Stardew Valley: Lavender

Prologue

It was a clear sky out, stars twinkling through the window. A young boy with slight tanned skin and messy black hair, paired with eyes that seemed to be that of a dark red was beside his bed-ridden grandfather. The room was mostly empty except for the two of them. The wallpaper was blue with pink flowers patterned over it, with a fireplace lit right behind the father's head. On the fireplace there rested a sword hung against the wall on a frame. Behind the boy's back was a red chair and a blue table and wooden chair with a plant resting in a flowerpot.

"...and for my very special grandson. I want you to have this sealed envelope." His grandfather spoke, handing the boy an envelope sealed with a purple stamp, keeping the envelope closed. The boy was about to open the envelope right then and there before his grandfather stopped him. "No, no, don't open it yet... have patience. Now, listen close..." The boy nodded and obediently set it in his pocket. He was worried about his grandfather, but for now he would just listen to his words. "There will come a day when you feel crushed by the burden of modern life... and your bright spirit will fade before a growing emptiness. When that happens, my boy, then you'll be ready for this gift." The boy stared at the pocket he set the envelope in with a nod. "Now, let grandpa rest, we can talk more in the morning..."

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XX Years Later...

There was a gray building in-scene now. Large blue words were labeled on the wall. 'Joja' and right under it in slightly smaller text 'Join us. Thrive'. Further below that was a blinking green light labeled 'Work' and an inactivated red light labeled 'rest'. Below the text was small squares with desks all over the place. Each desk had one computer, and most desks had at least one person working, all of which looked like they hadn't slept in days. Above the workers were two large windows. Standing behind said windows were two men in suits, watching over the workers to make sure they weren't slacking off... What a joke, am I right?

Looking across from the side, the employees were still hard at work, and an empty desk had a red sticker with the word 'terminated' labeled in black text. Soon after there was a worker that had a large, oversized hat typing away at his computer while licking his lips... I don't think he's doing his job if you ask me...

At the end of the line was a skeleton, which somehow had a defeated posture as it laid face first on it's desk. Now THAT'S what I call someone getting terminated. My fault-

Two desks behind the skeleton was a man, who was around 22 years old had disheveled black hair that matched a fully-grown beard, slightly tanned skin that looked unnaturally pale which showed the mistreatment he was faced again. He had dark bags under his eyes as he struggled to stay awake, drifting asleep every few seconds. He woke up again with a sudden change in his heart. He had dreamed about his grandfather's talk on that fateful night so many years ago. He turned to one of the drawers of his desk and opened it up. An envelope with a purple seal rested there alone as he picked up said envelope and ripped it open.

'Dear Grey,

If you're reading this, you must be in dire need of a change.

The same thing happened to me, long ago. I'd lost sight of what mattered most in life... real connections with other people and nature. So I dropped everything and moved to the place where I truly belong.

I've enclosed the deed to that place... my pride and joy: Lavender Farm. It's located in Stardew Valley, on the southern coast. It's the perfect place to start your new life.

This was my most precious gift of all, and now it's yours. I know you'll honor the family name, my boy. Good luck.

Love, Grandpa.

P.S If Lewis is still alive, say hi to the old guy for me, will ya?'

The man stood up from his desk abruptly, getting the attention of money and the overseers above them. "I QUIT!" He yelled. He said as he ran out of the large room, not giving a single second more to the place he had worked at for four years now. He hadn't remembered the last time he felt so... free.

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Now, a bus was pulling up to Stardew Valley. When a man wearing a brown coat, black shirt and pants, and brown boots stepped off the bus, a red-haired woman with a yellow sweater greeted him. The man himself seemed a lot healthier now, his skin a good tanned tone. "Hello! You must be Grey. I'm Robin, the local carpenter. 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." She explained. Here's a spoiler alert, he's only tidying up the cabin part and not a single thing else. "The farm's right over here, if you'll follow me." Robin led Grey down from the bus stop and to their right over to the nearby farm... which had sticks, stones, bushes, grass... absolutely everywhere.

"This is Lavender farm." Robin said, taking note of Grey's surprise to see the farmland covered with lots of different things. But... he did this to get away from his office job, it'll just require a bit of work, and he's willing to go through that. "What's the matter? Sure, it's a bit overgrown, but there's some good soil underneath that mess! With a little dedication you'll have it cleaned up in no time!" Grey nodded as he looked around and finally laughed. "Yes, yes I suppose you're right! I'm sure I can get this done... within the week!" He said, feeling optimistic about the work ahead of him.

They took a few steps further before stopping at the cabin. "... And here we are, your new home." The door opened to meet an old man with brown overalls, cap, a green shirt and yellow tie, all matched with his gray mustache. "Ah, the new farmer!" He walked down the steps to get right beside him. "Welcome! I'm Lewis, Mayor of Pelican Town. You know, everyone's been asking about you." Lewis said.

"They have? I didn't think they would..." Grey said with a nervous chuckle. Lewis laughed heartily back. "Of course they have! It's not every day that someone moves in. It's quite a big deal!" The old man then trübes to look back at the building now in front of them. "So... You're moving back into your grandfather's old cottage. It's a good hose... very 'rustic'." Robin gave a good look at the house. "Rustic? That's one way to put it... 'Crusty' might be a little more apt, though." Lewis jumped and yelled out 'Rude!' While Robin only snickered. Grey continued to look at the cottage. 'Well, I think it's fine, but I may need to add extensions sometime later...' he thought.

"Don't listen to her, Grey. She's just trying to make you dissatisfied so that you buy one of her house upgrades." That caught Grey's attention. I guess that makes one problem solved on how he was going to actually get extensions for his house. Robin widened his eyes before folding her arms. 'Hmph!' Lewis smiled at his old friend's grandson. "Anyway... you must be tired from the long journey. You should get some rest. Tomorrow you ought to explode the town a bit and introduce yourself. The townspeople would appreciate that." Lewis said before parting from Grey and Robin before he halted once more. "Oh, I almost forgot. If you have anything to sell, just place it in this box here. I'll come by during the night to collect it. Well... Good luck!" Right after that, Robin followed just behind the mayor of Pelican Town.

Grey walked inside the cottage, closing the door behind him. It was already well furnished, a television already being placed there. He smiled as he kicked off his boots and laid on his new bed. "This is it. A fresh start..." he closed his eyes as he smiled. "Thank You grandfather... for giving me this chance..." after a few more minutes of laying down on the bed, he drifted off to sleep. 

-Prologue End-

Word Count: 1408