Choice of Roots - Stardew Valley Fanfiction

Prologue - Rough Beginnings

There are countless bunches of people who don't give a care in the world, and would love to spend a season in a quaint little village west of no-where and east of never-been. Getting up and moving along in life to have a fun vacation is the norm for these types of people. Life is good, life is stable—why not put it on hold for a while? Press the pause button. When I come back to it, everything will be right where I left it! They make it so simple, and yet to someone like myself, they sound so naïve.

You see, not everyone can just press the stop button, and freeze their life. To the rest of us, we have to surf through the waves of motion, and continue onward. Unlucky are we, to have to suffer through the bouts of loss and destruction, as life gives us the good and the bad times. We were unfortunate enough to open our eyes a little too wide, and find that everything around us was either good, or not so. We don't just call things a day when things don't work out right, which is a shame. Instead, we dwell on them until we can no longer find another emotion to help us deal with the wave. That is—until we do, and continue to roll through the motions.

So while I'll sit in my stubborn little coop and imagine what it would be like to be naïve, I remember that ignorance is a reluctant bliss for some, and a factor of life for others. Deep down, I regret not being so clueless, and enjoying life. Being pessimistic comes straight from the heart, and like that beating organ, never stops reminding you that it's there and present. But, like the heart, it has to have a reason for beating.

I didn't want to come to Pelican Town on my own accord. No, instead, some somethings and some someones told me that I needed to go; it didn't matter if I wanted to or not. Like so many other decisions and life events, I had no choice. So, like always, I went swimming through the motions.

My grandfather died when I was a young tot, maybe around the age of 10 or 11. While that was many years ago, I remember it didn't affect me as much as it did now. I was just a kid, I didn't really know what death was—as much as I insisted that at that time, I knew everything about anything there was to know about. But aren't all stubborn brats like that at some point in their life? Nevertheless, that great man gave me a letter—back then I didn't really know what it was supposed to be used for, nor when to open it. I was but a child, remember? "In a time of crises, when your life is bleak, and you need an escape," he must have said—or rather, something along the lines. "Open this letter." I opened the parcel 12 days ago.

Now I'm 25, more or less the same child, just a bit more stubborn-witted and realistic when it comes to what life gave me. I could understand the letter's contents now, and rather, when I found the letter tucked away in a far desk-drawer as I scrambled to find it, I knew that I needed to understand its contents.

My grandfather's death may affect me now more than ever, but that may be because of the fact of me wandering back to a place he once roamed. While I hate to admit it, the real reason as to my need for a place calm and quiet, was my mother's death. Both unexpected, unlike his, but all the more real, I needed to find an escape from all of the pain and suffering while I still had a chance. Working at a dead-end job, with no hope in sight, wasn't good for anyone's mental health. Even before the strain of her passing, I could feel my hair turn grey with the passing seasons, and my outer limbs developing arthritis. Things weren't looking good for me, right from the start.

This is why I came to Stardew Valley—to find my escape. Not a fairytale land of fun and adventure, but one that could take me back to a better time, or at least a better place. I knew not much of what I was going to find as I limped groggily off of the stingy bus, other than an old cabin and 20-acres of land. I was just hoping that it was all going to be worth it, and at least help me cope as I selfishly aimed to try and escape from the life I was presented.