Author's Note: I know this update is fairly short and it's been a long-time coming... But school has started, and a teacher gotta teach! I'm doing my best to write in my limited free time. I do read every review that has been posted. Multiple times. To help inspire me and get my butt into gear. Haha! So thank you for those of you who have dropped your kind words and feedback. And thank you those of you who have favorited the story, or just taken time to read it. It's probably going to be very longwinded... But I do have plans for it. Just trying to update it often enough that you all know I haven't dropped it! I still have plans... :)
Theme Song: Believe - Fearless Soul
Dear Farmer,
Have you settled into your new life yet? I can't believe you're all grown up now… Time sure flies. Now that you're gone I have all this extra money laying around, so I included a little gift.
Love, Dad.
The farmer stared at the letter in shock and absolute horror. How on earth could anyone even think this was funny to send her? Sure, she could always use the money, but her heart was now dropped into her stomach as her eyes welled up with tears. With a quick sniff, she pulled out the second letter and covered the first with it, willing it out of her mind.
Dear neighbor,
I hope you are feeling settled in your new home. I am writing to let you know that Pierre's store is now selling fertilizers! Why don't you swing by and see if you can afford a few dozen boxes or so?
-Pierre
A dozen boxes of fertilizer? She knew she was supposed to be a farmer, but she was hardly ready for that much fertilizer. She had just barely gotten a handle on planting the seeds…
Speaking of which…
Her spring seeds had finally sprouted, and she was pleased to see many of the plants that she usually had to forage growing in her garden. There were so many, she was finally starting to feel like she'd be able to afford some new tools soon. Or maybe a new, bigger backpack. Either way, she finally had quite a lot to ship. She made sure she kept two of each item, just in case a need came up, and put the rest lovingly in her shipping bin.
After that, she headed off to the mines. It would be hard to upgrade tools if she didn't have the materials that Clint had requested. She foraged along the way, and once inside the mines, she found herself mainly searching for coal. She had enough copper to make the bars she needed, but no fuel to run her furnace.
She didn't run into too much trouble. Just some bugs that her dented sword was able to take care of, despite its poor condition. She left with a bag full of coal before it was even noon, taking some time to chat with Linus about the weather and her gifting adventures the previous day before heading back home to drop her foraged items off and start some copper bars smelting.
With most of her chores accomplished by early afternoon, she looked around the farm feeling satisfied. She could spend time clearing more space, but the thought of the community center and the junimos list tugged at the edge of her thoughts. She grabbed her fishing pole and headed for town to do some fishing.
As she was trying to decide whether to fish in the river or in the ocean, she noticed Elliott standing on the bridge, staring into the water.
"H-hey…" she approached, her heart starting to pound with anxiety. She was getting better at talking with others, but she didn't know Elliott very well yet. Conversation didn't come as easily as it did when she was speaking with Sebastian or Sam… Or Alex… Or Harvey…. Or even Shane! Elliott was just… different. "Are you… Trying to stare the fish to death?"
"A great idea can pass through your head when you least expect it… but if your mind is too busy you might miss it." Elliott turned to look at her with a smile. "I find the water has a calming effect on the mind. Much like the voice of a certain farmer I know. I'm so glad you stopped by."
"Oh…" she felt her face turn red. "T-thank you… I just… wanted to get some fishing done. Do you mind if I join you? Or would my fishing disturb the water and disrupt your thoughts?"
"I'd love nothing more than to keep you company," the author tilted his head so his hair fell away from his face rather than cascading in front of it. "I meant what I said. Your presence is very calming. It might be because you are often so close to the earth… a kindred spirit who understands the joy of sand on your bare feet. But anyway, I'm rambling. Anything in particular that you're out to catch?"
"Catfish." she replied, casting her line.
"Catfish?"
"Yeah, but it's really difficult. Every time I hook one, it gets away. I can't manage to…" She trailed off, her gaze falling on the water. There was a glint of something. Not on the surface of the river, but in her mind…
"Why catfish in particular?" Elliott asked softly. The way he asked it was more like a soft prompting. He hadn't missed her sudden change in demeanor.
"We were on a houseboat… On a large reservoir. My dad was fishing and he… He caught some catfish. I got scared watching them kill and clean the fish, but… It tasted really good. I think… I think it might be the first fish that I had ever… eaten," the memory was distant, but it was clear. "I think I was… really young. Three years old, maybe."
There was a moment of silence. When the farmer turned back to look at Elliott, he was smiling wide.
"You remembered something."
"Yeah," she smiled back. "I did. But I think it's because someone left this note in my mailbox. Addressed to me, but it said it was written by my dad-" her eyes widened. "You don't think…"
"That your dad found where you were and wrote a letter?" Elliott raised his eyebrows. "I suppose it's possible, but mostly improbable. As much as I hate to admit, I'm afraid someone played a semi-malicious prank on you. I'm so sorry…"
"Well, malicious or not…" the farmer looked at the water, a look of contentment crossing her face. "The joke is on them in the end. I think it actually helped me."
Elliott nodded, then looked down with a grin, "I suppose it's my turn to help you then, and let you know that fishing for catfish right now is futile."
"Hm?"
"Catfish. They really only come out when it's raining."
"Oh…"
"That's alright though. I… Really enjoyed listening to your memory. It may not have been a mistake at all, you coming here. Remember that…"
The farmer looked thoughtful before nodding in agreement. She cast her line a few more times, catching some other fish, chatting with Elliott about how his day had gone. He wouldn't tell her about his story, but he did describe a walk he went on in great poetic detail. His voice was like honeyed velvet. She could listen to him all day… And before she knew it, a couple hours had slipped by, until Elliott finally had to excuse himself and go home.
With a few parting words, short and sweet on her part, long and elaborate in the most beautiful way on his… The farmer and Elliott went their separate ways. He headed towards the beach, likely to his shack… And the farmer headed towards the one place in town that was sure to have people. The saloon.
Upon entering, she noticed there wasn't a terribly large crowd. Emily and Gus were bustling behind the counter, as usual. Leah sat at one of the tables, and as usual, Shane was leaning up against the wall. She started to head that way, but she was greeted with the usual torrent of anger that she was getting used to coming from the overworked Joja employee.
"What do you want from me? Money? I'd give you a pot of gold to leave me alone!"
"Why on earth are you such a bitter lime brain!?" the farmer snapped, folding her arms. "Even if I did need money, you'd be the last person I'd ask… I was just coming to see if you had seen someone strange wandering around my farm, since you're my neighbor. I'm not in need of money because someone left a letter in my mailbox that was signed as if they were my father with some coins included."
"Well it wasn't me, so lay off!"
"I didn't think it was you! I just thought you might have seen them, but now I'm having second thoughts. Why are you so defensive?" she demanded, ignoring the amused grins that Gus and Emily were trying to hide.
"Why are you so annoying?"
"Clearly you haven't had enough to drink yet. I'd take sulky Shane over mean Shane right about now!"
It must have struck a chord, because Shane got really quiet when she said that, and the smiles on Gus and Emily's faces quickly vanished.
"S-sorry…" The farmer got real quiet too, barely squeaking the words out. "That was… That was too far. It was uncalled for… Just… Let me know if you see anything."
She couldn't escape fast enough. She retreated, prepared to enjoy sitting in the awkward atmosphere she'd created on her own, but found Leah eager to speak with her.
"Hey! Did someone really leave a letter in your mailbox, pretending to be your dad?" the ginger asked.
"Yeah…" the farmer quickly accepted the invitation to sit down and talk. "They did…"
"I'm so sorry!" Leah looked at her sympathetically, her voice full of soothing energy. "That's really not cool. I guess I'm kind of your neighbor too. I can keep an eye out and let you know if I see anything."
"Yeah… I guess you are…" the farmer found herself smiling, though it didn't quite reach her heart. "Well… Hey neighbor."
"Hello, neighbor!" Leah laughed. "We both live outside of town. Does that mean something?"
"That we like our space?" the farmer smiled. "Or maybe it's more about spending time in nature, away from other people…"
"Yes! You get it!" The artist's face lit up, and she started chattering about how she liked to take walks in the forest and the plants she would come across. The farmer compared notes with her, learning about a few plants she might be able to find as the days grew warmer and summer replaced spring. Eventually, the farmer realized it was getting kind of late, and she still had some things to take care of at home.
"I'd better go…" she gazed over her shoulder at Shane, shame burning on her face. "I feel like I should apologize… But if I buy him a drink it'll be like rubbing salt in the wound."
"Ooh, try a pizza!" Leah suggested. "I don't see him eat often, but when I do, that's one of the items he orders. That or pepper poppers."
"You think that would work?"
Leah shrugged, "It's Shane. He's always grumpy, but at least it won't make things worse, right?"
The farmer winced, "I guess you're right there… Okay… Have a good evening. Thanks for talking with me… And uh… Wish me luck."
"Always," Leah smiled as the farmer approached the counter and shamefully asked for Gus to make Shane a pizza as Emily took her money for the order. She didn't even bother sticking around to see his reaction. She headed out and before she knew it, she realized she was taking the long way home… by way of the mountain pass. In fact, the only reason she realized it was because Robin stopped her on her way up to remind her that she could sell the farmer some building materials and blueprints if needed. Demetrius was also not far off, but he was headed into the house and the farmer hadn't interacted with him much. She didn't even try to catch him to chat. Instead, she started to walk over to the lake, wondering if the stars might look pretty on the surface and help clear her head like Elliott had mentioned… And the sound of a flute reached her ears, haunting and beautiful on the breeze.
She followed the sound until she could see where it was coming from. Abby stood on the bank of the lake, her eyes closed as she held the woodwind instrument to her lips. The notes came pouring out, and the farmer decided it might be best not to disturb her. The music really was beautiful, and it only added to the magnificence of the lake at night.
It was as she was glancing around, enjoying the concert mixed with scenery when she caught a glimpse of Sebastian, also standing among the reeds. He seemed to be enjoying the music too, and the farmer almost felt guilty for disturbing the moment as she approached and spoke, hoping it wouldn't startle him.
"She's a really good musician… Did you convince her to join your band yet?"
Sebastian looked up, not at all alarmed to see the farmer standing there, "No, but we're close, I think. Sam's been looking to butter her up with some gifts."
"Oh, right…" The farmer wrinkled her nose. "I gave her a piece of quartz the other day, but she said something about eating it? I have another one but I'm a little worried…"
Sebastian let out a soft chuckle, amusement spreading across his grin, "She'd probably love that. I don't think you could ever give her too much quartz."
"I actually have two pieces…" the farmer pulled them both from her back. One was darker than the other, leaving it a smoky shade of gray. "Which one do you think she'd like?"
Sebastian took the two chunks of quartz, turning them over in his hand. The farmer noticed as he handled the darker one with care, his eyes flashing with a look of regret as he handed it back to her.
"I think either one would be appreciated…" his hand lingered on the darker one before he released it. "She just has a thing for minerals…"
"I have an idea," the farmer smiled, pushing the quartz back to Sebastian. "How about you keep that one? It's kind of dark and it reminds me of your penchant for black hoodies…"
Sebastian smiled, gracefully accepting the gift, "Thank you. I know you're joking, but… I do like this. A lot."
"It's no problem…" the farmer looked down on the lakes surface. "Elliott told me today that the water helps calm his mind and think clear thoughts. Do you have any deep wisdom to share from your time out here, oh great lake gazer?"
"Is that your way of saying penny for your thoughts?" he looked amused.
"Sure."
Sebastian paused, then spoke carefully, like he was worried his words would hurt her, ""I was thinking… People are like stones skipping over the water. Eventually we're going to sink."
"Oh," the farmer raised her eyebrows. It wasn't totally unexpected, but it was a little bit more personal than she had been anticipating.
"Too dark?"
"No!" she rushed to quickly fix the misunderstanding. "No, not at all. I just… wasn't expecting to hear your real thoughts. Most people aren't totally honest when asked what they're thinking about…"
"I'll always be honest with you."
Suddenly, Sebastian's eyes were piercing into her soul as they made eye contact, and she felt her heart start to pound. Something inside her screamed out for her to ask him about what had gone down with his dad, especially when he was being so open… But…
"Anyway," Sebastian pulled away, releasing her from the spell of his gaze. "Thanks for the quartz…"
The music stopped. It was brief and it was dark… but in that split second, the farmer could have sworn she had seen a slight blush cross his cheeks.
"Well I don't need it," the farmer smiled, trying to cover up her own flustered emotions. "And I have another one for Abby. It sounds like she's done playing now, so I guess I'd better catch her before she leaves. I have to get home soon, anyway."
"Right. Farmers get up early, huh?"
"We can't all sleep in past noon," she gave him an amused grin before turning away. "I'll see ya later, lake gazer."
"Have a good night… Farmer."
She did manage to catch Abby before heading home. The flutist snatched the quartz up just as quickly as she had the first time, eagerly thanking the farmer for once more providing the nourishment she needed. The farmer was unsure if this was a spiritual nourishment that was somehow provided by the crystals… Or something else that might be slightly more concerning. She tried not to think about it too much as she walked the rest of the way home… Which was an easy task… Because her mind quickly wandered to something else entirely.
The rest of her evening… While putting items in the shipping bin, smelting more copper bars, eating dinner… Her mind replayed three key moments from her day, over and over. Elliott's soft voice whispered in her ear that she gave him a sense of comfort and calm. The image of Shane's hurt expression filled her vision and brought regret to her heart… Which was then quickly banished by the memory of the warmth of Sebastian's hands as the clasped hers to accept the quartz crystal…
In the end, it was almost like listening to her favorite song play on repeat… Over and over… Until she was overcome by sleep.
