The Runaway: A Stardew Valley Story

Fatigue

I don't have any roosters currently, and I vow to never get one as I rub my eyes and trudge for the door. Another night on the floor does wonders for the back, and I pop it like a glow stick before opening the door for whatever Yabba forsaken town's person who wakes people up at the crack of dawn! 

The morning air is cold as it rushes in. In the open doorway, I make out the scruffy shape of a man and a fishing rod. I can't make out many details about the man beyond his giant brown beard, but something reeks. This is definitely going to make me throw up my nonexistent breakfast, but I try to hold my breath.

"Sorry if I woke you, ma'am," his voice sounds gravely, "but business is slow these days. I thought I'd bring you an extra fishing rod I had laying around. Thought maybe you'd like to buy some bait one of these days."

It's too early for my brain to process this.

"Buy bait?"

"Yes, I own the bait and tackle on the docks and I figured you might swing by if fishing becomes your fancy."

The man tries to extend the pole towards me, but I recoil as the smell of sea life overwhelms me. "I think I'll be—"

"Oh, it's a gift! Take it!" The man sounds so sincere, or maybe desperate for customers, that I gingerly accept the fishing rod but keep it at arm's length. "There you go. Well, I'll be off now! It was nice to meet you, Miss...?"

"Junox," I mumble while trying to hold back bile.

"And I'm Willy," he says with a wave goodbye.

I can't slam the door fast enough. Chunking the smelly pole towards the useless kitchen, I bolt for the bathroom and throw up last night's dinner. Lettuce doesn't taste any better the second time around apparently.

As I bathe, I mentally add shower curtain to the list of things to order from Robin. A few inches of water in the tub will suffice for today, but I would prefer a hot shower. It may also be a good idea to ask her if the rust-colored water that first comes out of the faucet is normal. None of the baths I'd ever taken in the city were like that.

Oh, and I need towels, I think as I'm forced to let myself drip dry in the cold tub. When I'm finally dressed in my overall shorts, plain yellow shirt, and sneakers, I decide that attempting to start plowing the field can wait a little longer. Not only does the task seem odious and gruesome, but the books all seem to agree that any day in the first two weeks of the season should be acceptable for planting. If I read the farmer's almanac correctly, spring officially started the day I got off the bus, so I have plenty of wiggle room. Hopefully.

Trusting the mayor's directions, I set off to the north, but quickly learn that the walk from the farm and town is very different from the walk to Robin's house. No one thought to warn me that Robin lived in the mountains! The scenery around me turns thick with trees like those I passed on the bus ride to Pelican, but the ground beneath me turns sloped and rugged. I'm covered in sweat and panting by the time I read a yellow cabin on a mountain shelf. It makes me thankful that my journey yesterday had been successful in purchasing deodorant.

"Junox!" Robin welcomes me as I step into the cabin. "I'm glad you were able to find the place alright. My son says he'll be ready to help with that lumber next week if that's what you're wondering about."

"Not quite. The guy from the shop told me you could order home goods for me. I just need some towels, sheets, blankets, and a shower curtain."

"Holy Yabba!" Robin smacks her forehead. "I should have thought of that! Of course, you need clean sheets!"

"It's okay," I try to reassure her, but the ginger-haired carpenter just jabbers on.

"Those won't be in soon enough if I order them," Robin says to herself. "Let me see what we've got!"

Before I can tell Robin to stop, she runs down a wood-paneled hallway, and I'm left alone in the entryway. Or so I think.

"Can you measure out fifty milliliters of ammonia for me?"

I glance around, started before noticing the sound likely came from the ajar door to my right. Bright, white light spills from whatever room lies beyond, and I wait for someone to answer whoever it was. Several seconds tick by with no response.

"Hello? I need some help, please!"

After another sweep around to check for Robin, I push open the door and enter cautiously. The space is white from floor to ceiling, and the air smells of chemicals and something burning. My heart immediately begins to pound at the onslaught of light and fumes. I probably should have waited for Robin to return.

"Great! The ammonia is over there in that bottle, and the pipets are in the drawer beneath," a girl with beautiful magenta hair and glasses tells me without looking up from some kind of lab equipment.

"Um, the what?" I ask feeling very lost and very lightheaded.

"The pipets like you use in chemistry class? I can't leave this experiment or it will explode."

Even if I didn't feel like passing out on the spot, I've never stepped foot in a high school, let alone a chemistry class. The words she uses sound like some other language entirely. Science wasn't one of the subjects my parents approved of for my education. Beyond a few basics about gravity and photosynthesis, it didn't seem like something a good wife needed to make Joshua Jones happy.

"I-I..." I struggle to find some sort of answer or excuse, maybe an explanation, but the only thing I'm sure of is that I can't stand much longer. My knees already feel like gelatin and my head like cotton candy.

"Junox? Where'd you--" Robin peeks through the crack in the door. Gentle curiosity quickly turns to motherly rage. "Maru! What do you think you're doing? I told you no experiments when Demitrius isn't home."

"It's just a simple combustion test with--"

"I said no." Robin closes the gap between the two and waits with her arms crossed.

Maru doesn't look up or seem phased in any way. "I know what I'm doing."

The carpenter lays a hand on the girl's shoulder. "But I don't. If something goes wrong, I want you to have someone with experience to back you up."

Maru seems to pause at this. She slowly begins to spin a knob on a silver piece of equipment, and the flame before her dies out. I wish she would turn off all the lights in the room while she's at it. Once the immediate dangers are cleared, the scientist turns to face me. Now, I become the object of her observation, and I can feel the heat of her gaze on me. My breathing hikes. My lungs take in more fumes, and the fuzzy feeling in my head turns ugly.

I can hear Maru saying that she thought I was someone named Abigail, but her voice is far away.

Robin says my name, and I look in her direction. My eyes can't quite find the right focus, but I can make out something like concern in her expression. Then I can't make anything out as a black fog rolls in from every direction. The world fades into that fuzzy feeling, and I slip away with it.

This chapter is a lot later than the others due to the holidays. I also procrastinated revisions way too long this week... So sorry if there are more errors than normal. I will make major revisions next week if needed.