It was around 7:30 at night, far past the time that people commit day by day. Most employees were out being done for the day and had gone back home to their families or loved ones. But the last one was always her, a woman ticking away on her keyboard. She was working diligently trying to make sure everything was done and over with when someone came up behind her.
"Eve." Her manager called to her as he stood outside her cubicle. She glanced over after removing her earbuds, and smiled.
"Yes Morris?" She asked. He sighed and shook his head.
"Go home already. I can't keep staying these hours just for you anymore." He replied, shifting his bag over his shoulder. Eve sighed and wiped her eyes. She had lost track of time again. She looked up at Morris and mustered a smile.
"Sorry...I'm right behind you. Have a good night." With that, she put her earbuds in to concentrate on her last case, but felt a hand on her shoulder.
"Hey," with this alone, Eve could feel her skin crawl. "you know I care right? You've been working really hard on these recently. How about dinner? Come on…just this one time on me" he whispered to her, making her really uncomfortable. She could feel his fingers playing with the free strands of hair that fell to her shoulders. Eve hated this more than anything. "Then we can go back to my place for a little wine…" She didn't want to feel this way...and she knew the rumors surrounding Morris and his 'dates'. She brushed the hand away without taking her eyes off the screen.
"Tonight isn't good..maybe some other time. Good night Morris." She replied, only to hear him scoff and walk out.
"Suit yourself." Was the last she heard of him. Eve reacted once he was gone, the goosebumps were very visibly agitated. She hated being touched like that. She hated being able to feel his ill intentions like that. She let out a sigh, hoping she wasn't the only one who felt that way. Soon, she shut down her computer, gathered her things together, and ventured into the cold winter air. She stood at the bus stop wrapping her scarf tightly around her neck to keep warm. She started shivering something fierce and blessed the metro goddess as the Zuzu bus came to the stop and she climbed inside. Finally, she was heading home.
Everyday was the same. She'd come in, work herself to the core, and go home. This was her routine, and that's how she liked it. She liked having her days planned out and having that structure to keep herself in check…but one can only do for so long. The Friday night was no different as she was in bed and was soon asleep. All was well in her world.
It was Saturday, and finally a day to herself. The sound of her phone roused her from her sleep as she stretched and let out a yawn. After a brief moment of waking up, she looked and saw it was from Morris. She grunted and unlocked the phone to view the message proper.
"Are you coming in?" it read.
It was 6 in the morning, and while normally she did overtime…today…today she was gonna do something different. She never really thought about going out and enjoying her day, but maybe today, she would. She heard about a coffee house she wanted to try, and the Art Walk celebration was today. She smiled at the thought of enjoying a normal life, and soon gave her answer.
"Not this time. Maybe some other weekend." She replied back, and closed her eyes again. She wanted to sleep a little more...only to get another message.
"We need you in. Sorry. We're backed up. You'll at least get overtime pay."
This was some bullshit. Promising that nothing would be going on but still call her into work. The woman sighed and nodded as she texted back.
"I'll be there soon." and within minutes she was out the door. She hopped on the bus and sat down, staring out the window in a blank daze. She was so excited for the upcoming day...but not now. Her job was important...she needed this job. She needed it more than anything.
It was now 2pm. Overtime was over and the buses were backed up. There was no way to get to the Art Walk, aside from walking. Eve felt so drained after work, and had planned on going home...but a thought crossed her mind.
"It's not too far...I'll go to that coffee house after all…" she said, a feeling of resolve washed over as she walked toward the corner she saw it. By day, it was a coffee house, and at night it became a hopping bar. It was called Mai Chai. A cute name for a cuter little establishment in the city. She took a seat outside and had started going over the menu.
"It can't be...Evelyn Turner?" When a voice called to her. She stopped what she was doing and looked around. A red head was staring at her...one who was familiar to Eve.
"Jocelyn Darcy? From grade school?" Eve asked, and was met with a joyful scream and a huge hug.
"OH MY GOD! Everyone thought you totally died!" Jocelyn exclaimed, not letting her go. "We all missed you so much!" Eve couldn't help but chuckle and shook her head.
"I'm alive and kicking...but what are you doing here?" Jocelyn looked at her with a smile.
"Could say the same to you! It's catch-up time, mind if I sit?" Although before Eve gave an answer, she had ordered and sat anyway. Eve sighed and took her own seat. Jocelyn was a girl from her old school, before she moved to the city. She didn't know how to contact them since she was young, and then naturally memories of them faded and were replaced. But seeing her here now made them all come back. The schoolyard, the small town that she called home...it was a good life. A life she missed.
"Uh hello Evey? You on this planet?" Her thoughts were interrupted when Joyce called out, and she shook her head.
"Sorry...I was remembering everything. I'm sorry, my parents never got one of those school directories. We didn't have the money." Joyce chuckled a bit.
"Well...the school is closed now. Not enough folks live in that tiny town to get the money to maintain it. You didn't miss much. But enough of the past, tell me the now? You got a family, boyfriend, job? Come on!" Eve chuckled and shook her head.
"I'm..not seeing anyone...and I work in the disputes team with Joja." She was going to say more, but the look on Joyce's face made her stop. It was an expression of sadness and anger. Eve thought she said something wrong. "Hmm...I've never been a fan of them...something's always been off...they've grown really quick...too quick." Joyce replied. Eve started to feel a little uncomfortable with this whole thing, and started to get up.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-"
"How long with Joja?" Joyce asked, her tone was far different now. She seemed concerned.
"Uh...two years? Why?" Joyce sighed and gave a forced smile to Eve.
"I've just heard some bad stuff recently. It's not you hun, it's me. I hope you're happy there. It's gotta pay well right?" Eve paused and sipped her water as her lunch arrived. She couldn't stop the words from coming out. She sat back down.
"Yeah. The money's good. I just got back from work actually."
"Overtime? Yeesh how often do you do that?" Joyce asked as she sipped her latte as it arrived. Eve let out a weak sigh and looked back at her friend.
"Most every weekend. I did want to go to the Art Walk today, but I got called in. I guess they really needed me to work." She replied and looked at her phone for a moment. "Plus I have medical bills to pay off so…it's good money."
"Medical bills?" Joyce looked more concerned than before. "Oh sweet thing what happened?" Eve tensed a bit because she never liked to talk about it, but maybe it would be good for her to get this off her chest.
"The reason I moved out so suddenly WAS because of a condition I got with my heart. It's…bad. It's called Myocarditis and it's a heart condition. Most times it's able to be treated but since my heart is so weak…well…it doesn't seem like I could survive the surgery to fully cure me. I take medication to help, but it just prolongs the process. I've been to a ton of doctors, but…at this point it's not even worth it. I can't afford to keep going back over and over again, even with Joja's insurance. I'm kind of stuck in a rut or something." Joyce moved her food next to Eve and took a seat closer. Eve looked a little concerned, but then felt Joyce start to hug her.
"I'm so sorry…that isn't a quality of life girl…you need to get out and do what you want…not what you have to do." Joyce smiled. "Hey, let's take a trip or something. You have vacation days right? I know I great beach, it can be like a girl's time out yah know? It is almost New Year's and you only live once! Oh…wait that-" Eve smiled and shook her head.
"It's fine Joyce, I've made peace with it. The only other advice was to move out to the country and wait for a donor. But I can't even afford that." Joyce looked sad for her friend.
"You have no other options? Moving with your parents or…hey I could use a roomie! Sometimes my husband is such a pain." She joked, making Eve chuckle. But in the end, the girl shook her head.
"No, I'm fine living on my own...the rent is cheap and my landlady knows my situation. It's really ok Joyce." But this girl wasn't giving up. She sipped her latte and stared right at Eve. It was almost scary.
"Girl, there is no shame in moving back home. Really! The commute wouldn't be bad and you could totally-"
"Joyce please!" Eve cut her off. Her lip trembled a bit, but she held back breaking down. "I can't...my parents died years ago in an accident. I'm fine…" she got up. "I'm gonna go home...it was nice seeing you again...let's hang out soon." Joyce just looked at her, an expression of disbelief on her face.
"I'm...so sorry. I just want to help you…" Joyce whimpered, before looking away. Eve just smiled and hugged her friend.
"I can't throw my problems on anyone. This is my problem to bare alone…no one else's. I'll see you later." And with that, everything went black.
—
The rain falling on the roof this time woke Eve up instead of the normal rooster call from Marnie's farm. Eve's eyes slowly opened her eyes and looked up at the ceiling, still getting over the daze of awakening. She groaned and slowly sat up in her bed, rubbing her eyes and temples as she looked around. This was her home…but how did she get there? She remembered collapsing on the bridge, vaguely moving toward the Saloon, but from there it was a blur. She could remember voices and slight memories, but there was only one thing that was concrete. Someone did help her, a man dressed in what seemed to yellow leaves rather than clothes.
"Was…that all just a dream? But then again…how did I get back here if it was?" She let out a sigh and got out of her bed and went to the bathroom. After a shower, Eve felt alive and ready to tackle the day. When she walked out of the shower and put on her clothes, she started to smell something. She went to the door and saw a cloche covering something. However, something else caught her eye.
"Hey no no no no no!" she ran past the cloche and into her field, seeing that a crow was eating one of her parsnips. "Get away from that! Shoo!" she yelled, and the giant black bird took off. Eve stopped and let out a sigh, seeing that a bit of her hard work had been plucked from the ground and pecked as the bird was eating her hard work. She looked at the vegetable and picked it up. Maybe it was the ground below it or something else, but the parsnip was fully grown and fresh, besides the new peck marks that were all over the root. "…no…I completely didn't think about crows…I'm so stupid…" She sighed as she went to get her sickle. She cut the parsnip into bits and put it on the side of the house. "There. If they want to eat something, they can eat that for now…stupid birds!" she mumbled and went back to the field, seemingly ignoring the fact she was getting drenched by the water.
The rest of the parsnips had grown and were ready for harvest. Eve inspected them just in case, but thankfully, they were okay. Carefully she removed each one from the ground and put them in her bag. Some of them looked a lot better than others as she inspected them, seeing some were bruised while others were perfect. "Hmm, I guess the quality fluctuates? I'll have to look into this later. I don't know how to make them better then this…" she shrugged and took the lot to the shipping bin, plus the new dead fish that she was not able to put in the bin the previous day. She opened the large bin and put most of the parsnips inside, saving a few of them for possible later use and the fish. She looked back at the field and started to think.
"Hey…maybe what I need is a little extra help." She mumbled and walked back to the house and put the remaining vegetables in the chest. She went into the house and took the cloche with her, seeing as she got a bit distracted. Once inside, she put the tray down on the table and went to go ring her hair out over the sink. She came back to the table and removed the cloche, seeing a complete breakfast under it, still warm from the steam. There was a tiny note under the plate. Eve read it out loud.
"Eve, I heard that you've been having a tough time getting settled in. It was brought to my attention you nearly passed out near the Saloon last night. I don't want anyone in Stardew Valley to go hungry, so please drop by the Saloon if you ever need a boost. I am more than willing to give you a little food and be paid later when you have the money. This breakfast is on me today, but please keep that in mind for the future. See you soon, Gus. Wow…that was mighty sweet of him." She smiled and stored the letter and decided to nibble on the breakfast. It was delicious. Everything was so good that she couldn't help but shovel it into her face. "Gus really knows what he's doing…and it was so nice of him to make me some food. I don't even remember if I ate anything yesterday…though I know I didn't nearly pass out because of lack of food…" she looked outside again and let out a sigh. She thought back to what Harvey had told her, that the farmer profession might not be the best choice considering her condition. Those words started to swirl around her mind for a bit as she looked out at the field. There always seemed like a lot of work that needed to be done. She knew that no one else in the town could help her in that sense, but she did need help…she needed an extra pair of hands. Eve then gasped and got on her phone to look up something online. "I need someone to keep the crows away…or something." After scrolling through different websites, she found what she was looking for. Blueprints on how to craft her very own scarecrow! She smiled at the small victory and started to read what she needed
"Okay…I need some wood…hay…old clothes…and a piece of coal for the face…I think I have those." She went to her chest she stored her things in. They had everything but the coal. "Dang…hmm…maybe…there will be some in the rocks out in the field?" With a new determination, she grabbed her pickaxe and went back out into the rain. She found a few smaller rocks out in the field and aimed the pickaxe at them. With a hardy SLAM into the rock and it crumbled into pieces. She investigated the rock and didn't find anything that would help, besides the rock itself. However, she wanted to keep the farm clean and put the broken-up rocks away off the field and into a pile near the chest. She did this with a few more rocks until she had a good stack, and even had a few pieces of coal on her. She looked at the fresh coal and smiled. "Alright, now I can finish my little project." She took the pickaxe and put it away, taking the coal to the chest. She now had everything to make the scarecrow. She started to set up, crafting the pole and putting the clothes onto it. She broke up the coal and made them into big black eyes onto its burlap face. As she was about to finish, she realized that she didn't have any hay.
"Oh sugar…" she said, looking at the very unfilled scarecrow. She thought about what else she could use and had an idea. She went back to the chest and pulled out the fiber grass that was used to tie the poles together. She started stuffing the scarecrow with the excess grass and it seemed to work! Eve looked at her crude handiwork and wiped her damp brow. "Goodness…why do I feel like I've done nothing today but this?" she mumbled and finally took the creation outside. She surveyed the field and stuck the scarecrow right in the middle of it, packing some dirt around it to make sure it stayed. "There! Now no more crows! Well hopefully anyway…" she smirked and went back to her porch. She was drenched in the heavy rain and wasn't sure what else to do with her day. She wasn't sure that it would be safe to cut down trees today because of the weather, so she decided to explore. She got her fishing rod, just in case she wanted to try fishing again, and went to the left of the house toward the destroyed greenhouse. She looked at it and the small cave next to it. She went to the greenhouse and gently put her fingers on the dirty, wet, and broken glass.
"This would be tremendously helpful. Maybe I can ask Robin to fix it…she said she was a carpenter, but maybe there is a chance…" she mumbled and then poked her head into the cave. There was nothing in there, but then again, Eve didn't exactly go very far into the cave to check out its contents. She looked passed the cave and saw a stairwell leading up to a path toward the mountain and decided that was where she was going to go. She headed up the stairs and onto the dirt path, seeing where it led. At this point, she didn't even care how drenched she got, she didn't have an umbrella and figured she'd just wash when she got back. On her way, she saw a bright yellow flower and picked it up. "Hey, this is a daffodil! They grow wild here?" she smelled it. It was a very sweet-smelling flower and Eve let out a sigh after she smelled it. "Wow, alright, this is really nice. I'll definitely put this in water when I get back." She put it in her bag and continued forward. At the end of the path, she saw some smoke where the path opened a little and at the end was a bright yellow tent. Eve looked rather confused and got a little closer.
"Who would go camping in this weather?" she asked herself before turning and seeing someone just sanding in the rain. Eve jumped and let out a gasp before calming down. It was an older man with shaggy white hair. "Oh, pardon me, I didn't think anyone else was here." the man nodded at her.
"A warm rain is a pleasant way to get clean." He replied simply, and then just continued to stand there. Eve was a little wary but felt that this person was…familiar. He was wearing the yellow leaves she thought she remembered seeing from the person who rescued her from the bridge. She approached him with an outstretched hand and a smile.
"I don't think we've met. My name is Eve." She said to him. He looked at the hand and then back at Eve, not making the move to take the hand.
"Hello. Don't mind me. I just live out here alone." He replied simply. Eve's expression changed from a smile slowly to a more…confused and hurt expression. Maybe she offended the man? She didn't really know. She put her hand away and cleared her throat.
"Oh, that's okay. Um…have we met before? I think I saw you somewhere else." The man shook his head.
"No, we've never met. I try and stay out of everyone's way." The man replied. Eve looked down a little bit.
"Oh…then pardon me…I thought…well…" she looked up at him. "I thought you were the person who…" she paused and looked away, turning. "I'm sorry for bothering you." He walked off, and the man nodded, looking a little guarded as he stood there.
"You should to be more careful." He called out to her. "Sometimes people will help you, and then expect a reward; they'll take something from you if you pass out. So be careful in the future…" Eve looked back at him and paused. After a bit, she smiled and nodded.
"Thank you for the advice. I'll take it to heart." She smiled and continued down the path down the mountain. She saw a big house right below and wanted to investigate it. Eve knocked and then walked in, peeking her head in. Before her was a wooden room with a counter, and Robin standing behind it. Eve fully walked in and Robin smiled.
"Hey there! Welcome!" Robin said and walked over. "God you're drenched. It's really pouring outside isn't it? Do you need a towel?" Eve chuckled and looked at her dripping wet clothes.
"Maybe…just so I don't get your floor wetter," Eve replied.
Robin laughed and looked over to her left. "Honey? Could you get a towel?"
"Sure! One sec!" a male voice called back, and Eve saw a taller figurehead up the hall. She turned back to Robin.
"So, I'm guessing this is your shop?" she asked, and Robin nodded.
"Yes ma'am, you can contract me to construct some buildings for your farm, upgrade your house, and we have some furniture for sale. There is a little booklet of what I make right here. The farm buildings are marked with these little flags." Eve nodded and started to leaf through the book, a sense of excitement rushed through her.
"A chicken coop, a barn, a silo…wow, I could really use all of these…not that I can afford them right now." Robin pointed at a certain part of the page.
"All the prices and what materials I need from you are right there. I have my own materials, but I'd lose money if I didn't ask for a little extra. You understand?" Eve nodded and shrugged.
"Nothing's free in this world…" she said as she continued to leaf through the small book. It was then that she thought back to her encounter with the wild man and looked up at Robin for a moment. "Hey so, on my way here I ran into an older man wearing a yellow leaf tunic? Do you know about him?" she asked. Robin nodded as she was putting some other carpenter books away.
"Linus? Oh yeah, I know him. He's harmless and tries to keep to himself. He's not a bad sort, and he prefers to be alone." Eve nodded. It felt good to at least have the name of the man. She was going to ask more when a tall and slender African American man walked in with a towel.
"Here ma'am. To dry off even just a little bit." The man said with a smile. Robin smiled as Eve looked at him.
"Oh Eve, have you met my husband? This is Demetrius." Eve took the towel and then put out her hand to shake.
"Nice to meet you!" she said, and Demetrius graciously took her hand and shook it.
"Pleasure is all mine. I'm a local scientist and Father here in town. I'm studying the local plants and animals from my home laboratory right over here." He gestured to it as Eve was drying her hair with the towel. "Oh, have you met my daughter Maru? She's interested in meeting you. It's all she's talked about since she heard the news." Eve nodded, recognizing the name.
"Yeah, I've met her. She's very nice. We met at the clinic when I got my check-up." Demetrius gave her a thumbs up.
"That's great! Hey, how's the farming business so far? It's parsnip season, isn't it? I can imagine it being pretty peaceful, working outdoors with plants all day. But you're probably growing a lot of interesting plants on your farm, huh? Maybe I'll stop by your place and check it out!" the man was going a mile a minute, clearly passionate about his work and the crops that were growing on the farm. Eve didn't have time to respond to his first question before he asked a second. She tried, but then-
"Honey!" Robin called, which made him snap out of it. "Slow down, she's only been on that farm a few days. I'd be surprised if she has grown anything yet." Demetrius gave a nervous chuckle.
"Ah, sorry. I tend to go on tangents when I get excited. I'll leave you to it…it was nice meeting you!" Eve smiled and finished drying herself off a little more.
"Oh, it was nice meeting you too! You're welcome to check out the farm sometime!" Demetrius gave a thumbs-up as he went back into the lab. Robin let out a tiny sigh.
"I'm sorry about that. Have you met everyone in town yet? It sounds exhausting." Eve shook her head.
"No, I don't think I've met everyone. I think I'll met them overtime but- "it was then a door opened and closed as a man dressed in all black with black hair emerged from the basement. He walked past the two girls and went for the door.
"Sebastian, where are you going?" Robin called out. The man in black barely turned.
"Beach." He said simply and went through the door. "Be back for dinner." And then he closed the door. Robin sighed and shook her head.
"I'm sorry about him. That's Sebastian, my son. He doesn't talk a lot, so please forgive his rude behavior." Eve turned back to Robin and shook her head.
"Oh no, it's okay! I'm sure I'll run into him some other time." She then continued to go through the farmhouse book. "Hey, I have this old Greenhouse on my farm that's all broken up. Would you think you could repair it?" Robin stopped and thought about it.
"Maybe, though it's glass and not a lot of woodwork. I'd have to get back to you on an estimate if I can even do a job like that." Eve nodded and stepped back.
"It's fine if you can't, I was just curious. I didn't know this was here, so I guess I have a lot of exploring to do." Robin smiled at her.
"The Valley's a lot bigger than one would think. You can't go into the mines quite yet because the local Joja mart was doing some construction and knocked some rocks down. They blocked the way to the other side of the lake. They've been fixing the bridge and getting the rock out of the way, but it's still gonna take a few days." Eve shivered at the thought of a Joja Mart being in the town. She knew this place wasn't completely disconnected from the bigger world, though it was nice to think about.
"Right. I'm sure they'll send out a notice when it's cleared right?" Robin shrugged.
"I guess. I don't know, Demetrius is in charge of the mail." Eve chuckled and handed her the towel.
"Thank you for letting me borrow this. I'm gonna get going. It was nice to see you again Robin!" Robin nodded and smiled at her.
"Hey no problem! Come again if you need something built and we can talk about it." Eve nodded and went back outside in the rain. She walked south toward the main part of town and passed an older run-down looking building. She stopped for a moment, looking at it. She could feel a force…as if something was beckoning her to come closer. She took a few steps toward the old building, touching the wall near one of the windows.
"What is this place? I've never seen anything like it…" she said and walked to the front of the building. She swore she could hear something, someone calling out to her to open the door. She wasn't sure why, but a want to open that door filled her. As soon as she placed her hand on the doorknob, the force got even stronger and the voices were clearer.
". ."
"What?" Eve asked herself, looking down at the doorknob. Now she was extremely curious. However, the door wouldn't open when she pulled on the handle. "Locked…" she said, and slowly, the force that had overcome her faded, and her hand lifted off the doorknob. She tried to look inside the building, but she couldn't see anything.
"."
Again, she heard the voices, but it was fainter. As she stepped back, the voices eventually vanished. She didn't know what was going on and just looked wide-eyed at the old building. Thoughts of what she experienced were flowing through her and she thought about the voices. This wasn't like before when she was hearing memories from her past, these were different. Someone…or something was talking to her. She couldn't understand but there was a part of her that wanted to find out more. As she was thinking, there was a chuckle behind her.
"Oh, the old community center. I remember the days when this place was all abuzz with activity." Eve gasped and turned to see Granny Evelyn, holding a bag in one hand and an umbrella in the other. Eve sighed and smiled at the old woman. "Oh, did I startle you?" Eve nodded a little.
"Yeah, a bit. But it's fine!" she looked back at the old building for a second. "You said that this place was called the community center?" Evelyn nodded.
"Oh yes. I remember coming here with my friends to do all sorts of things. We'd hold events there; all my friends and I would come here when we didn't have anything else to do. Oh, but it's been out of sorts for a long time now." she looked up at it. "Oh, I do have some fond memories there." Eve smiled a little at it.
"Did my Grandfather come here too?" she asked. Evelyn nodded.
"Oh yes. He'd help upkeep the place and take breaks relaxing there. I remember him talking to Mayor Lewis there…well before Lewis was the Mayor. Oh, but here I am rambling on. Come on out of the rain dear, you must be cold." Eve chuckled and shook her head, but the Granny Evelyn wouldn't have it, and put the umbrella over her head. The pair walked down the stairs and then they moved to the blue house near the Saloon. Granny Evelyn opened the door and walked in with Eve behind her, and the old woman headed to the kitchen. There was the sound of a TV as they walked in and the house was larger than it seemed from the outside. Lots of pictures adorned the walls with many little knick-knacks on a lot of the surfaces. Eve dripped a bit on the rug before removing her shoes to not track in mud.
"Your house is beautiful," Eve said as she stayed on the rug for a little while longer. Granny Evelyn chuckled while she was in the kitchen.
"You can take a rest at the table dear, and I'll make some tea. I've already made some cookies." She said, and Eve nodded. She went to the table and was going to sit down before another voice startled her.
"Evelyn!" an old man's voice called. "Where were you? And who is this?" Eve turned and looked to see an older balding man in a wheelchair. Granny Evelyn didn't respond immediately as she kept working on the tea, but Eve locked eyes on the old man. He scowled at him as she tried to force a smile.
"Oh dear, I'm sorry. I went to the store to get more food. And on the way home, I saw her in the rain and thought we could have some nice hot tea." Granny Evelyn walked over with a bowl. The bowl contained a soup or porridge or something of the sort. She set it down with the old man. "This is the new farmer! Her name is also Evelyn, but everyone calls her Eve. Isn't that something dear?" she let out a laugh and the old man grumbled something inaudible as he was eating his food in front of the TV. Eve just nodded at him with the same forced smile.
"P-pleased to meet you sir." She said, and he let out a huff.
"Hmmph…it's irritating to have to meet all these new people huh? The name's George, by the way…now buzz off…hmmph…." And with that, he dismissed her existence and started to really get into the show he was watching on the old TV. Granny Evelyn sighed and walked back over to the kitchen with his old bowl and she started to wash it. Eve felt bad and went to the kitchen with a down expression.
"Oh, don't mind him dearie." Granny Evelyn said to the young farmer. "He's always a little grumpier on rainy days. Go have a seat, I'll bring over some tea and cookies." Eve looked a little concerned.
"Are you sure I can't help you with cleaning?" she asked. The old woman looked at her with a smile.
"Oh well, my hands aren't what they used to be. If you wouldn't mind finishing up the dishes, I'll get the tea and cookies ready." Eve nodded as she stood in front of the sink and took a plastic bowl that was in there and started to wipe it out. She continued to wash the other dishes that were in the sink and placed them in the drying rack. By the time they were all done, the tea and cookies were ready and on the table. Eve dried her hands and took a seat at the table across from the older woman. Granny Evelyn smiled as she poured out two cups of tea into some mugs. "Thank you dear, that really helped me out. Here, have yourself a cookie. They're an old family recipe." Eve nodded and took one of the cookies in her hand. It was warm and the chocolate inside was gooey. Eve took a bite and chewed. It was sweet with a little bitterness from the semi-sweet chocolates, but they were mighty tasty. Eve swallowed and almost immediately took another bite.
"These are delicious Ms. Evelyn." She said as she chewed. The old woman smiled and gave a little laugh to see Eve going to town on the cookie.
"Oh dear, you know I told you that you could call me Granny." She replied, "And I'm glad you like them. It's an old family recipe. George and Alex both like them too."
Eve finished up the cookie and started sipping on the tea, which was also delicious. Normal teas tasted like hot dirt water, but this was very good tea. Eve was quiet for a moment as she took another sip.
"So, you live here with your husband and your son?" Granny Evelyn shook her head as she sipped on her mug of tea.
"Oh no, Alex is my grandson. He should be around your age. He's lived here with us for a few years now. Have you met him?" Eve thought back a bit and remember seeing a guy in a green jacket tossing a ball around. Right, that was Alex. Eve snapped back to reality and nodded.
"I think so. He seemed…nice." She said, though her impression of him wasn't exactly as stellar as other members of the community. Granny Evelyn smiled as she took another sip of her tea.
"He's a good boy, but very focused on his health and sports. He's always loved sports ever since he was a little kid. He's been living with us for…oh I think it's been 12 years now he's been with us." Granny Evelyn tapped her fingers on her cup. "But he's a good boy. Maybe you two could become friends." Eve nodded as she had another cookie.
"I try and become friends with everyone…I'm not here to make any enemies." Eve said with a smile. Granny smiled and had another sip of her tea.
"Oh, I'm so glad to hear that. Sometimes I feel like the only friend he has is that blonde girl…Hailey is her name I think." She paused for a moment. "I like to try and encourage him to talk to the other boys, but I don't know if he's tried. He's so focused about his sports that I think he forgets…oh but enough about that. So, tell me a little about your farm. How is it going?" Eve finished up the cookie and had another sip of tea.
"It's been going well. I had my first harvest today, but a crow got to one of them. Once I get a little more money, I'll buy a bunch of seeds and replant the field." Granny Evelyn put down her mug and clapped a little.
"That's cause for celebration. Your first harvest as a farmer! What did you grow?" Eve blushed a little but managed to hide her face behind her tea mug as she was taking a sip.
"Oh, the Mayor gave me some parsnip seeds to get started. I'm going to buy more parsnip seeds since they seem to grow quickly. I want to try and earn a good bit of money quickly, so I can invest in maybe getting some farm animals."
"Feh." George's voice called from the living room, the TV still on. "So…farmer huh…least it's honest work." Granny Evelyn chuckled and got up from the table. Eve looked at her mug and let out a tiny sigh. She should feel proud of what she had accomplished so far.
"Excuse me dear. I'm going to fix him a cup of tea." She got a mug and poured another glass and went to the living room. Eve got up, downing the rest of the tea and nearly burning the roof of her mouth.
"I should be going anyway. I was out yesterday and saw some buildings across a bridge passed the house below this one. I wanted to check those out." Granny Evelyn looked back.
"Oh, then hold on dear." She made sure George was settled and went back to the kitchen. She took out a paper bag from a drawer and put the remaining cookies in the bag before handing it over to Eve. Eve smiled and put the cookies in her bag.
"Thank you Mrs…I mean…Granny Evelyn." She said, and the old woman smiled and went to give Eve a hug.
"It was my pleasure to have you over here dear. Please drop by again anytime." Eve nodded and returned the hug. It felt nice to have someone who could be a mother figure after not having one for so long. She gave her a squeeze before letting the old woman go and going to the door.
"Be careful out there dear. Try not to stay out in the rain too much or you'll catch a cold." Eve opened the door and nodded.
"I'll try not to. Thank you!" and with that, she exited the home and closed the door behind her. With a belly happy and her spirits high, Eve ventured past the Saloon and toward the larger white house. Just as she was passing, she saw Mayor Lewis coming out of the house.
"Why Eve, hello!" he said, and Eve smiled at him.
"Hi Mayor Lewis. Is this your house?" he nodded.
"That's right, I live right here in town. I'm about to go check in on Pierre's before going to the Saloon. How are you today?" Eve had an idea to maybe talk about the crops.
"I'm good! Thank you for those parsnip seeds by the way. I planted them, and they just finished growing today. I put a good bit of them in the shipping box." Mayor Lewis clapped his hands and gave a thumbs up.
"I knew you could do it, you're very welcome. I'll make a point to stop by tonight and gather what you have in the bin and place the money for them in the mail. Where are you headed on this gloomy day?" Eve looked past the house and pointed.
"There are some buildings over there I haven't visited yet…so I'm going to head over there and check them out." Lewis nodded and stroked his mustache for a moment.
"Ah the old library and the blacksmith. I think that's a good idea. Well, I won't keep you. Have a good rest of your day Ms. Turner." Eve nodded and started back on the path.
"You too!" she called back and waved as she rounded the corner and over the stone bridge. Ahead was a little stand that didn't look open and then a branch path. She looked forward and saw a green building with a book on it and decided to head there first. Eve went over and opened the door, seeing a large room.
On one side was a large wooden desk with no one managing it and on the other were lines of bookcases full of books. Eve gasped and smiled as she walked in. There was a little area with some tables and chairs where a group was sitting and working. A woman and two kids, from the looks of it. She tried to look at what they were doing, and it seemed like it was schoolwork.
"I shouldn't bother them, but I'll keep them in mind." She thought to herself and continued to look around the shelves of the library. There were all types of books in the library. About farming, animals, mining, cooking, and then plenty of fiction and non-fiction books. As she was looking, she bumped into someone.
"Oh! Pardon me!" she said and looked up, only to see the author Elliott looking back at her.
"It's quite alright. We meet again Ms. Eve." He replied with a smile as he marked the book he was reading before putting it under his arm. "What brings you here today? Goodness, you're positivity drenched." Eve paused for a moment and looked around a little flustered before getting herself together. She brushed herself off and a few drops of water shot out from her shirt and onto the floor. She hoped he didn't see that.
"Ah well…I didn't know what was across the second bridge over this way, so I guess I was exploring. I didn't expect the town to have a library and a museum, so I'm excited to look around. What about you? Just…reading?" Elliott glanced at the book and then nodded a little.
"Gathering inspiration for my own novel. I come here while it rains on some days to read. My inspiration for writing is like the weather, it comes and goes at random. And today I feel entirely dull. Perhaps I will ready through one of the classics to get my creative juices flowing once again" he looked out the window. "I always feel at peace with a book in my hand. And I wish to give that peace to others through my novel…when I have published it of course." Eve couldn't help but smile. The man was surely passionate about what he wanted to do with his life, and she admired that determination. It almost…reminded her of her own goals.
"What kind of book are you writing?" she asked, and Elliott visibly flinched. He paused and rubbed his neck a little, a clear look of displeasure on his face.
"I am…between manuscripts as it were. I am having trouble deciding on which genre I wish to pursue. My mind seems to go between the few that I have and does not allow me to settle on only one." Eve nodded and smiled.
"Well, if you can, I'd focus on just one and roll with it until it's finished. I'm sure whatever you write will be a hit!" Elliott looked over at her, his eyes locking on hers for a moment. But then, he smiled at her.
"Your confidence in me is appreciated. It's…refreshing to hear that. In fact, I feel like I have brand new vigor to keep going. Thank you Eve, you are truly my muse for the day." Eve blushed a little and looked a little to the side.
"You're welcome…here." She reached into her bag and pulled out Granny Evelyn's cookies. She handed them over to Elliott. He looked down at the bag in surprise.
"What's this?" he asked and opened up the bag. "Is this a gift for me? Marvelous!" he smiled and took one of the cookies and ate a bite. "Oh my, these are scrumptious. Did you make these?" Eve shook her head.
"Oh, no I didn't. I was visiting with Mrs. Evelyn; the older lady and she gave me some cookies when I left. But, you can have them! They are good." Elliott paused for a moment and looked at the cookies in the bag.
"I don't want to take your gift away from you. Here, you can have them back." He tried to hand them back, but Eve shook her head and smiled.
"No, I want you to have them. Something sweet to eat while working might give you the energy you need to keep writing." Elliott couldn't help but smile and kept the bag with him.
"You are most kind Ms. Eve. I'll nibble on these as I work." He gave a bow and Eve bowed back with the smile still on her face.
"Well, I'll let you get back to your book. I'm going to check out the museum part of this building." She stepped back a bit and Elliott added a flourish to his bow.
"Then I hope the rest of your day goes swimmingly. Until we meet again, Ms. Eve." Eve felt her checks get flushed again as she entered the museum part of the library. Inside was a large room with large tables and shelves…but not a single thing on them. A man in a blue suit and cowboy hat was looking around. He stroked his beard as his downtrodden expression was clear on his face.
"Abysmal…" he mumbled, having not noticed Eve's presence. "Not a single piece in the entire collection…" Eve walked a little closer, looking around. Finally hearing the footsteps, the man turned and nearly jumped as he saw her.
"Wait…is that something you found? Let me see it." The man looked at the key that was around Eve's neck. He took it in his hand and started to appraise it, but she snatched it back.
"Oh, this…this is my house key. I know it looks old…but I need it." The man seemed to look solemn for a moment, but then straightened up.
"Remarkable…it's very old." He said, looking at the key a little still. "I'd love to study this in greater detail, but it is yours." He said and then started to think for a moment. "Say, I got a favor to ask you if you don't mind too much." Eve looked perplexed but nodded at him.
"What's the favor?" she asked, putting the key back in her shirt for safekeeping. The man paused before finally divulging the favor.
"Well first off, the name's Gunther, and I run the library and museum here in the valley. Would you consider donating any new artifacts or minerals that you find in the valley here? We could make a groundbreaking discovery together!" he said, again starting to stroke his beard. "Oh, and who knows…if you keep donating I might come across some interesting items to send your way. You know what I'm saying?" Eve thought about it and nodded at him.
"I see…so kind of like a 'you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours' situation." Gunther tipped his hat to her.
"You're starting to get it. Think about it, will you? If you decide to donate, just bring the objects to the front desk. I'll be there." Eve nodded and looked around the room a bit more.
"So…this is the museum, right? Where is everything?" the man tipped his hat down and let out a sigh.
"This is embarrassing, but the previous curator made off with the entire collection. We don't have any artifacts for display. But, I'm hoping to remedy that soon now right?" Eve couldn't believe someone would do that. She covered her mouth and stifled a gasp.
"That's awful. Was this reported?" Gunther nodded.
"It was, but there isn't much we can do about it until they find the guy…by all means, he's already sold the collection for a profit and fled across the Crystal Sea. That's why I must ask you and the other townsfolk for help. I want to bring the museum back, and I can only take donations. I hope you understand." Eve nodded back at him, looking determined.
"Anything interesting I find, I'll bring over to you. I'm the new farmer in town. My name is Eve." She held out her hand. Gunther shook it gladly.
"Well it's a pleasure meeting you Eve. If you could also be on the lookout for any books you find?" he gestured to the shelves. Upon closer inspection, a good number of books were missing. "I don't know if the townsfolks lost them or the curator stole them too, but if you could return any book you find, I'd appreciate the effort." Eve nodded as she started out.
"I certainly will. You have a good rest of your day now!" she called and walked out. She passed the library and looked over to see Elliott back to reading his book and the woman reading a book to the two kids. She gave them a nod, to which the teacher looked up and nodded back before going back to reading. The kids looked up to Eve. The little boy smiled and the girl looked disinterested and went back to her assignment. Eve left the library and darted back into the rain, heading north. She could see the Joja Mart in the distance and it made her a tad nervous being near one so soon again. She quickly ducked into the next brick building next to a roaring motor. It was hot inside with a large furnace and anvil to the right. A somewhat stocky bearded man was standing behind a desk, looking rather bored.
"Oh hi. Welcome." He said, really not enthusiastic about seeing someone come in. "If you need something, please let me know." Eve nodded and looked around a little bit before going to the counter.
"Well, I wanted to come and see what this building was. I didn't know it was a Blacksmith." She smiled and put her hand out. "My name is Eve, I moved to the valley a few days ago? I'm the new farmer." The man looked confused for a moment but then took her hand and shook it.
"Er…hi…" he started speaking as he shook her head timidly. "I'm Clint, and yeah…I'm the town's blacksmith. If you ever need to upgrade your tools, I'm your guy." He pulled back his hand and Eve nodded at him.
"I see. How does that work exactly?" she asked. Clint sort of paused, trying to figure out what to say as he was nervously fidgeting.
"Well…if you want me to upgrade your tools, you'll have to give me the correct ore. And you'll have to pay a fee, of course. Then after I'm done, you'll have an easier time using the tool than before. It'll take less energy and you might be able to do things with it you couldn't before." Eve nodded at the explanation and looked over at the anvil.
"And do you do that over there?" she asked, pointing at it. Clint sort of shrugged a little.
"I guess…I can also process any geodes you find. They might have some interesting things inside…or they might not. That's for a small fee too." Eve inspected it a little and then looked back up at Clint.
"Thank you, this was helpful. I heard about you from the Mayor and wanted to see where your shop was. I know I'll be seeing you again soon." Clint nodded and didn't say anything after that, Eve felt a little awkward but decided it would be a good time to go. "Alright, well, goodbye for now Clint!" she called as she left and saw the man give a small wave as she closed the door.
As she started to walk back toward the main part of town, she started to think back to the day. Despite the lack of work, she felt accomplished in what she had done. She was making connections with the townspeople, and she did have her first harvest of the year. It was a start and something that she was proud of. It was getting late, and after the day she had previously, she decided that she was going to go home a little early and get to bed. When she got to her home, her clothes were absolutely drenched in water, and so was she. Eve chuckled as she looked down at herself.
"I'm an absolute wreck." She mumbled as she started to take her clothes off and get ready for bed. After a shower, a light snack, and hanging her clothes on her shower, Eve turned the TV on and looked at the weather.
"Welcome to KOZU 5, your number one source for weather, news, and entertainment. And now the weather forecast for tomorrow…it's going to be sunny all day tomorrow and be a perfect spring day." The TV played and soon after the report, Eve turned the TV off. She sat on her bed and started to dial someone on her phone. After a moment of ringing, the other end picked up.
"This is Joyce." The voice replied.
"Hi Joyce, it's Eve." Immediately, there was a gasp and a 'squwee'ing sound on the other side.
"Eveie! Oh my god, it's so nice to hear from you again! How are you, how are things?" she asked. Eve shifted a little and started to lay down on the bed.
"Things have been going well. I've met a few of the townspeople and I actually had my first harvest of vegetables today." Again, Joyce gasped.
"Oh my god really? Did you sell them? How much did you make? What did you grow?" Eve chuckled a little. It was nice to know that she was so enthusiastic about it.
"Slow down, I put them in the bin today. The Mayor comes at night and takes them and gives me the money the following morning in the mail. So I won't know how much I make until I count up the money tomorrow." Eve sat up a little, trying to get comfortable and started to play with her hair.
"I see! Okay! Well let me know how much. Everything else is going ok?" her friend asked.
"Yeah, everything is good. I did have a bad attack yesterday though. I pushed myself a little too hard and nearly passed out." There was another gasp.
"Oh my god! Are you okay? You need to know your limits better Eve! I don't know how good the doctor is in Stardew, but still." Eve let out a sigh.
"I know…but someone helped me. It was this…I don't want to say homeless man, but he lives in a tent and kind of keeps to himself." There was a pause.
"Is he cute?" she asked. Eve scoffed and smirked.
"No, and he's far too old for me. Actually, I don't really know how old he is. I only know his name is Linus, but that's it. We talked for a moment, and I thanked him, but that was about it." Joyce chuckled at her.
"Well, I'm glad that you were helped, even if it was a hobo who helped you. Speaking of cute though, what are the prospects like? Does anyone catch your eye?" Eve blushed a little and sighed.
"Maybe…it's too soon to say quite yet. I met a few people, but I just got here and haven't really met everyone yet. I don't want to set my heart on someone and then immediately regret it, you know?" she swore she could hear Joyce smirking.
"And when was the last time you dated?" Eve paused to think about it. She…honestly couldn't remember.
"Um…well..." Joyce started to laugh.
"Girl, you need to go for it! Once you really think there is an interest in someone, you need to really take that chance, you know? I mean, that's how I met Jodi, and I don't regret it for a second." Eve nodded and just smiled.
"I'll keep you updated on that Joyce. Alright, I just wanted to call you with an update, I'm going to bed a little early tonight." She started to lay down and get comfortable.
"Alright, have a good night's sleep. Talk soon hun!" with that, the two hung up. Eve laid down and let out a sigh. She hadn't really thought about dating or any of the people, however, it was a nice thought. And with that thought, she let out a yawn and was asleep within a few minutes. Tomorrow was another day, and she was going to take it by storm.