I. A New Life

She woke up to the sound of birds chirping, and to the warmth of a ray of sunlight on her cheek. The simple sensations were so far removed from that of waking up in the city-the incessant sound of honking cars and the occasional drip of water from the leaky pipe overhead. Shaking her head, she smiled. So it wasn't a dream she thought. She really was in Stardew Valley.

Suddenly energized, she jumped out of bed and took a bath, then dressed herself. She'd only brought the clothes she thought would work well on a farm, and pulled on a plain shirt and jeans. She grinned back at herself in the mirror.

As she stepped out the door, the vast, unruly wildness of the farm stared back at her. She set her teeth. This is gonna be a lot of work...She sighed and rolled her sleeves up.

As she chopped down trees and tilled the soil, she marveled at how much she enjoyed doing the work. It was hard, but at least she felt alive. She thought of yesterday, when the mayor and the funny carpenter had welcomed her to town. Mayor Lewis and Carpenter Robin. "She was right, that creaky house could use a face lift," she mumbled to herself.

Straightening up, she surveyed her work. The ground was nicely tilled, and a fair amount of trees had been chopped down. All the soil needed was seeds... The thought of going into town for the first time scared her a little. In a town this small, she was sure news would travel fast. She wondered whether they would resent a newcomer from the city. Would they think she was just a townie who was moving in on their territory or something. She sighed. Overthinking was a special skill of hers.

As she walked towards town, she took out a list of names that Mayor Lewis had given her. "Something to help you get acquainted with everyone in Pelican Town," he'd said as he handed her the piece of paper. She squinted up at the building she was in front of. Pierre's. That was one of the names on her list. Breathing in, she pushed the door open.

It was quiet in there. She'd expected some kind of quiet hubbub, like the one you'd get in a supermarket, but there was this comfortable sound of silence.

"Hello, farmer!" At this, she finally noticed the guy behind the counter. He wore glasses and peered at her like a friendly owl. She walked up to him and shook the hand he was offLucyg. At the simple greeting, and the handshake, her fears of not fitting in melted away.

"Hey, my name's Lucy. It's so nice to meet you!" Okay, she might have pumped his hand a little too enthusiastically, but he was smiling back at her so it must be okay. A few minutes later, after careful discussion with Pierre about the attribute of each spring crop, she left the general store with a few packets of seeds and a smile on her face. She'd met three townspeople so far, and they were all very nice. She hoped the rest of the people in Pelican Town would be as nice as Mayor Lewis and Robin and Pierre were.

It was seven in the evening, and she had just finished watLucyg her newly-planted seeds. The sun had set, leaving behind a trace of its warmth in the spring air. She breathed in the scent of the soil, the sweet smell of newly cut grass. For the hundredth time that day, she smiled. Life was going great. She went to sleep to the sound of leaves rustling in the gentle spring breeze.