You, Me, and Her

Chapter 6: Poppies

Silverlight Festival of the Arts Comes to Pelican Town

The Stardew Times. May 12th. - Created to rival the foreseeably postponed Kane's Festival of the Arts, a brand new art and film festival, coined the Silverlight Festival of the Arts, has grand plans to host its first event this October in our very own Stardew Valley.

Drawing inspiration from the illustrious histories of cinema, arts, and photography, the Silverlight Festival aims to shine a spotlight on emerging talents while paying homage to the legends who led to the international success of Kane's. From dazzling film premieres to captivating art exhibitions, Silverlight staff insist attendees can expect a series of spectacular delights as they immerse themselves in the creative tapestry of Pelican Town.

With its quaint charm and idyllic backdrop, Pelican Town provides the perfect setting for this momentous new festival. The locals have eagerly thrown their support behind the event, recognizing its potential to attract international tourists and bolster the town's economy. As anticipation builds and preparations break ground, all eyes are on Pelican Town this October as it prepares to host its first event of this caliber.

A notification popped up on my screen accompanied by a chirping ringtone, pulling my attention away from yet another article covering the reveal of Pelican Town's historic surprise.

It was a text from an old roommate from my first year of university stating that she heard the news and was checking if I still lived in Pelican Town.

"Another inquirer?" Alex asked as he yanked a root from the dense soil.

We had both received a plethora of texts and calls from old acquaintances from the city who were desperate to get their hands on the highly coveted event passes for Silverlight. Just as they were with the Kane's Festival, admission passes were nearly impossible to attain, being either instantly sold out, reserved for film teams and brand partners, or, by the rare chance that one managed to add one to their cart, they were ridiculously expensive.

Being such a small town, local residents and business owners of Pelican Town were all promised free passes to the event, making us the most enviable low-class townies in the country. And even more enviable were the members of The Pelican Town Restoration Committee, who secured exclusive VIP passes in return for our hard work preparing for the event alongside the Silverlight team.

I had replied to the first couple of girls who reached out, expressing my excitement with them about the festival before slowly realizing that all of them came with the slow and subtle intention for me to bring them along for free or to find a way to get them passes. I left the rest of the messages on read.

"Yeah," I replied, my mouth twisting into a scowl. "Looks like we're popular again."

"You two look like you were the popular kids." Claire swung her scythe with a strong stroke, successfully clearing a cluster of tall, dead weeds in one go. She wiped the back of her sleeve over her forehead, gathering her sweat into the tan fabric then looked over her shoulder at us. "The classic jock and cheerleader duo."

"You're right about the jock but I was not a cheerleader," I clarified. "I took painting and photography while Alex rattled his brain around on the field."

The knees of my jeans sunk into the plush earth as I shoveled open a small hole and placed a budding seedling inside. I poured a bit of soil around the stem and patted it down securely before leaning back and checking to make sure the line of flowers I had already planted were perfectly aligned. They were, of course.

"Hey, I didn't need those extra brain cells to get accepted into the same university as you, so..." Alex remarked. He ripped out another firmly buried root from the ground and tossed it in a pile nearby.