My Stardew Journey // week 3

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Spring 15-21

I mentioned last week that I’d hoped all the good things were a sign of things to come. And as it turns out, I was right! I wrote previously about my struggles with making money on the farm, and this week I’ve started to turn that around.

For one thing, the first part of this week was salmonberry season in the valley. I’d never even heard of a salmonberry before Monday, but as it turns out, those things are GOOD. And they were popping up all over town. I managed to pick baskets upon baskets over those few days.

On top of that, I’ve found a couple fishing spots that have been pretty reliably bringing in some of the most valuable fish. I’m really getting the hang of it!

Also, one more big thing. Dad sent me a check in the mail on Monday— for 500G!! Completely unprompted, too! I texted him with, like, a million thank yous.

Mom calls pretty consistently, and sometimes she hands over the phone to Dad. He’s a lot like me when it comes to talking over the phone, haha. Either way, it’s always nice when they check in.

I’ve gotten a little more adventurous in my mining expeditions, and I’ve collected quite a few resources over time. I’ve also encountered a lot of monsters… there are these huge bugs that fly at you out of absolutely nowhere, and it doesn’t take long for one or two to become a whole swarm.

Still, I’m becoming braver. I even found a nicer sword in a chest once I got to a particular level of the mine. I wonder who it belonged to before…

I even found this really cool glowing ring in the mine! When I wear it, it emits this really bright light. It made the walk home that night quite a bit more interesting.

I smelted enough copper to get one tool worked on. Clint, the blacksmith, offers upgrades if I can provide the materials (and a fee, of course). I decided to start with my watering can. I’d say it was worth it, too. It’s become quite a chore watering as I’ve been building up my farm more and more.

In other, around-the-town news…

Apparently there’s a little bit of competition between two of the business owners in town. There’s Pierre, who runs a little grocery store where I’ve been buying my seeds. Then there’s Morris, the manager of the local Joja Mart.

I was out shopping the other day when Morris walked in, calling out something about huge deals at Joja. It was pretty clear he was doing it just to rub his success in Pierre’s face.

Morris reminds me a lot of my old boss. That isn’t a good thing.

Anyway, I’ve made a few more acquaintances over the week, too. There’s Abigail, who I’d only spoken to a few times before. She wanted one of my green beans in order to play some sort of prank on her dad.

I have no idea how she managed a prank with that, but I was happy to oblige regardless. Plus, I got to know her a little better during the transaction, which was cool. She seems like fun.

There’s an older gentleman named Linus that I’ve spoken a bit with, too. He lives to the far north of town, in a tent by himself. Apparently he chose to live a life in the wild, which I can respect.

Well, I found him digging through a trash can one night. He was startled, and I think he expected me to tell him off. I didn’t, of course— I’ve done the same thing before. He talked about just how much goes to waste, and he’s honestly right. I think I started to appreciate him a little more after that.

Right… one more thing happened that night, too. I was cutting through Cindersap forest on my way home, when I spotted Shane standing on the dock in the pond. I figured it would be best to leave him be, but to my surprise, he actually invited me over.

He offered me a drink, which I politely refused. It seemed he had been drinking a little before I’d gotten there, which I was a little wary of. But, I figured I’d take this opportunity while I still had it, and I stayed.

But then… he opened up a little bit. He was vague, but from what he told me… it seems like he’s very unhappy with his life. I can tell he’s struggling quite a bit, which I imagine is a lot of the reason for his dismissive behavior before. I wasn’t sure what to say, but I think he was happy just to have someone hear him out.

A lot of the things he said reminded me of myself. I won’t try and say I know exactly how he feels, but… still.

Anyway, there’s a calendar posted just outside of Pierre’s, and all the birthdays in town are marked on it, as well as events. I happened to glance at it the day after, and I saw that Shane’s birthday was the next day, Saturday the 20th.

I guess it was something about that little talk that inspired me to do something for him. It was a risk— after all, what if he didn’t like it? What if I upset him in some way? But either way, I decided to shove those worries aside and get him a little something.

I met Shane at his usual spot in the saloon Friday night with a little basket of fresh salmonberries. As it turns out, he actually really likes those, and he was delighted by the gift! And, even more interestingly, this little gesture sparked some conversation, which he initiated.

We ended up standing there, leaning against the wall by the fireplace, and talking for about an hour. It was… really nice. Really, really nice.

And on top of that, he even sent me a recipe in the mail the next day. To that I was very surprised.

… so that was interesting.

I’m not sure why I’m so drawn to him, to be honest. Maybe it’s because he’s so mysterious and standoffish? Maybe it’s that little part of myself that I see in him? Or maybe…

No, no… that’s silly. I barely know him. He’s just my neighbor.

Anyway… what a week, am I right? Here’s to the next!

~Maddie

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