Lily of the Valley - Stardew Valley - Sebastian

Chapter 19

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It took a long time for Koda to learn how to walk again. In my time up in the mountains no matter how nice it was felt excruciatingly trapping. I quickly got used to the shallow breathing as the pain pushed against my lungs.

I sat by the garage, watching Koda try to chase after butterflies while Seb worked on his bike. Robin had taken full control of everything around me, at least to an extent. It was nice to be cared for and I understood why they did it.

But I had never realized how difficult it was to just sit still.

Sebastian on the other hand seemed happier than he had been for a while. Maybe it was the fact doctor Harvey had finally agreed to take his cast off or if he was just glad that summer was finally stepping away. Edgy git.

Robin marched past the house with such pure determination she left a cloud of pavement dust behind her as she went. She disappeared inside the house for half an hour and on her way out she nodded a quick goodbye.

She had been acting strange from the moment I got let go. Insisting there was no reason for me to even visit the farmhouse, I was rushed up here. Even if the most damage was losing part of the porch it seemed like Robin had taken the project into her heart and I couldn't deny that from her.

What had surprised me a bit was the utter nonchalantness of others around me. Sebastian had not mentioned any of it not a word. Nor had any of the others. Robin worked day and night and yet said nothing of the progress made.

Willy came by yesterday with the weird parrot by his side. He brought a ridiculously heavy sack of fish which would probably take weeks to devour. He stayed the evening, telling crazy stories from his time sailing through the seas. Sebastian managed to squeeze out a few ghost stories out of him, too.

"And that's the oil changed." Sebastian declared.

Koda had wandered over to the lake and I tried to reach my neck to see his whereabouts. When this inevitably did nothing, I stumbled upwards in means to go and follow the dog on its mission.

"What's up?" Seb came out of the garage, hoodie tied around his waist and the white undershirt splattered with oil. He had a rugged piece of cloth which he used to wipe his hands.

A large lump had begun to grow every time I talked to him. Maybe it came from the things he didn't say and since he didn't it was hard for me to say anything either. Not a word of the night here, not a word of the fire. Nothing.

It felt surreal to stand so close to him yet be so far apart.

"Koda." I said, trying to yet again spot the wandering thing. Sebastian nodded knowingly. Some of the oil had somehow ended up over his forehead, messing up the front hair strands.

"Hey, you missed a spot." I joked. I held onto his shoulder to keep him still while wiping off the spot with my other hand. The task would've been easier if he hadn't stared at me se deeply the whole time.

"Erm. There you go, I guess." I spattered on like some idiot. "So... -"

"The dog?"

"The dog."

Running after the thing I had to roughly shake my head in an attempt to clear it. The feeling wasn't new or unfamiliar. He had always been like that. But why was it that my mind couldn't comprehend as much of it all anymore.

To ease the burning in my ears I washed my hands and face in the lake. The dog had climbed up the mountain and found a cozy tree which to nap under.