Other [Fanfic] The New Farmer

Discussion in 'Fan Works' started by treebyriver, Apr 24, 2016.

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  1. treebyriver

    treebyriver Void-Bound Voyager

    Author's note: A quick sketch of Jas going to the Egg Festival with her Aunt Marnie. Fluffy story about cookies, egg hunting rivals, staying up past 6, and seeing a new face in town. :)

    Stardew Valley Characters: Jas (villager), Marnie (villager), Vincent (villager), Abigail (villager)
    Original characters: Amari (farmer)



    It's been years, but I still remember the first time I met the new farmer. Everyone in town came out for the Egg Festival.

    Aunt Marnie and I walked towards the square, and I strained my eyes looking for a flash of green or blue hidden along the path.

    Looking up at Aunt Marnie, I took a deep breath, preparing my most responsible face. "Aunt Marnie, can I stay up till seven tonight, pleeeease?"

    Aunt Marnie looked down at me, smelling like hay and sunshine. "Did you finish all your chores?

    "Yes!"

    "Alright. Just for tonight, understand?"

    "Yes!"

    I spotted Vincent over by the food, and ran over to say hello.

    He waved at me, three cookies bulging out of his other hand. "Hey Jas!"

    "Hey Vincent!" I said. The tables carried mounds of delicious food. I could smell roasted spring vegetables, fresh-grilled fish, and some kind of fruit.

    "Want a cookie? They're apricot," Vincent said.

    "Sure!" I said.

    He handed me a cookie, orange and heart-shaped. Evelyn probably made them.

    I took a bite. They were soft and buttery, with a drop of apricot jam in the center. "Thanks. And so you know, I'm going to find more eggs than you are this year!" I said with a grin.

    "Bet you won't!" he said.

    "Bet I will!"

    "Fine! Let's shake on it!" he said. He stuffed the cookies into his pocket, wiping a trail of crumbs across his shirt before offering to shake my hand.

    I looked down, remembering how many times he had pulled worms, beetles, and crawfish from the mud bare-handed. Had he washed his hands today? Too late now. Honor was at stake! I shook his hand, sticky with apricot and cookie crumbs.

    He laughed, pulling himself up onto the table to grab another cookie. "You're going down, Jas! I already spotted three eggs before you even got here!"

    I glared at him. "Oh yeah? Well I found three just walking into the square! And I'll get them before you will!"

    He dropped back down and bit into the cookie, grinning ear to ear. "Oh yeah! Well you won't beat Abigail. No one ever beats Abigail!" he said.

    I stuck my tongue out at him.

    Unfortunately, he was right. Abigail won again that year. She had some kind of sixth sense about where the eggs were hidden. Must have been all that time she spent in the mines.

    "Well, when we get the key to the sewers, then we'll be the best!" I told Vincent. He agreed, flashed a huge smile, and went off to hunt down more cookies. Or worms. Probably both.

    *** ​

    After the egg hunt, Aunt Marnie celebrated with a golden beer and I got another apricot cookie. That’s where I saw the farmer, sitting across the table from us, eating stir fry. She had blue skin, just like a Festival egg. Her hair shone green in the sunlight, like trees by our lake.

    I wondered if I could color my hair when I grew up. "Aunt Marnie, can I dye my hair purple?"

    "Not till you're 16," Aunt Marnie said.

    "But that's forever!"

    "I think you'll make it."

    I looked back to see if the stranger's skin or hair would change color. But it never did.

    “Stop staring!” Marnie told me. “It’s not polite.”

    The lady turned to us and smiled. “It’s alright." She looked at me. "My name is Amari. What’s yours?

    “Jas,” I said.

    “That’s a lovely name,” Amari said.

    “And you can call me Marnie. We live south of you, I think. Where are you from?” said Aunt Marnie.

    “A long ways away,” Amari said. Her voice sounded like the river.

    I looked down at my cookies and popped one in my mouth. I hoped I wouldn’t have to share, and immediately felt bad for thinking that. Vincent shared with me, and he liked cookies even more than I did.

    Marnie smiled and bowed. “Well, welcome to our village. I hear you’re improving the old farm for Elliot’s friend. That’s very kind of you.”

    “I’m just fixing it up for the next person who needs it,” said Amari.

    “Why is your skin blue?” I asked around a mouthful of cookie.

    “Jas!” Marnie said.

    “Sorry.”

    Amari laughed. She knelt down so we were eye to eye. "I come from starfolk,” she said. “My people know the original terraformer of this planet.

    "Terraformer…" I said, nodding my head, trying to shake loose the memory of what that word meant. My teacher Penny had never ever used it before.

    I looked up at Marnie to see if she knew. She was smiling and waving at Mayor Lewis. I bet she didn't know what a terraformer was either.

    "What's a terraformer? Are they a kind of monster?

    Amari laughed. Her eyes shone like sunlight dancing through the leaves.

    "Is it some kind of machine?" Penny had told us about big farms that had tractors.

    She shook her head. "No, he's not a monster or a machine. He's a maker. A shaper of worlds. My people call him the Sower, or some of them do, anyway." Her eyes dimmed for a moment. “The shadow people have another name for him.”

    She stood up and looked at the sun. “Well, time to get back. My little ones will be hungry, and they may be low on hay.”

    Marnie looked back and laughed. “I know what you mean! We should get back and check on the girls too.”

    “It’s good to meet you both." Amari said. "May the Sower's rains always bless your lands. May his sun shine warm across your fields."

    Marnie looked at her a long time.

    I wondered why it was alright for grownups to stare, but not me.

    “My grandmother used to say that,” she finally said.

    Amari smiled, pulling her pack onto her shoulders. “She must have been a wise woman.”

    "Wait!" I said.

    Amari turned back around. "Yes?"

    "Would you like a cookie?" I asked.

    *** ​

    I never forgot the sound of her voice. Some nights, I'll stay up past six, walking the lake shore beneath the trees. In the chorus of frogs and crickets, sometimes I can almost hear her words echoing across the water.



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      Gabaw, mrobake, Satashi26 and 3 others like this.
    • Tsukuru

      Tsukuru Pangalactic Porcupine

      Really interesting to see a little story told from a point of view other than the farmer's, and a different origin for the farmer!
       
        treebyriver likes this.
      • treebyriver

        treebyriver Void-Bound Voyager

        Thanks, Tsukuru :).

        With so many interesting characters, it's fun to imagine stories from different perspectives.

        Which characters do you enjoy most?
         
          Tsukuru likes this.
        • Tsukuru

          Tsukuru Pangalactic Porcupine

          It really is! I wish I could write down more extensively about what I imagine sometimes. My thoughts trail off and escape me too quickly.
          I've liked Emily from the first instant because she's so cheerful. Elliott because I have a thing for people with elegant speech, and his isn't overdone like it is with some other characters in other universes. Linus because I felt drawn to his seemingly huge wisdom that isn't just about nature. I imagine him to be very cultured as well.
           
            treebyriver likes this.
          • Kastilla

            Kastilla Poptop Tamer

            Fun story! I'm interested to see more about your take on the world of Stardew Valley.
             
              treebyriver likes this.
            • treebyriver

              treebyriver Void-Bound Voyager

              Thanks @Kastilla! What do you like best about Stardew Valley?
               
              • Kastilla

                Kastilla Poptop Tamer

                Oooh, that's tough. As a game, I enjoy that it's so peaceful and zen (but also exciting when you want it to be!). I love that it teaches us to take joy in getting to know people better, showing them kindness until they are willing to show us the better sides of themselves (*cough* Haley Shane George etc. *cough*) and to take pride in the work we do with our own hands. As a (fictional) place, I love its purity and community and I just kind of want to live there.

                What about you? What do you like best about it?
                 

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