Taking Root (Stardew Valley - Shane)

Chapter Four

It had been two days since Marnie's visit to the farm. I paid considerable attention to my crops each morning, silently praying that the soil would make them tasty enough that I'd be saved from humiliation.

I could see it now - myself, trowel in hand, ready to harvest the rewards of my hard work. I pull at the leafy tops of my potato plants with floral-printed gardening gloves, only to find something isn't right... they're shrivelled, green, and the size of small coins. They crumble in my shaking hands, disintegrating into dust within seconds. Circles of crows land on the earth around me, mocking and laughing with their whistling shrieks. I feel a bone-chilling breeze in the air as grandpa's ghost floats over in a cloud, a disappointed expression painting his face. "Sophie. You literally suck ass at farming."

Okay. Maybe I'm getting a little carried away. But I'm not entirely hysterical. I mean, the potatoes really could turn out terrible. Then what do I do? Gain some heartfelt determination and try again? Sounds tiring.

Before I let my unruly thoughts persuade me into stealthily buying a sack of Maris Piper potatoes and fobbing them off as my own produce, I focussed on my tasks for the day. I had started to map out the farm on a double-spread in my sketchbook, carefully scribbling in the bodies of water I had discovered, the woodland, and each small exit path I could find. I had already explored the path East of the cabin, that took me past the abandoned bus route and into the town centre. And I had followed the wide dirt trail South, at the bottom of the farm, that led me to the Cindersap lake. Now it was time to finally venture North, up-hill.

The end of the path opened out into a wide area, where the air smelled like pine wood and the rubble-like dirt crunched underneath my boots. I saw a large house directly in front of me, the roof tiles shining a brilliant cobalt blue - you couldn't miss it. Behind sat a humble yellow tent, complete with a roaring campfire and rotten wooden benches. I assumed that whoever lived in the large home must enjoy camping out at night time there, underneath the blanket of stars. The constellations would be so clear to see from up here, with little light pollution to disturb the view.

I carefully treaded forward, making my way along the side of the building and nearing towards the front door. A large lake entered my vision, and I followed the ripples along the waters edge as it flowed downwards, tapering off further into the valley. I didn't remember ever visiting this landscape before, not even as a child - I'm certain it would've remained clear and vivid in my memory. It was breath taking.

"Demetrius, I can't find it." A voice called from behind me. "It's driving me insane."
"Don't worry. It'll turn up eventually. Oh!-"
Two absent-minded figures halted to a stop to avoid bumping into me as they veered around the corner. The man stood tall, fiddling with a metallic pen he had placed in the pocket of his blue tartan shirt. His dark skin contrasted against the pale complexion and copper hair of the woman to his right. I stuck my hand out almost immediately without a second thought, eager to make a good first impression with the mountain-dwelling folk. "Good morning, I'm Sophie - the new farmer."

"Oh, it's so nice to meet you! I was pretty curious to see who would be moving into that battered old hut." She chatted with a smirk, shaking my hand, before opening her eyes wide. "Not that it isn't a lovely area of land, of course..."

Damn. Nothing beats insulting your home to start a friendly conversation. I hope grandpa wasn't cursing in his grave.

"I know, it definitely needs a bit of TLC, doesn't it?"
"Yeah, but it's nice. Uh, you know, it has a rustic feel." She blabbered, shifting her gaze to the side as she gripped her left arm with her right hand.
"Well Robin is a carpenter - she does a lot of the construction work around here." The man explained, snaking an arm around the woman's back. "She always does a wonderful job."
I nodded my head. "I'll know who to come to in the future then, when the roof caves in."

The couple had started heading even closer to the large home, laughing at my comment in unison, and Robin reached out to open the front door. "Would you like to come in for a drink?"

The scent of wood hit stronger inside of the building, and my eyes traced over the various carpentry tools that hung like glistening trophies on the back wall. I immediately felt a wave of self-consciousness wash over me as I thought about the dark mud that encased the soles of my worn, lace-up boots. I would stay as still as possible, I thought, near to the front door to avoid any unwanted mess.

"My name is Demetrius, by the way." The man finally entered first-name basis with me, as he fixed a cup of tea in the kitchen. Demetrius. I had never heard the name before - it sounded sophisticated, almost pompous. "I work in the field of science. I'm currently studying the local plants and animals from my home laboratory."
"Oh! Maybe you'd be interested in these-" I spoke quickly, fishing around in my satchel bag. "I found them when I was chipping away at the rocks and boulders on the farm. I think there could be more."

I still stood gingerly by the doorway of the home, my hands held out in the direction of Demetrius. A large black rock nestled in my left, a smooth brown stone in my right. "Do you know what they are? I'm not good with geology."

"This one is definitely coal." He explained, scratching at the surface of the black substance with a fingernail. "And, well, this seems to be a geode. I can hear a hollow tone from inside. Where did you say you found these?"
"I was clearing some stone away from a small cave opening back on the farm."

Demetrius blinked a few times, his finger still pressed against the coal. "Fascinating. I would love to study the specimen to learn more about the alkaline levels within the soil and stone on your land. I wonder what we could find growing in that cave."

"You're welcome to have a look." I invited him, and handed him the coal. "I still haven't cleared the entrance, but with an extra hand, I could get it done sooner."
He smiled at the idea. "I would love to help you."

There was a sudden, low creak of a door that startled me from my conversation, and I watched on as a tall shadow of a figure emerged from a descending stairway to my right, shuffling it's way into the kitchen. While he was obliviously staring away from me, I let my eyes scan over the man - his long, dark hair that seemed to be ruffled from a good night's rest, the oversized Cave Saga t-shirt that swamped his upper-torso, his plain black cotton pyjama bottoms.

"Sebastian. This is Sophie, she's the new farmer in town." Robin spoke for me, placing a hand on my left shoulder as she introduced me to her sleepy-eyed son.
"Oh. Hi."

"Hey. It's nice to meet you." I spoke gently with a smile, placing my hands in my pockets to avoid them hanging limply by my sides.
"Farming -" He grabbed two slices of white bread and slid them into the toaster, his eyes glazed over as he racked his brain for something to say. "That sounds... cool."
And after a minute of staring at the toaster, he had disappeared from the room, slinking back down the steps with his plate in tow.

A man of few words, huh. There seemed to be a few of those around here.