Chapter Two
The Valley.
The bus ride to the valley was long, very long. She had forgotten how far from civilization it really was. It had been so many years since she had come to Stardew valley.
Jane bounced in her seat as the bus hit yet another pothole, she clutched the seat in front of her tightly. A big green sign passed by the window.
STARDEW VALLEY 0.5 Miles
Oh thank yoba.
Within minutes the bus came to a stop. She rose to her feet and shuffled to the front, and out the door.
There was a woman waiting, her bright red hair was pulled back into a messy short ponytail.
"Hello, You must be Sutton's granddaughter." She said, lifting a hand in greeting.
"Jane, Jane Sutton." Jane replied.
"I'm Robin, the local carpenter. Mayor Lewis sent me here to fetch you and show you the way to your new home."
She grabbed Jane's bags off the ground and tossed them into her old pickup truck. "He is there right now tidying things up for your arrival. Get in, the farm just down the road."
Jane climbed into the truck, the smells of oil, dirt and cedar filling her nose.
"Your grandfather made quite an impression on this small village, he was well loved by everyone. Showed us that taking life one day at a time, was the true road to success."
The truck rattled and they bounced all over the place in the cab. Bad suspension or something Jane thought, gripping the door handle tightly.
The driveway was long, and littered with potholes, rocks and overgrown brambles.
"Here we are, Dewdrop farm." Robin said, sweeping her hand through the air. Jane must have had a grimst on her face because Robin frowned "What's the matter? Sure it's a bit overgrown but there's some good soil beneath that mess, With a little dedication you'll have it cleaned up in no time."
Jane took a deep breath, the fresh air washing away any apprehension she had of moving to the valley. Grandfather found peace here, and so will I. She told herself.
Jane followed Robin to the front of the cottage, small, but manageable. An old man was sitting on a chair on the front porch, he wore a green shirt and yellow tie, newsie cap covering his gray hair.
"Ah, the new farmer." He said, raising to his feet. "Welcome, I'm Lewis Mayor of Pelican Town. You know everyone has been asking about you." He said, joining the two ladies in the driveway.
"Asking about me?" Jane asked without taking her eyes off the farm around her, ideas of gardens and outbuilding growing in her mind, she could make this work.
"It's not every day someone new moves into town, it's quite a big deal." He turned to look at the cottage before them, a sadness in his eyes. "So you're moving into your grandfather's old cottage, it's a good house, very" He paused trying to find the right words. "Rustic" He finished.
The three of them studied the building, the broken windows, the peeling siding and the crooked door.
Robin grimaced "Rustic, that's one way to put it." She said, crossing her arms over her chest. "Crusty might be a little more apt though."
Jane laughed, and Lewis looked appalled.
Turning to Jane he said "Don't listen to her, Jane, She is just trying to make you dissatisfied so that you hire her to fix it up."
Robin huffed, turning away. "That's only partly true." She said "I could give you a great deal though, if you're interested."
Jane laughed again, "I will keep that in mind, thank you." She said, yawning, the four hour bus ride had taken more out of her then she realized.
Lewis shifted "Anyways," He said "you must be tired from the long journey. You should get some rest."
Lewis walked with Robin to the old truck. "Tomorrow you ought to explore the town a bit and introduce yourself. The townspeople would appreciate that." He said climbing into the truck.
The engine started with a grumble and he rolled down his window, "Oh I almost forgot, when you're ready to sell your goods just let me know and I will gladly come pick them up for you and take them to Pierre's."
The truck started rolling "Good luck Jane." He shouted and then they were gone.
Jane pushed the loose hanging door open and stepped into her new home.
Well not as bad as it could be I guess.
She set her bags on the table and lit a candle.
It was humble, that's for sure. There was a small bed to the right of the door, on the back wall a window and brick fireplace, the wood table she had placed her bags on and a tv. She walked over to it and blew the dust from its surface flipping it on. Surprisingly it worked.
"Welcome to Kozu 5.. Your number one source for weather, news and entertainment. And now the weather forecast for tomorrow." The announcer said through the speakers "It's going to be clear and sunny all day." She flicked the tv off.
Well that's good I suppose.
In the corner of the room was a bag of seeds with a note.
Here are some parsnip seeds, to get you started -Mayor Lewis.
Right, I'm a farmer now. Yoba help me.
She cleaned herself up as best she could before climbing into bed and falling asleep.