It was another bright day in Zuzu City, where opportunities just needed a hand to reach and grab them. Another day filled with blinding joy and endless motivation to make the world a better place. Do not count your hours they said, as they serve a greater purpose. Prove yourself worthy and you'll be rewarded in kind.

Yeah right.

Looking through the screen on her desk with a blank stare, Em wondered. How long had she been here? How long has it been since she felt something? Clicking her life away, her eyes red and glossy from the countless hours she spent in front of her computer. As her fingers loomed over the keyboard for yet another meaningless entry, her chest tightened.

Click. Click.

Was she alive?

Click. Click.

Was it all there is?

With a sigh, she looked at the clock and grabbed her coat. She wouldn't mind a break from her misery. As the sound of her heels walked through the grey and grim corridor, she took a cig out of her pack, her mind still wandering elsewhere. It was raining out, others like her packed like sheep under the small porch at the back of the Joja Corp building. Too close, she thought as she caught a whiff of strong colognes merging together with gasoline, wet tarmac and smoke. No amount of perfume will ever cover from the stench of Zuzu City. She grabbed her lighter and breathed in, slowly. Exhaling like she could smoke away the heavy rock in her chest.

She looked at the sky, remembering the times when she was happily going on an epic snail hunt under the rainy weather. Yellow boots, white raincoat and a little bucket full of lettuce leaves, she loved going around the farm trying to gather entire families of slimy and slow little friends. Not that she ever saw one of said friends in the city. She pulled out an envelope from her coat. Grandpa's envelope. Inhaling slowly again, she looked intently at the small piece of paper. She didn't really know why but she always kept it close, just in case. In case what. Maybe in case she needed it? Maybe it was time for a change. She was suffocating here and nothing she did to alleviate the obscure shadows in her mind ever worked. Opening it with a little bit of apprehension, she read quietly the inked words.

The farm?

Could she really be a farmer?

--‐--

This was terrifying. What on earth was she doing? The last days were a blur. She couldn't fathom what she just did. Leaving everything behind to move in a ridiculously small town and what. Farm? She felt her anxiety creeping up on her.

Oh right. Because you know how to take care of crops and animals right? Yeeaaaah so good at that. Not like you were so much better at your last job anyway. Oh, and the pained look on your friend's face as you left? Don't bother coming back to get news, I think everyone is disappointed enough. Especially dad.

She was trying to focus on her breath when the bus stopped. She awkwardly stumbled her way out, grabbing her backpack and mumbling her thanks to the driver. As the bus went away, she crouched with her hands tangled in her hair, trying to regain some composure. Her attention got caught by the dandelion in front of her. It was slowly moving along with the breeze, and she reached out her hand, delicately brushing the soft petals with the tip of her finger. A little snail was making its way towards it, and she quietly said:

"I hope you'll find what you're looking for, little buddy." Her words echoed not so subtly in her own mind.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a soft cough. She stood up immediately and in front of her was a woman looking in her direction, eyebrows slightly frowned in a sympathetic expression. She was probably in her forties, her hair tied up in a ponytail forming fiery locks around her green eyes. Her eyebrows moved a little upward as she said:

"Em I presume? I'm Robin. Mayor Lewis asked me to pick you up, he's cleaning the cottage before your arrival. "

She cursed at herself internally, way to make a good first impression Em. Real nice.

"Hi Robin! Um, thanks."

She was looking like a deer caught in headlights and she knew it. She was very grateful when Robin didn't push the conversation and led her to the farm, telling her she was the carpenter and that she'll be glad to upgrade the house when she was ready, even making some farm buildings. Em quietly listened to her, taking in the amount of work she'll need to be doing to restore Last Inn Farm, it was... overgrown. The understatement of the year. She felt a hint of panic streaming in her blood. Not yet, she thought.

Lewis and Robin were both very welcoming and kind, she felt a little guilty at the relief that took over her when they made their way back. As she looked at Robin's back, she stopped. Robin turned over and walked to the cottage entrance, giving her a warm hug. Em tensed, lightly pressing her awkward hands on her shoulders. Too close.

"My God, she said, you're just like him."

As she pulled back, Em saw in her eyes a tiny bit of worry, but also a lot of love.

"My son, Sebastian. You two just give the exact same hugs." She chuckled. "Welcome Em. I'm very glad to see someone take care of this place. And I say this again: call me if you need anything." Em was taken aback by her statement. What did she mean? And before she could say anything, the woman was off.

Em let out a relieved sigh, her mind still trying to understand what she really meant by that, and took a good look at her surroundings. Weeds, trees, rocks as far as the eye could see. This place was gigantic and begging for someone to take care of it. She barely remembered how it was when she was young, it's been so long since Grandpa died. The greenhouse was just a pile of wood and glass, the fields were covered in weeds and wildflowers, the little lake in the middle drowned under the bushes and other green sprouts that grew around. Somewhere in the distance, she heard a frog, happily croaking.

She suddenly felt so small and alone. This was an insane amount of work. What am I doing here again? With a slight watery itch in her vision and a few sharp breaths, she picked some tools her grandfather left there and cleared a small portion of the land in front of her house, to plant the parsnips M. Lewis gave her earlier. Baby steps. After she was done, she noticed the sun setting behind the pines. She grabbed her cigarettes and lit one, sitting on her porch. My porch. This is my life now.

As her eyes bathed in the purple evening light, she allowed a single tear to fall down her cheek, not knowing exactly if it stemmed from the beautiful and magical place she could now call home, or the lingering anxiety she always had in the pit of her stomach. Had she always been this way? Em couldn't remember. Chasing the gloomy thoughts rattling in the back of her mind with one last drag on her cig, she headed inside of the cottage.

Slowly unpacking her clothes and books, she did her best with the little space she had to make a somewhat cozy setting. While stacking her fantasy books on top of the fireplace, she noticed a photo on the ground. It was her and Grandpa, she was wearing her tiny little yellow boots and white raincoat. The smile they both had was so bright she couldn't help the sudden wave of nostalgia and anguish that ran through her. Placing a shaken hand on her lips, she inhaled sharply. Yes, maybe this was the right place, after all. Maybe she could meet that little girl again and learn a bit from her. She placed the photo in between her two favorite books and went to sleep.

Maybe this was alright.

--

She woke up very early the next day. Maybe because there were no blinds, or because of the fear and excitement that ran through her as soon as she opened her eyes. There was so much to do still, but she's never been a morning person. Stumbling away from her bed, she lit up the fire and placed the little kettle on top of it. Waiting patiently for the water to boil, she assessed the state of the cottage. No. Kitchen. How in the world did Grandpa eat? She really needed to upgrade the house somehow. Taking Robin up on her offer.

She poured herself a cup of coffee and went on the porch for a morning cig. Gosh the sky was beautiful. Allowing her foggy mind to emerge from the depths of sleep, she made a plan to buy a few more parsnips today and clearing a bit more. Lewis said she should introduce herself to the towns people, but she really didn't want to. She felt so vulnerable, alone on this huge property, far from home, not having a clue what to do next. She also wasn't great with first impressions. Maybe later. When you're less overwhelmed. Was that really about to happen anytime soon? Maybe not. But this was a thought for another time.

She got ready and worked on the farm. After a few hours of intense physical labor, at least, intense compared to her static life in Zuzu, Em was on the verge of collapsing on the ground when she decided it was finally time to head to the village. She met Pierre, the owner of the local shop and his family, briefly. Caroline was his wife and smelled like freshly cooked muffins and tea leaves. Abigail was closer to her age with beautiful light purple hair and piercing blue eyes. It made Em wonder how long it's been since she colored her own. She used to love doing it, before Joja sucked the life and fun out of her that was. She pushed the thought down the bottom of her mind. They exchanged small formalities and Abigail talked to her about the mines next to Robin's house. Worth a look. She needed to upgrade her tools and to do that, she'll need some copper. She thanked both of them and headed out. She pondered on exploring for a bit.

She looked a bit everywhere, sometimes inside houses, too afraid to knock and say hi. From what she understood there were about 30 people in the village. Crossing a bridge, she ran into a blond ray of sunshine.

"Hi! You must be the new farmer?" He said, with a blinding smile on his face. Too bright, she thought.

"Hi, well, yeah that's me. I'm Em."

She replied, forcing a smile and trying not to squint her eyes to much from the radiating energy she felt coming from him. He looked like a big sunflower, mixed with a very happy golden retriever. Smelled vaguely sweet.

"I'm Sam!" He said, joyfully. "I hope everything is going good for you on the farm?"

"Yeah, sure."

She replied, looking in between the ground and his shoes. C'mon Em. Wouldn't hurt to have a friend, yeah? He seems nice enough. She leveled her eyes to meet his, and immediately noticed an amused grin.

"Socializing isn't really your strong suit now, is it?" He said, chuckling a little. She was mortified. Her eyes went a bit wide as she tried to find something to say when he added:

"No worries though! I'm used to it. I do have a friend just like you." Ah, that smile again. "We usually meet on Fridays at the saloon, with Abby. You should come someday!

-... sure. I think I'd like that." A soft smile spread across her face. It was a half lie, she did really want to make friends. But she also dreaded the whole night-at-the-saloon-full-of- people thing. Anyway, it was more than enough socializing for the day, her introverted self was completely exhausted. She excused herself, leaving Sam and his warm smile.

Across the bridge, she saw a Joja mart and tensed immediately. What were they doing here? Even in the middle of nowhere, there was a fucking Joja mart. They were everywhere and it made her sick. Past it was the blacksmith and a very empty museum. She grabbed a few dandelions on her way to Robin's house and unfortunately for her, it was rather late when she arrived. Guess she'll have to ask about the house update another time.

She pushed past the house towards the lake, deciding on a small cigarette break. She saw that the mines weren't open just yet, she'll have to come back. She lit up her cigarette, reflecting on her day. The air was still chill in the beginning of spring, pushing the glassy surface of the lake into small, regular waves, the sound of frogs and crickets rocking the thoughts in her head. Peaceful. Quiet. She hoped Sam was honestly interested in her coming on Friday. She hoped she'll have the courage to go. Not that she never went to parties before, she actually was a bit too familiar with them, the high of alcohol and other substances was silencing her mind which was always welcome. Too many thoughts, too crowded, too... anxious, all the time.

Her dwelling was interrupted by a very familiar click. A lighter it seems, and she saw in the distance, the tiniest orange light. Another smoker, she thought. She didn't recognize who it was and... Well, that wasn't surprising given she only met like 10 people today. It looked male, from the shape of it. Spiky hair. It was getting kind of dark, so, hard to really see anything else. She patiently waited, still, not wanting to be seen.

After a little while, the shadowy form went back in the direction of Robin's house, and she got up. Following the trail down the mountain, she arrived at her house. Parsnips will be planted tomorrow, and she'll continue to work on the farm.

Yeah, sounds like a solid plan. Trying to suppress the sarcastic tone attached to the thought, she went to sleep.