One night after my chat with Ash, I walked into town to have a talk with Eileen. I thought highly of the personable young carpenter, and I hoped that she'd be able to give me some good advice. Although she certainly loved Bluebell, she seemed a little less inclined to take sides than most of the villagers in either town. And right then, I really needed someone with a neutral point of view.

When I knocked on her door, she answered while still wiping soap suds from her hands on a damp towel. "Oh, hello, Alice! What a nice surprise. Please come on in, make yourself at home. I was just finishing washing up. Would you like a cup of tea?"

I accepted her offer, and she ushered me into her kitchen, waving me to a chair at her table while she went to start the kettle and finish washing her dishes. After the tea was done, she sat down across from me, saying with a sigh of satisfaction, "Ahh, nothing like a nice cup of tea after a good day's work! Now, what's up? You don't usually come by this late at night. Is anything wrong?"

I took a slow sip of tea, then set my cup down and looked up at her. "No... not exactly wrong... but I do need some advice. As you know, I've been here almost a whole season now. And in that time, I've really grown to love it here—my farm, the village, and everyone in it."

I paused to collect my thoughts, and she said, "But that's good, isn't it? I know we've all grown very fond of you, too."

I smiled, and replied, "I'm glad to hear that, and yes, that is good, but... well, it's like this. I don't know if you knew this or not, but I inherited two farms—one in each village. And my plan when I first arrived was to spend a season at one farm, then move to the other farm for a season. That way I could get a feel for them both before deciding which one to live on. If that tunnel still existed between the towns, I could use both farms, but as it is, it takes far too long to travel between them to maintain both. There's just not enough time in the day! Anyway, that was my plan, and I still think it's a good plan... at least, in theory. But, you see, I wasn't expecting to become so... so attached so quickly, I guess. I'm finding it hard to stick to my resolution."

Eileen took a sip of tea, looking thoughtful. "I see," she said, after a moment. "That does sound like an excellent plan. And as difficult as it may be for you, I think you should stick with it. It'll only get harder to say goodbye as time passes, you know. And if you don't, if you give up on it and just stay here, you'll always wonder if you made a mistake. Besides... who knows what may happen in the future. So I say go for it!"

I sighed, and said, "I know you're right... but it definitely won't be easy. I know there's some rivalry, maybe even hostility, between the two towns, and I'd hate if the villagers here hated me just because I moved to Konohana."

"Oh, well, I don't know about that. Most of the hostility is between the mayors, you know. The villagers don't really feel that way, not as strongly anyway. Mostly it just comes out during the cooking festivals. And you know, it seems almost like you were meant to move here, to be a part of both villages. I mean, you're a descendant of both Bluebellians and Konohanians, and you have such a way about you.... You could be the new ambassador for peace between the two villages!" she said with a laugh.

"A way about me? What do you mean?" I asked her, my brow furrowed.

"Oh, hadn't you noticed? I have—people just can't seem to resist you. You just have this... this charm, you know, that makes people like you and want to be with you and please you. I think even the mayors have started to come under your sway, so to speak, so I think you could help to bring them together better than anything. And since you really do come from both villages, spending time on both farms can only improve relations with both towns, you know."

I thought about what she said, then came to a decision. "I don't know about bringing peace between the villages, but I think you're right that I should go through with my original plan and that it'll be easier now than later. So... I'll go talk to Rutger the day after the Poultry Festival to make the arrangements to close up my farm here for a while and move to Konohana. That gives me tomorrow to pack. The next day is the fair, and I'll move to Konohana as soon after that as I can. Thank you, Eileen, you're so clear-headed! I will miss living here, very much, but hopefully I'll like living in Konohana, too. Please don't mention this to anyone, though—I'll tell everyone myself, after the festival is over." She walked me to the door and waved goodbye as I hurried back home. If I was going to move in just a couple of days, I had a lot to do and only a short time to do it.

I spent all my spare time the next day packing. I still made my usual morning visits, but I hurried more than usual. I also didn't say anything to anyone else about my plans, not wanting to dampen anyone's spirits the day before the village festival.

The next day was the Poultry Festival; I took second place, which wasn't too bad for my first show. Ash's chicken won first prize, and I was genuinely pleased for him. He loved his animals so much, it was good to see him win. The fair ran so late, though, that I had to hurry back home to see to my animals afterwards, and I had no time for visiting anyone before bedtime.

The following morning, I hurried through my chores, then packed the last few things. I knew both Kana and Cam had the day off, so first I caught up to Cam on his way out of town for his usual stroll. He stopped to wait as I ran up to him, and invited me to join him on his walk by the river. I accepted his invitation, and off we went.

As we strolled along the riverbank, I said, "I'm glad I found you. I want to talk to you."

"Oh? What about?" he said, looking at me curiously.

"Well, it's just that... I'm moving. To Konohana. Most likely today."

Cam stopped and looked at me in dismay. "Oh, I... I see. That's rather... sudden... isn't it? Why are you leaving? Aren't you happy here?"

"Oh, yes," I hastened to assure him, "very happy. I love it here. But I have a farm in Konohana, too, and when I first moved here, I'd intended to try out each for a season to see where I wanted to settle. I really love it here, and it's so hard to leave... but I know it'll just get harder and harder to go if I put it off. So I think it's best to do it now, before I get even more attached to living here... and to the people."

Cam looked away towards the river, looking pensive. "Yes, I see. I suppose that makes good sense. Still, we'll be very sorry to see you go. I... errr, we've all been getting to like you a lot," he said, his cheeks reddening.

I smiled wistfully at him, saying, "At least I'm only moving to Konohana, not to the moon. I might not see quite as much of you all as I do now, but I'll still be around, and I'll come over to visit as often as I can."

"Yeah... I guess. " Cam said, then sighed and tugged his cap down a little lower over his eyes. "Well, I'd better head back, and it sounds like you've got a busy day planned... so good luck with your move. I'll see you around." And with that, he turned and headed back to town.

I watched him go, aching at the sadness in his voice. I hadn't realized just how much I'd grown to like Cam until that moment, and I certainly hadn't suspected that he might feel the same. I decided that I'd make a point to visit him every single day, if possible, no matter how late it meant returning to my farm in Konohana.

I decided that since Kana had the day off, I'd go over to Konohana to tell him the news. I knew he, at least, would be happy to hear about my planned move. I ran back to my farm, saddled Lady, and raced over the mountain, not stopping to forage along the way as usual. I reached the village right around noon, and leaving Lady tied up at the town gates, I ran along the road into town. I figured he'd probably be at Yun's Tea Shop by now, as was his habit on his days off.

Sure enough, I found him seated at a table there, chowing down on a spicy curry and gulping cold beer to cool the fire in his mouth. He looked up as I hurried over to his table, a big grin on his face. "Hey, Alice! What's up?" he said, gesturing for me to take to the seat opposite him.

"Hi, Kana. How's it going?" I said, sitting down on the red-cushioned chair.

"I'm fine, just finishing my lunch." He looked at me keenly as he wolfed another bite of his meal. "Hey, you look kinda nervous. What's the matter? You wanna go somewhere and talk?"

"Yeah, I'd like that. How about down by the river? That's a nice quiet spot for talking," I replied.

"Sure thing, just give me a minute, okay?" he said, as he took a last bite of curry and washed it down with the last of his beer.

He settled up with Yun, and we headed over to the bridge that crossed the river. "So, what's going on?" he asked, leaning over the rail to peer down into the swirling blue-green depths below.

"Well, it's just that... I'm planning to move here, to Konohana."

Kana straightened up, looking at me in surprise. "Wow, really? Hey, that's so cool! We'll be neighbors! When are you moving?"

"Maybe as early as this afternoon, if I can. I knew you had the day off, so I came to fill you in before I moved. I really need to hurry back to Bluebell, though, and see Rutger about moving. I have to admit, though, it was a hard decision to make, to leave Bluebell and move here. I've really grown fond of my farm and the people there."

"Well, I think it's awesome you're moving here! You'll love Konohana, too. It's a great town! I'm sure you won't regret it. And I bet you'll love your farm. Katya and Yuri had a great place. Sure, it's kind of neglected now, but a little elbow grease will soon put it to rights. I bet you can make it even better than it was before, knowing you!" Kana assured me.

I laughed, finding his enthusiasm contagious. "Well, in any case, I'd better get back to Bluebell before the town hall closes for the day. I'll see you soon—neighbor!" I said with another laugh as I turned and headed back up the road, Kana grinning and waving goodbye as I ran off.

I untied Lady and rode back across the mountain as quickly as I could, arriving at the town hall about an hour before it closed for the day. As I ran up the steps, I saw Cam watching me from one of the café tables, looking melancholy. I waved to him and hurried through the door before I could have second thoughts.

Rutger was behind the front desk, chatting with Rose, who had apparently just finished her librarial duties. Both looked up and smiled when I dashed in, but their faces fell when I explained my purpose for coming by. "Oh... I see," Rutger said. "Well... are you quite sure you want to move?"

"Yes," I said, firmly. "I've spend a season on my farm here, now it's time for me to try out my other farm. Once I've spent some time there, I'll have a better grasp on the pros and cons of both farms, so I can decide what I want to do with them."

"Then in that case," he replied with a heavy sigh as he rose, "we'd better get your farm closed up and send you on your way to Konohana. I'll ask Ash to lend a hand loading your things. I must say, I'm sorry to see you go—I'm sure we all are. Of course, it hardly needs saying that you'll always be welcome back."

He accompanied me back to my farm, stopping for Ash along the way. Ash seemed even more upset by my move than Cam, and I thought about the strong attachment he had felt to my grandparents. Perhaps he felt my departure was a betrayal? I hoped he'd understand, in time. The two men loaded my belongings into my cart, placed my hens in a cage and secured it next to the driver seat, and tied my cows and sheep to leads attached to the back of the cart.

Rutger walked us to the edge of the village, then said his goodbye there before turning to slowly walk back to the town hall. Ash escorted me, walking alongside Lady as I drove her carefully up along the mountain path. He was very quiet, not saying anything as he walked, until we reached the halfway point at the mountain peak. Then he stopped, and turned to look at me with an injured look in his eyes. "Please tell me, Alice. Why are you leaving? I thought you loved your farm. I thought you liked living in Bluebell, and that you liked us. So... why?"

I sighed as I prepared to explain yet again. "Ash... it's not you, or anyone in the village, or the farm. But I have two farms, remember? Two sets of grandparents, therefore two farms. I have to try out both farms, because I don't know what potential each farm has, or what problems, until I've lived on both for a little while. But I do love my farm in Bluebell, and the village and everyone in it. That isn't going to change. And it's not easy to leave, really. But it won't get any easier with time, only harder. So it's best to do it now."

"But... you will be back, right? Soon?" he asked, hopefully.

I paused, not sure what to say. After a moment, I replied. "I... might. I can't promise, because I don't know yet which farm I'll choose for my home. All I can say is that I want to do what's best not just for me, but for both of my farms—and ultimately for both villages. But I won't know what's best until I've finished my experiment. But you know, Ash, I'm not moving that far away. I'll still see you all. Maybe not quite as often, but I'll still be over almost every day. And I will miss you all, very much. So please try to understand."

Ash stood, looking off towards the setting sun, and heaved a big sigh. "Well, I guess you gotta do what you gotta do. I'd hoped for Geoff and Nellie's sake that you'd stay, but... I guess we'll just have to see what happens." With that, he started forward again, and we continued on down the mountain towards Konohana in silence.

When we arrived at the town gates, we found Kana waiting and watching for us. He let out a loud whoop when he saw us coming down the mountain, and soon Ina joined him. Apparently he'd filled her in, from the look on her face—she looked like the cat that got the cream. Ash walked alongside the cart until we reached the gate, then he tipped his hat to Ina, turned to me, and said, "Well... I guess this is goodbye then. Good luck, Alice. I hope you decide to come back to us. Keep in touch, okay?" And with that, he was gone, hurrying back up the path towards Bluebell.

Kana, a huge grin on his face, fell in alongside me for the rest of the way to my new home. Ina walked alongside, too, explaining that she had brought the keys to my new home, and we all headed down the long drive to my farm.

Ina helped me unload the cart, while Kana put my animals away for the night for me. Before she left, Ina gave me the keys, wished me luck, and again expressed how happy she was—everyone was—that I'd moved there.

Kana lingered a little longer, telling me how great this was going to be, to be neighbors and all, and that he'd see me in the morning. With a wave, he, too, left, and I stood there, alone, looking around my new house and all the tidy stacks of boxes. And then I flung myself down on the unmade bed and cried myself to sleep.