Too Sweet. | Haley x F. Farmer

iii. parsnip & coop

Athena's POV

Lewis had given me some parsnip seeds to plant for a starter pack, and he also left a mail that indicated a neighbor would stop by to bring some gifts.

I'm sitting outside on the porch's wooden floor, the seed bag in my hand. Also, who am I kidding? I don't have any experience in farming. Heck, I am indeed doomed.

"Oh, well, hello there, young lady!" I was startled by a sudden voice coming from not far away from the house. A seemingly sweet lady was holding a chick on one of her arms and a fruit basket in the opposite hand.

"You must be Athena! Lewis told me about you. Here!" She handed me the basket filled with fresh fruits. Oh, sweet!

"And here you go," She also handed me the little chicken-oh boy, is this little one for me?

"You can name that little one; she's a gift, and also, that fruit basket there. I'm so happy that you decided to run this place," she said in a sweet yet soft voice. Her soul seems pure, I could say that.

"Thank you so much, erm?" I stopped; I didn't catch her name yet.

"Marnie, dear," She laughed softly.

"I'm very thankful for the gifts, Marnie, and this little one. I guess I should name you Pixie," I quietly said, smiling softly at this little chick.

"Oh, well, please take care of little Pixie. You'll have to wait before she opens up; it'll take time for her to adjust," She explained.

Figured, but this one is surely cute. "Again, thank you so much, Marnie. I appreciate it, really," I thanked her once again.

"Anytime, kiddo. You can visit my ranch; I sell feeds for the animals," She added.

"I'll take note of that," I replied with a smile. I gently settled Pixie down on the ground, and she curiously started exploring.

"Have you met your other neighbors? I'm sure they'd be pleased to meet you," Marnie asked, a hint of curiosity audible in her voice.

I shook my head and replied, "Uh, not yet. I've been busy trying to clear out things here on the farm, and I'm not really good at meeting new people," I sighed. Don't get me wrong, but meeting new people is extremely exhausting for me. I don't communicate well with my peers. I guess they could say I'm a certified introvert.

"Don't worry, Athena. It's understandable, but don't forget, you can reach out to anyone here if you need help, okay?" She replied. I'm glad she's thoughtful.

"Yes," I replied, beaming a soft smile afterward. I don't plan on meeting the folks just yet; I still need to figure things out here on this farm.

"I have to go now. Come by at my ranch tomorrow morning; I'll give you some feeds for the coop over there. Make sure to let Robin fix your silo too, okay?" She said her goodbyes and went on.

Once Marnie was gone, I worriedly looked for Pixie. She was just picking out some insects on the ground, not far from where I was. I gently picked her up and cuddled her into my arms.

"Now let's go to your coop, little Pixie," I muttered before heading to the coop, which Robin built. I voluntarily just cleaned it.

time skip.

It's already at noon. The exhaustion is real. The afternoon sky on the farm was like a beautiful painting. I leaned on the fence, looking up. Fluffy clouds in shades of pink and light purple floated in the pale blue sky. The sun was setting, giving everything a warm golden color. The fields looked green and golden. A gentle breeze blew, carrying the smell of fresh soil and flowers. It was a peaceful scene, signaling the end of a day's work and the start of a calm evening. I firmly stood and did a heavenly stretch; resulting to every inch of my body crackling, well, that was satisfying.

"I'm glad I watched the 'Livin' Off Land' channel earlier in the morning; at least I learned a few things about farming, which really helped me get started with the parsnip seeds. I could get used to this kind of lifestyle."

"This scenery isn't that bad," I muttered.