Chapter Text
Spring has always been the season of life.
First, the land. In spring, life burst through the crust of the previously frozen, barren earth. The land now slipped into a fresh cloak of green made from the dewy grass to tender buds on the branches of trees. Rivers now swollen with melting snow burbled happily as they tumbled down the rocks towards the waiting sea. Flowers straightened and unfurled their petals, bedecking Stardew Valley in a festive garland of daffodils, tulips, dandelions, and daisies. The sky was a perfect robin’s egg blue, the yellow yolk of the sun gently warming up the world once more.
Second, the people. The sleepy residents of Pelican Town began to stir as the first warm winds whistled by their homes. At the General Store, Pierre hummed as he laid out seeds that would surely be in demand now that farming season had returned. Behind the counter of the Stardrop Saloon, Gus flipped through his collection of recipe cards, dreaming of crisp salads and ripe berry trifles. On her ranch, Marnie coaxed animals through the kissing gate, smiling at their twitching tails and snuffling snouts taking in the balmy morning.
On the road from Zuzu City, a bus deposited a newcomer to the valley. Her eyes widened at the mess of stone, sticks, and weeds that nearly obscured the old sign for CiderCakes Farm.
Haley lay in bed. She could hear the high-pitched chirps of swallows outside, and she winced at the sharp gleam of sunlight reflecting off her vanity’s mirror. She felt a little too warm beneath her padded quilts. But the sensation of annoyance quickly melted away when she sat up and glanced out the window. The swallows were building a nest in the tree in the back garden. Spring was definitely here.
After whipping up a quick breakfast (and leaving her sister a plate of hash browns on the stove), Haley emerged from 2 Willow Lane. She immediately squinted in the brightness and regretted leaving her sunglasses shoved at the back of her accessories drawer. She didn’t want to go back in and fetch it, though. It had been too long. Haley’s skin hated being nipped and pricked by the cold, and she spent most of her time during winter cocooned within her home.
But now, in the sweet-scented spring, Haley could finally shed her coats and metamorphose back to her fluttering self. She shaded her eyes with slim fingers and set off, enjoying the sensation of her skirt puffing up with every step down the lane. Oh, to feel warmth on her legs and shoulders again! The breeze caught a lock of hair and dangled it in front of her. She noted how it had darkened from her period of isolation. No matter. It would soon bleach back to golden in the sun.
Haley turned left on the lane. Pink petals were scattering across the old cobbled paths that connected the various buildings of her sleepy little town. Sleepy was the correct word. Grass and leaves waved in the breeze, but the buildings remained still. Some curtains twitched lazily in windows, but movements remained slow and sluggish. She was the first out and about in this fresh new year, and it felt great.
Haley kept on going, feeling smug and selfish. She even twirled at one point, reveling in the solitude. It was their loss to miss out on such a perfect day. Nobody was here to see it except for her…
“Haley! Good morning, dear.”
She had thought too soon. Haley almost stumbled over her own feet and was reduced to squinting again with the full brunt of sun in her eyes. Up ahead to her right was Alex’s grandmother, old Mrs. Evelyn Mullner, waving at her. Haley put her at around 75, perhaps even pushing 80 years old. Evelyn was dressed in a long, shapeless beige dress matched with a fuzzy maroon cardigan, muddy rubber boots and a pokey straw hat featuring an enormous brim. She knelt in the squelchy dirt with a large basket sinking into the grass beside her.
“Good morning,” Haley said politely. There was a vague sense of irritation that her solitary morning had been interrupted, but you’d have to be utterly heartless to ignore Alex’s grandma. “What are you doing, Mrs. Mullner?”
Evelyn brandished a trowel at the tiny sprouting bulbs lined up in a row before her. Haley took a delicate step back to avoid getting flecks of mud on her ballet pumps. “Just taking advantage of this beautiful spring morning to start my gardens! I actually readied the tulips a few days ago when it was still chilly, because that’s what you’re supposed to do. But now that the ground isn’t frozen, it’s time to bring them out for everyone to enjoy!”
“That’s really nice of you.” Haley edged forward. How could she drop this conversation delicately? “I hope I’m not getting in your way.”
“Oh, not at all, sweetie.” Evelyn smiled at her blithely. “It’s been such a long time. Remember when you would visit with Alex after school? It was so nice having you over for a play date. We should arrange that again!”
Haley shifted her weight awkwardly. Sure, she and Alex were still pretty good friends, but she wouldn’t exactly call those hangouts a play date - she had moved to Pelican Town in the middle of high school, for Yoba’s sake. And, her memories of the Mullners’ weren’t too grand: Haley perched on the edge of Alex’s bed, texting on her phone while he grunted with sweat beneath those weights. It had been perfectly fine back when they were bored teenagers, but not anymore. “Oh…maybe.”
“Wonderful!” Evelyn beamed, her face falling into a gazillion tiny wrinkles. “I look forward to it.”
Haley’s cheeks began to hurt from the effort to keep smiling. “Well, I’ll leave you to it, Mrs. Mullner.”
“Bye, dear!” Evelyn plopped another tulip bulb into the dirt. It actually made a noise. “See you soon.”
Haley squeezed her eyes shut as she walked as speedily as she could towards the town square. She already felt guilty. Look, Mrs. Mullner was nice. Haley liked her. But she was also old. Old and chatty, and constantly bringing up the past with all its embarrassing moments and outdated memories. Haley didn’t want to think about how long she’d been here in Stardew Valley. She could have been anywhere but here, but nope, it’s where her parents had chosen…
The thoughts were pushed away and her heart leapt when she heard, before she even saw, the gentle splashes of Pelican Town's fountain. She hoisted herself up over the final stair and there it was: the large stone basin with a tower of three round stones in its centre. There was a small house-like structure on top that spouted streams of water from all four sides into the basin. In winter, the streams disappeared and the water in the basin froze over completely. Haley had missed the familiar bubbling noises and the way rainbows appeared in the mist.
She flopped down onto a bench nearby. Here, she was finally alone. The bench felt warm against her back, and opened up her first magazine of the year. There was a two page spread of a gorgeous supermodel in a shimmering gold bikini stretched out on some rocks. She was surrounded by tropical flowers, sprawling waxy leaves, and curling vines. In the background, other models were frozen in action, flashing huge smiles and poised to dive into a deep turquoise pool that was fed by a half dozen thin waterfalls.
Haley stared at the picture. One day, she’d be there. Maybe not as a supermodel (though she hadn’t totally ruled out that possibility) but she could line up a shot just like this. She studied the spread: the lighting, the angles, the textures. She liked the asymmetrical framing and use of chiaroscuro. The palette was a little too dark for her tastes though…for a rainforest shoot, she would have gone for a full tropical rainbow of colour from the backdrop to props and clothing, even the models themselves. Maybe some animals.
She kicked off her shoes and stretched out her legs. Blades of grass bent beneath her wiggling toes, the fuzzy stems of dandelions bouncing back up with an explosion of tiny fluff. The seedlings floated up into the air past her head, but Haley wasn’t paying attention - her head in the clouds, heart in the rainforest, and the trickling water of spring filling her ears.