My name is Mac. My grandmother gave me this journal to record my thoughts and daily life. I don't exactly know what she means by that. I'm only 10 after all. How much do I really have to talk about?
I was born in Port Cago but an accident ended up taking my parents away. That's what grandma says anyway. She said she'll tell me more about it when I'm older. I've lived with her as long as I can remember. Right here on the farm just outside of Mynorel. It's a small village that is mostly made up folks who live off the land. It has a small mine that's owned by the Pewter Foundation. They use their machines and creature partners to dig up stones, ores, you name it. My grandmother is one of the local farmer's in town. Our neighbors specializes in ranching. They have some of the best Coella milk you can get for miles! We have a couple dozen folks who live here. A post office, grocer, a very small 2 room police station. Though I've never seen it used. Our town isn't big enough for more modern things shops. You won't find electronic retailers around here. We do have a variety shop though! Trade Steve's carries everything you could hope for. If they don't Steve does his best to order something in. It might take 1-6 weeks to actually get here though.
Compared to the bigger cities life is a lot slower and more peaceful. At least, that's what the adults say.
My writing was interrupted as a knock came across my window. Looking over to the window on my left I see a child's hand reach up again to knock on the glass. I can hear a girl shouting from the other side, but I can't hear what she's saying.
I hop down from my chair and flick the latch open for my window. Shoving it open it swings over the girls head knocking her hat to the ground despite her trying to duck away.
"Yeah, what do you want Sterah?" I groan.
She's always coming to bug me for some reason or another.
Sterah is about my age. She has long brown hair usually pulled back into a pony tail. She keeps some of her hair down to frame her face though and it hangs down to her shoulders. She's wearing her favorite white and green plaid dress that stops at her knees and the same white socks and brown shoes as always. Her head pops back up as she firmly plants her yellow, almost white, straw sun hat back on her head.
"Watch out Mac! Don't break my hat! Grams gave this to me." She scolded while crossing her arms.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah." I waved my hand at her with little interest. "So, what's up?"
"Oh right. Grams wants our help out in field 3. She said bring Domer with you."
"Ah, all right. I'll be right there." Leaving the window open I step away and head into the adjacent kitchen. Grabbing a bun out of the basket on the table I pass through the doorframe into the living room and slip my feet inside my black sneakers. The backs are pretty worn out, but they work. I yank open the heavy front door suddenly remembering.
Domer. I almost forgot Domer.
Leaving the door open I spin on my heels heading back into the living room. Picking up the grey ball that was left on the coffee table, surrounded by two couches, and head back out the door.
"Finally, what took so long?"
As I closed the door, the bun hanging out of my mouth, I was greeting by more scolding from Sterah.
"Mmmd yere wwn mivmiss!" I growled.
"What?"
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I pulled the bun from in between my teeth, swallowing the bite, now pointing my finger at her while holding the bun.
"Mind your own business I said!"
She rolled her eyes at me. "Hurry up already." She took off down the dirt path towards field 3.
"I'm coming, good grief."
The sun was high in the sky. The heat radiating off the ground below.
Man am I glad I wore shorts today. They're soft and comfy!
We had a variety of fields here at Lavender Farms. Some we're meant for flowers. Others had a variety of crops growing, mostly vegetables. Our fam is most famous for its Lavender, stripped grapes, and Rock Potatoes. Field 3 was farthest away. Our farm was designed with our house near the entrance. Then going clockwise you'd go from field 1 through 5. With Star Field being in middle of this circular design. We had dirt roads to connect them all and each was fenced in with a large wooden log fence. Out in the flower fields you could always see Bumblee's fluttering about collecting pollen and what not. We didn't keep creatures on our farm aside from the few that helped us with our chores. Domer was a large, car sized stone creature. With narrow eyes it walked on all four of it's legs. It's body is made up of brown stone. The hardness is said to depend on the region the Domer grows up in. Ours has lived on this farm for a decade or more according to grandma. She probably needs him to blow out a field or tear something down.
The gate to field 3 was already open when we arrived. Knowing we'd bring Domer out I went ahead and pulled it shut as I came to the other side.
"Oi!" I shouted to grandma waving my hand over my head, ball in hand.
She raised her walking cane up to wave back at me.
Grandma is only a little taller than I am. Coming in a at about 5 foot 3 inches with her black permed hair. Though today it was pushed back a bit as she wore her purple floral working bandana.
"Good afternoon Mac, Sterah. Thank you for meeting me out here." Her face was old, but her eyes and smile filled me with so much warmth.
"Oh course! Oh, I brought Domer with me." I replied raising my hand slightly to show her his ball as I lowered my hand again.
"Very good. Let me see him." She instructed, reaching her hand out as she approached me.
She looked down at the ball without saying anything.
"Grandma? You okay?"
I don't usually see her zone out like this. Has she been in the sun too long? I wondered as I covered my eyes slightly looking into the clear blue sky.
"Here, you're going to need this." She replied tossing me a ball.
The ball bounced off my wrist into the air. I quickly reached for it with my other hand only to bump it away. Franticly I reached up my other hand struggling to catch the ball. Finally it landed in my hands, cupped together, and I was able to get a better look at it. It was a creature ball like Domer's. Only this one was white on the bottom and lavender on the top.
"Eh, what's this?" I asked raising an eye brow at it and then looking at my grandmother. She simply smiled and started walking away from me.
"We're going to have a little creature partner battle." She called out.
"What? We've never done that before!"
"Then we better start straight away shouldn't we?" She chuckled.
"But, I don't have a partner." I called back.
She turned around pointing her cane at my hands. "You do now."
Looking down at the ball I examined it closer. The warmth filled my palm and excitement pulsed through me. Without delaying a second further I dashed a few paces forward locking eyes with grandmother. I cocked my hand back ready to release whatever creature was inside.
Grandmother tossed Domer's ball under hand into the middle of the field. There the ball opened and from it a white light poured out into the shape of the creature. Once faded it revealed Domer. Who let out a roar as he stomped his feet into the dirt road beneath us starring at me.
Oh man, my heart feels like its going to beat out of my chest. I've seen dozens of creature battles on T.V., of course, who hasn't? This was my first real one though. And to think, I have my own partner tucked away inside this ball! Could this be my first creature partner? Did grandmother find one for me? Does she think I'm ready?
In most towns once you're 10 you can take a test to receive your creature license. Which allows you to freely capture, study, and battle with creature partners. I took the test earlier this year, but, unlike the other major cities we don't have any professors in town or nearby. Because of that kids in small towns are often not gifted started creatures like our peers would in bigger cities.
But grandmother went and caught one just for me? Oh I hope so!
I smiled at Domer and grandmother as I pulled back and threw the lavender ball over hand out into the field.