Theme Song - A Place in This World, Taylor Swift


The farmer had not slept well her first night in the cabin. When she did sleep, she was plagued with vague nightmares about running from… well… something. Between that and the chill, it had been a long night. She was eternally grateful for Sebastian's sacrifice though, as the hoodie helped keep her semi-warm in the drafty building.

Now she was standing on the porch, overlooking the jungle that was her responsibility, as well as marveling at the fact that the snow had seemingly melted overnight, with temperatures rising to a comfortable range. In a way, she felt like that should have been impossible, but on the other hand… What did she know? She couldn't really remember anything about herself, let alone how seasons were supposed to work. It was probably just another gap in her knowledge that needed to be filled.

It was barely 6 in the morning, but she couldn't try to sleep any longer. She had been in bed for two days now, so it was probably natural to be a little restless… That, and there must have been another farm not too far off, because a relentless rooster was also insistent that it was time to get the day started.

She was definitely not feeling up to manual labor. Not yet. She decided it would probably be a good idea to follow Mayor Lewis' advice and spend the day getting to know the town… And buy some new clothing. And maybe see if there was someone who could give her advice on planting the parsnip seeds that Mayor Lewis had left for her, along with 500 gold pieces.

Something about the gold pieces bothered her, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

She slipped on the shoes that Dr. Harvey had provided her and turned her attention towards the path that led back into town. The idea of meeting new people filled her with anxiety, but everyone had been nice enough so far. Surely she could find someone to answer a few questions about the community.

It was around 7 by the time she made it into town. The walk had been pleasant, though. In fact, with the sun shining and the warmer weather, she was beginning to feel rather hopeful. The clinic came into view and some of the anxiety went away. She had found her way back to town. That was good.

The first thing she noticed was that the clinic was attached to what appeared to be a general store. It wasn't open this early in the morning, but there was a bulletin board outside. She stopped to take a look, noting that a calendar with everyone's birthday had been hung up.

Was there something wrong with the calendar? She seemed to remember measuring a year by months rather than seasons. Of course, she must be wrong. If this was how everyone else had done it, it was probably just her poor addled mind. She pushed it away and noted that Mayor Lewis' birthday was a week away. She'd have to find something nice for him to say thanks for letting her stay on the farm.

She stepped away from the bulletin board and headed towards another building just off the town square. The sign out front designated it as the Stardrop Saloon. That would probably be a good place to try in the evenings, when most people went out. She'd get to meet all sorts of people if she dropped by then.

She returned to the town square and continued forward, passing two pillars that marked the entrance to another walkway. That's when she saw someone coming towards her. Her heart started to race, and she took a deep breath. This was it. The first person she had to introduce herself to.

He had dark hair and dull, red-tinged eyes. There were shadows underneath them and he was sporting a five o'clock shadow. He looked extremely tired, and for a moment, she almost backed out. Almost.

Come on. You can do it. It's your first day! Just say hi!

"Hi!"

"I don't know you. Why are you talking to me?" He pushed her off to the side and continued stalking down the path, leaving her stunned.

What on earth…?

She resisted the urge to turn right around and go back home to curl up in bed for the rest of the day. He was right. She didn't know him, and maybe he hadn't realized who she was? How big was Pelican Town, anyway? It was probably just a misunderstanding… He did look like he was having a rough morning… She'd have to try and introduce herself later.

With newfound resolve, she continued her walk with hope that not everyone would be in as bad a mood as he was.

When she reached the turn in the path, she could see two houses to her right, and a cemetery to the left. She didn't feel like prowling outside someone's house to grab them as soon as they walked out just to say hi, so she took a stroll across the dirt path that led towards the tombstones.

As she was examining some of the names, she became aware of a girl with ginger hair sitting under a tree. It took her a second to muster up the courage, but finally… She approached. It took everything she had to squeak out a soft, "Good morning."

"Oh…" the ginger girl looked up with a small smile. "Hello! I'm Penny…"

"Hi. I'm… Well…"

"The new farmer," Penny nodded. "Welcome to Pelican Town. I do hope you enjoy it here."

"It's been nice so far," the farmer chose to exclude her run-in with the angry man. No need to let one encounter ruin a perfectly good morning. This one seemed to be going much better.

Out of the corner of her eye, the farmer could make out another figure walking down the path by the houses. Penny didn't seem to have anything else to say, so with a quick farewell, she headed in the direction of the new individual.

"Hello," she waved as she approached.

"Ah, Mayor Lewis told me you just arrived. I'm Marnie!" it was an older woman who had a little bit of a laid back appearance. Her hair was arranged into a very thick braid and she wore what looked like a homey sweater. "I sell livestock and animal care products at my ranch. You should swing by some time."

"Oh! That must be where the rooster is," the farmer smiled.

"Yup! He keeps our hens in line. When you're ready for some animals, come see me. We'll get you set up with some of the best," the woman didn't give her a chance to respond before taking off down the path again. The farmer didn't even get a chance to tell her it might be awhile with all the cleanup, but that she'd be sure to stop by as soon as she was ready.

Retracing her steps, she went back through the cemetery, waving to Penny as she passed. Eventually the path split again. She could see a bridge off to her left, so she decided to check out what was beyond the river.

The path led her to a small, sandy beach that was on the edge of the ocean. She knew it was the ocean because she could smell and taste the salt in the air. Off to the left, there was a small shack, and further out by the water, there was a wooden pier with another building. No one was in sight, so she took her shoes off and walked across the sand, picking up a clam shell along her way. The shack didn't appear to be anything other than someone's house, so she left that alone. The building along the pier had a note that read "Gone fishing. I'll be back tomorrow."

"Huh," she shrugged and turned, coming face to face with Mayor Lewis.

"So, how was your first night in the old cottage?" he smiled.

"It was fine," she responded. "It needs a little more work, so I'll probably have to talk to Robin about that later."

"The old owner used to complain about the rickety old bed," Lewis nodded. "But I think deep down, he actually loved that house."

"It has a lot of character," she admitted.

"Have you met anyone in town yet?"

"A few people," she bit her lip. "One of them didn't seem too happy to see me, but everyone else has been kind so far."

"Was he a rough looking fellow? Red eyes and a slight beard? Darker hair?"

"That's the one… I think," she didn't know how many people might fit that exact description in town, and figured it was a safe bet.

"That was probably Shane. He's just that way. Don't take it personally," Lewis gave her a sympathetic look. "I was just checking to see if Willy was back, but I see he's still gone."

"I should probably get back to town," the farmer nodded.

"Let me know if you need anything."

"Oh! Actually…" she put her hands together in front of her, semi-begging. "Could you possibly point me in the direction of the library? I'd like to read up on planting seeds before I get started… Want to make sure I do it right the first time, ya know?"

"Great idea," Lewis gave an approving pat on her shoulder. "Our library is doubled in with our Archeology Office. If you go back over the bridge and turn right, you'll come to it eventually."

"Thank you!" she called as she turned and ran back up the beach. A look at her watch (another item she'd have to pay Dr. Harvey for later) revealed that it was almost noon. She had about an hour before she'd need to stop for lunch.

She found the office fairly quickly, within half an hour. She walked in and was greeted immediately by the curator.

"Hello there! Welcome to the Stardew Valley Archaeological Office," the man had a mustache, beard, glasses, and a slightly adventurous outfit complete with a Stetson hat and some white gloves. He looked straight out of an old western film. "Uh… This is embarrassing, but the previous curator made off with the entire collection. We don't have any artifacts for display."

"Oh," her eyes widened. "How awful!"

"But I'm hoping to remedy that soon!" he continued quickly. "Hey, if you find any artifacts or minerals out there… Would you let me know?"

"Sure," she nodded, eager to help out.

"Feel free to browse what we do have," he gestured to the bookshelves. "I'm Gunther, by the way. Enjoy yourself!"

She found a book with some tips for farming fairly quickly. She scanned it for about half an hour before her stomach started to growl. She bid Gunther farewell before taking off in search of food. Within twenty minutes, she found herself back at the saloon, which was now open for business.

"Well hello there!" The owner greeted her as soon as she stepped inside.

"Hi," she gave a small wave. "I'm the new farmer. I just stopped to grab some lunch."

"Well, I'm Gus, chef and owner of the Stardrop Saloon. Here's a menu. Let me know what you'd like," the portly man busied himself behind the counter while she looked things over. She was still trying to figure out the monetary system, so she bought some bread, which was the cheapest thing she could. Until she made more money, she'd be living fairly tight.

Stomach full, she set out once more. Within a minute of leaving the saloon, she introduced herself to an older woman with greying hair.

"Why, hello and welcome to our little community, dear! My name is Evelyn, but you can call me 'Granny' if you like. Don't let me keep you… I know you have a lot to do. Just stop by and say hello sometime!"

Wow. She really didn't give me much time to respond.

The farmer looked off to the left and saw a girl with purple hair leaving the general store.

"It was nice to meet you!" she called to Evelyn, taking off once more.

She had to call out hello to get the girl's attention. Once she did, however, the girl turned around and stared at her, uninterested until something occurred to her.

"Oh, that's right… I heard someone new was moving onto that old farm," she eyed the farmer up and down. "It's kind of a shame, really. I always enjoyed exploring those overgrown fields by myself."

"You're more than welcome to still come explore," the farmer desperately wanted to make a good impression. She really just wanted to be friends. "I guess my job is to make it so they aren't overgrown, but it might be a while before that happens."

"I'm Abigail," the girl with purple hair seemed to soften a little.

"I… Uh…" the farmer froze. She hadn't really had the chance to even think about giving anyone her name. The day was going by so quickly, this was a first.

"I was just off to go hang out by the river. I'll see ya around, farmer."

Okay. That's one way to get out of that situation.

She decided to check out the general store, now that it was open. Inside, she could see a man standing at the counter, as well as two other women browsing the shelves. She approached the closest one who had her red hair twisted into a side braid.

"Hey," she started. "I'm new in town and just trying to introduce myself to everyone…"

"Hello, it's nice to meet you!" the girl grinned. "I'm Leah. You picked a good time to show up! The spring is lovely here."

The farmer nodded her agreement when the other woman looked up and excitedly bounced over. She seemed like a fun individual, her hair a lovely shade of emerald green.

"Hello! You must be the new farmer. I'm Caroline. My husband runs the general store here. And have you met my daughter Abigail? She's the pale one with the purple hair."

"I did, actually. Just outside," the farmer looked at both women, unsure of what to say.

"Here, let me introduce you to my husband," Caroline grabbed her hand and dragged her to the front counter. "Pierre!"

"Hey!" the man looked up, his glasses perched on the tip of his nose. "It's the new farmer! I'm Peirre, owner of the local general store. If you're looking for seeds, my shop is the place to go. I'll also buy produce from you for a good price!" He seemed genuinely excited. "A little agriculture could really inject new life into the local economy!"

"Yeah," the farmer was starting to feel overwhelmed. "I'll be sure to stop by when I'm ready. I have to clear the land first, and then-"

"It'll go faster than you think!" Caroline assured her. "We'll be happy for your friendship and your business!

Friendship?

The farmer felt a genuine smile light up her face, "Thank you! I look forward to it! I guess I'll see you around!"

She left the store, feeling a little lighter than she had when she entered. Her encounter with the rude man was all but erased at this point. Everyone else in town had been so nice. A little awkward at first, but nice.

She was just walking past the clinic, about to take some stairs that led up to more of the town on the mountainside when she heard someone call out, "Hey! Farmer!" She turned and saw Harvey out walking in a fenced off park area.

"Hi!" she walked over, relieved to see another, more familiar face. "How are you doing?"

"I'm fine! The better question is how are YOU doing, though…"

"I've met some new people," she grinned, placing her arms on the fence as she talked over it. "Everyone's been really nice, for the most part."

"We have a few crabs in town," Dr. Harvey agreed. "But I'm glad to hear it's been a positive experience. Everyone is talking about the new farmer now. Guess that's a nickname that's going to stick, huh?"

"I guess so," she gave a good-natured shrug.

"Listen, I wanted to let you know that Sebastian and I took the cat and dog over to Marnie's. Have you met Marnie yet? She runs a ranch just south of your farm. Anyway, she knows animals really well. She's going to give them a quick check-up and then bring them back to you later. We spent all our time making sure you were fine, we realized we might have missed something with the animals…"

"Oh. That's fine," the farmer tilted her head. "Thank you for doing that."

"It was my pleasure. My work is truly very rewarding!" he paused, before giving her a soft smile. "I hope you'll find your own work equally rewarding, in time."

"I'm sure I will!" She took the parsnip seeds out of her pocket. "I just have to clear some land to plant these, and then I'll officially be started!"

"Just be careful and don't exhaust yourself!"

"I won't!" she put them back in her pocket before moving away from the fence. "I'm taking it easy today and just meeting people around town. I'll be sure to come by if I notice anything wrong. I think I'm okay though, thanks to your expertise. I'll see ya around!"

Dr. Harvey waved farewell as she took off once again. Her heart was pounding, so she forced herself to heed the doctor's warning and slow down. It had to be because she was rushing around so much, right?

She turned to the left and noticed a small child staring at her. She looked around and could see a woman standing nearby, talking with Caroline who had just come out of the general store. That must be the mother.

"Hi," she waved at the boy.

"Oh, a stranger!" he giggled. "My name's Vincent! Mama says not to talk to strangers… But you seem okay!"

"Is that your mom?" she asked, pointing at the woman and Vincent nodded. "I'll go say hi to her, too!"

She approached the women, and Caroline looked up and waved, causing the other woman to turn.

"Oh! You aren't exactly how I imagined… but that's okay! I'm Jodi. It's a quiet little town, so it's very exciting when someone new shows up! Having a farmer around could really change things!"

"That's what we were just talking about," Caroline added. "We're excited to have you."

"I'm excited to be here," the farmer nodded. Somehow, the small town gossip didn't surprise her. It felt… Familiar.

Finally, after a little small talk, she was able to take the trek up the stairs, which led to a small park. It was empty, but peaceful. It allowed her a little bit of a breather as she sat on a bench for half an hour and allowed herself to just… exist for a moment. She listened to the water fountain, aware that exhaustion was starting to set in. Maybe she could stop by the saloon one more time, see if there was anyone new to introduce herself for, and then head home for the night. She wasn't hungry yet, so she'd probably be okay to skip dinner.

Along the way, she came across another boy with darker hair. He was wearing a letterman jacket and staring at what appeared to be a dog house. She was starting to feel her social battery drain though, so she tried to slip by without saying hello… but he looked up and stopped her.

"Hey, you're the new girl, huh? I think we're going to get along great. I'm Alex."

"Oh. You can tell already?" she smiled.

"You're pretty. Cute. Obviously polite," he nodded. "I'll see you around."

She walked away, a little stunned from that conversation. He had just… Called her cute. Without provocation. It felt… strange.

Thankfully, the saloon was mostly empty when she walked in. Gus was behind the counter, accompanied by a girl with blue hair. She was just about to walk back out when the girl spoke.

"Ooh! I can read it on your face. You're going to love it here in Pelican Town!"

"Ah, don't scare her with your spiritualism stuff, Emily!" Gus called. "She'll leave before she's even settled down!"

Emily gave a soft chuckle before leaning over the counter, "If you're ever looking for something to do in the evening, stop by. This is where I work. Obviously."

"I just came in to see if there was anyone to say hi to real fast," the farmer explained.

"Oh! I'm glad you did!" Emily grinned. "Now I can tell Haley that I met you first!"

She hadn't met anyone named Haley yet. Guess that meant she wasn't quite done meeting everyone. But it was starting to get late, and she was beginning to feel exhausted. If she didn't run into too many people on the way home, she'd probably have a little bit of time to relax before turning in for the night.

She bid Emily and Gus a good evening. Stepping out onto the walkway again, she could see an unfamiliar figure sitting on a bench not far from the saloon's entrance. She looked at her watch and then the person. She still had some time.

"Oh!" the darker skinned girl looked up, pushing glasses up the bridge of her nose as the farmer approached. "Aren't you the one who Sebastian found in the snow?"

"That's me…" her face turned red.

"I'm Maru! I've been looking forward to meeting you! You know, with a small town like this, a new face can really alter the community dynamic. It's exciting!"

"Hopefully for the better," the farmer awkwardly scratched her cheek.

"Well, Sebastian got up early two days in a row. That's better! He's my brother, you know," Maru said.

"I didn't," she raised an eyebrow. "But I'll make a mental note of it."

"Cool! Hopefully I'll see you around!"

"Sure!" the farmer turned and walked away, feeling fairly good about that interaction. It was only after she'd moved away that she realized the difference in Maru's skin tone compared to Sebastian's. She quickly pushed the thought away though. There were many reasons that would happen. It wasn't her business to pry.

She was just about to head home, walking through the town square, when a blonde boy ran up to her, excited. It had been a long day, but she managed to paste a smile on her face.

"Hey! I'm Sam! Good to meet you!"

"And I guess you already know, but I'm the new farmer," she held out her hand and he shook it.

"Yeah, Sebastian told me. He also told me you couldn't remember a lot about yourself. But hey, if you ever want help discovering what you like or don't like, let me know! We should hang out!"

"Do you happen to know anything about farming?"

Sam made a face that told her he definitely didn't.

"That's okay," she laughed. "I'm sure once I get everything cleaned up and planted, I won't be too busy to hang out."

"Cool. Then… I'll see you around!" and he was gone just as quickly as he'd come.

Please tell me that was the last person for the day. Please… Unless it's Sebastian. I've already met him, so that wouldn't be too bad…

But she hadn't seen Sebastian all day. Maybe he was resting after the crazy couple of days she'd put him through…

Luckily, she didn't run into anyone else on her way home. Dr. Harvey was still in the fenced area, walking around when she walked by. She waved to him, but otherwise, continued on her way without stopping to converse again. She made it back to the cabin by 6pm.

She turned on the TV to wind down. The weather was supposed to be sunny again the next day, which meant it would be a good day to start working on clearing the weeds and branches off her land. Another channel featured a fortune teller, who started off by mentioning there was a new viewer from Stardew Valley watching.

Wow. Information really does travel fast, doesn't it?

The final channel was actually fairly helpful. It was specifically about living off the land, and the host talked specifically to those just getting started. He mentioned foraging off the land while waiting for the first harvest in order to make some money, so she made a note to see what she was able to find. She couldn't live off of bread forever, and the funds Mayor Lewis gave her would only last so long.

She turned in early that day, feeling exhausted and drained. It was only 8pm when she slipped into bed and quickly fell asleep… She had met a lot of people and was looking forward to getting to know them better. She was feeling rather hopeful for the future and for the first time, the anxiety she'd felt since agreeing to take on the farm started to ebb away. She slept peacefully, knowing that tomorrow would bring more introductions, and a whole lot more work.