Chapter 1.1 ~ Home, Sweet Home

Home. Something I'd never been able to say I'd had before, as I spent my life in an orphanage. Yep, you heard me, and orphanage. See, my parents were swanky, uptown folk in our little neighborhood. Well, as uptown as you can get in the little farming community of Riverview. They had the biggest plot of land for miles, and were living quite the lavish life, selling produce, and saving money by making their own food. Life was sure good for them. Until I came along. I was far from the perfect child, lacking in color, which, in today's world, can make or break the family name. Color is everything to a Berry... and I just...wasn't berry. My Mother, being the self-conscious farmer she was, rushed me from the bathroom (hospitals were far from Riverview, and a home birth was a sign of strong blood), to the bedroom, and on the long drive to my Grandfather's house. He, laying eyes on me for the first time, was disgusted, first by the soft wisps of snowy hair on my head, and the dull color of my soft, baby skin. I was dropped off in the middle of the night, on the doorway of an orphanage two towns away, with only a note taped to my swaddling.

 Unwanted. Please care for her, as we will not. 


And so I grew, strong of will, but with every worry in the world on my head. I had made it through my life, now 22 years old, and now for the first time, taking my own stand in life. The orphanage gave each orphan of age a small house, and garden, to start their life on, and try to grow their funds to move off it one day.

I rolled through the streets in a yellow and green taxi, noting how even the cars had more color then I did myself. The trees were bright pinks, and lively greens, and travelling through, I felt the smile grow on my face.

I stood out of the taxi, and gazed around me, before double checking the creased piece of floral paper that the address I'd been gifted had been written on. Yup, this was the place. Wow.

My house. This was my house. Tiny, yes, very white, yes, but mine. All mine.

I stepped up to the paved walkway, and to the front door. I went to put a hand on my (my!) front door handle, but a small noise beneath me caused me to stop.

"Hello little fella'" I said, leaning down to the small cat at my feet. I noted his white and grey fur, and petting it gently, spoke again.  "Looks like that color man seemed to miss you too, huh?" 

"Mew" was my reply, and I chuckled lightly.

I managed to find a strip of leftover jerky in my pocket from the drive, and  offered it to him on the palm of my hand. He ate it hungrily, and I began to consider bringing him inside to see what else I had to feed him, until I saw one problem.

Critters. Unwanted critters crawling all over his poor little body, making him scratch something awful.

I couldn't do with those little buggies in my new house, so sent the cat on his way.

"Okay, bud, outta here. Let's be gone with you now."

And so he left. And for the slightest moment, I regretted it. This little cat had been very friendly, and I'd shooed his butt away. I guess I just need a bit more practice with friendships.

I looked around my little home. It consisted of 7 rooms, but I would only use five.

The other rooms were spare bedrooms, both empty, and of course, white. I soon realized there was nothing for me to do in my little house. It was beautiful, and I loved it, but it was quite..empty. I decided that I should start on keeping up my family name by filling the garden patch in my yard. That's right, despite what I'd done to my poor parents, disgracing them with my faulty genes, I planned to keep up the tradition and grow a brilliant garden.


So I went out to the nearest park to try and collect some seeds. Seeds were where we start right? Heh.. I should probably know a bit more about this but... practice makes perfect.

I found my first seed pretty fast, and I looked it over a few times, trying my hardest to find an indication of that the berry it wold grow, but found none.

"Okay, seedy, until proven wrong, I'm gon say your an apple tree."

I then moved to another park, further away, and looking around, I felt the small smile on my face stretch like elastic across my face. I'd found myself a public garden patch! What a great place to start!

I began taking seeds, and sproutlings from the plants, making sure they were safe from harm before starting on another plant. The sun was beginning to get lower in the sky, but with all my work, I began to feel my shirt stick to my back with sweat, and I felt pretty horrible. Was this what farming felt like? I think farming is just a fancy word for a berry load of hard work. Whooh!

"Excuse me!" a loud, and very annoyed voice sounded behind me. "But this is not a free for all! This garden is to provide for the hungry in Sugar Valley, not for the likes of you to help them selves."

Oops.

"Look, sir, I'm real sorry 'bout that. I'm real new here, and am tryin' to start up my garden. I'm sorry."

"Maybe next time, you'll consider the likes of other people, before stealing from a new town. I bid you a good day, Miss." He replied curtly, before turning on his heel and leaving. 

If I'd had a desk, you could have bet I would've banged my head on it. How embarrassing! Stealing from the hungry! I'm so going to the dark Berry below when I die.

I followed by example, and leaving the whole fruit behind, taking only the seeds I'd already harvested with me, I took off home before the sun set. I didn't know what to expect when I came to live on my own, but it turns out my life is planning on being a pretty eventful one.