Corn fields were a common sight in Harbach. They swayed and rippled in the crisp breeze. They provided more than just income for families--though they did that in spades. Some farms made corn mazes each fall for the local kids--or kids at heart--to enjoy. Young people would go and get lost in them when they wanted to just stare at the stars. And all manner of ghost and alien stories emanated from them with some locals swearing they were real--but no one in the town's memory had ever been haunted or abducted as the stories always seemed to feature a long deceased friend of a friend or distant cousin.
Harbach wasn't too large a community, but it wasn't too small either. It had two rival high schools that were always trying to one up each other in whatever sport was in season. The rivalry was mostly good hearted though, with some senior pranks sprinkled in to add a bit of flavor to it. Most people knew each other, but there were always some people that you could've sworn you knew, but just couldn't place a name to. Newcomers were somewhat rare, but they were most welcome in Harbach.
Being not too far from the city, Harbach often had politics more aligned with it. They had a heavier focus on laws that affected farming, of course, but they tried to be as accepting as the city was--more even as wasn't that what Midwestern hospitality should dictate?
Fall was a particularly splendid season in Harbach. The fields were alive with apples and pumpkins, homes smelled of cinnamon and cider, and everyone planned elaborate decorations from complex spiderwebs with a giant spider to a full on graveyard come to life. Harbach was a popular stop for city dwellers to come and experience the season to its fullest.
Winter was never the favorite season. Fields were mostly empty, and the outdoors was too cold to play in--which was how most of Harbach's youth spent their time (at their parents' insistence). Winter was time that people retreated inside and heavily relied on phones and computers to entertain themselves. It felt like the community shrank during this time. Some travelled, but most were just hunkered down. The biting air pinked all extremities and stuffed all noses. Inside homes though, smells of cool peppermint and warm chocolate soothed everyone who sat peacefully under warm, but scratchy woollen blankets.
Spring was a brilliant season. Fields came alive again and so did the rest of the outside world with smells of flowers and fresh cut grass. Everyone flooded to local fairs and parties. There was a local photography contest every spring that many participated in with the winners being displayed at town hall and on the postcards the little shops sold to tourists and locals alike.
Summer was sweltering. With kids off of school, many were learning their way around a farm fulltime. They helped take care of the animals--everything from feeding to birthing to cleaning--and learned how to plant and cultivate different crops. The smell of animals hung in the humid air and clung to skin and cloth alike. The heat made the summer nights cherished for their coolness as well as their relief from work. The stars never shone brighter than they did in the summer--or at least that's what Harbach locals said.
(I just want to add a note here that I know nothing about farming communities so this is really just what I imagine a farming community to be like and is based on very little)
(Prompt by Kimisha Cassidy)
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