Author's Notes:

Stardew Valley and its characters belong to ConcernedApe.

The female farmer character is from one of my personal playthroughs.

A gentle autumn breeze drifted through the trees, carrying the scent of maple, oak, and pine through the small town. Penny made sure her scarf was wrapped to ward off the chill and her cap was snugly in place over her red hair. "Come along, children!" she called to her pupils. "It's getting dark, we need to get you back home!"

"Coming, Miss Penny!" Jas and Vincent came running from the riverbank to catch up with their tutor. Penny couldn't help smiling at them; it was days like this that she found fulfilling, watching young minds learn and grow, days like today that reminded her of the positive reasons she had for wanting to be a teacher.

They made their way along the street, Vincent skipping along ahead while Penny calmly walked with Jas beside her. The young girl had been more willing to stay close ever since she had been rescued from the Cindersap Forest.

The tutor smiled again as she remembered Jas telling the story to them, how she had been chasing a squirrel around her aunt's ranch and somehow wandered off and gotten lost in the woods, how she had yelled for help, but no one had come… until the town's new farmer had come running through the tree line. Penny's heart fluttered again as she imagined how heroic it must have looked…

"Hi, Miss Violet!" The flutter turned into a jolt. She was here? Now? Wasn't she down in the mines today? That usually had her out until well past nightfall… Penny realized that the kids had stopped and were looking back the way they had come.

She turned around to see Violet approaching, still dressed in her mining overalls and tough boots, carrying a pickaxe over her shoulder and wearing a big grin on her face. "Hi, kids!" the farmer replied. "Not too late, am I?"

Vincent ran up. "We were learning about fish today!" "Yeah, and it was only a little gross," Jas added.

Both women laughed. "No, you're just in time to help me walk them home," Penny said. "I thought you were down in the mines today."

Violet nodded, her brown ponytail bobbing behind her. "I was, but I had to stop by Robin's today to pick up a special order." She smiled. "Shall we get going?"

o0o

Jas waved from the doorway. "Good night, Miss Penny! Good night, Miss Violet!" She turned and hurried inside past her aunt.

Marnie also waved. "Thank you, ladies, for keeping an eye on my niece."

"It was no trouble at all," Penny replied. "Have a good night."

Once the door was shut, the only light left was the occasional lamppost and the rare glimpse of moonlight through the thick clouds. Penny shivered a little and pulled at her jacket. "Every year I keep promising myself to get some kind of light, and every year I have managed to forget."

The farmer smiled at her. "I could walk you home," she offered.

Penny was suddenly grateful it was so dark, because she could feel her face burning. "I, um … I thought you needed to get back to your farm?"

Violet shrugged. "Iris will be fine until I get back." She chuckled. "An advantage to having a cat, they tend to be more independent." Her voice softened a little. "And I would like the extra time with you."

"I … I would like that too."

And with that, the two began walking back. The dirt path gave way to stone pavement, and Penny desperately tried to think of something to say; while the silence was peaceful, opportunities for conversation had been rare over the past few days.

And then she remembered why, and realized what she needed to say.

She nervously cleared her throat. "I know I said to forget about what happened." She paused. "But I feel like I need to apologize in person for my mom's behavior, the last time you came over."

"Penny…"

"She's… been prone to bad moods ever since… well, for some time now." She thought for a moment. "It feels like a lifetime ago," she whispered mostly to herself.

"Penny, it's alright."

"It … it doesn't feel alright."

Violet sighed. "She probably still sees me as a stranger, and having a stranger in your home is never comfortable." She chuckled. "Mayor Lewis even reminded me the other day that folks around here take awhile to warm up to new people."

Penny looked at her in surprise. "But you've been here since …"

"Only since this spring, not all that long compared to everyone else; technically I'm still a newcomer."

"It feels like you've been here a lot longer," Penny said softly.

Violet laughed nervously. "That's … good, right?"

Penny gasped. "Oh, I'm sorry! Yes, yes, I do mean that in a good way!" She was grateful to notice that they were nearly to the trailer she shared with her mom. "Um, an-anyway, we're here, so …"

"Oh, wait just a second." The farmer leaned her pickaxe carefully against a nearby fence, then reached into her pocket. "While I was down in the mines, I discovered something nifty." She pulled out a small wooden box that was just a little smaller than her hand.

"A … box?" Penny asked, puzzled.

Violet laughed again. "No, the box was from Robin." She opened it, revealing a small golden ring. "It has a minor magical effect when worn."

"Oh, it looks lovely! What sort of effect?"

Violet held the box out to her. "Put it on and find out."

Hesitantly, Penny accepted the box and removed the ring. As she held it, she thought it started to glow, just slightly. Slowly she slipped the ring onto her right hand, onto the index finger where it seemed like it would best fit, and was surprised to feel it adjust slightly to fit properly. She was even more surprised when a soft glow emanated from the ring, illuminating the immediate area for several feet around her, revealing a grinning Violet.

"Oh my goodness!" Penny exclaimed.

"I know, right?!"

"But … this is a magical artifact, I can't possibly …"

"Penny, please relax. I had Gunther and Marlon examine it, and they both called this a trinket. It is simply a really nice convenient light source, okay?"

"But … but won't you need it? You stay up so late, and you're in the mines …"

In response, Violet reached into another pocket of her overalls and pulled out a similar ring, albeit a bit smudged with dirt. "Don't worry, I'm still taken care of." She smiled. "And I think it's sweet how concerned you are for me."

Penny could feel herself blushing again. "I … well … that is, thank you."

"With winter nearly here and the days getting shorter, I thought this would be rather helpful for you when it came time for everyone to head home." The farmer nodded to her own ring. "And now we match, too."

The blushing situation was not improving. "Are you sure?"

Violet nodded. "Besides," she added, glancing away briefly, "you could use a little light in your life." Her eyes widened. "I mean … um …"

Now it was Penny's turn to laugh; it was like a scene out of one of her favorite books. "Violet, you are such a charmer. Thank you, for everything." She glanced around at how dark it was outside of the ring's effect. "But you really do need to be getting home, and you need to work on your sleeping habits, alright?"

Violet gave a resigned sigh as she retrieved her pickaxe. "Oh, alright." She waved as she turned to head back to her farm. "Goodnight, Penny."

"Goodnight." Penny stood and watched the farmer leave, ponytail bobbing with each step. For a short while she stood outside the trailer, basking in the warm light of a gift from a friend.

Yes, Penny realized, now she did have a little light in her life.