Sunshine and Shadow Acres [A Stardew Valley Fanfiction]

Chapter 5: Plans

Abby showed up on my farm bright and early the next morning. To be honest, I didn't realize how serious she was about helping me. But so much more got done with there being two of us than there did with only one. Abby worked on gardening while I worked on clearing out more of the farm. For the most part, we worked in harmonious silence as I brainstormed ideas for the farm. I wondered if there was a way to keep a section of the land as natural as possible, partially for Abby's sake.

Grandpa had left me with acres of land, after all. I truly wasn't sure what I was going to do with it all. I had dreams and ideas of potentially starting up a sanctuary... but I had no idea how I'd go about that, or if I'd ever make enough money to make that work. Plus – we were out in the middle of nowhere. How would I even get rescues?

I worked as I pondered the endless possibilities until I was bone tired. I dragged myself over to the front steps of my new home and collapsed onto the steps Abby was already sitting on. She was staring out at the farm with a smile adorning her face.

"I know I'll miss the forest, but... you could do something really special here," she stated. I smiled up at her from where I was sprawled on the steps.

"I was thinking... maybe, I don't know, maybe one day, I could try to start up a sanctuary?" Abby's eyes lit up and she shook my shoulder excitedly.

"Oh my god, that'd be the coolest thing in the valley!" she exclaimed. "I could help!" I couldn't help but giggle at her enthusiasm.

"You trying to turn this into our farm?" I jested.

"If you're down," she fired back with a mischievous tone. I shook my head at her and smiled.

"Want to draw up rough plans with me?"

"Absolutely," she grinned as we headed inside and pulled out graph paper and got to work.

"I think wine would be a good venture," Abby muttered as we poured over the possibilities. "If it works out, there'd be plenty of profit for the sanctuary. Plus, it's relatively low effort, aside from the farming."

"Sprinklers to cut down on that would be really nice. And a tractor, eventually," I commented and scribbled that down in a notebook we were using to brainstorm and log ideas.

"Obviously it'll take a bit to get off the ground. Maybe we can try to make sprinklers?" she purposed and I looked at her like she had two heads.

"With what?"

"There are some mines, up in the mountains past Seb's house. There was a boulder blocking the entrance, so I used to just swim across the lake to get there. I'm not supposed to go down there... but I'm kind of-" she cut off as her face flushed.

"What?" I prodded gently, curious.

"I'm training in combat... in secret. I only go the bare minimum in the mines, but there's some bugs and slimes down there that I fight off. There is loads of ore, too, but I don't have any use for it, let alone a pickaxe. But I know you've got one," she motioned to where my pickaxe was hung on the wall. "With two of us, it'd be a lot safer..."

"Your parents would kill me," I muttered, and she flushed again.

"I... it's crazy, I know. But I'll keep going down there... with or without you, Addie. But... you're doing something here. And... I want to be apart of it, if you'd let me."