Note: I won't waste too much time this go around, but here we go. Thanks for reading.
The next day came all too quickly. Eve was startled awake by the sound of a rooster crowing it's normal morning call. Eve groaned and forced herself to sit up, looking around at her surroundings. She was still in Grandfather's house, she was still in Stardew Valley. She had actually managed to escape from Zuzu and make it to Stardew Valley.
"So that wasn't a dream…" she muttered as she rubbed her eyes. She looked outside and the sun had risen. She didn't know what time it was since the house didn't have a clock just yet. She grabbed her phone and looked at the screen. 6am on the dot. If she woke to the rooster's call every morning, that would mean the day started at 6am...that seemed like a reasonable time.
"Well...I can't dawdle too much…" she said, and got out of her bed. She was surprised how tired she was since she didn't even bother to take off her clothes and put on PJs. Her normal routine would have seen her getting a shower, brushing her teeth, and reading a little before sleeping, but yesterday she couldn't; she was so tired from the day. Though now it was time to get to work. Eve quickly got a shower and dressed in work clothes, a black tank top with a brown coat and jeans. And of course she tied the blue handkerchief around her neck...for luck. She was going to need it. Eve looked at herself in the mirror with a smile on her face.
"Let's go…" she said, and walked out the door...and immediately tripped over a present box on her doorstep. Eve gasped and grabbed the doorframe to balance herself before just looking at the box that almost killed her! "Well...I was not expecting that…" she said and picked up the box. She sat down on her steps and opened the box. "Oh...seeds?" she took out several bags of seeds and put them on the porch. "...Parsnip seeds...is this something I should start with...wait." Eve picked up the note at the bottom of the box.
"Just a little something to get your started. From Mayor Lewis...wow, that's so nice of him!" she smiled at looked at the seed bags. "15 bags...I should get these planted…" she inspected the card again and found some more text on it.
"Your Grandfather kept his tools in a box on the side of the house. It has a padlock on it so I could not get into inspect the tools themselves. Good luck!" Eve felt this was somewhat familiar. She went back into the house and found the chain with the key on it, and went back outside. When she tried the key in the padlock, it opened without resistance.
"Either Grandfather didn't want more then one key for everything, or he had some foresight…" She said and looked at the tools. They were your basic tools for farming. First was an axe, then a hoe, a watering can, then a pickaxe, and then finally a sickle. She took all the tools out and put them against the porch. "I can't carry these all at once...so I'll have to come back to grab what I need when I need it." she sighed and looked over the field again. It really was a complete and utter mess, and Eve just shook her head. "Well...no time like the present right? I want to plant those seeds so...first I'll clear the area." Eve grabbed the sickle from the porch and held onto it tightly. She swung it at the ground, and cut the weeds and grass out of the ground. It was actually pretty easy, all things considered. She swung it over and over on the ground and finally had a little place for her seeds. "Okay, next…wait." Eve inspected the ground and found that some of the longer grass was left over and also what looked like pebbles. She picked up the grass and took it back to the porch. "This could be useful for something later...I just have a hunch...and these?" she looked at the pebbles closer and saw they looked like seeds! What kind of seeds, she didn't know. "Huh...well I guess I'll have to plant them to figure out what they are...and maybe if I clear out more of the area...I could get more!" Eve pocketed the seeds and went back over to the tools on the porch. "I think I need to till the ground? That was what the internet said at least…" she switched the sickle for the hoe, and it was far heavier than she thought it would be.
"Ah! Yeesh! Okay…" she struggled a bit, but after getting a good grip, she jamed the hoe into the ground and started to turn the soil. It was a lot harder than she thought, and took far more work then the clearing she was doing beforehand. After making three rows of five plots, Eve looked at her work and wiped the sweat from her brow. "This is way harder than clearing...but it looks good! Alright next is…" she dropped the hoe back onto the porch and grabbed the seed bags. Eve smiled as she pet the seeds into the ground carefully, giving each part special attention and care. She went through them quickly, and raced back to the porch. "Last step, watering!" she discarded the seed bags in the trashcan, and grabbed the tin watering can. Just like the hoe, it was pretty heavy. After looking around for a bit, she found a pond of water that she could fill up the can at. Eve lugged the can over, grunting a little from the weight of the can before getting to the pond. "This is a lot harder than it looked in those videos…" she mumbled before filling up the can to the brim. "There!" she pulled it out with a mighty heave, and then put it down, panting a bit from the weight. "Okay...come on Eve...gotta water the plants." she said, and after a few more minutes, she bent down and lugged the full watering can over to the small field she had planted. She put the can down again and took some more breaths. "This is really hard…how did Grandfather do this at such an old age...was he ripped or something?" she wiped more sweat off her before lifting the can again and finally watering the plants. As the water left the can, it got a bit easier to water all the plants. It took a while, but Eve looked at the little garden she had and smiled brightly.
"Alright! That looks good for now!" she said, and lugged the can back over to the porch. She put it up and then looked at some of the other tools she had to work with. The pickaxe and axe were the only two she hadn't touched yet. Eve thought about it for a moment and then looked at some of the trees. "I guess I could try and cut one down...so if it works out." Eve then grabbed the axe, which was about as heavy as the hoe, and walked over to the closest tree. It was a pine tree, fully green with its branches filled with the needle like pines and specked with pine cones. Eve inspected the tree for a moment before taking the axe to it. She wound up and whacked it against the truck, seeing the mark it made. She paused, looking at the mark with a little disbelief. "This could take a while." she muttered with a huff, and then kept at it. Over and over, she took the axe to that mark, missing a few times and hitting other parts of the tree. She had to take a breather a few times, feeling her heart race each time. "This is really hard...wish there was a different way to clear the farm...ah well...I have to keep going." She whacked the tree again and it finally started to wobble. "Ah! Here we go!" she whacked a few more times, and then after a push, the tree went down! Eve let out a tired sigh and looked at her handywork. "Not bad! One down and-" she looked across the vast overgrown field. Eve gave a defeated sigh. "Like….50 more to go...or something…" She shook her head and started to chop the tree into wood pieces that she could use. Sticky sap was also leaking from the tree and its truck. Eve looked through some of the recipes that her Grandfather had left, seeing that she could make a chest with the wood she had just cut. "It's like that hope chest I know Mother had...let's see if I can make it…" she gathered a bit of the wood and after following the steps on the paper, she had a chest...though it was a little wonky to look at. Eve was a mess, but it was still her work. She put the chest in front of the house, and opened it. Inside she put the fiber grass, the seeds, the wood, some jars of the sap from the felled tree, and the pine cones. She sat on the porch and drink some water she got from the bathroom.
"I wonder what time it is?" she asked and looked at her phone. The clock said 2pm. The day seemed to fly by, and looking at how much she did, it was taking a lot of time. "Oh man! I was gonna go into town today! I need to clean up!" she said, and finished her water. As she was putting the tools away, her felt a pang of pain in her chest, and fell onto her knees. She gripped onto her chest and started to take slow and deep breaths.
"I've...been working...too hard…" she muttered, slowly getting up. "I need to...relax…" she slowly sat down on the porch and took a few breaths more and finished off the water that she had. She looked over at the field and the plants she planted. She sighed and shook her head.
"Oh who am I even kidding...this is never going to work!" she slammed her hand on the porch, making a nice SLAP sound as it impacted. "I can't do this! Not with my condition...I could barely do my old job with this condition…" she said, feeling tears welling up in her eyes. "It took so long to do the slowest things...I can't do this...I-I…" she curled up a bit and let her tears out, crying as she leaned against the house. She held herself tightly, and soon enough the pain in her chest started to fade away. Eve began to calm down and looked at the field again. Sure, it didn't seem like much, but she had some something! She planted the parsnip seeds, tilling the soil and watering them. She cut down a tree, she'd made a chest from a recipe. Sure, it wasn't perfect...but it was a start. Eve dried her eyes, and shook her head.
"I can't give up...not after all this hard work…Grandfather didn't give up right? Maybe he felt...the same way when he started out? Maybe after a few weeks, he got into the groove of it." Eve rested for a few more minutes before finally getting up. She dusted herself off, and locked both the chest and the tool box. "Okay...I won't give up...but I did say I was going to visit the locals right? I have to make a good first impression." she used her phone as a mirror, and fixed her hair and clothes. After which, she headed for the town. She passed the now broken gate, and then started to walk past the bus stop. She looked over to it and saw an older bus just sitting there. Eve stopped and looked at it, wondering how it got there...and if it was there for any sort of reason. She shrugged and continued on, seeing a sign. "Welcome to Pelican Town...this is it...here we go." with that, she walked in, following the now stone path in front of her.
Eve's first initial thought as she saw the town coming up was how small it was. The square was a majority of the town with several houses and buildings around it. Though it was tiny, it was colorful and...pleasant to look at. Something about it felt familiar, but she couldn't recall any actual memories of the town when she was younger. She stepped in, looking at her map of Stardew she had found in her home.
"Let's see...the clinic is right over there then!" she said and briskly walked over to it. She tried to open the door, but it was locked. Or it seemed locked. "No way! It can't be closed!" she grunted.
"Um...e-excuse me?" there was a male voice on the other side of the door. "Are you holding the door closed or...are you trying to come in?" Eve jumped back as a man with glasses and a mustache walking out. He studied Eve for a second and then looked surprised. "Ah! You must be the new farmer! A pleasure to meet you! I'm Harvey, the local doctor!" he put his hand out for Eve to shake. Eve looked back, trying to process what was going on. This guy looked a bit younger then a lot of the doctor's she visited in the past, but maybe he was fresh out of med school already. She reached out and shook his hand.
"My name is Eve I'm the new farmer. I was hoping to set up an appointment with you actually." Harvey nodded at her, and looked at his hand, where his key was.
"Well, I was about to close up to go grab something from the shop...but I guess that's alright. I perform regular check-ups and medical procedures on all the residents of Pelican Town. It's rewarding work so I can't really say no." he opened the door for Eve, and she walked in. "Maru? Can you check in this one? I'll be right back." A girl in a nurse's uniforms poked her head up from under the counter.
"I thought we were closing up Harvey, what gives?" the girl moaned a bit, but then saw Eve. "Oh, aren't you the one who just moved in!?" Eve nodded and the girl made her way to the lobby, speed walking over toward her. Eve took a bit of a step back.
"Uh, y-yeah! I'm Eve…" the nurse took Eve's hand and shook it with a smile.
"I'm Maru, I've been really looking forward to meeting you!" the nurse said. "But please please, come over here and sign in. And you'll have to do the new patient paperwork. Would you like some water?" Eve felt a little rushed as she made her way over to the counter.
"Actually, some water would be good, thank you Maru." Eve smiled. Maru nodded and quickly ticked a few keystrokes on the computer and something started to print. Then she went into the back and came back with a paper cup full of water.
"Alright, once the doctor comes back, he'll evaluate you and we can get a medical record started. Just write down any previous or family related medical ailments you have in the past too." Eve nodded and sat down in the lobby with a pen and the documents. She was so used to filling out this paperwork since she'd seen so many doctors in her life. After quickly going through and writing out everything, she went back up to the desk and handed it to Maru.
"Thank you!" Maru said, and started to input the information into the computer. "You know, with a small town like this, a new face can really change the community dynamic! It's exciting!" she said as she was ticking away. Eve let out a weak chuckle.
"I suppose. This was my first stop after I did my chores. I wanted to make sure I had a good relationship with the doctor of this town." Eve said, as she went back to her seat. Maru chuckled and nodded.
"That's always super important! You caught up right when we were closing. We close at 3pm to let you know, so please come by a little earlier next time, okay?" Eve went back to finish her water and Maru was finishing up. The nurse paused as she looked at the existing medical conditions. "What the…" Maru looked back at Eve a little worried, but then the Doctor came back in with a paper bag of groceries. Maru let out a sigh and got up. "Doctor? I just finished the new patient's medical chart. Do you want to take a look before seeing her?" Harvey nodded and Maru went into the back with the file. Eve looked down at the floor, not at all surprised at the urgency Maru was showing. It was normal after all, all the other doctors had the same reaction. Harvey came out a few minutes later.
"Ms. Eve, will you follow me please?" beckoned her closer and Eve just got up and went back into the exam room he gestured her to. She got onto the exam table and sat down as Harvey went to wash his hands.
"So, how do you like the town so far?" he asked, taking some paper towels to dry his hands. Eve smiled and nodded a little.
"Well, for one, I can't believe I'm here...and it's nice. This was the first place I came to, so I haven't really met anyone else yet." Havey nodded and started to get out some of his tools for the exam. He put a stethoscope around his neck and then gave her a smile.
"Well, may I be the first to welcome you to Stardew Valley." he said, and then sat down. "So...something popped out on this medical chart. Apparently you have a weak heart due to trauma?" Eve nodded, and looked at her hands that were clasped together.
"Y-yeah...when I was younger, I was with my parents and we all got into a car accident. They were unfortunately killed and I was impaled by the car door handle while being crushed by the twisted metal." Eve took a moment to breathe, seeing flashes of the event in her mind. She had dealt with this before, and closed her eyes to put a stop to them. "It went into my chest and into my heart. I had surgery removed it, but my heart has had issues ever since." she explained as Harvey was taking notes. "What other doctors have said is that scar tissue is building around the area and it makes pumping blood hard. I have these episodes where I feel my chest tighten and it becomes harder to breathe. I will also cough up blood because my heart is trying to compensate for the lack of blood going around my body. I have medicine to combat this, slow my heart and calm me down. Some days I'll be fine, and other days I won't be…" Harvey nodded and put his notepad on the counter.
"I'll be honest...I don't think the farming profession is ideal for you at this time. Without invasive surgery to remove the scar tissue and countermeasures to assure that it does not form over the heart again, excessive physical activity could result in an attack again…" he sighed and put his stethoscope in his ears. "May I hear?" Eve nodded and lifted her tank top to give him access to her chest. Harvey put his ear to it and heard a relatively normal heart beat. "It seems okay for now, but I do suggest that you take it easy...in the meantime, I will bring this to some Zuzu doctors I know. Maybe they will know someone who can help...I don't feel comfortable doing the surgery here." Eve nodded, completely understanding. She put her shirt down and straightened out the shirt.
"I hope you know I have no intention of quitting this farming career...I can't go back to what I was doing before." Eve looked down, rubbing her wrists a little bit. Harvey put the blood pressure meter.
"It's just a doctor's suggestion Ms. Eve...what you do is up to you."
After a little more time, all the tests were done. Harvey smiled as he looked at the file. "It looks like that's all I need. I'll have this processed and we can schedule check ups. And remember, if you have any of those attacks, you can come back here for treatment. I've also sent a copy of your prescription to a pharmacist. I'm sorry you'll have to be paying out of pocket with this...it looks like your insurance has lapsed." Eve sighed and nodded.
"That makes sense. Here." she held out her card. Maru took the card and ran it. Thankfully, it went through. She handed the card back to Eve.
"Come see us if you're ever tired! We sell some over the counter stuff for fatigue and such for a good price!" Eve nodded and smiled.
"It was nice to meet you both! See you!" Eve said as she left the clinic. She looked at the clock, and saw it was nearly 6pm. "Wow, this took a lot longer than I thought." she went to the building next door and saw a bulletin board. She looked at it, noticing a calendar and what looked like a request board. "This could be helpful...it's Lewis' birthday soon...I don't know if I can get him anything but...I'll try…" she looked around and saw a white two story house. In front of it was a guy wearing green and tossing around a grindball. He glanced over and saw Eve, raising his eyebrow for a moment. Eve looked around a little awkwardly and then lifted her hand in a weak wave.
"H-hi?" she said, and then guy waved back. Then, as if it suddenly clicked, he snapped his fingers and smiled.
"Oh hey! So you're the new girl huh? Cool." he said and nodded to himself in assurance. Eve felt a little awkward still...since he didn't actually say his name.
"Um yes! My name is Eve…" she said, and he gave a thumbs up.
"I'm Alex. Well, I'll see you around." without much thought, he walked into the house and left Eve out there by herself. She looked at the door a bit bewildered.
"What was that…? Well, maybe that's just him being him…" She said as she walked passed the fenced in area marked 'dog' and toward a brick building. Eve got a better look.
"That stardrop saloon...so, a bar?" though Eve didn't drink, maybe this would be a good place to meet people! She walked in and was greeted by the smell of something tasty and the catchy music on the jukebox. The place was made of wood like an old timey western saloon place you'd seen in movies. Not that that was a bad thing, but still.
"Welcome!" a male voice called out from the bar. Eve looked over and saw a heavy set man with a moustache and brown hair. "Please come in and relax! Let me know if you want anything." the man smiled as he spoke before going back to wiping his cup. Eve smiled and went over to the bar.
"I'm actually new...do you have a menu?" she asked. The man looked up again and inspected the girl carefully.
"Ah! You're the new girl who moved in! Well, I'm Gus, the chef and owner of the Stardrop Saloon." he put his hand over the bar and Eve gladly shook it.
"I'm Eve...it's very nice to meet you." she said, glancing at the drinks in the back. "So, do you only drinks then?" Gus shook his head and put his finger up, asking her to wait a moment. He went into the back and came back out with a basket was something. Eve wafted the smell to her nose and boy did it smell good.
"These are my valley famous zucchini fritters. On the house since this is your first time. Go on try!" Eve looked at them and picked up the battered veggie before taking a bit. It was surprisingly light for a fried dish, and had plenty of flavor from the salt to the zucchini itself.
"Wow! This is really good. What is this?" Eve asked as she dipped the food in the sauce provided and took another bite. The tomato sauce added a whole new world of flavor to the dish and Eve was holding back on wolfing the whole thing down. Gus smiled, clearly seeing the Eve was enjoying the small meal she was given.
"Well, it's an old family recipe, so I'm sorry I can't share. But you tried them in the spicy marinara sauce, good good. Do you like them?" Eve nodded, munching on the one she was eating. "Well I'm glad. Let me know if you want anything else!" he was about to walk away, but Eve chimed in.
"Could I get a water?" she asked. Gus nodded and went to get a mason jar He filled it with ice and water and handed it over to Eve.
"Here you are. Enjoy now Eve! I'll be seeing you around I hope! " Eve nodded and was eating another fritter when another voice chimed in.
"Hey kid…" this was a female and her speech was slurred a little. Eve froze and glanced over to the right to see an older blonde woman looking directly at her. The two shared a very awkward staring contest, as if neither one of them knew whether to speak up or not. Just as Eve was about to say something, the blonde spoke up again. "Haven't seen you around here...you new?" Eve just closed her mouth and nodded, silently chewing for a moment before swallowing.
"Y-yeah..I'm the new farmer. My name is Eve." the blonde didn't answer back at first, but then spoke up.
"Name's Pam…" she managed to get out. "I would buy you a drink, but I can't afford it…" Eve shook her head at the woman and smiled. The woman's stare was glassy and devoid of emotion...and Eve was feeling very uncomfortable.
"O-oh, thank you! But I don't drink!" Eve said, taking a sip of water.
"Why not? You one of those...vaping types?" Eve again shook her head.
"Oh no, I can't do that. It's for health reasons!" there was a pause before Pam spoke up again.
"You're not accepting cause you don't think I'm good enough?" Eve looked in a panic. Where was this coming from? That's not what she said!
"N-no! It's just-"
"Hey now there Pam, calm down." It was Lewis. He went over and pat Pam on the shoulder. "I think maybe you've had one too many tonight. Why don't we get you over to bed?" Pam shrugged him off and took a swig of her beer.
"Was only kiddin." she slurred and then shot a glare at Eve before nursing the drink again. Lewis looked at Eve and shrugged.
"I'm sorry about that. Hey, why don't you sit over here and let's have a chat! There's someone I'd like you to meet!" Eve nodded and took her basket and water over to a table before sitting down. Other than Lewis, a woman with long brown hair and odd clothes was sipping a mixed drink of some sort. Whatever made it pink could not be too healthy. "Eve, this is Marnie! She runs a farm too, but it's an animal farm." the woman Marnie took a sip of her cocktail and waved.
"Mayor Lewis told me all about you! It's nice to see someone new move into that old lot." she took another sip of her drink. "I sell mostly animals and livestock, so if you get the chance, swing on by!" Eve nodded and took another tomato filled bite of the zucchini fritter. "And I see that Gus got you with the fritters huh?" Marnie let out a laugh. "They're the best! I get them when I don't feel like cooking!" Eve chuckled and wiped her mouth.
"I feel like I didn't get something to eat in a while, and when someone offers free food, you don't turn it down...especially when it smells like this." Eve and Marnie shared a laugh before the group took a sip of their respective drinks.
"So Eve, who else did you meet today?" Lewis asked, leaning forward on his seat. Eve swallowed a bit and thought about it.
"Well...I saw the doctor and got a check up...I met with the nurse Maru...there are a guy tossing a grindball around named Alex but...he wasn't much for conversation." she let out a sigh, remembering that small encounter was not one for the record books. "Then I came in here and met Gus and...Pam." Lewis nodded and glanced over a Pam.
"Don't worry about her, she won't hurt you or anything. She just gets a little...uppity when drunk...let's see…" he looked around a minute to survey the other people in the bar that night. "Well, Shane's over there. He's Marnie's nephew and comes in here a lot. Then there's Emily, the blue haired girl behind the bar." Lewis waved at her, and she waved back and rushed over.
"Hi there! Ooh I know you're going to love it here! It's written all over your face!" the girl exclaimed, taking Eve's hand and shaking it with considerable force. "If you're ever looking for something to do in the evening, came by the saloon okay? Can I get you guys anything?" Lewis shook his head.
"No no, we were just introducing Eve some people here since she's new." Lewis said, and Emily nodded.
"Okay! Talk to you soon Eve!" the girl went back behind the bar and continuing her work. Lewis turned his attention back on Eve.
"There are normally two people who sit over at that table. Clint and Willy are their names. Clint's a blacksmith, and a damn good one if I do say so. He's a bit shy, but a nice guy. And Willy's out on a fishing trip but he should be back soon." then he turned toward behind him, "And a redheaded girl named Leah normally sits there. She lives near Marnie in the forest, nice girl. She's into art, I think." Eve nodded and munched on another fritter. Her mind was racing at the prospect of learning about the new people but there was something she wanted to know more.
"Hey Mayor? What was my Grandfather like?" she asked, looking directly into the Mayor's eyes. Lewis looked back, and then leaned back in his chair as he let out a sigh and closed his eyes.
"Jaden was...something different…" he started out, closing his eyes. "A real pillar to the community. He was always a person to count on in a pinch and always a pleasure to be around." he sat back up and took a sip of his drink. "I met him when I was around your age. Sharp as a whip, that he was. But I always remembered his fondness for people and the land around him. After every festival, even when he got much older, we took the time after every festival to clean up everything to leave things better than how we started. He was a great man, he loved life...I think I'll drink one in his honor tonight." he got up and went to the bar. Marnie chuckled a bit.
"I didn't know him much, but we always cared for animals and that farm. So you have to do your best to make him proud, okay?" Eve nodded as she finished up her last fritter. As she sipped her water, she glanced at the clock. It was almost 11pm! She looked a bit surprised, but then again, time flies when you're having fun.
"Thank you Marnie...I'm gonna give this farm my all…" she picked up the basket and jar and got up. "I have to go. Early morning tomorrow." Marnie lifted her glass and nodded.
"Have a safe trip home hun!" Eve nodded and put the jar and basket on the bar before heading out the door. She started on the walk back, the chirping bugs making the only sounds she heard as she walked. Eve took a moment to look back on the day. She didn't do too much...but it was a great accomplishment. Chopping down the tree, planting the parsnips, visiting the doctor and then going to the bar...while some of those things were commonplace, most were completely out of her comfort zone. She never thought in her life she would be actually farming...or attempting to. Once back on the farm, she used the light from her smart phone to find her way back to the house. It was so dark outside and with no lamps around, it was the only light she had. Eve was about to go inside when she turned toward the field.
"...I'm going to make this work...I have to…" she said to herself and made her way to the plot she had the plants in. "And you guys better grow up well…" she muttered before letting out a yawn. She was starting to really feel tired...and a hot meal really made her feel better. Without a second thought, Eve went inside the house. She went to the television and turned it on.
"This is Zuzu 11 o clock news, bringing you the first in news. Tomorrow's weather is going to be sunny with a cool temperature. It's looking like another beautiful day." and with that Eve turned the TV off. She just wanted to know the weather. "Okay...bed…" she wobbled over to the old bed, and without much effort, she fell asleep. The first real day in Stardew Valley was behind her...and she had plenty to go.
Note: Again, thanks for taking the time to read. If you feel so compelled, please leave a comment. But it's not required!