It's been a week since I've moved to Stardew Valley. On my first day, I saw why they didn't place much value on this farm now. It was completely run down. Trees, shrubs, and weeds grew everywhere; besides the old farm cabin that stood in reasonably good condition, the farm was pretty much indistinguishable from the forests that neighbor it. Even fences were non-existent; instead, the boundaries of the farm are formed naturally by big boulders and sheer cliffs.

Today is no different from the days before. I wake up in my sad little bed, relic of the farm cabin, clean now but previously covered by more dust than blanket when I first arrived. I step out of the cabin and am greeted by a green forest, interrupted by a mall clearing that I've made which looks completely out of place, and where I've started growing some vegetables. I grab the watering can next to the door, and begin my daily routine – water the crops, clear out some more space, plant some more seeds if I can be bothered.

My thoughts wander while I work mindlessly, the sun lazily shining down on me from above, the insects buzzing about happily... Grandpa seemed to think farming was a good idea, so in his memory, I'm going to give this my best go. So far, I feel like I've made little progress: half my crops have either died or not grown, my back hurts, and most importantly, my mind is just not into it. But maybe things will get better once I become a master farmer? Who knows. I absent-mindedly reach into my pack for some seeds to plant in the ground I just cleared, but my hand scrapes the bottom. Pulled out of my stupor, I grab some cash and head into town to restock.

I walk out the east gate of my farm, past the bus stop, and into Pelican Town, the township of Stardew Valley. Pelican Town has a quaint, tight-knit community feel, with a cozy mix of stores and residences around a town square where I'm told festivals are held. The town is surrounded by the ocean to the south, a mountain range to the north and east, and my farm to the west. Right in the middle of town stands the medical clinic and the general store, the latter of which is my destination. I walk in with a tinkering of the shopkeeper's bell.

"Farmer Ash!"

Pierre, the owner, greets me with enthusiasm, though even after a month I could never tell if his grin reaches deeper than his skin. Perhaps his phony cheerfulness is masking his worries though: Joja Corp had opened a supermarket to compete with him, and just for the measly few dozen customers that reside in the Valley. Shuddering to think that Joja's tendrils have managed to reach even this remote place, I've decided to avoid that place if I can since I arrived here.

"Hey Pierre. I'm out of seeds again. Also, those parsnip seeds you sold me didn't sprout!"

"Hey now! Let me assure you that all my products are of the highest quality. If parsnips aren't your friend, why not try some cauliflower? They sell well!"

Ugh, did he just imply that I didn't know what I'm doing with parsnips? Well… maybe he has a point. I take a pack of the cauliflower seeds and notice they were the most expensive seeds that Pierre stocks. Wondering if Pierre was just trying to make some money off a newbie farmer, my thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a door slamming coming from upstairs, followed by muffled shouting.

"… never let me do what I want!"

"Abigail! This is for your own good."

Pierre smiles nervously and tries to turn my attention back to my shopping. Before he manages to get a word out, you storm downstairs, stomping right past me and out the door. I look at Pierre uncertainly.

"I guess uh… I'll get a couple of packs of the cauliflower seeds. Um, are you gonna go talk to your daughter?"

"Thanks Farmer! That will be 480 gold. And don't worry about Abigail, my wife Caroline will take care of her."

"Uh, okay, thanks. See you later."

I raise an eyebrow skeptically as I leave, wondering for the third time in about two minutes if Pierre is a terrible person.

I leave and notice you sitting outside. You are wearing the stereotypical emo outfit – a black sleeveless tee with a dark blue punk-rock denim vest and ripped jeans, supplemented by wavy purple hair and dark eyeliner around your blue eyes. To accentuate your current look, your lips are in a sulky pout, your face is flushed red with anger, and I swear I can see steam coming out your ears and a vein ticking on your forehead. Prepared to potentially get stabbed on the spot, I ask you,

"Hey, Abigail? Are you alright?"

"Ugh, I'm not in a good mood right now."

"Yeah, I can see that. Well, I'll just get go-"

Evidently, you've acknowledged my presence but didn't listen to what I said, because you angrily say,

"I said I'm not in a good mood… what do you want, Farmer?"

"Nothing, nothing! I'll leave you alone then, okay?"

"Wait…" You heave a sigh. "Sorry. It's Ash, right? I want to take my mind off things for a while… how's your day going?"

I am torn between running off and trying to cheer you up a bit. My shoulder angel wins the brief power struggle in my head.

"Same old farming stuff. I had to come get more seeds. Your dad has been… helpful?" I struggle to come up with interesting conversation.

"Yeah, well, as long as there's money to make. Ol' dad loves the shop more than me and mom."

"I'm sure your dad loves you more than-" I change tack instantly when a pair of daggers shoot from your eyes and hit me in the jugular. "…slimes! I'm sure your dad loves you more than slimes." I finish sheepishly. Shoulder angel, you're a dick, I shouldn't have listened to you.

However, it looks like that was exactly the change on topic you needed. "You ever seen a slime, Farmer? I hear you can find them in the mines up in the mountains."

"As a matter of fact, I have. Just yesterday, I was wandering around the mountain area and came across the old mines. I even managed to kill a couple of them".

Your expression turns to one of shock and awe, as you exclaim, "What! You've been down in the mines? I've always wanted to go, but it's supposedly really dangerous! Did you just wander down there unprepared?"

"Well," I think back to what happened and reply, "I met that guy from the Adventurer's Guild, Marlon? He gave me this old sword and just said 'Prove yourself and I might just think about making you a member of the Adventurer's Guild.' I mean, I guess he mentioned it might be dangerous down there? But you know, I thought, 'adventure' and what not. Might be interesting."

"Oh yeah, I've met Marlon! Have you used a sword before, then?"

"No, not really. Pointy end towards enemies, right?"

You chuckle and ask, "…and is it dangerous down there, in your opinion?"

"Well, a few bumps and bruises from the slimes, but nothing life threatening I guess."

"Take me. I want to go."

"What?" I ask, taken aback. "Now? Uh, won't your parents miss you?"

"NO! That's who I need my mind taken off of! Now let's go!"

You grab my arm and start dragging me toward the mountains. I have a sudden mental image of hauling your lifeless body to Pierre and Caroline and freak out a bit.

"Abigail, are you sure you want to do this now?"

"Why, you don't have your sword on ya?"

"Uh, actually I do, it's in my pack."

"Good! I happen to have followed some online videos on how to use a sword. I bet I'll do better than you."

"Overconfidence is a slow and insidious killer…" I mumble.

"What?"

"Nothing!"

It seems I couldn't change your mind. Well, I've been down in the mines once, and honestly, it wasn't so bad. I think I can handle a few slimes if they came our way. Besides, selfishly speaking, this definitely beats planting cauliflower seeds for the rest of the day.