Liminal Space | A Stardew Valley FanFiction

Chapter 13 - Then

The microphone would squeal each time it dropped to Lewis's side, his stifled sobs just out of reach of the loudspeaker. I found a sick sense of relief in the loud screeching, watching everyone cover their ears and letting their thoughts be momentarily consumed by the discomfort of The Loud. I never much liked making noise, but I didn't mind being distracted by it. I imagined nobody did.

Sebastian stood by the fireplace, defeatedly leaned against its brick exterior and grasping a champagne flute with a shaky hand. Water sat stagnantly at the bottom of the basin, reminding me just how young we really were. Two thin stripes of tape drew an X over his nose. I couldn't decide if the blackened perimeter of his eyes masked or accentuated the tiredness.

"Sorry, folks," Lewis sniffled, taking a deep breath and raising the microphone back to his mouth. "This is a tough time for all of us, so please don't feel ashamed of your grief. I certainly am feeling the weight of mine today."

I watched as he opened and closed his mouth, searching for the words. What was there to say about a life so full, so robbed by an early end? Were we meant to reflect on everything he'd done or everything he could've? Thank the gods of time for the decades he'd lived or curse them for the ones he'd lost? The silence in the room spoke for itself. Nobody knew.

"Randall passed last Thursday due to a stroke. He was taken care of greatly and surrounded by loved ones when he went. I think that is all we could ask for in such a tragedy."

Sebastian's eyes flickered to mine, and I felt nothing but anger. Anger that I wasn't there and he was. That I didn't get to memorize the sound of his goodbye and savor the last I love you coated in his voice. That the last living piece of him—Sebastian—was as good as gone, too.

It was almost beautiful, the way that the townsfolk trickled to the bow of the room and told stories so colorful that I could almost see them play out in front of me. They glided through memories like sharpened skates on a frozen lake; engraved on their features were bitter-sweet smiles and gazes indicative of a mind far away—stuck at the intersection of numbness and limitless emotion.

And then the service was over, and everyone who once knew him flocked to the double doors and headed briskly towards oblivion. I wondered if this might be the last time he was thought of; the last time his legacy was shared and cherished; the last time he would be recognized for a life well lived. Would people think of him and his magical socks when they saw a sunflower extending towards the sky? Would anyone stop to wonder if the ghost of him was reaching back towards it—his frail fingers outstretched in anticipation for connection?

God, it hurt. It hurt in a way that past fouls could only dream of reaching; it nestled itself within my core and slowly released its poison until I was nothing but boiling venom.

"Callie," Lewis approached gingerly and laid a light hand on my shoulder. "Have a moment?"

I nodded and followed him back into the empty funeral hall. The casket was gone and the lights had dimmed.

"I understand that the timing is less than ideal, but we need to discuss your next steps." He gulped. "Because you are a minor, legally, I cannot allow you to continue living on the farm by yourself. And, well, given your circumstances," he gulped again. I knew what was coming. "Unfortunately, it's looking like foster care in the City is the only option."

What did I expect, really? I knew being exiled from Pelican Town was imminent, but an optimistic part of me refused to believe that this was my fate. To be as alone as alone gets, cycled between households that got an extra slice of government money for putting up with me. "Siblings" who managed to look at you with both pity and disgust at the same time—feeling sorry for you but secretly wishing it wasn't their family who had to deal with it.

"What about the farm?" I choked out.

"Randall left it to you," Lewis reassured me. For a brief moment, I felt a weight lift from my shoulders. "Once you turn eighteen, it's yours. You just need to finish being a kid first, alright?"

"But I'm not—"

"Excuse me," a voice said quietly from behind us, interrupting me. It was probably for the better; Lewis didn't deserve the brunt of my disappointment. "I know it isn't my place to interject, but I'd be happy to accommodate Callie until she comes of age."

Only one person would be willing to do such a thing.

And I'd just broken her son's nose.

"Callie," Robin said, walking closer. "It is completely your choice, but it would be a monumental shame for you to leave the Valley. You are so important to our family, as well as everyone else...It is not your fault that this happened to you, and I can't stand by and watch you be powerlessly shipped off. No offense, Lewis."

He held his hands up in surrender, as if to say don't shoot the messenger!

"We don't have an extra room; you'd have to share with Maru, but she adores you. She thinks you're so cool, being an older high school girl, blah blah blah; don't tell her I told you that. Regardless, it would be our honor to have you, if—and only if—you would want that."

My head spun at the thought of living with Sebastian, a cyclone of emotion surging through me. Would two and a half years of close proximity heal or harm our already deteriorated relationship? Should I even care? Does he?

"Robin, this is an insane offer," I sighed. "I would be nothing but a burden."

"Callie," she said, putting her hands on my shoulders. "You will never be anything except an absolute joy. Hell, you're already past the worst years—if I could handle Sebastian as a toddler, then I can handle anything. Please."

I took a deep breath and pushed the thoughts away, nodding my head. "Okay."