The Runaway: A Stardew Valley Story

Into the Mountain

Maru inspects the old battery with careful scrutiny. I know it's a long shot that one so old still has power, but 425G is 425G. When I realized that I happened to have a battery of the exact size and specifications listed on the board, I figured it was worth a try.

"Alright, let's see if this puppy has juice!" Maru declares as she touches an instrument to the battery. A light flickers at the top of Maru's contraption in response. "Awesome! This will be perfect! Thanks, Junox!"

"No problem." I wave a hand. "It's a better use than gathering dust at my place, but I am curious as to what this thing does?"

Pulling a wad of cash from her overalls, Maru says casually, "It's similar to a mass spectrometer if you know what that is."

I blink in response before taking the cash and deciding that not asking more questions is probably the best route.

"Well, pleasure doing business with you," I say before cringing inwardly at how much I sound like my father. "I should get going."

"Be safe on your hike today!" Maru waves at me with the battery still clutched in hand.

Just as I step toward the door, my eye catches on a phone lit up with a new message. The name reads Penny with a heart beside it, but the message must be password protected. When I look back to tell Maru that she has a notification, she's lost in her work.

For some reason, my patron requested that I enter and exit through the back door of her room. It's not my place to question why she's being so secretive, so I try my best to be quiet as I slip around the house. Still, I nearly knock over a strange looking stand with some kind of cylinder attached.

"Careful with that telescope!" a voice calls. "It was my father's."

I whip around to see Maru's father tending to a row of potted plants. "Oh, I'm so sorry!"

"Well, you shouldn't be sneaking around with my daughter in the first place. I know she's beautiful, but her brain will take her even farther. Maru is going to Hefton University in the fall, and she doesn't need distractions."

"I think there's been a misunderstanding," I gulp.

The man shakes his head. "I have a Ph.D. in Physics. I assure you, Miss Junox, that I am no fool, and while I applaud your taste in women, this is your only polite warning to steer clear of my daughter. She's not even eighteen yet for crying out loud."

My mouth is open to refute the insinuation, but I'm so stunned that nothing comes out. I stand dumbfounded as Maru's father brushes past me in a huff and out of sight. Maybe next time, I'll just use the front door even if Maru says otherwise.

"Onto my next objective for today, I guess," I whisper to myself before tightening the straps of my backpack and heading farther into the mountains surrounding the carpenter and scientist's home.

Josh went hiking once for a bachelor weekend, and I asked him what exactly hiking entails. He said there would be lots of beer, lots of walking, and lots of mountains. Minus the beer, it sounded like a pretty good way to spend time. I always loved the view from the top when Josh would take me skiing. At least now, it's not snowing.

Abigail mentioned a lake to the east of Sebastian's house, so I figured why not see if there's anything worth foraging up here and just enjoy the scenery? I've been working in the garden nonstop for the past week unless, of course, to help Sam and Sebastian chop wood. Robin thinks we should be good to start the kitchen by the end of the month!

There's a dirt path winding east that I follow past a sharp wall of rocks. It takes a good ten minutes before sparkling blue water comes into view. The air smells of foliage and not a hint of exhaust. Another maze of small bridges connects the lake shore to a series of small islands much like the lake below Marnie's.

Following a wall of rock, the path leads straight to a dark indentation in the mountain. It reminds me of a little mouth almost as if the mountain is gently snoring. There's a rusty chain in the dirt separating the inside of the mountain from the outside, but otherwise, the cave looks abandoned. Just as I'm about to walk on into uncharted territory, something moves in the shadows.

"Hello?" I call.

Nothing answers, but the faintest sound of footsteps echoes inside. I step closer trying to get a good look inside, but the glare of afternoon sunlight only sharpens the darkness within. Hesitation jerks me to a stop inches from the threshold of the cave. There could be something dangerous in here. Sam did warn me about wolves and wild men.

I'm prepared to turn away when something glints in the afternoon sunlight, and then, my feet move involuntarily. The air changes when I step inside. For late April, things are already pretty hot in the afternoon sunlight, but inside the cave, the temperature drops enough that the sweat on my arms makes me shiver. The smell is different as well, more earthy and wet.

Shadows dance over massive boulders as I pass, and the natural room begins to fill with more darkness the farther I go. Rocks hang from the ceiling and poke up from the ground. I walk the length of the visible corridor taking my time to examine each unique rock and insect that catches my eye. Nothing looks like the source of the shining from earlier, though. When I can no longer see where I'm walking, my shoe catches on a rock sending it skittering into the void. It bounces once, twice, thrice, and again.

The second it stills, a gut-wrenching tremor engulfs the cave.

"Oh, my," rasps a voice from the shadows, and my mind immediately goes to skeletons, sharp-fanged bats, and every other monster from the stories. "We'd better make a run for it. Nice and easy, follow the path you came in."

"Who's there? What's happening?"

"Nevermind who I am," the voice calls. "These mines are dangerous. You need to leave before there's another cave-in."

Another? Just as I wonder what the voice means, a stronger tremor sends a shower of coin-sized rocks from the ceiling. I cover my head as I take a tentative step back toward the exit and then another.

"Very good, just keep going, and don't look back."

As much as I want to know who the voice belongs to, I also want to avoid being crushed by rocks, so I heed the stranger even if it's just a figment of my imagination. It's difficult to retrace my exact steps, though. New debris litters the cave floor. Something glimmers to my left just out of the most direct route. I don't know why, but I'm drawn to it just like I was when I stepped into the cave.

Another wave of dust and rock falls from above. I glance between the shimmer and the afternoon sunlight. Then, in a split decision, I lunge to my left. The ground beneath me starts to give way as I stretch out my arms as far as I can.

"Leave it be!" the voice in the shadows is closer now. "Go now!"

I don't listen as my fingertips brush against something smooth. It takes a few more precious seconds of straining with all four feet and eleven inches of my body before my fingertips close around the object of my curiosity.

"You fool!"

With the rock in my fist, I no longer waste time scrambling to the exit. I run, and I run like all hell has broken loose. Rocks rain down harder. My head and arms will surely have bruises for days, but it wouldn't be the first time. This time, I only have myself to blame, and I don't think I mind. The orange glow of afternoon light grows and grows. The unseen stranger's footsteps are right on my heels, and it spurs me toward the sunlight.

When I can feel the warmth of daylight on my skin, I start to slow. It's too soon. I miss the rumbling from deeper in the cave. Something cracks above my head, and I raise my arms in protection too late.

I mistakenly believed I could revise this on my iPad as decently as my laptop. I'm so sorry readers! You guys are all amazing :) Thanks for reading and happy Friday!