Mission:

It had only been a week since his last visit to the village, which is one of the shortest explorations he had ever had. The reason for it was that the last time he was here, he had so enough fun on the mission, that he wanted to do it again. Obviously, he wouldn't do the same mission, but he wanted something similar. Something where he could help out the older generations of the village. He could hope that it would be something garden related, or nature related in general, but it wasn't very likely. It would be enough if he could just help someone out. Once he emerged from the edge of the forest, he hustled his way to the center of town where the mission board was. He didn't want to almost miss the mission like last time, where some one else had almost taken it. This time, he was nice and early so he could scan the board and pick the best one. It didn't take long for him to get there, so he started flipping among the papers, searching for just the right one to do.

He actually found one pretty quick this time. It wasn't out side as he had hoped, but it was pretty simple, and there was no inherent harm to nature. It requested someone to come and help an old man clean his house. Makoto hadn't actually cleaned a house in his entire life. Namely because he had hardly lived in a home, but also because when he did live in one, he was a 'privileged' youth. Grabbing the paper, he tucked it in one of his pockets, and went on his way. Surprisingly, the man's home was close to the old lady he had previously worked for, so he was going to stop by and say hi. Who knows, maybe she would make him another sandwich. He had a stupid grin as he marched through town, thinking of lemonade and sandwiches. It took about 15 minutes to get to the right area of town, but he recognized the place right away. The lady's garden was still looking lovely, but he didn't see her out and about. Deciding to check in with the client first, he turned and walked the short distance to the old man's home. The guy was standing on his porch with his cane when Makoto got there.

Makoto was hoping for another friendly encounter when he got there, but that didn't seem likely. Before he even reached the steps, he was already getting a tongue lashing. "Bout time someone got here. My house ain't gonna clean itself." Makoto was a bit taken aback, but he wasn't going to take the bait. All he had to do was the job, and maybe by the end the guy would warm up. "Sir." Makoto bowed his head slightly, then walked past the man through the doorway. He wanted to get a quick look to see how much work he was going to be doing. After a cursory glance, things didn't seem too bad. A little dusty for sure, but that wouldn't take much work. He did notice a few odd stacks of paper, and one of the trash cans was filled to the brim. It would take a few hours, but this job wouldn't be bad at all.

[556 words]

Makoto paused for a moment, trying to think of what to start with. He looked at the paper piles, wondering what he should do with him. Were they going to be thrown away? It didn't really matter what he thought about, because his brainstorming was interrupted. "You just gonna stand around all day? Take the trash out." Makoto jumped up a bit. He hadn't been paying attention, and didn't notice at all when the old man walked up behind him. Makoto only half heard what was said, but he was still a bit surprised. "Hm?" The man stamped the end of his cane against the ground, and grunted another response. "I said take the damn trash out." Makoto blinked a few times, then turned and looked at the closest trash can. It was weird being barked at by an old man you've never met before. Without saying anything, Makoto quickly walked over to the first trashcan and pulled up on the lining. With a quick twist of his wrists, he tied the top of the bag in a knot. This was the only trash can he saw, but there was probably another one or two in more the house. Holding the bag by the knot, he started walking through the rooms. Sure enough, he found a trashcan in the bathroom. Placing the first bag on the counter, Makoto bent down and drew out the second lining before tying it up as well. With both bags in hand, he went back to the entryway.

Walking out into the yard, he noticed the man didn't have a trash receptacle for the trash to be picked up. Most people would just leave the bag on the ground, but Makoto would never do so. Sometimes a bag can be punctured allowing potential fluids to leak out. These fluids can sometimes be harmful to grass and animals that happen to scavenge through the trash. Makoto didn't want to risk it, so he went looking for a dumpster. Jogging to towards an area with some businesses, he hoped to find one. Sure enough, when he got to a busier area, he found a row of dumpsters behind a restaurant. The perfect place to deposit the bags of trash. With a light chuck, he tossed the bags up and over the edge of the container. Turning, he quickly jogged back to the man's house. Next, he would probably be working with the paper stacks. He still wondered what those were. When he got back, the man was waiting for him on the porch. "Where the heck did you go?" Makoto looked the man in the eye and responded calmly. "Taking trash out." The elderly man disappeared for a moment, walking deeper into the house. There was a clack as a door shut and closed. 2 minutes passed, then there was another clack as the door open and closed. Soon enough, the old man reemerged from the house. "No you didn't, there's still the can on the back porch."

Makoto nearly face palmed when he heard the man speak. Why didn't the guy just tell him where the cans were in the first place? Shrugging, Makoto squeezed through the doorway, slipping past the old man, and heading towards the back. There was a screen door that revealed a small wooden porch. Pushing it open, he walked out and looked both ways for the last trash can. The old man was right, to the left of the door, next to a chair was a third trashcan, though it hardly had anything in it. With a sigh, Makoto pulled the lining out and tied it up. Moving quickly, he ran all the way back to the dumpster, and tossed the third bag over the side. He then though briefly about whether or not to even go back. The old man was certainly a jerk, but he was also helpless. Despite the man's behavior, Makoto had taken the mission, which meant he had to do his duty, no matter how much he didn't want to. Running back, slightly slower than normal, he went into the house and found the kitchen. Underneath the sink, there was a container of trash bags. Pulling three out, Makoto went to the three cans and put in new linings. Once that was done, he went to the front to find the old man, and receive his next task.

[730 Words]

When Makoto got back to the front of the small building, the man was standing there tapping his cane impatiently. "Done, trash." The man looked at Makoto with squinty eyes and seemed to brood over something for a bit, before he finally started moving. "I'll be the judge of that." The man slowly hobbled to the three different trash cans. At each one, he took a long moment to inspect them. Well, it wasn't much of an inspection. He would walk up to one, and stare down at it for roughly 30 seconds. Then he would hold his back and turn around to scoot on over to the next one. Once they had gotten to the one on the back porch, the man turned to Makoto and squinted at him again. "Good enough I guess. Now get in there and move those paper stacks. They go up in the attic." From his initial survey of the house, Makoto hadn't noticed the attic, and from the outside, it didn't look like there would be one. It was probably just a small crawlspace above the ceiling. Places like that are notorious for have airborne mold and whatnot that would make it difficult to breath, so Makoto would have to be careful and cover his mouth.

Walking up to the stacks, he noticed they were actually quite large. How long it took to make stacks that big without knocking them over must have been absurd. The things were the height of a small child, and probably heavier. From the back porch, he could hear the old man yelling after him "Dontcha get those stacks mixed up now. I want them as they are." Makoto looked in the direction of the voice, then back down at the stacks. His eyes were a bit wide. How was he supposed to lift these without spilling them? Let alone moving them and placing them above the ceiling in a crawl space without them spilling. This was one of the most daunting tasks he had ever faced, not because of danger or anything like that, but because of the sheer difficulty. Getting close to the ground, he positioned himself with one foot on each side of one of the stacks. He then attempted to dig his fingers on the edge of the papers. As he did so, the entire stack started to sway. He quickly stopped his pursuit and started thinking hard. How was he going to do this? He quickly skimmed the room, and then he noticed there was carpet beneath the stacks. This got him thinking harder, and an idea started to formulate in his mind. Being very careful, he gingerly pushed the paper stacks closer to each other so that their edges touched. In essence, they formed a singular rectangular prism, with small gaps between them. Makoto proceeded to lift the edges of the carpet and bring the sides up next to stack, carefully folding it over the top. Once he had folded all the edges of the carpet upward against the stack, he pinched the corners of the carpet together and slowly lifted the entire thing, paper and all. It was heavy, but the carpet kept the paper firmly in place. He had in essence created a rucksack.

With the carrying 'device' set up, he left it where it was and began searching the house, looking directly at the ceiling. He was trying to find where the entrance to the attic was. When he found the small sliding door, he was in the bathroom. He couldn't tell if this was the best room for it to be in, or the worst. On the plus side, it had a toilet and a sink to use as steps to climb up. On the negative side, if he fell, he would definitely break something, and that wasn't good. Either way, he had to get it done, so he went back down stairs and lifted his carpet sack. He hoisted it up in front of him using both hands, and began waddling towards the bathroom. Once he was in, he set the sack on the ground, and started to climb without it. Using one hand for balance on the wall, he pushed the little door to the side with the other. Once it was open, he hoisted himself up by his elbows and looked around. It was surprisingly open, so it wouldn't be overly difficult to move up there. Sliding his elbows inward, he lowered himself out, and reached down for the papers. Grabbing the corners of the carpet, he pulled it up onto the toilet. He then got as close to the wall and pulled it up onto the lip of the sink. Using one hand to balance the papers, he grabbed the edge of the opening with the other and whipped one leg upward into the opening. Then, putting his weight on his hand that held the opening, he brought his other leg up, so he was essentially hanging upside down. Once he was secure, he used his abdominal muscles to pull the rest of him up. Once his head was above the ceiling, he started to hoist the sack up. It took a minute of struggle but he got it up there.

[876 words]

With the papers in the attic, he fell back on his palms and took a deep breath. He wasn't done with the stacks yet, but he was nearly there. He still had to unwrap the carpet, and somehow get the stacks off of it. First things first though, he wanted to rest a bit. That thing was heavy, and hoisting it from one place to another had made his hands a little numb. Makoto sat there waving them back and fourth for a moment, trying to increase blood circulation. The numbness went away, being replaced with pain. It wasn't much, but it made moving his fingers a bit sore. Subduing the urge to run his hands under water, he got to his feet, and moved the papers away from the opening. He then unfolded the carpet, spreading it across the floor, leaving the papers on top of it. As he was carrying the papers earlier, he had given this part some thought. he figured he could try some different methods to get the carpet out from under the papers. His first attempt was quite simple. He would sit atop the stacks of paper, using his body weight to apply ample pressure to them. He would then carefully tug on the carpet, sliding it out from under him and the papers. In theory it was a good plan. He would have to see how it actually work. Placing his rear on top of the stack, he used the tips of his fingers to start rolling up the carpet, until he had a firm grip on the edge. He then put all of his weight on the papers and gave the carpet a solid tug. Surprisingly, it slid a good foot, and the papers didn't even budge. Makoto repeated this a few times, getting to just before the edge of the carpet. This was the part he was worried about because the edge was slightly thicker than the center. He closed his eyes and gave it a solid tug, hoping they wouldn't fall.

When Makoto opened his eyes, he was pleasantly surprised. He had successfully pulled out the carpet, and the stacks of paper were completely fine. With a smile, he rolled up the rest of the carpet, and climbed out through the exit. With one hand, he slid the little door shut, and walked back out into the living room where the papers had been. With a deft motion, he pushed the carpet, and allowed it to roll out across the floor. He used his foot to straighten it a bit, and then he went to find the man. When he found him, the guy was out in his back yard, looking at some cloths lines. "Papers done." The man gave him a quick glance and then turned back to the cloths. "I figured you'd be about done. Now bring in these shirts.... Actually, bring in all my cloths. I need you to fold them up and put them away." Makoto stared out at the cloths. There were three cloths lines, each one had about 15 garments hanging form them, give or take. Makoto walked up and reached for the first article of clothing. Just before he could grab it, the man's cane shot up and stopped his hand. "Don't get them all wrinkled either." With that, the old guy turned and walked inside. Makoto had nearly said something. The guy had to have planned that. The timing was too perfect, especially for a geezer like him. The guy had aimed to be a dick. Makoto's cheeks were flushed, but he simply counted to ten, and let it pass. It was just some old guy. There was no way he could say something to him. He just had to get through it. With careful movements, Makoto reached forward and grabbed the first garment. He carefully draped the shirt over his arm, and made a fine fold. He then folded it in half one more time, and set it on the porch. Moving to the next one, he performed the same technique, and sat it on top of the first one, making a small stack.

This was probably the easiest part of his day so far. Folding cloths was extremely easy. The worst part about it was handling the man's undergarments. On the bright side though, all of the cloths were clean, so it wasn't that big a deal. Going from line to line, he cleared all three of them in a matter of minutes. He then separated the stacks based on what kind of clothing they were. Using both hands, he lifted one stack and carried it into the man's room. Using his foot, he slid the drawers open, and placed the cloths in the right spot. Running back outside, he grabbed the other stacks and brought them in. Once they were all in place, he smiled. This part had only taken 15 minutes at most. His moment of serenity was interrupted pretty quickly. "Make my bed while you're in there!" The shout came from the kitchen. Makoto cringed as he heard it, but it wasn't too bad of a demand. The bed was right behind him, and it wasn't that messy. The comforter had been tossed to one side, and one corner of the sheet had slipped of the mattress. Walking over, he quickly pulled the sheet tight and slid it onto the mattress. He then walked over and picked up the comforter. Grabbing both corners, he lifted it quickly, allowing it to fan out in the air. As it fell, he draped it over the bed, and tucked it in. Lastly, Makoto straightened up the pillows. With the room nice and set, he walked out to the kitchen to see the old man. Hopefully there wouldn't be much left to do.

[972 Words]

The man was standing over a plate that had some crumbs on it. He had clearly just eaten something, and from the smell, it had been delicious. As Makoto came in the man turned and asked a quick question. "You finish up in there yet?" Makoto rubbed his hands together briefly, and then looked up at the man. "Yes." As he stared, the man seemed to be thinking, and from the grin on his face, it must have been about something mean. As they stood there, Makoto's stomach began to grumble a bit. He hadn't eaten yet that day, and it was well past noon. He was hungry for sure. The old man's grin grew even wider when he heard this. "And for your last task..." Makoto's heart skipped a beat when he heard the phrase. He was almost done! He only had one chore left, and judging from how long the rest of the tasks had taken, it wouldn't be too long or too much work. Even Makoto began to smile when he stared a the man, waiting to here what he was supposed to do. His heart sank when he saw the devilish grin stretched across the man's cheeks. "I want you to dust the entire house." Makoto paled when he heard it. Just from looking around, he could tell the place was dirty. Walking over to a random counter, he dragged his finger across the surface. When he lifted it, there was a thick layer of dust. This was going to be torture. When he turned back around, the man was holding out a single rag. Makoto took the rag and stormed out of the kitchen.

He was pretty frustrated. He pretty much wanted to leave after dousing the house in gasoline and lighting it on fire. This dude was so good at pushing his buttons and he could hardly stand it. Luckily, he had something to keep his hands busy, so he wouldn't have time to flip out. Getting right to work, he frantically started scrubbing down surfaces. From tables, to shelves, to chairs, to lamps, to walls, to windows, to books, to counters, to pictures, to appliances he went. When the air was getting a bit cloudy, he went and opened the front door, using a stone to hold it open. He treated the back door in a similar fashion. Hopefully it would start up a draft and carry some of the murky air out. With that done, he went back to work. The place was filthy. Twice he had to rinse out the rag, and even then, the thing was still a dark gray in color. At a couple points, he paused and looked around. The place was sparkling, and he almost thought he was done, but then he'd see something dreadful. The old man would be standing there silently, pointing at something. Usually something small, but occasionally it would be something obvious that he missed. Through his hard work, things were coming to a close. He was looking around and did not see anything dirty. Turning to the old man, he shot off a cocky smile. The man smiled right back and said something. "Did you get under the furniture." Makoto froze, and his mind went blank. He almost lost control, but he grit his teeth, and held on. Without pause, he went to work pulling things aside to clean under them. He would not lose.

After an hour of hard labor, pulling couches, lifting tables, clearing entire shelves of things, he managed to clean under everything in sight. Using his sleeve, he wiped some sweat from his brow. He walked from room to room, looking for anything he might have missed. From what he could tell, the place was clean. Holding his breath, he walked over to the old man and faced him. He was expecting a snotty remark, or to hear about something else he had missed. Instead, the man gave him a soft pat on the shoulder. "Heheh. You surprised me. Most of the guys that come here are young, and they end up snapping at me. It's become a sort of game to me, but you held on. I must say, I'm impressed. Congratulations." Makoto was more stunned than he had ever been that day. He had known the man was being mean on purpose, but to hear that he was just being tested was down right crazy. He didn't know whether to be happy or mad, so he just kind of went blank. "Yes." The man looked at Makoto when he said this. His face looked silly, and he suddenly started cackling. Apparently Makoto's dumb response had tickled his funny bone, because the guy was laughing hard enough to wheeze. After the man settled down, he coughed a bit, and gave Makoto one more pat on the shoulder, before walking away. With that, Makoto's day of cleaning was done. He still had mixed feelings about it, but he was more interested in turning the mission in, and grabbing something to eat. After a brief stop in town, he set off back into the forest.

[856 words]

[Thread Total: 3990 Words]