The Weird and Wacky World of Stardew Valley

Chapter 4: Three Fishes, Two Stereotypes, and One Tower

It was the morning of early Spring. The young Sprig was heading to the docks unnoticed for an early riser he was. No one had woken up in 6.00AM, nor did any shops in Pelican Town had opened at that time. Seeing the lack of any life in basically every corner of the town, he started doubting whether his chosen visiting hour was too early or-

"Ahoy there, son." Never mind, Willy was already hanging at the docks, "I'm glad to see a fellow early riser in Pelican Town," and it appeared that he had yet to begin fishing.

"Indeed, I had to develop that habit on my previous job to avoid getting fired," It was the second time Sprig mentioned his previous work life since his arrival.

"I'd say it paid off well. Come now," Willy led him towards the upcoming task at hand.

The quay they were currently occupying was parallel to the beach, and extended about 25 meters from the shoreline. Behind them rested some sort of boat house Sprig assumed was Willy's. There was a set of lamppost placed across the harbour, and a wooden bench beside the boat house. Finally, a second quay on their right perpendicular to the beach and extending even further, as the area was more suited for docking ships. Overall, it was standardly designed.

Willy took two fishing rods from a barrel near the boat house, "Here, kid." he handed one to the farmer.

As Sprig observed the rod, the first thought he received was a few nostalgic feelings of the times he went fishing as a kid, even if he couldn't remember the exact days. The second one was realizing his fishing rod didn't look as awesome as Willy's. He couldn't blame him, the man had practically done this for a living after all.

"What do I do now?"

Willy began instructing "Pay close attention, Sprig. Grip yer rod with both hands, hold the reel above the spinner. Now, you want to build some momentum and..." Willy swung the rod forward, "...release the reel yer holdin'..." he sent the hook flying afar, "...like so."

"Like this?" Sprig attempted to replicate what was shown. The results he presented were received accordingly, except for the shorter distance it covered.

"Not a bad start. Try it again," Willy instructed.

Once Sprig reeled back the hook, he repeated the same process he did before. The hook flew forward, and when it reached the water, the subsequent results were the same as the last one.

"Hmm, I see the problem; there was a lack of momentum in yer throw. Try throwing it a little harder."

For the third time, he did the same reeling-in-and-throwing-out process. Only now, Sprig spun his fishing rod back and forth while breathing heavily, until he could reach the right amount of momentum. Letting out a huge exhale, the hook was thrown. Willy observed the results; Sprig's distance had improved, that was, at the cost of his energy after Willy heard the volume of Sprig's bated breath overpowering the sound of the ocean.

"Haha, it's hard, eh son? No need to worry, every fisherman struggles at the start. But they eventually develop enough strength with time," Willy assured.

"Yeah, I see your point. I can't imagine how you did it every day."

Little did Sprig know, his presence had attracted someone who was wandering the vicinity at the time. The person made his way towards the quay in front of the boat house. Both Sprig and Willy were too preoccupied with their aquatic endeavors to notice the person approaching them.

"Ah, the new farmer we've all been expecting... and whose arrival has sparked many conversation!" A new voice entered the chat.

"Ah, Elliott. What brings ya 'ere? I thought you were goin' to the library today."