During the long bus ride, I seem to have fallen asleep. How did I know? Well, I was jumped awake by my cell phone vibrating in my pocket. I was honestly scared to check it.
And I was right to be.
10 missed calls from mom...
2 from my bro...
And 4 missed texts from Ash.
"Oh nooo nononono..." I thought, facepalming, before deciding to check the text from Ash, just to see what he had to say.
(Text chat)
Frog_Wizard420🪄🐸🚬: hey, ann.
Frog_Wizard420🪄🐸🚬: annie, you there?
Frog_Wizard420🪄🐸🚬: huh. usually you check your texts as soon as you get them.
Frog_Wizard420🪄🐸🚬: everything alright?
🔇🇳🐝: OH! Hey, Ash...
🔇🇳🐝: Sorry. I... Fell asleep on the bus.😅
Frog_Wizard420🪄🐸🚬: you're... on a bus right now?
Frog_Wizard420🪄🐸🚬: why?🤔
🔇🇳🐝: I'm moving out of the city.
🔇🇳🐝: ...
🔇🇳🐝: SHOOT! I FORGOT TO TELL YOU!
Frog_Wizard420🪄🐸🚬: 😮
Frog_Wizard420🪄🐸🚬: why would you wanna leave the city?
Frog_Wizard420🪄🐸🚬: um... sorry, my bias for city life is showing... anyway, what's going on?
🔇🇳🐝: In short, I got a letter from my dead granddad, telling me that he gave me the deed to his old farm.
🔇🇳🐝: I'm gonna be a farmer, Ash!😊
Frog_Wizard420🪄🐸🚬: i don't even wanna ask why you'd wanna do that, but...
Frog_Wizard420🪄🐸🚬: cool.👍
Frog_Wizard420🪄🐸🚬: do you know how to run a farm?
🔇🇳🐝: ...
Frog_Wizard420🪄🐸🚬: ann...?
🔇🇳🐝: ... No?
Frog_Wizard420🪄🐸🚬: annie, for yoba's sake, don't you think you're jumping the gun a little, just... jumping into farm life without any knowledge of it whatsoever?!
🔇🇳🐝: You live in the country, can't you give me some pointers?
Frog_Wizard420🪄🐸🚬: just because i live in the buttcrack of nowhere, doesn't mean I'm a farmer!
🔇🇳🐝: You could still give me some pointers on country living.🙃
Frog_Wizard420🪄🐸🚬: ...
Frog_Wizard420🪄🐸🚬: you didn't hear/see it, but i just slammed my head into a wall.
🔇🇳🐝: Ouch!
🔇🇳🐝: What did the wall do to deserve that?🥺
Frog_Wizard420🪄🐸🚬: i'm fine, thanks for asking.🤕😡
🔇🇳🐝: Hey, I'm not the one who made you headbutt a wall.
🔇🇳🐝: That aside... You good?
Frog_Wizard420🪄🐸🚬: could be better. could be worse.👌
(Real quick name change)
🔇🇳🐝🤠:👍
Frog_Wizard420🪄🐸🚬: did you just add another emoji to your name?
🔇🇳🐝🤠: ... Maybe.
🔇🇳🐝🤠: Oh, I'm almost at my stop! Gtg.
Frog_Wizard420🪄🐸🚬: 👋🙄
(End text chat)
As I stepped out of the bus, I was surprised to see someone standing at the bus stop, seemingly waiting for me.
It was a woman with bright red hair, and a light orange coat.
She looked a little surprised for a second, before waving at me, and I awkwardly waved back.
"Hello, there! I'm assuming you must be the new farmer. When Pam called, saying she was picking up someone from the city, I had to run down here as fast as I could just to see who it was. You're... Willow, right? The old farmer's grandkid?" the woman said, tilting her head slightly.
At this point, I was too surprised to even say anything, so I just nodded.
"It's nice to meet you. I'm Robin, by the way!" The woman said, before gesturing for me to follow her.
After a few minutes of walking, we ended up at an old abandoned farm house. With an old man standing on the porch. I started sweating profusely at the thought that this... Was where I was gonna be living from now on.
"Hey, Lewis! Look who I found!" Robin said to the man, while pointing to me.
Lewis, the man on the porch, looked over at me, smiled, and said "Oh, so you're the new farmer that Robin was telling me about."
I just nodded again, before thinking "Man, word travels fast around here, doesn't it?"
The two then started talking about the old farm house, and the land that came with it, telling me that it may look bad, but it can easily be fixed.
I just looked around, and dreaded the thought that I was the one who had to do the fixing.
"This can only end badly." I thought, before noticing the two people starting to leave.
I seemed to have zoned out on most of the stuff they were saying, and was now left on my own to figure stuff out.
I looked back at the house.
I could hear the wood quietly creaking as the wind blew through it.
"Oh, I hate this already..." I whispered, as I made my way inside.
As I looked around the inside of the house, I felt like I wanted to pass out, just thinking of the fact that A.) I live here now, and B.) I somehow have to fix this place so that it's actually... Well... livable.
I couldn't even stand the thought of that and it was quite late, so I simply flopped down onto the old bed, and tried to fall asleep without thinking of the fact that this house could collapse on me at any minute.
(The next day)
I wanted to continue sleeping, but I was forced to wake up by the sound of a rooster, screaming its lungs out.
"Who has a rooster around here, and why is it so LOUD!?" I muffled into my pillow, before dragging myself out of bed.
It was quite hard to sleep, considering how old grandpa's bed was... And the fact that it looked more like a table than an actual bed when I actually took a good look at it.
"Note to self: Get a new bed ASAP." I said to myself as I slowly made my way outside.
After walking outside, and stretching a bit, I took my phone out of the pocket of my hoodie, just to check some things real quick.
... 20 more missed calls from mom...
"Nah... I'm not in the mood to die right now." I thought, putting my phone back in my pocket, then deciding to see if I could get any work done around the farm.
(A few hours later)
"I'm dying... I should have just checked those missed calls... It would have been over quicker." I whispered, as I lay on the ground, with a pickaxe laying next to me.
I didn't expect farm work to be this much... Well... Work.
Though, I was jumped back to life when I felt something lick my face.
I quickly sat up, leaning on my arms, and sat face to face with a german shepherd.
I blinked a few times, before it barked at me.
I fell backwards out of fear, before it walked closer to me, and started licking me again.
"Oh. Hey, buddy. Who are you?" I whispered to the dog while scratching under its chin, before looking up, and noticing a woman walking towards me.
"... It's far too early for human interaction..." I thought as I stopped patting the dog, then stood up to greet this random person in my yard.
"Looks like someone found a new friend." The lady said with a smile.
I just looked down at the dog, nodded, then looked back up at the woman.
"Hello, I'm Marnie! I found this little fella roaming around your farmland, and thought that he could use a good home. It's also pretty nice to have a dog on the farm, don't you think?" She asked.
"Why does it sound like you're trying to scam me into getting a dog...? What's wrong with the dog that makes you feel the need to bribe me into wanting him?" I thought, tilting my head, then looking back down at the dog.
He just sat next to me, happily wagging his tail.
As I looked up, I saw that Marnie was already halfway off the farmland. "Have fun with your new dog!" She said with a wave.
I just stood there, wondering what just happened.
"Well... I guess you're my new friend now. What do you think of the name 'Apollo'?" I said to the dog, who barked excitedly.
After that, I decided to take a walk around town to see if I could at least try to get to know anyone without feeling like I wanted to die.
After a few minutes of mindless wandering, I eventually bumped into someone... Literally...
"Oof! What the-" I thought, before looking at the person I had run into.
"What? What do you want? Go away." Said the man in a green sports jersey, and a... Joja jacket...?
"Why is he wearing a-?" My thoughts were caught off guard when the man started walking away.
I then happened to glance in the direction he was walking, and saw a large blue building.
"Joja mart...? Ugh... Of course there's a Joja mart here. Those things are basically everywhere." I thought, rolling my eyes.
Just as I was about to start walking home, because that man's attitude, and the sight of Joja mart put me in a bad mood, another guy in a blue jacket sped past me on a skateboard, almost knocking me over. "WHAT IN THE-" I thought, looking in the direction of the dude that almost hit me.
I couldn't help but stare.
The man looked like he walked straight out of Dragon ball Z.
"I am SO sorry! Are you okay?" He asked, running over to me with a concerned look on his face. "If the people at Joja ever thought to make an anime, this dude would 100% be the main character." I thought, before nodding.
"Heh. I'm Sam. Sorry for almost making you eat dirt." The guy said, scratching the back of his neck.
I just gave him an awkward thumbs up to tell him we're all good.
After a few awkward seconds, he said "So, you're the new farmer, right? A friend of mine said his mom mentioned something about you. He kinda joked about the fact that his mom was a little confused about you when you showed up, thinking you were a guy for a sec. If I'm not mistaken, you're... Enby, right? Just taking a wild guess, since you're not a guy, according to Robin, but ya don't exactly look like a girl either."
"Wow... Word really DOES get around here fast." I thought, tilting my head slightly, before nodding.
"Oh! Speaking of my friend. You might actually like him! He talks about as much as you do." The boy said with a smug grin.
"I... I didn't even say anything..." I thought, before Sam grabbed my arm, and started dragging me toward what I could only assume was his house.
"Is this how I die? An anime character kidnaps me by dragging me into his house, then kills me?" I thought, before the boy dragged me through the house, waved to who I could only guess was his mom, and then brought me into his room.
As I looked around the room a bit, I nearly jumped out of my skin when I saw a dark figure standing in the corner, with a synth in front of him.
"Hey, Dude! You won't believe it. I found someone who's as talkative as you!" Sam joked to the living shadow in the corner.
The person then looked at Sam, then me, then back at Sam with a confused, and somewhat annoyed look on his face, before shrugging, and going back to whatever it was he was doing before Sam and I showed up.
"DUDE!" Sam said, before slamming his hands onto the keyboard, causing it to make a loud noise that jumped both me, and 'Dude' in the corner.
"We have a guest. Could you at least be somewhat friendly?" Sam asked the guy who now looked like he just had a mini heart attack.
The man just looked at me, still looking scared. I couldn't blame him. I had the same look on my face.
The two of us then looked at Sam, who looked at both of us, and simply asked "What?"
After a few seconds, the man behind the synth took a second to catch his breath, before grabbing Sam by the collar of his shirt, and whispering "Don't. Ever. Do that. Again." then letting go of his shirt.
"If looks could kill, Sam would be so dead right now." I thought, looking at the two boys.
"Heheh... Heh... Uh... So... T-this is my friend, Seb." Sam said, awkwardly gesturing towards his angry little friend. "And, uh... Seb. This is the new farmer. Uuuuuuuhhhhhhhhh..." He said, making the same awkward gesture towards me, before forgetting that I never told him my name.
He then ran up to me, and whispered "Yo, farmer, what the heck is your name?"
I was too nervous to speak, so I tried using sign language to say my name. "Hi. My name is W-i-l-l-o-w." I said, using my hands. That was literally the only thing I knew how to say in sign language, so I figured I might as well use it...
However, soon after using it, the two boys just looked at me as if I grew a second head.
Sam then started waving his hands in random quick gestures, and saying in the usual voice that someone would use when talking to an alien "We. Do. Not. Speak. Sign. Language."
I then looked back at Seb, who looked like he was thinking about something, before actually making an effort to try to communicate with me using sign. He got as far as "Hi. My name is-" before looking like he had a major brain fart.
I awkwardly applauded his effort, then looked at Sam, and tried to make a hand gesture that would hopefully say "Can I borrow some paper?" and luckily, he got what I was trying to say, because after a short, awkward pause, he handed me a small notebook and a pen, which I used to write "Good job, Seb! But... I already know your name. What you were attempting to say there was 'Hi. My name is-' and then it looked like you kinda just gave up after that... Also...My name is Willow."
After writing that, I handed Seb the paper, and watched as he read it, then his face turned red when he realized what he did.
He didn't do anything wrong, but no matter what language you speak, if you tell someone your name, and they already know your name... That's gonna feel at least slightly awkward.
After another awkward pause, Sam looked at the note, and laughed.
"Why does this have 'waiter telling you to enjoy your meal, and you responding with 'Thanks! You too.'' energy?" Sam said with a laugh, before Seb started turning a bit more red, then covering about half of his face with his hood.
I silently, and awkwardly chuckled, but honestly felt bad. I knew what it was like to be in a situation like that, and it's NOT fun. Especially with social anxiety.
I tried to figure out a way to make the situation less awkward, but nothing I could think of would have worked. At least I thought it wouldn't have.
So instead, I decided to try to act like the situation wasn't nearly as awkward as 2 out of 3 people thought it was.
"So... You guys in a band or something?" I quickly scribbled in the notebook.
After a bit more chuckling, Sam wiped some tears from his eyes, and glanced over at the notebook I was holding, then nodded.
"Yeah! How'd you guess?"
Soon after, I could faintly hear Seb mumble "The instruments all over the room, including the one I'm messing with right now, are totally just for decoration." while rolling his eyes, and tapping on some of the keys.
I had to bite my bottom lip to keep myself from letting out a laugh.
Sam just looked at Seb, then at me, and said "Okay, so... It's kinda obvious that we're in a band." with a shrug.
"Oh! Seb. By the way, do you think we should practice a little more on the-" Sam started, talking mostly to his friend, causing me to zone out a bit since I didn't really know how to add to the conversation.
While zoning out, I happened to glance out the window, and noticed it was getting dark.
"Ugh... I have to go back to that old farmhouse, don't I?" I thought, before I happened to notice Sam and Seb staring at me.
"Oh, did I zone out too hard? Were they talking to me? Did I make things weird without even knowing it?!" I thought worriedly, looking at the two boys.
Sam then looked out the window, then back at me, and then to his little emo friend with a worried expression, and whispered "It's... Getting late. S- Should we tell them about the-" Then Seb interrupted him, whispering "I'm sure they can learn on their own, if they haven't already. Those things on the farm are kinda hard to miss."
I just stared at them, wondering what in Yoba's name they could be talking about.
"Um... WHAT?" I wrote, now also getting slightly worried.
"Did you not know yet...? About the 'things' at that old farm?" Sam asked, still looking concerned.
I just tapped on the word WHAT?' that was still on the page of the notebook.
The boys just looked at eachother again. "They really don't know?" Sam asked, to which Seb just shrugged.
After a few seconds, the two just looked at me, and Seb started speaking, and to my surprise, for once, it was a little louder than a whisper.
"Not to freak you out or anything, but... There have been a lot of rumors about creatures living around that old farm house. Some say they're monsters, others say they're just wild animals... Everyone says they're dangerous. Which is why you most likely wouldn't see any people hanging around your farm at night. I suggest you get home while the moon's still low, otherwise, you might not be here to see the sunrise again." He said, stuffing his hands into his pockets.
What he said disturbed me just as much as the way he said it.
The entire time he spoke, he had a deadpan expression on his face, as if what could happen to me on my way home didn't bother him in the slightest.
I felt my face go pale as I quickly scribbled "These things only show up on the farm?" then turned the book so the boys could see it.
They both went quiet, before Sam spoke up.
"Um, actually, people also say they can be found in the mines, and some have even said they heard weird noises in the sewer."
I almost dropped the notebook, but gripped it tighter as I wrote "AND I'M ONLY BEING TOLD ABOUT THIS NOW?!"
"The farm's been abandoned for a while, so sometimes, people just forget about the critters that live there." Sam said, rubbing the back of his neck.
At this point, I couldn't think of anything to say, so I looked out the window one more time, only to see that it had gotten quite a bit darker.
All I could feel was fear, as I wondered what was waiting for me at that old farm house.
(Seb's POV)
The new farmer looked like they wanted Yoba to smite them right then and there. At least then, they wouldn't have to deal with whatever was at that old farm.
They just stood there, shaking, with their mouth covered by one of their hands, and as we stood there with Sam trying to figure out how to get the farmer home safely, I could swear I could hear them mumbling something, but couldn't quite tell what.
"Well, I'd walk them home, but mom would kill me if she found out I went to the farm at night." Sam said with an awkward smile.
After a short pause, he said "WAIT! 10/10 idea... YOU walk them home." poking my nose with his pointer finger.
"... Do you WANT me to die?" I asked, deeply confused.
"Nah nah nah. Hear me out. You wear black like, all the time. Whatever's out there won't even see you!"
I just facepalmed before saying "Some animals have heat vision..." to which Sam just laughed, and said "Bold of you to assume you retain any kind of body heat. Anyone who's ever touched you said you feel like an ice cube...Sometimes, even in the middle of summer."
I just stared at him for a good few seconds, rolled my eyes, then mumbled "Fine..." before making my way towards the door.
(Willow's POV)
"You coming, farmer?" I was pushed out of my train of thought when I heard someone talking to me. I turned towards Sam's door, only to see Seb looking at me with his arms crossed.
I then looked back at Sam, who waved awkwardly at me, then at the window, then finally back at Seb, who looked like he wanted no part of whatever was happening.
After a few seconds, I sighed quietly, before walking outside with the dark haired boy. As we stepped out into the darkness, every little noise put me on edge.
Just the thought that something could jump out at us at any minute, made me want to run and hide somewhere, but I knew that wasn't a good idea.
The two of us just walked in uncomfortable silence, that is, until Seb decided to speak up a bit.
"What made you decide that moving here was a good idea?" He asked, looking over his shoulder to make sure nothing was following us, then grabbing a cigarette out of his pocket, and lighting it.
I just looked at him, as if he just killed someone, before he looked at me, then the cigarette, then back at me, and said "It's a stress thing. Ya mind?" to which I responded by simply looking at the trail we were walking on, then at him, and gesturing around the area a bit.
He just looked at me, slightly confused, so I took out the notebook, feeling slightly awkward for a second about the fact that I forgot to return it to Sam, then wrote "It's like you're TRYING to let the monsters find us." while gesturing to the light that was sticking out of his mouth, reflecting off of his pale face, and basically making him a walking glowstick.
He paused for a bit, rolled his eyes dramatically, then put out the cigarette, and stuffed it into his pocket, before saying "There. Ya happy now?" to which I gave him a smug nod, and continued walking.
Soon after, I heard him start slowly trudging beside me.
I happened to glance at him for a second, and sure enough, he looked... Understandably stressed.
Luckily, after a bit more walking, we eventually got to the farm.
Just as I was waving goodbye to Seb, and making my way to the door, I heard a twig snap nearby. At first, I thought I had stepped on one, so I looked down, only to see that there wasn't a single twig near me.
Fear went through my entire body when I heard Seb whisper "Hide." then quickly run somewhere.
I looked around the farmland, and couldn't see him anywhere. "He really just ditched me here?" I thought, before hearing something moving in a nearby bush.
I wanted to run, but my body wouldn't let me. I was like a deer in the headlights, staring at that bush. "S-... Se-..." I whispered, almost inaudibly. Even if I wanted someone to hear me, I just couldn't get the words out loud enough.
Since I just couldn't make myself run, I decided to curl up into a ball, cover my ears with my hands, and close my eyes tight, hoping that whatever was out there mistook me for a stump in the dark.
"This is gonna be a long night, ain't it?" I thought.
(The next day)
"Ow... My back." I thought as I tried to sit up straight.
When stretching, I happened to notice that I was covered in leaves. "What the-?" I said, as I looked around.
I then happened to look down, and noticed that Sam's notebook was sitting next to me, and there was something written in it.
It said...
Hey, farmer.
If you're not alive by morning, then I wasted my time writing this.
Anyway...
If you're gonna stay there all night, you might as well blend in a little (hence the leaves). Also, I texted Sam, and he said you could keep this notebook if you wanted to.
-Sebastian
P.S. As someone who spends most of their time with this, I'm just gonna say... Have fun with the inevitable back pain~ :D
I couldn't help but laugh at the note the boy had left me. He didn't really do much to help me last night, other than covering me with leaves, but the funny little note made my morning just a tiny bit better...
But the back pain was definitely real though.
"As if my scoliosis wasn't bad enough before." I thought, as my back cracked, sounding like popcorn.
I then decided to look back at the note, when something in it caught my attention.
"'Sebastian'... Why does that name sound familiar? I've only ever heard him being called 'Seb', so... Why do I feel like I've heard this name recently?" I thought, before deciding to shrug it off, thinking that I shouldn't waste my time with some random déjà vu.
After that, I decided that I was gonna spend most of the day trying to introduce myself to some more people, then clean up a bit more of the farm.
I then followed the trail that led into town. "I finally get to see this place during the day." I whispered to myself as I walked around.
While walking, I tried my best to say hello to a few people that also happened to be out and about. I saw a friendly looking woman with bright blue hair, who said her name was Emily, and her sister who wasn't quite as friendly, had long blond hair, and went by the name Haley.
Emily started talking about how she thought I'd love it here in pelican town, while Haley looked me up and down. "What's your problem?" I thought, trying to be subtle about giving Haley the stink eye while also trying to listen to what Emily had to say.
After Emily was done speaking, Haley made a rude remark about my clothes as I walked off.
Now I'm not usually very fond of being rude, but at that moment, the need to flip her off was strong... But I was able to hold that thought back as I continued walking, deciding to not even give her the time of day.
I then happened to spot a man with a mustache, standing by what I assumed was the clinic. I waved at him, and after noticing me, he waved back, before walking over to where I was standing. He introduced himself as Harvey, the local doctor. He then started talking about how hard and sometimes scary it can be to be the only doctor in town (Other than his assistant, who lives up in the mountains, and was apparently named Maru... I made a mental note to say hi to her if I saw her.) After the little chat with Harvey, I continued my stroll through town.
"Oh! A General Store." I thought, almost passing by a place called Pierre's General Store. "Maybe I can buy some more seeds there. It wouldn't be that great just living off of parsnips." I thought, before stepping into the store.
During my visit to the General Store I happened to meet Pierre, the owner of the store, Caroline, Pierre's wife, and their daughter, Abigail. They all seemed nice enough. However, I did find it odd how Caroline complained about the fact that Abigail didn't have a natural hair color... Even though Caroline's hair was bright green...
I just shrugged that off, bought some seeds, and continued my walk around town, where I happened to run into two older people, Evelyn, and George. One being much friendlier than the other. Evelyn even said that I could call her Granny if I wanted to, which made me smile more than I thought it would.
"Okay. I think that's enough social interaction for today." I thought, before deciding to make my way home for the day.