Friday, 19th of Spring

When Alma heard Marnie's rooster crow, her first thought was again a pleasantly surprised feeling that she didn't have a nightmare. That was the second time this week, for two weeks in a row! Then she also remembered – she'd passed out again?! "Oh man, what's Dr. Harvey going to say now?" she mumbled. She couldn't believe that after having just passed out, they talked about how she should be more careful, and then she did it again. She stepped outside and went to the mailbox, seeing how much the charge was this time. But to her surprise, there was no letter from Dr. Harvey but from Linus:

"Alma,

You're lucky I found you last night! You were unconscious, and someone was searching your pockets. I have no idea how much money they took … they ran away as soon as I approached. Be more careful!

-Linus"

Who in the world was on her farm pickpocketing off her unconscious body?! She thought Pelican Town was a small, safe town! And what was Linus doing here? Regardless, she thought, it was lucky for her! She needed to make sure to take him a gift today. She checked her money to see how much was taken. Not too bad – only about a hundred gold. Not great, of course, but not too bad. There was another letter in the mailbox from Jodi, asking if she could have a fresh cauliflower for a recipe. Alma checked her chests, and she did have a cauliflower there, so she went ahead and put it in her bag so she wouldn't forget to take it there sometime today. She made a note in her journal too: "Bring Jodi a cauliflower."

She looked out on the crops and didn't see anything ready to harvest today, so she went ahead and watered everything. She gave Bisclavret his water and belly rubs, and she did a walkthrough, picking up nuts, seeds, weeds, and that kind of thing on her way. There wasn't a lot to do today, but she thought if she was going to be going to see Linus, maybe she could go into the mines and finish killing the slimes so she could be part of the Adventurer's Guild. She took her sword and headed first to Pierre's to sell a few things.

"It's Farmer Alma!" Pierre cheered when she came through the door. Dr. Harvey was there too, and he smiled and nodded as she passed by. "What can I do for you today?"

"Just selling a few small things. Nothing major today." She turned and said over her shoulder, "Sorry, Doctor. Nothing new today."

"I, uh, I'm not so sure about that," he said, walking up to her. He showed her the inside of his shopping basket, and she saw green beans, leek, and horseradish. "Pierre said there was a big sale yesterday on wild spring produce and green beans because of a certain new farmer."

"Yes, Alma, it seems your vegetables have the town doctor's seal of approval!" Pierre joked, giving her the money for her goods.

"What can I say? This stuff can definitely be incorporated into a healthy diet," he said with a wink, and she smiled back. "Ms. Alma and I were just discussing yesterday in the clinic how her, uh, work has already improved healthy habits for people in town."

"Yes, and the economy too," Pierre said. "I really do appreciate your business, Ms. Alma. I've been having a harder and harder time turning a decent profit."

"You two are going to make me blush. You all know it's nothing. I'm happy to do it."

"Well, we certainly are too!" Pierre laughed.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I do have a few deliveries and other errands I need to take care of. Have a nice weekend!" They all said their goodbyes, and Alma headed south to Jodi's home.

She knocked on the door and heard no reply. With a bit of hesitation, she creaked open the door and called inside, "Jodi? Are you home?" She peeked around and didn't see a sign of anybody, so she decided to go see Linus first and try again later. She made her way back up through town and saw Linus standing by the lake. "Good afternoon, Linus," she said, walking up next to him.

He acknowledged her with a nod and looked back out to the water. "Have you come to ridicule me? I'm just minding my own business."

"What? No! Sir," she said sincerely, turning to him, "I'm here to thank you." He carefully scanned her face, and she could tell he was deciding if he could trust her or not. "Have you had that many painful encounters that you have to be so … guarded?"

He let out a heavy sigh and turned to the water again. "People are not sure what to think about a man of my lifestyle. You saw how George felt about me. He's not the only one."

"I'm so sorry, Linus. But I also saw how Gus felt about you." She dug in her bag and took out a high quality leek. "And he's not the only one either."

Alma handed it to him, and a smile crept onto his face as he took it. "This is a great gift. Thank you!"

"Of course. It's the least I can do for what you did for me last night."

"I'm afraid I was still too late. Did they take much from you?"

"No, not a lot. And it meant a lot to me that you helped me get back inside safely. Really, thank you." He nodded again. "Are there really people like that in Pelican Town?"

"Everywhere you go, there will be people who feed upon the vulnerable. It's human nature. But you're right that there is also still altruism." Linus turned and said, "We should never forget that." She nodded too. "Thank you for your kindness."

"And for yours. I hope that we can become friends."

"I hope so too, miss. But you'll have to excuse this old hardened heart. As you said, I have had many painful encounters, and it's hard for me to trust so easily."

"I understand. I really do." She threw her bag back over her shoulders. "Take care."

As she started walking toward the mines, Linus called after her, "Be careful in there, miss!" She turned and waved with a smile.

Alma had an idea as she approached the cave. She looked at some of the tall pine trees close by. "If I cut down a few trees, I could make a chest right by the elevator and use that to store things like my sword that I only use in the mines." She pulled out her ax. "Genius, Alma." And she started chopping. It took a few trees before she had enough wood for a chest, and that used up quite a bit of energy. But after eating a few forageables she had gathered on the way, she was ready to build a chest and go into the mines. When Alma approached the elevator, she got to thinking that she didn't really need to exert herself today; because of her late night, she didn't have much energy to begin with. So rather than start from the fifth level and try to make her way to the tenth, she climbed into the first shaft, remembering that there were slimes at even some of the first levels. All she needed to do was kill two more. There were no slimes on the first level, so she made her way down to the next. It didn't take long mining away at rocks that she saw a slime jump out at her, and she swung her sword and killed it pretty quickly. She gathered up the slime in her bag. "One more," she said to herself as she climbed the ladder into the next level. Again, it didn't take long to see her next slime. And though it hit her a few times too, she was able to kill it and collect its slime. She decided to go ahead and get out of the mines to check out the Adventurer's Guild. When she exited the mines (making sure to put the sword in the newly-made chest), Alma continued on and saw the lodge etched into the side of the cliff, and when she knocked, she was happy to see that the door opened for her.

"Gil, wake up! We have a visitor!" Marlon said from behind the counter. The lodge was cozy and covered in battle decor: weaponry, mounted heads and skins, taxidermied creatures, hunting awards and trophies …. Alma was amazed that she of all people was now welcome in a place like this. "Well well well," Marlon said, throwing his cape to one side and putting a hand on his hip. "Looks like someone figured out how to wield that sword after all. Killed me ten slimes, huh?"

"Yes sir, though not unscathed."

"That's to be expected," he said, pointing to his eyepatch. "Gil's got some stories of battle wounds too, don't ya, Gil?" Marlon looked over at the man slowly rocking in the rocking chair by the fire. He pulled out a pipe and lit it up, not saying a word. "He's a quiet one, but you get a couple pints in him, and he won't shut up," Marlon laughed. "Now, what can we do for ya?"

"Oh, I mostly just wanted to come by and check out the place."

"I see. Well, you're welcome to come by any time. I buy and sell weapons and armor, and I also have an item recovery service if you happen to lose something in the mines. It happens to all of us."

"Good to know."

"We've also got a record of slain monsters up here on the wall. I'll make sure to update slimes by an additional ten," he said with a smoky laugh.

Alma went to the wall to inspect the list and was shocked. "Are there really this many different kinds of monsters here in Pelican Town?"

"And in Calico Desert, yes. You'd be surprised what things are lurking in the shadows, ma'am."

Alma was learning more and more today about the dark underbelly of Stardew Valley. She turned and stuck her hand out to Gil. "Good afternoon, sir. It's a pleasure to meet you."

He didn't shake her hand but instead looked up at her just past the bill of his hat. "Come back when you've got something to show me, kid."

Marlon let out a loud laugh. "C'mon, now, Gil! She's a newcomer here in town. Don't scare her off just yet!"

Alma lowered her hand and said to both of them, "I'll confess that I'm not much of a fighter. But I did come here looking for adventure, and I am quite proud that you all have decided I am worthy to join your prestigious guild."

"We're happy to have you," Marlon said. "Don't let ole Gil there worry you. He's just an ole windbag."

"Well, as I continue to explore the mines, I'm sure I'll see you gentlemen more often," Alma said, heading for the door. "And I do plan on returning to see you sometime, Gil." She opened up the door and nodded before she left. "Thank you, Marlon."

He saluted her. "Good luck out there!"

Alma left the guild and went back into town, wondering if Jodi might be home yet. And as she went down the mountain pass, she saw her – coming out of JojaMart. She was able to cross paths right in front of Pierre's. "Jodi, I have something for you," Alma said, rummaging in her bag.

"Oh, is it – ?" Alma pulled out the cauliflower and handed it to her. "Oh, that looks so delicious! Thank you, this is just what I wanted. It's going to be perfect for my yellow curry. Here." She reached into her pocket and handed Alma the gold.

"I couldn't help but, uh, notice that you were shopping in the JojaMart?"

Jodi sighed. "Yes, the food at JojaMart might not be the healthiest for my family, but with such low prices you'd be crazy to shop anywhere else!" Alma was a bit shocked at this response and looked up at Pierre's store right next to them. "Oh, don't get me wrong, I shop at Pierre's when I can. But," she said, leaning in to whisper, "his produce is just not that great. I'm not willing to pay more money for less quality."

Alma tried to think about the best way to respond. "Well, actually, ma'am, if you like the quality of my cauliflower, you'll be happy to know that I sell my produce almost exclusively to Pierre. He gives me a fair price for the buy-back, and I've heard that because of the increase in stock, he's actually able to lower his prices some."

"Oh really?"

"Yes, and I … well, I know you were there on Wednesday when Morris came into the store. I know I'm new to town, but I am not new to Joja. Their prices are cheap because they cut corners. They take advantage of small towns like this to increase their business and build a monopoly, which gives them the ability to mistreat employees and suppliers. I don't mean to sound like I'm telling you what to do, but it's not a business I would encourage you to support." She gestured to Pierre's store and continued, "Pierre, on the other hand, treats me very well, and he cares very much for his customers. His business is helping to improve Pelican Town, and buying from him is an investment in your home and family too."

Jodi chuckled a bit. "Alma, you're sounding like an advertisement."

Alma laughed a little too. "I guess so. I'm just passionate about it, and I didn't know if you had heard about Joja from the inside."

"The inside? Did you – ?"

"I used to work with JojaCorp, in IT and data collection. There are some pretty major moral qualms I have with the company, and I will not give them my business anymore."

Jodi paused, looking a little shocked. "Well," she started, looking at the cauliflower, "you have certainly given me a lot to think about. But for now, I think I should head home and start on my curry. Thank you again, Alma."

"You're welcome, ma'am. Say hi to the boys for me." They waved as they went their separate ways. Alma hoped she didn't come off as too harsh. She looked down the road to JojaMart past the bridge, and she could feel her blood begin to boil again.

TW: verbal abuse

CW: poison, entrapment

Alma walked toward town with her backpack full of crops from the morning. She was headed to Pierre's, but when she came off the path and into the square, she was shocked to see Jodi and Caroline in their usual spot staring directly at Alma. They whispered to each other as she walked past. Evelyn was out and about too, tending to the town gardens. "Good morning, Ms. Mullner," Alma said, but Evelyn looked at her with a cold glance and went back to the flowers. She also saw Penny and Mayor Lewis walking by, and they both also gave her hard looks and head wags. What was wrong with everyone?

When she pushed the door open to go inside the store, she was shocked to see that all the shelves were empty. The walls were bare, and Pierre was packing up the last of his stuff from behind the counter and putting it into a box. "Pierre! What's going on?"

"What do you mean 'What's going on?' You're the one who did this!" he spat at her.

Alma stopped in her tracks. "What do you - What do you mean?"

"You knew something was wrong with those green beans you sold me yesterday!"

"I don't - What are you talking about?"

He started walking toward her, his eyes raging mad. "Doctor Harvey is dead because of you – "

"What?!"

" – and I'm out of a business!"

"He's dead?!" She dropped her bag and started to run toward the door.

Pierre continued, "Mayor Lewis has taken away my license to sell, and my family is being kicked out of the city! And it's all because of you, bitch!"

Alma threw open the doors to the store and ran next door to the clinic. The walls of the waiting room were red and black – not the usual white and blue. "Dr. Harvey?!" Alma called. She pushed through the doors and looked through the exam room and operating room. "Dr. Harvey!" She went back to the double doors in the back, running up the stairs to his apartment. "Oh God, Harvey!" The room was dark, but he was there, lying in the middle of the floor, foam pouring out of his mouth. His eyes were wide open and looking directly at her. Flies buzzed around his face.

"Get out!" she heard from behind her. It was Mayor Lewis standing at the door. "Get out of my city and never come back!" She ran past him and pushed through the doors, stumbling down the stairs. She started sobbing as she pushed through the front doors and ran through town. All the townspeople were out now, hurling insults at her as she ran by.

"Murderer!"

"Leave!"

"You fake!"

"Never come back!"

"Bitch!"

"Get out!"

"You cunt!"

"How dare you?!"

"Killer!"

"Con!"

She put her hands over her ears, trying to drown them out. Alma ran all the way through town toward the beach, but they all followed and continued their barrage. When she crossed the bridge, she tripped and fell face first into the hot sand. She tried to pull herself up, but she felt the sand beneath her give way, like someone pulled out the floor of the beach under the sand. Her whole body sank, and she tried to crawl out. The people came after her still, watching her sink deeper and continuing to berate her. Soon, her ears filled with sand, and she couldn't hear anymore. Sand filled her mouth, her eyes, her nose, it became heavy on top of her, and it was dark.