Late Bloomer (Shane x reader)

Life is a series of paths

Life.

You absentmindedly pondered about life as you watched the scenery outside the window change from a familiar dull, gray blur into green pastures and clear skies. The road ahead seemed to stretch endlessly into the horizon, and the low hum of the bus tires rolling across the pavement brought you a rare moment of serenity.

What is life? What is the purpose of life? Is there even a point in trying to find a purpose?

Sometimes, you like to picture life as a series of paths and forks in a giant forest. The foliage seems to block your view of what lies ahead on each path. Thus, you can only blindly push forward and never look back. Some roads are harder to traverse than others; you might have to climb over rocky slopes, cut through vines, or pass through poison ivy. At times like these, some may choose to lie down in a clearing and stay there forever. After all, all the paths lead to the same destination...death, do they not? Why even try? Why does it matter if you never progress, if you miss out on the beautiful scenery that lies ahead on certain roads?

Your thoughts were interrupted when the bus slowed to a halt, and the doors opened with a slight creak. You hear the bus driver call to you, "Miss, you've arrived at Stardew Valley." You take a deep breath as you get up, grazing your hand over your pocket to check that your grandfather's letter is still securely tucked away. As you take your first steps into a new chapter of your life, you remind yourself that life is a series of paths, and you hope the path you chose is the right one this time.

When you step out of the bus, the first thing that hits you is the freshness of the air. It takes a moment for your lungs to adjust to consuming this much oxygen in each breath, a feeling entirely foreign to you due to spending most of your life in the city breathing in all the fumes and pollution. Next, you take in your surroundings. You see more shades of green around you than you've ever seen in your entire life. The trees stand tall and strong, their leaves rustling in the gentle breeze. The fragrance of flowers and grass fills your nose, and for the first time, you learn what the phrase "spring is in the air" truly means. Above, birds soar freely through the brilliant blue sky, and big, puffy clouds--real clouds, not ones coming from factories--float by idly. The entire scenery around you takes your breath away. It feels straight out of those paintings of perfect green pastures and blue, blue skies you would make as a kid.

While you admired the view with wide eyes like an excited child, you noticed a red-haired woman approaching you. You regain your composure and muster an awkward smile as the woman greets you, "Hello! You must be Y/N."

"I'm Robin, the local carpenter," she continued with a kind smile, "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. The farm's right over here if you'll follow me."

She beckons for you to follow her, and you trail behind, listening to your soles crunching on small pebbles littered across the dirt path. You start to feel nervous doubts crawl into your mind. Were you even suited for farming when you had spent most of your days sitting at a desk for more than 8 hours a day slaving away for Joja Corporation? You couldn't even recall the last time you were able to properly work out or take care of your body since your soul was getting sucked out daily by Joja Corp and...him.

You shake your head in an attempt to suppress your bad memories. You decided to come here for a fresh start, something your beloved grandfather would've wanted you to do, and you couldn't give up just yet without trying for him.

After what feels like an eternity, Robin stops in her tracks and turns to face you, "This is Sunnyside farm."

Your negative thoughts resurface as soon as you lay eyes on the state of your grandfather's farm. Well, your farm now and sunny is certainly not one of the adjectives you would use to describe it. Your mouth visibly drops open in shock as you see the overgrown weeds in the yard, the twigs littered everywhere, and the generally poor state of the farm that looked like it had been abandoned for years--which was likely the reality. At that moment, you started wondering if it was too late to turn around and buy a ticket for the next bus back to Zuzu City and beg the devils overseeing Joja to take you back.