Seasons of Change

Chapter 2

Spring, Day 2

"Nothing will work unless you do," - Maya Angelou

Sweat dripped off of May's brow in the rays of the early morning sun that filtered gently into the valley. The farm was a mess. She knew this from the day prior, but did not truly appreciate it until it was up to her to clean it up. With the aid of a set of old looking tools left behind in her new farmhouse, her entire morning was dedicated to the backbreaking work of weed whacking, removing and processing fallen tree limbs into usable lumber, and hauling out massive boulders locked within the earth. To be completely honest, May did not know much in the ways of farming, or even basic foraging for that matter. She understood the basics of what she studied while getting her degree, but never once had she actually had the opportunity or desire to apply it. Though, now she reckoned she had no other option. She came to this town with the role of farmer and now she must play her part.

Her work was clumsy and slow, using an old hoe to the best of her ability to rake up the dirt in 15 1x1 foot patches. Her back and shoulders screamed under the pressure of it, having already been exhausted by the process of clearing the field for the tilling, now having to actually undergo the process of tilling itself. It was no easy work. Once satisfied with her job, May carefully planted all 15 of the seed packets Mayor Lewis had gifted to her, painstakingly going back and forth between her newly planted parsnips and a small pond near her house to fill her watering can and make sure every seed was sufficiently watered. May was exhausted and it was only 9am.

She sat then for a moment, her back leaning against the stairs of the farmhouse and sighed. It could only be a second's worth of rest, but time she was very much willing to take. Was this what every day was like for a farmer? Waking up at 6am to hours of grueling work, and then what? Go to bed early and do it again the next day? She closed her eyes and leaned her head back. The breeze felt good on her sweat covered neck. May didn't know what exactly she had gotten herself into, but she supposed it was better than what she had left behind. The memories of the hours she spent stuck behind a desk at Joja and the uncomfortable feeling of returning to an apartment she felt unwelcome in made her shiver. This was hard, but at least it wasn't that.

Giving herself another second longer, May stood up, wiping her dirt coated hands on the legs of her equally dirty overalls. May figured it might be best to start heading into town, if anything just to familiarize herself with her new surroundings and see what it might have to offer. Pelican Town seemed like a very small place, so it wouldn't necessarily be wrong to assume that the current residents may be anxious to meet the strange new farmer who just moved in. Best to introduce herself now, rather than give them time to come up with any sort of rumors about her instead.

As she started her walk back down the path she took from the bus station, the raised flag of her mailbox caught her eye. Could she possibly have mail already? With a raised eyebrow, May cracked open the old, rusted mailbox with a screech and was surprised to find two letters inside. She picked them up, giving a cursory glance over the paper sitting on top which appeared to be some sort of flier.

"'I keep finding cool stuff, but my backpack is full!'" it read, with a cute graphic of a tawny haired man in glasses holding up a finger. "Does this sound like you? Well, Pierre's got you covered! Stop by Pierre's General Store TODAY and check out our affordable medium size backpack! See you soon!" May hummed to herself. A backpack might not be a bad idea, especially when she hadn't quite figured out any ideas to store belongings she might accumulate while living here. She moved the flier behind the other item from the mailbox, keeping a mental note of the store name.

The other letter was enclosed in a sealed envelope. May ripped open the top easily with her finger and pulled out a slip of paper with only a short note on it.