The aroma of breakfast cooking in the kitchen stirred Mark awake in his bed. The first thing he saw was an orange blob centered on his stomach, lifting up and down gently with each breath, until his vision adjusted to find his cat Tiberius purring. He stroked his pet gently on the back three times. The extra warmth fought Mark's willpower to wake and begin his morning routine, but just as his eyelids became too heavy to hold the piercing sound of the alarm clock tore through the air. Sighing, he lightly pushed Tiberius off of him and slid his feet to the wooden floor of the farmhouse with a thud. He made his way over to the bathroom, carefully shaving the stubble that had accumulated with a disposable razor, before making his way back to the bedroom to check the day's forecast. He dressed for the fall weather and watered the poppy growing in the flower pot in the corner of the room before proceeding to the kitchen with his faithful feline at his side.

Mark promptly strode across the kitchen and approached the woman standing in front of the stove. She'd only just finished scraping off the final bacon strips onto the large serving tray when he placed his arm around her and proceeded to kiss her neck. She twirled around to face him, wrapping her arms around his neck, and embraced him in a passionate kiss. Their lips separated and hers formed a large smile, her eyelids opening to reveal her green eyes. Those unfamiliar with the couple would be excused if they thought that the two were only several weeks into their relationship as if they were high schoolers who had found crazy teen love. Mark tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear.

"Mornin', Pen," he said softly.

"Good morning, honey," Penny replied, still beaming as she looked at her husband. She hummed. "You look really handsome today. Well, even more so than usual." She ran the back of her hand across his cheeks. "Did you shave?" Mark chuckled.

"No more sandpaper." His eyes lowered as he watched Penny step off her stool, returning to her normal state of being nearly a foot shorter than her husband. She grabbed the serving tray and made her way to the table.

"And you remembered to-"

"Yes, love." Mark tapped his foot, shaking his head slightly. "I rinsed out the sink this time." Penny stuck out her tongue at her husband, nudging his shoulder. She then clapped her hands four times, raising her voice.

"Poppy, baby! Nummies!" In a corner of the house Mark could hear light pattering sounds, as if it had started raining. Then the noise became louder. Louder still. Until finally, around the corner, a little girl around three years old jolted into the kitchen. It astounded Mark how the toddler was the spitting image of her mother, down to her emerald eyes. The little girl paused for a moment, sizing up the farmer, before beaming in pure unfiltered excitement.

"Daddy!" She screamed before resuming her mad dash through the kitchen. Mark scooped her up in her arms, kissing her on the cheeks in rapid succession before embracing her in a big hug. He hummed as if in deep thought, grabbing his stomach.

"Who needs eggs, bacon, and hash browns when I have a girl I can eat?" He proceeded to flip her horizontally and pretended to eat her stomach, causing the toddler to laugh intensely. "Delicious! I'm stuffed!" He placed his daughter in her high chair, kissing her on the top of her head. "Love you, Poppy." He glanced at Penny who stood watching the two of them, a proud smile on her face. He took his seat at the table, grabbing his fork and knife. He began shoveling his food in his mouth as soon Penny set it down on the plate, only pausing to choke.

"Please be careful, Mark," Penny sternly ordered, pulling away his fork gently, taking care not to get bitten. "It's not a race, you know." She moved over to Poppy, giving her a number of kisses on her right cheek before wrapping a pink bib adorned with bright green happy Junimos around her daughter's neck. Mark attempted to communicate something, but the mess of saliva and mushed up food was incomprehensible to anyone older than six months. Even Poppy cocked her head, trying to figure out how to add that to her vocabulary. Penny gave him a less than supportive look. "Swallow. Goodness, you're worse than Vincent."

"Yes, Miss Penny," Mark replied. He gulped down his large glass of milk without taking a pause, slamming it down on the table before taking a deep breath. He scooted his chair back, causing Penny and Poppy to cover their ears as the chair legs squealed against the floor. "I said 'better get started'. First harvest of cranberries are-"

"Cranbabbies?" Poppy interrupted, banging on the table in front of her high chair. Penny scooped a clump of scrambled eggs in a little plastic bowl in front of the toddler. She grabbed a handful and shoved it into her mouth before Penny could place a small rubber spoon in front of her. Mark rolled his eyes.

"Yes, honey. The first group of cranbabies have all grown up." Penny gave her husband a semi-concerned face as he made his way over to the coat rack.

"You're heading out already? I had hoped you would have breakfast with us today."

"Well, uh-" Mark scratched the back of his neck with his left hand, the right one frozen with a grip around his coat. "Ya know, Pen. It's a harvest day." He turned around to look at his wife and daughter. The hurt expression in her eyes carved through him until his very soul ached with guilty pain. "Pierre's not invented self picking cranberry see-."

"I like cranbabies!" Poppy yelled from across the room. Mark smiled, motioning to his daughter.

"Exactly!" Mark chuckled, putting on his coat before he continued. "Can't let our little Poppy seed down, can I?"

"I'm glad that you mentioned that…" The squeal of Penny's chair against the floor caused Mark to flinch. Penny strode over to meet him at the door. She lowered her voice. "Honey, I think it'd be nice if you took a day off from farm work and spent some special time with Poppy." Penny paused, turning her gaze to her daughter. "Besides, look at this place." She then motioned around the kitchen and the living room, spending extra time to outline the massive TV. "When you first moved here, this was little more than a shack. We're the most fortunate and blessed family in the Valley. How much gold could we possibly need?"

"You're- You're right. But the animals need…"

"I woke up early and took care of them. I filled Tiberius' water bowl as well, before you mention that." She looked lovingly but firmly into Mark's eyes, pleading with him on every level. "I have so much quality time with her, and praise Yoba every night that it's the case." She squeezed Mark's arm firmly but lovingly. Mark felt the heavy feeling in his chest again, this time heavier. "A girl needs her daddy, Mark." She dropped her eyes to the floor. "I know it better than anyone," she concluded softly. He could see a tear slide down her cheek, creeping its way to her chin. He wiped it away, his own eyes misting over. He wrapped her in a tight embrace and the feelings of sadness, as they always did, disappeared.

"Okay, Penny," Mark responded softly. "The cranberries…"

"Cranbabies!" Poppy once again contributed before grabbing a handful of eggs and launching them across the table.

"...Can wait." Penny smiled, giving Mark a peck on the cheek. Mark chuckled as he nodded at his daughter. "But she can't." Penny made her way over to the table to proceed with cleaning her daughter as Mark grabbed her coat and shoes. After a couple of minutes of wrangling the wriggling toddler, the family was standing at the door. Penny crouched and gave her daughter one more squeeze and five kisses on her head.

"You have a fun time with daddy, Poppy!" She returned to her full stature then got on the tips of her toes as Mark did a slight squat so they were of somewhat equal height as they gave each other one more hug. "Thank you," she whispered softly, another tear sneaking down her cheek. He squeezed her hand lightly as they parted, smiling at her. She wiped away her tears as she watched her husband and daughter head outside the door hand in hand.


The smell of mushroom, soggy leaves and cranberries was a perennial feature of fall at Alabaster Farm. The success and resulting expansion at the farm was a boon for Pelican Town: Tourism was estimated to be up some five hundred percent in recent years. Out of towners came from far and wide year round to purchase goods, especially late in the fall season. Once the Stardew Valley fair arrived in a week the farm would be crawling with kids as young as Poppy to seniors as old as Mayor Lewis.

Poppy slowly inched her way down the stairs before breaking out into a sprint into a large pile of leaves some distance away. Mark laughed, preparing to race into the pile after her. He took a few steps but paused, focused on the seemingly endless rows of cranberries stretched as far as the eye could see. He glanced back at his daughter laughing and rolling around. Surely she wouldn't mind if he took some time to pick a bush?

"Daddy, come in the leaves!" Poppy shrieked, grabbing handfuls of leaves and tossing them in the air. Mark willed himself to make his way towards the leaf pile and his toddler. He laid on the ground, rolling around on the ground in the pile. He grabbed a big armful and dumped them on Poppy, burying her up to her ankles. But he couldn't fight the nagging sensation in the back of his head urging him to get to work. When Poppy's back was turned, he bolted over to the cranberry bushes. "Daddy." Mark gave no response, inspecting a cranberry bush so closely that he could practically see each cell on a leaf. "Daddy, come on!"

"Yeah, yeah, just a minute, Poppy." He began to pick the cranberries from the bush as delicately as possible. Before long the bush began to violently shake as if hit by a sudden earthquake. Poppy shook the cranberry bush with all the strength her three-year-old arms could muster in a desperate attempt to get a bite of the juicy fruit. Mark quickly grabbed her, shoving her back a couple of steps. "No, honey! These are expensive, and-" He could see the water works flowing in his daughter's green eyes and knew he had mere seconds to act before the loudest wailing known to man erupted. He placed three cranberries into her hands and she began to eat them. "Run along for a second, Poppy. Daddy's just going to be quick."

Just one bush.

But one bush turned into two. Then four. Then ten. It was already noon before Mark realized where he was. He finally snapped out of his trance, his eyes widening in disbelief at what he'd done. Feeling a cold sweat on his neck, he turned around to check on his daughter only to find an empty arrangement of leaves. His mind slowly filled with thoughts before becoming a highway of panic.

THE POND.

Mark sprinted as fast as he could to the small pond in the center of the farmland, nearly tripping into the cool water. He scanned the immediate area but saw no sign of her in the water. He did a quick circle around the edge to ensure that he was correct before jogging away from the pond. His mind raced faster than it had in years. He thought about everywhere a mischievous toddler could've possibly slinked off to. Back to the house? No, she'd never try to willingly go back indoors. To see grandma Pam at the bus stop? Not likely, Pam would've brought her back. The light flipped on in his head as he remembered one fundamental truth that applied to him at that age: Every kid wants to pet the animals. He made haste towards the large coup to the north of his farm, but there were no small humans inside, just a load of chickens, a rabbit, and a dinosaur.

His chest pounded as he exited the coup, the closing of the door drowned out by the percussion of his heart. With the blanket of leaves covering many areas of the farm where no crops were planted Poppy could be anywhere. His mind flickered to all the twisted creatures that dwelled in the mines. A vision of a shadow brute's face burned itself into his mind: The beady white eyes and the twisted smile mocking him as they held his daughter hostage. He decided to grab his sword from inside the house and go rescue Poppy, his resolve firm enough to battle through Hell itself.

"No piggy, you stay away from those cranbabies," he heard off in the distance. Swiveling on his heel, his fears all melted away at the sight of Poppy lecturing the farm's pig. He began to take long strides towards her, but neglected the truth that catching a toddler was like following a dragonfly: Move too fast and they dart off. Poppy noticed Mark and smiled. "Daddy!" She turned around and bolted away from her father. Sighing, Mark jogged after her.

He caught up to her in the northwest corner of the farm in a secluded, wooded section. Every season he would plant seasonal flowers in the area to make this the nicest section of the farm, though no tourists were welcome. Against the hill wall was a gray stone shrine flanked by two candles on each side with all four being lit with a blue flame. While most walkways on the farm were still little more than trails of dirt created by feet of all species, the ground around this shrine was covered in a neatly laid stone pathway.

"Poppy!" Mark had caught up to her, latching on to her wrist. "What do you think you're doin', kid?" Poppy's laughter faded before turning into groaning that then gave way into little muffled cries. "You can't just run off." Poppy began tugging at his hand, which Mark responded by letting go, resulting in Poppy falling on her bottom to the ground. He could only sigh and shake his head as the tears started flowing and the screeches became too much to bear.

A sudden darkness overcame that portion of the farm, causing Mark to look up at the sky. An unnaturally dark cloud had overtaken the farm. He was confused: The forecast called for clear skies all day. The scent of lavender and firewood crept into his nose, instinctively drawing his vision to the shrine. After a moment of nothingness, one of the candles went out for the first time since being lit. Mark's legs, trembling at the sudden weight of his figure, buckled as he fell to his knees into the damp dirt. He began sobbing uncontrollably as memories of his childhood and early farming career flooded his head before finally settling on one: The night before the first day of his third year in Stardew Valley. He encountered the spirit of his grandfather in a dream dimension.

"Your work on my old farm has been most impressive, my boy," he remembered the old man saying. "But it is neither your wealth nor your deeds that fill me with pride." He remembered the odd feeling of his grandpa's spirit embracing him in a one armed hug. The feeling of something being there, warm, but yet weightless. "It is your love for your family. For your young wife, Penny. The way you hold her close, the way you look into each other's eyes, there is no faking that feeling." He chuckled as he was stroking his transparent beard. "And for your daughter, Poppy. Though I was long disappointed in my own son's relationship with you, I have no doubt you have broken the chain." He remembered his grandfather's apparition procuring a mystical flame, lighting the final candle. "This final candle represents my approval for your love of your family. As long as it is lit, Mark, you will know that I watch you with great pride.

"Daddy?" Mark felt a tugging on his jacket sleeve as he was brought back to his senses. He looked to his left as Poppy, having finished her own bout of crying, looked into her father's eyes. He wrapped her in a big hug, kissing her cheeks as he began to calm down himself. Overwhelming guilt flooded his insides as if a water main burst in his chest. "You okay, daddy?" Mark pulled back from their hug and gave her a big smile, wiping one final tear from his eye.

"Daddy's so sorry, Poppy seed." He took a deep breath as he composed himself. "He's just- He was only thinking about money instead of what matters most." He booped her on the nose, causing her to giggle. "Like…" He produced a handful of cranberries from his pack, holding them out to Poppy. "Cranbabies!"

"Cranbabies!" Poppy began stuffing her mouth with cranberries, pulp and juice spreading across her cheeks. Mark followed suit, puffing out his cheeks like the Trash Bear at the bottom of Cindersap Forest. He stood up at full height, gently taking her hand in his. They made their way back over to the barn where the same pig that Poppy bossed around earlier was sticking its snout in the dirt for truffles. Mark hoisted Poppy up on top of the large pig while oinking himself. The pig looked up at him in confusion and Mark couldn't help but feel like he offended his farm animal. Poppy laughed hysterically.

Need to brush up on my Pig Latin.

The sound of the farmhouse door caught Mark and Poppy's attention. Penny was standing on the front porch with her arms crossed, rubbing her hands against her skin to heat herself. "Mommy, look! I'm on the piggy!" Penny laughed.

"Good job, cowgirl!" Penny yelled loudly yet maternally so that she could be heard from a distance. "You'll be running this place in no time." She looked at Mark with a warm smile. "Can you send her inside in five minutes? Dinner's almost done." Mark blew a kiss Penny's way and she 'caught' it, putting it in her pocket before blowing one his way. She disappeared back into the house. Mark lifted Poppy off the pig and set her lightly on the ground, holding her hand. With his free hand he pet the pig.

"Thanks, Pigma." He motioned towards the house. "Come on, Poppy seed. Time to head home." As they walked, Poppy would occasionally pretend to be a stone and Mark would have to swing her up off her feet with both hands. He took her in both hands and placed her on his shoulders and she looked across the farm, gasping at every bird, squirrel, and leaf that moved in a mile radius. Mark couldn't help but smile in admiration of her wonder at the world. There was a time long ago where he was in her position, legs dangling off of his grandpa's broad shoulders. His grandpa never used the amount of land space as Mark did, but at that age, even a single row felt like it stretched out for an eternity.

As they neared the front porch, Mark prepared to hoist his daughter off his shoulders before he stopped. He took a right then a left until the two of them were behind the house. A yellow chest rested against the wall, nearly blending in with the siding of the farmhouse. He took Poppy off his shoulders, giving her a kiss on the cheek, before setting her down. He rooted around his pockets until he found a matching yellow key and stuck it in the chest. The lid squeaked as he opened it. With his free hand, he pointed at the contents inside.

"Pick something out for mommy please, Poppy," he said. He watched her rummage around in the contents, answering all of her instances of 'what is this?' After a minute of carefully touching every item she picked out a brilliant green emerald that matched the color of both her and her mother's eyes. Deciding that she was big enough to walk without holding her daddy's hand, she cupped the emerald in both hands as father and daughter made their way to the door. Mark held the door open as Poppy shuffled inside and ran up to her mother.

"Mommy, look! We got this for you!" She thrust the emerald into her mother's hands.

"Oh thank you, Poppy! She took Poppy in her arms, giving her a big squeeze. "I really love this! Almost as much as I love-" she paused to give Poppy a big kiss on her cheek. "You!" She set her daughter down and unzipped her coat, letting the toddler take it off herself, before turning her attention to her now approaching husband. She raised an eyebrow. "Was there something you needed, honey?"

"Just this," Mark replied, kissing Penny lightly on the lips, before heading over to his seat at the table. "And some food." He looked up from adjusting himself in his seat to see Penny stare at him in awe. She picked up her daughter and moved to the far side of the table, nearly tripped over Poppy's high chair as she continued to gawk.

"You mean… You're going to eat with us tonight?" She made her way over to the counter to grab the serving tray that was now home to a casserole. She set it on the table, removing her apron.

"Of course! Wouldn't miss it."

"It's just- I thought maybe you would pick some-"

"Penny," Mark grabbed Penny's hand and smiled at her. "The cranbabies-"

"We ate cranbabies, mama!" Yelled Poppy as she slapped her hands on the tray of her high chair. "They were soooooo good!" Mark laughed.

"They can wait," Mark continued. "Besides, how much more gold could we possibly need?" He raised her hand to his mouth, kissing the back of it. "Nothing is more valuable than my girls." He could see a blush spreading across Penny cheeks that he couldn't help but reciprocate. It was the same blush as when he moved to Pelican Town and they began growing closer to each other.

The three then ate their dinner with Poppy energetically regaling Penny with the stories of her adventures with Mark that day. She told her mother of how she rode on top of the piggy and how she ate no less than three thousand cranbabies. Her parents laughed at her stories, slowly eating their dinner due to holding hands through most of the meal. Eventually they were finished and Mark resumed playing with Poppy indoors while Penny cleaned up the mess from dinner. They made a tower of blocks that Poppy knocked over while pretending to be a giant lizard monster and read books about Junimos and friendly slimes. Mark even let her stay up an hour late. When eight o'clock struck, he set her in bed in her pajamas. He kissed her on her forehead.

"Goodnight, my sweet Poppy seed." He stroked her hair. "I had such a fun time today."

"Goodnight daddy," she replied sleepily, fighting to keep her eyes open for even a minute longer. "Can we play again tomorrow?"

"Of course, my love," Mark replied with a smile.

"You're a good daddy." These words punctured Mark and his eyes overflowed with tears, causing him to squeeze his daughter in a big hug. He moved his mouth but his emotions wouldn't give him a chance to say anything until he was finally able to make a coherent sound.

"Love you, Poppy," he choked. "So much."

"Love you, Daddy!" Poppy rolled onto her side and sucked her thumb, clutching on to her pink blanket with a gray songbird on it. Mark watched her for a brief moment before standing up and moving to the door, pausing only to shut the light off in her room.

He walked down the short hallway into the living room where he found Penny, now in her pink bathrobe, laying on the couch reading a novel from the town library. He took a seat on one end of the couch and began to massage one of her feet, then the other, then moved on to her legs. He glanced up to find her smiling at him, the blush returning to her face. She giggled.

"I can, um, finish this chapter later if you wanted to head to bed." She stuck her bookmark in her current page, closed the book, and placed it on the side table. She stood up and took Mark's hands, dragging him towards the bedroom, blush still on her face. Their kisses this time were different: More intense, passionate, unfiltered now that they were alone. Penny paused for a moment before asking, "Mark… Should we have another child?"

Mark hesitated, looking Penny in the eyes. He recalled the day's events, how he shoveled food into his mouth so quickly that he almost choked. He thought about how he dismissed his daughter on multiple occasions and even caused her to fall over. The blue flame being snuffed out was burned into his mind and the guilt he felt knowing his grandfather did not approve still haunted him. His smiled though when he remembered helping Poppy ride the pig and when they stuffed their mouths with cranberries. He remembered watching her eat her dinner, so grown up in such a short period of time. He recalled reading about Juminos and, above all else, the sound of her approval as a dad was etched into his mind. Snapping back to reality, he carried Penny over to the bed. Joining her underneath the sheets, he gave her his answer:

"Yes."


When it was two o'clock a brilliant white comet streaked in the night sky over Alabastar Farm. In the corner of the farm where his grandpa's shrine rested, the unlit candle emitted a blue flame.