Friday, 26th of Spring

When Alma opened her eyes at the rooster's crow, she was amazed. This was now the third night of the week that she hadn't had a nightmare. They were getting progressively less and less each week. She sighed with contentment and rolled over in the blankets, feeling cozy and comfortable - or as comfortable as that old bed would allow.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. It scared Alma a little, but she was getting more and more used to people visiting her super early; it didn't startle her quite so much anymore. "Just a second!" she called, getting out of bed and stepping into her overalls. She straightened out her hair a bit and then cracked the door open. It was Demetrius standing there with a smile on his face. She came out and greeted him, "Good morning, sir!"

"Hi, Alma! I have some good news for you!"

"Oh? What's that?"

"A few days ago, I made a breakthrough in my research on the local environment. I'll spare you the technical details and get to the point …. You know that empty cave over there, a little ways to the west?" he asked, pointing that direction.

"Yes, sir."

"Well, I have a way to turn it into something useful - for both of us."

"Oh, okay! What did you have in mind?"

"I'd like to set up the cave to attract some local species. That way I can observe them in a more controlled environment. And you can harvest whatever products they produce."

"That sounds great. What sort of species were you considering?"

"I can either set up the cave to attract mushrooms or fruit bats. The bats will sometimes leave fruit for you to collect. Which one would you prefer?"

Alma looked over to the cave and thought for a moment. She could eventually get fruit on her own from the saplings at Pierre's store, but mushrooms seemed a bit harder to come by. Usually if she found mushrooms, they were up in the mountains or down in the forest. It'd be convenient to have some right here on the farm. "I think mushrooms sound like a good addition here."

Demetrius smiled and nodded. "All right! I'll go set it up for you right now! It shouldn't take any time at all." He started down the stairs but then turned around and again and said, "Thanks for letting me do this."

"No problem, sir. I'm happy to do what I can to contribute to your research. Take your time and do whatever you need to do in there." She watched him head that way, and then she took a look at her crops. They were getting more and more empty as the season came to a close, and she saw that today she had blue jazz ready to pick. Seeing them made her think of Dr. Harvey, but she tried to ignore it. She harvested what was ready and watered what was left.

Alma also noticed that she had some mail. She was pleased to see it was from Linus:

"Alma,

How are you doing? I've enclosed some instructions on how to make one of my favorite fish recipes.

- Linus"

Enclosed was a recipe for sashimi. She was thankful, though she thought sashimi was pretty much just raw fish on top of rice …? Anyway, she folded it up and put it in her pocket.

As she filled Bisclavret's dish and pet him, she thought about what needed to be done today. First priority: she now had enough money to get the kitchen extension, but she needed more wood. She also had geodes to process, and she needed to sell the blue jazz. Clint's closed at three o'clock, so she needed to be done by around two in order to get across town in time. "Better get to it," she said, grabbing her ax. She went to the far side of the farm where the most trees were and picked up felled branches before cutting anything down; her grandfather always taught her to take from nature what was given first rather than take forcefully. But when she looked at the amount of wood the branches provided, she knew she would need to do some chopping too. She tried to thin out thicker patches of trees rather than just chop mindlessly. And after a few hours, when she had enough wood, she got her geodes and blue jazz and went up through the mountain pass to Robin's shop.

"Hey there, Alma," Robin said as she came in. "I was just daydreaming about some new carpentry projects. Are you doing okay at your place? How's the woodwork in your cottage holding up?"

"Well, as it happens," she said, opening her bag, "I am ready for some work to be done on that very cottage."

"Oh yeah? Your kitchen?"

"Yes! I actually fished up a treasure chest last week that brought in quite a bit of gold, so I got the funding a lot faster than I expected. And I just finished gathering some wood on the property to get the wood you need."

"Thank you!" Robin said as she collected the money and supplies. "I'll get started tomorrow. I should be finished in around three days."

"Perfect. Thank you so much!" She left the shop and went down to Clint's smithy, happy that she was getting there with plenty of time before he closed. "Good afternoon, Clint!"

"Hey. What do you need?"

"I've got several geodes for you to process, if that's okay."

"Okay," he said, stepping toward his anvil. "Just place them on my anvil here, and I'll give them a whack." As he knocked them free one by one, she was happy to see the mix of supplies: some rock, coal, and copper, as to be expected, but also some more malachite as well as some new things she could take to Gunther.

"Thank you so much, Clint," she said as she gathered up the goods and gave him her money.

"Anytime," he said with a wave.

Alma went next to the library, her arms full of minerals for the collection. "Ah, Alma," Gunther greeted. "It looks like you come bearing gifts!"

"I do," she said, placing the minerals on the counter.

Gunther adjusted his tinted glasses and looked carefully at the specimens. "Granite here, and this one …." He held it up and inspected it more closely, a puzzled look on his face. "I believe this is petrified slime."

"Like from the monsters in the caves?"

"The very same." He put them in containers for cleaning later and stepped away to place them behind the counter. "Seems like someone has been roughing it in the old mines, hm?"

"Yes, a bit. Marlon even made me an initiate in the Adventurer's Guild, which was a bit of a shock for me."

"You're a worthy addition," Gunther said. "Here, I have something for you as a token of appreciation." When he came back, he handed her a packet of starfruit seeds.

"I can't say I've ever had starfruit before," Alma said, examining the packet.

"It's delicious. A tropical fruit, native to Southeast Asia, also called 'five fingers' or carambola. I believe here it can only be planted in the summertime."

Alma smiled and put the packet in her bag. "You are a wealth of knowledge, sir."

He doffed his hat and smiled. "You may also be happy to know while you're here that I have continued to expand the Lost Books collection."

"Oh, I'd love to check it out but not today. I've got to get to Pierre and sell some of my produce."

"Ah, yes, well, it's good to know you are doing well in your agricultural contributions as well. I'll leave you to it. See you next time."

Alma waved and rushed out the door, heading across the bridge and into town to Pierre's. She looked at the calendar posted on the front of the building and saw that today was actually Pierre's birthday. She smiled and burst through the door, cheering, "Pierre! Happy Birthday!" Her eye darted over and saw Dr. Harvey shopping to the side of the store. He flashed a reserved smile and nodded to her, and she nodded back on her way to the counter. "I have something for you," she said, handing Pierre one of her blue jazz flowers.

"You remembered my birthday! Thank you. This is great. It will look lovely on our dining room table, I think."

"And I've got more for your shelves too," she said, taking out all the rest of the flowers.

"I'm happy to buy any produce off you. I'll give you a fair price, of course!"

"Yes, you always do. And soon I'll be ready to buy summer seeds!"

"That's right! I'll have them in stock at the first of the season," he said, handing her the money. She thanked him and started toward the door, but Dr. Harvey stopped her.

"Excuse me - Ms. Alma?"

She turned and put on a social smile. "Yes, Doctor?"

"I - I wondered if I might have a-a word with you."

"Yes, of course, what is it?"

"Um, in the clinic, if that's okay."

"Oh, uh, sure. I'll follow you."

Dr. Harvey left his basket with Pierre, saying he'd be back, and then held the door open for Alma. He unlocked the clinic and held the door for her again. When they went inside, he took a deep breath and stuffed his hands in his coat pockets. "I-I wanted to talk to you - about the, uh, the Flower Dance."

"Oh," Alma chuckled, a bit embarrassed. "You really don't have to. It's okay, I understand."

"No, I - I want to," Dr. Harvey insisted, holding up a hand. "I want to apologize." He leaned against the counter and took another deep breath. "I … I should have accepted your offer. You haven't been here for, uh, for very long, and you're still our g-guest in Pelican Town. It would have been the more, uh … hospitable and gentlemanly thing to do to - t-to dance with you." He looked down at his feet, looking like he was collecting his thoughts. "You see, I … I had it in mind to ask, uh, Maru to be my dance partner for a-a while. You already know that I am quite an anxious person, so it takes me a while to, uh … to work myself up for an occasion like the Flower Dance. I told you at the dance that I was even then still, uh, working up the courage to ask her, and I just, uh, just … assumed you would dance with someone else. You took me by surprise when you, uh, when you asked me, and I … I lost my thought for a moment. I wasn't thinking clearly, and I didn't respond in the way I-I should have. So I wanted to, uh … ask for your forgiveness."

Alma scoffed a bit and shook her head. "Of course, forgiveness for what? It was my fault. You're right, I'm the new person, and I don't know the nuances of events like this yet. I should have just observed. I just thought - I thought asking was part of the festivities, and it made sense for me to ask you because …" she sat down on one of the seats in the waiting room, "well, you're the person I think I've come to know the best in town. But I shouldn't have put you on the spot and embarrassed you like that."

"No, nonono, Ms. Alma, I don't want you to - to misunderstand me," Dr. Harvey said fervently, scanning her face. "You did not embarrass me; I embarrassed m-myself. No, in fact, you - you flattered me! That's what threw me off guard." He curled up on himself again and looked back down. "Of all the young, handsome, eligible men you could have asked to dance with, you chose …." He chuckled a little and looked at her. "Well, you chose the, uh, the oldest one, the biggest dork in Pelican Town. I was - I was not expecting that at all." Alma smiled a little, not sure how to answer. Dr. Harvey sighed. "Soirees like this are more, uh … more stressful than they are enjoyable, I think. Even after all these years, I never quite know how t-to navigate them. Anyway," he said, pushing himself back up to stand, "I hope you accept my apology, and I hope this hasn't, uh, damaged our friendship."

"No, of course not. It's water under the bridge."

"Though I, uh …" He looked at her a bit sheepishly. "I do s-suppose I … I owe you a dance, so that's one loose end that, uh, that remains."

"What, now?"

"Oh, no! No, not - not for a w-while, I think. I need t-time to, uh, to prepare! I'm a-a terrible dancer!"

Alma laughed. "Don't worry, I'm pretty awful too. So hopefully I'll get some warning too when this dance happens?"

"Yes. Yes, of course," Dr. Harvey sputtered. He took a deep breath, as if happy to get that behind him. "Now," he started, "I am keen to hear what's going on in Paradise these days."

"Well, as it turns out, I have some news that will make you very happy." He raised his eyebrows. "I made an impulse buy and bought two chickens."

Dr. Harvey laughed. It was the hardest Alma had seen him laugh, and she thought maybe it was a release of some of his nervous energy. "When you hear the words 'impulse buy,' 'two chickens' is not often what follows!"

Alma laughed a bit too. "I guess not. But also, this is what you'll really love: just earlier today … I bought the kitchen."

"You did?!"

"I did! I listened to your advice and went with that first instead of the barn."

"Even with your two-chicken purchase!"

"Yes! Robin's going to get started tomorrow, and she said it will be ready in three days."

Dr. Harvey crossed his arms. "Three days. Just in time for summer. That's great, Ms. Alma. I'm so happy for you."

"No more just eating raw vegetables! Oh and also, just today, Demetrius said he's going to set up some sort of research station in the cave on my property, which will bring me fresh mushrooms too!"

"Well, things are really - really turning up for you!"

"And, uh … I know I mentioned to you about the chronic nightmares. They keep improving too. Today actually marks the third day this week I haven't had bad dreams. That's the most since … since I can remember!"

His face settled into a genuine smile, and he pointed at her. "That's the best news of all. I'm really happy to hear that. To me, that shows your mental health is improving, which means you are enjoying life here."

"I am," Alma smiled. "I have a new sense of accomplishment, helpfulness, adventure …." She looked up at him a minute and then let her gaze drop. "Now if I can just figure out the social complexity, I'll be doing all right."

Dr. Harvey chuckled. "When you d-do, let me know."

"By the way," she said, "how are you doing? Are you still working more fresh produce into your diet?"

"Oh, yes, and I should get back to Pierre to finish my grocery shopping - thank you for reminding me." He started to stir, and Alma stood from her seat too.

"Yes, I need to get back to the farm and chop up some stumps before the sun goes down."

He held the door open and said, "Remember we sell a few over-the-counter medicines at the clinic. Feel free to stop by if you're feeling exhausted. I know that being a farmer is pretty tiring work. Don't overdo it!"

"Yes, thank you for the reminder, Doctor."

"And thank you again for, uh, this ... discussion."

She nodded. "Of course. Have a good night."

"Goodnight, Ms. Alma." She went on the road back to the farm, and he went to Pierre's store.

Once she got to the farm, Alma took out her ax and started chopping at the stumps around the property. It took her a while to get through each one, and each stump only produced two pieces of hardwood; but she was still happy to make that much more progress. She put the hardwood in the chest, along with the starfruit seeds she got from Gunther, and called it a night.

TW: verbal abuse

The phone rang, and Alma redirected it to her headset. "Joja IT Department, this is Alma speaking, and your call is being monitored."

"I know what you're trying to do."

Alma knew that voice, but she couldn't place it. "I'm sorry?"

"I know you're the new farm girl in Pelican Town. You have a hero complex, and you think you're going to save the town from Joja."

"Is this … Morris?"

"When I came into Pierre's, you saw what the people of Pelican Town were really like. They're no better than anyone else. They're after what they want, and Joja can provide that for them."

"Sir, this is the IT Department. Do you have a technical problem that I might be able to assist you with today?"

"I technically have a problem with a little bitch who thinks she can waltz into my town and take over the place. Can you assist me with that?"

Alma paused for a moment, trying to formulate a response. "Yes, I can. You're right that you do have a problem with me. My suggestion is that you leave Pierre alone, continue your business, and watch it dwindle away as I provide more and more fresh, affordable crops to his stock."

The line was quiet. "I know your past with Joja. You're a little snowflake who got hurt from all the 'abuse' of a well-oiled machine that paid your bills, provided you with insurance, and allowed you to work in your field of expertise."

"You think this is my field of expertise?! I went into Informatics so I could use technology to help people, and now I -"

"Now you're answering the phones and emails, solving customers' computer problems. Is that not using technology to help people?"

"I wanted to go into adaptive technologies and accessibility to help disabled and underprivileged people access information and technology! I wanted to go into data analysis to best observe how producers and consumers could work together in a sustainable, symbiotic relationship that would do more than pack the wealthies' pockets. I never wanted a dead-end, yes, abusive hell hole like this! And I'll be damned if I see the town my grandparents loved fall back into the hands of a heartless monopoly who takes advantage of their customers and employees and makes cheap shit to keep it alive!"

Again, the line was quiet. "Are you done?"

Alma wanted to hang up, but she stayed on the line. "As long as Joja is in business, I will never stop."

"You may think you've seen some stuff at Joja, but you haven't seen anything if I ever get my hands on you."

"You never will."

"Alma. That is quite enough," another voice said on the line. "Sir - Morris, was it?"

"Yes, that's right," Morris answered.

"I apologize for our representative's unprofessional behavior today, and I assure you, we will discipline her accordingly. Your business is very important to us, and we are grateful for the work you do for Joja."

"Thank you very much."

"You're welcome. Is there anything else we can do for you today, sir?"

"Well, Alma can kindly go fuck herself, and that should be all. Thank you."

"Yes sir, we will make sure she does that. Thank you for calling the Joja IT Department."

Both lines hung up, and Alma was left with ringing in her ears.