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The farm to the west of Pelican Town had been abandoned for years now. There was no heir to truly inherit the property as the son and daughter-in-law to the Farmer had died in a horrible car accident many years prior. When the Farmer had died, he was alone on his bed, no grandchild to take over the land, and no family remaining to deal with the funeral. Mayor Lewis was the one who dealt with the mourning, and all of what the Farmer owned was donated to Pelican Town to be used as the mayor felt fit.
Even after everything, the farm was left alone.
It was a shame, really, for the land itself had much potential. But no one had the time to deal with caretaking for a farm. There were small children that needed to be taken care of, pregnant mothers who couldn’t tend to the land, and working husbands who wouldn’t be able to have a job and be a farmer. Robin always had her eye on the old cabin, practically begging Lewis to permit her to renovate it.
But, Lewis never let Robin rebuild the cabin. There was only one single reason for this: A letter to Lewis from the Farmer days before his death. More specifically, a paragraph from said letter:
This was my most previous gift of all, and yet there’s no one to give it to. I know you’ll find someone to upkeep the farm and honour my legacy, Lewis. Good luck.
Walking down through Pelican Town, one could always smell the salt of the sea. The beach down south always seemed to infect the air with its smell of decay and salt, and with the scent of nature from the mountains to the north, it was unlike anything anyone in Zuzu City had ever smelled. Some called it horrible and fishy, but those who lived in the little town soon grew blind to it.
The abandoned farm to the west held a smell similar to the beach. Given that it, too, was shore and sand, that only made sense. Abigail had taken to venturing through the coastal farm, exploring through the grass and forests that hung near the bottom of the property. And, occasionally, Lewis would check through the farm to make sure nothing was amiss, but he never did more than that. The people who truly sought out the land, who marked down every cubic metre and every metre of shoreline were from the Joja Corporation.
Despicable people, truly. Always in for a profit without any care of how they damage the environment and the livelihood of little towns like theirs. Their blue cartons that fell off their shipping boats would occasionally wash on shore at the farm, littering the property. They had been hounding Lewis to sell them the community centre, and as much as he loved that building and the sentimental values it held, the town needed the money.
We’ll double it, Morris had said, if you’ll also give us the deed to that old farm. We want to make it into a factory. And with the storage building for the community centre, Pelican Town will profit, no doubt, under Joja Corporation.
And as much as he loathed Joja, he had made his decision.
The smell of the sea after a storm, of decay and rot and lightning, greeted Lewis as he stepped onto the beach property. One last walk, he had decided, just one last venture through the farm. To remember the memories of those long gone. Wood and stones covered the land, with large stumps engraining themselves into the sandy ground. Trees had grown to towering heights, much higher than Lewis remembered them to be… had it really be soon long since he was last here?
He stopped by the edge of the farm, right where the small little path out to the sea somehow remained. That would be as far as he went for he didn’t want his shoes to get damp. A near impossible feat on the wet sand, but alas, he had to try.
A commotion further down the shore caught his attention from the swaying trees. People in blue—Joja, no doubt. Standing around and seemingly chatting while staring down at the ground. They weren’t allowed on this property, but Lewis had let it slide if he didn’t see them. This time, though, he was already going to sell them the community centre—why did they have to be here to ruin his day?
“Hey!” he called out to them, starting the blue people. “You’re not allowed here.”
As he came closer, he saw what had caught their attention. A woman, seemingly washed ashore, was lying unconscious on the sand. Lewis blanched and looked away, what remained of her grass skirt and seaweed shirt were littered on the shore beside her. Ironic, given the name of the farm.
Harvey was soon called, and the woman was taken to his clinic.
Given an old Joja Co. uniform, and resting in the clinic under Harvey’s orders, the woman told them her name: Tora. She was from Ginger Island, and had been on a small boat, fishing, when she capsized during a storm. It was a miracle that she survived. A miracle she came this far away to Pelican Town.
A miracle… most definitely.
Harvey shooed the Joja Co. people out of the clinic, even as they had been so adamant that the woman belonged to them since they found her. It was under the request of Lewis, of course, for he thought of a better use for her than whatever it was that Joja Co. had in mind. So, he made the woman a deal.
“The only way back to Ginger Island,” he said, after checking with Willy, “is via boat. However, the only boat that can head out across the sea is currently in need of repairs. As kind and friendly as Willy is to strangers, I highly doubt he’ll fix up his boat for you. Though, if you help restore the Community Centre, then you’ll definitely gain everyone’s trust and appreciation, and I can put in a good word with him to fix up his boat.”
The woman said nothing for a moment, seemingly staring at Lewis. Then:
“You want to conscript me into fixing up your town in order to get back home.” It wasn’t a question. And at Lewis’ confirmation, she added, “I’m not some free labour for you to abuse.”
“Of course not,” he said. “That’s why—if you agree to restoring the Community Centre and building up our town—I’ll give you the deed to the farm you were found on. And everything you grow there, you can sell for a profit. You get a free farm, free cabin, and all you need to do is help out around town, fix up the Community Centre, and build rapport with all of us.”
“What’s gonna happen to this place if I don’t?”
Lewis sighed. “I’ll have to sell the Community Centre to Joja, and they’ll turn it into a storage building. They’ll probably hound me for the farm as well, turning that into a factory. Pelican Town will not longer have its rustic country charm, if that happens. But, if you help us, we can help you, too.”
The woman thought for a moment, her mind debating saying yes or no for an agonizingly long time. “Fine. I’ll do it. I’ll take the deed to the farm and help out with that Centre.”
“That’s great! I’m sure Wash Ashore Farm is in great hands now. I’ll give you the deed to the farm, and you can start your first day here in Pelican Town!”