Buried in the Sands, Stuck in a Bottle (Stardew Valley Fanfic)

Buried in the Sands, Stuck in the Bottle

"Why did you have to disappear?" Ardyce Holmes took a deep breath, looking out at the ocean in front of her, watching the waves roll in as salty sea air blew in her face, tossing her ink-black locks of hair. A feeling of anxiousness hung over her mind since the summer before when her friend Maru disappeared; in fact, today marked the one-year anniversary of when her friend disappeared.

In the back of Ardyce's mind, she wondered if the reason the police didn't find any information regarding Maru's disappearance lay with the color of Maru's skin. The fact someone might discriminate in the search for a missing person based on their skin color honestly worried Ardyce, another person of color; she didn't feel like a priority to the police at all.

Of course, Maru's mother – whose skin was white with a dusting of red freckles – and her older brother apparently couldn't sway the police to take the search seriously; when she called to check on how the search for her friend was going, she'd received a complaint that Maru's mother and brother harassed them enough about the subject in that they made contact with the police almost daily while Maru's father's family contacted almost weekly.

As such, she found herself pacing the beach near the small diner she and Maru met up with at least once a year since they graduated from high school, but which they frequented far more often in high school. Her fingers pressed into her arms, her mind swallowing back the frustration she felt along with the fear that whoever took Maru was still out there, for there was no doubt in Ardyce's mind that Maru wasn't the type of person to have taken off without letting anyone know.

A silvery glint appeared on the waves, slowly rolling into the shore, bobbing slightly until the object landed on the beach at Arlyce's feet. Reaching down while the sun continued beating down upon her dark skin, her mind remained focused on that day a year ago – the last day she ever saw her friend. Picking up the bottle, she noticed the latter inside and opened the container up so she might read the letter.

"I'm sorry, but I have to do this."

Glancing up, almost as if in a blurring whirl of motion, Ardyce found herself staring at her friend, her usual cheerful smile catching her off guard. With one finger she pushed up her glasses like she always did. "It's nice to see you again."

"Um, yes." Ardyce took a deep breath, looking at the person across from her carefully. "But she's been gone an entire year. Am I really seeing her, in front of me – that's she's still alive?"

"Something the matter?"

Arlyce's eyes blinked, her mouth opening, wanting to point out the fact Maru went missing for an entire year, yet something in her brain told her not to do so. Something didn't seem quite right about the situation, such as the fact she definitely didn't remember walking from the beach to the small diner. For some reason in the back of her mind, she suddenly remembered how Maru graduated early – a certified genius two years younger then Arlyce; this didn't stop the two from becoming fast friends. "Nothing."

"Oh. Well, you seemed kind of surprised to see me despite the fact we always meet up here every year on this day."

Arlyce smiled at her friend – the apparent ghost in front of her. "Yes, but you disappeared the year before, only an hour after we met. I was the last person to see you." Arlyce let out a sigh. "I only have an hour to talk to her. To change the future, to make sure she doesn't disappear, but how do I tell her? I can't just say she wrote me a letter telling me that she sent me into the past an entire year without her thinking I seem nuts. How do I stop her from – I don't know the reason why she disappeared."

"Anyways," Maru ran a dark hand through her wiry red hair. "Life is usual back home."

Arlyce's mouth twisted slightly, frustrated at not having any clue regarding the reason for Maru's disappearance. Yet, the way Maru just reacted didn't match what she said. "Are you sure? Because you aren't acting like everything is okay back home?"