Tuesday, 9th of Fall

Alma was slow getting out of bed this morning. She remembered she had a cup of coffee in the fridge, so she heated it up on the stove and enjoyed it while she took her time getting dressed and awake for the day. She stepped outside with a big stretch and some deep breaths of the crisp autumn air. She sipped her coffee and took a look around the farm. The animals were already out grazing in the grass, and she saw she had a few artichokes ready to harvest from her mixed seeds and a full crop of bok choy ready to harvest again. Bisclavret came and sat at her feet, his tail thumping on the old wooden porch. "Morning, sweet boy," she mumbled as she rubbed his head. When she glanced over at her mailbox, she nearly spit out her coffee. It was overflowing with mail! She had never seen her mailbox this full of letters and packages! She brought her coffee over and tried to grab as much mail as she could with one hand, but several fell to the ground. She moaned and set her coffee down on the steps then went back to retrieve the mail and bring it all back to the steps. Bisclavret sat next to her as she read each one:

"Come by the shop and check out the new rods I'm selling! They're the best money can buy … and you can customize them with different kinds of tackle! Hope to see you soon!

- Willy"

"Dear neighbor,

When I'm not taking care of animals I like to experiment in the kitchen. Since we've become friends I want to share some recipes with you. I hope you like this!

- Marnie"

Enclosed with Marnie's letter was a recipe for Pale Broth. It sounded like it would be fine until Alma saw the ingredients: just two servings of white algae. "Maybe it tastes better when it's cooked," she mumbled as she took another sip of coffee and opened the next letter:

"Hey kid,

Here's the recipe for a little treat my pappy used to make. Cook it slow.

- Pam"

It was a recipe for Cheese Cauliflower, which sounded delicious to Alma. She had the ingredients for that; maybe she would try it soon. The next letter was from her hometown, with the address in her dad's handwriting. She opened it and read it quickly:

"Dear Alma,

I know you're busy on the farm and that's why you can't visit. I understand. You've been working so hard …. Keep it up and you can accomplish anything!

Love,

Dad

P.S. Included some quality stone"

Alma opened the package and, sure enough, it was a box of rocks. She chuckled a bit and wondered what he was thinking. "'Quality stone,' huh?" Still, she was happy to hear from him. She thought back to yesterday and the dark memories she had of him. It always made her happy to know he was doing so well now. There were two letters left, both from Mayor Lewis:

"Dear Alma,

One week from today, we are holding the Stardew Valley Fair in the town square! It's the biggest event of the year, drawing people from all across the country to our humble town. If you'd like, you can set up a grange display for the event. Just bring up to 9 items that best showcase your talents. You'll be judged on the quality and diversity of your display. The fair starts at 9 AM … don't miss it!

- Mayor Lewis"

Alma thought that sounded great! And a grange display … to "showcase your talents" …. What should she include? she thought, taking a look over the farm. Maybe the usual harvest: some produce, animal products, and mushrooms? She could throw in some flowers and tapped materials too. And maybe diversify with vegetables and fruits. And refined animal products as well as raw ones, from livestock as well as poultry. She'd have plenty of selection to showcase her talents, she thought with a smirk. She opened the last letter:

"Alma,

I'm going to give you this advice because I like you and I want you to stay in Pelican Town. If there comes a day that you want to ask for someone's hand in marriage, you'll need to give them a 'Mermaid's Pendant.' Don't worry, everyone in Pelican Town understands the significance of the amulet. It's an ancient tradition in this region.

Good luck!

- Lewis"

Alma looked at the letter blankly for a while. She read over the words again: "If there comes a day that you want to ask for someone's hand in marriage …." She put the paper down and looked out at the horizon.

Marriage?

The thought terrified her, honestly. She looked down at Bisclavret, who raised his head and looked at her. She scratched around his ears and reminded herself that Lewis was just talking. No one was deciding anything. She and Harvey already said they were going to take it slow. They had just started dating. They hadn't even kissed yet! Marriage was a long way away, if it would happen at all. Alma gave Bisclavret a kiss, folded up the letter, and stood up to get to work.

She made her usual circuit on the farm, starting first with harvesting the artichoke and bok choy. When she finished gathering up all of her produce, she went and organized her things in her chests. Before going into Pierre's shop, she saw there was a Help Wanted ad posted:

"I would like a cute girl to bring me eggplant. -Sam"

Alma rolled her eyes. Of course, Sam. She did have an eggplant, though, so she could take one to him no problem and make some easy gold. So she ripped it off the wall before going inside. "It's Farmer Alma!" Pierre called as she came in.

"Hi, Pierre," she greeted as she came up to the counter. As she started pulling out her produce, some of the women in town started filing in to go to Caroline's class.

Pierre waved and said hi to each one as they came in too. "It's starting to get cold outside," he said quietly to Alma. "That means more people come into the shop to warm up." He snickered as he started looking through her stuff.

She shook her head and smiled. "You're a tricky salesman, Pierre."

"But a fair one," he said as he handed her the gold for her goods. "Have a good workout!" He waved as she made her way to the back door.

When Alma rounded the corner to the big room, she was a bit surprised to see Harvey wasn't there yet. Apparently she wasn't the only one; Caroline asked, "Where's your man?" All the other women looked at her for her response.

Alma shrugged as she put her bag on the floor. "I don't know. Maybe he'll come later?"

"Well, we can't wait on him forever," she said. "So it's an all-girl party today! Let's get this show on the road, ladies!" She turned on the music, and they took their places on the floor. Alma missed Harvey in class next to her, but she was also a bit relieved; the letter from Lewis still lingered in her mind, and she was thankful to have an outlet to work it out without him there to distract her. She put all her energy into the exercise, trying to focus and forget the idea of marriage. She was quickly out of breath and sweating, but she felt good. By the time the cooldown started, she felt much better. As she stretched and took her deep breaths, she felt like she was exhaling the stress and tension she had been bottling up. "All right, great job, girls!" Caroline called out when they were finished.

As Alma wiped her sweat and picked up her bag, she thought probably Harvey had just gotten caught up at the clinic. Maybe if he was open now, he could still go to the bath house. So after chatting with the other ladies for a bit while she caught her breath, she picked up her bag and went next door. Right as she was about to pull the handle, Mayor Lewis came out. "Oh, hello, Alma! Here to see Dr. Harvey, I reckon?" he asked, his eyebrows bouncing.

"Uh, yes sir."

"I assume you got my … letter?"

"I did, yes. I'll, uh, give it some thought."

"Yes, yes, of course," he said, pulling up his suspenders. "I hope things are going well for you on the farm."

"They are, yes sir."

"Good, good. Well," he said, holding the door open for her, "don't let me keep you."

"Thank you," she said, passing him and thankful for the escape.

The door closed behind her, and Maru said, "Oh, hi, Alma! I don't guess you're here for an appointment?"

"No, just here to see if Harvey is - " and just then, Harvey came through the door behind the counter. "Oh! Well, there he is."

"Yes, hi," he said, giving a folder to Maru. "Would you mind taking care of this for me? Then you can go on home."

"Will do," Maru said, turning to the computer.

Harvey turned and looked at her. "Sorry, I had an appointment today."

"No, no need to be sorry," she chuckled. "Just checking in. I'm thinking of heading to the bath house." She looked at him expectantly, being careful not to blow his cover to Maru.

"Ah okay," he said, shaking his head. "I have quite a bit to do here. Probably won't be finished for a while." She nodded, understanding. "You still have a-a bit of work to do?"

She shrugged. "I might go to the Adventurers' Guild then to the mines afterward to see if I can make it down another five levels."

He furrowed his brows. "Have you still been going into the mines, Alma?"

"Well, yes, I have to!"

He did a quick glance back at Maru, put his hands in his pockets, and sighed. "You know how I feel about the mines. It's a dangerous place."

"I promise I'm being careful," she said. "I haven't passed out or been badly injured in a long time."

"Very reassuring."

"But I've got to keep exploring and gathering materials for the - " She looked back at Maru again and bit her tongue.

"I understand," he said with a knowing nod. "But still, as your doctor, I recommend against it." He reached out over the counter, and she put her hand in his. "As your - b-boyfriend, I worry about you." Maru glanced at them quickly over her shoulder then looked back to the computer.

Alma chuckled. "It still feels weird for you to say it, doesn't it?"

"It really does."

"Please, Harvey, don't worry about me." She patted his hand. "I can take care of myself."

"Even with monsters or possibly rabid creatures or hard physical labor or perpetual darkness …."

She rolled her eyes a little and asked, "Would it make you feel better if I gave you the signal on my way home?"

"Yes please," he said with a relieved exhale.

Alma smiled and nodded. "All right, you got it." She started for the door and looked behind her. "Bye, Maru!"

"Bye, Alma! Have fun in the mines!"

Harvey's eyes were still concerned. "Please be careful," he said again, a little quieter.

A warm smile grew on her face before she pushed the door open. "Bye, Harvey."

Alma left the clinic and went north into the mountains. She crossed the bridge over the mountain lake and continued on to the Adventurer's Guild. When she opened the door, she saw Marlon standing at the counter, sharpening a sword. "She's back!" he said, smiling up to her. Gil turned a little to her too but continued puffing on his pipe and rocking in his chair. "What can I do for you, miss? Need a new sword?"

"No, I think the one I have is fine, thank you." She pulled the glow ring off her finger and placed it on the counter. "Just looking to sell this."

"Not a problem," Marlon said, taking the ring and pulling out some gold. "I reckon you got that in the mines?"

"Uh … yes, I actually happened upon two of them. Just need the one."

"How are the mines treating you? We've been keeping up with your numbers, and you seem to be holding your own." He gestured to the paper on the wall that she had seen before, with a record of all of the monsters in the mines.

"Yes, I'm making my way down, slowly but surely. I'm almost to the fortieth level."

"Ah," Marlon said, "to the frozen levels. That will be an adventure for you, for sure. Good luck, miss."

What he said made her a little nervous, but she nodded and made her way out. She went back to the mines, picking up her sword and snacks from the chest before entering the elevator. To her surprise, it seemed the spirits were happy today. She didn't have much trouble with monsters or with locating ladders. She didn't gather many resources, but she wasn't very interested in that today anyway. Before she knew it, when she dropped down into a surprisingly cold level, she heard the elevator ding. "Oh!" She looked around and saw that, just as Marlon had said, the walls were now covered in ice, and the ground crunched under her feet. A treasure chest waited for her, just as on the tenth and twentieth levels. She opened it up and found inside a slingshot! "I don't know how well this will serve me in the mines," she chuckled, "but it will work nicely for alerting Harvey at night!" She went back onto the elevator and pulled out her notepad. She scratched through her previous note and now wrote, "Reach the bottom of the mine." The elevator dinged at the surface, she exchanged her things in her chest, and went out of the cave.

When she crossed the bridge and passed behind Robin and Demetrius's house, she heard behind her, "Alma!"

She turned and saw Linus sitting by the fire in front of his tent. "Good evening, Linus!"

He stood and waved her toward him. "Come stand next to the firepit. It feels great."

"Oh, okay, thanks!" She went and sat on one of the wooden boxes he had surrounding the fire. He was right; it did feel great. The air had gotten significantly cooler, especially at night, so warming her hands at the fire felt so comforting.

"I was hoping you'd come by sometime," Linus said. Alma looked up at him, and she watched him as he stared into the fire. He glanced up at her quickly and said, "I wanted to say sorry for mistrusting you at first. Most people don't treat me well, so I've learned to be cautious."

Alma shook her head. "Linus, you don't need to worry about it. You told me some of the things people have done to you and said about you. My heart just … breaks for you."

"Just today, some joker sprayed paint all over my home during the night," he said, gesturing to the tent. "It took hours to scrub it off this morning."

Alma wagged her head. She couldn't believe someone in town would do that. "I'm so sorry that has happened to you, and you have every right to be defensive of strangers."

"But you've been uncommonly nice to me," he said, looking up at her. "You're a unique person …. And I consider you a good friend." A smile grew on his face.

"Aw, Linus," she cried, placing a hand on her chest. "That means a lot to me. Thank you."

He nodded a little and looked back into the fire. "Hey," he said suddenly, standing up, "I want to show you something." He went to his tent and held open one flap. "Come inside." Alma stood from her seat and ducked into his tent. He came around her and crouched down to pull out an old tin from under a net. He pulled out some bug meat, squished it in his hands, then dipped his fingers in some slime, wiped it around the bug meat, and wrapped the whole thing in fibrous leaves. "Ah … there we go," he grunted as he stood back up. "See this?" he asked, holding the clump up to her. "It's a special kind of fish bait that I make. It's top quality stuff," he chuckled, "I'd eat it myself!" Alma chuckled too, a little unsure. "Here, I want you to have the recipe."

"Oh, that's very kind, Linus," she said.

He put the bait in the tin and moved the tin under the fish net again. Then he pulled out some crumpled paper and an old pen and started scribbling down the recipe. "Here you go," he said, standing and handing it to her. "It should catch you some nice fish here in the mountain lake or anywhere else around. It's done a lot of good for me."

"Thank you so much. I'll try it out for sure!"

He nodded and held the flap of the tent open for her again. "Feel free to come visit anytime, Alma. I have modest arrangements, but I'd be willing to entertain you as a guest."

"Thank you," she said, bowing out of the tent and pulling her bag over her shoulder. "Have a good night."

"You too," he said with a wave. She left as he sat back down by the fire.

Alma went around Robin and Demetrius's house, past the community center, and around the front of Pierre's to get to the clinic. She pulled out her new slingshot and loaded a small rock in the leather strap, aiming it at Harvey's dimly lit apartment window. She let it fly and heard the little clink as it hit the glass. It was certainly easier than throwing the rock, and it put a little more force behind it too. If she had used a bigger rock, he might have a crack in his window! She saw some shadows moving, and he came and opened the window, ducking under the glass. "How are you? Everything okay?"

"Yes, and I made it to level forty and got this baby," she said, holding up the slingshot.

"More weapons to stave off enemies," he said with an eye roll. "I have mixed feelings."

"Goodnight, Harvey," she dismissed, putting the slingshot back in her bag.

"Goodnight … Alma." He propped his head in his hand and watched as she turned and walked toward home. When she was out of sight, he sighed, drummed his fingers on the windowsill, ducked back inside, and closed the window.