Love Is The Best Medicine (Stardew Valley - Harvey)

Chapter 2 - Will You Be My Friend?

You woke early in the morning. You glanced over at the clock. Yep, it was 6am. The alarm clock blared, signalling the start of a new day. You groaned and reached for the snooze button, desperately trying to squeeze in just a few more minutes of sleep. But as the minutes ticked by, you knew you can't delay any longer.

Reluctantly, you dragged yourself out of bed and stumbled towards the bathroom. Your eyes felt heavy and your body ached with fatigue from the previous days labour. As you splashed the cold water on your face, you knew that you could not give in to the urge to stay in bed. You had responsibilities that needed to be met, even if it felt like the last thing you want to do on your second day in the Valley. Relaxing was currently not an option.

You showered and dressed. You quickly scanned over your notebook again. It dawned on you that you had no idea what these townsfolk even looked like. The only people you had seen so far were Lewis and Robin.

You opened your front door, letting your new little pooch Milo out for fresh air. He ran straight out in front of you, all whilst wagging his tail at high speeds and sniffing the crisp spring air that had laid a delicate mount of dew on the grass.

The scent of blooming flowers was carried towards you by a gentle breeze that graced your nose. The birdsong filled the air around you, a sweet symphony of chirps and tweets as the feathered creatures flew gracefully from tree to tree. You noticed that the trees surrounding the farm were beginning to bud with new blossoms, with fresh green leaves and pink gentle petals unwinding from their winter slumber.

As the early morning unfolded, you found your mind wondering to the work that was needed to be done, the chores that were needing completion, and the endless tasks that had needed to be tackled before the sun disappeared beyond the horizon for the day. But for now, in this moment, you simply basked in the beauty and serenity of a spring morning in the country for the first time.

You checked over your newly growing produce and were pleased to see that they had sprouted their first shoots. Grabbing the silver watering can, you refilled it in the small pond next to your crops and set to work.

After you had finished watering the tiny sprouts, you headed inside to wash your hands and spray a few splashes of perfume on your neck and wrists. You wanted to make a good impression on the townsfolk, regardless if whether or not being muddy and somewhat filthy was in your job description. You decided to swap your mud covered boots for sandals that matched perfectly with your floral dress that matched the spring air. You also needed to buy yourself some more seeds from the general store that Mayor Lewis had mentioned.

You followed a cobbled path into the town centre. You spotted a couple friendly faces conversing with one another, and some others just going about their day. You spotted a woman with a plait in her hair holding a little boys hand, a young looking guy with dark dyed hair skulking his way across town and finally Mayor Lewis observing the square.

"Good morning Evangeline! How's the farm?" He asked smiling as you approached.

"The farm is good thank you Mayor." You replied.

"That's good to hear! Have you met anyone yet?" He smiled, gazing over the square.

"Uh, no, not yet." You responded with a quiet tone, nerves taking over.

"Well there's a couple townsfolk over there, you should try and introduce yourself. There is nothing to be afraid of, they are all lovely." He beamed confidently, slightly overwhelming you. It was only your second day after all.

"Okay, I'll give it a go..." You stuttered, your nerves caused your speech to shake.

You walked over to the mother, your hands trembling. You were always an overly anxious person, you had just learnt to suppress it in the city. You were always glammed up in designer clothes looking somewhat important, but right here right now? You were dressed in basic somewhat dirty overalls and no makeup, your hair tied up messily. You felt as if your presence no longer had the same effect. Instead you were vulnerable and exposed.