Chapter 3
I woke up to the sound of rain drumming against the roof. Before doing anything else, I checked the TV.
“It’s going to be a beautiful, sunny day tomorrow!”
Well, at least I don’t have to water my crops today.
On the Fortune Teller channel:
“The spirits are very happy today! They will do their best to shower everyone with good fortune.”
Weird. With weather like this, you’d expect a bad omen.
After chopping a few logs blocking my path, I decided to explore Cindersap Forest for forage. Instead, I found an ocean of grass. Cutting through it gave me a handful of wild seeds. As I worked, the thought crossed my mind:
Who haven’t I met yet?
Probably about two-thirds of the town by now. Today might wrap up the rest.
Toward the south end of the forest, I stumbled across a patch of spring onions — fourteen of them, one even a gold star. Unfortunately, my bag filled up at the worst possible moment, and I couldn’t pick it up.
Great. Inventory problems already. Time to head home and unload.
On the way back, I spotted Lewis approaching Marnie’s Ranch. He waved immediately.
“Good morning, Eric!”
“Morning, Lewis!”
“I’m stopping by to talk to Marnie about her taxes. Do you want to say hello?”
“Sure, why not?”
Inside, Marnie stood with the little violet-haired girl I’d seen before. The child stared at me with terrified eyes.
“…Hi…” she murmured.
“Jas, sweetheart,” Marnie coaxed gently, “the farmer isn’t going to bite.”
“But Aunt Marnie… didn’t Uncle Shane say the farmer was a jerk?”
I flinched.
“What?” Marnie sputtered. “Jas! Don’t say things like that! He just moved in!”
Lewis stepped out from the back at that exact moment, startling her further.
“Hello there, Marnie. How goes today?”
Jas practically leapt behind the lamp.
“Ah, Lewis! Same as always,” Marnie answered. “Oh—this must be the kid you mentioned earlier. How long has it been since we last talked to Peter?”
“Marnie… he passed away years ago.”
“Oh. Right. That’s a shame. He was a great man for Pelican Town. After he died, the place started falling apart.”
I chuckled. “Well, I’ve been tidying it up. Cleared a bunch of grass already. Even found some wild seeds.”
Marnie perked up.
“Speaking of that, have you gotten any hay yet?”
“Er… no?”
“Oh, well, you can get hay by cutting grass with a scythe — but you’ll need a silo first. Those hold about 240 pieces of hay.”
“Good to know.”
“And in winter, animals have to stay inside. Hay runs out fast if you’ve got a full barn.”
Lewis cut in. “By then, Eric should have enough grass to fill a silo naturally.”
“Right, right,” Marnie sighed. “Still, you can always buy hay from me. Fifty gold pieces. Could use the cash…”
I checked the time — already 11:30 AM. Might as well head to the town square and meet whoever’s left.
“Nice talking to you both. See you later!”
On my way home, weaving through the boulders and long grass, I realized Lewis was probably right. Give it a few more days, and I’d be drowning in hay once I built a silo.
I emptied my backpack, which mostly consisted of fibre, wood and spring onions.
With the rain still falling, I figured it was a good time to fish up north. I heard the lake had valuable fish that sold well.
I caught plenty of chub, two carp, a bullhead, but best of all: my first largemouth bass, which came with a geode stuck to it. Not a bad haul.
I walked into Robin’s shop to warm up, but she wasn’t there. Demetrius was in his lab.
“Greetings, Eric. Staying dry?” Demetrius asked warmly.
“Yeah, figured I’d use the rain to catch some fish. Got a largemouth bass.”
“Oh? That’s good! Keep practicing. Some fish only appear in the rain—catfish, eels. But they’re much tougher to reel in.”
“Noted. Tell Robin I said hi.”
“Have you met Maru yet?” he asked. “She works at the clinic in town.”
“Not yet. I’ve been busy cleaning the farm.”
“I hope you meet soon. She’s always excited to talk about her projects.”
I waved goodbye—then Robin stepped into the room.
“Oh! Eric! I was cooking dinner.”
“I thought you went out logging.”
“Not in this weather. Demetrius practically forbade it. He usually gets glued to his research.”
I laughed softly.
“How’s your cottage? Thinking of upgrading?”
“It’s a bit small, but fine for now.”
“By Summer, you’ll have enough to expand. Have you met my kids, Maru and Sebastian?”
“Not yet.”
“Maru’s in her room tinkering with something metal. STEM stuff. Probably best to meet her later.”
I nodded.
“And Sebastian… well. He’s downstairs. He’s not great with new people.”
I winced. “Oh boy. Another Shane?”
Robin hesitated for a bit, probably taken aback by my question, and then responded. “Not exactly, just… distant. Don’t take it personally.”
“See you later, Robin.”
“Bye, Eric!”
Town Square was nearly empty — rain tends to do that. I checked the bulletin board.
HELP WANTED
Looking for someone to bring me a Carp.
—
Sam
Reward: 90g
Sam—the kid who was hiding behind the bush earlier, watching the stream? Nice timing—I had a gold-star carp on me.
I knocked at Jodi’s door. A boy heading to bed glanced at me, then hurried off. Jodi looked up from the sink.
“Oh! Eric! Good evening!”
“Sorry if I’m intruding.”
“Oh, not at all. We just finished dinner.”
“I saw Sam’s request for a carp, but uh… looks like you already cooked one.”
“Ah, yes. Perfect timing, huh?” she laughed. “Why don’t you keep yours? If Willy runs out sometime, I might ask you instead.”
I brightened. “Sure, sounds good.”
“And don’t worry about dropping in,” she added. “I don’t usually like strangers wandering in, but you seem trustworthy.”
“Goodnight, Jodi.”
“Goodnight, sweetie!”
Yeah… she’s definitely a mom.
At the Saloon, I spotted Willy sitting with a female lumberjack and a doctor.
“Eric!” Willy called. “Caught a largemouth yet?”
“Yep!”
“Hah! Fast learner! Just throw them in the shipping bin tonight—I’ll manage the rest.”
The lumberjack smiled.
“I’m Leah. You picked a perfect time to move here. Spring is beautiful.”
“Nice to meet you.”
The doctor stepped over next.
“I’m Harvey, the local physician. I oversee medical check-ups and treatment. Rewarding work. I hope your work here feels the same.”
“Well, catching my first bass felt pretty rewarding.”
Willy laughed. “Told you, Harvey—the boy’s a natural!”
Gus chimed in.
“You’re improving quickly, Eric. Keep at it. The fishing derbies get competitive.”
“Oh, I go every year!” Willy boomed. “Maybe we’ll fish together someday!”
Gus grinned. “Let’s hope he doesn’t outfish you.”
Emily came over next.
“Hey Eric.”
“Hey Emily. How’s your night?”
“Good! You?”
“Feeling accomplished.”
She smiled. “I’ve heard rumours of ancient magical rings—powerful artifacts from forgotten civilizations.”
Pam snorted. “What, like goblins and dwarves? Kid stories.”
“Doesn’t hurt to dream,” I offered.
Emily smiled at me, only for Clint to walk in right then.
“Oh, hey Eric. You got a geode?”
“Yeah—found it stuck to a bass.”
“A bass and a geode?” Gus laughed. “That’s a first.”
“Bring it to me tomorrow,” Clint said. “I’ll crack it open.”
As he left, Shane brushed past me, muttering:
“…This weather’s making me really thirsty…”
“Didn’t you already have a beer?” I asked gently.
He ignored me completely.
“Well,” I sighed, “at least he didn’t yell. Baby steps.”
Emily giggled. Seeing her smile always lightened the room.
The rain had softened to a steady whisper by the time I left the Saloon. Pelican Town looked different at night—lamplight pooling on wet cobblestones, windows glowing like quiet constellations. For a place that sometimes felt small, it held an awful lot of lives inside it.
Jas’ words lingered longer than I expected.
Didn’t Uncle Shane say the farmer was a jerk?
I exhaled slowly. It shouldn’t have bothered me. Shane barely spoke two sentences to me without sounding irritated, and I’d already guessed I wasn’t high on his list of favourite people. But hearing it from a kid—hearing that she believed it—stung in a way I didn’t anticipate.
Why would someone like her be living with someone as short-tempered as Shane?
Then again… maybe that wasn’t the whole story. Maybe people weren’t as simple as their worst moments. If Jas felt safe enough to repeat something he’d said, maybe she felt safe enough with him to say it at all. I didn’t know. I barely knew any of them.
And then there was Marnie.
The way she’d asked about Grandpa—like she’d stepped backward in time for half a second. Like he might still be out there somewhere, late but coming home.
Lewis had answered gently. Too gently.
Grandpa, Lewis, Marnie… they’d built something together once. I could feel it in the way the town moved around Lewis, in the way Marnie’s voice softened when his name came up. Whatever had happened between them, it hadn’t erased that history. It had just… weathered it.
I wondered what they were like when they were my age. Did Grandpa walk these same muddy roads with plans bigger than the valley could hold? Did Lewis already carry that careful sense of responsibility? Was Marnie always the one trying to keep the peace?
The rain tapped against the brim of my hat as I cut north toward the farm. I hadn’t even met Robin’s kids yet. Maru sounded bright—excited about her projects, Demetrius had said. Sebastian… distant. Basement room, headphones, late nights. I couldn’t picture either of them yet, just outlines sketched in other people’s words.
Strange how quickly faces were starting to stack up in my mind.
Willy laughing over a tankard.
Leah with sawdust still clinging to her sleeves.
Harvey speaking like every sentence was carefully measured.
Emily talking about magical rings like they were as real as rain.
Shane brushing past me like I wasn’t there.
So many people. So many unfinished introductions.
And I’d only been here a few days.
By the time the farmhouse came into view, I felt tired—but not in the way I used to feel in Zuzu. This was a different kind of exhaustion. Earned. Tangible.
I tossed the day’s catch and forage into the shipping bin and listened to the lid thud shut.
Four hundred and fifty gold by morning.
Not bad.
The backpack upgrade was getting closer. A small thing, maybe—but it felt like proof. Proof that I was moving forward. That I was carving out space for myself here.
One more day at a time.
