The sun rises as I start the new day in my new home. Being on a wooden bed definitely beats the older metal one, back in the city, but it definitely made me bright eyed and eager to start my new life in Stardew Valley. I went to getting out of my tattered old clothing and slipped on the comfortable farmer wear: A great white and blue chequered shirt adorned the upper half of my self as I slipped into the denim overalls that covered the rest of my boxer shorts and lower half. Since I had little in terms of footwear, giving my sneakers were almost worn out, I slotted my wriggly toes into a pair of fur-lined leather boots, that went up above my kneecaps. Then, finally, my hands found themselves in a pair of aviator gauntlets; Gloves that extended halfway up my forearms. Coiling around my neck was a great big cotton scarf with long frayed ends. It kept my neck cosy and obscured much of it from the elements.

Then to adorn my head was my family crown; My brown quilted leather flying helmet and pristine goggles to bound around the skull. Together, it gave me a new lease of life, to reflect the next chapter of my life here in the valley.

Beaming with pride, I knocked the door open and saw the seeds, that I had planted previously had only sprouted. It was this little thing that made my heart yelp and excitement started to build. It was the sure start of my farming career but I still had to nurture them, if I am to make Lewis' money worthwhile.

After I humbly got to work with watering the crops, which felt less tedious than the day before, I finally went about the thought of exploring Pelican Town; Lewis did suggest to me earlier that I should consider making myself known in the community.

Leaving the confines of my farm, I crossed over the pathway into the cluster of buildings that formed this settlement and, on first impression, it gave off a sleepy, quiet vibe. Being out of the ways of most civilisation, it comes to no surprise where a small handful of citizens decided to settle a town out in the middle of nowhere. There were no roads either, apart from the one the bus took, so only the winding footpaths connected each and every house and establishment in the vicinity. I wandered around, taking note of the brightly coloured buildings standing majestically around but then, as I went across the river, my heart skipped a beat…

It had yearned to me that an old haunt hasn't yet to leave my mind for another example of those gleaming grey and blue JojaMarts stood proudly in its own space. Though, quite frankly and likely because of how remote this place was, it wasn't as big as the ones in the city. Though, however, just seeing how its mere presence was an insult to me, it made me feel sick back at home, on how Hummingbird Plains became another factory churning out those tasteless JojaSodas that seem to have the world coiled around the company's grip.

How could I ever escape the tyranny of Joja if I can't live a life without seeing it around every corner?

I had to swallow my frustrations and kept a level head; As long as the manager hasn't heard of my 'dealings' in the past, I should be fine. Just then, I looked to see the Mayor being the first to emerge from his house and turned to meet me.

"Howdy Robbie. How is life in the Valley so far…? I am glad that you're exploring this humbling village." He greeted with a warm smile.

"Morning Lewis… " I spoke in a annoyed tone.

"What's the wrong… oh… that… well… I'm going to have to let you on this.

You see for even a little hamlet, such as this, Joja has been working hard to spread its network of stores all over the country and the bigwigs approached me with a proposal to build another of their JojaMarts, as a way to "reach out to the rural communities.".

Seeing them with a load of cash, my town wouldn't have survived if they hadn't kept the government off my back, so I gave them planning permission to build here. Promising to stay out of the way of our local businesses.

I know you had a rough time with the corporation back home but please heed my advice and keep it to yourself. As much as I wished to see them not in my beloved town but you gotta look on the reality side of things, y'know?

But I promise that you will still get the authentic country-life here, that your grandad had asked me to.

For starters, go visit Pierre; Once you've gathered your yield, you can either use the Shipping Bin, outside your house or visit his shop and sell your produce there. He will definitely help new aspiring farmers get started on their work by providing seeds and other essentials. Beats having to visit JojaMart…

Or, go against your bitter judgement, and buy Joja's questionably quality seeds. I heard they're much cheaper than Pierre but as the common folk say: "Nothing beats locally sourced produce."." He chortled.

I gave a straight face and had to accept the truth. He wasn't lying and it seems this town was on the edge of a problematic situation if it wasn't for Joja being accepted to run their shady business practices here. Regardless, I took his advice and went into Pierre's store where the aforementioned shopkeeper introduced himself.

"Welcome to Pierre's! The finest local produce and products in town! …Hey, you're the new farmer, are you?

I'm Pierre and this is my shop. If you're looking for seeds, I got em' right here, so be sure to stop by!" He smiled proudly.

On closer inspection, he was a somewhat well-off casual man, with light-brown hair and a smirk perching his spectacles over his nose. I browsed his selections of wares and surprisingly, they were almost double of the ones found in the urban JojaMarts.

"These are a little dear, aren't they?" I asked him.

"Oh… well… the thing is… since Joja came to town, I found myself in trouble with keeping the business afloat. With their low prices and aggressive marketing, keeping my customers takes me a lot of work and I couldn't lower them any further or I wouldn't be able to make enough of a profit to look after my family.

Well, if you're looking for a pretty penny, you can sell your produce here and we'll benefit them off both. I keep my shop and you'll be able to afford the prettier seeds. It's a win-win!" He laughed.

I huffed and made my way outside and continued exploring, meeting the various folk that had started emerging from their homes.

"Hey, my name's Penny…"

"So, you're the new farmer huh, Elliot's the name~"

"Ohhh, you're the new farmer, everyone's been talking about… you're going to love it here in Stardew Valley! My name's Emily!"

Once I have gotten accustomed to the townsfolk, I went further and explored the outer reaches of the region. There was a humble lake with a dense forest surrounding its edges, a pleasant beach that looked ripe for fishing and a proud mountain with tall cliffs and Robin's carpentry shop. Since I had little else to do, I wanted to catch up with her.

"Hey Robbie! How was your first night?" She asked.

"Never better… man, your work never disappoints." I smiled warmly.

"Oh, you know me, dear. Of course! It's been my passion ever since I was a girl. Now, here is where I run my carpentry service. If you get me the materials and funds, I could get on upgrading your farmhouse or add some cute additions to make your life, a little easier. I got windmills, barns, coops, you name it!

Sales Pitch out of the way… what brings you to this little hideout up north?" She asked.

"I just wanna stop by and have a little catchup." I smiled.

"Well, I am just about to close shop and was gonna start dinner soon. You can chat with us over a nice homemade apple pie."

Those three words: Homemade, apple, pie, were enough to get my tongue drooling. I kept it in my mouth though but the thoughts of another one of those tarts surely tickled my fancy and, after a hard day's work tending the fields. I deserve this delightful treat.

"I'm going to dish up soon so go and say hello to the others. Seb! Demetrius! There's someone here who wants to see you!" She hollered and Demetrius sat down with me while Robin did dinner.

"Hey Robbie. It's been so long since we saw a familiar face in town. I knew time did little to affect your inner personality… but I heard about your dad's passing though… sorry 'bout that. I kinda missing Harold too.

Well, that's all in the past, you got a new life here in the Valley. Maru shouldn't be long, she's at work with the doctor but when I told her, that you're coming, she was bursting to the brim with excitement." He spoke.

Maru? I haven't heard that name in ages. She has been my only true friend despite having little in the ways of socialising. We spent so much time playing with my toys as kids.

"By the way, you look great in your old farming clothes. It definitely suits you as a farmer than some city slicker.

And the hat… it suits you son. Wear it with pride." He added as he went to the kitchen. I nervously fondled with my chin strap as a door creak from the basement; A darkness loomed out to let out a bitter cold and somewhat, nicotine infused draught.

"Sup… bro… I haven't seen you around…" Croaked a voice.

When the light finally revealed who it was; A purple haired, hoody wearing walking gloom emerged from the confines of his darkened lair.

"Mom told me about you… I suppose this is my first time meeting a McSopwith in the flesh. Not like I ever go out... I'm Sebastian… by the way but most folk call me Seb."

Is he really that introverted? Only staying inside that room almost all week. It's like as if it was his house.

"How much energy did it take you to peel away from that computer?" Robin asked him.

"More than enough to blow your dodgy electrics." He chortled weakly and joined the rest of the family at the table. I too helped myself to one of the wooden chairs.

"Robin had built another chair, just for you… knowing you would be regular company. So, how's life in your new farm?

Definitely feels like the days you were on Hummingbird Plains but I 'erd it was turned into another one of those wretched JojaCola factories. I say it was a waste of research potential. All the wildlife would have been driven out by those thugs' malicious activities which I was annoyed as much as you were kiddo." Demetrius spoke as the mechanical clanking of the oven door was opened and Robin brought a steaming hot pie onto the middle of the table.

I could smell the fine baked apples from where I sat, her warm glowing smile adding to the love and passion she had for her family and friends.

"We're all glad to see you here… I'm sure you'll be fine with us looking after you. Besides, this is your first time alone in the valley but you got us still. If you need a bit of family comfort, ya know where to look." She said when we looked to see the door churning aside.

"Hey guys, I'm ho-… R…Robbie?! Oh my god! You're here!" The familiar figure spoke as I scraped the chair aside and got up, arms ready for her to plunge into me and we embraced.

"I can't believe you're here at last! It's been ages since I last saw you!" Maru spoke.

"I know… I've missed you all… so much I almost forgot about you guys." I smiled.

"Well, he's here for good… and about time… that field down there is a mess…! Can't believe his grandad didn't have the time to turn that old patch into his little paradise. But since the ground's good, he's going to become a successful farmer… like his family always has been." Robin spoke.

"Oh man, I got so much to tell you about but first… let's all enjoy dinner first." Maru said as we finally gathered around the table once more.

"I want to say… but… to finally see to Robbie's new leaf at becoming a farmer once more. We wish him the best of luck." She said as we raised our glasses and got stuck in.

There was one thing I could get to having a homely feeling is Robin's cooking. She was the closest I could have for a loving mum who catered to her family as much as to her hobby of building things.

Once we had our fill, I spoke out.

"Robin… if my mother and father were here, they'd be proud of you. Since my mother is… less of sorts… you were the closest I could have before she became an alcoholic… I dunno if I could even dare go see her…" I sighed.

She pats her chest with a smile.

"That means a lot Robbie… though I'm sure she had gone through a tough time… she lost her husband and probably have decided to recover… maybe one day she might come visit you… maybe when you're successful too." She said.

"She's right… I'm sure you'll make your family proud of being here… knowing that you guys are gonna stick around." Demetrius added.

"Yeah…! Hey, when we have free-time, why don't we go and sit in the park and have a chat. I can even show you around the inner workings of the town. I've also been keen in coming up with new ideas for improving agricultural performance conducted by farmers so I'll probably come along and inspect any machinery that you might have, sitting around there." Maru cackled.

"Well… it's getting late… it's been fun having you here with us though I'm sure you'll be back for more. In the meantime, you outta look after your farm if you wanna make money. Feel free to stop by anytime, Robbie." Robin offered as we got up.

"It's been nice spending the day with our lil catch up and yeah… I'll make pa proud!" I proudly smiled.

"That's the spirit kid. Now run along now, those crops won't grow themselves." The carpenter gestured as I made my farewells and headed back to the farm, writing in the entry for my journal, before laying my weary head for the night.