Wednesday, 17th of Spring

Alma startled awake and was a bit upset (though not surprised) to know that the nightmares were continuing. She rubbed her eyes and sat up in the bed, watching the morning sun dance in and out of the dusty air in the cabin. Then she got up and got ready for another day of work.

She first went to the mailbox, which had an unusual letter with tattered corners, almost as if some small animal had chewed it. The handwriting was rough, like a child had written it.

"Hi.

Me sell hats. Okay, poke? Come to old old haus, poke. Bring coinies.

- hat mouse"

Alma turned it over, wondering if this was some sort of prank. But wizards, shadows in the sewers, forest spirits, monsters in the caves … Who was to say there wasn't a "hat mouse" too? She wondered what old house it was referring to. There was that abandoned house down by Cindersap Forest, but it looked like not a soul had been there maybe for decades! But, she thought, mice do tend to like that kind of atmosphere. She decided she'd check it out soon.

When she looked up from the letter, she was happy to see a whole row of cauliflower waiting to be harvested. She pulled them up, putting one in her chest, and making note to take one to the community center for the crop bundle in the pantry. She watered everything else – including Bisclavret's bowl – and also found more salmonberries growing by the treeline. She picked them and walked around the farm, seeing if there were any more. She didn't have a lot planned for today, so she wondered if today might be a good day for some more fishing – or maybe going to the mines. So she made sure to bring some field snacks, her rod, and her sword before heading into town.

On her way, she picked more and more salmonberries, remembering what Pierre said about them only being around for a few days. As she came into town, she saw Dr. Harvey standing at his usual afternoon spot in the little park behind Jodi's house, and close to him was a salmonberry bush. He didn't notice her, and she wondered if she should bother, bypassing him to get another berry. "Pick them fast before they're gone!" she remembered Pierre saying, and she thought about how close she was to buying her chicken coop. So she walked quickly behind him, saying, "Good afternoon, Dr. Harvey."

He turned, a bit startled. "Oh! Hello, Ms. Alma. What are you – What are you up to?"

She continued to the salmonberry bush and picked the berries she could. "Just getting while the getting's good!" She walked back to him and held up a big red berry. "I guess you've had these?"

His face scrunched, looking a bit disgusted. "Uh, yes, I-I have."

"Here, try another," she said, handing it to him.

"Oh, n-no thank you," he said, putting out a hand, "you should sell that to Pierre."

"They don't sell for much, so I don't mind." She still held it out to him.

He hesitantly reached out and took it between his fingers. "I, uh … I think I'm allergic to this."

Alma paused. "Oh. Okay. Sorry."

"No no, don't be. I'm glad you enjoy them."

She put the berries in her bag and tossed it over her shoulder. "Well, you're right, I should get to Pierre and see how much he'll give me. I've also got several fresh cauliflowers to give him!"

"Very nice," he smiled. "I'll make sure to drop by soon to – to get one."

She waved goodbye and headed toward the store. She sold her cauliflower, bought a few more seeds to plant, and then went up to the community center to drop off the one cauliflower she saved. "Only one green bean left, and then that one's finished!" She left the center with a little bounce in her step and went up the mountains to the mines.

Alma went down the elevator to the fifth level and took a sharp breath as the door opened. She pulled her sword out of her bag and clenched it tight, looking carefully in the dark for any monsters. She remembered what Marlon told her: ten slimes, and she'd be an initiate in the Adventurers' Guild. She was ready, but, surprisingly, she didn't hear anything. So she got her pickaxe and started moving through the rocks. She was happy to get some more copper ore, a cave carrot, and more rocks, of course. As she found ladders, she went deeper and deeper, mining more rocks, getting more materials and goods, and fighting more monsters. She found she was getting better at combat, and she discovered that eating some things made her feel better.

Just as she was about to step on to the eighth level, she felt the air grow heavy. A mist seemed to rise around her, and she felt her heart race. She heard flapping wings coming toward her. A large fly flew right at her, buzzing and biting at her head, and she couldn't seem to pull out her sword fast enough. She tried to wave it away, but it kept coming back, and she could feel its wings beating at her face. When she finally got a grip on the sword and slashed at it, she also saw some slime monsters coming to her. But she was ready. She felt a surge of adrenaline, and she started swinging wildly. One down, two down, but more flies came. She made quick work of them. "Anyone else?!" Alma yelled, and as if in response, three more slimes lunged at her. She could feel the sting at her legs, but she knew she hit at least one. Though she was afraid, she felt invigorated and powerful, and she let the fear fuel her strength. She ran through the rocks on the cave floor, slashing and swiping at anything around her. More flies, more slimes, more beetles – until, finally, silence. The fog lifted. She stood there, panting and sweating, and she couldn't help but start laughing. Was that really her? Did she just do that? Alma, the new farm girl, slicing and dicing at monsters in the dark? "Not bad," she told herself, putting the sword back in its sheath.

As she started collecting the loot, though, she did feel the adrenaline start to leave her. She looked at the time: it was midnight. But she was so close to unlocking the next elevator platform and getting her ten slimes! She wondered if she could do it in time to get back. Determined, she went down the ladder to the ninth level.

There weren't many monsters, but there were a lot of rocks. She mined and mined and mined, hoping to find a ladder, but she couldn't find any. Her bag began to feel heavier and heavier, and she knew she needed to get out. "Screw it," she muttered, heading back to the elevator. Thankfully, it lifted her to the surface, and she was running as fast as she could out of the cave. "I gotta get home," she panted. But just outside of the cave entrance, she felt her legs become slower and slower. "I … can't …." And she fell into darkness.

Alma came out the front door and saw Grayson sitting on the front steps, watching the sunrise. He turned a bit when he heard the squeaking door, but he turned back away. "Hey," he quietly said.

"Hey," she answered, sitting next to him. "I, uh … wonder how you feel about all this?"

He looked at her out of the corner of his eye, then looked back to the horizon. "I don't blame you."

She looked toward the sunrise too. "Are you sure? Because … I do. I blame myself for leaving you."

"Leaving me to …?"

Alma shrugged and shook her head. "Pick up the pieces?"

He sighed. "The pieces have been falling for a while. I've been picking them up this whole time." He looked at her. "And you've been helping." She looked at him and smiled a little. "It was you who had a rough go of it for a while, and that's what made you leave. I think you made the right decision. You needed it."

Her eyes began to water, and she looked down at her feet. "'A rough go of it.'"

"Hey," he said, turning to her, "I'm doing all right. Dad's doing well, I'm okay, my family is okay, Benji is …."

"Being Benji," she muttered.

"Yeah. And he's not your responsibility, okay?"

"Or yours – remember that too."

He put an arm around her. "You know Grandpa is happy you're here. Grandma too." She started weeping pretty heavily now, and he held her closer. "And believe me, if I ever find Eric, I will fuck him up."

She couldn't help but laugh a little bit through her tears. He kissed the top of her head. "You know what I would love for you to do more than that?" she squeaked.

"What's that?"

Alma pulled the fabric of his shirt a little tighter and buried her face in his chest. "Love Rebecca." She looked up at him, tears pouring down her face. "Love her with all you've got. Do anything she wants. Show her that she's valuable. Big things and small things, Gray. Because believe me, she's silently struggling to find her self-worth. And your opinion of her matters more than anyone else's. What you do and say can either make her feel like a queen … or break her very spirit." He hugged her tightly. "And you have Heather too. She will look for a man who's like you, and she is watching how you treat her momma. You are in a position where you can break the chain and make her love life better, starting now."

His grip on her released a little, and she let go too. They both turned back to the sunrise, and she laid her head on his shoulder. "I'll do my best," Grayson said. "I just hope it's good enough."

"I know you will," she said, wiping her nose.

They sat in silence for a moment, and Grayson asked, "So … how about this Harvey guy?"

"Oh geez, don't even – "

"Cuz if he messes with you, I will find him and fuck him up too."

She chuckled and patted his arm. "Always the big brother, eh?"