Chapter 2: Farming Step 1 – Clear the land
When Emylia woke up, she was ready to start work. She was always happy to do any job, at least at the start. Efficiency was her motivation in life. She opened the box on her floor full of seeds and put it in her pack. She hauled the deceptively small pack over her shoulders and exited her home.
Leaving her pack on the ground nearby, she pulled out the axe and began chopping the branches that littered the land. It was obvious no one had taken care of the land since her grandfather left. She chopped some of the wood before putting it all in a pile beside her pack. She then pulled out the small sickle and began to clear the weeds with ease. She smiled. Her anxiety about running a farm was fading fast. It was simple work, exhausting, but clear and concise.
Once she felt too tired to continue using her tools, Emylia packed her backpack and decided to explore the farm a bit. She looked inside a small cave and around a demolished building. She walked along the tree line until she discovered an opening in the thicket. Navigating blindly through the dense trees, she emerged into a lighted clearing to find a stone alter with four candle ledges along the stone wall. It was a shrine to her late grandfather. A note stated that his spirit will return at the start of the third year. Emylia shuddered, shrugged, then walked off. She loved her grandfather dearly, but that was just weird. It must be one of those strange towns people trying to pull a prank. She was not amused.
She continued this routine of clearing the land, alternating between breaking stones and chopping wood. Once the small clutter was gone, she was able to start clearing the weeds. By the third day, she had explored the entire farm so, when she was exhausted from the work, she would walk into town. She discovered the general store which was friendly enough. Crossing a bridge, she found a big mart. This was familiar to her. Unlike the general store, the workers there looked drained except for the manager that had an eerie smile plastered on his face. She tried to talk to the rude man she first met, but he ignored her as he restocked the shelf. Feeling uncomfortable from the change from the cozy village to the sterile mart, she did not stay long. When she exited, one of the townsfolk gave her a disapproving glance. She would not realize the stipulation between the mart and the village until much later.
She roamed more and found a beautiful beach. A man stood there with long hair. Emylia thought he looked like the cover of a romance novel. It gave her a chuckle. After the day's end, she really felt like she met nearly everyone in town. It is so odd how small the town is compared to her urban childhood. Her block had the same number of tenants as this town has population. They were also unnervingly connected. Nearly all of them made snide comments about not seeing her for a while or condoning her for not introducing herself sooner.
The next day, as she tiredly carried stacks of wood to her pile, she realized she had a substantial amount. Curious, Emylia used a map to find the carpenter's shop. Once inside, she saw the friendly woman she first met. They were discussing the possible options with the supplies she had, when a familiar face came up the stairs.
Emylia's lips grew in a large, wide smile. She waved enthusiastically, "FRIEND!"
Sebastian's eyes widened and he turned on his heel to go back down the stairs, but his mother stopped him. He waved them both off, "I made plans with Sam." He then left without looking at her or saying goodbye.
"Don't worry about my son. He is like that with everyone. So, anyway, back to business. Have you decided which you would like?"
Emylia smiled again, "Yes, I would like one chicken coop please!"
She chuckled, "Very well. I will start construction on it tomorrow."
They waved farewell to one another and Emylia left the house. She went to look at the waterfall when she happened upon someone she did not expect: Sebastian. He was smoking a cigarette. He did not seem happy about her approach. He apologized for the smoke.
She waved him off, "Oh, no its fine. My father smoked my entire life. I'm used to it."
They were quiet for a time. Surprisingly, it was Sebastian who spoke to break the silence. He asked, "How are you enjoying the town?"
She shrugged, "I'm not sure what I expected, but this isn't it."
He raised an eyebrow as he side-glanced at her, "Is that good or bad?"
She shrugged again, "I'm not sure yet. I don't regret coming here, that is for sure."
He scoffed at her, "I don't know why you would come here from the city. I want nothing more than to go to that city and get away from here."
She eyed a fish in the water and smiled softly, "If it matters, I am happy you are here. You are the first person to treat me normally here. You are my first friend and I am so grateful for you."
He turned to her fully now, "You barely know me. You really are a strange girl." He laughed then, putting out his cigarette and walking away.
Emylia sighed and glanced to the side. That is when she saw the landslide had been cleared. "Oh," she exclaimed out loud. She ran over the bridge and into the cave.
Within the cave there were mine tracks and carts as well as a strange man. She was confused for a bit and he had a fairly one sided conversation that ended with her holding a sword alone in the mine. She looked around confused and unsure how to hold the sword. She never imagined she would be holding something from a fairy tale. She added this experience to the list of weirdness in Stardew.
Forgetting that she spent most of her energy in the morning, Emylia began to mine. She did not find much and quickly grew weak. The room spun a bit, but she did not collapse. She took that as a sign and left the mine. Her eyes felt heavy as she followed the edge of the river, using one hand along the cliff wall to guide and stabilize her stride. She saw the bridge up ahead, the one that would lead to the mart. She knew she was still a fair bit from her home. The stone was the last thing she saw before black.
Shane's shift just ended as the sun began to set. He rubbed the stubble on his chin and neck as he stretched, tiredly. Walking over the bridge, he noticed lumps of purple in the grass and dirt. When he got closer, his tired eyes realized it was a girl. Her purple space buns were slightly messy and her overalls were covered in dirt. He poked her with his foot, but she did not budge. He leaned down and rolled her over. Her face was so beautiful and sweet, even covered in dirt. His heart panged again. It did that every time he saw her, but he tried he best to avoid the young girl.
He lowered his face to hers and could hear and feel her soft breath. She must have worked herself into exhaustion and fainted. He heard from his Aunt who would peek at her each day since she arrived. She spent the entire days clearing the farm. He leaned down and scooped the girl into his arms. She was short, but she had nice curves. He grunted, but easily lifted her. Somehow, the stocking job actually paid off. He carried her to her home. The door was unlocked and he grew nervous for her safety. Placing her in bed, he used a rag to clean off the dirt from her face. Just looking at her made him hate himself so much more. She was so young and delicate and yet she managed to give her all, unlike him who wallows in self-pity daily. He locked the door behind him and left. He will have his Aunt check on her tomorrow to make sure she is alright. Shane doubted she would ever want to see his face.