Notes: To understand a bit more, this story is based on my first play through of Stardew Valley, of course with creative independence on what goes on. Well here goes nothing.
As the bus emerged from a long tunnel, it started to finally skid to a stop in a little grassy patch of land. The bus driver looked back at the only remaining passenger on the bus.
"Stardew Valley, we've arrived at Stardew Valley. This is the last stop for this bus, so please disembark here." A small slender woman with white hair nodded and got up, making her way to the front of the bus. Her red eyes looked at the bus driver with a smile.
"Thank you ma'am. I hope you have a good day." The bus driver forced a smile.
"You too." she said back. With that the woman walked off the bus and got her bags from the compartment underneath before turning and looking around. There was only one other person there at the bus stop; a red headed woman in plain work clothes. The woman waved before walking over.
"Hello! You must be Evelyn Turner, old man Jaden's granddaughter right?" the whitette nodded with a smile.
"Y-yeah...although I go by Eve…" Eve replied in a rather quiet tone. She cleared her throat before the redhead nodded and put out her hand for Eve to shake.
"Ah good. My name is Robin, I'm the local carpenter. Mayor Lewis sent me here to fetch you and show you the way to your new home. He's there right now, tidying it up for your arrival." Eve shook the hand and smiled at Robin.
"A pleasure to meet you Robin...and he's cleaning the house for me? He didn't have to do that…" Robin chuckled and took one of Eve's bags.
"Yeah well. I think it'll make more sense when you see the house." she started to walk, taking the path to the right. "The farm's right over here, if you'll follow me." Eve nodded and walked behind Robin, looking around at the foliage behind her. Memories started to flood back as she walked. It was like this when she was a kid too, this path, the fence. Though it was a little worse for wear.
"So...you're from the city right?" Eve snapped out of her thoughts as Robin asked her question. Eve let out a sigh and nodded.
"Y-yeah...I needed a break from that place. It's beautiful but...not for me."
"I know that feeling." Robin said, looking back with a smile. "The concrete jungle just isn't my cup of tea. Give me fresh cut wood over cement any day." Eve let out a weak chuckle, she was really unsure how to reply to that. As they reached the end of the path, there was a worn out old gate with a broken sign on the side. 'Turner Farm, property of Jaden Turner.' it said. She was here. She was at the place that she remembered from so long ago.
"Alright, let's go." Robin said, and pushed the gate open. Although after she did that the gate fell off its hinges and hit the ground with a thud. Both Robin and Eve stared for a moment before Robin laughed.
"Oh boy! This whole place is a relic. Come on." as she kept walking, Eve just stared at the gate for a moment longer before following behind Robin.
"What have I gotten myself into?" she asked herself, and then continued on. Finally, both women were on the farm...or what was left of it. Eve looked around and was shocked at the state of it. It was overgrown, trees, bushes, weeds and grass covered the soil, as well as pebbles, branches and larger rocks. Eve let out another sigh and looked in distress as Robin put her bag down.
"Well, here it is! Turner Farm!" she said, stretching her arms out to the vast mess it was. Eve couldn't help but just stare, absolutely dumbfounded at the state of it. Robin chuckled and pat the girl on the back.
"What's the matter? Surprised?" Robin chuckled. Eve just nodded as she put her bag down.
"Y-yeah… a bit…it's really...uh…" she could barely get the proper words out.
"Well," Robin started. "Sure it's a bit overgrown, but there's some good soil underneath that mess." Eve looked at Robin with a shocked expression.
"A bit overgrown?" she asked with a bit of disdain in her voice. Robin shrugged.
"Well, what did you expect? No one's lived on this farm for nearly 2 decades! We couldn't do much without that deed you have, so...it just kind of got like this." Eve let that process in her mind, and then nodded. With that explanation, it was a bit easier to get how it got like this.
"Hey buck up, with a little dedication, I'm sure you'll have it cleaned up in no time." Robin then picked up Eve's bag and walked over to the little cottage near the entrance of the farm. Eve followed suit, remembering the house as if she visited yesterday...though she remembered it being a little bigger.
"And here we are. Your new home!" Eve smiled, admiring the house for a moment before turning to Robin.
"Thank you for helping with my bags Robin, I really appreciate it." Eve said, gathering both bags. Robin nodded and smiled.
"Hey no problem. I don't mind a bit of heavy lifting." Eve was gonna remember that, though maybe it was because she was a carpenter. Eve was about to walk in when an older man with a brown cap and overalls walked out of the house. Eve jumped, and took a step back, looking surprised. Robin couldn't help but laugh.
"I told you Lewis was in there tidying for you." she said. Eve felt her face go red as she looked up at Lewis, who smiled at her.
"Ah, so you're the new farmer!" he said, and put his hand out. Eve nodded, straightening herself up and shook his hand.
"Y-yeah. My name is Eve." Lewis got down the stairs and stepped onto the ground before dusting himself off. It was obvious by his clothes he had been cleaning.
"Well Welcome! As you might have guessed, I'm Mayor Lewis of Pelican Town. It's nice to meet you!" Eve smiled and let out a chuckle. At least he wasn't intimidating as a Mayor. Lewis seemed very nice and personable. Eve started to wonder about the relationship her Grandfather had with him. Her grandfather had to have been much older then he was...but he called him out specifically. Eve made a note to ask about it later, trying to not get lost in her thoughts again. "You know, everyone's been asking about you." he said, making Eve a little concerned.
"Asking about me? Why?" now she started to worry. Did Grandfather have a bad relationship with the other villagers? If so...that would make things very...rocky.
"Well, it's not everyday that someone new moves in. It's quite a big deal around here!" A weight shifted off Eve as she let out a breath.
"Oh...yeah...that makes sense." Lewis smiled and then turned back to the house.
"So...you're moving into your Grandfather's old cottage here. It's a good house...very uh...what's the word...rustic." he said, and then a sound could be heard. It was Robin, holding back laughter.
"Rustic? Yeah, that's one way of putting it!" she chuckled, covering her mouth to stifle her laughter. "Crusty might be a little more apt though." Lewis turned to Robin and shot a glare at her.
"Hey! Rude! This is someone's house now!" he said, and Robin looked over, wiping her eyes.
"Oh come on Lewis! It's true! This house is so...old fashioned! It's a wonder it's still upright!"
"I like it." Eve chimed in. There was a pause before Lewis smiled and put a hand on Eve's shoulder.
"Oh don't you listen to her. She's just trying to make you dissatisfied so that you'll purchase one of her 'house upgrades'." Robin then shot a glare right back, obviously she had been outed, even if a little bit. She huffed out a grunt and crossed her arms over her chest.
"Oh stow it Lewis." she mumbled, before Lewis just rolled his eyes and went back to Eve.
"Anyway...you must be tired from the long journey. You should get some rest." Eve nodded a little, and started to lug her bags up the small staircase to the porch.
"It's okay for me to just...go in?" Lewis nodded and reached into his pocket.
"It's your house now after all...here." he took out a key and put it in her hand. "This is your home now. Make sure to not lose that key, it's the only one we have." Eve nodded, and decided to do something special. She reached around and unclasped her silver chain necklace she was wearing before putting the key on the chain. She put the necklace back on, and then smiled at them.
"Thank you for the warm welcome. I might stay in tonight and figure out a game plan…" Lewis nodded and Robin gave a thumbs up.
"Tomorrow you ought to explore the town and introduce yourself to the other villagers. The townspeople would appreciate that." Lewis said, and then gestured to Robin for them to leave. As they started on their way, they passed by a wood box. Lewis stopped.
"RIGHT!" he exclaimed, making both Eve and Robin jump. "I almost forgot! If you have anything to sell, just place it in this box here. I'll come by during the night to collect it." Eve nodded, and looked at the box. That was handy to know, and she had a feeling her and that box were going to be the best of friends. After that, Lewis gave a bit of a wave. "Well, good luck!" he said, and he walked off. Robin gave a thumbs up.
"See you around then Eve!" and soon, both were through the gate and off the farm. Eve lugged her bags into the home and looked around. Lewis had done a great job tidying it up; the place looked like how she remembered. The TV, the fireplace, the bed and table. Her memories of better times started to flood back into her. The laughing, the sadness and tears.
"Grandfather...I'll do my best to make you proud…" she said. She opened her bags and started to unpack all of her things into the drawer and hope chest. She brought a lot of clothes, plus a few little odds and ends to make the house a home. Some small pictures, little sculptures, an incense burner, all things from her old apartment. As she slid the big suitcases under the bed, she saw a little lockbox under the bed. Eve had never seen that before, and she didn't remember Grandfather talking about it.
"Maybe he left it behind after he died? I mean, Grandfather did have lots of things." she grabbed the lockbox and looked on the front. In tape it said 'To Eve' on it. Now she was a tad nervous. Not only did Grandfather leave her this house, the farm, and all the responsibility that came along with it...but now this. As Eve tried to open the box, she found that it was locked up tight.
"Well this isn't good...where could the key be?" Eve put the box on her bed, and started to look around the house. In the drawers, on the table, on the windows, TV, the fireplace. But it was nowhere to be found. Eve sighed and sat down on the bed, looking at the lockbox with an aggravated look.
"Where's your key? I wanna know what's insiiiide…" she said in a childlike tone. It was then she gasped a little. Eve hadn't acted like that in such a long time...like she WANTED anything. For years she had just put out work for hours and didn't ask for anything back beside the essentials...but now...she wanted things. She wanted to know more about this place her Grandfather loved so much, the farm she had just inherited...what was in this box. Eve bit her bottom lip, shaking a little.
"Oh Grandfather...I'm not sure what to do with all of this…" she mumbled, before feeling the key to the house that she put around her neck. Suddenly...Eve had an idea. She took the necklace off and inspected the house key for a few moments. "No it can't be…" she put the key to the boxes lock, and it slid in without much effort. She turned it and it clicked. "Grandfather...you knew all along that I would someday come here...didn't you?" she sighed, feeling tears well up in her eyes as she thought back to her Grandfather's smile. He knew all along...this would happen. When her parents died...when he died...he knew she would be here. Eve wiped her eyes and opened the box. Inside was a blue handkerchief and a small note. She took out the cloth and examined it. She didn't remember this being one of her Grandfather's possessions...or why it warranted being in a box like this. The note had to explain that. She unfolded the note and read it aloud.
"Eve. If you are reading this, that means you have opened your gift and have chosen this new life I have given you. Please know that I am so proud of you for making the jump from where you were to this. I understand it must have been hard to transition, but know that this is a life that is both fulfilling and rich in life. I know you can do it...oh Grandfather…" she had to stop for a moment to wipe her eyes again. She was so overwhelmed with emotion...the new sensations, the new place and people. She knew one day she would get used to such things, but for now...it was overwhelming. She continued to read. "In this box you will find my lucky blue handkerchief, something I wore everyday while tending the farm. I feel it has brought me fortune while the farm was active, and now I pass it on to you. Please wear it, and use the luck you receive to your advantage. I love you Eve...and I wish you the best of luck…
Sincerely yours, Grandfather…" Eve sniffled and clutched the letter tightly as she looked at the cloth set on her bed. She didn't miss a beat, and tied it around her neck. She was about to cry when she noticed something else on the back of the paper. She wiped her eyes and read aloud the last sentence.
"P.S...wait for my return at the first dawn on your third year...wh-what?" she rubbed her reddening eyes and read it again. "What does that mean...wait for your return…" she sighed and put the letter and the lockbox back under the bed, and laid out on it. So much was happening in such a small amount of time. Her move, seeing the state of the farm, the letter...everything was still rather surreal...it was a new feeling she would have to get used to. Eve closed her eyes and smiled a little bit, moving a hand to touch the handkerchief. "I'll try to not fail you Grandfather...I'll be the best farmer in Stardew Valley...if there are even any other farmers in Stardew Valley…" she said and then felt her eyes go wide open. "Right! I need to call Joyce!" she exclaimed and then shot up. "GAH!" she clutched her chest and started to pant. A searing pain ran through her body and she started to feel light headed. "Not...not now…" she whimpered and slowly got up, her hand holding her chest as hard as she could. Her fingers turned white as she clutched her chest tightly. She got to her purse and took out an orange pill bottle. "There…" she grabbed the top and twisted. The bottle popped open and she took out a clear pill. Eve grunted and put the pill in her mouth and swallowed. After that, she closed the bottle and sat down, letting her body calm down for a moment. "...if there is a doctor in this town...I need to talk to them about my condition…" she let out a sigh and slowly felt her body calm down. Eve tried to stand up, but started to cough which put her right back down. She looked at her hand and saw a crimson liquid. "Blood again...is it getting worse?" she shook her head and ran into the small bathroom to wash her hands. She turned on the water and rinsed the wet blood off her hand, and splashed some water onto her face. The metallic taste of blood was still in her mouth, though, so she took a cup she found and filled it with water. "How did Grandfather survive without a kitchen in his house...maybe he ate out a lot…" she sipped the water and felt better after hydrating. After some more sips, Eve felt relatively normal again. "I'll make this work...I'll resurrect this farm even if it kills me…" with that; she grabbed her phone and dialed a number before laying down on the bed. After a few rings.
"Hello, Joyce here!" a voice said back. It was a peppy high voice with an annoyed sounding tone. Eve put the phone to her ear.
"I can call back if you're busy." there was a gasp on the other line.
"EVEY! No no no no, you're fine! Job is just killing me and JODI IS NOT BEING SYMPATHETIC IN THE SLIGHTEST!" she let out a sigh. "So how are you girl? Did you make it to Stardew?" she asked. And as if Joyce was right in front of her, Eve nodded.
"Yeah I did. The Mayor and Carpenter showed me the farm and my new house. It's all still pretty overwhelming." Eve said back.
"I bet! How is it? Is it a lot?" Eve let out a sigh.
"If by a lot you mean a lot of work, then yes. The farm is completely overgrown and the house is pretty small...only two rooms." Eve closed her eyes. "And to top it off, I had another attack just now…"
"Oh not again! Are you okay? Do you need me to call the hospital?" Eve shook her head, as if Joyce were right there.
"No no, I'm okay...I'm going to the doctor's office tomorrow, I should be okay until then." Eve paused. "Joyce, this whole thing is only now setting in...that I'm here...and my Grandfather left this for me and entrusted me to keep this place up and running…I found a lockbox with one of his possessions and a note...but the note said something weird." Joyce let out a little grunt, as if she was sitting down.
"Like, what kind of something weird?" she asked. Eve shrugged.
"It said that he'd be back at the first dawn of my third year...as if all of this is some sort of test. In the letter he said he was proud of me and what I have accomplished...but I don't know the first thing about farming." Eve let out another sigh. "I just don't want his trust and adoration to be misplaced."
"You stop that right now!" Joyce interjected, her tone becoming serious. "Your Grandfather knew you could do this. He knew that and knew he could trust you to rebuild what he started. So you just have to do it right?" Eve nodded.
"I...I know that. I just don't know much about farming...and I need to figure out how I'm going to make money, pay my medical expenses. There is only so much my savings can pay off right?"
"Well? How much cash do you have on you right now?" Eve thought about it, and got up. She went to her bag and grabbed her coin purse. After a bit of math and counting, she got back onto the phone.
"500g." Eve answered. "Not a whole lot. I didn't even think about going to the bank to withdraw more…" Joyce pondered this and then spoke up.
"Think of it like this...like that's your only amount of money to spend to get things started! You can use your savings for the paying bills and such, but try and limit your initial budget to that 500." Eve thought long about that and it made some sort of sense to her. She nodded and smiled.
"Thanks Joyce…" Eve said with a soft but happy tone. "I think I'll do that." Joyce snapped her fingers, which could be heard over the phone.
"My pleasure girl. Hey, I have to go, but you call me back tomorrow okay?" Eve nodded, and started to get situated in her bed.
"Thanks. I'll talk to you tomorrow then. Bye." Eve said and clicked the phone to end the call. She laid in her new bed and pulled the covers over her. "I can do this...I have to do this…" she muttered, and finally drifted off to sleep. Today...the first day to her new tomorrow...but done.
Notes: Honestly, I have the first 3 chapters written, but I won't post them all at once. Please let me know what you think. Please note that posting these kind of things are a sort of therapy for me. I need to get over my fear of posting my writing, so I guess this is what's it's gonna be like. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it! See you next time!