"Stop pecking your sister's eyes, you're going to be living in a coop together, violence isn't gonna settle your arguments. I should know, I had a college roommate."
Maria sighed as she looked down at the cloth-lined wooden box before her, desperately trying to get two young brown chicks to remain calm before she transported them to her farm.
"Is that the bigger one you're trying to wrangle over there? She was the first to hatch in her brood and has been a hassle since day one," Marnie chuckled as she walked behind the counter to ring up the livestock order.
It was a warm Spring day and in the four weeks since the Egg Festival Maria had made substantial progress on her farm. She'd managed to collect enough wood for Robin to build her a brand new silo and as well as a chicken coop. The coop had been built besides the rundown barn her grandfather once housed milk cows in, and she spent two days building fencing that enclosed both buildings to make a pasture for all her future animals to happily graze in. She had plans to rebuild the barn, but knew that was likely months away.
"Miss Maria! What're you gonna name those two chickens?" a cheery voice called out, and the farmer turned to see sweet little Jas running up to her, practically bouncing from excited curiosity.
Maria tapped her chin and put on an expression of deep thought before looking down at the little girl, "well, my cat is named Orion, which is a constellation. If I keep naming all my animals after constellations, I'm thinking I'll name the big one Cygnus and the smaller one Corvus."
"What're Cy-gus and Cor-vis?" Jas asked, confused.
The farmer laughed, "No no, Cygnus and Cor vus. They're both bird constellations, maybe someday I can bring you and Vincent stargazing so I can show you."
The young girl gasped before bounding over to Marnie, "Oh auntie, can I pleaseeee go look at the stars with Miss Maria? Please please please?"
"Jas, it's the middle of the day, I don't think you'll be seeing any stars. Other than the sun," a gruff voice pitched in.
Maria turned her head to see Shane stood in the doorway to the kitchen with a Joja Cola in hand. He eyed the farmer warily before letting out a huff of air and shuffling away into what she assumed was his bedroom.
She attempted to give him a quick hello as she rarely saw him outside the saloon drinking himself into a stupor every night, but the man clearly didn't want to be bothered as he walked away.
"I didn't mean nowwww Shane," the young girl called out as he shut the door, crossing her arms over her frilly purple dress, "Oh! But can I go with you to see the new coop, Miss Maria?"
She turned to look up at the farmer and give her the biggest puppy-dog eyes that Maria just couldn't say no to- luckily, she was saved by Marnie clicking her tongue and waggling her finger.
"Oh no, little missy. You've got weekend work from Miss Penny that I know you haven't finished, go on into your room while I finish selling these chicks," the rancher instructed.
Jas dropped her arms and pouted, but before leaving Maria squatted down to be eye level with the young girl. "Don't worry, I know that on clear nights during the summer we'll be able to see dozens of constellations in the sky. I'll take you stargazing then, yea? We can bring snacks and I'll show you how to map the stars," she promised, holding out her hand and extending her pinky finger.
A happy grin spread on the girl's face and she locked her pinky with Maria's while nodding her head quickly. Then with a giggle she twirled on her feet and skipped off to her room, hopefully to complete whatever homework Penny had left her.
"Now then, those two chicks are of the Golden Comet breed. They've reached their juvenile stage so technically they're no longer chicks, they're pullets. Give them about six weeks to get used to you and their new home and they'll be laying eggs before you know it," Marnie explained with a smile once Maria returned to the counter, "you have enough feed right? You know you can always buy more from me too."
"I'm fairly sure I've got enough. Also, remind me to buy a heater for the coop in the fall, I don't have the money for one now but I'll get it then," she requested, carefully grabbing the wooden box that housed the chicks.
Marnie nodded and the two women wished each other goodbyes and good days, and the farmer was soon walking down the familiar dirt path back up to her farm. The last weeks of Spring had arrived, but the sweltering heat of Summer had settled in early this year.
'Oh yea... I'm gonna need AC soon,' she thought as sweat began beading on her forehead.
Chirping caught her attention as she stepped through the threshold to enter the farmland. Looking down into the box, she was met with two pairs of beady eyes that studied her.
"Don't worry girls, you'll be in your new home soon. I'll have to introduce you to the cat, let's hope that he doesn't try to eat either of you," she explained, carefully stepping over jagged rocks and logs which she hadn't cleared from the land yet.
After a few brief moments she'd arrived at the fence which surrounded the old barn and new coop, creating an enclosure for all the animals she'd eventually own. The fence was made of wood, but she'd been sure to wrap chicken wire around the fence posts that rose to about her knees, ensuring that the young chickens wouldn't be able to make a run for it when she wasn't around to supervise them.
Balancing the box on her hip, she unlocked the fence gate and quickly stepped into the pasture, shutting the gate behind her and approaching the chicken coop. The building was by no means massive, roughly half the size of the glorified shed she called her home. It was made entirely of wood and stone collected on her farm, and within the coop itself was a low to the ground trough where she'd already placed some feed in, as well as a waterer which would fill itself with water as the pullets drank from it. A few high windows let the afternoon sunlight stream in.
"Alright girls, here we are," Maria said with a smile, kneeling down and gently grasping both chicks in either hand before carefully placing them on the coop's wooden floor, "your new home. What do you think?"
Cygnus, the bigger chick, took a few small steps before chirping loudly and running towards the food trough, flapping her little wings as she ran. Corvus seemed far shier and cautious of her surroundings, turning to look up at Maria with curious eyes.
The farmer smiled and sat down cross legged on the floor, carefully running her fingers down the pullet's head and back, "don't worry, girl. I know that moving somewhere new can be really scary, but I'm sure you'll like it here. When I have the money I can bring some new friends here for you, and I promise that I'll give you the best, comfiest bird lifestyle one can have."
A small, chittering noise suddenly drew her attention. She turned her head to see Orion standing in the coop's doorway, his head tilted as he looked at the two birds curiously. Maria knew that by the way his tail was hooked that his temperament wasn't aggressive but mostly friendly, but she shooed him out of the coop either way.
"Oh no you don't, these girls need to get used to their new home, out you go," she quickly said, hopping up onto her feet as she ushered the Burmese out of the building.
She quickly checked to make sure both chickens were comfortable before stumbling out of the coop and shutting the door behind her. A sigh passed her lips as she slipped her phone from her back pocket and checked the time: 1:33 in the afternoon.
'Hmm... enough time to work on clearing some farm land, I'm gonna need more wood if I want that house upgrade. Should be able to get a few trees down before meeting Abigail at the saloon like I promised, ' she planned out in her mind, pocketing her phone before heading out of the enclosure.
...
Beads of sweat dripped down Maria's brow as she swung her copper axe once more, the satisfying crunch of wood ringing out as the trunk of the tree began to tip over, eventually landing on the ground with a loud thud .
She'd spent the last two hours cutting down tree after tree, the work rewarding her with plenty of wood (some of which she'd stockpile for firewood, which she knew would be necessary in the colder months), saplings which could be easily turned into snack bars, and the satisfying sight of her farmland slowly coming together as she expanded it.
Despite the physically demanding nature of chopping trees, the activity left her mind free to wander, and wander it did. The last few weeks she'd been struggling, battling her own thoughts after her... encounter with Elliott after the Egg Festival.
For a few brief moments that day she'd almost tricked herself into believing she'd begun crushing on the man. 'Impossible,' she attempted to assure herself, 'no, I can't like him, I simply liked the way it felt when he touched me. That's it.'
This technically wasn't wrong, as whenever she thought back to how his nimble finger tips danced and traced over her skin, she'd shiver with guilty delight. It'd been quite some time since she'd been anything close to intimate with everyone, and though she'd hate to ruin a budding friendship by throwing her emotional baggage onto him, she'd be kidding herself if she said it hadn't felt nice to be touched in such a gentle way.
Frowning, she pushed these thoughts from her mind as she raised her axe, splitting the thick oak's trunk into smaller logs which could be easily carried back to the farmhouse. Setting her tool aside, she wiped her forehead with the back of her gloved hand and began gathering the wood she'd just cut up.
'If I stay here dwelling on this friendship, I'm never going to get the saloon on time to work on the other friendships I'm trying to develop,' she scoffed in her mind, mentally chastising herself before heading home to store the logs and have a much needed shower.
...
The clacking sound of plastic on wood was followed by a loud groan and a series of giggles from both Maria and Abigail.
"Seriously? I thought I had that lined up perfectly," Sam pouted, resting his pool stick against the table and looking up at the farmer expectantly.
She'd finally taken up the trio of friends on their offer to play pool at the saloon, and after making a few snide comments on her hidden skills she was currently showing Sam up with surprising expertise. Abigail was more than happy to watch from the sidelines, taking the time to look up from her phone and snicker at the blond boy's frustration. Sebastian was also amused, he simply made it less obvious as he leaned against the wall, occasionally using his own pool stick to teasingly poke Sam whenever he'd walk by.
Maria eyed the pool table, seeing an opportunity to knock the eight-ball into the right corner pocket. Leaning over the table, she aligned her shot with the cue ball and let out a steady breath, pulling the pool stick back and-
"So are you gonna be dancing with anyone next Wednesday?"
The farmer's breath hitched and she nearly screwed up her shot, stopping the stick just before it hit the cue ball. "P-pardon?" she stammered out, not even meaning to say that specific word (it was something she'd picked up from Elliott without realizing).
Abigail rolled her eyes and put her phone down, "the Flower Dance is next Wednesday. Do you even have a dress yet? Normally all the girls participating wear white, if you don't have an outfit I'm pretty sure Emily wouldn't mind sewing something for you, she loves helping Mayor Lewis plan this Festival."
"Oh, no I don't really have any plans," she mumbled, re-aligning her shot before confidently hitting the cue ball, the familiar plastic clack as it bounced against the eight-ball, leading the black sphere to roll into the corner pocket and score her another point, "getting dressed up does sound nice though, even if I don't end up doing any dancing."
Once she stood up straight she could see Sam's scowl as Sebastian smugly ticked another point beneath her name on an old dusty blackboard hung up on the wall.
After a few more rounds Maria wished the trio goodbye as she put away the pool set, making sure the saloon's side room was tidy before heading over the bar. She waved to Shane, who grumbled and took a swig of beer rather than responding.
Hopping onto one of the bar stools, Emily was quick to bound over to greet the farmer with a wide smile, "hello there Maria, what can I get for you tonight?"
"Actually, I was told that you could hook me up with a dress for the Flower Dance. I know it's kind of short notice, but I'd be willing to pay for an outfit," she responded, sitting her elbows on the table and resting her head in her hands as she spoke.
Emily's eyes lit up as she listened to the explanation, and she let out an excited squeal, "oh no worries, I'd love to make a dress for you! I already finished my own dress and have a few final alterations to do on Haley's, but if I take your measurements tomorrow that should give me plenty of time to get something done."
Maria felt relief wash over her, "perfect, I can swing by your place in the morning for those measurements."
"I'll be sure to brew some tea for us," the bartender replied with a cheeky wink.
"You're too kind," the farmer giggled, easing into the conversation.
The two women bantered back and forth, and around ten o'clock goodbyes were exchanged as Maria stepped out of the saloon, a skip in her step as she set off down the stone path. She found herself rather excited for next week's festivities, not fully knowing why.
'I don't really need a reason to be excited, do I?' she questioned herself, 'there's no harm in letting myself be giddy just for the fun of it.'
Despite this carefree way of thinking, the farmer had brief visions of the Flower Dance that night once she was tucked away into bed, specifically imagining dancing happily in the arms of a certain auburn-haired writer.
...
Lil doodle of Elliot and Maria in swimwear that'll come up in a future water park chapter :)