Hell's Pasture
Since I was a young boy, I always wanted to own a farm. The lifestyle appealed to me; with a few seeds you can support yourself and provide sustinance for you and your family, you were close to animals, and generally, you were in a small community. I loved the idea. So, at the age of eleven, after getting my first GameCube, I ventured to WalMart and took a look in the bargain bin for something to fulfill my fantasy.
Lo and behold, I found it in the form of Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life. It was the last copy and I had my last twenty-five dollars, which, as it was, was just enough. My only real complaint was that the game appeared to have been opened slightly, but my dream would somewhat come true. I had my farm in my hands.
Eager to start, I sat down to play. Everything started as normal, Takakura narrating while I watched the game unfold. I entered in all the names I had planned since I was little: For the farm, I chose the name 'North Farm'. I chose the pointy-eared dog and named him 'Kitsune', thinking A) that he resembled a fox, and B) that it could be affectionately shortened to 'Kit'. Hating my own name, I chose to enter 'Damion' as my own name. I started off with some seeds and a cow, and a few tools, and dived right into the game.
I took great care of my animals as the farm grew, making sure they were all happy and healthy, like I would have if they were my own, real-life pets. I'd place orders for food and tools, and spend whatever time away from the farm either fishing, helping out with the fossil dig, or attempting to woo Celia (I was successful and eventually married). Eventually I would go on automatic, placing the orders and forgetting about them.
So, when Takakura showed up one day with a new Star Cow that I had ordered, I was slightly confused. I couldn't remember ordering another cow. But, I took her in happily, wondering if maybe she was a gift or a glitch, or, perhaps just another order I forgot I had made. I gave her the name 'MuuMuu', and treated her no different than the other animals that I had at the time, and she eventually paid for herself. I was recieving the highest quality Star Milk and it sold for a small fortune.
Eventually though, I outgrew my childhood fantasy, and saved the game for the last time, shutting off the Cube and instead putting in hours on a new XBox 360. The GameCube went unforgotten, collecting dust for years.
Eventually, I got bored with achievement whoring, and started browsing my old collection. I smiled fondly when I pulled out my old copy of Harvest Moon. Thinking nothing of it, I cleaned off the console as best I could and popped that sucker in.
A warning light went off in my head when the title screen appeared. It was the same Forget-Me-Not Village, the same logo, the same 'Press Start' screen. But it was the music that got me first. The music was slow and slightly distorted, and 'clicked' every now and again. I thought nothing of it, perhaps it was just my imagination. I pressed start and loaded my old file. Everything seemed as I had left it all those years ago: North Farm, Kitsune, Damion. I played as if nothing was wrong, putting feed in the boxes and doing whatever needed to be done.
The second warning light came on when I ventured through the town. It seemed less... lively than it used to. It wasn't til after I had played for a while that I realized that it seemed less lively, because they were missing. Half the population was gone. I decided to investigate, the few people I talked to gave me disappointed looks, gave no sound. All that read was '...', but nothing else. No hint, no clue, nothing.
I returned to my farm. Why had all this change come about? I checked my chicken coop, and the sight of it turned my stomach. It was all graphics, yes, but I'll never rid the image from my mind: There was blood on the walls, and feathers strewn about. My crops were all dead. I checked my house: My family was not there. In the stable and pasture, there were no animals, save for my horse, my dog, and my cow MuuMuu.
I didn't get it. What had happened? I paused the game and checked GameFAQs, but nothing like this was written here. I swallowed and unpaused the game.
"Welcome back, Damion." came a text box. My heartrate increased as I read that phrase. Just who was it that was welcoming me back? I bit my lip and watched the screen terrified as the 'speaker' was brought to my attention. I was outside my house, my horse Repede beside me and my dog in front, barking in my defense.
MuuMuu slowly walked to me. "Do you like what I've done with the place while you were gone?" In my horror, the camera panned about: My precious North Farm had gone up in flames. What was happening? The game gave me control again, and I did the only thing I could think of. I hopped on Repede and rode away, leaving behind my dog. I could hear the sound of a dog whimpering, bone and marrow crunching, and a swallowing noise followed by a happy Cow noise.
I had no idea where to go. The hotel? Too close. The dig site? I'd be cornered. I thought quickly... where could I go that this beast wouldn't find me? I made a beeline for the Twins' house. Cows couldn't climb ladders. Unfourtunately, neither could my horse, so I tearily left Repede to the mercy of the cow and climbed up into the house.
I could hear the sound of an angry horse and an angry cow fighting, followed by the death cry of my beloved Repede. There was more munching, more of that horrid, horrid noise. The screen went dark. Then, another text box popped up.
"Milk me. Yes/No"
Confused by this, I chose the no option. The text box appeared again. "Milk me. Yes/No" This repeated three, four times. The game wouldn't proceed unless I milked MuuMuu. I gave in.
I checked the milk I had recieved and was shocked at what I had done. In my inventory were five 'Blood Milk'. The description read, 'Special Milk from MuuMuu. It appears thick and red, but full of vitamins. Sells for 0G'
"I came to you because nobody wanted me. You cared for your animals. I wanted to be loved and cared, too. Was that so wrong? Yes/No"
My eyes were misting now, it was pitiable. I chose the 'no' option. I was mentally eleven again. "You cared for us... you cared for me. I wanted to pay you back. So I made the best milk I ever could." My mouth hung open as I realized what was happening. "But you never came back... I got hungry." She said. The screen faded in, and I was outside the house and talking to MuuMuu. I pressed all the buttons in a panic. Reset, power, I opened the cover. Nothing happened, and the scene kept going. "You abandoned us... why did you do it? Were we not good enough for you?" My heart sank.
"No, no! That's not it at all!" I sobbed, trying to reconcile for what I had done. "I loved you all!"
"You abandoned us... YOU ABANDONED ME!" MuuMuu's eyes glowed a demonic red, and she bellowed. "YOU LEFT US TO STARVE AND DIE! YOU KILLED THEM! NOT ME! YOU'RE TO BLAME!" She screamed, and a high, mournful sound emitted the TV's speakers, a sound that Hell itself could not replicate. MuuMuu's mouth opened up, revealing all she had devoured: Her teeth soaked in blood, feathers sticking to them. Cow guts and internal workings over her tongue, and her most recent victims: My dog's head inpaled on her tooth, and my horse with a section of stomach missing, revealing his ribs and a hollow corpse. I looked away for fear of vomiting.
"I'M... STILL... HUNNNNGRRRRRYYYYYY!" She roared. I gasped as control was handed to me for a breif moment, and I opened the rucksack, quickly choosing my sickle. At the last moment I tapped the 'A' button, when it said 'Use'. What happened next was a cinematic that I wasn't entirely surprised about. Damion raised the sickle and, shedding a tear, sliced at MuuMuu, slitting her throat and killing her.
I took a moment to gather myself, and find out what the sweet holy hell had just happened. A new scene started. I was inside Romana's manor, and all the people from the Village were there. Celia came and explained it to me:
"We all hid here, in Romana's basement. We're so glad you're safe! MuuMuu... is she...?" Damion nodded and looked down sadly. Celia hugged him tight and Damion returned the hug, and he pulled away smiling. The townsfolk cheered, and all was well. I sighed with relief, releasing the breath I had been holding and chuckling dumbly to myself. It was over.
Or so I thought. The game froze, the sound became a mix of white noise and distorted music. Perplexed, I looked to the console and hit reset. The console started fuming and I looked at the screen:
GAME OVER
IN MEMORIAM
I watched hopelessly as the names of my animals and some townsfolk came on this screen of this victim list. After the last name, the screen read, once again, GAME OVER.
Underneath was a picture of Damion, lying in a pool of blood, a bite taken out of his neck, a foot missing, bone and sinew all over. There was a hole where his heart should have been, and organs were leaking out of a hole in his stomach. I felt I was going to be sick, then the screen began flashing and I seized.
I woke up in my mother's arms, sobbing hard. She looked at me sternly... what happened? My neck hurt and my arms felt heavy. I looked at my arms and my jaw dropped in terror: "don't forget me don't forget me don't forget me" was carved in.
The words are still scarred on my body. Since then I have not touched a glass of milk, wore any leather. I destroyed the disc and burned the pieces, and erased my save game. All those hours, gone. I wrote this to let you know that nostalgia should be just a memory, but if you must, please, PLEASE, for the love of God and all that is holy and sacred, ERASE ALL YOUR DATA before starting up again, because you never know who you may have left behind...
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Credited to WildVendetta
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