Lily of the Valley - Stardew Valley - Sebastian

Chapter 2

***

This was a mistake. A HUGE mistake. I had to get out of here and as soon as possible.

I dragged my bags through the forest and crawled up all the way to the bus stop. I managed to reach the road before remembering that the bus had already left hours ago. Who knew when the next one was going to come.

Even if I happened to somehow get my hands on a return ticket, I'd have nothing to return to.

"Ya looking for something?" A very small, middle-aged woman in a purple jacket barked. Leaning onto a plain broken metal box she nodded me a hello and raised a cigarette she was smoking back up to her lips. She took her time, but then she said: "There won't be another ride before fall. So, you should at least sit down, kid."

Her face was very round and mellow. Shaggy hair and worn clothes gave her a rather run down look, but her overflowing pride and towering stance made her seem more snobbish than ragged. Bright purple eyeshadow highlighted her huge piercing eyes that didn't seem to leave my side.

This didn't seem to disturb Koda, since he ran straight to greet her. He immediately saw a friend where I suspected threat. Wagging his tail, he swung his paw at her in his mind probably trying to be friendly. Instead, it hit her on the leg, making the woman yelp and push the dog away.

"Get off you dirty pig! Hey, girl!" She snapped her fingers and motioned angrily at the dog. "Keep the hound away from me! My pants, look at them!"

Even when I apologised and put a leash on the dog she seemed badly crossed. Folding her arms, she tossed down the burnt-out cigarette and pressed it out with the tip of her sneakers. She frowned but then a bit warily, she said: "You know. You could go talk with Mayor Lewis. He could help you. Get you a place to stay."

"You know where he lives? Yes? Could you take me there? Please, this place is just horrid!"

The woman frowned a little before shrugging and mumbling, "Eh, whatever. I might as well. Come along, kid."

"The name's Pam, by the way." The woman stated. She wouldn't look at me, her gaze was firmly put on whatever was ahead. I introduced myself, but that didn't seem to be too interesting to her.

"Great. Don't be a jerk and we'll get along just fine."

We passed an old saloon where she suddenly stopped. The change of movement was so sudden I nearly walked into her. The building's brown stone walls were covered with green vines. They reached all the way around the house and drooped over the sign that had been hung by the main entrance.

On it read with golden letters: "The Stardrop Saloon"

"We're parting ways here. Go to the blue house over there. Yes, kid, you can see it from here." She pointed at it with her painted nail and snapped her fingers again when she felt like I wasn't concentrating hard enough. "Knock on the door and see what happens. Cheers."

I watched her disappear inside the pub. I collected my bags and dragged them to the mayor's house. Skipping up the stairs I knocked on the said door and then waited and waited. There were some muffled sounds from an old radio and clinking of dishes. Someone had to be inside.

"Mayor Lewis?" I tried calling, but no one came. It did silence the radio, somehow. I called out again. He had made it quite clear he didn't want any visitors. If straight up hiding from them is even a way to do so.

And normally I would've left, but I now had nowhere else to go. He was my last and only chance of getting out of here.

Finally, there were some heavy footsteps on the other side and the door creaked open. Out walked a tall, lanky man with a thick moustache. He had been just eating, since there were some breadcrumbs among the otherwise slick grey beard.