arms and looks away. “Rick will only treat me like a kid. He’s going to tell me where to go, what time I go to bed, and who I can talk to. I’d rather not go if he has to come along.”

Lillia sighs once again. She feels that Popuri is just being difficult at this point. “I can go with her instead,” said Karen who walked into the house and overheard their conversation.

Popuri gasps cheerfully. She then rushes to her sister-in-law and asks, “really? You would come with me?”

“Of course. I’ve never been to Sunny Island, but it sounds like a lot of fun,” answered Karen.

Popuri hugs her, thanking her over and over. She then turns to her mother to ask, “mama, can she come with me instead? Karen is very responsible, so I feel more comfortable traveling with her!”

Lillia sighs one last time just before she answers, “I was hoping that maybe this trip would help you and your brother bond. But I have no issues if Karen goes to Sunny Island with you. I accept.”

Popuri jumps up and down with joy, then says, “I’m going to call the hotel right now and change the reservation. I hope it’s not too late!”

As Popuri is on the phone calling the hotel in Sunny Island, Lillia stands nearby and watch as her baby is all grown up and acting like a young lady. She can’t stop herself from worrying, but she remembers that her daughter is an adult now. She only wishes that her husband Rod was around to help her transition into adulthood and protect her. She knows she is hard on her children, but only because she cares so much about them. She hopes that Popuri will forgive her moments of over-protection and understands why she worries so much.

Popuri hangs up the phone, hen turns to her mother and sister-in-law to say, “good news, they have one double room available. They can change the reservation, and it won’t cost me a thing to change it.”

“That’s great,” said Karen. “Since you’re paying for the room, I’ll bring the spending money. I can get my dad to give me the cash no problem.”

Popuri then rushes to Karen and pulls her upstairs saying, “come on! We need to pack your things and change your clothes! If we’re going to Sunny Island, we’re going to look our best!”

For the next few days, Popuri and Karen prepares themselves for the trip to Sunny Island. They learn that the ocean currents will make the island especially cold, so Karen decides to wear a black thermal sweater with a green vest, green cargo pants, and a warm pair of cream sneakers. Once they got the clothes sorted out, they review the travel brochure together. They find that Sunny Island has so many fun things to do all winter long to entertain tourists. They can fish, sing, dance, eat at the restaurant and diner, attend the many festivals, and so much more. They are both looking forward to having fun on the island.

On the day of their departure, Karen and Lillia are waiting downstairs for Popuri. “Come on, we’re going to be late! The boat to Sunny Island is not going to wait forever,” cried Karen who is already changed and ready to go.

“I’m coming,” yelled Popuri just before heading down the stairs wearing her new dress. Lillia and Karen both gasp as they watch her descend the stairs looking like a whole new person. Lillia could just cry as she watches her baby change from one day to another. They both find her beautiful and modern at the same time.

“Oh my goodness Popuri, you look so lovely,” said Lillia trying her best not to cry tears of joy.

“Yeah, where did you get that dress?”asked Karen.

Popuri smiles as her mother and sister-in-law showers her with praise. But they can’t stay there admiring her all day, they have a boat to catch. They quickly rush out to the dock and finds a luxury yacht waiting to take the two young girls to Sunny Island. Even with such a fast boat, the trip will still take hours to get all the way to Sunny Island. Popuri is about to board, but Lillia holds her back for just a moment to tell her daughter, “I just want to say that I am proud of you. My baby is all grown up and ready to see the world. Please come back home safely.”

“I will mama. Please don’t worry, Karen will be with me.”

Lillia wipes away a single tear running down her cheek, then says, “I love you baby. I always will.”

“I love you too mama,” responds Popuri.

“Come on, the boat is about to leave,” cried Karen.

Popuri nods, then boards the boat with Karen. As the boat drifts away from the shore of Mineral Town, Popuri and Lillia waves goodbye to one another. Once the boat drifts far enough, the helmsman starts the engine to begin the journey to Sunny Island. Even after Popuri is gone, Lillia continues to remain at the dock praying for her daughter’s safe return.

The boat ride is long, but Popuri and Karen enjoys every moment of the ride. The boat moves very fast, which causes their hair to dance with the ocean winter breeze. The sights are familiar to Popuri, but everything is new and exciting to Karen. Even though Karen agreed to escort Popuri, they feel that the roles are reversed. Popuri is now showing Karen the world far away, just like Jill did for her.

After several hours of traveling, they can finally see the island rise up from the horizon. They both gasp with excitement as the island gets bigger than they’ve imagined. Popuri is full of emotions, her journey to find her chickens is about to be over. But even so, this experience has taught her that she can do anything and travel a lot more if she puts her mind to it.

The boat docks on the beach of Sunny Island. They both hop off the boat and takes a look, the island is much bigger than the brochure has lead them to believe. The island is covered with a blanket of snow, and the winds are very cold. Popuri begins to wonder how beautiful the island must be once spring arrives.

The girls are escorted to the hotel. They once again marvel at how luxurious the hotel looks. The hotel workers waste no time grabbing their bags and taking them to the receptionist to check in. The bellhop then takes them to their room where they can marvel at the accommodations one last time. The room is huge and looks extra fancy. The beds are made with the finest silk sheets, the walls are made of high quality marble and alabaster, the curtains are thick and heavy to keep the daylight out, and the decorations look very expensive. Karen is already raiding the minibar which is filled with fine wines and beer. Everything has been simply perfect since the moment they’ve arrived.

“This is the life,” cheered Karen as she pops the cork on a champagne bottle. “Come on, lets celebrate! A toast to the best sister-in-law in the world!”

Popuri giggles before answering, “not just yet. There’s just one last thing I need to do. You can wait here, I’m going to head out.”

“Where are you going?”

“I’m going to look for the farm and see my chickens!”

With that, Popuri leaves the hotel with a map of the island to begin the search for her chickens. She has a hard time at first, the island is way too big and she gets lost quickly. She finally understands why her mother is always worried about her. She is lucky enough to find some friendly island locals who helps her find her way to the farm. About an hour later, she finally arrives at the gates of the farm. She looks up at the sign that reads “Sunny Farm”, her heart is racing and she gets goosebumps. She will finally find out if her chickens are safe and happy in their new home. She only hopes that the farmer is as kind and gentle as the other people living in the island.

She slowly walks in and takes a look around. The farm is covered in snow and no crops or grass is growing. The farm looks as if it is sleeping, and all the animals are keeping warm in their barn and coop until spring. She hopes that she won’t get caught snooping around the farm looking for her birds.

As Popuri continues to look around the farm, the young farmer walks out of his house ready to check on his animals. He quickly finds the young pink haired stranger roaming around his farm. Curious to know what’s going on, he slowly approaches the young maiden quietly. As soon as he gets close enough, he asks, “excuse me, can I help you?”

Popuri gasps, nearly fainting from shock as she turns to the farmer. She takes a few deep breaths; she is caught, but the farmer doesn’t appear angry. She looks at the young, tall, blonde, and handsome green-eyed farmer who is staring back at her curiously. Even though she should be afraid, he seems rather friendly. She hopes that if she explains herself, he would be understanding and let her see the chickens.

“Hello, my name is Popuri, but my friends call me Poppy. I’m a tourist from Mineral Town,” she greeted.

The farmer gives her a warm smile as he responds, “my name’s Mark, it’s nice to meet you.” He then thinks for a moment, then continues, “Mineral Town? Why does that place sound so familiar?”

“You bought some chickens from my farm last summer,” answered Popuri.

“Oh right! Vaughn told me all about that. He told me that some talented young girl raised the chickens I bought and. . .” Mark then takes another look at Popuri, then continues, “wait, could you be that girl who raised my chickens?”

Popuri nods cheerfully, “yes, since the day they hatched.”

“Wow, I’m so glad that I got to meet you! These chickens are amazing! They lay such great eggs, won first prize at our chicken festival, and I had so many farms offer to buy them from me. Of course, I would never sell them. I just love them too much!”

Hearing Mark praise the chickens so much makes Popuri very happy. “Hey, do you mind if I could see them?”

“Of course! I’m sure they’ll be happy to see you,” answered Mark.

He takes her to the coop where the chickens are kept. Each step she takes closer to the coop makes her more and more excited to see them. She knows that they are safe and with a good farmer to take care of them, but she wants to see them at least once before she returns to Mineral Town. Her heart races as Mark opens the door to the coop and lets her in. When she walks in, the chickens are busy eating their feed in the troughs. They look bigger and fatter than she last seen them, but she can easily tell that they are them. Her heart melts seeing how much they’ve grown. They are healthy, well fed, and happy.

Popuri cannot contain her excitement anymore, “Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter! I’m here!”

As soon as they hear her voice, the four chickens turn around and rush to Popuri. They circle around her clucking uncontrollably begging to be picked up like she used to. She laughs cheerfully as she picks each one up and snuggles them. Seeing them all grown up and still remembers her bring Popuri so much joy.

“Wow, so those are their names? No wonder they never answer to the names I’ve given them. I’ll need to remember that,” said Mark.

Popuri then looks back at Mark to ask, “hey, you wouldn’t mind if I came over to see them every now and then? I’m only on the island until spring, so it won’t be long. Please?”

“Of course,” Mark said cheerfully. “As far as I’m concerned, these beautiful birds are just as much yours. You can see them anytime you like.”

“Thank you,” said Popuri. She continues to play and bond with them for hours. She sits in the coop and tells them all the things that happened since the last time they were in Mineral Town.

Soon enough, she has to return to the hotel where her sister-in-law is waiting for her. So she says her goodbyes to her chickens and promises to return soon. She then thanks Mark one last time before returning to the hotel and meeting up with Karen. Popuri is so happy, that she feels like celebrating with Karen all night long. They stay up very late, eat snacks, drink, and have fun like two children who are away from their parents for the first time. They know that things will go back to normal once they go home to Mineral town, but tonight they have the time of their lives.