Wednesday, 3rd of Summer

Alma woke up in her bed, despite having fallen asleep on the floor. She wasn't sure how she made it from Point A to Point B, but she was thankful she did. She also seemed to remember that she heard something overnight, like a rumble or an explosion. She wondered what it could have been. "Maybe an earthquake?" she thought. When she sat up, she felt so heavy and tired. Part of her wanted to stay in bed, and for a moment, she lay back on the bed with her feet over the edge. She felt so old. Could she really keep up with this level of intensity? But after another few moments of snoozing, she sat up again, took a deep breath, and thought, yes, she could.

She went outside and saw she had some mail in her mailbox. One was a letter from Pierre:

"TOP SECRET: Here's the recipe for my famous blueberry tart. Don't tell anyone! I'm giving it to you because we are such good friends.

-Pierre"

Enclosed was the recipe, and though she was excited to try it out, she wouldn't be able to make it until after her blueberries were ripe. There was another letter, from Mayor Lewis:

"Alma,

This is embarrassing …. I lost my lucky purple shorts. I'm telling you because I think I can trust you. If you find them, bring them back to me DISCREETLY. I'll pay well. Thanks.

-Mayor Lewis"

Alma snickered and folded up the letter, making a note in her journal: "Find and return Mayor Lewis's purple shorts."

As she put her journal away, she made her way down the steps to the chests and got out her watering can. She first went to give Bisclavret his water, and then she watered all of the crops. She had forgotten how much work it was to water so many, and she found that her energy was already close to depleted. She went back and ate a field snack to help her get through the work. After she watered everything, she went to check on Henriette and Little Red and gathered their eggs. Then she went into the cave and was pleased to see a purple mushroom with the other ones. She remembered a purple mushroom was part of one of the bundles, so she made a mental note not to sell it to Pierre. But then she remembered - it was Wednesday; she wasn't going to sell anything to Pierre today. Instead, she went to her shipping bin and dropped in all the produce she didn't need. She packed the purple mushroom and took the road into town.

On her way, Alma found a bunch of grapes growing heavy on a vine by the bus stop. "Ooh, something new to forage!" she said as she picked it. She also found another sweet pea blossom by the treeline and gathered that too. She continued toward the community center and saw Demetrius coming toward her. "Good morning, sir!"

"Hmm ... If strigolactone levels could be increased, would it have a proportional effect on mycorrhizal growth?" He seemed to be talking to himself, and he didn't even notice Alma was there.

"Sir?"

He stopped and smiled at her, just seeing her. "Oh! Alma. Sorry. I was pondering some data, and I didn't notice you there. Do you need anything?"

"Well, actually, I was curious about something, and I'm lucky I ran into you because I think you're the person most likely to know the answer."

"All right, what is it?"

"Last night, I think I heard something. It was a rumbling sound, like an explosion. Did you hear it?"

"I did. It was an earthquake. A five on the Richter scale if I'm not mistaken."

"Really?!"

"Yes, but it was not directly here. It seems like it was in Stardew Valley but not Pelican Town. Still, there was some damage. The landslide just north of our house was cleared, giving access to the railroad tracks and bath house again."

"Oh! Wow. Okay. Thanks."

"Anything else I can help with?"

"No, sir, thank you. I won't keep you." Demetrius nodded to her and continued walking, mumbling to himself. Alma continued her way too to the community center, but she decided to keep moving up the mountain path to see what he was talking about. Sure enough, just north of Demetrius's house, a path was cleared into the bluff. She walked up the stairs and saw the bath house, railroad tracks, a tunnel, and some other blocked-off passages still leading north. While she was walking around and exploring, she found a spot to dig up an artifact and found something that looked like a big, pointed stone. It fit perfectly in the palm of her hand, her fingers able to wrap around it comfortably. She put it in her bag and continued, going back to the bath house.

She stepped inside to see what it was like and made her way through the women's locker room. She saw a shower in the back and gasped. "Oh finally!" she exclaimed, throwing off her backpack and starting to strip off her clothes. But when she stepped in and turned the knob, there was no water. "Great," she said with a sigh. Alma put her clothes back on, picked up her backpack, and kept walking through the locker room. As she passed through the wet deck, she saw a stack of bathing suits that she assumed were for anyone changing to get into the bath. She eyed the stack for a while, debating whether she wanted to take a bath or not. "Yeah, why not? Just a dip," she told herself, pulling off her bag again. She changed into a black bikini and walked through to the bath.

When she opened the door and felt the steam roll over her face, she closed her eyes and sighed. It felt so good. Sure, she had used the water from the watering hole, or now from her sink, to splash on her and clean up with a sponge bath nearly every day, but she hadn't really felt clean since she moved to the valley. She made her way down into the hot water and let out another long sigh. She closed her eyes and lay back, letting her body float on top of the water. It felt so good. Moments passed, and she knew she couldn't stay long. She dipped her head under the water and washed out her hair then headed back for the steps out of the bath. She knew she needed to get back to the community center – and she remembered too that today was the phone interview at Mayor Lewis's with someone from the Stardew Valley Tribune. But at least now she felt very refreshed, energized, and ready for a photo shoot too. But at least now she felt very refreshed and energized. She dried off, changed back into her work clothes, got on her backpack, left the building, and walked down the mountain trail back toward town.

When she entered the community center, she went to the crafts room and dropped off the purple mushroom to the exotic foraging bundle. She looked over some of the other bundles and donated the grapes and sweet pea to the summer foraging bundle too, as well as a common mushroom to the fall foraging bundle. All she needed was a spice berry to complete the summer foraging bundle and one more item to complete the exotic foraging one. She checked her journal and saw that she did know how to make a tapper, so she knew that if she made a tapper on some of the trees on the farm, she could easily get maple syrup, oak resin, or pine tar to finish that bundle too. She remembered, too, that she needed to ask Willy how to get the fish she needed in the summer. Maybe she would go do that next.

As Alma exited the community center, she looked over by the fountain and saw Dr. Harvey standing there. He saw her too and waved. "Good a-afternoon, Ms. Alma."

"Hello, Doctor. Getting a change of scenery?"

"Mm. There are fewer trees here, so it's easier to see the, uh … the planes overhead." He nodded his head toward the community center and asked, "What about you? What were you doing in that old building?"

Alma chuckled and shook her head. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

He stuck his hands in his pockets and looked at her expectantly. "Well, now you h-have to tell me."

She glanced back quickly at the community center, then she looked around to see if anyone else was around. Caroline was standing by the fountain too, and Demetrius was up by the playground still talking to himself. Alma leaned in a little closer and said quietly, "That's the old community center, right? It's been overrun by small, magical creatures called junimos, and they told me through a secret code that if I bring them gifts, they will help to repair the community center and improve the town. So I've been gathering up the things that they ask for, and they give me small presents in return. I haven't gotten enough yet for them to make any major changes, but I'm hopeful they'll keep their side of the deal."

Dr. Harvey paused for a moment and shook his head in disbelief. His face turned to a look of concern. "H-How much sleep have you gotten today? Have you been drinking enough water?"

"No, I promise you, I'm fine. In fact," she said, lowering her voice again, "why don't you come see?"

"Oh, I don't know if I - "

"No, come on, you'll see, come with me." She started walking that way and waved him on. He hesitated but then followed behind her. She pushed open the door for him, and he crouched under the bowed wood. "Mayor Lewis showed this to me a few weeks ago. He said it used to be the life of the city. But now …."

Dr. Harvey looked around, still unsure about all that Alma had said. "It … It just looks like an old abandoned building to me."

"This is the Junimo hut," she said, walking toward the small structure in the main room. "You can only see the junimos at first before they bounce away. They seem to be pretty shy, and I'm sure they're more so around strangers like you. But look here," she said, walking toward the fish tank. "This is one of the bundles, which asks me to provide different types of fish." She picked up the scroll from off the floor and showed it to him.

"Is this some sort of … code?"

"Yes, it's the Junimo language. The wizard in the west tower told me about it, and he fed me a potion that made me able to read and understand it."

"The - The wizard? He's actually a wizard? That's not just some … costume?"

"You can see from the pictures what kind of fish they want, and then down here, it says 'Glittering boulder removed.' I think that's the boulder that's blocking part of the river from the mountain, right there next to the mines; I've seen the ore shining from it. And you can already see I've donated quite a few fish. I haven't completed any bundles yet in this one, though." Dr. Harvey looked at the scroll for a moment. She could tell it was a lot for him to take in. He probably still didn't believe her. "Look, come this way, but slowly." She led him toward the crafts room and the pantry. When they stood at the door, she said, "If you look in there, you'll see a junimo close to the back wall. But don't get too close or move too fast, or you'll make it run away."

"Alma, I - "

"Just go! Go take a look for yourself. Just - " Then she remembered, and a smile crossed her face as she lowered her arms and said more resolutely, "Just do the thing, Harv!"

He gave her a knowing look and sighed, rubbing his eyes. "This - This is all just … quite overwhelming." He peeked his head around the corner of the pantry and just saw the beam of light coming in through the ceiling onto the scroll in the middle of the room. He stepped farther in the doorway, saying, "I don't see anything."

"Oh. Hm …." Alma came around and looked in the room too. "It must have already run off or something."

Just as Dr. Harvey turned to go back into the hallway, he heard a strange little sound, like a child imitating the sound of a bouncing ball. He turned around quickly again. "What was that?"

"That's it! That's the sound they make. They must be closeby. Just shy."

They heard the sound again, but this time from the pantry behind them, on the opposite side of the hall. They both turned to look but didn't see anything. "Y-You're sure it's not a - a mouse o-or something?"

"No, that's definitely them," Alma chuckled. "Come out, little fella! The doctor wants to see you!"

"You're telling the truth? This is - This is all true?!" The bouncing sound echoed through the building again, this time coming from the area where the hut was. Dr. Harvey slowly walked down the hall and more closely examined the small structure. There was no sign of any creature that he knew, but it was a curious little shelter.

"Stranger than fiction, huh?"

"So how - ? Do you - ? Are they - ? I … I have so many questions!"

"I know! That's how I felt when I first saw them too. They're amazing! And, Dr. Harvey, they chose me. Rasmodius - the wizard? - he said they chose me. Me! I don't think they've ever revealed themselves to anyone else like they have to me. When I was here with Mayor Lewis, they kept appearing behind him and then disappearing when he'd turn to look." She leaned against the wall where the hall met the foyer. "I don't know why they'd choose me, though. I'm just a farmer learning my way around."

"What, do you think they'd choose someone like me?" he asked, looking up from the hut. "No way I could handle all of this. This is - This is just … well, unbelievable! No, it makes absolute sense." He stood back up and dusted off his pants. "No one else could do this except you. Of course they - they chose you." Alma was a little taken aback by this comment. His face softened, and he took a deep breath. "Ms. Alma, I, uh … I've been thinking …. Well, I - I'd like to get to know you better, Alma. Let's put aside our doctor-patient relationship and work on building our - our friendship. Even these junipo - "

"Junimos."

"Yes, junimos or whatever they are …. They know that you're a-a special person, and I … I want to know more about, uh … about y-you."

Alma was so shocked, she really didn't know how to answer. She smiled and said, "That's so sweet, Doctor. I'd like that too."

He laughed a little and said, "No more 'Doctor.' Just 'Harvey' is fine."

"Oh, okay. Then you don't need to call me 'Ms. Alma' anymore. It makes me feel a hundred years old anyway."

He laughed. "Just like you calling me 'Doctor' all the time makes me feel like I always have to be professional. So let's agree to be a bit more, uh … comfortable around each other?"

"Sure," she said with a smile. She hoped she wasn't blushing. She looked behind Harvey toward the fish tank and saw about five junimos peeking out from behind the crates and boxes. When she tilted her head a little more to see them, though, they jumped away to hide.

TW: bullying, sexual harrassment, intimacy and sex acts

Alma walked into the school gym and saw the folding chairs arranged in a large circle in the middle of the basketball court. She loved Senior Skip Day, when the seniors could take a day off of class to do fun activities together and celebrate the end of their school career together. And this was one part she was looking particularly forward to: Fruit Basket Turnover! They would sometimes play this in PE, and she always loved it. It seemed like a silly icebreaker game, but inevitably, it would get more and more exciting, and more and more people would want to get involved, even if it meant anxiously watching from the side. Everyone was filing in and taking their seats, and the echoing of excited seniors' voices quickly filled the gym. "Hey Alma!" friends called as they came in and waved. She waved back, recognizing faces she hadn't seen in decades.

She took her seat around the circle and waited for the game to start. "Hey beautiful," a voice said as someone took the seat next to her.

"Oh, hey, Tom." Tom Feng was her first boyfriend, back in seventh grade. They had long since broken up, and things were always awkward between them. "Excited for Fruit Basket Turnover?"

"I guess. Looking more forward to the party at Davonte Townsend's tonight. You going?"

"Uh, yeah. Yeah, Brittany Huddleston invited me."

"Cool," he said with a nod.

"All right, everyone in who wants to play?" Their class president, Stephanie Kennedy, stepped in the middle of the circle. The crowd roared and applauded, and when it quieted down, she rocked on her heels and said, "You all know how this game works, so let's get it started! If you've ever … fallen asleep in class!"

People all around the circle - including Tom - rushed out of their seats and went around the circle to find another seat until there was one lonely person in the middle of the circle. It was Ricky Thompson. "Hey guys, happy Skip Day! So I'm first, huh? Hm …" He took his time walking in the middle of the circle, then said, "If you've ever cheated on a test!" Again, the room roared as all the people who had ever cheated rushed to find another seat. Alma laughed nervously as she ran around and spotted an empty chair. She raced Danny Adams for it and planted her feet on the floor once she sat to make sure she didn't tip the chair backwards.

Things started getting more and more intense and sometimes pointed out individual people: if you'd ever seen Wesley Lamb spew milk out his nose, if you ever asked Samantha Blackwell to do your homework, if you ever went to a party at Chasity Denson's when her parents were out of town, if you've skipped class with Patrick Dennis, if you've had to clean up Robert Harrison's puke after a party …. Alma felt a bit uncomfortable about calling out specific people, but it was all still in good fun, and everyone still seemed to be enjoying it. She felt the excited energy through her arms and legs that made her bolt out of her seat and rush to another when the questions applied to her.

The prompts grew more and more intense: if you've made out under the bleachers, if you got pot from Mr. Betts, if you've seen a dick in the locker room, if you've had a wet dream about Madame Tomas, if you got some on prom night …. Some people started leaving the game because they felt uncomfortable, so the circle got smaller and smaller. Alma got more and more uncomfortable but for some reason kept playing.

Then her last boyfriend Ian Hickerson got in the middle of the circle, and as he stepped around slowly clapping his hands and looking into the air for ideas, his eyes met Alma's. He got a sick smile on his face and said, "If you've ever made out with Alma!"

"Wha - ?!" As her jaw dropped, she watched multiple boys get up from their chairs, laughing and rushing around to find another chair. Her first boyfriend, Tom. Her most recent boyfriend, Ian. But also Shane Mayo - who she played Spin the Bottle with last year - and Alex Dickinson, who she briefly dated freshman year. She was surprised to see how many guys got up, and she covered her face and turned a bright shade of pink as everyone laughed. More people left the circle, and it got smaller.

The odd man out was Aaron Hanson, who pressured her to make out with him at a football game. His laughing slowed as he tapped his foot to think of a prompt. "Well now I'm curious," he said. "If you … have seen Alma's tits!" The whole gym exploded in hollers, and as people started rushing out of their seats, Aaron pulled up his shirt and laughed at Alma with his tongue out before skipping off triumphantly to a new seat.

Alma was mortified. Frozen in humiliation. She buried her face in her hands, and as the room began to quiet down again, she could hear people pulling their chairs out of the game, whispering and talking about her. The people on either side of her shoved her playfully. "C'mon, Alma, it's all just for fun!"

"Yeah, it's Senior Skip Day! Loosen up!"

She peeked up to see Michael Dellarano standing in the middle of the still-smaller circle. She and Michael were together last year through the summer and then the fall semester - one of her longer relationships. And though she knew their relationship was toxic, she hoped he would not keep this going. His face, though, was held in disgust. He stood in front of her with his arms crossed. He spoke slowly: "If Alma has given you a blow job."

"Hell yeah!" Again, the room exploded in whoops and hollers and whistles and laughs as several boys got up from their seats to find others around the circle.

Michael stayed in front of Alma for a moment and spat, "Slut," before he made his way to another chair that Tom gestured to as if it were reserved for him.

"Fellas, I just gotta say," Tom started as he made his way to the center of the circle that was now only full of her exes, "that if you haven't heard about Davonte's party tonight, you need to know about it because Alma is gonna be there, and I think we've learned here today that she is the easiest girl in the whole school!"

"I'll be there!" Alma's eyes shot across the circle to see Eric slapping fives with Alex and Aaron.

"So, if you think Alma would be better on top!" Tom laughed from the center of the circle.

Alma finally found the courage to pick up her chair and leave the circle as laughs filled the gym, but as soon as she stood up, she felt her stomach turn with intense nausea. She dropped the chair with an echoing bang, fell to her knees, and vomited on the gym floor. "Don't tell me someone got her pregnant!" She looked up and saw everyone looking at her. Her vision blurred, and she collapsed there in front of everyone.