Chapter Text
Iris
I wouldn’t say I’ve had the hardest life, but there were some challenges. I think I just had enough. I was sick of that city, sick of my job, sick of him. Every day felt the same, like I wasn’t working towards anything. I lived by my means, and that was it. But I was done.
I didn’t want to live like that anymore; I needed an escape. So I took it. My dad supported it, he said it seemed like I hadn’t been myself for a long time. I guess that’s how I ended up in Pelican Town. A small town in the middle of nowhere. That’s what it seemed like anyway.
My grandfather wasn’t a man I knew well. But I’m his only grandchild, so I had inherited his farm in this little town. I convinced myself this would be the perfect place to start over, and I just hope I’m right.
I got here late last night and was welcomed by the mayor and local carpenter, whose names are currently slipping my mind. The night shadowed just how much work I got myself into. Sitting on my porch now, all I see are weeds, rocks, and trees. I’ll have to clear the area before I can even begin to plant. The mayor also gave me some seeds as a gift, so that's a start.
I decided the farming can wait and that I should at least go into town and meet some people. It’s a relatively short walk, which I'm grateful for. Who knows how often I’ll need to go into town.
The first building I see is some sort of clinic, nice to know we at least have this. The cold AC hits me like a blast as I push open the door. Are doctors' offices usually this cold?
“Maru, is that you?” A male's voice says from some back room, “I need some help back here with this medicine.”
I don’t know what to say, “Um, not Maru.”
A face pops out from behind a wall, and a mustache and glasses are all I see before his face registers.
“Oh! I am terribly sorry I thought you were my assistant.”
“No worries! I didn’t know if you were open. I was just coming to introduce myself.” I stretch my hand out towards the man. “I’m Iris. I just moved into my grandfather's farm.”
He smiles and clasps his hand in mine. “Lovely to finally meet you, Iris! The whole town has been talking about you ever since Mayor Lewis said you would be moving in.”
Well, great to know they’re all expecting me, not sure if that’s a good thing or not. “I’m Harvey, the local doctor. I moved here not too long ago myself. Well, I suppose it has been 6 years by now…But it feels like yesterday!”
“Great to meet you,” I reply with a smile. Neither of us knows what to say next, and the discomfort grows in the room. “I should get going, lots of people to meet and all”
“Of course, I wouldn’t want to hold you up. If you ever need a doctor, you know where to find me.”
I’ve never been too good with meeting new people. I always get awkward and don’t know what to say. And for some reason I’ve decided to move to a town where I know no one. Great for me.
The store right next door seems like a logical next place to go. So I take a deep breath and pull the door open. A man is sitting behind a counter writing something seemingly important, if the passion with which he is writing is any indication, in a notebook.
“Hello,” I speak first. “My name is Iris. I just–”
“The farmer!” I guess he finally noticed I was here. “I’ve been waiting for you! Welcome to Pierre’s. We sell the best quality seeds in the valley. You really shouldn’t even bother going to Joja, they’re overpriced and of horrible quality.”
I’m not quite sure how to respond, so he keeps going. “I’ll even buy your produce back after you grow it. For a fair price, of course. I will also–”
“Dad, I think that’s enough you’re scaring her.” The voice comes from a girl with purple hair hanging around the fresh produce. She seems about my age, maybe a little older.
“I’m sorry about him.” She makes her way towards me. “He’s a little excited you’re here. Not many people buy his seeds, and I think it's getting to him.” The tone of her voice and smile at the end make it clear she's making a joke. I let an awkward laugh escape.
“My name's Abigail, please don’t judge me based on my dad's behavior. I am way cooler than that.” This time I let out a real laugh, she seems sweet.
“It’s nice to meet you.”
“Look, I know this is probably super overwhelming for you, and you have like a million people to meet. Well, not a million only like 30 people live here. That’s besides the point. If you need a friend, I’m here.” She hands me her phone.
“Give me your number, feel free to ask me anything. Or just hit me up to chat,” I type in my number and hand her phone back to her.
“Thank you. It has been a little overwhelming, and you’re only the third person I’ve met.”
“Thank goodness I got to you before all those other weirdos.” She jokes, and I can tell that once I get comfortable, we will definitely get along well.
“Hey, listen, my friends and I always go to the saloon on Friday night, and you should join us! Super low stakes, you can just come and say hi to everyone. It might be a good way to introduce yourself. Pretty much everyone goes to the Saloon that night.”
She is right, being able to meet a bunch of people at once would ease my mind a bit. Especially if there's alcohol involved. “Okay, that sounds great. I’m in.”
“Yay! I was hoping you would say that. I’ll text you the details, okay?” I nodded.
“Well, I’m gonna go now. Good luck with my dad.” She winked and wandered off to the back of the store. I took a deep breath and got ready to interact with Pierre again.
. . .
The first week was really flying by. After Pierre’s, I decided I had enough social interaction for the day and went back to the farm. I got my seeds planted and cleared out some areas of my farm.
On Tuesday, I got a letter from some guy named Willy, who told me to come down to the beach. He gave me an extra fishing rod, which I was beyond grateful for because the extra cash would be super helpful, and he taught me how to fish. I spent the rest of the day fishing and even had one for dinner.
Wednesday rained, hard. So I spent the day inside mostly unpacking and organizing. The cottage was small, but I didn’t have much stuff. Mostly because I was in such a hurry to get out of there, I threw some things in boxes and called it a day. It was nice to finally be unpacked and know where everything is.
Thursday was good weather again, so I decided to go foraging. I explored the mountains and the forest, and got plenty of good forage. I met Robin again when I was by the lake. She introduced me to her husband and daughter. Mumbling something about her son and the basement? I was confused but didn’t question anything.
And finally, it’s Friday. It’s weird, though. Are weekends exciting when you still have work to do? As I opened my front door this morning, a woman was walking up my steps. She said her name was Marnie and that she lived in the forest. She had a little black kitten with her. She was asking if he was mine because she found him wandering around.
After a bit of conversation, I decided to adopt him. I wouldn’t mind the company, and who could resist the fluffy little thing? I named him Loki and added to the mental list in my brain to pick up some food for him and Pierre’s today. My seeds had borne parsnips, so I needed to get some more seeds to plant in their place, and sell what I could to Pierre.
I had finally finished all my chores around 3 pm. Abigail said that I should meet her at the saloon at 7, so I had plenty of time to relax and get ready. But time always seems to slip away from me. It’s a bad habit of mine, being late for things. I’ve tried hard to break it, believe me. But somehow I always manage to believe I have more time than I do and end up rushing last minute.
Tonight's problem is that I have no idea what to wear. I mean, it is a small town. No way are people dressing up to go to their local bar. But maybe they are? If it’s the only time they get to dress up, I could see the appeal. So I guess the question is: would I rather be overdressed or underdressed?
Being as I am already running late because I spent forever on my hair, it ended up in a ponytail, I decided underdressed would have to do. I threw on the only pair of jeans I have that aren’t stained by grass and a T-shirt. It was a kind of nice T-shirt, though. I think.
I’m still getting used to the area, so I hope the back path by the bus is a faster route. When I can see the Saloon in the distance, I check my phone. 7:21, okay, not terrible, but not a good impression either. I look up to the door from the bottom of the stairs.
“I can do this,” I tell myself. “It will be just like the city. You used to party all the time.”
I cringe at the memory, pushing it to the back of my mind. I take my first step when I hear a voice behind me.
“Are you talking to yourself?”
Oh shit.