Only In My Dreams | Dr. Harvey | Stardew Valley

Chapter One: Leaving it all Behind

The sound of the early morning birds singing could be heard as I kneeled over the garden I was starting, using my hand held shovel to toss around the fresh soil and pulling out any weeds that got in my way. I could feel the warm sun beaming down through my shirt, but the cool breeze kept me from getting too hot. Setting some rocks aside in my pile that I had already made, I sat up and looked around at the hard work I had been putting in all morning. With the very little time I had, I managed to get four gardens planted and prepared for the season. Spring had always been my favorite time of year. The weather was different almost every day and the transition between winter and spring resembled a new beginning, which described the start of this year perfectly.

I had recently moved from the city about a month ago to take over the farm that my grandfather had left behind for my father to take care of. It was originally supposed to be passed down to me, but being promoted at my job in the city at one of the fastest leading brands, I felt like I couldn't pass up the opportunity. Though, it didn't take me too long to realize that money doesn't always mean happiness. Especially the people that I surrounded myself with weren't the best or the most caring. 

Before I let my mind wander too far into my past, I decided it was time for me to take a small break. I got up and wiped the sweat from my forehead with the bottom of my white shirt, making the dirt stains pretty visible. It felt good to start the day with a good amount of physical labor. It had been such a long time since I've done anything this outdoorsy and I couldn't believe I had been missing out on this much. Taking my gardening gloves off, I made my way over to a small bench I placed at the bottom of my porch that I kept my daily glass of lemonade on. I took more gulps than I probably should have, but it was definitely refreshing. I then made way over to my mail box to see if anyone had dropped anything off for me.

I pulled out a piece of mail that looked like it was from the small medical clinic that was attached to Pierre's store. Somewhere I had been avoiding for awhile, because hospitals always made me feel so anxious. 

"Dear Miss Mae,

It looks like your medical records are passed due for your yearly exam! No worries, we can get that updated for you as soon as possible. Please stop by my office at your convenience. 

P.S. I think we've only met once before. Please bring a form of ID so we can get you updated into town's files. 

Your Doctor,
Harvey M.D."

I gently folded up the piece of paper and took a quick glance at my watch. It was still before noon and there hadn't been too much I had left to do today, besides stopping for lunch at the saloon and watering the rest of my plants. Shrugging my shoulders, I decided it would be a perfect time to go ahead and get this over with. I quickly made my way inside to wash up, since I didn't want to go in there smelling like a fresh hot bag of wet fertilizer. 

Taking the small metal pale I had next to the sink, I filled it up with some hot soapy water and grabbed a soft sponge I used to bathe with. I stripped out of my filthy clothes, tossing them into a small basket I had weaved for washing the laundry. As I began to scrub myself clean, I could feel the relief when I rinsed everything off. It wasn't very practical not having a shower, but something about the rugged way of living was almost refreshing. Once I was finished, I took a towel I had neatly folded on the countertop next to me and dried myself off. 

"That's so much better." I commented to myself, a smile across my face. 

I felt no need to wrap the towel around my body while I made my way over to my small dresser. Being naked in my own home wasn't a problem for me, since nobody was around to see it. I pulled out a dressy white shirt and some casual light blue jeans, along with a pair of strapped sandals. After I put those on, I also put on a simple gold necklace with earrings to match. A little bit of a floral perfume and I was finally ready to head into town.