a Stardew Valley fan fiction: The Proper Care and Feeding of Souls

Chapter 2: Courage

"You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, 'I have lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.' You must do the thing you think you cannot do."

- Eleanor Roosevelt

The morning sun shone brightly, but through the tattered drapes and nearly a decade of dust and grime, it entered the room distorted into a soft glow. Grace rolled over and opened her eyes, momentarily disoriented by her surroundings and the events of the proceeding evening. Then, she remembered: the rumbling train, the dark walk, the rain, no power, dark shower. She thought hard. Searching for the night terrors she'd come so accustomed to, she came up blank. She inventoried her body and mind. She felt rested, at peace. It was what she had come here for. She never imagined it would happen so quickly.

Grace's stomach grumbled. She looked around, seeing the farmhouse properly for the first time in the light of day. It was not the home she had remembered from her childhood. Structurally, yes. She could see the kitchen and recognized the different rooms in the house, but it was missing the love and life that once permeated its interior. It was dusty, dirty, run down. But regardless of the current state of the farmhouse, it was now her home, the backdrop for the creation of her new life. It seemed only fitting that the farmhouse, too, be allowed its own rejuvenation.

Grace made her way to the kitchen even though she knew there couldn't possibly be anything to eat. The refrigerator was bare, the pantry empty. Obviously, she thought to herself. Remembering the small general store in town, she threw on some jeans and a t-shirt and walked out to greet the morning sun.

Stepping out onto the veranda, Grace's breath caught. She had forgotten just how remarkable the valley was and from her front door, she was able to take it in in all its glory. In the distance, she could see the beautiful green rolling hills occasionally marked with lakes edged with forest, stopping only when met by the ocean. Her own land, acres of fields and pastures, had clearly been neglected for quite some time, and yet the natural beauty of it still managed to shine through.

Grace walked the path she'd navigated the night before as she made her way to town. In the light of day, it looked much less menacing. The morning sunlight flittered through the newly budding spring leaves of the trees that lined the path. Off to the north side of the path was a small meadow sprouting with wildflowers and trees. The dirt path became cobblestone as she entered the small town. As her feet hit the stone, the weight of her new life hit her. She had traded in city streets and subway stations for dirt paths and a quaint cobblestone town square. She was ready to trade in her broken, predictable life for one that fed her soul.

PIERRE

Here's the thing about living in a small town. Nothing happens without everyone immediately knowing about it, well, at least not without me knowing about it. Running the general store and post office, I am the first to overhear the causal exchanges and gossip between everyone in town. I see every letter, every purchase, every package. Nothing gets past me.

So of course, that morning, I already knew that a stranger had rolled into town late last night, taking up residence in the dilapidated old farmhouse that once belonged to Ralph Morse. I was less prepared, however, when that stranger walked in the front door of the store.

I had to suppress my shock. The stranger, she was a woman. Practically a girl if you ask me. She didn't look much older than my own daughter, who had just graduated high school. What on earth was a young woman like her doing here? Surely, she had her father or husband with her (is she old enough for a husband?). Surely, she wasn't here alone. The girl cautiously entered the store, looking nervous and unassuming. If she could have turned invisible, I think she would have.