...I'll be upfront with you: I'd run into some unforeseen obstacles in my "legendary fish" journey a long time ago.
The Crimson Fish was reported to be in a part of the beach that was cut off by a big river. Sometimes, I thought "Oh, I could swim that," but then I quickly remembered that I'd be carrying a cooler as well. Not to mention I'd ultimately be carrying a nearly 2 foot fish in said cooler, so... nah.
Then, another one of the legendary fish could only be found in the sewer. How the fuck was I supposed to catch a fish in the sewer?
This just so happened to be on my mind that rather tame first day of the most nerve-wracking Summer of my life.
The sunlight had NO hesitation, to the point where I had applied a healthy amount of sunscreen to my exposed skin. In fact, I'd considered staying inside until sunset, but the curiosity on this one little matter was too strong. I also, if I wanted to consult Robin, wanted to catch her when the sun was still up.
A little fragment of what clearly used to be a bridge rested in the sand by the beach river. Could it be repaired... or could a new bridge be built? Could I do it myself by putting together a couple of huge planks of wood, or would Mayor Lewis disapprove of any structure not built by the experienced town carpenter?
Well... I probably would be wary in his shoes as well. I decided to visit Robin anyway.
When I popped into her shop, she seemed pleasantly surprised.
"Oh, hi!" she beamed. "Long time no see!"
"Heh, yeah," I replied.
"Your farm is beautiful," she said. "I love how you've sectioned everything out! So how much quartz did that end up taking ya?"
"Oh, a fair... lot," I said.
She laughed, then asked "So what's the next big thing? What brings you in today?"
"I want your opinion on a bridge," I said. "I'd like to get across to those tide pools at the beach. There clearly used to be a bridge there. Could I do it, or would it be more of a job for a trained carpenter like you?"
"...You could probably do it," said Robin. "I'd probably have to inspect it to keep the mayor happy, but you could definitely put it together." She bent down to grab something from under the counter. This turned out to be a box whose dust and stains showed at least a few years of age. "I think the blueprints from the first one are still in here."
She dug through the box, eventually pulling out a decently-sized piece of paper that looked just as old.
"The blueprints for the old tide pool bridge," she said before putting the box back under the counter, then laying out the blueprints so I could see. "I knew they had to be here somewhere."
This blueprint was... remarkably beginner-friendly. Each step was numbered and descried concisely, not that there were even that many steps at all. For being so simple, the design looked plenty sturdy as well, sturdier than I'd thought.
"It'll take a good amount of wood," Robin warned me. "Think you're up or it?"
"I NEED something to use all the wood from the farm renovation for," I told her. "I'm excited to get started! Oh, uh, how much do you want for these blueprints?"
"Take 'em," said Robin. "You've got drive, kid. You've got a talent. You've turned that ol' farm into some kind of farm-park hybrid. I've actually been thinking..." Her voice softened to something both sad and hopeful. "What are the chances you could be what that old community center needs?"
"Hm?" I replied.
"You're a natural when it comes to the outdoors, even the underground," she explained. "Hell, you know this place better than some of us who have been here our whole lives." She sighed. "It irks me that such a pure place is crumbling to the ground while some corporate bullshit... Agh, it just sucks."
"Yeah, I agree," I nodded. "Well... I'd love to rejuvenate that community center, if only I knew where to start."
"I know about as much as you do," said Robin. "The mayor doesn't know how to help, either. That, or he's just given up on the place. Or both."
"Huh..." I said. "Well... if you get any ideas, let me know."
"For sure," said Robin. "In the meantime, let me know when you've got that bridge up."
"I'll probably get started on it tomorrow, when it's cloudier," I replied. "Thank you so much for these blueprints!"
"Don't mention it, farmer," Robin smiled. "Have a good day!"
"You too!" I waved before walking out.
On my way home, I stopped to stand and stare at the abandoned community center. Of course, in my years of living in Stardew Valley, I'd passed by it countless times... but this had to be the second best look I'd gotten at it.
Damn, how long had it been since that Junimo symphony? And why hadn't it happened again? Did the Junimos even live here, or was this just one spot in their domain called Stardew Valley?
All I could see through the windows were withering walls and piles of wood. No signs of movement.
Maybe Junimos were nocturnal. Even if they weren't, I didn't want to be called out for snooping around the place, so I shrugged it off and went home to take shelter from the harsh afternoon sun. That's what the Junimos were probably doing.