Stumble - (Stardew Valley)

1 - Tabula Rasa

     My head rattled as it rested against the window of the bus. I had one hand clutching my suitcase's handle and the other resting on my leg. The familiar scenery of the city had faded by now; I had been on the bus for a long, long time. However, my watch was malfunctioning, so I had no grasp of how long exactly I had been sitting on the bus for. Now I knew I was at least a half-hour from the city.

     There was something therapeutic about watching the concrete jungle fade into forest through the cloudy bus window. It felt like a new start, which was something that I desperately needed. The shaking of my head against the window numbed any negative thoughts I had been experiencing before. I zoned out for a while, watching cars move past the clunky old bus on the highway. Some passengers of the cars looked back at me. Some didn't. It didn't matter much though, right? They'd never see me again.

     The bus exited under a sign that said "Stardew Valley." I thought that the contrast between the city and the forested highway was severe, but the new scenery was almost surreal. We were now on a two lane winding country road with tree branches scraping the windows. The bus narrowly stayed on the turning roads and I held onto the seat tightly. I was alone on the bus as this point, my anxiety spiking. My foot bounced on the metal floor while my eyes searched ahead of me for a bus stop sign. A few moments passed like this, though they felt like ages, until the bus slowed to a stop. I scrambled to my feet, clammy hands around the handle of my suitcase, and made my way off of the bus.

     "Hello! You must be Paulette," a ginger-haired woman greeted me as I tentatively went down the steps of the bus. A sheepish simper peaked itself on my face.

     "Please, call me Polly," I finally planted my feet on the ground, but the words flew out of my mouth without much recognition, shocking me. Polly? Only my grandfather ever called me that. I had gone solely by "Paulette" since he died and refused to go by my old nickname. However, apparently something, somewhere, decided that I wanted to return to this nickname. The name "Polly" had so many painful memories, but perhaps now "Paulette" had even more.

     "Alright, Polly, I'm Robin, the local carpenter. Mayor Lewis sent me here to fetch you and show you the way to your new home. He's there right now, tidying things up for your arrival," Robin gave me a reassuring smile, sensing how tense I was. "The farm's right over here, if you'll follow me."

     Robin and I strolled down the small dirt path that came from the bus stop and took a right where it split. A small wooden farmhouse with a dingy red roof sat in the distance, seemingly buried with weeds, rocks, and trees.

     "This is Sunflower Farm," she turned to face me, but her smile faded as she saw my panicked expression. "What's the matter?"

     "I mean, it wasn't exactly what I was expected," I gave a nervous laugh. The farm was practically overrun with weeds and rocks, what seemed like a forest looked in the back, boulders were in the distance.

     "Sure, it's a bit overgrown, but there's some good soil underneath that mess! With a little dedication, you'll have it cleaned up in no time," Robin put an arm around my shoulder and pulled me along to the dilapidated farmhouse. There were gaping holes in the wooden walls patched with tapes and I spotted shingles from the roof lying in the grass by the foundation.

"And here we are, your new home!" Robin gestured over to the building in front of us. My mind began to wander, but before it could go too far, a grey-haired man in a green shirt burst through the front door.

"Ah! The new farmer!" he exclaimed, then moved towards me and shook my hand. "Welcome! I'm Lewis, Mayor of Pelican Town. You know, everyone's been asking about you. It's not every day that someone new moves in. It's quite a big deal!"