Sunday, 14th of Spring

The sound of rain hitting the window woke Alma up the next morning. She looked around and saw Bisclavret lying on the floor next to her bed. "Good morning, Bizzy." He came and hopped up on the bed, and though she was a bit startled by his sudden weight on the bed, she welcomed his kisses and was happy to cuddle him for a bit. "You're a good boy, and I wish I could lie here and snuggle with you all day … but I gotta get to work." After a bit of whining and protest, Bisclavret finally let her get up. On her way out the door, Alma was about to get the umbrella Pierre had given her, but then she looked at her new straw hat sitting on the table. It may offer some protection, and it would be a lot more convenient to be hands-free. So she put it on and went outside the cabin.

The best thing about the rain was that Alma didn't need to water the crops, so she was happy she got to save some energy. She was also happy to see the addition of the strawberry plants that she planted last night after the festival. A few parsnips were ready to harvest, and when she looked over to the little pond and saw the rice shoots, she thought maybe those were ready too. She pulled up the parsnips and got her scythe to cut down the rice. Grains of rice fell into her hands, and she put all the produce in her bag. She smiled to herself and did her quick check of the rest of the farm, foraging as she went.

It was still pretty early, and she didn't feel like she had a lot to do. She remembered Willy telling her that some of the fish she needed for the community center bundles were only available in the rain, so she definitely thought today would be a good day for fishing. And maybe after that, she might finally go check out the mines. She remembered too that the woman in the traveling cart said she'd be back today, so maybe she might see if she maybe – maybe – had anything worth buying. She opened her chests, figuring out what she needed to unload and what she needed to take. Take the parsnips, make field snacks, take those, take the rest of the seeds and nuts, leave the watering can, take the fishing pole. And off she went to see the saleswoman.

When she headed south, she saw Vincent and Jas sneaking into Cindersap Forest. "Wait, Vincent, slow down!" Jas whispered loudly. Alma didn't see Marnie, Shane, Jodi, or Penny around, so she wondered what they were up to. She followed behind them and watched them go down the stairs by the cliffs. It was very dangerous over there; one slip in the mud, and one of them could be seriously hurt!

"Here it is," Vincent said, stopping in front of the opening to the sewer.

Jas coughed and pinched her nose. "Ew... it smells!"

Vincent giggled and got closer to the sewer. He took a stick and banged on the cover, trying to pry it open. "Why is it locked? I wanna explore the sewers!" he whined.

"I think Gunther has the key."

"Professor Gunther? The man who runs the museum? Why do you think he has it?"

She talked a little more quietly and held her hand to her mouth. "I saw a big rusty old key fall out of his pocket one time. A creepy sewer door like this has just got to be a match for a big rusty old key." Just then, a sound came from the sewers, and the kids both jumped. They ran screaming toward Alma, not caring that she was listening in on them. They hid behind her, clinging to her clothes. "Ms. Alma! There's something moving around in there! Help!"

"All right, all right, you two," she said, gently pulling their hands off her overalls. "You all stay here and let me go take a look. I'm sure it's nothing." She went down the stairs and stepped close to the sewer door, peering inside. She could barely make out a black figure, and she heard something like footsteps squishing in the green ooze that came from the opening. A chill went down her spine, and she couldn't help but shiver and jump. "Okay, nope, kids, let's go!" She ran back up the stairs, and they already were rushing back toward the bridge.

When they got back to the grassy area by Leah's house, they stood to catch their breath. "Please don't tell my parents we were playing by the sewer, Ms. Alma!" Vincent cried.

"Yes, please!"

"All right," she said, crouching down to look them both in the eye, "but I don't want you all going back there again. Not only is the sewer dangerous, but so are the cliffs! If one of you fell off …!"

"Yes, Ms. Alma," they both said.

"Now go on home before you get too wet." They both rushed away, and she stood back up and watched them go. Then she turned around and went to see the traveling saleswoman. Again, Alma was blown away by the prices; even if she wanted to buy something, there was no way she could. She said her goodbyes and headed to the store next.

She sold Pierre all of her parsnips except one, saying, "I'm going to save this one for Haley. I saw on the calendar outside that it's her birthday today."

"Don't bother," Abigail said, turning from the shelves. "Since it's raining, she's not going to come out of her room. And I doubt she'll let you in there."

"Oh. Okay. Thanks, Abby." She turned back to Pierre, who held out his hand for the last parsnip. She gave it to him, and he gave her the gold.

"Most people stay indoors on a day like this," he said. "It's not usually good for business. But if it means I get one more parsnip from you, bring on the rain!" he laughed.

Alma smiled and thanked him, and she headed back out into the rain. She went over toward the river and cast her line, hoping for a shad or catfish. After a while, she had a bite, and she was happy to see it was a shad! She caught a few other fish: a chub, a few smallmouth bass, a bream (which she could also contribute to the bundle), but no catfish. She did also catch some other things, like some algae and some Joja cola – which she happily threw into the trash. She was pretty happy with how she was doing; she could feel herself improving in her fishing skill. With her confidence building, she decided to continue up the mountains toward the mines.

On her way, Alma happened to find an artifact in the ground: a rusty cog! And a bit further down the path, she uncovered another lost book. She felt happy to know she had more goodies to give Gunther later.

Alma made her way across the small wooden bridge and saw the entrance to the cave. When she stepped inside the musty cave room, she saw a mysterious man with an eye patch and a cape, standing over an opening into the ground. She remembered seeing him with Willy at the Egg Festival. He looked up at Alma and didn't react, as if he was expecting her to arrive at just this time. "I was just peering down into this old mine shaft," he said casually. "It's been abandoned for decades. Still," he said, crouching down, "there's probably good ore down there." He peered up at Alma through his tussled, gray hair. "You rearin' to go check it out?"

"Uh, well, no, not really. I just wanted to come see what was behind the cave opening."

"I can tell …. You're an explorer. But a dark place, undisturbed for so long ... I'm afraid ore isn't the only thing you'll find."

Alma felt a chill from the drafty caverns and asked, "What exactly are you referring to?"

He said nothing but instead stood up, threw his cape to one side, and unbuckled the scabbard from his waist. "Here," he said, "take this. You might need it." As he handed it to her, Alma couldn't help but notice the scars that lined his hands and forearms. She pulled the sword out a bit to examine it. It had chinks in the metal and rust on the blade, but it still looked like it could still do some damage. Alma wasn't very knowledgeable about combat or weaponry, but she felt a rush of adrenaline and power as she looked at the rusty sword. "Name's Marlon, by the way. I run the Adventurer's Guild right outside."

"I'm Alma," she said, wrapping the belt around her waist, "but I suspect you already knew that."

He nodded. "I'll keep my eye on you. Prove yourself, and I might think about making you a member."

"Of the guild? You think I can?"

"Time will tell, won't it?" he said. Then he went to the opening of the cave, his heavy boots clodding against the pat-down dirt. Before he ducked out, he smirked and said, "Good luck."

The air in the cave felt thick, especially now that Alma was alone. She looked down into the shaft; it was just open enough for her to climb down the ladder. She had never done anything like this before. And though she felt nervous and maybe ill-equipped, she realized … this was just another component to this new life in Stardew Valley. She had never farmed before either. Or fished. She was nervous and ill-equipped for those things too, but she was getting better and better every day. Why should this be different? She took a sharp breath and climbed down the ladder.

When she dropped down from the last step, she found herself in a closed-off cavern. There didn't seem to be much to worry about. All she saw were rocks packed into the dirt. She pulled out her pickaxe and started to chip away at what was in her way. She filled her bag with rock and ore that she was collecting, and before long, her bag was full; her tools, the fish, the rocks, the cog, the algae …. She realized maybe today wasn't the best time for the mines after all. She looked at the time: just after four o'clock. She remembered Willy said eel would be in the ocean on rainy afternoons, so maybe a better use of time, energy, and storage today would be to go fishing for the eel. She sighed, looking over all the rocks. "I will be back for you," she said. Then she snickered at how dramatic she sounded and pulled out her journal: "Reach Level 5 in the mines." She climbed her way up the ladder and left the cave.

Alma made her way through the rain to the beach (making a quick stop at the library before it closed so she could give the lost book to Gunther), and she cast her line out into the ocean waters. She caught a couple anchovies first and then, to her surprise, an eel! Looking at her stuff, she needed to make a decision for what to discard to make room for the eel. She eyed that algae … Was it edible? "One way to find out," she said, holding it up to her lips. It smelled like the ocean, and she gagged before throwing it into her mouth. It was vile, but she actually felt a little energized after eating it. She put the eel in her bag and made her way into town.

She could have gone back to the farm, but it was still a bit early, and a night at the saloon sounded nice. After running around in the rain, a hot meal sounded like a great way to round out her day.

But when she opened the door and saw Dr. Harvey sitting there at the bar, she felt that familiar juxtaposition of happiness and pain. She tried to ignore it and give her attention to others there; she made her way around the room and made sure to say hi to everyone. She was half hoping he might leave before she got around to talk to him. But when she saw he was still there, his coat now off and lying on the bar next to him, she took a breath and went to the bar to say hello. She sat a little farther away, though, on the side of the bar in front of Shane, who looked a little annoyed that she took one of the stools there. "Good evening, Dr. Harvey."

He looked up at her and smiled. "Oh, hello, Ms. Alma." He leaned on the bar to face her, and she noticed he was a bit red-faced. "How are you this evening?"

"I'm all right. Well, a bit wet, but all right."

"Your trophy didn't, uh, didn't help?" he asked, nodding up toward the hat.

"Not too much, I'm afraid." She took it off and laid it on the bar, smoothing back her short, wet hair. "Gus, could I try an order of the bean hotpot please?"

"Comin' up!"

"Enjoying your wine?" she asked Dr. Harvey.

"Honestly … I think – I think I have misjudged its potency tonight. I'm just collecting myself a bit before I go back home."

She looked him over and asked, "Have you eaten?"

"Yes, I just finished my dinner."

"Good," she said. Then she turned her head and called, "Sorry, Gus?" He turned and looked at her. "Maybe a cup of coffee and a glass of water too please?"

"Sure thing."

"So," Dr. Harvey started, "h-how are things in Paradise?"

Alma couldn't help but smile a little. "Pretty normal today. Got a few crops, cleaned things up a bit. I mostly focused on fishing today."

"Fishing!"

"Yes, Willy gave me a rod, and I've been trying to catch some fish." She held up her bag and said, "I've got my loot in here that I'd be happy to show you, but I'm scared it might clear the place out."

"Probably smart," he answered. Gus brought over the coffee and water and placed them in front of Alma, but she scooted them to Dr. Harvey. He looked up at her, a bit confused. "It's for me?"

"You of all people should know that hydration can help slow the absorption of alcohol into the bloodstream and that caffeine can fight off any sluggishness. Your eating should help too."

"It's like you read my mind," he chuckled with a shake of his head. He took a sip and smiled. "This is my favorite stuff! There's just nothing better than a – a good cup of coffee. Thank you, ma'am."

"Anytime," she answered. "I'm unfortunately a little too knowledgeable about how to sober someone up." He looked at her with raised eyebrows over his mug, not sure whether to ask her why. She answered for him, "My dad. He's a recovering alcoholic."

"Oh, I see. I'm – I'm sorry."

"No, it's okay. He's better now," she said with a smile. "He never wants to say he's cured, you know, but he hasn't had a drink in a decade or so."

"Good for him. That's very hard to overcome. No doubt he's been able to do it with – with your help."

Gus brought her food, and she thanked him for it. It tasted so much better than she expected, and the warmth felt so comforting going down. "I guess it is a bit late to be drinking coffee, though. Hopefully it won't keep you up tonight."

"Don't worry," he chuckled, "I drink enough coffee that the, uh, the caffeine doesn't have a strong effect on me anymore. So if I have trouble sleeping, that's not going to be the reason why," he said as he took another sip.

"What do you mean?"

Dr. Harvey let out a long sigh and looked into his cup. "How do I put this, hmm …" He drummed his fingers on the bar and then said, "I'm struggling to make ends meet. Every spring, business declines, and every year it gets a little worse. I've been trying to look at different angles for different solutions, but I – I'm not sure what to do."

"I'm sorry to hear that. I don't suppose there's anything I can do?"

"No. No, not really. The problem is I don't have enough patients. I guess I should try to get patients from the neighboring towns …."

"How would that work? Would you have to travel, or would they come to you, or …?"

"I would probably advertise out and have people come here, since this – this is where my practice is."

"I see. So at least that wouldn't be an inconvenience on you or anything."

"No, thankfully, it wouldn't. I just prefer to treat locals so I can, uh, get invested in their lives and see the whole scope of their health in the context of their complete lifestyles. But I'm not opposed to treating people from outside the town, of course. And don't misunderstand me; the clinic is not in danger of closing or anything. I've just had to cut back on some … expenses of my own to help out."

"Well, I know all about that," she laughed.

"Ah yes, are you making progress toward your, uh, your chicken coop?"

"Just still grinding away," she answered. "I got set back a bit yesterday because I bought quite a few strawberry plants from Pierre at the festival. But I consider that an investment."

"As you should," he answered. "I quite like strawberries and would be very happy to buy some from your farm. And I-I'm sure I'm not the only one in town who feels that way."

"Thank you, that's very kind. I'll be sure you're one of the first to know when they're ripe."

Dr. Harvey took the last sip of his coffee and water and then started to put on his coat. "Well, I do feel quite a bit better now, so I-I think I'll be heading home for the night. Thank you again."

"You're welcome. Have a safe walk home." He gave her a little wave, and she smiled, watching him leave the saloon and walk out into the rain, pulling his coat over his head.